AQUATIC PLANTS

Cyperaceae (Sedge Family)

Bulrush, Alkali-bulrush
Scirpus maritimus
Cyperaceae (Sedge Family)
NATIVE

This perennial sedge grows to 48" tall and is common along the slough's edge and in the water.  The flowers grow on spikelets in dense clusters at the tip of the stem.  The fruits or seeds are brown. Bulrushes provide a protected area for many birds and amphibians to feed, rest, and sleep in. Several species of bulrush are used to treat urban runoff by taking up heavy metals.

California Bulrush
Scirpus californicus
NATIVE

A common marsh plant that has stems growing to an average height of 6' tall.  The stems have a curved triangular shape, unlike the hardstem bulrush which is cylindrical.  Leaf blades are absent.  It is used by various animals as a shelter and foraging ground.

Hardstem Bulrush, Native Tule
Scirpus acutus var. occidentalis
NATIVE

The tall stems of this bulrush are round and bluegreen. The flowers occur in dense spikelets borne at the top of the stem.  The Ohlone Indians bound bundles of tules together to make boats that were used in hunting and fishing along San Francisco Bay.  Air chambers in the hollow stems kept the boats afloat.  Long cylindrical stems from 5 to 8 feet tall leaves have slender, v-shaped basal leaf blades. Flowers are arranged as spikelets and resemble orange brown scales,  Reproduction is usually from underground stems. 

Typhaceae (Cattail Family)

Broad-leaved Cattail
Typha latifolia
NATIVE 

This perennial plant with long slender leaves can grow up to 8 feet tall in brackish water. It is found growing in the brackish water or fresh water.  The flowering stalks or shoots turn brown and become fuzzy when mature.  The roots, shoots, and pollen of this plant are edible and the fluffy seeds were once used as insulation and mattress stuffing.  The cattails provide protected habitat and shelter for birds and amphibians.

GRASSES

CORDGRASS (Spartina spp.)      A tall grass-like aquatic plant that is represented in this area by a native species, an introduced species (exotic) and a hybrid of the two.  It grows in the mud where it is flooded by the tides.  Salt crystals can be found on its blades where it is excreted to keep the plant roots from drying out.

Poaceae (Grass Family)

Pacific Cordgrass
Spartina foliosa
NATIVE

Common in many salt marshes throughout the San Francisco Bay area  An erect, perennial grass that spread by rhizomes.  Its stem is long and flat.  Inflorescence is a 5-6 inch spike with dense, colorless flowers.  It booms from July to November and about 36" tall. 

Saltgrass
Distichlis spicata
NATIVE  

This common saltgrass grows in salt marsh and moist alkaline environments sometimes in mats up to 17" tall. The stiff leaves are arranged in rows on opposite sides of a stiff stem.  Purple or straw-colored flowers grow on short branches called spikelets that are 1/8 to 1/4 inch long. Salt crystals can be seen and felt on the leaves and stems.

Flowering Plants

Aizoaceae (Sea Fig Family)

Crystalline Iceplant, Common Iceplant
Mesembryanthemum crystallinum
NON NATIVE 

This low-growing herb has succulent, flat, fleshy leaves. The leaves and stems are covered with distinctive tiny, clear, salt-like growths. The white to pink flowers are small with many narrow petals. The stems can be green or red and usually trail along the soil.  The leaves and seeds are edible and many animals eat the flowers, as well.

Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

Brass Buttons

    This salt tolerant member of the sunflower family has small button shaped flowers that are bright yellow.  It has a coating around it's stems and leaves to aid in water retention. It is common in seasonal wetlands.  Naturalized from South Africa.  Tends to be low lying, not reaching more than 6 inches, but can reach up to 16 inches.

Bull Thistle 
Cirsium vugare
NON NATIVE

Bull Thistle has stiff-hairy stems that can grow as high as 2 meters.  It has conspicuous prickly-winged stems.    Flower head has bract-like leaves below and is purple.  It was introduced from Eurasia.

Gumplant, Marsh Gumplant, Gumweed 
Grindelia stricta var. angustifolia
NATIVE 

This perennial plant has thick green leaves and stems and can be identified from other plants because of the glossy, gummy liquid on the flower buds before they open.  It is in the sunflower family and has several bright yellow flowers per bush. It grows to 5 feet tall in wet soils along with bulrush and other marsh plants. The gummy substance was once made into a chewing gum and an adhesive.

Marsh Jaumea, Fleshy Jaumea Jaumea carnosa
Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)
NATIVE

This succulent perennial has bluish-gray leaves with one yellow flower per stem.  The flower stems can grow to one foot tall. It grows in the marshes near pickleweed and alkali heath. It is easy to tell from pickleweed, as its leaves are not jointed and are very smooth.

Boraginaceae (Borage Family)

Heliotrope, Seaside Heliotrope
Heliotropium curassavicum
NATIVE

This perennial plant grows up to 24" tall and has fleshy, hairy stems and leaves.  The flowers grow on a curved spike that contains many white flowers with curved petals. It can grow in moist or dry areas of the marsh or on the levee.

Brassicaceae  (Mustard Family)

Peppergrass, Pepperwort
Lepidium latifolium
NON NATIVE 

This grayish-green plant can grow to 40" tall.  The waxy leaves at the base of the plant tend to be wide and longer then at the top near the flowers. It has several very small white flowers with four petals that grow in dense clusters on the tops of the stems.  The young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked.

Mustard
Brassica sp.
NON NATIVE

Mustards are winter annuals. All mustard seedlings have broad seed leaves with a deep notch at the tip. The first true leaves are bright green on the upper surface and paler below. Mature mustards have dense clusters of yellow flowers at the tips of branches. Leaves are toothed, alternate, and are often deeply lobed, especially toward the base of the plant.   Flowers are more abundant than on the summer mustard, and leaves are not hairy.

Chenopodiaceae (Goosefoot Family)

Alkali Russian Thistle 
Salsola soda
NON-NATIVE 

This annual, succulent plant can grow into small shrubs up to 2 feet tall (sometimes called sub-shrubs). It has fleshy green leaves with either green or red stems.  The flowers are very tiny and grow out of the base of the leaves near the stem.  It grows in the same places as pickleweed but does not have jointed leaves and stems. People once cooked and ate the young leaves and stems.  The entire plant was once burned and used as potash for soap-making.

Australian Saltbrush 
Atriplex semibaccata
NON-NATIVE 

This perennial, introduced shrub grows in the marsh and in drier soils on levees. It is drought-tolerant with silvery gray succulent leaves and small red fruit. It forms a dense groundcover that grows up to 13" tall. The small reddish crystal-like fruit can be seen growing at the base of the leaves in late summer.

Fat-hen, Arrowleaf Saltbush, Spearscale
Atriplex triangularis
NATIVE 

The leaves of this annual plant are distinctly triangular, pointed, and turn red in the late summer and fall. Fat-hen grows up to 24" tall in moist marshy areas.  The leaves of this plant can be cooked and eaten like spinach.  The seeds can be ground and used for soups and flours.

Pickleweed
Salicornia virginica
NATIVE

This very common, perennial plant is one of the dominant plants in Mowry slough.  It is low-growing to 24 " tall with green or red leaves that are jointed and sandy feeling to the touch.  The plant can gather extra salt in some of the leaves near the tip and then drop them to get rid of the excess salt.  The cream colored flowers are very small and grow around the outside of the leaves. 

Frankeniaceae (Frankenia Family)

Alkali Heath
Frankenia salina
NATIVE 

This common salt marsh plant has small, waxy leaves that help it hold water.  It can grow up to 16" tall or low to the ground in different parts of the marsh, especially in the drier soils. Its flowers, which bloom in the late summer, are tiny, pink or purplish and have five pointed petals.   

Family Geraniaceae (Geranium)

Filaree
Erodium cicutarium

NON NATIVE

Filaree is a very common,  abundant plant of roadsides, fields, and semi-arid areas often carpeting large areas with bright, tiny, pink flowers. It produces blooms profusely for many weeks in the spring and continues blooming into the fall. The leaves and deep roots have a strong pungent smell. Its long, narrow, pointed heron’s bill-like seed pods (light green and vertical in the picture)  give rise to the genus name from the Greek , “Erodios,” for “Heron.”

Trees and Shrubs

Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle Family)

Blue Elderberry
Sambucus mexicana
NATIVE 

Blue elderberry prefers canyon bottoms where water is available in summer, but also grows on dry hillsides. Elderberries often start as multi-trunked shrubs that mature into small trees.  The deciduous leaves are compound.  The blue berries are eaten by wildlife and were dried for later use by the Ohlones.  Early Californians made jam and wine from the

Garryaceae (Silk Tassel Family)

Silk Tassel Bush
Garrya elliptica
NATIVE 

Although these shrubs are usually found in riparian areas, have been found  in this area. They can grow to 15 feet tall. They have thick, leathery, light to dark green leaves and have beautiful tassels that are really the flowers that hang from the stems. Grey to black dyes are made from the berries.

Parasitic Plants
Cuscutaceae (Dodder Family)

Dodder
Cuscuta salina
NATIVE 

Dodder is an annual yellowish-orange parasitic plant.  It is not green because it does not photosynthesize.  It has no leaves.  It grows from seed, looking for a host plant.  It has about 10 days to find a plant.  It gets it nutrients by little bumps on its stems called “haustoria” which bore into the host stem to get nutrients.  Dodder only stunds the growth of its host.  Dense clusters of tiny, white, waxy flowers with 5 lobes are found sporadically amongst the tangle.

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