Plants of the American River Parkway

Digitaria sanguinalis is a species of grass known by the common name hairy crabgrass or large crabgrass. It is one of the better-known species of crabgrass, and one that is known nearly worldwide as a common weed. It is an annual grass with an inflorescence of up to nine very long, very thin, radiating branches atop its stems. Each branch is lined with pairs of very tiny spikelets. The inflorescences may be reddish or purplish. 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 ↑

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 ↑

Platanus racemosa is a species of sycamore tree known by several common names, including California sycamore, Western sycamore, California plane tree, and in Spanish Aliso. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in riparian areas, canyons, floodplains, at springs and seeps, and along streams and rivers in several types of habitats. less ↑

Alnus rhombifolia, the white alder, is an alder tree native to western North America, from British Columbia and Washington east to western Montana, southeast to the Sierra Nevada, and south through the Peninsular Ranges and Colorado Desert oases in Southern California. It occurs in riparian zone habitats at an altitudes range of 100–2,400 metres (330–7,900 ft). While not reported in northern Baja California, it has been predicted on the basis of its climatic adaptation to occur there less ↑

Quercus wislizeni, known by the common names Interior Live Oak, and Sierra Live Oak, is an evergeen oak, highly variable and often shrubby, found in areas of California in the United States. It also occurs south into northern Baja California in Mexico. It generally occurs in foothills, being most abundant in the lower altitudes of the Sierra Nevada, but also widespread in the Pacific Coast Ranges and the San Gabriel Mountains. It was named for its... less ↑

Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Most species are known as willow, but some narrow-leaved shrub species are called osier, and some broader-leaved species are referred to as sallow (from Old English sealh, related to the Latin word salix, willow). Some willows (particularly arctic and alpine species) are low-growing or creeping shrubs;... less ↑

Micropus californicus is a plant in the daisy family which is known by the common name slender cottonweed. Its flowerheads resemble very small cotton balls, often rounded with cottony white hairs forming the pappus of each seed. The individual plants are known more informally as Q-tips due to their resemblance to the cotton swabs. It is found mostly in California, and into Oregon and northern Baja California. This plant is a resident of the vernal pool... less ↑

Silybum marianum has other common names include cardus marianus, milk thistle, blessed milk thistle, Marian Thistle, Mary Thistle, Saint Mary's Thistle, Mediterranean milk thistle, variegated thistle and Scotch thistle. This species is an annual or biannual plant of the Asteraceae family. This fairly typical thistle has red to purple flowers and shiny pale green leaves with white veins. Originally a native of Southern Europe through to Asia, it is now found throughout the world. The medicinal... less ↑

Common chicory, Cichorium intybus, is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant usually with bright blue flowers, rarely white or pink. Various varieties are cultivated for salad leaves, chicons (blanched buds), or for roots (var. sativum), which are baked, ground, and used as a coffee substitute and additive. It is also grown as a forage crop for livestock. It lives as a wild plant on roadsides in its native Europe, and in North America and Australia, where... 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 ↑

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 ↑

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 ↑

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 ↑

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 ↑

Triteleia hyacinthina is a species of flowering plant known by the common names white brodiaea and fool's onion. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Idaho to central California. Its habitat includes grassland and vernally moist areas such as meadows and vernal pools. It is a perennial herb growing from a corm. It produces two or three basal leaves up to 40 centimeters (16 in) long by 2 centimeters (0.79 in) wide. The inflorescence... less ↑

Typha latifolia (bulrush, common bulrush, broadleaf cattail, common cattail, great reedmace, cooper's reed, cumbungi) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the genus Typha. It is found as a native plant species in North and South America, Europe, Eurasia, and Africa. In Canada, broadleaf cattail occurs in all provinces and the Northwest Territories, and in the United States, it is native to all states except Hawaii. It is an introduced and invasive species, and considered a noxious... 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 ↑

Cyperus rotundus (coco-grass,Java grass,nut grass,purple nut sedge,red nut sedge,Khmer kravanh chruk) is a species of sedge (Cyperaceae) native to Africa, southern and central Europe (north to France and Austria), and southern Asia. The word cyperus derives from the Greek "κύπερος" (kuperos) and rotundus is from Latin, meaning "round". The earliest attested form of the word cyperus is the Mycenaean Greek ku-pa-ro, written in Linear B syllabic script. less ↑

Carex barbarae is a species of sedge known by the common name Santa Barbara sedge. It is native to California and Oregon, where it grows in wet and seasonally wet habitat, such as meadows and riverbanks. This sedge produces angled, hairless stems up to one meter tall or slightly taller, but not in clumps. The tough leaves are narrow with shredding, red-spotted or purple basal sheaths. The inflorescence produces erect and drooping spikes up to about... 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 ↑

Briza minor is a species of grass known by the common names Lesser quaking-grass or little quakinggrass. It is native to the Mediterranean Basin, and it is known elsewhere, including much of North America, as an introduced species. It is an annual grass producing narrow clumps of erect stems up to 50 centimeters tall. The inflorescence bears several small cone-shaped spikelets, each hanging on a pedicel. 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 fatua is a species of grass in the oat genus. It is known as the common wild oat. This oat is native to Eurasia but it has been introduced to most of the other temperate regions of the world. It is naturalized in some areas and considered a noxious weed in others. It is a typical oat in appearance, a green grass with hollow, erect stems 1 to 4 feet tall bearing nodding panicles of... less ↑

Polypogon monspeliensis, commonly known as annual beard grass or annual rabbitsfoot grass, is a species of grass. It is native to southern Europe, but it can be found today throughout the world as an introduced species and sometimes a noxious weed. It is an annual grass growing to heights between 5 centimeters and one meter. The soft, fluffy inflorescence is a dense, greenish, plumelike panicle, sometimes divided into lobes. The spikelets have long, thin, whitish awns,... less ↑

Epilobium brachycarpum is a species of willowherb known by the common names Tall Willowherb, Tall Annual Willowherb, Panicled Willowherb and Tall Fireweed. It is native to and widespread in North America, where it is a resident of varied open and woodland habitats. It has also been introduced to some areas in South America. This is a tall glandular, hairy annual herb occasionally reaching two meters in height. It is somewhat gangly and thin like an erect... less ↑

Clarkia unguiculata is a species of wildflower known by the common name elegant clarkia or mountain garland. This plant is endemic to California, where it is found in many woodland habitats. Specifically it is common on the forest floor of many oak woodlands, along with typical understory wildflowers that include Calochortus luteus, Cynoglossum grande and Delphinium variegatum.C. unguiculata presents a spindly, hairless, waxy stem not exceeding a meter in height and bears occasional narrow leaves. The... less ↑

Aristolochia is a large plant genus with over 500 species that is the namesake (type genus) of the family (Aristolochiaceae). Its members are commonly known as birthworts, pipevines or Dutchman's pipes and are widespread and occur in the most diverse climates. Some species, like A. utriformis and A. westlandii, are threatened with extinction. less ↑

Phoradendron is a genus of mistletoes, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Americas. The center of diversity is the Amazon rainforest. Traditionally, the genus has been placed in the family Viscaceae, but recent genetic research acknowledged by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group shows this family to be correctly placed within a larger circumscription of the sandalwood family, Santalaceae. 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 ↑

Scandix pecten-veneris (shepherd's-needle, Venus' comb, Venus's needle) is a plant species in the parsley family. It is native to Eurasia and it is known widely elsewhere as an introduced species and sometimes a weed. It is named for its long fruit, which has a thickened body up to 1.5 centimeters long and a beak which can measure up to 7 centimeters long and is lined with comblike bristles. less ↑

Apiastrum is a monotypic genus of flowering plant in the Apiaceae, containing the single species Apiastrum angustifolium, which is known by the common name mock parsley. It is native to California and Baja California, where it is resident in many types of habitat. This is an annual herb producing a branching stem up to half a meter tall from a taproot. Leaves are plentiful along the stem, each up to about 5 centimeters long and split... 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 ↑

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a plant species in the genus Foeniculum (treated as the sole species in the genus by most botanists). It is a member of the family Apiaceae (formerly the Umbelliferae). It is a hardy, perennial, umbelliferous herb, with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized in many parts of the world, especially on dry soils near the sea-coast and on riverbanks. less ↑

Galium porrigens is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family known by the common names graceful bedstraw and climbing bedstraw. It is native to the west coast of North America from Oregon to Baja California. It can be found in many habitats from forest to coastal shrubland, and is often a member of the chaparral plant community. This is a small, woody perennial herb with climbing stems. It is covered in tiny prickly hairs... 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 ↑