Serpentine Soil Communities of Marin County

Mentha pulegium (pennyroyal or European pennyroyal, also called squaw mint, mosquito plant and pudding grass), is a species of flowering plant in 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 ↑

Phyla nodiflora (frog fruit, sawtooth fogfruit, turkey tangle), is an ornamental plant in the Verbenaceae family, and is native to South America and the United States. It can be found in tropical areas around the globe, a naturalized species in many places. This plant is cited in Flora Brasiliensis by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius. It is often grown as groundcover, and is sometimes present in yards as a lawn weed. less ↑

Collinsia heterophylla (syn. C. bicolor) is a flowering plant native to California and Baja California. It is known as Purple Chinese Houses or Innocence. Like the other species in the genus Collinsia, which also includes the Blue-eyed Marys, it gets its name from its towers of inflorescences, of decreasing diameter, which give the plants in full flower a certain resemblance to a pagoda. less ↑

Keckiella corymbosa (formerly Penstemon corymbosus) is a species of flowering shrub in the plantain family known by the common name redwood penstemon, or redwood keckiella. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the coastal mountain forests of the central and northern regions of the state. This is a narrow, erect keckiella, reaching up to about half a meter tall and less than a meter in width. Its spreading branches have oppositely-arranged pairs of narrowly... less ↑

Ranunculus muricatus is a species of buttercup known by the common name spinyfruit buttercup. It is native to Europe, but it can be found in many other places in the world, including parts of Africa, Australia, and the western and eastern United States, as an introduced species and agricultural and roadside weed. It grows in wet habitats, such as irrigation ditches. It is an annual or sometimes biennial herb producing a mostly hairless stem up to... less ↑

Anemone oregana is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common names blue windflower, Oregon anemone, and western wood anemone. It is native to the forests of the west coast of the United States. This is a perennial herb growing from a thick rhizome to a maximum height of 25 to 30 centimeters. There is usually a single basal leaf made up of three large leaflets on a long petiole. There... less ↑

Dipsacus fullonum, syn. Dipsacus sylvestris, is a species of flowering plant known by the common names Fuller's teasel and wild teasel. It is native to Eurasia and North Africa, but it is known in the Americas, southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand as an introduced species and often a noxious weed. The inflorescence is a cylindrical array of lavender flowers which dries to a cone of spine-tipped hard bracts. It may be 10 centimeters long. D. fullonum... less ↑

Plectritis congesta is a species of flowering plant in the valerian family known by several common names, including shortspur seablush and rosy plectritis. It is native to western North America from Vancouver Island to southern California, where it is a common plant in coastal forests, seashores, mountain meadows, and other habitat. It is an annual herb growing erect 10 to 60 centimeters tall. The widely spaced, paired and oppositely arranged leaves are oval or somewhat oblong,... less ↑

Osmorhiza berteroi is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name mountain sweet cicely. It is native to much of western and northern North America, as well as Argentina and Chile, where it grows in wooded and forested areas. It is an aromatic perennial herb producing a branching stem which may exceed a meter tall. The plentiful green leaves have blades up to 20 centimeters long which are divided into... less ↑

Sanicula arctopoides is a species of sanicle known commonly as footsteps of spring or bear's foot sanicle. It is a perennial herb found on the west coast of the United States, especially near the ocean. The branches are short and thick and may be prostrate or slightly erect. The leaves are yellowish-green and carrot-like or maple-shaped, and the tiny yellow flowers are borne in umbels with prominent bracts. The plants grow in low matted patches along... less ↑

Sanicula bipinnatifida is a species of flowering plant in the parsley family known by the common names purple sanicle, purple blacksnakeroot, and shoe buttons. It is native to the west coast of North America from British Columbia to Baja California, where it can be found in many types of habitat, including grassland, woodlands, and mountain slopes of serpentine soils. It is a perennial herb growing to a maximum height near 60 centimeters from a taproot. It... less ↑

Sanicula crassicaulis is a species of flowering plant in the parsley family known by the common names Pacific sanicle and Pacific blacksnakeroot. It is native to the west coast of North America from British Columbia to Baja California, where it can be found in many types of habitat, including mountain slopes, grassland, and woodlands. It is a perennial herb producing a thick stem up to 1.2 meters tall from a taproot. The leaves have blades up... less ↑

Sanicula tuberosa is a species of flowering plant in the parsley family known by the common name turkey pea. It is native to western North America from Oregon through California to Baja California, where it can be found in many types of habitat, including chaparral, forests, and woodlands. It is variable in appearance. In general, it is a perennial herb producing a slender stem up to 80 centimeters long from a small, spherical tuber no more... 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 ↑

Tauschia kelloggii is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Kellogg's umbrellawort. It is native to the mountains of Oregon and the northern half of California, where it grows in chaparral, woodlands, forest, and other types of habitat. It is a perennial herb growing up to 70 centimeters tall. The leaves have blades which are divided into toothed or serrated leaflets, and sometimes subdivided further. The inflorescence is a... less ↑

Perideridia gairdneri is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names common yampah and Gardner's yampah. It is native to western North America from southwestern Canada to California to New Mexico, where it grows in many types of habitat. It is a perennial herb which may approach 1.5 meters in maximum height, its slender, erect stem growing from cylindrical tubers measuring up to 8 centimeters long. Leaves near the base... less ↑

Perideridia kelloggii is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Kellogg's yampah. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the north and central coasts, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Sierra Nevada foothills. It grows in grassland habitat, sometimes on serpentine soils. It is a perennial herb which may reach 1.5 meters in maximum height, its slender, erect stem growing from a cluster of long,... 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 ↑

Viola ocellata is a species of violet known by the common names pinto violet, two-eyed violet, and western heart's ease. It is native to southern Oregon and northern and central California, where it occurs in the coastal foothills and mountain ranges. It sometimes grows in serpentine soils. This rhizomatous herb produces a hairy erect or decumbent stem measuring 5 to 37 centimeters long. The leaves have heart-shaped or roughly lance-shaped blades borne on petioles a few... less ↑

Viola sempervirens, known by the common names Redwood Violet and Evergreen Violet, is a species in the genus Viola. It is native to the West Coast of the United States and British Columbia, Canada, and grows in closed-cone pine forest, California mixed evergreen forest, redwood forest, and Douglas fir forest communities. It has leathery purple-spotted green leaves and bright yellow flowers. It blooms in winter and spring. less ↑

Cardamine californica (Milkmaids) (also Dentaria californica) is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, native to western North America from Washington to California and Baja California. It is common in a variety of habitats including shady slopes, open woodlands, chaparral and grasslands in the winter and early spring. In the San Francisco Bay Area, it is one of the first wildflowers to bloom, with blossoms from January to May. less ↑

Streptanthus glandulosus is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name bristly jewelflower. It is native to California and southwestern Oregon, where it grows in many types of habitat, including grassland, chaparral, and woodlands. Genetic and other analyses indicate that it is a species complex with ten subspecies which evolved as populations were isolated from each other. The complex includes subspecies previously considered separate species, such as the rare Tiburon... 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 ↑

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 ↑

Thysanocarpus curvipes is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names sand fringepod and lacepod. It is native to western North America from British Columbia through the western United States to Baja California, where it grows in many types of habitat. It is a common plant in much of its range. It is variable in appearance. It is an annual herb producing a branching or unbranched stem 10 to 80... less ↑

Athysanus is a monotypic genus whose only species is Athysanus pusillus, the common sandweed. It is an annual herb with long, spindly stems on which grow small, unassuming white flowers. The tiny fruits that emerge from the flowers are flat, circular, green, and fringed with prominent white hairs. It is native to the western United States and into British Columbia. less ↑

Cynosurus echinatus is a species of grass known by the common names bristly dogtail grass and hedgehog dogtail. It is native to southern Europe, and it is known in the Americas and Australia as an introduced species and sometimes a noxious weed. An herbicide-resistant strain can be found growing as a weed in canola and wheat fields in Chile. This is an annual grass growing 10 to 50 centimeters tall. The inflorescence is a rounded or... less ↑

Avena barbata is a species of wild oat known by the common name slender wild oat. It has edible seeds. It is a diploidized autotetraploid grass. It is native to central Asia and the Mediterranean Basin. It is also known in North America as an introduced species and noxious weed. It is widespread in California, where it has displaced native species of grass. This is a winter annual grass with thin tillers (stems) growing up to... less ↑

Poa annua, or annual meadow grass (known in America more commonly as annual bluegrass or simply poa), is a widespread low-growing turfgrass in temperate climates. Though P. annua is commonly considered a solely annual plant due to its name, perennial bio-types do exist. 'Poa' is Greek for fodder. It is one of the sweetest grasses for green fodder, but less useful than hay. This grass may have originated as a hybrid between Poa supina and Poa... less ↑

Cynodon dactylon, also known as dūrvā grass, Dhoob, Bermuda grass, bermudagrass, dubo, dog's tooth grass, Bahama grass, devil's grass, couch grass, Indian doab, arugampul, grama, and scutch grass, is a grass native to north and east Africa, Asia, Australia and southern Europe. Although it is not native to Bermuda, it is an abundant invasive species there. It is presumed to have arrived in North America from Bermuda, resulting in its common name. less ↑

Paspalum dilatatum is a species of grass known by the common name dallisgrass or sticky heads. It is native to Brazil and Argentina, but it is known throughout the world as an introduced species and at times a common weed. Its rapid growth and spreading rhizomes make it an invasive pest in some areas. It is present in the southern half of North America, southern Europe, much of Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and many tropical and... less ↑

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 90 centimeters in maximum height. The inflorescence sprouts from the... less ↑

Luzula comosa is a species of flowering plant in the rush family known by the common name Pacific woodrush. It is native to western North America from Alaska to California to Colorado, where it can be found in moist spots in forests and meadows and many other types of habitat. It is a perennial herb quite variable in appearance, often forming small, narrow grasslike tufts. The erect inflorescence is tipped with a series of clustered spikelike... less ↑

The Calypso orchid (Calypso bulbosa), also known as the fairy slipper or Venus's slipper, is a perennial member of the orchid family found in undisturbed northern and montane forests. It has a small pink, purple, pinkish-purple, or red flower accented with a white lip, darker purple spottings, and yellow beard. It is the only species currently classified in the genus Calypso, which takes its name from the Greek signifying concealment, as they tend to favor sheltered... less ↑

Corallorhiza striata is a species of orchid known by the common names striped coralroot and hooded coralroot. This flowering plant is native to much of North America, especially Canada and the northern and western United States. It is a member of the coniferous understory flora, where it lives in the layer of decaying plant matter on the ground obtaining nutrients from fungi via mycoheterotrophy. less ↑

Goodyera oblongifolia is a species of orchid known by the common names western rattlesnake plantain and giant rattlesnake plantain. It is native to much of North America, particularly the western side of the continent from Alaska to Mexico, and to eastern Canada. It is most commonly found in mountain forests, often in the understory of conifers. This orchid forms a patch of broad lance-shaped to oval-shaped leaves at the ground, each 4 to 9 centimeters long.... less ↑

Maianthemum stellatum (star-flowered, starry, or little false Solomon's seal, or simply false Solomon's seal; starry false lily-of-the-valley; syn. Smilacina stellata) is a species of flowering plant, native across North America generally from Alaska to California in the west and from Newfoundland to the central Appalachian Mountains in the east. An everchanging seasonal plant with little white buds in the spring, followed by delicate starry flowers, then green-and-black striped berries (see image gallery) and finally deep red... less ↑

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 occasionally found at heights of up to 1,000 meters (3,300 ft). It is most common in grasslands near the coast; it... less ↑

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. hesperium, but these names are now considered synonyms. less ↑

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 potato, this name is not recommended. less ↑

Amaryllis (pronounced /ˌæməˈrɪlɨs/) is a small genus of flowering bulbs, with two species. The better known of the two, Amaryllis belladonna, is a native of the Western Cape region of South Africa, particularly the rocky southwest area between the Olifants River Valley to Knysna. For many years there was confusion amongst botanists over the generic names Amaryllis and Hippeastrum, one result of which is that the common name "amaryllis" is mainly used for cultivars of the... less ↑