Coastal Prairie Plants - Golden Gate National Recreation Area
This field guide shows some of the common coastal prairie plants found in GOGA.
Wavy-leafed Soap Plant
Chlorogalum pomeridianum, the wavy-leafed soap plant, California soaproot, or Amole, is the most common and most widely distributed of the soap plants, soaproots or amoles, which make up the genus Chlorogalum of flowering plants. It is occasionally known as the "wild potato", but given the plant's lack of either resemblance or relationship to the ...more ↓
California oat grass
Danthonia californica is a species of grass known by the common name California oatgrass. This plant is native to two separate regions of the Americas, western North America from California to Saskatchewan, and Chile.
Blue Dicks
Dichelostemma capitatum (syn. D. pulchellum), called Blue dicks, Purplehead and Brodiaea (alternate spellings, Brodiea, Brodeia) occur in Arizona, California, Oregon, Utah, New Mexico, and northern Mexico.
blue wild rye
Elymus glaucus is a species of wild rye known by the common name blue wild rye. This grass is native to North America from Alaska to New York to northern Mexico. It is a common and widespread species of wild rye.
California fescue
Festuca californica is a species of grass known by the common name California fescue. It is native to the US states of California and Oregon where it is a member of many plant communities, including chaparral. This fescue is a clumping bunch grass perennial without rhizomes.
red fescue
Festuca rubra is a species of grass known by the common name red fescue or creeping red fescue. It is found worldwide and can tolerate many habitats and climates. It is best adapted to well-drained soils in cool, temperate climates; it prefers shadier areas and is often planted for its shade tolerance. Wild animals browse it, but it has not been important for ...more ↓
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 plains grasslands.
Meadow barley
Hordeum brachyantherum, known by the common name Meadow barley, is a species of barley. It is native to western North America from Alaska to northern Mexico, coastal areas of eastern-most Russia (Kamchatka), and a small area of coastal Newfoundland.
Douglas iris
Iris douglasiana (Douglas iris, syn. I. beechiana, I. watsonia) is a common wildflower of the coastal regions of Northern and Central California and southern Oregon in the USA. The Douglas Iris was first described by 19th century botanist David Douglas in Monterey, California. It grows mainly at lower elevations, below 100 meters (330 ft), though it is ...more ↓
spreading rush
Juncus patens is a species of rush known by the common name spreading rush. It is native to the western United States from Washington to California, and its range may extend into Mexico. It grows in marshes and other wet areas. This is a perennial herb forming narrow, erect bunches of stems. The stems are thin, gray-green, often somewhat waxy, and grooved, and grow 30 to ...more ↓
Western Blue-eyed Grass
Sisyrinchium bellum (Western Blue-eyed Grass, 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 range, Western Blue-eyed Grass has previously been classified as Sisyrinchium eastwoodiae, S. greenei and S. ...more ↓
foothill needle grass
Nassella lepida (syn. Stipa lepida) is a species of grass known by the common names foothill needlegrass,foothills nassella,foothill stipa, small-flowered stipa, small-flowered needlegrass, and smallflower tussockgrass. It is native to California in the United States, where it occurs as far north as Humboldt County, and its range ...more ↓
purple needlegrass
Nassella pulchra, basionym Stipa pulchra, is a species of grass known by the common name purple needlegrass. It is native to California, where it occurs throughout the coastal hills, valleys, and mountain ranges, as well as the Sacramento Valley and parts of the Sierra Nevada foothills, and Baja California.
Ithuriel's Spear
Triteleia laxa (previously Brodiaea laxa) is a triplet lily known by several common names, including Ithuriel's spear and grassnut. It is native to California where it is a common wildflower, and it is occasionally found in Oregon. It bears a tall, naked stem topped with a spray of smaller stalks, each ending in a purple or blue flower. The flower is ...more ↓
