Great Valley Phacelia (Phacelia ciliata var. ciliata) is a native annual herb that grows in southern and central California.

Phacelia crenulata is a species of phacelia native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Its common names include notch-leaved phacelia and cleftleaf wild heliotrope. It is an annual plant growing 7-60 centimeter tall, with crenate to deeply lobed leaves up to 8 to 12 centimeters in length. The flowers are violet to blue-purple in color and up to one centimeter long.

Phacelia davidsonii is a species of phacelia known by the common name Davidson's phacelia. It is native to California and Nevada, where it grows in mountains and foothills in chaparral and forest habitats. In California it is found in the Southern Sierra Nevada, Transverse Ranges, and Peninsular Ranges. Phacelia davidsonii is plant is often very similar in appearance to Phacelia curvipes and was once considered a variety of that species. It is an annual herb producing a branching or unbranched stem growing decumbent or erect to a maximum length near 20 centimeters. The leaves are oval or lance-shaped and up to 7 centimeters long, the lower ones divided into leaflets and the upper ones smaller and lobed. Phacelia davidsonii is plant is often very similar in appearance to Phacelia curvipes and was once considered a variety of that species. It is an annual herb producing a branching or unbranched stem growing decumbent or erect to a maximum length near 20 centimeters. The leaves are oval or lance-shaped and up to 7 centimeters long, the lower ones divided into leaflets and the upper ones smaller and lobed. The hairy inflorescence is a showy curving cluster of bell-shaped flowers each up to 1. 5 centimeter long. The flowers are white-throated with deep purple lobes.

Phacelia distans is a species in the Boraginaceae (Borage) family known by the common name distant phacelia. It is native to much of California including the coastal mountain ranges, valleys, and deserts, adjacent sections of Nevada and Arizona, and parts of northern Mexico. It grows in many types of habitats and is a common wildflower in its range. It is a variable annual herb growing decumbent to erect, its branching or unbranched stem 15 to 80 centimeters in length. It is usually coated in soft or stiff glandular hairs which some people find foul-smelling when touched. The leaves are up to 10 to 15 centimeters long and are divided into several lobed leaflets, sometimes intricately. The hairy flower cluster is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of many funnel- or bell-shaped flowers. The flower is just under a centimeter long and is usually blue but may be white or varying shades of lavender or purple. It is most often used in a wildflower garden where it is grown from seed. Under suitable conditions it will re-seed itself. As with all annuals, careful weeding is essential.


It should be noted that there are a very large number of species in the genus Phacelia. Most are annuals. Gardeners should look for species appropriate to their area and garden conditions.

Phacelia divaricata is a species of phacelia known by the common name divaricate phacelia. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the coastal hills and mountain ranges around the San Francisco Bay Area and to the north. It grows in chaparral, woodland, grassland, and other local habitat. Phacelia divaricata is an annual herb growing decumbent to erect, its branching or unbranched stem reaching 40 centimeters in maximum length. The leaves are up to 8 centimeters long, oval in shape, and lobed or smooth-edged. The hairy inflorescence is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of several funnel- or bell-shaped flowers. The flower is 1 to 1. 5 centimeters long and pale lavender in color. Phacelia divaricata is an annual herb growing decumbent to erect, its branching or unbranched stem reaching 40 centimeters in maximum length. The leaves are up to 8 centimeters long, oval in shape, and lobed or smooth-edged. The hairy inflorescence is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of several funnel- or bell-shaped flowers. The flower is 1 to 1. 5 centimeters long and pale lavender in color.

Phacelia douglasii is a species of phacelia known by the common name Douglas' phacelia. It is native to California, where it grows coastal and inland mountains and foothills, the Central Valley, and the deserts. It is an annual herb growing mostly erect to a maximum height around 40 centimeters. Most of the leaves are located low on the branching stem and are deeply lobed or divided into leaflets. The hairy flower cluster is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of several bell-shaped flowers. The flower may be over a centimeter long and is pale purple or bluish in color.

Douglas' Phacelia (Phacelia douglasii var. douglasii) is a native annual herb that grows in southern and central California. It tends to grow at elevations from 0-5000 feet.

Phacelia egena is a species of phacelia known by the common name Kaweah River phacelia. It is native to much of California, from the Transverse Ranges to the northern mountains and into Oregon; it also occurs in Arizona. It grows in many types of habitat. It is a herb producing a hairy, erect stem up to about 60 centimeters in maximum height. Most of the lance-shaped leaves are located low on stem, the largest over 20 centimeters long and divided into many leaflets. Leaves higher on the stem are much smaller and undivided. The flower cluster is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of several bell-shaped flowers. The flower is just under a centimeter long and is white to cream in color with five protruding white stamens.

Phacelia fremontii (Frmont's phacelia) is a flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae, native to the southwestern United States. Its range includes the Mojave Desert. It was named for John C. Frmont. P. fremontii is an annual plant growing 7-30 centimeter tall, with deeply lobed or compound leaves 1.5-5 centimeter long. The flowers are blue to lavender with a yellow throat, 7-15 millimeter long (rarely to 20 millimeter). The plant grows in gravelly and sandy soils in most of the desert. It can also be found in varied mountain, valley, and plateau habitat types.

Phacelia hastata is a species of phacelia known by the common name silverleaf phacelia. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Nebraska, where it can be found in many habitat types, including flat scrublands, mountain forests, and alpine talus. It is a perennial herb variable in appearance. It produces a hairy stem which grows decumbent or erect to a maximum height near half a meter. The leaves are lance-shaped or oval, smooth-edged, lobed, or divided into leaflets. Most of the leaves are low on the plant. The top of the stem is occupied by the flower cluster, which is made up of a few to a great many one-sided coiling cymes of flowers. Each flower is roughly half a centimeter long, generally bell-shaped, and whitish to pale purplish in color. It has five protruding stamens and a calyx of narrow, hairy sepals. There are about four subtaxa. The Charleston phacelia, var. charlestonensis, is endemic to southern Nevada.

Varileaf Phacelia (Phacelia heterophylla) is a native perennial herb that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow in slopes and flats, at elevations from 0-9000 feet.

Phacelia humilis is a species of phacelia known by the common name low phacelia. It is native to the western United States from central Washington to central California, where it grows in mountain and foothill habitat. It is an annual herb with an erect stem growing up to 20 centimeters tall. It is hairy and coated in stiff hairs. The oval leaves are 1 to 4 centimeters long. The flower cluster is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of bell-shaped purple flowers. Each flower is roughly half a centimeter long and surrounded by a calyx of sepals which are coated densely in long, straight, white hairs. Most instances of this plant are var. humilis. A second variety, var. dudleyi, is known only from the Sierra Nevada and adjacent Tehachapi Mountains of California.

Phacelia imbricata is a species in the Boraginaceae (Fort-me-not) family known by the common name Imbricate Phacelia. It is native to much of California and Baja California, where it can be found in varied habitat in mountains, valleys, and coastline. It is a perennial herb growing decumbent or erect to a maximum height exceeding one meter. It is hairy and coated in stiff hairs. The leaves may be up to 15 centimeters long and are divided into several leaflets. The flower cluster is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of many bell-shaped flowers. The flower is roughly half a centimeter long and white to pale purple in color. It is almost always grown from seed. There are four recognized varieties with differing geographic ranges.

It should be noted that there are a very large number of species in the genus Phacelia. Most are annuals. Gardeners should look for species appropriate to their area and garden conditions.

Imbricate Phacelia (Phacelia imbricata ssp. imbricata) is a native perennial herb that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow in slopes, at elevations from 200-7500 feet.

Phacelia lemmonii is a species of phacelia known by the common name Lemmon's phacelia. It is native to the southwestern United States, where it grows in mountain and sandy desert habitat. Phacelia lemmonii is an annual herb producing a branching or unbranched stem up to about 20 centimeters in maximum height. It is glandular and lightly hairy in texture. The lobed oval leaves are 1 to 4 centimeters long. The glandular, hairy inflorescence is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of bell-shaped flowers. Each flower is about half a centimeter long and white to pale lavender with a tubular yellow throat. Phacelia lemmonii is an annual herb producing a branching or unbranched stem up to about 20 centimeters in maximum height. It is glandular and lightly hairy in texture. The lobed oval leaves are 1 to 4 centimeters long. The glandular, hairy inflorescence is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of bell-shaped flowers. Each flower is about half a centimeter long and white to pale lavender with a tubular yellow throat.

Phacelia linearis, the linear-leaved phacelia or threadleaf phacelia, is a species of phacelia. It is native to western North America from western Canada to Wyoming to northern California, where it grows in forest, woodland, open scrub, and other habitat. Phacelia linearis is an annual herb producing a branching or unbranched erect stem up to 60 centimeters tall. It is coated in soft or stiff hairs. The leaves are linear or lance-shaped and sometimes divided into several narrow, pointed lobes. The hairy inflorescence is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of bell-shaped flowers. Each flower is up to a centimeter long and light purple in color with a paler tubular throat. Phacelia linearis is an annual herb producing a branching or unbranched erect stem up to 60 centimeters tall. It is coated in soft or stiff hairs. The leaves are linear or lance-shaped and sometimes divided into several narrow, pointed lobes. The hairy inflorescence is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of bell-shaped flowers. Each flower is up to a centimeter long and light purple in color with a paler tubular throat. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Phacelia linearis.

Phacelia nemoralis is a species of phacelia known by the common name shade phacelia. It is native to the west coast of the United States from Washington to central California, where it grows in moist, usually forested areas along the coastline and in the coastal mountain ranges. It is a perennial herb producing a densely hairy, erect stem which may reach two meters in height. The leaves are variable in shape, the largest lower ones 15 to 25 centimeters long and divided into several leaflets. Upper leaves are smaller and undivided. The flower cluster is a one-sided coiling cyme of bell-shaped flowers. Each flower is up to 6 millimeters long and greenish or yellowish white in color with whiskery protruding stamens. There are two subspecies. The ssp. oregonensis, known commonly as Oregon phacelia or woodland phacelia, can be found in Washington State, while ssp. nemoralis does not occur there.

Phacelia platyloba is a species of phacelia known by the common name broadlobe phacelia. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from a section of the central Sierra Nevada foothills. It is a resident of chaparral, woodland, and other local habitat. It is an annual herb producing a branched or unbranched erect stem up to 45 centimeters tall. It is coated in soft and stiff hairs. The leaves are up to 9 centimeters long and divided into several lobed to intricately toothed leaflets. The inflorescence is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of widely bell-shaped flowers. Each flower is about half a centimeter long and pale blue or lavender in color. It is surrounded by a calyx of densely hairy sepals which are unequal in size and shape, 2 being longer and wider than the other 3.

Phacelia rattanii is a species of phacelia known by the common name Rattan's phacelia. It is native to northern California, Nevada, and the West Coast of the United States. It can be found in mountain and foothill habitats, in shaded crevices and on steep slopes. Phacelia rattanii is an annual herb growing 15 centimeters to one meter in maximum stem length, taking an erect, branching form. It is glandular and coated in stiff hairs and bristles with bulbous bases. The leaves are oval, toothed or lobed, and up to about 7 centimeters long. The hairy inflorescence is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of bell-shaped flowers each no more than half a centimeter long. The flowers are white to light blue and are surrounded by calyces of sepals coated in long hairs.

Phacelia rotundifolia is a species of flowering plant in the borage family, Boraginaceae, known by the common name roundleaf phacelia. It is native to the southwestern United States, where it can be found in habitat types such as creosote bush scrub and pinyon-juniper woodland. It is an annual herb growing decumbent to erect, up to 28 centimeters tall. It is glandular and coated in short, stiff hairs. The leaves are conspicuously rounded and have scalloped edges or dull teeth. The round leaf blade is borne on a petiole. The hairy inflorescence is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of bell-shaped flowers. Each flower is roughly half a centimeter long and white to purple in color with a pale yellow throat.

Lacy Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) is an annual plant whose lovely lavender-blue flowers are very attractive to pollinators and other beneficial insects. The flowers are bell-shaped with long stamens that protrude beyond the petals. The flowers grow in clusters at the top of the stem. The deeply cut leaves give this plant its lacy appearance. Lacy Phacelia is a valuable pollinator plant and is especially favored by bees. It also attracts hoverflies, beneficial insects that eat aphids and other pests.

Lacy Phacelia is often planted in vineyards and next to crops because its nectar-rich flowers are attractive to bees and other pollinators. It is also used as a bee-friendly cover crop on organic farms. In the garden, it does best in full sun and well-draining sandy soil. This plant has a fast growth rate. Be aware that some people can experience skin irritation after touching this plant.

Phacelia thermalis is a species of phacelia known by the common names heated phacelia and hot spring phacelia. It is native to the western United States from northeastern California to Idaho, with a disjunct population in Montana. It grows in plateau and mountain habitat in open areas with clay soils. It is an annual herb with spreading or upright branches up to 45 centimeters long. It is glandular and coated in stiff hairs. The leaves are oval and toothed or divided into segments. The hairy inflorescence is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of bell-shaped flowers. Each flower is under half a centimeter long and white to light blue in color.

Phacelia vallicola is a species of phacelia known by the common name Mariposa phacelia. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the Sierra Nevada and adjacent southernmost slopes of the Cascade Range. It grows in coniferous forest, chaparral, and other mountain and foothill habitat. It is an annual herb growing erect to a maximum height around 27 centimeters. It is coated in soft and stiff hairs. The leaves are oval or lance-shaped, smooth-edged, and borne on short petioles. The hairy inflorescence is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of bell-shaped flowers. Each flower is about half a centimeter long and purple in color with a paler purple throat.

Phacelia vallis-mortae is a species of flowering plant in the borage family, Boraginaceae, known by the common name Death Valley phacelia. It is native to the southwestern United States, where it grows in deserts such as Death Valley, and mountain, plateau, and valley scrub habitat. It is an annual herb growing up to 60 centimeters tall with a branching or unbranched stem. It is coated in soft and stiff hairs. The leaves are up to 8 centimeters long and most are compound, divided into smaller leaflets lined with teeth or lobes. The hairy inflorescence is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of bell-shaped flowers. Each flower 1 to 1. 5 centimeters long and a shade of lavender or purple, surrounded by a calyx of narrow sepals coated in long hairs.

Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) is a tall, perennial grass that commonly forms extensive single-species stands along the margins of lakes and streams and in wet open areas, with a wide distribution in Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America. The stems can reach 2.5 meter in height. The leaf blades are blue-green when fresh and straw-colored when dry. The flowers are borne on the stem high above the leaves and are pinkish at full bloom. While possibly native to North America, European cultivars have been widely introduced for use as hay and forage on the continent; there are no easy traits known for differentiating between the native plants and European cultivars (White et al. 1993).

Phalaris lemmonii is an uncommon species of grass known by the common name Lemmon's canarygrass. It is endemic to California, where it can be found in coastal and inland mountain ranges and the Central Valley. It grows mainly in moist areas. It is an annual grass reaching maximum heights between 1. 3 and 1. 5 meters. The cylindrical inflorescence is up to 12 centimeters long, each spikelet made up of one strongly beaked fertile floret and one or two sterile florets.

Mock orange (Philadephus lewisii) is a deciduous shrub covered in a mass of white blossoms at the height of flowering, in spring to summer. Mock orange is widespread but not common, usually appearing as an individual plant in a mix of other species. 

The shrub sends out long stems, which are red when new and fade to gray with age. Its leaves are light green in color with a rough texture, generally turning a lovely yellow in fall.  The large flowers bloom in clusters at the ends of long stems and have a heavy, sweet scent similar to citrus blossom. They are among the most fragrant flowers of any California native plant. It is fast-growing and tolerates almost any soil type, making it a wonderful focal plant in a garden.

Tolerates almost any soil type. Selected for the garden (Cheyenne Research in Wyoming).

Tolerates almost any soil type. Selected for the garden.

Tolerates almost any soil type. Selected for the garden.

Tolerates almost any soil type. Selection by Roger Raiche and Ron Lutsko from shasta County.

Philadelphus microphyllus is a species of mock-orange known by the common name littleleaf mock-orange. It is native to northern Mexico and the southwestern quadrant of the United States as far north as Wyoming, where it grows in scrub and brush habitat in foothills and mountains, often in very rocky areas, sometimes anchoring itself in rock cracks and crevices. It is a highly variable plant with many subspecies. In general it is a rounded, spreading shrub reaching a maximum height around 2 meters. Young branches are coated in stiff hairs, and older branches have reddish, yellowish, or gray shredding bark. The pointed oval or lance-shaped leaves are up to 2.5 centimeters long, green, and sometimes hairy. They are oppositely arranged and deciduous. The flower cluster is a solitary flower or cluster of two or three. The fragrant flower has four or five white or cream petals and a cluster of many stout stamens. The fruit is a hard capsule containing many seeds. This flowering shrub is propagated and used as a drought-tolerant ornamental plant in its native range.

Grows best in sandy, coarse-grained or other fast draining soil. Selected for the garden.

Phlox austromontana is a species of phlox known by the common name mountain phlox. It is native to the southwestern United States and Baja California, where it grows in forested and wooded mountain habitat, scrub, and open areas. It is a mat-forming perennial herb growing in patches of very short stems. The lance-shaped leaves are no more than 1. 5 centimeters long and are arranged oppositely in pairs on the short stems. The inflorescence is a solitary flower at the tip of each stem. The flower is white or light pink or lavender with five rounded lobes. It is just over a centimeter long.

Phlox caespitosa is a species of phlox known by the common name tufted phlox. It is native to western North America from British Columbia through the Great Basin to New Mexico, where it grows in scrub, woodland, and other open plateau habitat. It is a mat-forming perennial herb growing in patches of short, hairy, hairy stems. The stems are lined with pairs of very narrow, sharp-tipped linear leaves each under a centimeter in length. The flower cluster is a solitary flower or cluster of up to three flowers at the tip of each stem. The flower is white or light pink or lavender with five rounded lobes. It is around a centimeter long.

Phlox condensata is a species of phlox known by the common name dwarf phlox. It is native to the western United States including eastern California, Nevada, and Colorado, where it grows in rocky, mountainous areas. It is a very compact mat-forming perennial herb growing in patches often less than a centimeter tall. The toothlike lance-shaped leaves are no more than half a centimeter long and lined with stiff hairs. The inflorescence is a solitary tubular flower up to a centimeter long with a flat white or pale pink corolla.

Phlox douglasii, common name tufted phlox or Columbia phlox, is a species of perennial herb belonging to the family Polemoniaceae. It is unclear whether the species is distinct from Phlox caespitosa. Tufted Phlox is native to northwestern United States. Habitat. This species prefers dry areas, sagebrush scrubs and woodlands, at elevation of 1,500-2,000 metres (4,900-6,600 ft) above sea level.

Phlox hoodii (spiny phlox or carpet phlox) is a species of phlox. It is a plant of western North America, where it is a common flower in sagebrush country. It is among the first plants to bloom in spring, after the snow has melted. Its distribution extends from Alaska to Arizona. There are many subspecies. This perennial herb is variable in morphology, but usually forms a tight mat or loose clump on the ground. The short stems emerge from a woody taproot and caudex unit and the plant form is no more than 13 centimeters tall. The abundant tiny, sharp-pointed leaves are oppositely arranged and barely exceed one centimeter long. The herbage is hairy in texture, the hairs short to long, woolly to cobwebby. The appearance of the plant is almost mosslike until blooming. The flower cluster is a solitary flower in shades of white, pink, or blue. It has a tubular throat about a centimeter long spreading into a flat five-lobed corolla.

Phlox hoodii (spiny phlox or carpet phlox) is a species of phlox. It is a plant of western North America, where it is a common flower in sagebrush country. It is among the first plants to bloom in spring, after the snow has melted. Its distribution extends from Alaska to Arizona. There are many subspecies. This perennial herb is variable in morphology, but usually forms a tight mat or loose clump on the ground. The short stems emerge from a woody taproot and caudex unit and the plant form is no more than 13 centimeters tall. The abundant tiny, sharp-pointed leaves are oppositely arranged and barely exceed one centimeter long. The herbage is hairy in texture, the hairs short to long, woolly to cobwebby. The appearance of the plant is almost mosslike until blooming. The inflorescence is a solitary flower in shades of white, pink, or blue. It has a tubular throat about a centimeter long spreading into a flat five-lobed corolla.

Longleaf Phlox (Phlox longifolia ssp. brevifolia) is a native perennial herb that grows in central and northern California. It tends to grow at elevations from 5600-9800 feet.

Phlox speciosa is a species of phlox known by the common name showy phlox. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Arizona and New Mexico, where it occurs in sagebrush, pine woodlands, and mountain forests. It is an erect perennial herb with a shrubby base growing up to about 40 centimeters tall. The leaves are linear or lance-shaped, oppositely arranged, and generally glandular. The inflorescence bears one or more white to pink flowers with elongated tubular throats each up to about 1. 5 centimeters long. The corolla has five double-lobed, notched, or heart-shaped lobes. There are several subspecies, most being limited to certain sections of the plant's overall distribution. Phlox speciosa has an erect stem. Leaves are between 1-5 cm and lance-linear. Terminal inflorescence with leaf like bracts below; pedicel 3-20 mm and slender. The calyx is 7-10 mm, membrane not keeled; corolla bright pink to white, tube 10-15 mm, lobes obcordate to deeply 2-lobed; stamens short, anthers in corolla tube; style 0. 4-2 mm, stigmas > style. Rocky, wooded slopes, sagebrush scrub; 500-2400 m. Several subspecies named, study needed. Flowers Apr- Jun. Occurrences in Oregon. Phlox speciosa is a widely distributed plant which occurs at many Serpentine sites throughout the western United States. In southern Oregon specifically, P. speciosa has been known to co-occur with Darlingtonia californica the Eight Dollar Mountain Botanical Wayside, managed by the BLM (Medford District. ) Additionally, this plant is known to occur in the Deer Creek Center near Selma, Oregon.

Phlox stansburyi is a species of phlox known by the common names cold-desert phlox and pink phlox. It is native to the southwestern United States from California to Utah to Texas, where it occurs in desert and plateau scrub and woodland habitat. It is a perennial herb taking an upright, branching form. The hairy linear or lance-shaped leaves are 1 to 3 centimetres (0. 39 to 1. 18 in) in length and oppositely arranged. The inflorescence bears one or more white to pink flowers with narrow, tubular throats which may exceed 3 cm (1. 2 in) in length. The base of the tube is encased in a calyx of keeled, ribbed sepals. The flower corolla is flat and five-lobed.

Pholistoma auritum is a species of flowering plant in the borage family which is known by the common name blue fiestaflower. It is native to California, southern Nevada, and Arizona, where it can be found in many types of habitat, from mountain talus to coastal bluffs to desert scrub. Pholistoma auritum is an annual herb with a brittle, fleshy, bristly stem branching profusely, sometimes forming a tangle. The leaves are deeply lobed and toothed and borne on winged petioles. The foliage is coated in hairs and bristles. The inflorescence is made up of one or more widely bell-shaped flowers up to 1. 5 centimeters long and 3 wide. The hair-lined flowers are blue to purple with darker markings in the centers. The purple Arizona fiestaflower, Pholistoma auritum var. arizonicum, is considered a subspecies.

Pholistoma racemosum is a species of flowering plant in the borage family which is known by the common name racemose fiesta flower. It is native to southern California, including the Channel Islands, and Baja California, where it can be found in coastal areas and in the coastal mountains and canyons, often in moist, shady areas. It is an annual herb with a fleshy, bristly stem up to 60 centimeters long and branching profusely, sometimes forming a tangle. The leaves are generally oval or triangular in shape but are deeply lobed or cut and borne on winged petioles. The foliage is coated in rough hairs. The inflorescence bears 2 to 6 flowers each up to a centimeter long and 1. 5 wide. The flower is white to blue in color with five rounded lobes.

Common reed (Phragmites australis) is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Common reed commonly forms extensive stands (known as reed beds), which may be as much as a square kilometer or more in extent. Where conditions are suitable, it can spread 16 feet or more per year by horizontal runners, which put down roots at regular intervals. 

It can grow in damp ground, in standing water (up to three feet or so deep), or even as a floating mat. One of the few native plants that the California Invasive Plant Council has determined is invasive in regions outside its natural range.

The erect stems grow to 6 to 20 ft tall. The tallest plants grow in areas that have hot summers and fertile growing conditions.

Common reed is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species. In particular, the South Asian Khagra Reed (P. karka) is often treated as distinct. 

Physalis hederifolia is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family known by the common name ivyleaf groundcherry. It is native to California, the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it can be found in rocky, dry desert and mountain habitat. This is a rhizomatous perennial herb producing a hairy, branching stem 4 to 32 inches long. The gray-green oval leaves are 1 to 2 inches long and have smooth or bluntly toothed edges. The flowers growing from the leaf axils are bell-shaped and are about a half inch long. They are yellow with five brown smudges in the throats. The five-lobed calyx of sepals at the base of the flower enlarges as the fruit develops, becoming an inflated, veined nearly spherical structure 1 to 1.5 inches long which contains the berry. There are several wild varieties of this species.

Physaria chambersii is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name Chambers' twinpod. It is native to the southwestern United States, where it grows in desert woodland and plateau habitat. It is a perennial herb growing from a taproot and producing a clumpy rosette of stems up to 15 centimeters long, growing erect and falling over in fruit. The plant is covered in a silver-white coat of hairs. The leaves in the rosette are rounded to oval, up to 6 centimeters long by 2 wide, and smaller, spoon-shaped leaves are located along the stems. The flower cluster is a raceme of four-petalled golden yellow flowers. The fruit is an inflated pod which may be over a centimeter long. It is notched and divided into two chambers, each containing 4 seeds.

Physaria kingii is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name King bladderpod. It is native to western North America from Utah to Baja California, where it grows in dry and rocky habitat, such as deserts and adjacent mountain slopes. This is a perennial herb growing a small, hairy stem from a caudex. The leaves form a patch or rosette around the caudex, each up to 6 centimeters long and round, oval, diamond, or spoonlike in shape. The inflorescence is an erect or mostly upright raceme of bright yellow mustardlike flowers. The fruit is a hairy capsule under a centimeter long suspended on a short, often curvy pedicel. There are three subspecies. One, the San Bernardino Mountains bladderpod (ssp. bernardina), is a very rare plant known from only a few spots near Big Bear in the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California. Because of threats to the plant from mining and other human activities, this subspecies is treated as an endangered species on the federal level.

Montana Chaparral Pea (Pickeringia montana var. montana) is a native shrub that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow in slopes and washes, at elevations from 0-2200 feet.

The Knobcone Pine (Pinus attenuata) is a tree that grows in mild climates on poor soils. It ranges from the mountains of southern Oregon to Baja California with the greatest concentration in northern California and the Oregon-California border. This pine reaches heights of 8-24 m; however, it can be a shrub on especially poor sites. It prefers dry rocky mountain soils. The crown is usually conical with a straight trunk. The bark is smooth, flaky and gray-brown when young, becoming dark gray-red-brown and shallowly furrowed into flat scaly ridges. The twigs are red-brown and often resinous.

The Coulter Pine or Big-cone Pine (Pinus coulteri) is a native of the coastal mountains of southern California (United States) and northern Baja California (Mexico). Isolated groves are found as far north as the San Francisco Bay Area in Mt. Diablo State Park and Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve. The species is named after Thomas Coulter, an Irish botanist and physician. The size ranges from 10-24 meter (30-80 feet) tall, and a trunk diameter up to 1 meter (3 feet). The trunk is vertical and branches horizontal to upcurved. The leaves are needle-like, in bundles of three, waxy pale gray-green, 15-30 centimeter (6-12 inches) long and stout, 2 millimeter (0.01 inch) thick. The outstanding characteristic of this tree is the large, spiny cones which are 20-40 centimeter (8-16 inches) long, and weigh 2-5 kg (4-10 lbs) when fresh. Coulter Pines produce the largest cones of any pine tree species (people are actually advised to wear hardhats when working in Coulter Pine groves), although the slender cones of the sugar pine are longer. The large size of the cones has earned them the nickname "widowmakers" among locals. The wood is weak and soft, so that the species is little used other than for firewood. It is also occasionally planted as an ornamental tree in parks and large gardens.

The Colorado Pinyon, Two-needle Pinyon or Pion Pine (Pinus edulis) is a pine in the pinyon pine group whose ancestor was a member of the Madro-Tertiary Flora (a group of drought resistant trees) and is native to the United States. The range is in Colorado, southern Wyoming, eastern and central Utah, northern Arizona, New Mexico, and the Guadalupe Mountains in westernmost Texas. It occurs at moderate altitudes from 1600-2400 meter, rarely as low as 1400 meter and as high as 3000 meter. It is widespread and often abundant in this region, forming extensive open woodlands, usually mixed with junipers. The Colorado pinyon (pion) grows as the dominant species on 4.8 million acres (19,000 km) in Colorado, making up 22% of the state's forests. The Colorado pinyon has cultural meaning to agriculture, as strong pion wood "plow heads" were used to break soil for crop planting at the state's earliest known agricultural settlements. There is one known example of a Colorado Pinyon growing amongst Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) and limber pine (Pinus flexilis) at nearly 3,170 meters (10,400 feet) on Kendrick Peak in the Kaibab National Forest of northern Arizona.

The Single-leaf Pinyon (Pinus monophylla) is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native to the United States and northwest Baja, Mexico. Within California it is found in the Sierras, the Transverse Range, and Peninsular Range. It occurs at moderate altitudes from 1200-2300 meter, rarely as low as 950 meter and as high as 2900 meter, in the most arid areas occupied by any pine in California. It is widespread and often abundant in this region, forming extensive open woodlands, often mixed with junipers. It is a small to medium size tree, reaching 10-20 meter tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 80 centimeter, rarely more. However, it is very slow growing, reaching only 3 ft. in seven years.The bark is irregularly furrowed and scaly. It is the world's only 1-needled pine; the leaves ('needles') are usually single (though trees with needles in pairs are found occasionally), stout, 4-6 centimeter long, and grey-green to strongly waxy pale blue-green, with stomata over the whole needle surface (and on both inner and outer surfaces of paired needles). The cones are acute-globose, the largest of the true pinyons, 4.5-8 centimeter long and broad when closed, green at first, ripening yellow-buff when 18-20 months old, with only a small number of very thick scales, typically 8-20 fertile scales. The cones open to 6-9 centimeter broad when mature, holding the seeds on the scales after opening. The seeds are 11-16 millimeter long, with a thin shell, a white endosperm, and a vestigial 1-2 millimeter wing; they are dispersed by the Pinyon Jay, which plucks the seeds out of the open cones. The jay, which uses the seeds as a food resource, stores many of the seeds for later use by burying them. Some of these stored seeds are not used and are able to grow into new trees. Indeed, Pinyon seeds will rarely germinate in the wild unless they are cached by jays or other animals. The seeds (pine nuts) are also harvested and eaten by people.

Pinus quadrifolia, the Parry pinyon, is a pine in the pinyon pine group native to southernmost California in the United States and northern Baja California in Mexico, from 33 degrees 30' N south to 30 degrees 30' N. It occurs at moderate altitudes from 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) to 1,800 metres (5,900 ft), rarely as low as 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) and as high as 2,500 metres (8,200 ft). It is scarce and often scattered in this region, forming open woodlands, usually mixed with junipers. Other common names include nut pine and fourleaf pinyon pine. Pinus quadrifolia is a small to medium size tree, reaching 8 metres (26 ft) to 15 metres (49 ft) tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 40 centimetres (16 in), rarely more. The bark is thick, rough and scaly. The leaves ('needles') are in fascicles of 4-5, moderately stout, 2. 5 centimetres (0. 98 in)-5. 5 centimetres (2. 2 in) long; glossy dark green with no stomata on the outer face, and a dense bright white band of stomata on the inner surfaces. The cones are globose, 4 centimetres (1. 6 in)-5. 5 centimetres (2. 2 in) long and broad when closed, green at first, ripening yellow to orange-buff when 18-20 months old, with only a small number of thick scales, with typically 5-10 fertile scales. The cones open to 5 centimetres (2. 0 in) to 7 centimetres (2. 8 in) broad when mature, holding the seeds on the scales after opening. The seeds are 10 millimetres (0. 39 in)-14 millimetres (0. 55 in) long, with a thin shell, a white endosperm, and a vestigial 1 millimetre (0. 039 in)-2 millimetres (0. 079 in) wing; they are dispersed by the pinyon jay, which plucks the seeds out of the open cones. The jay, which uses the seeds as a food resource, stores many of the seeds for later use, and some of these stored seeds are not used and are able to grow into new trees.

Foothill Pine (Pinus sabiniana), also known as gray or ghost pine, is a slow-growing and moderately long-lived tree native to California. It grows at elevations up to 4,500 feet and has distinct, long, drooping, silvery-green foliage. The yellow flowers bloom in early spring, and the tree bears sweet edible seeds. This pine is quite resilient, thriving in areas with poor soils and dry conditions.

Foothill Pine grows in an upright form to a height of up to 80 feet, but with regular irrigation, it can reach 40-60 feet in landscaping applications. Its feathery, lacey canopy allows plenty of light to filter through, making it an excellent choice for planting understory plants beneath it without much interference. This tree is perfect for dry, challenging areas and provides a soft, dappled shade.

Piperia elegans is a species of orchid known by several common names, including elegant piperia, coast piperia, hillside rein orchid, and hillside bogorchid. This is a showy flowering plant native to western North America. It grows from a caudex tuber and sends up a thick stem just under a meter in maximum height. The stem is topped with a cylindrical spike inflorescence of densely packed flowers with curving white to greenish-yellow petals. Coastal individuals are noticeably thicker and have more flowers than those that grow further inland; it is uncertain if these are variants, subspecies, or even separate species. They are both currently treated as P. elegans. Other species of Piperia, notably the endangered species P. yadonii are quite similar in appearance to some populations of this species.