California native plants are plants that existed in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

prior to the arrival of European explorers and colonists in the late 18th century. California includes parts of at least three phytochoria. The largest is the

California Floristic Province The California Floristic Province (CFP) is a floristic province with a Mediterranean-type climate located on the Pacific Coast of North America with a distinctive flora similar to other regions with a winter rainfall and summer drought climat ...

, a geographical area that covers most of California, portions of neighboring

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

, and

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

, and is regarded as a "world hotspot" of

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

Introduction

In 1993, '' The Jepson Manual'' estimated that California was home to 4,693 native species and 1,169 native subspecies or varieties, including 1,416 endemic species. A 2001 study by the

California Native Plant Society The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) is a California environmental non-profit organization (501(c)(3)) that seeks to increase understanding of California's native flora and to preserve it for future generations. The mission of CNPS is to c ...

estimated 6,300 native plants. These estimates continue to change over time. Of California's total plant population, 2,153 species, subspecies, and varieties are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

and native to California alone, according to the 1993 Jepson Manual study. This botanical diversity stems not only from the size of the state, but also its diverse topographies, climates, and soils (e.g. serpentine outcrops). Numerous plant groupings exist in California, and botanists work to structure them into identifiable

ecoregions An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecology, ecological and Geography, geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of la ...

plant communities A plant community is a collection or Association (ecology), association of plant species within a designated geographical unit, which forms a relatively uniform patch, distinguishable from neighboring patches of different vegetation types. The comp ...

vegetation type Vegetation classification is the process of classifying and mapping the vegetation over an area of the Earth's surface. Vegetation classification is often performed by state based agencies as part of land use, resource and environmental management ...

s, and

habitats In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

, and

taxonomies image:Hierarchical clustering diagram.png, 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme o ...

. California native plants include some that have widespread

horticultural Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

use. Sometimes the appreciation began outside of California— lupines, California fuchsias, and California poppies were first cultivated in British and European gardens for over a century.

Selected trees

Coniferous trees

Sequoias and redwoods

Coast redwood ''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995: 606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coast ...

(''Sequoia sempervirens'') - in the fog-shrouded Pacific coast. This and the giant sequoia are the state trees of California. *

Giant sequoia ''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (also known as the giant sequoia, giant redwood, Sierra redwood or Wellingtonia) is a species of coniferous tree, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae. Giant sequoia specimens are the la ...

(''Sequoiadendron giganteum'') - in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Pine trees

Bishop pine ''Pinus muricata'', the bishop pine, is a pine with a very restricted range: mostly in California, including several offshore Channel Islands, and a few locations in Baja California, Mexico. Stands of Bishop Pine are also found in Point Reyes Nat ...

(''Pinus muricata''): coastal species grown in gardens *

Coulter pine Coulter pine (''Pinus coulteri''), or big-cone pine, is a conifer in the genus ''Pinus'' of the family Pinaceae. Coulter pine is an evergreen conifer that lives up to 100 years. Horton, Jerome S. 1949. Trees and shrubs for erosion control of sou ...

(''Pinus coulteri'') *

Gray pine ''Pinus sabiniana'' (sometimes spelled ''P. sabineana'') is a pine endemic to California in the United States. Its vernacular names include towani pine, foothill pine, gray pine, ghost pine, and bull pine. The name digger pine was historically ...

, ghost pine, or digger pine (''Pinus sabiniana'') *

Knobcone pine The knobcone pine, ''Pinus attenuata'' (also called ''Pinus tuberculata''), is a tree that grows in mild climates on poor soils. It ranges from the mountains of southern Oregon to Baja California with the greatest concentration in northern Calif ...

(''Pinus attenuata'') *

Ponderosa pine ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine, is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is t ...

(''Pinus ponderosa''): well known in mountains *

Lodgepole pine ''Pinus contorta'', with the common names lodgepole pine and shore pine, and also known as twisted pine, and contorta pine, is a common tree in western North America. It is common near the ocean shore and in dry montane forests to the subalpin ...

(''Pinus contorta''): used for early construction of buildings and other structures. *

Monterey pine ''Pinus radiata'' (synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Pinus insignis''), the Monterey pine, insignis pine or radiata pine, is a species of pine native to the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California and Mexico (on Guadalupe Island and Ced ...

(''Pinus radiata''): naturally limited endemic range; widely planted horticulturally around the world *

Limber pine ''Pinus flexilis'', the limber pine, is a species of pine tree in the family Pinaceae that occurs in the mountains of the Western United States, Mexico, and Canada. It is also called Rocky Mountain white pine. A limber pine in Eagle Cap Wilder ...

(''Pinus flexilis'') *

Jeffrey pine ''Pinus jeffreyi'', also known as Jeffrey pine, Jeffrey's pine, yellow pine and black pine, is a North American pine tree. It is mainly found in California, but also in the westernmost part of Nevada, southwestern Oregon, and northern Baja Califo ...

(''Pinus jeffreyi'') *

Parry pinyon ''Pinus quadrifolia'', the Parry pinyon, is a pine in the pinyon pine group native to southernmost California in the United States and northern Baja California in Mexico, from 33° 30' N south to 30° 30' N. The Parry pinyon has a lifespan of aro ...

(''Pinus quadrifolia'') * Shore pine (''Pinus contorta'') *

Sugar pine ''Pinus lambertiana'' (commonly known as the sugar pine or sugar cone pine) is the tallest and most massive pine tree and has the longest Conifer cone, cones of any conifer. It is native to coastal and inland mountain areas along the Pacific coa ...

(''Pinus lambertiana'') * Torrey pine (''Pinus torreyana'') * Western white pine (''Pinus monticola'') * Single-leaf pinyon pine (''Pinus monophylla'') *

Great Basin bristlecone pine ''Pinus longaeva'' (commonly referred to as the Great Basin bristlecone pine, intermountain bristlecone pine, or western bristlecone pine) is a long-living species of bristlecone pine tree found in the higher mountains of California, Nevada, and ...

(''Pinus longaeva''): the

Methuselah Methuselah (; ''Məṯūšélaḥ'', in pausa ''Məṯūšālaḥ'', "His death shall send" or "Man of the javelin" or "Death of sword"; ''Mathousalas'') was a biblical patriarch and a figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He is clai ...

, a 4,700-year-old specimen *

Foxtail pine ''Pinus balfouriana'', the foxtail pine, is a rare high-elevation pine that is endemic to California, United States. It is closely related to the Great Basin and Rocky Mountain bristlecone pines, in the subsection ''Balfourianae''. Descriptio ...

(''Pinus balfouriana''): endemic to California; 2,000-year-old specimens

Western Cypress

Arizona cypress ''Hesperocyparis arizonica'', the Arizona cypress, is a North American species of tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. Populations may be scattered rather than in large, dense stands. Desc ...

(''Hesperocyparis arizonica'') * Baker cypress (''Hesperocyparis bakeri'') * Cuyamaca cypress (''Hesperocyparis'' ''stephensonii'') * Gowen cypress (''Hesperocyparis goveniana'') * McNab's cypress (''Hesperocyparis macnabiana'') *

Monterey cypress ''Hesperocyparis macrocarpa'' also known as ''Cupressus macrocarpa'', or the Monterey cypress is a coniferous tree, and is one of several species of cypress trees native to California. The Monterey cypress is found naturally only on the Centr ...

(''Hesperocyparis macrocarpa'') * Paiute cypress (''Hesperocyparis nevadensis'') * Pygmy cypress (''Hesperocyparis pygmaea'') * Santa Cruz cypress (''Hesperocyparis abramsiana'') *

Sargent's cypress ''Hesperocyparis sargentii'' is a species of conifer in the family Cupressaceae known by the common name Sargent's cypress. It is endemic to California, where it is known from Mendocino County southwards to Santa Barbara County. This taxon is lim ...

(''Hesperocyparis sargentii'') * Tecate cypress (''Hesperocyparis forbesii'')

Other conifers

* Santa Lucia fir (''Abies bracteata'') and seven other native ''

Abies Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...

'' species *

Douglas fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is the tallest tree in the Pinaceae family. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Or ...

(''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') *

Bigcone Douglas-fir ''Pseudotsuga macrocarpa'', commonly called the bigcone spruce or bigcone Douglas-fir, is an evergreen conifer native to the mountains of southern California. It is notable for having the largest (by far) conifer cone, cones in the genus ''Pseud ...

(''Pseudotsuga macrocarpa'') - Central Coast and

Santa Susana Mountains The Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in Southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States. The range runs east-west, separating the San Fernando and Simi valleys on its south from the Santa ...

. * California nutmeg (''Torreya californica'') * Incense cedar (''Calocedrus decurrens'') * Port Orford cedar/Lawson's cypress (''Chamaecyparis lawsoniana'') *

White fir ''Abies concolor'', the white fir, concolor fir, or Colorado fir, is a coniferous tree in the pine family Pinaceae. This tree is native to the mountains of western North America, including the Sierra Nevada and southern Rocky Mountains, and int ...

(''Abies concolor'') - at high elevations *

Mountain hemlock ''Tsuga mertensiana'', known as mountain hemlock, is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, found between Southcentral Alaska and south-central California. Description ''Tsuga mertensiana'' is a large evergreen conifer ...

(''Tsuga mertensiana'') *

Red fir ''Abies magnifica'', the red fir or silvertip fir, is a western North American fir, native to the mountains of southwest Oregon and California in the United States. It is a high-elevation tree, typically occurring at elevation, though only rarel ...

(''Abies magnifica'') *

Pacific yew ''Taxus brevifolia'', the Pacific yew or western yew, is a species of tree in the yew family Taxaceae native to the Pacific Northwest of North America. It is a small evergreen conifer, thriving in moisture and otherwise tending to take the form o ...

(''Taxus brevifolia'') *

Western juniper ''Juniperus occidentalis'', known as the western juniper, is a shrub or tree native to the Western United States, growing in mountains at altitudes of and rarely down to . It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because it is a widesp ...

(Juniperus occidentalis)

Oak trees

:California is home to many deciduous and evergreen

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

s, often occurring in oak woodlands: *

Valley oak ''Quercus lobata'', commonly called the valley oak or roble, is the largest of the California oaks. It is endemic to the state, growing in interior valleys and foothills from Siskiyou to San Diego counties. Deciduous, it requires year-round grou ...

(''Quercus lobata'') - the largest of these, found in valley regions. * Leather oak (''Quercus durata'') - an evergreen shrub endemic to serpentine chaparral. *

Blue oak ''Quercus douglasii'', known as blue oak, is a species of oak endemic to California, common in the Coast Ranges and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It is California's most drought-tolerant deciduous oak, and is a dominant species in the b ...

(''Quercus douglasii'') - in the Central Valley foothills and Coast Ranges. *

California black oak ''Quercus kelloggii'', the California black oak or Kellogg oak, is an oak in the red oak section (genus ''Quercus'', section ''Lobatae'', series ''Agrifoliae'') native to western North America. Description ''Quercus kelloggii'' grows from one ...

(''Quercus kelloggii'') - in the higher hills and mountains. * Canyon live oak (''Quercus chrysolepis'') - found mainly in northern mountainous regions. *

Interior live oak ''Quercus wislizeni'', known by the common name interior live oak, is an evergreen oak, highly variable and often shrubby, found in western North America. Description It is a large shrub or tree growing to tall, although where it is common in ...

(''Quercus wislizeni'') - found in the Central Valley region. * Coastal Scrub oak (''Quercus dumosa'') - Southern california. * California Scrub oak (''Quercus berberidifolia'') - Coastal scrub *

Engelmann oak ''Quercus engelmannii'', the Engelmann oak or Pasadena oak, is a species of oak in the white oak section (''Quercus'' sect. ''Quercus''), native to Southern California and northwestern Baja California, Mexico. Description ''Quercus engelmannii'' ...

(''Quercus engelmanni'') - an endangered species with a cool blue-gray cast to the foliage. *

Coast live oak ''Quercus agrifolia'', the California live oak, or coast live oak, is an evergreen live oak native to the California Floristic Province. Live oaks are so-called because they keep living leaves on the tree all year, adding young leaves and sheddi ...

(''Quercus agrifolia'') - found in the

Coast Ranges The Pacific Coast Ranges (officially gazetted as the Pacific Mountain System in the United States; ; ) are the series of mountain ranges that stretch along the West Coast of North America from Alaska south to Northern and Central Mexico. Althoug ...

Transverse Ranges The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of Southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie within Santa Ba ...

Peninsular Ranges The Peninsular Ranges (also called the Lower California province) are a group of mountain ranges that stretch from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Pacific Coast Range ...

, and along the coast's hills and adjacent interior valleys, as well as many other habitats and gardens. * Palmer oak (''Quercus palmeri'') -San Francisco Bay and south * Island oak (''Quercus tomentella'') -

to the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...

with distinctive large evergreen leaves. * Island scrub oak (''Quercus pacifica'') -

to the

Riparian trees

:In riparian areas (streamside and moist habitats) some of the trees include: *

California sycamore ''Platanus racemosa'' is a species of plane tree known by several common names, including California sycamore, western sycamore, California plane tree, and in North American Spanish . ''Platanus racemosa'' is native to California and Baja Califo ...

(''Platanus racemosa'') * White alder (''Alnus rhombifolia'') *

Quaking aspen ''Populus tremuloides'' is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, one of several species referred to by the common name aspen. It is commonly called quaking aspen,

(''Populus tremuloides'') * Fremont cottonwood (''Populus fremontii'') * Black cottonwood (''Populus trichocarpa'') * Arroyo willow (''Salix lasiolepis'')

Other trees and tree-like shrubs

Tanoak ''Notholithocarpus densiflorus'', commonly known as the tanoak or tanbark-oak, is a broadleaf tree in the family Fagaceae, and the type species of the genus ''Notholithocarpus''. It is a hardwood tree that is native to the far western United Sta ...

(''Notholithocarpus densiflorus'') *

California bay laurel ''Umbellularia californica'' is a large hardwood tree native to coastal forests and the Sierra foothills of California, and to coastal forests extending into Oregon. It is the sole species in the genus ''Umbellularia''. The tree's pungent leaves ...

(''Umbellularia californica'') *

Pacific madrone ''Arbutus menziesii'', or Pacific madrone (commonly madrone or madrona in the United States and arbutus in Canada), is a species of broadleaf evergreen tree in the family Ericaceae. It has waxy foliage, a contorted growth habit, and flaky bark ...

(''Arbutus menziesii'') *

Toyon ''Heteromeles arbutifolia'' (, more commonly by Californian botanists), commonly known as toyon, is a perennial shrub native to Coastal California. It is the sole species in the genus ''Heteromeles''. Description Toyon typically grows from , r ...

(''Heteromeles arbutifolia'') *

Bigleaf maple ''Acer macrophyllum'', the bigleaf maple or Oregon maple, is a large deciduous tree in the genus '' Acer''. It is native to western North America. In addition to uses by animals, it is of some culinary and woodworking interest. Description Big ...

(''Acer macrophyllum'') * Blue elderberry (''Sambucus cerulea'') is found throughout the state, an important host for birds,

butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

pollinator A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female carpel, stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are ...

s, and

beneficial insect Beneficial insects (sometimes called beneficial bugs) are any of a number of species of insects that perform valued services like pollination and pest control. The concept of ''beneficial'' is subjective and only arises in light of desired outcome ...

s (''

integrated pest management Integrated pest management (IPM), also known as integrated pest control (IPC) integrates both chemical and non-chemical practices for economic control of pests. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization defines IPM as "the careful consideratio ...

'') *

California buckeye ''Aesculus californica'', commonly known as the California buckeye or California horse-chestnut, is a species of buckeye native to California and southwestern Oregon. Description Aesculus californica is a large deciduous shrub or small tree, u ...

(''Aesculus californica'') * Western redbud (''Cercis occidentalis'') * California black walnut (''Juglans californica'') *

California hazelnut ''Corylus cornuta'', the beaked hazelnut (or just ''beaked hazel''), is a deciduous shrubby hazel with two subspecies found throughout most of North America. Description The beaked hazelnut can reach tall with stems thick with smooth gray b ...

(''Corylus cornuta'')

Selected shrubs

Chamise ''Adenostoma fasciculatum'', commonly known as chamise or greasewood, is a flowering plant native to California and Baja California. This shrub is one of the most widespread plants of the California chaparral ecoregion. Chamise produces a specia ...

(''Adenostoma fasciculatum'') *

Serviceberry ''Amelanchier'' ( ), also known as shadbush, shadwood or shadblow, serviceberry or sarvisberry (or just sarvis), juneberry, saskatoon, sugarplum, wild-plum or chuckley pear,A Digital Flora of Newfoundland and Labrador Vascular Plants/ref> is a ...

(''Amelanchier alnifolia'') *

Manzanita Manzanita is a common name for many species of the genus '' Arctostaphylos''. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees present in the chaparral biome of western North America, where they occur from Southern British Columbia and Washington to O ...

(''Arctostaphylos'' spp.) * California sagebrush (''Artemisia californica'') * Coyote brush (''Baccharis pilularis'') *

Calliandra ''Calliandra'' is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, in the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It contains about 140 species that are native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. Description ...

(''Calliandra'' spp.) * California lilac (''Ceanothus'' spp.) * Desert willow (''Chilopsis linearis'') * Flannelbush (''Fremontodendron'' spp.) * Hollyleaf cherry (''Prunus ilicifolia'') * Spicebush (''Calycanthus occidentalis'') * Bush anemone (''Carpenteria californica'') * Bladderpod (''Peritoma arborea'') *

Creosote bush ''Larrea tridentata'', called creosote bush, greasewood, and chaparral is a medicinal herb. In Sonora, it is more commonly called ''hediondilla''; Spanish ''hediondo'' = "smelly". It is a flowering plant in the family Zygophyllaceae. The specific ...

(''Larrea tridentata'') * Lupines (''Lupinus'' spp.) *

Snowberry ''Symphoricarpos'' is a small genus of about 15 species of deciduous shrubs in the family Caprifoliaceae. With the exception of the Chinese coralberry, ''Symphoricarpos sinensis, S. sinensis'', which is indigenous to western China, all species a ...

(''

Symphoricarpos mollis ''Symphoricarpos mollis'', with the common names creeping snowberry, Southern California snowberry, and trip vine, is a shrub in the honeysuckle family.Flowering Plans of the Santa Monica Mountains, Nancy Dale, 2nd. Ed, 2000, p. 91 Description ...

'' & spp.) *

Huckleberry Huckleberry is a name used in North America for several plants in the family Ericaceae, in two closely related genera: ''Vaccinium'' and ''Gaylussacia''. Nomenclature The name 'huckleberry' is a North American variation of the English dialectal ...

(''

Vaccinium ovatum ''Vaccinium'' is a common and widespread genus of shrubs or dwarf shrubs in the heath family (Ericaceae). The fruits of many species are eaten by humans and some are of commercial importance, including the cranberry, blueberry, bilberry (w ...

'' & spp.) * California Coffeeberry (''Frangula californica'') *

Lemonade berry ''Rhus integrifolia'', also known as lemonade sumac, lemonade berry, or lemonadeberry, is a shrub to small tree in the sumac genus ''Rhus''. It is native to the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges and the South Coast regions of Southern California. ...

(''Rhus integrifolia'') * Sugarbush (''Rhus ovata'') * Gooseberries and currants (''Ribes'' spp.) * Sages (''Salvia'' spp.)

Selected desert plants

California fan palm ''Washingtonia filifera'' pygmy date palm, the desert fan palm, California fan palm, or California palm,Flora of North America Association. ''Flora of North America: North of Mexico Volume 22: Magnoliophyta: Alismatidae, Arecidae, Commelinidae (i ...

(''Washingtonia filifera'') *

Joshua tree ''Yucca brevifolia'' (also known as the Joshua tree, yucca palm, tree yucca, and palm tree yucca) is a plant species belonging to the genus '' Yucca''. It is tree-like in habit, which is reflected in its common names. This monocotyledonous tre ...

(''Yucca brevifolia'') *

Jojoba Jojoba (; botanical name: ''Simmondsia chinensis'')also commonly called goat nut, deer nut, pignut, wild hazel, quinine nut, coffeeberry, and gray box bushis an evergreen, dioecious shrub native to the Southwestern United States and northern M ...

(''Simmondsia chinensis'') * California juniper (''Juniperus californica'') *

Blue palo verde ''Parkinsonia florida'', the blue palo verde ( syn. ''Cercidium floridum''), is a species of palo verde native to the Sonoran Deserts in the Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico.

(''Parkinsonia florida'') * Yellow foothill palo verde (''Parkinsonia microphylla'') *

Single-leaf pinyon ''Pinus monophylla'', the single-leaf pinyon, (alternatively spelled piñon) is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native to North America. The range is in southernmost Idaho, western Utah, Arizona, southwest New Mexico, Nevada, eastern and souther ...

(''Pinus monophylla'') * Fremont cottonwood (''Populus fremontii'') *

Ocotillo ''Fouquieria splendens'', commonly known as ocotillo, is a plant indigenous to the Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan and Colorado deserts in the Southwestern United States (southern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas), and nor ...

(''Fouquieria splendens'') *

(''Larrea tridentata'') * Indian mallow (''Abutilon palmeri'') * Brittlebush (''Encelia farinosa'') * Desert agave (''Agave deserti'') * California barrel cactus (''Ferocactus cylindraceus'') * Banana yucca (''Yucca baccata'') *

Mojave yucca ''Yucca schidigera'', also known as the Mojave yucca or Spanish dagger, is a perennial plant in the asparagus family Asparagaceae, native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is most common in the Mojave Desert, but also ...

(''Yucca schidigera'') * Rush milkweed (''Asclepias subulata'') * Purple desert sand-verbena (''Abronia villosa'') * Sacred datura (''Datura wrightii'')

Selected perennials

Sunny habitats

California poppy ''Eschscholzia californica'', the California poppy, golden poppy, Mexican poppy, California sunlight or cup of gold, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae, native to the United States and Mexico. It is cultivated as an or ...

(''Eschscholzia californica'') are found in drier places. California poppies are also an annual in many places. The state flower of California. *

Douglas iris ''Iris douglasiana'', the Douglas iris, is a common wildflower of the coastal regions of Northern and Central California and southern Oregon in the United States. It grows mainly at lower elevations, below , though it is occasionally found at hei ...

(''Iris douglasiana'') and 'Pacific Coast' hybrids *Monkeyflowers (''

Diplacus ''Diplacus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Phrymaceae, which was traditionally placed in family Scrophulariaceae. It includes 49 species native to the western United States and northwestern Mexico. Most prefer dry and rocky areas. ...

'', ''

Erythranthe ''Erythranthe'', the monkey-flowers and musk-flowers, is a diverse plant genus with more than 120 members (as of 2022) in the family (biology), family Phrymaceae. ''Erythranthe'' was originally described as a separate genus, then generally regar ...

''), e.g.: '' Diplacus aurantiacus'', '' Erythranthe guttata'', ''

Erythranthe cardinalis ''Erythranthe cardinalis'', the scarlet monkeyflower, is a flowering perennial in the family Phrymaceae. Together with other species in ''Mimulus'' section ''Erythranthe'', it serves as a model system for studying pollinator-based reproductive is ...

'' and cultivars. * Columbine (''Aquilegia'' spp.) * Coyote mint (''Monardella'' spp.) * Buckwheats (Eriogonum), e.g.: ''

Eriogonum fasciculatum ''Eriogonum fasciculatum'' is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names California buckwheat and flat-topped buckwheat. Characterized by small, white and pink flower clusters that give off a cottony effect, this species grows vari ...

'', '' Eriogonum giganteum'', ''

Eriogonum umbellatum ''Eriogonum umbellatum'' is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common name sulphurflower buckwheat, or simply sulphur flower. Description It is an extremely variable plant and hard to identify because individuals can look very different ...

Shady habitats

* Western wild ginger (''Asarum caudatum'') * Pacific bleeding heart (''Dicentra formosa'') * Island coral bells (''Heuchera maxima'') * Canyon coral bells (''Heuchera hirsutissima'') * Threeleaf foamflower (''Tiarella trifoliata'') * Redwood sorrel (''Oxalis oregana'')

Ferns

* Polypody ferns (''Polypodium''), e.g.: '' Polypodium californicum'' * Sword ferns (''Polystichum''), e.g.: '' Polystichum munitum'' * Giant chain fern (''Woodwardia fimbriata'') * Goldback ferns (''Pteridium'' spp.) * Wood ferns (''Dryopteris'' spp.), e.g.: ''

Dryopteris arguta ''Dryopteris arguta'', with the common name coastal woodfern, is a species of Dryopteris, wood fern. It is native to the west coast and western interior mountain ranges of North America, from British Columbia, throughout California, and into Ariz ...

'' * Maidenhair ferns (''Adiantum'' spp.) e.g.: ''

Adiantum jordanii ''Adiantum jordanii'' is a perennial species of maidenhair fern, in the Vittarioideae subfamily of the Pteridaceae. The species is known by the common name California maidenhair. It is native to California and Baja California. ''A. jordanii' ...

Selected bulbs

* Ithuriel's spear (''Triteleia'' spp.) * Meadow onion (''Allium monticola'') * Goldenstar (''Bloomeria crocea'') *

Brodiaea ''Brodiaea'' , also known by the common name cluster-lilies, is a monocot genus of flowering plants. One school of thought places the genus in the family , while another school of thought places it in the subfamily Brodiaeoideae of the family ...

(''Brodiaea'' spp.) * Blue dicks (''Dipterostemon capitatus''): one of the most common native bulb species throughout California; found in

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

and dry

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...

habitats * Mariposa lily (''Calochortus'' spp.): available from reputable horticultural sources; taking from the wild is illegal and is resulting in significant declines of some species from over collecting.

Selected annuals and wildflowers

* Baby blue eyes (''Nemophila menziesii'') * Blazing star (''Mentzelia lindleyi'') *

(''Eschscholzia californica'') * Chinese houses (''Collinsia heterophylla'') * Elegant clarkia (''Clarkia unguiculata'') * Farewell to spring (''Clarkia amoena'') *

Meadowfoam ''Limnanthes'', the type genus of the family Limnanthaceae, consists of annual herbaceous plants commonly known as the meadowfoams. The seven species are all native to coastal and adjoining regions (inland valleys, foothills and mountains) of wes ...

(''Limnanthes douglasii'') * Miner's lettuce (''Claytonia perfoliata'') * Northwestern yellowflax ''(Sclerolinon digynum)'' * Tarweed (''Madia elegans'') * Wind poppy (''Papaver heterophyllum'')

Selected vines

Aristolochia californica flower 2004-02-23

* California pipevine (''Aristolochia'' spp.) *

Morning glory Morning glory (also written as morning-glory) is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose taxonomy and systematics remain in flux. These species are distributed across numerous genus, gene ...

(''Calystegia'' spp.) * Pipestem clematis (''Clematis lasiantha'') * Western virgin's bower (''Clematis ligusticifolia'') *

Buffalo gourd Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...

(''Cucurbita foetidissima'') * California manroot (''Marah fabacea'') * Chilicothe (''Marah macrocarpa'') * California wild grape (''Vitis californica'') * Desert wild grape (''Vitis girdiana'')

Selected grasses

: ''Grasses:'' * Purple three-awn (''Aristida purpurea'') *

Blue grama ''Bouteloua gracilis'', the blue grama, is a long-lived, warm-season (C4 carbon fixation, C4) Perennial plant, perennial grass, native to North America. It is most commonly found from Alberta, Canada, east to Manitoba and south across the Rocky ...

(''Bouteloua gracilis'') * California fescue (''Festuca californica'') *

Idaho fescue ''Festuca idahoensis'' is a species of grass known by the common names Idaho fescue and blue bunchgrass. It is native to western North America, where it is widespread and common. It can be found in many ecosystems, from shady forests to open plai ...

(''Festuca idahoensis'') *

Red fescue ''Festuca rubra'' is a species of grass known by the common name red fescue, creeping red fescue or the rush-leaf fescue. It is widespread across much of the Northern Hemisphere and can tolerate many habitats and climates. It is best adapted to w ...

(''Festuca rubra'') * Junegrass (''Koeleria macrantha'') * Giant wildrye (''Leymus condensatus'') * California melic (''Melica californica'') * Deer grass (''Muhlenbergia rigens'') * Purple needlegrass (''Nassella pulchra''): The state grass of California * Indian ricegrass (''Oryzopsis hymenoides'') * Pine bluegrass (''Poa secunda'') : ''Grasslike:'' *

Sedges The Cyperaceae () are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large; botanists have described some 5,500 known species in about 90 generathe largest being the "true sedges" (genu ...

— (''Carex'' spp.) (taller 'bunch grass' specimens and lower meadow spreaders) * Rushes — (''Juncus'' spp.) *

Western blue-eyed grass ''Sisyrinchium bellum'', the western blue-eyed grass or Californian blue-eyed grass, is the common blue-eyed grass of California and Oregon in and west of the Sierra Nevada, its range extending south into Baja California. In parts of its ran ...

(''Sisyrinchium bellum'') ''and'' yellow-eyed-grass (''

Sisyrinchium californicum ''Sisyrinchium californicum'' is a species of flowering plant in the iris family known by the common names golden blue-eyed grass, yellow-eyed-grass, and golden-eyed-grass. It is native to the west coast of North America from British Columbia to ...

'').

Selected succulents

;''

Dudleya ''Dudleya'', commonly known as liveforevers, is a genus of rosette-forming succulent plants in the stonecrop family, Crassulaceae, consisting of about 68 taxa in southwestern North America and Guadalupe Island. The species come in many forms, so ...

s'' * Chalk lettuce (''Dudleya pulverulenta'') - garden-plant * Coast dudleya (''Dudleya caespitosa'') - A endemic* Canyon liveforever (''Dudleya cymosa'') - garden-plant *

Fingertips "Fingertips" is a 1963 hit single recorded live by "Little" Stevie Wonder for Motown's then Tamla label. Overview Written and composed by Wonder's mentors, Clarence Paul and Henry Cosby, "Fingertips" was originally a jazz instrumental record ...

(''Dudleya edulis'') - garden-plant * Giant chalk dudleya, Britton's dudleya (''Dudleya brittonii'') - garden-plant * Lanceleaf liveforever (''Dudleya lanceolata'') - garden-plant ;''

Sedum ''Sedum'' is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae, members of which are commonly known as stonecrops. The genus has been described as containing up to 600 species, subsequently reduced to 400–500. They are leaf succule ...

s'' * Broadleaf stonecrop (''Sedum spathulifolium'') - San Bruno elfin butterfly host plant. * Oregon stonecrop (''Sedum oreganum'') * Feather River stonecrop (''Sedum albomarginatum'') - A endemic, Sierras* Red Mountain stonecrop (''Sedum eastwoodiae'') - A endemic, Mendocino* Roseflower stonecrop (''Sedum laxum'') * Sierra stonecrop (''Sedum obtusatum'')

Environmental challenges

Some California native plants are in rapid decline in their native habitat due to

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted ...

, agriculture, overgrazing, recreational impacts, pollution, and invasive non-native species (invasive exotics)

colonization 475px, Map of the year each country achieved List of sovereign states by date of formation, independence. Colonization (British English: colonisation) is a process of establishing occupation of or control over foreign territories or peoples f ...

pressures (animals and other kingdoms of life, as well as plants). California also has 1,023 species of non-native plants, some now problematic

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

, such as yellow star-thistle, that were introduced during the Spanish colonization, the

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

, and subsequent immigrations and import trading of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

References

External links

CNPS—California Native Plant Society website
provide
CalScape Database
an extensive database of California native plants searchable by region, as well as other useful resources.
CalFlora Database
— extensive searchable database of California native plants.

— extensive database of California native plants
U.C. CalPhotos: Flora homepage
— searchable images database
Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants
— including horticultural information

— including

bunchgrass Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perennia ...

species and habitats
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Recommended Species
— provides a national searchable supplier directory for landscaping, environmental consultants, seed sources and nurseries; recommended plant lists that can be filtered to include plants native to California; and plant recommendations for specific regions of California.
Audubon Society
— includes a national searchable database of native plants suitable for attracting wildlife, especially birds.

— an extensive searchable national database of numerous native and non-native plants with various filters.
EPA Ecoregion Research
— provides research data on ecoregion levels III and IV of California with some useful native plant information.
National Wildlife Federation
— a functional national native plant database in the beta testing phase.
Eugene Otto Weber Murman Watercolors of California Flora, 1941-1961
{{DEFAULTSORT:California Native Plants

Native plants In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention") during history. The term is equi ...