Apiaceae (Parsley Family)

Fennel
Foeniculum vulgare
NON NATIVE

A perennial herbaceous plant with umbels of tiny yellow flowers with dark green thin leaves.  Introduced from Eurasia. Dried fennel fruits are used as a spice.  Leaves and stalks can be eaten like a vegetable.  Has a sweet, aromatic taste similar to licorice or anise. 

Poison Hemlock 
Conium maculatum
NON NATIVE

Poison Hemlock is a perennial herb, 1-2 meters tall.  The stems are smooth and hollow with a characteristic red mottling. Leaves are compound, lacy, and alternate.  The small white flowers are borne in compound umbels at the top of the stalk.  The taproot is small and white with a disagreeable smell.  All plant parts are poisonous.  The seeds contain the most poison, a piperidine alkaloid.  Socrates is reputed to have been killed by being forced to drink the juice of this plant.

Apocynaceae (Perwinkle Family)

Big leaf Perwinkle
Vinca major
NON NATIVE

Herbaceous, evergreen with oval, glossy, green leaves in an  opposite arrangement.  The plant spreads on the ground and forms dense masses.  Flowers are purple to white and have 5 parts.

Araceae (Arum Family)

Jack-in-the pulpit
Arisaema triphyllum
NON NATIVE

Perennial, herbaceous plant about 65 cm in height.  The plant has basal leaves only.  Each leaf is divided into 3 equal parts.  Flowers are green with purple-brown stripes.  Fruit is a cluster of bright shiny, red berries.  Found in moist, shaded areas.  Native to eastern United States.  Indians used for medicinal purposes from snakebites to arthritis.  However, no part of the plant should be eaten. 

Araliaceae (Ginseng Family)

Algerian ivy 
Hedera canariensis
NON NATIVE

A fast growing ground cover that likes shade.  It is fast growing and invasive.  Leaves are alternate and simple.  Leaves are lobed with variegated green color.  It is an evergreen.

Asteraceae  (Sunflower Family)

Yarrow  
Achillea millefolia
NATIVE

Herbaceous perennial that produces one to several stems.  Leaves are found toward the bottom of the stems.  The compound leaves are fern-like with leaflets that are bipinnate.  The flower heads have a flattened dome shape with approximately 10-20 yellowish-white ray flowers with 5 petals.  They are drought tolerant.  

Mugwort
Artemisia douglasiana
NATIVE

Mugwort is a meter tall  perennial, with a distinctive odor that is found along the  stream banks.   It blooms from June to October .  Leaves are long and grayish green in color. The common name of “mugwort” comes from a European species used as a condiment (seasoning). The name is derived from the old English name for plant “wort” and a container “mug.” The European herb may have been used as a flavoring in a beverage consumed from a mug.

Coyote Brush
Baccharis pilularis
NATIVE

Coyote brush is an evergreen shrub that grows up to 4 meters in this area. Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants in late fall. The yellow pollen of the male flower smells like shaving soap.  Early Californians, because of its abundant silky-haired seeds, called coyote brush “fuzzy-wuzzy”.  Coyote brush is an important pioneer species in the process of plant succession.  It is usually the first shrub to appear in a grassy field after vegetation has been removed by cultivation or fire.

Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle Family)

Snowberry
Symphoricarpos rivularis
NATIVE

A deciduous shrub 1-3 meters high and spreads by suckers.  Produces a small pink bell shaped, 5 petalled flower that are hairy inside.  Berries mature in autumn and are white and globe shaped.

Fabaceae (Pea Family)

Clover

Trifolium sp.

NON NATIVE

 Perennial, legume, stems erect, leaves of basal rosette.  Leaves are palmately compound with 3 leaflets.  Flowers are 10-15 mm long, rosy purple to creamy white.  Peduncle and calyx are hairy.   Can grow on wet or dry meadows and be used as feed for cattle. 

Garryaceae (Silk Tassel Family)

Coast Silk-tassel
Garrya elliptica
NATIVE

Evergreen shrubs or small trees. Leaves are leathery with wavy edges.  They are arranged in opposite pairs and are dark shiny green above; gray below with dense, microscopic hairs.  Male and female catkins are borne on separate plants.  The male catkin is long with slender chains of “bells.”

Grossulariaceae (Gooseberry Family)

Fushia Flowering Currant
Ribes speciosum
NATIVE

In late winter this plant is covered with drooping clusters of  pink flowers. Fruit maturation following pollination brings berries that the birds enjoy. It is found in many habitats from the North Coast and Outer North Coast Ranges to the Outer South Coast

Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn Family)

Blue Blossum
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus
NATIVE

Shrubs or small trees, with white to blue flowers that are small but showy. The terminal inflorescence varies with each species The leaves are evergreen, alternating, and are oval in shape.  There are 43 species native to California from the coast to the Sierras.

Italian Buckthorn
Rhamnus alaternus
NON NATIVE

This evergreen shrub has an irregular upright form with a dense canopy. Medium height about 5-7 meters with a spread of about 5 meters.  Leaves are dark green, serrated, glossy,  and oval about 5 cm in length.  It is valued as a tough, low-maintenance street tree. Appropriate beneath overhead wires. Disease and pest resistant and attracts birds.

Coffee Berry
Rhamnus californica
NATIVE

Low lying, medium to large evergreen shrub,  found in the Coast Ranges.  Coffee berry bears black fruits that gives the name of coffee berry to most species.  Clusters of berries are green, ripening to orange-red and finally black. The young leaves are lighter green and mature to dark green.  Edges curl under during dry summers to conserve moisture.  Flowers are white with a  star shape, emerging from green buds in clusters. 

Rosaceae  (Rose Family)

Toyon
Heteromoles arbutifolia
NATIVE

Large evergreen shrub or small tree, 1.8-3 meters tall.  It has brilliant red berries in the winter.  Leaves are dark green, serrated.  Flat cluster of small white flowers.  Drought tolerant plant.

Himalayan Blackberry
Rubus discolor
NON-NATIVE

Himalayan blackberry is an Asian species that has been cultivated for its large berries.  The stems bear large, stout spines.  Its leaves are divided into 5 large leaflets that are silvery on the underside.  It spreads rapidly in riparian areas and crowds out more desirable native vegetation.

California  Blackberry  
Rubus ursinus
NATIVE

California blackberry is a low-growing arching shrub that roots where stems touch the ground.  The stems are covered with weak prickles.  Its leaves are divided into 3 slender, spiny leaflets that are green on both surfaces.  White to pink flowers are followed by small berries that are ripe when deep, dull black.

Scrophulariaceae (Figwort Family)

Sticky monkey flower
Diplacus aurantiacus
NATIVE

Size is about 40 cm, erect  sub-shrub.  Sometimes it has a sprawling growth.  It has a deep orange flower that blooms in early summer.  Leaves are 2-8 cm, dark green and resinous above.  Occurs in foothills and coastal ranges north of Santa Barbara County.  Drought resistant.

Tropaeolaceeae (Nasturtium Family)

Nasturtium
Tropaeolum majus
NON NATIVE

Plants form a low bush or trailing form 8-12 inches tall.  Leaves are light green and round while the bright flowers range from red, orange, and yellow.

Urticaceae (Nettle Family)

Stinging Nettle
Urtica diocica
NATIVE 

Humans that brush near a stinging nettle may get  tiny hollow hairs  from the leaves that release formic acid which irritates the skin and causes white itchy spots to appear.  The plant grows as a large main stem.  The leaves are in opposite pairs and the flowers concentrate in clusters from the leaf axils. The flowers do not have petals; male flowers have a 4-lobed calyx and 4 stamens and the female flowers are either 4-lobed or 2-lobed and have a pistil that produces a single seed.