Guide to Mono Lake

Carpobrotus chilensis is a species of succulent plant known by the common name sea fig. It is probably native to southern Africa but is familiar elsewhere, particularly the coastline of western North America, where it is an invasive introduced species that has taken hold and become commonplace. It is also found in parts of South America. It is similar to, and often mistaken for, its close relative ice plant (Carpobrotus edulis) which grows alongside and sometimes... less ↑

Chasmanthe floribunda is a species of flowering plant in the crocus family which is known by the common name African flag. This plant is native to southern Africa, particularly South Africa, but it has been introduced to other areas of similar climate, such as California, where it is naturalized. This is a perennial sprouting from a corm and producing clumps of long, narrow leaves. It erects one thin, tall stem which may approach a meter in... less ↑

Symphyotrichum chilense (formerly Aster chilensis) is a species of aster known by the common names Pacific aster and common California aster. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California, where it grows in many types of habitat, especially along the coast and in the coastal mountain ranges. Despite its Latin name, it does not occur in Chile. This is a rhizomatous perennial herb growing to heights between 40 centimeters and one meter.... less ↑

Equisetum telmateia (great horsetail or northern giant horsetail) is a species of Equisetum (horsetail) with an unusual distribution, with one subspecies native to Europe, western Asia and northwest Africa, and a second subspecies native to western North America. The North American subspecies is often simply but ambiguously called "giant horsetail", but that name may just as well refer to the Latin American Equisetum giganteum and Equisetum myriochaetum. less ↑

Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) is a plant in the mint genus, within the family Lamiaceae. Crushed Pennyroyal leaves exhibit a very strong fragrance similar to spearmint. Pennyroyal is a traditional culinary herb, folk remedy, and abortifacient. The essential oil of pennyroyal is used in aromatherapy, and is also high in pulegone, a highly toxic volatile organic compound affecting liver and uterine function. less ↑

Briza maxima is a species of the genus Briza, as such it is an annual grass in the family Poaceae. It is native to Northern Africa, the Azores, Western Asia and Southern Europe and is cultivated or naturalised in the British Isles, Australasia, the west of the United States, Central and South America and Hawaii. This species has a large number of common names including Big Quaking Grass, Great Quaking Grass, Large Quaking Grass , Quaking... less ↑

Sambucus racemosa is a species of elderberry known by the common name red elderberry. It is native to Europe, temperate Asia, and the northern half of North America. It grows in riparian environments, woodlands, and other habitat, generally in moist areas. This often treelike shrub grows 2 to 6 meters tall. The stems are soft with a pithy center. Each individual leaf is composed of 5 to 7 leaflike leaflets, each of which is up to... less ↑

Heliotropium curassavicum is a species of heliotrope that is native to much of the Americas, from Canada to Argentina, and can be found on other continents as an introduced species. It is known by several common names, such as Seaside Heliotrope, Salt Heliotrope, Monkey Tail, Quail Plant and "Chinese parsley" (although this last name is also used for coriander. in Latin American Spanish it is known as cola de mico or cola de gama, and it... less ↑

Agoseris apargioides is a species in the Asteraceae or sunflower family, and is commonly called seaside agoseris or seaside false-dandelion. It is native to the west coast of the United States from Washington to California, where it grows primarily on coastal dunes. This is a low-growing, perennial herb with milky or orange sap, that may be stemless or with long, rhizome-like stems that are buried by drifting sand. The leaves form low rosettes on the ground.... less ↑

The small marsh flower Cotula coronopifolia (also spelled C. coronipifolia) bears the common names brass buttons, golden buttons, and buttonweed. The flowers are bright yellow discoid inflorescences that look like thick buttons. Individual plants spread stems along the ground and send up the knobby flowers at intervals. The plant is native to southern Africa, but it has been introduced to many regions of the world. less ↑

Phacelia malvifolia is a species of phacelia known by the common name stinging phacelia. It is native to California, where it grows along the northern and central coast and coastal mountain ranges; its distribution extends north along the coast just into southwestern Oregon. It grows in forest and scrub habitat. It is an annual herb growing mostly erect to a maximum height near one meter. It is coated in stiff, yellowish, glandular hairs with bulbous bases... less ↑

Cyperus eragrostis is a species of sedge known by several common names, including tall flatsedge and pale galingale. It is a green sedge with tall, erect stems, and long, thin, pointed leaves. Its flowers are found within tough, rounded, greenish-yellow or beige spikelets. This species is originally native to the western United States but it has become naturalized across North America, Europe, and parts of South America and Australia. It can become a weed where it... less ↑

Lonicera involucrata (Bearberry Honeysuckle, Twinberry Honeysuckle, Twin-berry, Black Twinberry) is a species of honeysuckle native to northern and western North America, from southern Alaska east across boreal Canada to Quebec, and south through the western United States to California, and to Chihuahua in northwestern Mexico. It grows at elevations from sea level to 2,900 m. less ↑

Hydrocotyle ranunculoides, known commonly as water pennywort or floating pennywort is an aquatic plant in the Apiaceae. It is native to North and South America and parts of Africa. In the UK it is an invasive alien species which is currently spreading in waterways in England and Wales. It is also a weed in Australia. On the other hand, it is a threatened species in parts of its native range in the United States. less ↑

Cirsium quercetorum is a species of thistle which is endemic to the coast of California. Its common names include brownie thistle and Alameda thistle. This perennial plant grows clumped low to the ground, has spiny lobed toothy leaves and spiny thistle flowers which may be brownish dirty white to purple. This is a common plant found in grassy areas in coastal California north of approximately Santa Barbara. less ↑

Cakile maritima, the European searocket, is a common plant in the mustard family. It is widespread in Europe, especially on coastlines, and it can now be found in other areas of the world where it has been introduced. It is an inhabitant of the west and east coasts of North America, where it has the potential to become a noxious weed. This is an annual plant which grows in clumps or mounds in the sand on... less ↑

Cardionema ramosissimum is a beach-dwelling plant of the pink family, Caryophyllaceae, which is known by the common name sandcarpet. This is a flat or clumping mat-forming perennial plant which grows along the coastline of western North America, as well as Chile. From a taproot it extends many petite to sprawling stems up to 30 centimeters long and covered in very tiny leaves, which are about a centimeter long and needlelike. Filling in the spaces between the... less ↑

Lathyrus littoralis is a species of wild pea known by the common name silky beach pea. It is native to the coastline of western North America from British Columbia to California. It is a resident of beaches and dunes. This is a perennial herb which grows a patch of hairy gray-green stems along the sandy ground or slightly upright. The woolly leaves are made up of several oval or oblong scoop-shaped leaflets. There are small, tough... less ↑

Clarkia davyi is species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name Davy's fairyfan, or Davy's clarkia. It is endemic to California, where it grows in coastal habitats such as beaches and bluffs. This is an annual herb producing a thin stem which grows along the ground or somewhat upright. It is lined with small oval-shaped leaves one or two centimeters long. While in bud the flower is enclosed in four... less ↑

Chorizanthe cuspidata is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name San Francisco spineflower. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the San Francisco Bay Area and to the immediate north and south. It grows in sandy coastal habitat. This plant grows flat along the ground, its stems extending up to about half a meter in length. The leaves are located about the base of the... less ↑

Mimulus moschatus is a species of monkeyflower known by the common name muskflower. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to the Rocky Mountains, where it grows in moist, partially shaded habitat in mountains, woodlands, and other areas. It also occurs in eastern North America where it may be native or introduced. It is known from Chile and parts of Europe, including England and Finland, where it grows wild after having... less ↑

Horkelia californica is a species of flowering plant in the rose family known by the common name California horkelia. It is endemic to California, where it grows on scrubby coastal and inland mountain slopes. This is a clumping perennial herb producing erect green stems variable in height from 10 centimeters to over a meter. The green leaves are up to 40 centimeters long and are made up of hairy, rounded, toothed leaflets each up to 6... less ↑

Amaryllis (pronounced /ˌæməˈrɪlÉ™s/) is a also known as the Belladonna Lily or naked ladies. The genus has two species and the more famous of the two, Amaryllis belladonna, is a native of South Africa, particularly the rocky southwest region near the Cape. It should not be confused with Hippeastrum, a flowering bulb commonly sold in the winter months for its ability to bloom indoors. less ↑

Grindelia stricta is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names Oregon gumplant and Oregon gumweed. It is native to the west coast of North America from California to Alaska, where it is a resident of coastal plant communities such as those in marshes and beaches. This plant is variable in appearance, taking the form of a weedlike perennial herb forming low clumps to a sprawling subshrub growing erect to... less ↑

Argentina anserina, also known as Common Silverweed, Silverweed Cinquefoil or just "silverweed", is a flowering perennial plant in the rose family Rosaceae. It is native throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere, often on river shores and in grassy habitats such as meadows and road-sides. The plant was formerly classified in the genus Potentilla but was reclassified into the resurrected genus Argentina by research in the 1990s. less ↑

Polypodium scouleri is a species of fern known by the common names leathery polypody, Scouler's polypody, coast polypody and leather-leaf fern. It is native to coastal western North America from British Columbia to Guadalupe Island off Baja California. It is a plant of the coastline, growing in cracks on coastal bluffs, in oceanside forests, beach dunes, and similar habitat. It is often affected by heavy fogs and sea spray. This polypody anchors with a waxy, scaly... less ↑

The Western toad or Boreal toad (Anaxyrus boreas) is a large toad species, between 5.6 and 13 cm long, of western North America. It has a white or cream dorsal stripe, and is dusky gray or greenish dorsally with skin glands concentrated within the dark blotches. Its parotoid glands are oval, widely separated, and larger than the upper eyelids. It has a mottled venter and horizontal pupils but lacks cranial crests. less ↑

Postelsia, also known as the sea palm (not to be confused with the southern sea palm) or palm seaweed, is a genus of kelp. There is only one species, Postelsia palmaeformis. It is found along the western coast of North America, on rocky shores with constant waves. It is one of the few algae that can survive and remain erect out of the water; in fact it spends most of its life cycle exposed to the... less ↑

Usnea is the generic and scientific name for several species of lichen in the family Parmeliaceae, that generally grow hanging from tree branches, resembling grey or greenish hair. It is sometimes referred to commonly as Old Man's Beard, Beard Lichen, or Treemoss. Usnea looks very similar to Spanish moss, so much so that the latter plant's Latin name is derived from it (Tillandsia usneoides, the 'Usnea-like Tillandsia'). less ↑

Ranunculus orthorhynchus is a species of buttercup known by the common name straightbeak buttercup. It is native to western North America from Alaska to California to Utah, where it grows in moist areas in many types of habitat, including meadows and marshes. It is a perennial herb, producing a stem sometimes exceeding half a meter long, which may take an erect or decumbent form. It may be hairy to hairless in texture. Leaf blades are each... less ↑

Plantago maritima (common names Sea Plantain, Seaside Plantain, Goose Tongue) is a species of Plantago, family Plantaginaceae. It has a subcosmopolitan distribution in temperate and Arctic regions, native to most of Europe, northwest Africa, northern and central Asia, northern North America, and southern South America. Like samphires, the plant is commonly harvested in the Maritimes and eaten. less ↑

Watercresses (Nasturtium officinale, N. microphyllum; formerly Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum, R. microphylla) are fast-growing, aquatic or semi-aquatic, perennial plants native from Europe to central Asia, and one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by human beings. These plants are members of the Family Brassicaceae or cabbage family, botanically related to garden cress and mustard — all noteworthy for a peppery, tangy flavour. less ↑

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) is a very small passerine bird found throughout North America. It is a member of the kinglet family. The bird has olive-green plumage with two white wing bars and a white eye-ring. Males have a red crown patch, which is usually concealed. The sexes are identical (apart from the crown), and juveniles are similar in plumage to adults. It is one of the smallest songbirds in North America. The Ruby-crowned Kinglet... less ↑

The elk or wapiti (Cervus canadensis) is one of the largest species of deer in the world and one of the largest land mammals in North America and eastern Asia. In the deer family (Cervidae), only the larger moose (Alces alces), which is called an "elk" in Europe, and the sambar (Rusa unicolor) rival the elk in size. Elk are similar to the Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) found in Europe, of which they were long believed... less ↑

Piperia elegans is a species of orchid known by several common names, including elegant piperia, coast piperia, hillside rein orchid, and hillside bogorchid. This is a showy flowering plant native to western North America. It grows from a caudex tuber and sends up a thick stem just under a meter in maximum height. The stem is topped with a cylindrical spike inflorescence of densely packed flowers with curving white to greenish-yellow petals. Coastal individuals are noticeably... less ↑