Santa Cruz Island Reserve, California-Plants

Hirschfeldia incana (formerly Brassica geniculata) is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by many common names, including Shortpod mustard, Buchanweed, Hoary mustard and Mediterranean mustard. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Hirschfeldia, which is closely related to Brassica. The species is native to the Mediterranean Basin but it can be found in many parts of the world as an introduced species and often a very abundant noxious weed. This... less ↑

Hypochaeris glabra is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name smooth cat's ear. It is native to Eurasia and North Africa but it can be found on other continents where it is an introduced species and a widespread weed. This is an annual herb growing a small taproot, a basal rosette of leaves, and one or more thin stems 10 to 40 centimeters tall. The leaves are 2 to... less ↑

Lactuca serriola, also called prickly lettuce,milk thistle (not to be confused with Silybum marianum, also called milk thistle) compass plant, and scarole, is an annual or biennial plant, slightly foetid, that is commonly considered a weed of orchards, roadsides and field crops. The closest wild relative of cultivated lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). The leaves grow along a spiny stem and get progressively smaller as they reach its top. They emit latex when cut. Many flowers are... less ↑

Lathyrus vestitus is a species of wild pea known by the common name Pacific pea. It is native to western North America, where it is mostly found in the forests, woodlands, and chaparral of California. The ranges of some subspecies extend into Oregon and Baja California. This is a perennial pea vine which varies in appearance across subspecies. Leaves are made up of several leaflets of various shapes up to 4 or 5 centimeters long. The... less ↑

Medicago polymorpha is a plant species of the genus Medicago. It is native to the Mediterranean basin but is found throughout the world. It forms a symbiotic relationship with the bacterium Sinorhizobium medicae, which is capable of nitrogen fixation. Common names include California burclover, toothed bur clover, toothed medick and burr medic. less ↑

Minuartia douglasii is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name Douglas' stitchwort. It is native to the chaparral and oak woodlands in much of California, southern Oregon, and parts of Arizona. It is an annual herb growing to a maximum height of 30 centimeters with a slender green or purplish stem which sometimes has thin branches. The threadlike, curling leaves may be up to 4 centimeters long but are... less ↑

Oxalis corniculata, the creeping woodsorrel, also called procumbent yellow-sorrel or sleeping beauty, resembles the common yellow woodsorrel, Oxalis stricta. It is a somewhat delicate-appearing, low-growing, herbaceous plant in the family Oxalidaceae. It has a narrow, creeping stem that readily roots at the nodes. The trifoliate leaves are subdivided into three rounded leaflets and resemble a clover in shape. Some varieties have green leaves, while others, like Oxalis corniculata var. atropurpurea, have purple. The leaves have inconspicuous... less ↑

Oxalis pes-caprae (Bermuda buttercup, African wood-sorrel, Bermuda sorrel, Buttercup oxalis, Cape sorrel, English weed, Goat's-foot, Sourgrass, Soursob and Soursop; (Afrikaans: Suring) ) is a species of tristylous flowering plant in the wood sorrel family Oxalidaceae. Oxalis cernua is a less common synonym for this species. less ↑

Polygonum arenastrum (Common knotweed) is a summer annual weed that is native to Europe and can be found on most continents as an introduced species and a common noxious weed. Known by many other names, such as mat grass, oval-leaf knotweed, stone grass, wiregrass, and door weed, as well as many others, knotweed was first seen in North America in 1809 and is now seen throughout all of the United States and Canada. less ↑

Pterostegia is a monotypic plant genus containing only the single species Pterostegia drymarioides, which is known as the woodland threadstem or woodland pterostegia. It is native to the western United States. This is a very small annual spreading or climbing plant with very thin, hairy stems. The tiny leaves are lobed or heart-shaped and may be green or pink. The plant may sprawl across the ground in a thin layer or may form small patches here... less ↑

Rafinesquia californica is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names California chicory and California plumeseed. It looks like a weedy daisy, bearing heads of elegant white-petaled flowers. The ligules of the flowers are often striped with lavender or pink on the undersides, a feature most noticeable when the heads are closed. Each fruit has a pappus of stiff white or light brown hairs. less ↑

Rumex acetosella is a species of sorrel, bearing the common names sheep's sorrel, red sorrel, sour weed, and field sorrel. The plant and its subspecies are common perennial weeds. It has green arrowhead-shaped leaves and red-tinted deeply ridged stems, and it sprouts from an aggressive and spreading rhizome. The flowers emerge from a tall, upright stem. Female flowers are maroon in color. less ↑

Salvia columbariae is an annual plant that is commonly called chia, golden chia, and desert chia, because its seeds are used in the same manner as Salvia hispanica (chia). It grows in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Sonora, and Baja California, and was an important food for Native Americans. Some native names include pashí from Tongva and it'epeš from Ventureño. less ↑

Silene gallica is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by several common names, including common catchfly, small-flowered catchfly, and windmill pink. It is native to Eurasia and North Africa, but it can be found throughout much of the temperate world as a common roadside weed. It is an annual herb growing up to 40 or 45 centimeters tall, its branching stem coated in long, curling hairs and shorter, glandular hairs. The lance-shaped... less ↑

Sonchus asper (sharp-fringed sow thistle, prickly sow thistle, spiny sow thistle, or spiny-leaved sow thistle) is an annual plant with spiny leaves and yellow flowers resembling those of the dandelion. The leaves are bluish-green, simple, lanceolate, with wavy and sometimes lobed margins, covered in spines on both the margins and beneath. The base of the leaf surrounds the stem. The plant can reach 180 cm (6 ft) in height. The leaves and stems emit a milky sap... less ↑

Brassica rapa L. is a plant consisting of various widely cultivated subspecies including the turnip (a root vegetable); the mizuna, napa cabbage, and cime di rapa (leaf vegetables); and turnip rape (Brassica rapa subsp. oleifera, an oilseed which has many common names, including turnip rape, canola, field mustard, bird rape, keblock, and colza). The oilseed is sometimes confused with rapeseed oil, which however comes from a different Brassica species. less ↑

Sonchus oleraceus (common sowthistle,sow thistle,smooth sow thistle, annual sow thistle, hare's colwort, hare's thistle, milky tassel, swinies) is native to Asia, Australia, and Europe. The Latin name Sonchus refers to the hollow stem, while oleraceus refers to its good taste. The common name sow thistle refers to its attractiveness to swine, and the similarity of the leaf to younger thistle plants. The common name hare's thistle refers to its beneficial effects and attractiveness for hare and... less ↑

Stellaria media, chickweed, is a cool-season annual plant native to Europe, which is often eaten by chickens. It is sometimes called common chickweed to distinguish it from other plants called chickweed. Other common names include chickenwort, craches, maruns, winterweed. The plant germinates in fall or late winter, then forms large mats of foliage. Flowers are small and white, followed quickly by the seed pods. This plant flowers and sets seed at the same time. less ↑

Torilis nodosa is a species of flowering plant in the parsley family known by the common names knotted hedge parsley. It is native to parts of Europe, especially the Mediterranean Basin and it is known elsewhere, such as North America, as an introduced species and a common weed. It grows in many types of habitat, particularly disturbed areas. It is an annual herb producing a hairy stem up to half a meter in maximum height. The... less ↑

Vicia americana is a species of legume in the vetch genus known by the common names American vetch and purple vetch. It includes a subspecies known as mat vetch. It is a climbing perennial forb that grows from both taproot and rhizome. The leaves are each made up of oblong leaflets and have tendrils for climbing. It bears showy pea-like flowers in shades of lavender and fuchsia. The fruit is a hairless pod about 3 centimeters... less ↑

Vicia benghalensis is a species of vetch known by the common names purple vetch and reddish tufted vetch. It is native to southern Europe, North Africa, and nearby islands, and it is utilized elsewhere in agriculture and may be present in the wild as an introduced species. It is an annual herb with a climbing stem which is coated in hairs, often densely, making the plant appear silvery white. Each leaf is made up of several... less ↑

Vicia sativa, known as the common vetch, tare or simply "the vetch", is a nitrogen fixing leguminous plant. Although considered a weed when found growing in a cultivated grainfield, this hardy plant is often grown as green manure or livestock fodder. There is no firm evidence that this is the same as the "tare" in some English translations of the Bible (as in the "Parable of the Tares") – ryegrass (Lolium) is another candidate. less ↑

The Tasmanian Blue Gum, Southern Blue Gum or Blue Gum, (Eucalyptus globulus) is an evergreen tree, one of the most widely cultivated trees native to Australia. They typically grow from 30 to 55 m (98 to 180 ft) tall. The tallest currently known specimen in Tasmania is 90.7 m tall (297 ft). There are historical claims of even taller trees, the tallest being 101 m (330 ft). The natural distribution of the species includes Tasmania and southern Victoria (particularly the... less ↑

Rubus ursinus is a species of blackberry or dewberry known by the common names California blackberry, California dewberry, Douglas berry, Pacific blackberry or Pacific dewberry and trailing blackberry. It is native to western North America. This is a wide, spreading shrub or vine-bearing bush with prickly branches that can tip layer to spread vegetatively. Its white flowers may be distinguished from those of other blackberries by their narrow petals. The species is dioeocious, with male and... less ↑

Trifolium fucatum is a species of clover known by the common names bull clover and sour clover. It is native to Oregon and California, where it grows in many types of habitat, becoming common to abundant in some areas. It is an annual herb growing decumbent to erect in form, the stem often thick-walled and hollow. The leaf blades are made up of oval or rounded leaflets with smooth or toothed edges, and the leaves have... less ↑

Tragopogon porrifolius is a plant cultivated for its ornamental flower, edible root, and herbal properties. It also grows wild in many places and is one of the most widely known species of the salsify genus, Tragopogon. It is commonly known as purple or common salsify, oyster plant, vegetable oyster, Jerusalem star,goatsbeard or simply salsify (although these last two names are also applied to other species, as well). less ↑

Beta vulgaris (beet) is a plant in the Chenopodiaceae family which is now included in Amaranthaceae family. It has numerous cultivated varieties, the most well known of which is the root vegetable known as the beetroot or garden beet. However, other cultivated varieties include the leaf vegetable chard, as well as the root vegetable sugar beet, which is important in the production of table sugar, and mangelwurzel, which is a fodder crop. Three subspecies are typically... less ↑

The pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a (pea) flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking. The name is also used to describe other edible seeds from the Fabaceae such as the pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan), the cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), and the... less ↑

Rhus integrifolia, also known as Lemonade Berry, Lemonadeberry, or Lemonade Sumac is a shrub to small tree. It is native to the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges and the South Coast regions of Southern California. This extends from Santa Barbara County and the Channel Islands to San Diego County and extending into north-central Pacific coastal Baja California and its offshore islands such as Cedros Island. less ↑

Grindelia hirsutula is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names hairy gumplant and hairy gumweed. It is native to North America, including much of the west coast of the United States and the southern half of Canada. It grows in many habitats and climates. This is an erect perennial herb forming patches of herbage 20 centimeters high to sprawling stands of weedlike erect stems exceeding a meter in height.... less ↑

The radish (Raphanus sativus) is an edible root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family that was domesticated in Europe in pre-Roman times. They are grown and consumed throughout the world. Radishes have numerous varieties, varying in size, color and duration of required cultivation time. There are some radishes that are grown for their seeds; oilseed radishes are grown, as the name implies, for oil production. Radish can sprout from seed to small plant in as little as less ↑

Raphanus raphanistrum, wild radish or jointed charlock, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is sometimes claimed to be the ancestor of the edible radish, Raphanus sativus. Native to Asia (or, according to some authorities, the Mediterranean), it has been introduced into most parts of the world, and is regarded as a damagingly invasive species in many, for example Australia. It spreads rapidly, and is often found growing on roadsides or in other places... less ↑

Castilleja densiflora is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name denseflower Indian paintbrush. It is native to California and northern Baja California, where it grows in grassland and chaparral habitat. It is a variable species. It is generally 10 to 40 centimeters tall with linear or lance-shaped leaves up to 8 centimeters long, and with or without lobes. The inflorescence is as small as 3 centimeters or as long as 25 centimeters in... less ↑

Robinia pseudoacacia, commonly known as the black locust, is a tree of the genus Robinia in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States, but has been widely planted and naturalized elsewhere in temperate North America, Europe, Southern Africa and Asia and is considered an invasive species in some areas. A less frequently used common name is false Acacia, which is a literal translation of the specific epithet. less ↑

Capsella bursa-pastoris, known by its common name shepherd's-purse because of its triangular, purse-like pods, is a small (up to 0.5m) annual and ruderal species, and a member of the Brassicaceae or mustard family. It is native to eastern Europe and Asia minor but is naturalized and considered a common weed in many parts of the world, especially in colder climates, including Britain, where it is regarded as an archaeophyte,North America and China but also in the... less ↑

Garrya veatchii is a species of flowering shrub known by the common names canyon silktassel and Veatch silktassel. It is native to the chaparral hills of southern California and Baja California. This is a small treelike or bushy shrub reaching maximum heights near two meters. It has oval-shaped leaves 3 to 9 centimeters long and about half as wide with margins flat, wavy, or slightly rolled, and undersides covered thinly to thickly in woolly hairs. It... less ↑

Bowlesia incana is a species of flowering plant in the parsley family known by the common name hoary bowlesia. It is native to South America and the southeastern and southwestern United States as far north as Oregon. It can also be found in Pakistan and New Zealand as an introduced species. It grows in many types of habitat. This is a small annual herb growing thin, spreading stems less than 60 centimeters long. The leaves are... less ↑

Torilis arvensis is a species of flowering plant in the parsley family known by the common names common hedge parsley and spreading hedge parsley. It is native to parts of Europe and it is known elsewhere, such as North America, as an introduced species and a common weed. It grows in many types of habitat, especially disturbed areas. It is an annual herb producing a slender, branching, rough-haired stem up to a meter in maximum height.... less ↑

The monotypic genus Yabea contains the single species Yabea microcarpa, which is known by the common names California hedge parsley and false carrot. It is similar in appearance to other species of wild carrot and relatives. It is native to western North America, including the western United States, British Columbia and Baja California. It grows in many types of habitat. less ↑

Grindelia camporum is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names Great Valley gumplant and Great Valley gumweed. It is native to California and Baja California, where it can be found in a number of habitats. Its range may extend into Nevada. This hardy plant readily grows in disturbed and altered areas such as ditches and roadsides. It is a gangly weedlike perennial topping two metres in maximum height. Its... less ↑

Sagina apetala is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names annual pearlwort and dwarf pearlwort. It is native to Europe and it is known elsewhere as an introduced species, including parts of North America. It grows in many types of disturbed habitat, such as cracks in the sidewalk. It is a petite annual herb producing a threadlike stem just a few centimeters long, spreading or growing erect. The plant... less ↑

Stellaria nitens is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names shining starwort and shiny chickweed. It is native to western North America, including British Columbia, Alberta, and the western United States, its distribution extending into Mexico at least as far as Baja California. It grows in many types of habitat, in dry and moist areas, and sometimes in disturbed places. It is an annual herb producing a slender, upright,... less ↑

Helianthemum scoparium is a species of rockrose which is endemic to California. Its common names include peak rockrose and peak rushrose, and one variety is known as Bisbee Peak rushrose. This is a small perennial shrub bearing long, smooth stems and small flowers each with five bright yellow petals. It is found in dry, sandy areas in hills and low mountains. less ↑

Crassula connata is a succulent plant known by the common names sand pygmyweed and pygmy stonecrop. It is a very small plant which grows in patches on the ground, especially in rocky areas. It is also sometimes associated with vernal pool plant communities. The stems are a few centimeters in length and are covered with tiny fleshy pointed leaves. Each leaf is only millimeters long. The plant is green when new and it matures to shades... less ↑

Acmispon wrangelianus is a species of legume known by the common names Chilean bird's-foot trefoil and Chile lotus. It is native to California, where it is widespread, and parts of adjacent states. Despite its common name, it is not from Chile. It can be found in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas. This is a hairy, prostrate annual herb. Its slender branches are lined with leaves each made of generally four small leaflets. The inflorescence... less ↑

Alfalfa /ælˈfælfə/, Medicago sativa, also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. The English name alfalfa is widely used, particularly in North America and Australia. But in the UK, South Africa and New Zealand, the more commonly used name is lucerne. It superficially resembles clover, with clusters of small purple flowers followed by fruits spiralled in 2 to 3... less ↑