Flora of the Santa Monica Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Santa Monica Mountains, a Transverse Range
located in Southern California
, are in the California chaparral and woodlands
Ecoregion
of the California Floristic Province
.
This ecoregion, in Santa Monica Mountains, has two predominant ecosystem
s, with three primary plant communities:
are covered by hundreds of local plant species: some are endemic or very rare, some are beautiful California native plants
in situ, and some also are familiar as horticultural ornamental
and native garden plants. Each season has different plants predominating the visual experience.
A partial list of Plants seen in the Santa Monica Mountains:
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Transverse Ranges
The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region that runs along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie between...
located in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, are in the California chaparral and woodlands
California chaparral and woodlands
The California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of lower northern, central, and southern California and northwestern Baja California , located on the west coast of North America...
Ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
of the California Floristic Province
California Floristic Province
The California Floristic Province is a floristic province with a Mediterranean climate located on the Pacific Coast of North America with a distinctive flora that bears similarities to floras found in other regions experiencing a winter rainfall, summer drought climate like the Mediterranean...
.
This ecoregion, in Santa Monica Mountains, has two predominant ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s, with three primary plant communities:
- the California coastal sage and chaparralCalifornia coastal sage and chaparral ecoregionThe California coastal sage and chaparral, a sub-ecoregion of the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, is found in southwestern California and northwestern Baja California in Mexico.-Location:...
; with coastal sage scrubCoastal sage scrubCoastal sage scrub is a low scrubland plant community found in the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of coastal California and northern Baja California. It is characterized by low-growing aromatic, and drought-deciduous shrubs adapted to the semi-arid Mediterranean climate of the...
along the coast. - the California montane chaparral and woodlandsCalifornia montane chaparral and woodlandsThe California montane chaparral and woodlands ecoregion covers , including the mountains of the Transverse, Peninsular, and Santa Lucia Ranges of California. It is part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers...
; with chapparal and California oak woodlandCalifornia oak woodlandCalifornia oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico...
s as the mountains rise and recede from the coast and descend into the interior valleys.
Introduction
The Santa Monica MountainsSanta Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains are a Transverse Range in Southern California, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the United States.-Geography:...
are covered by hundreds of local plant species: some are endemic or very rare, some are beautiful California native plants
California native plants
California native plants are plants that existed in California prior to the arrival of European explorers and colonists in the late 18th century...
in situ, and some also are familiar as horticultural ornamental
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
and native garden plants. Each season has different plants predominating the visual experience.
A partial list of Plants seen in the Santa Monica Mountains:
Monocotyledones
- AgavaceaeAgavaceaeAgavoideae is a subfamily of monocot flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, order Asparagales. It has previously been treated as a separate family, Agavaceae. The group includes many well-known desert and dry zone types such as the agave, yucca, and Joshua tree...
- Hesperoyucca whipplei (aka: Yucca whipplei) (Chaparral Yucca, Our Lord's Candle, Spanish Bayonet)
- AmaryllidaceaeAmaryllidaceaeAmaryllidoideae is the subfamily of flowering plants that takes its name from the genus Amaryllis. It is part of the family Amaryllidaceae, in order Asparagales...
- Amaryllidaceae
- Allium peninsulareAllium peninsulareAllium peninsulare, is a species of wild onion known by the common name crinkled onion. It is endemic to California, USA, where it grows along the Central Coast in the Coast Ranges .-Description:...
- Bloomeria croceaBloomeria croceaBloomeria crocea, also known as Goldenstar, is a geophyte from southern California and northern Baja California. It is found along hillsides, in grassland and chaparral edges, and in dry flats.-Distribution:...
- Dichelostemma pulchellum (Firecracker Flower)
- CyperaceaeCyperaceaeCyperaceae are a family of monocotyledonous graminoid flowering plants known as sedges, which superficially resemble grasses or rushes. The family is large, with some 5,500 species described in about 109 genera. These species are widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group...
- Cyperaceae
- Carex senta
- CarexCarexCarex is a genus of plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges. Other members of the Cyperaceae family are also called sedges, however those of genus Carex may be called "true" sedges, and it is the most species-rich genus in the family. The study of Carex is known as...
spp.- IridaceaeIridaceaeThe Iris family or Iridaceae is a family of perennial, herbaceous and bulbous plants included in the monocot order Asparagales, taking its name from the genus Iris. Almost worldwide in distribution and one of the most important families in horticulture, it includes more than 2000 species...
- Iridaceae
- Sisyrinchium bellum (Blue Eyed Grass)
- Sisyrinchium californicum (Yellow Eyed Grass)
- JuncaceaeJuncaceaeJuncaceae, the rush family, are a monocotyledonous family of flowering plants. There are eight genera and about 400 species. Members of the Juncaceae are slow-growing, rhizomatous, herbaceous plants, and they may superficially resemble grasses. They often grow on infertile soils in a wide range...
- Juncaceae
- Juncus patensJuncus patensJuncus 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...
(Gray Spike Rush) - JuncusJuncusJuncus is a genus in the plant family Juncaceae. It consists of some 200 to 300 or more species of grassy plants commonly called rushes...
spp.
- LiliaceaeLiliaceaeThe Liliaceae, or the lily family, is a family of monocotyledons in the order Liliales. Plants in this family have linear leaves, mostly with parallel veins but with several having net venation , and flower arranged in threes. Several have bulbs, while others have rhizomes...
- Calochortus splendensCalochortus splendensCalochortus splendens is a species of mariposa lily known by the common name splendid mariposa lily. It is native to western California and Baja California, in chaparral and woodland habitats.-Description:...
(Calochortus) - Calochortus venustusCalochortus venustusCalochortus venustus is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name butterfly mariposa lily. It is endemic to California, where it can be found in the sandy soils of a number of habitats in the mountains and foothills in the central part of the...
- CalochortusCalochortusCalochortus is a genus of bulbous plants that includes 70 species from British Columbia to Guatemala and east to Nebraska. Calochortus is the most widely dispersed genus of Liliaceae on the North American Pacific coast. Of these, 28 species are endemic to California...
spp. - Chlorogalum pomeridianumChlorogalum pomeridianumChlorogalum pomeridianum, the Wavy-leafed Soap Plant or California soaproot, 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 found in most of California, apart from the Sierra Nevada and the...
(Soap Plant) - Fritillaria bifloraFritillaria bifloraFritillaria biflora is a species of fritillary endemic to western California in the chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, in serpentine soil formations and hillside grassland habitats....
- Lilium humboldtiiLilium humboldtiiLilium humboldtii is a species of lily endemic to California named after naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt...
(Humboldt's Lily)- OrchidaceaeOrchidaceaeThe Orchidaceae, commonly referred to as the orchid family, is a morphologically diverse and widespread family of monocots in the order Asparagales. Along with the Asteraceae, it is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species,...
- Orchidaceae
- Epipactis giganteaEpipactis giganteaEpipactis gigantea is a species of orchid known by the common names stream orchid and giant helleborine. This wildflower is native to western North America from western Canada to central Mexico...
(Stream Orchid)- PoaceaePoaceaeThe Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
alt. Gramineae
- Poaceae
- Festuca californicaFestuca californicaFestuca californica is a species of grass known by the common name California fescue. It is native to the United Mexican States where it is a member of many plant communities, including chaparral. This fescue is a clumping bunch grass perennial without rhizomes.It reaches anywhere from 40 to 120...
(California fescue) - Leymus condensatusLeymus condensatusLeymus condensatus, with common name is Giant wildrye and syn. Elymus condensatus, is a wild rye grass native to California and northern Mexico.-Description:...
(aka: Eleymus condensatus) (Giant Wild Rye grass) - Leymus triticoidesLeymus triticoidesLeymus triticoides, with the common names Creeping wild rye and Beardless wild rye, is a species of wild rye. It is native to western North America from British Columbia, in California, to Texas.-Habitat:...
(Creeping Wild Rye) - Melica californicaMelica californicaMelica californica is a species of grass known by the common name California melic.-Distribution:This grass is native to Oregon and California, where it grows in many types of habitat, from mountain forests to open grassland at sea level...
(California Melic Grass) - Melica imperfectaMelica imperfectaMelica imperfecta is a species of grass known by the common name smallflower melic and little California melic.It is native to the Arizona, California, and Nevada in the United States and Baja California in Mexico...
(Little California Melic Grass) - Nassella pulchraNassella pulchraNassella 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.It grows in many...
(aka: Stipa pulchra) (Purple Needlegrass)-California State Grass
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Dicotyledons
- AizoaceaeAizoaceaeThe Family Aizoaceae or Ficoidaceae is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing 135 genera and about 1900 species. They are commonly known as stone plants or carpet weeds. Species that resemble stones or pebbles are sometimes called mesembs...
- Carpobrotus edulis
- Mesembryanthemum crystallinumMesembryanthemum crystallinumMesembryanthemum crystallinum is a prostrate succulent plant that is native to Africa, Western Asia and Europe. The plant is covered with large, glistening bladder cells, reflected in its common names of Common Ice Plant, Crystalline Iceplant or Iceplant.-Uses:Its leaves are edible, as with some...
- AnacardiaceaeAnacardiaceaeAnacardiaceae are a family of flowering plants bearing fruits that are drupes and in some cases producing urushiol, an irritant. Anacardiaceae include numerous genera with several of economic importance. Notable plants in this family include cashew , mango, poison ivy, sumac, smoke tree, and marula...
(SumacSumacSumac is any one of approximately 250 species of flowering plants in the genus Rhus and related genera, in the family Anacardiaceae. Sumacs grow in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, especially in Africa and North America....
)
- Anacardiaceae
- Malosma laurina (Laurel Sumac)
- Rhus integrifoliaRhus integrifoliaRhus 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...
(Lemonadeberry) - Rhus ovataRhus ovataRhus ovata, also known as Sugar Bush or Sugar Sumac, is an evergreen shrub to small tree that grows in chaparral in dry canyons and south-facing slopes below 1300 m in Southern California, Arizona and Baja California.-Distribution:...
(Sugar BushSugar Bush-Places:United States*Sugar Bush Township, Becker County, Minnesota*Sugar Bush Township, Beltrami County, Minnesota*Sugar Bush, Brown County, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community*Sugar Bush, Outagamie County, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community...
) - Rhus trilobataRhus trilobataRhus trilobata is a shrub in the sumac genus with the common names sourberry, skunkbush, and three-leaf sumac. It is native to the western half of Canada and the Western United States, from the Great Plains to California and south through Arizona extending into northern Mexico...
(Squaw Bush) - Toxicodendron diversilobum (Poison OakPoison oakPoison oak may refer to* Toxicodendron diversilobum, grows on West Coast of North America* Toxicodendron pubescens, grows in the Eastern United Statesdamnnnnn tissss is terribleee...
) (skin irrition)- ApiaceaeApiaceaeThe Apiaceae , commonly known as carrot or parsley family, is a group of mostly aromatic plants with hollow stems. The family is large, with more than 3,700 species spread across 434 genera, it is the sixteenth largest family of flowering plants...
(UmbelUmbelAn umbel is an inflorescence which consists of a number of short flower stalks which are equal in length and spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs....
flowers, Carrots)
- Apiaceae
- Conium maculatum (Poison Hemlock) (poisonous)
- Foeniculum vulgare (Sweet FennelFennelFennel is a plant species in the genus Foeniculum . It is a member of the family Apiaceae . It is a hardy, perennial, umbelliferous herb, with yellow flowers and feathery leaves...
)- AsteraceaeAsteraceaeThe Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
- Asteraceae
- Artemisia californicaArtemisia californicaArtemisia californica, also known as California sagebrush, of the Asteraceae family, is a shrub that grows in coastal sage scrub, coastal strand, chaparral, and dry foothill communities, from sea level to 800 m...
(California sagebrush) - Baccharis glutinosa (Mule fat)
- Baccharis pilularisBaccharis pilularisBaccharis pilularis, called Coyote Brush , Chaparral Broom, and Bush Baccharis, is a shrub in the Asteraceae that grows in California, Oregon, and Baja California.-Description:...
(Coyote Brush) - Centaurea melitensisCentaurea melitensisCentaurea melitensis is an annual plant of the Asteraceae, 1- 11 dm high, with resin-dotted leaves and spine-tipped phyllaries. This plant is native to the Mediterranean region of Europe and Africa...
(Yellow Star Thistle) (significant invasive exotic) - Cirsium occidentaleCirsium occidentaleCirsium occidentale, with the common name Cobwebby thistle, is a species of thistle native throughout California deserts, mountains, and valleys, and in western Nevada, southern Oregon, and southwestern Idaho...
- Encelia californicaEncelia californicaEncelia californica is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name California brittlebush. It is also commonly referred to as "California bush sunflower"....
- Eriophyllum confertiflorumEriophyllum confertiflorumEriophyllum confertiflorum, known by the common name Golden yarrow or Yellow yarrow, is a flowering plant in the daisy family.-Distribution:...
- Gnaphalium californicum
- MalacothrixMalacothrix (plant)Malacothrix is a genus of flowering plants related to daisies. They are known generally as desert dandelions or desertdandelions. Most are found in North America and a few have been introduced to South America...
saxatilisMalacothrix saxatilisMalacothrix saxatilis is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name cliff desertdandelion. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the central and southern coastal hills and mountain ranges. It is a perennial herb growing 30 to 60 centimeters tall from a...
(Cliff Aster) - Silybum marianum
- Misc (sunfowers)
- BoraginaceaeBoraginaceaeBoraginaceae, the Borage or Forget-me-not family, include a variety of shrubs, trees, and herbs, totaling about 2,000 species in 146 genera found worldwide.A number of familiar plants belong to this family....
- BrassicaceaeBrassicaceaeBrassicaceae, a medium sized and economically important family of flowering plants , are informally known as the mustards, mustard flowers, the crucifers or the cabbage family....
- Boraginaceae
- Brassica nigra (Black MustardMustard plantMustards are several plant species in the genera Brassica and Sinapis whose small mustard seeds are used as a spice and, by grinding and mixing them with water, vinegar or other liquids, are turned into the condiment known as mustard or prepared mustard...
) (invasive exotic) - Stanleya pinnataStanleya pinnataStanleya pinnata, also known as Prince's Plume, is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name desert princesplume. It is native to the western United States, where it occurs in many types of open habitat, including deserts, foothills, rocky cliffs, sagebrush, and...
- Cactaceae
- Opuntia littoralisOpuntia littoralisOpuntia littoralis is a species of prickly pear cactus known by the common name coastal prickly pear.-Distribution:Opuntia littoralis is native to southern California and Baja California, where it grows in coastal sage scrub and chaparral habitats...
- CapparaceaeCapparaceaeCapparaceae , commonly known as the Caper family, is a family of plants in order Brassicales. As currently circumscribed, it contains 33 genera and about 700 species...
- Capparaceae
- Isomeris arborea
- Sambucus mexicana (Mexican ElderberryElderberrySambucus is a genus of between 5 and 30 species of shrubs or small trees in the moschatel family, Adoxaceae. It was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified due to genetic evidence...
)- CaryophyllaceaeCaryophyllaceaeThe Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactaceae and Polygonaceae...
- Caryophyllaceae
- Silene laciniataSilene laciniataSilene laciniata is a herbaceous flowering plant in the genus Silene that is commonly called Indian-pink, cardinal catchfly, Mexican campion, or Mexican-pink...
- ChenopodiaceaeChenopodiaceaeChenopodiaceae were a family of flowering plants, also called the Goosefoot Family. They are now included within family Amaranthaceae. The vast majority of Chenopods are weeds, and many are salt and drought tolerant. A few food crops also belong to the family: spinach, beets, chard, quinoa, and...
- Chenopodiaceae
- Salsola iberica (TumbleweedTumbleweedA tumbleweed is the above-ground part of a plant that, once mature and dry, disengages from the root and tumbles away in the wind. Usually, the tumbleweed is the entire plant apart from the roots, but in a few species it is a flower cluster. The tumbleweed habit is most common in steppe and desert...
)- CistaceaeCistaceaeThe Cistaceae is a small family of plants known for its beautiful shrubs, which are profusely covered by flowers at the time of blossom...
- Cistaceae
- Cistus villosus
- Helianthemum scopariumHelianthemum scopariumHelianthemum 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...
- ConvolvulaceaeConvolvulaceaeConvolvulaceae, known commonly as the bindweed or morning glory family, are a group of about 60 genera and more than 1,650 species of mostly herbaceous vines, but also trees, shrubs and herbs.- Description :...
- Convolvulaceae
- Calystegia macrostegiaCalystegia macrostegiaCalystegia macrostegia, with the common name Island false bindweed, is a species of morning glory, in the California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion...
(Morning gloryMorning gloryMorning glory is a common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose current taxonomy and systematics is in flux...
) - Cuscuta californicaCuscuta californicaCuscuta californica is a species of dodder known by the common names Chaparral dodder and California dodder. It is native to western North America.-Description:...
(Dodder, Orangebeard, Witches Hair)- CrassulaceaeCrassulaceaeCrassulaceae, or the orpine family, are a family of dicotyledons. They store water in their succulent leaves. They are found worldwide, but mostly occur in the Northern Hemisphere and southern Africa, typically in dry and/or cold areas where water may be scarce...
- Crassulaceae
- Dudeya lanceolata
- Dudleya pulverulentaDudleya pulverulentaDudleya pulverulenta is a succulent plant known by the common names chalk lettuce and chalk liveforever.-Distribution:This dudleya is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it is found in steep open rocky areas in coastal and inland mountains and desert foothills, such...
” (Chalk Dudleya)- CucurbitaceaeCucurbitaceaeThe plant family Cucurbitaceae consists of various squashes, melons, and gourds, including crops such as cucumber, pumpkins, luffas, and watermelons...
- Cucurbitaceae
- Cucurbita foetissima
- Marah macrocarpusMarah macrocarpusMarah macrocarpus, the Cucamonga Manroot or Bigroot, is the common manroot of most of Southern California and Baja California.-Foliage:...
- EricaceaeEricaceaeThe Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
(Heath family)
- Ericaceae
- Arctostaphylos glandulosaArctostaphylos glandulosaArctostaphylos glandulosa, with the common name Eastwood's manzanita, is a species of manzanita.-Distribution:This shrub is native to the coastal slopes of western North America from Oregon through California to Baja California.-Description:...
- EuphorbiaceaeEuphorbiaceaeEuphorbiaceae, the Spurge family are a large family of flowering plants with 300 genera and around 7,500 species. Most are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are also shrubs or trees. Some are succulent and resemble cacti....
- Euphorbiaceae
- Euphorbia albomarginata
- Ricinus communis
- FabaceaeFabaceaeThe Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
(Leguminosae, PeaPeaA 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 flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...
family)
- Fabaceae
- Lotus scopariusLotus scopariusLotus scoparius is a perennial subshrub in the family Fabaceae . The plant is a pioneer species found in dry areas of California, Arizona, and Mexico...
(BroomBroom (shrub)Brooms are a group of evergreen, semi-evergreen, and deciduous shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the legume family Fabaceae, mainly in the three genera Chamaecytisus, Cytisus and Genista, but also in many other small genera . All genera in this group are from the tribe Genisteae...
) - Lupinus spp.
- Lupinus hirsutissimusLupinus hirsutissimusLupinus hirsutissimus is a species of lupine known by the common name stinging lupine. It is native to the coastal mountains of Baja California and Southern California as far north as the San Francisco Bay Area...
- Medicago sativa
- Pickeringia montanaPickeringia montanaPickeringia is a monotypic genus containing only the legume Pickeringia montana, which is known by the common name chaparral pea. It is sometimes called Montana chaparral pea, but this plant is endemic-found only in California....
- Spartium junceum
- GentianaceaeGentianaceaeGentianaceae are a family of flowering plants of 87 genera and over 1500 species. Flowers are actinomorphic and bisexual with fused sepals and petals. The stamens are attached to the inside of the petals and alternate with the corolla lobes. There is a glandular disk at the base of the gynoecium,...
- Gentianaceae
- Centaurium venustumCentaurium venustumZeltnera venusta is a species of flowering plant in the gentian family known by the common name charming centaury and canchalagua. This centaury is native to California and southern Oregon, where it grows in many habitats up to elevations around 1300 meters. It is an annual wildflower rarely...
- Geraniaceae
- Erodium cicutariumErodium cicutariumErodium cicutarium, also known as Redstem filaree, Common Stork's-bill, is an herbaceous annual, and in warm climates a biennial member of the Geranium Family of flowering plants...
- HydrophyllaceaeHydrophyllaceaeHydrophylloideae is a subfamily of the Boraginaceae family of flowering plants. Their taxonomic position is somewhat uncertain. Traditionally, and under the Cronquist system, they were given family rank under the name Hydrophyllaceae, and treated as part of the order Solanales...
- Hydrophyllaceae
- Eriodictyon crassifoliumEriodictyon crassifoliumEriodictyon crassifolium, or thick-leaved Yerba Santa, is a shrub in the borage family.-Description:Eriodictyon crassifolium is a hairy to woolly shrub growing one to three meters tall. The leaves are up to 17 centimeters long by 6 wide, gray-green with a coat of woolly hairs, and sometimes...
(Yerba SantaYerba santaYerba santa or hierba santa , meaning mean "sacred herb" in Spanish, can refer to:*Hoja santa *Species of the genus Eriodictyon, including Eriodictyon californicum and Eriodictyon crassifolium...
) - Phacelia cicutariaPhacelia cicutariaPhacelia cicutaria is an annual species of Phacelia native to California, southern Nevada, and Baja California. It grows mainly in chaparral, frequently in burnt areas or on rocky slopes....
(Caterpillar Phacelia) - Phacelia grandifloraPhacelia grandifloraPhacelia grandiflora is a species of phacelia known by the common name largeflower phacelia. It is native to the coastal hills and southern Transverse Ranges of southern California and Baja California, where it grows in coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and other local habitat, including areas...
- Phacelia parryiPhacelia parryiPhacelia parryi is a species of phacelia known by the common name Parry's phacelia. It is native to southern California and Baja California, where it grows in coastal and inland mountain ranges and deserts. Its range may extend into Arizona...
- LamiaceaeLamiaceaeThe mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...
(Mint)
- Lamiaceae
- Marrubium vulgareMarrubium vulgareMarrubium vulgare is a flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to Europe, northern Africa and Asia....
(HorehoundHorehoundHorehound or hoarhound is a common name applied to two related genera of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae:*Ballota*MarrubiumSpecifically, it may refer to the following species:*White Horehound or Common Horehound...
) - Salvia apiana (White SageWhite sageSalvia apiana is an evergreen perennial shrub that is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, found mainly in the coastal sage scrub habitat of Southern California and Baja California, on the western edges of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts.-Description :S...
) - Salvia clevelandiiSalvia clevelandiiSalvia clevelandii is a perennial plant that is native to Southern California and northern Baja California, growing below elevation in California coastal sage and chaparral habitat.-Taxonomy:The plant was named in 1874 by Asa Gray, honoring Daniel Cleveland, a plant collector.-Description:Salvia...
- (Cleveland Sage) - Salvia comumbariae (Chia)
- Salvia leucophyllaSalvia leucophyllaSalvia leucophylla is an aromatic sage native to the southern coastal mountain ranges of California and Baja California.-Taxonomy:The plant's specific epithet, leucophylla, describes the light grayish leaves...
(Purple Sage) - Salvia mellifera (Black sageBlack SageSalvia mellifera is a small, highly aromatic, evergreen shrub of the genus Salvia native to California, and Baja California, Mexico. It is common in the coastal sage scrub of Southern California and northern Baja California...
)- MalvaceaeMalvaceaeMalvaceae, or the mallow family, is a family of flowering plants containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species. Judd & al. Well known members of this family include okra, jute and cacao...
- Malvaceae
- Malacothamnus fasciculatusMalacothamnus fasciculatusMalacothamnus fasciculatus, with the common names chaparral mallow and Mendocino bushmallow, is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family.-Description:...
- Malva parvifloraMalva parvifloraMalva parviflora is an annual or perennial herb that is native to Northern Africa, Europe and Asia and is widely naturalised elsewhere. Common names include cheeseweed, cheeseweed mallow, Egyptian mallow, least mallow, little mallow, mallow, marshmallow, small-flowered mallow, small-flowered...
(Cheeseweed)
- NyctaginaceaeNyctaginaceaeNyctaginaceae, the Four O'Clock Family, is a family of around 33 genera and 290 species of flowering plants, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with a few representatives in temperate regions...
- Abronia umbellataAbronia umbellataAbronia umbellata is a flowering perennial plant native to the western United States. Other common names include Beach Sand Verbena and Purple Sand Verbena.-Distribution:...
(VerbenaVerbenaVerbena , verbenas or vervains, is a genus in the family Verbenaceae. It contains about 250 species of annual and perennial herbaceous or semi-woody flowering plants. The majority of the species are native to the New World from Canada south to southern Chile, but some are also native in the Old...
) - Mirabilis californica (Wishbone Plant)
- OnagraceaeOnagraceaeOnagraceae, also known as the Willowherb family or Evening Primrose family, are a family of flowering plants. The family includes about 640-650 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees in 20-24 genera...
- Onagraceae
- Clarkia deflexa
- Clarkia unguiculataClarkia unguiculataClarkia unguiculata is a species of wildflower known by the common name elegant clarkia. 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...
- Zauschneria californica - (California Fuchsia)
- OxalidaceaeOxalidaceaeThe Oxalidaceae, or wood sorrel family, are a small family of eight genera of herbaceous plants, shrubs and small trees, with the great majority of the 900 species in the genus Oxalis...
- Oxalidaceae
- Oxalis pes-capraeOxalis pes-capraeOxalis pes-caprae is a species of tristylous flowering plant in the wood sorrel family Oxalidaceae...
- Paeoniaceae
- Paeonia californicaPaeonia californicaPaeonia californica is one of two species of Peony native to North America. It is endemic to southwest California, United States, where it grows on dry hillsides in the coastal sage scrub and chaparral communities of the coastal mountains of Southern and Central California, often as an understory...
- PapaveraceaePapaveraceaePapaveraceae, informally known as the poppy family, are an economically important family of 44 genera and approximately 770 species of flowering plants in the order Ranunculales. The family is cosmopolitan, occurring in temperate and subtropical climates, but almost unknown in the tropics...
- Papaveraceae
- Dendromecon rigidaDendromecon rigidaDendromecon rigida, also called bush poppy or tree poppy, is a shrub or small tree of the Papaveraceae native to California and Baja California.-Description:...
- (Bush Poppy) - Dicentra ochroleucaDicentra ochroleucaEhrendorferia ochroleuca , commonly known as white eardrops or yellow bleeding-heart, is a biennial or perennial, native to gravelly areas in the chaparral and woodlands of California and in Baja California.-Description:Stems and leaves are glaucous...
- Eschscholzia californica - (California Poppy)
- Papaver californicumPapaver californicumPapaver californicum is a species of poppy known by the common names fire poppy and western poppy. It is endemic to California, where it is found in the coastal counties south of the San Francisco Bay Area. It grows in chaparral, woodlands, and other local habitat, often in places that have...
- Romneya coulteriRomneya coulteriRomneya coulteri is species of flowering plant in the poppy family. This poppy is native to southern California and Baja California, where it grows in dry canyons in chaparral and coastal sage scrub plant communities, sometimes in areas recently burned...
- (Matilija Poppy)- Polemonacea
- Leptodactylon californicum
- Linanthus dianthiflorusLinanthus dianthiflorusLinanthus dianthiflorus is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common names fringed linanthus and ground pink. It is endemic to southern California, where it can be found in many types of local open habitat, such as chaparral. This is an annual herb producing a very thin,...
- PolygonaceaePolygonaceaePolygonaceae is a family of flowering plants known informally as the "knotweed family" or "smartweed family"— "buckwheat family" in the United States. The name is based on the genus Polygonum and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 in his book, Genera Plantarum. The name refers...
- Polygonaceae
- Eriogonum crocatum - (Conejo Buckwheat) (endemic)
- Eriogonum cinereumEriogonum cinereumEriogonum cinereum is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names coastal buckwheat and ashyleaf buckwheat. This shrub is endemic to the coastline of California, where it grows on beaches and bluffs and in coastal scrub and chaparral...
- (Coastal Buckwheat) (endemic) - Eriogonum elongatum
- Eriogonum fasciculatumEriogonum fasciculatumEriogonum fasciculatum is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names California buckwheat and Eastern Mojave buckwheat. This common shrub is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, where it grows on scrubby slopes and in chaparral and dry washes in a number of...
- (California buckwheat) - Rumex crispus
- Portulaceae
- Claytonia perfoliataClaytonia perfoliataClaytonia perfoliata is a fleshy annual plant native to the western mountain and coastal regions of North America from southernmost Alaska and central British Columbia south to Central America, but most common in California in the Sacramento and northern San...
- PrimulaceaePrimulaceaePrimulaceae is a family of flowering plants with about 24 genera, including some favorite garden plants and wildflowers. It is also known as the primrose family.- Genera :...
- Anagalis arvensis
- Dodecatheon clevelandiiDodecatheon clevelandiiDodecatheon clevelandii, with the common name is Padre's super shooting star, is a species of Dodecatheon.-Distribution:Dodecatheon clevelandii, native to California and Baja California, is generally found in open grassland areas....
- RanunculaceaeRanunculaceaeRanunculaceae are a family of about 1700 species of flowering plants in about 60 genera, distributed worldwide....
- Ranunculaceae
- Clematis ligusticifoliaClematis ligusticifoliaClematis ligusticifolia is a climbing, spreading vine with showy flowers. It is also known as Old-man's Beard and Yerba de Chiva, and Virgin's bower,...
- Delphinium cardinaleDelphinium cardinaleDelphinium cardinale is a species of larkspur known by the common names scarlet larkspur and cardinal larkspur. This wildflower is native to California and Baja California, where it grows on coastal, inland, and desert chaparral slopes, such as the Colorado Desert, and the Peninsular and Transverse...
: - Delphinium parryiDelphinium parryiDelphinium parryi is a species of larkspur known by the common names San Bernardino larkspur and Parry's larkspur. It is native to Baja California and California from the San Francisco Bay Area south. This wildflower may approach a meter in maximum height. It has fuzzy stems and fuzzy, deeply lobed...
- Ranunculus californicus
- RhamnaceaeRhamnaceaeRhamnaceae, the Buckthorn family, is a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs and some vines.The family contains 50-60 genera and approximately 870-900 species. The Rhamnaceae have a worldwide distribution, but are more common in the subtropical and tropical regions...
- Rhamnaceae
- Ceanothus crassifoliusCeanothus crassifoliusCeanothus crassifolius is a species of flowering shrub known by the common name hoaryleaf ceanothus. This Ceanothus is found throughout the coastal mountain ranges of the southern half of California, and its range extends into Baja California. It is an erect, spreading shrub which can exceed three...
- Ceanothus cuneatusCeanothus cuneatusCeanothus cuneatus is a species of flowering shrub known by the common names Buckbrush and wedgeleaf ceanothus.-Distribution:...
- Ceanothus leucodermisCeanothus leucodermisCeanothus leucodermis, with the common name Chaparral whitethorn, is a species of shrub in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in coastal and inland mountain habitat, such as chaparral, coniferous forest, and oak...
- Ceanothus megacarpusCeanothus megacarpusCeanothus megacarpus is a species of flowering shrub known by the common name bigpod ceanothus. This Ceanothus is endemic to California, where its distribution extends along the Central Coast and includes the Channel Islands.-Description:...
- (Bigpod Ceanothus) (endemic) - Ceanothus oliganthusCeanothus oliganthusCeanothus oliganthus is a species of shrub in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae known by the common name Hairy ceanothus. It is endemic to California, where it can be found in most of the coastal mountain ranges in dry habitat such as chaparral....
- Ceanothus spinosusCeanothus spinosusCeanothus spinosus, with the common names Greenbark ceanothus and Redheart, is a species of Ceanothus. It is native to southern California and northern Baja California, where it grows in the scrub and chaparral of the coastal mountain ranges.-Description:This is a large treelike shrub approaching...
- Rhamnus californicaRhamnus californicaRhamnus californica , is called coffeeberry because its berries contain seeds which look like coffee beans—it is also called California buckthorn...
- (Coffeeberry)- RosaceaeRosaceaeRosaceae are a medium-sized family of flowering plants, including about 2830 species in 95 genera. The name is derived from the type genus Rosa. Among the largest genera are Alchemilla , Sorbus , Crataegus , Cotoneaster , and Rubus...
- Rosaceae
- Adenostoma fasciculatumAdenostoma fasciculatumAdenostoma fasciculatum is a flowering plant native to California and northern Baja California. This shrub is one of the most widespread plants of the chaparral biome.-Description:...
- (Coastal Sage) - Cercocarpus betuloidesCercocarpus betuloidesCercocarpus betuloides, California Mountain Mahogany, is a species in the family Rosaceae. It typically grows in dry areas in the foothills and mountains of California, often in chaparral communities, and in other parts of the Southwestern United States and Baja California.-Description:This shrub...
- (Mountain Mahogany) - Heteromeles arbutifolia - (Toyon)
- Prunus ilicifoliaPrunus ilicifoliaPrunus ilicifolia is an evergreen shrub to tree, producing edible cherries, with shiny and spiny toothed leaves similar in appearance to holly...
- (Evergreen Cherry) - Rosa californicaRosa californicaRosa californica, the California wild rose, is a species of rose native to the U.S. states of California and Oregon and the northern part of Baja California, Mexico...
- Rubus ursinusRubus ursinusRubus ursinus is a species of blackberry or dewberry known by the common names California blackberry/dewberry, Douglas berry, and Pacific blackberry/dewberry. 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...
- (California Blackberry)- SalicaceaeSalicaceaeSalicaceae are a family of flowering plants. Recent genetic studies summarized by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group has greatly expanded the circumscription of the family to contain 55 genera....
- Salicaceae
- Salix lasiolepisSalix lasiolepisSalix lasiolepis is a species of willow native to western and southwestern North America, in the United States from central and southern Washington and southwestern Idaho south to California and Texas, and in Mexico from the Baja California peninsula east to Coahuila and south to Jalisco. The name...
- (Arroyo Willow)- SaxifragaceaeSaxifragaceaeSaxifragaceae is a plant family with about 460 known species in 36 genera. In Europe there are 12 genera.The flowers are hermaphroditic and actinomorphic...
- Saxifragaceae
- Ribes amarumRibes amarumRibes amarum is a species of currant known by the common name Bitter gooseberry. It is endemic to California, where it is known from mountains, foothills, and canyons in the central and southwestern parts of the state. Its habitat includes chaparral....
- (Bitter Gooseberry) (endemic) - Ribes aureumRibes aureumRibes aureum Pursh is a species of small to medium-sized deciduous shrubs 2 to 3 meters tall in the genus Ribes...
- (Golden Currant) - Ribes divaricatumRibes divaricatumRibes divaricatum is a species of currant with three accepted varieties, and known by several common names, found in the forests, woodlands, and coastal scrub of western North America from British Columbia to California.-Varieties:...
- (Parish's Gooseberry) - Ribes malvaceumRibes malvaceumRibes malvaceum, called chaparral currant, is a member of the Grossulariaceae . It is native to California and northern Baja California, where it occurs below 1500 m in chaparral, foothill oak woodland, and closed-cone pine forest.Less than 2 meters tall, this perennial shrub lacks the...
- (Chaparral Currant) - Ribes speciosumRibes speciosumRibes speciosum is a species of gooseberry with elongate, red flowers that resemble those of fuchsia; its common name is fuchsia-flowered gooseberry...
- (Fuchsia-flowered Gooseberry)- ScrophulariaceaeScrophulariaceaeScrophulariaceae, the figwort family, are a family of flowering plants. The plants are annual or perennial herbs with flowers with bilateral or rarely radial symmetry. Members of the Scrophulariaceae have a cosmopolitan distribution, with the majority found in temperate areas, including...
(Figwort family)
- Scrophulariaceae
- Anirrhinum coulterianum
- Antirrhinim kelloggii
- Castilleja affins
- Casrilleja foliolosa
- Castilleja marinii
- Mimulus brevipesMimulus brevipesMimulus brevipes is a species of monkeyflower known by the common name widethroat yellow monkeyflower.-Distribution:It is native to the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges and other mountains and foothills of southern California and Baja California...
- Mimulus aurantiacusMimulus aurantiacusMimulus aurantiacus, the Sticky monkey-flower and Orange bush monkey-flower, is a flowering plant that grows in a subshrub form, native to southwestern North America from southwestern Oregon south through most of California...
- Mimulus cardinalisMimulus cardinalisMimulus cardinalis, the scarlet monkeyflower, is a flowering perennial in the family Phrymaceae. Together with other species in Mimulus section Erythranthe, it serves as a model system for studying pollinator-based reproductive isolation....
- Mimulus guttatusMimulus guttatusMimulus guttatus, the Common monkey-flower, is a yellow bee-pollinated annual or perennial herbaceous wildflower that grows along the banks of streams and seeps in western North America.-Description:...
- Mimulus longiflorus
- Mimulus pilosusMimulus pilosusMimulus pilosus is a species of monkeyflower known by the common name downy mimetanthe. It is native to the western United States and Baja California, where it grows in moist and disturbed habitat types...
- Orthocarpus purpurascens
- Pedicularis densifloraPedicularis densifloraPedicularis densiflora, known commonly as Indian warrior, is a plant of the lousewort genus in the broomrape family. It is a perennial herb with stout, green or sometimes reddish or magenta stems and fern-shaped leaves, and long spikes of deep red to bright pink flowers with toothed...
- Penstemon centranthifoliusPenstemon centranthifoliusPenstemon centranthifolius is a species of penstemon known by the common name scarlet bugler. It is native to California and parts of Mexico, where it grows in many types of dry habitat from coast to desert, such as chaparral and oak woodland....
- Penstemon heterophyllusPenstemon heterophyllusPenstemon heterophyllus is a species of penstemon known by the common names bunchleaf penstemon and foothill beardtongue. It is endemic to California, where it can be found in all of the major coastal mountain ranges and the northern Sierra Nevada foothills.-Description:Penstemon heterophyllus is a...
- Penstemon spectabilisPenstemon spectabilisPenstemon spectabilis is a species of penstemon known by the common name showy penstemon. It is native to southern California and Baja California, where it grows in the chaparral, scrub, and woodlands of the coastal mountain ranges.-Description:...
- SolanaceaeSolanaceaeSolanaceae are a family of flowering plants that include a number of important agricultural crops as well as many toxic plants. The name of the family comes from the Latin Solanum "the nightshade plant", but the further etymology of that word is unclear...
- Solanaceae
- Datura inoxiaDatura inoxiaDatura inoxia is a species in the family Solanaceae. It is native to Central and South America, and introduced in Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe. The scientific name is often cited as D. innoxia...
(Datura) - Nicotiana glaucaNicotiana glaucaNicotiana glauca is a species of wild tobacco known by the common names tree tobacco and incorrectly also Mustard tree. Its leaves are attached to the stalk by petioles , and its leaves and stems are neither pubescent nor sticky like Nicotiana tabacum...
- Nicotiana bigelovii
- Nicotiana glaucaNicotiana glaucaNicotiana glauca is a species of wild tobacco known by the common names tree tobacco and incorrectly also Mustard tree. Its leaves are attached to the stalk by petioles , and its leaves and stems are neither pubescent nor sticky like Nicotiana tabacum...
- Solanum douglasiiSolanum douglasiiSolanum douglasii is a species of nightshade known by the common name greenspot nightshade. It is native to the northern half of Mexico and the southwestern south-central United States. Its habitat includes scrub and woodland. It is a perennial herb or subshrub approaching two meters in maximum...
- Solanum xantii
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- Trees
- Acer macrophyllum - (Bigleaf Maple)
- Alnus rhombifoliaAlnus rhombifoliaAlnus rhombifolia, the White Alder, is an alder tree native to western North America, from 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...
- (White Alder) - Juglans californicaJuglans californicaJuglans californica, the California black walnut, also called the California walnut, or the Southern California black walnut, is a large shrub or small tree of the Juglandaceae family endemic to California....
- (California Black Walnut) - Quercus agrifolia - (Coast Live Oak)
- Quercus chrysolepisQuercus chrysolepisQuercus chrysolepis, commonly termed Canyon Live Oak, or Golden Cup Oak, is a species of evergreen oak that is found in the southwestern part of North America, notably in the California Coast Ranges. This tree is often found near creeks and drainage swales growing in moist cool microhabitats...
- (Canyon Live Oak) - Pinus sabinianaGray PinePinus sabiniana , with the common names gray pine, California foothill pine, and the more historically and internationally used digger pine, is a pine endemic to California in the United States...
- (Digger Pine, Gray Pine) - Platanus racemosa - (California Sycamore)
- Umbellularia CalifornicaUmbellulariaUmbellularia californica is a large tree native to coastal forests of California and slightly extended into Oregon.It is the sole species in the genus Umbellularia....
- (California Bay)
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See also
- Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation AreaSanta Monica Mountains National Recreation AreaThe Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area or SMMNRA, is a United States National Recreation Area containing many individual parks and open space preserves, located primarily in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California...
- 'in-situ' parks and preserves - Index: Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains
- California Native Plant SocietyCalifornia Native Plant SocietyThe California Native Plant Society is a California not-for-profit organization that seeks to increase understanding of California's native flora and to preserve that flora. Its "paramount purpose is to preserve wild plants".-History:...
Further reading
- "Flora of the Santa Monica Mountains, California", Southern California Botanists; Peter H Raven.
- "Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains", by Milt McAuley.
- "Flowering Plants: The Santa Monica Mountains, Coastal and Chaparral Regions of Southern California", by Nancy Dale.
- "Roadside Plants of Southern California", by Thomas J. Belzer.
- "California Native Plants for the Garden", by Carol Bornstein, David Fross, and Bart O'Brien; Cachuma Press, Los Olivos CA, 2005; ISBN 0-9628505-8-6 & ISBN 0-9628505-9-4.
- "The Jepson ManualThe Jepson ManualThe Jepson Manual, Higher Plants of California is a collection of identification keys to help biologists identify the vascular plants within the state of California...
," James C Hickman, UC Press, ISBN 0-520-08255-9.