Cirsium mohavense is a species of thistle known by the common name Mojave thistle. It is native to the southwestern United States, where it grows in moist areas in otherwise dry habitat, such as desert springs. It is most common in the Mojave Desert, found also in the southern Great Basin and other nearby regions of California, Nevada, western Arizona, and southwestern Utah. Cirsium mohavense is a biennial or perennial growing up to 2. 5 meters (100 inches or 8 feet 4 inches) tall. The densely woolly stem branches and spreads near the top. The leaves are toothed to deeply lobed, woolly, spiny, and up to 60 centimeters (24 inches) long near the base of the plant. The inflorescence is a spreading array of clusters of flower heads, each generally less than 3 centimeters long and wide. The flower head is coated in spiny phyllaries and filled with white, lavender, or pink flowers. The fruit is an achene a few millimeters long with a pappus on top about 1. 5 centimeters long.

Cirsium neomexicanum is a North American species of thistle known by the common names New Mexico thistle, powderpuff thistle, lavender thistle, foss thistle and desert thistle. This plant is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, particularly the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. It has been found in California, Nevada, Arizona, Sonora, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. Cirsium neomexicanum is a tall plant, routinely exceeding 2 metres (6. 6 ft) in height. It erects a stem which may have webby fibers and long, stiff spines. The sparse leaves are greenish-gray, hairy, and very spiny. Atop the mainly naked stems are inflorescences of one or more large flower heads with rounded bases and phyllaries covered in long, curving spines. The largest heads may be up to 5 centimeters (2 inches)in diameter. They are packed with white or lavender disc florets but no ray florets. The fruit is a flat brown achene with a long pappus which may reach 2 centimeters long. Unlike many other thistles, this species tends not to be a troublesome noxious weed.

Cobweb Thistle (Cirsium occidentale) is a beautiful non-weedy thistle that forms a rosette of gray woolly and spiny leaves the first year and flowers in summer of the second year with tall spikes of showy flowers.  These may be white to blood red to shades of purple.  The unopened flower heads are laced, often quite heavily, in fibers resembling cobwebs. 

This fast-growing perennial may remain short, at 2 feet,or tower to 9 feet.  t likes sunny areas with good drainage and little irrigation. It is deer resistant and attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Butterflies such as the painted lady and the Mylitta crescent depend on cobweb thistle as a larval food source. 

California thistle (Cirsium occidentale var. californicum), also known as cobweb thistle, is a biennial native to much of California and the western United States. In its first year, it forms a rosette of gray-green spiny leaves. In its second year, it sends up multibranched stems topped with clusters of lavender-pink to maroon-red flowers. The bracts are covered in distinctive cobwebby hairs, giving the plant its common name.

This variety is not invasive or weedy like some non-native thistles and is a great choice for wildlife gardens. It’s drought tolerant and does not require summer water once established. California thistle is a valuable nectar source, attracting native bees, bumble bees, and butterflies. It can be grown easily from seed without any special treatment.

Venus Thistle (Cirsium occidentale var. venustum) is a native perennial herb that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow at elevations from 0-11800 feet.

Cirsium quercetorum is a species of thistle endemic to coastal California, its common names include brownie thistle and Alameda thistle. Cirsium quercetorum is endemic to the Outer California Coast Ranges from Santa Barbara's Point Conception north into the San Francisco Bay Area and up the North Coast as far as Humboldt County. This is a common plant found in coastal grasslands and open woodlands. The perennial Cirsium quercetorum plant usually grows clumped low to the ground, less than 20 cm (8 inches) tall, but occasionally the plant grows erect and can reach 90 cm (36 inches) in height. It has spiny lobed toothy leaves and spiny flower heads with brownish ivory-tan white to purple disc florets but no ray florets.

Cirsium remotifolium is a species of thistle known by the common name fewleaf thistle. It is native to the western United States, including the Pacific Coast and possibly as far east as the Rocky Mountains, depending on which populations are treated as part of the species. It is sometimes part of the serpentine soils flora. This native thistle is a perennial herb growing up to about 1. 5 meters tall. The leaves are borne on spiny petioles and are toothed or lobed, the lowest leaves at the base of the stem reaching 50 centimeters in length. The inflorescence is made up of clustered flower heads which are lined with spiny phyllaries. The head is filled with white or purple flowers up to 2. 5 centimeters long. The fruit is an achene a few millimeters long topped with a pappus up to about 2 centimeters in length.

Cirsium rhothophilum is a rare North American species of thistle known by the common name surf thistle. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the coastline around the border between San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. It grows in sand dunes and coastal scrub near the beach. Cirsium rhothophilum grows up to 100 cm (39 in) tall with fleshy, woolly herbage usually forming a mound. The thick leaves are wavy and covered in feltlike hairs. They may have smooth, lobed, or toothed edges and small spines. The largest leaves at the base of the plant may reach 25 centimetres (9. 8 inches) in length. The inflorescence bears several clustered flower heads, each head up to 4 centimeters long and 6 cm wide. The heads are lined with woolly phyllaries and filled with off-white to pale yellowish disc florets but no ray florets. The fruit is an achene a few millimeters long with a pappus up to 2 centimeters in length.

Cirsium scariosum is a species of thistle known by the common names meadow thistle, elk thistle and dwarf thistle. It is native to much of western North America from Alberta and British Columbia south to Baja California. There are also isolated populations on the Canadian Atlantic Coast, on the Mingan Archipelago in Québec. Cirsium scariosum is a variable species grows in a variety of habitat types. It is made up of several geographic races, most of which have been previously classified as species. The races intergrade but their morphologies can also be quite different. This is generally a biennial or perennial herb. It takes three main forms, a stemless, flat rosette with a cluster of flower heads in the center, a mounding form with a short, erect stem, or a fully erect form reaching up to 200 cm (79 in) in height. When there is a stem it is usually fleshy, ridged, and woolly in texture. The leaves are sharply toothed or cut into toothed lobes, lined with spines, and up to 40 centimetres (16 inches) at their longest near the base of the plant. The inflorescence holds several flower heads, each up to 4 centimeters long and 5 cm wide. The flower head is lined with phyllaries which may have spines and teeth and filled with white to purple disc florets but no ray florets. The fruit is a compressed achene a few millimeters long topped with a pappus which may be 3 centimeters in length.

Cirsium undulatum is a species of thistle known by the common names wavyleaf thistle and gray thistle. It is native to much of central and western North America from British Columbia east to Manitoba and south as far as the State of Durango in Mexico. It has also been found outside of its native range as an introduced species. Cirsium undulatum is widespread and found in many habitat types. It is a perennial herb exceeding 200 cm (79 in) in height. The stem branches a few times toward the top of the plant if at all. The leaves are very wavy along the edges and usually cut into shallow toothed lobes. The longest near the base of the plant are up to 30 centimetres (12 inches) long. The inflorescence holds one or more flower heads each up to 5 centimetres (2. 0 inches) long and wide. The head is lined with spiny phyllaries of different shapes. The flowers in the head are white to lavender to pink and up to 5 centimetres (2. 0 inches) long. The fruit is an achene a f

Seaside Cistanthe is a coastal succulent native primarily to Southern California and Baja California. It forms small rosettes of rounded leaves, about 2" in diameter. It grows and spreads very slowly, but will form a sparse ground cover. Great for coastal environments as a low maintenance accent.

Cladium californicum is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common name California sawgrass. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico where it grows in moist areas in a number of habitat types, often in alkaline soils. This is a perennial herb with a hollow, erect, rounded stem one to two meters tall. It grows from rhizomes in dense clumps. The narrow leaves are flat and edged with small, sharp teeth. The inflorescence is a large panicle of spikelets yielding oval-shaped, purplish-brown fruits.

Clarkia affinis is a species of wildflower known as chaparral clarkia. It is endemic to California, where it grows mainly on chaparral slopes and woodlands in the Coast Ranges. This is a spindly plant producing erect stems exceeding half a meter in height and sparse narrow leaves. The flower is a bowl-shaped bloom with four pink or red petals each 5 to 15 millimeters long. The petals may have darker spots near the base and purple or red speckling.

The whimsical name of this pretty, vibrantly-colored Clarkia comes from its late spring to early summer bloom time. It flowers in shades ranging from pink to purple. Farewell to Spring attracts bees and butterflies and is a favorite plant in native pollinator and cut-flower gardens.

A member of the Evening Primrose family, Farewell to Spring is a self-seeding annual that tolerates a wide range of soil conditions. It has low moisture needs and requires minimal watering once established.

Farewell To Spring (Clarkia amoena ssp. huntiana) is a native annual herb that grows in central and northern California. It tends to grow in spring-moist, open places, at elevations from 0-2300 feet.

Farewell To Spring (Clarkia amoena ssp. whitneyi) is a rare native annual herb that grows in Northern California, primarily in the North Coast, the Klamath Mountain Range and North Coast Range regions. It tends to grow in spring-moist, open places, at elevations from 0-2300 feet.

Clarkia arcuata is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name hairy clarkia. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the chaparral and woodlands of the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range. It is an annual herb producing a slender, erect stem often exceeding half a meter in height. The leaves are narrow, usually linear or lance-shaped, and up to 6 centimeters long. The flower cluster bears a few flowers, which dangle when they are buds and grow erect as they open. The sepals stay fused as the petals open and emerge from one side. They are coated in hairy hairs. The petals are up to 3 centimeters long, pink-lavender in color, sometimes with a reddish blotch at the base. They form a bowl-shaped corolla. There are 8 stamens and a protruding, four-chambered ovary. The fruit is an elongated capsule which may reach 3.5 centimeters long.

Clarkia australis is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name Small's southern clarkia. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the forests of the central Sierra Nevada. It is an uncommon species threatened by such forest activities as logging. This annual herb produces a slender, erect stem approaching a meter in height. The leaves are widely linear in shape and borne on short petioles. The top of the stem is occupied by the tall inflorescence, which bears hanging buds that open from the lowest upward, so that there are several closed buds above open flowers. The sepals do not remain fused as the flower opens. The petals are diamond-shaped and sometimes lobed and curling at the tip. They are mottled or spotted lavender, purple, and reddish in color, and each is up to 1. 5 centimeters long. There are 8 long stamens tipped with large anthers bearing blue-gray pollen. The stigma protrudes past the anthers. This species of Clarkia is very closely related to Clarkia virgata, and it has been suggested that it is not actually a separate species, but hybridization studies have demonstrated that there has been sufficient reproductive isolation to produce hybrid incompatibility between the two taxa, confirming that they should be treated as separate species.

Clarkia biloba is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name twolobe clarkia. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the Sierra Nevada foothills; one subspecies can also be found in the San Francisco Bay Area. It grows in chaparral and woodland habitat. It is an annual herb producing an erect stem approaching a meter in maximum height. The leaves are linear to lance-shaped and up to 6 centimeters long. Each is borne on a short petiole. The top of the erect stem is occupied by the flower cluster, which bears hanging buds above open flowers. The pink or red-purple sepals remain fused as the petals spread and emerge from one side of the bud. The petals are up to 2.5 centimeters long and pink to lavender to magenta, sometimes flecked with red. Each petal has a two-lobed tip. There are 8 stamens, some with large lavender anthers and some with smaller, paler anthers. The stigma protrudes past the stamens. There are three subspecies of this wildflower. The rarest, the Mariposa clarkia (ssp. australis), is known only from the Merced River drainage, in the Sierra foothills, where it is threatened by road maintenance and non-native plants.

Twolobe Clarkia (Clarkia biloba ssp. biloba) is a native annual herb that grows in Central California, primarily in the Sierra Nevada Foothills and SF Bay regions. It tends to grow in , at elevations from 0-3300 feet.

Clarkia borealis is a rare species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name northern clarkia. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the forests of the southern Klamath Range and the southernmost Cascade Range foothills. It is an annual herb growing an erect, slender stem. The leaves are oval in shape and borne on short petioles. The top of the stem is occupied by the inflorescence, in which the lowest flowers open first and hanging, pointed flower buds occur at nodes at the top. The sepals separate as the flower blooms, revealing purplish pink petals. Each petal is between 1 and two centimeters long, elongated triangular to semicircular in shape, and sometimes flecked with dark purple. There are 8 stamens with anthers bearing blue-gray pollen, and a protruding stigma. Both subspecies of this plant are rare. ssp. biloba is known from only about 20 occurrences in Shasta and Trinity Counties, and the even less common ssp. arida, the Shasta clarkia, is known only from the forests around Shingletown.

Clarkia bottae is a species of annual wildflower in the Onagraceae (Primrose) family. It is know by several common names, including punchbowl godetia, Botta's Clarkia, Botta's Fairyfan, and Hill Clarkia. Other Clarkias are known as Farewell-to-Spring, and some sources may apply that name to this species as well. This plant is endemic to the coastal plains, foothills and mountains, usually below 3,000 ft., from Santa Clara County to San Diego County, where it is a member of several plant communities. It produces spindly, waxy stems which may approach a meter in height but more often less, and sparse narrow leaves. The flower is a bowl shaped bloom with lavender or pinkish-purple petals, often lighter in color toward the base and speckled with red, each 1 to 3 centimeters long. The stigma protrudes from the corolla and is surrounded by shorter stamens. It is readily grown from seed and reliably re-seeds as long as it is not crowded out.

Clarkia breweri is a species of wildflower known by the common names fairy fans and Brewer's clarkia. This rare plant is endemic to California, where it is known from only seven counties in the central part of the state. It produces produces short stems under 20 centimeters in height and sparse, narrow leaves. The distinctive flowers have four pink to lavender petals, each about 2 centimeters long and wide, with 3 odd lobes, the middle lobe being long and spoon-shaped. This flower occurs in the chaparral plant community or in woodlands.

Clarkia concinna is a species of wildflower in the Onagraceae (Evening Primrose) family known as Red Ribbons. It is endemic to California, where it can be found in the northern Coast Ranges from Santa Clara County to Humboldt County, and in the Sierra foothills. This is an annual plant with erect, herbaceous stems. The distinctive flowers have four looping sepals of red or dark pink which look like loops of silk ribbon. The longer, pink petals have three lobes which are usually streaked with white.

Red Ribbons (Clarkia concinna ssp. concinna) is a native annual herb that grows in central and northern California. It tends to grow at elevations from 0-4900 feet.

Clarkia cylindrica is species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name speckled fairyfan, or speckled clarkia. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the chaparral, woodlands and grassland of the coastal mountain ranges and Sierra Nevada foothills. This is an annual herb producing an erect stem to around half a meter in maximum height. Leaves are mainly linear in shape and up to six centimeters long. The flower cluster holds several flowers which hang heavily when they are buds and then grow erect as they open. Each open flower is a bowl of four fan-shaped petals up to about 3.5 centimeters long. The petals are intergrading shades of lavender, white, and magenta and they are often speckled with purple or pink. Beneath the petals are bright pink fused sepals. There are eight stamens with lavender anthers. The fruit is a cylindrical capsule up to 5 centimeters long.

Speckled Clarkia (Clarkia cylindrica ssp. cylindrica) is a native annual herb that grows in Southern and Central California, primarily in the South Coast Range, the South Coast and Transverse Range regions. It tends to grow in open grassy places, at elevations from 0-3300 feet.

Clarkia davyi is species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name Davy's fairyfan, or Davy's clarkia. It is endemic to California, where it grows in coastal habitats such as beaches and bluffs. This is an annual herb producing a thin stem which grows along the ground or somewhat upright. It is lined with small oval-shaped leaves one or two centimeters long. While in bud the flower is enclosed in four fused thick sepals. It blooms into a petite bowl-shaped corolla of four pink petals which often have lighter bases. Each petal is 5 to 11 millimeters long.

Clarkia delicata is a rare species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common names Campo clarkia and delicate clarkia. It is native to northern Baja California and adjacent San Diego County, California, where it grows in the woodland and chaparral of the Peninsular Ranges. This is an annual herb producing an erect stem just over half a meter in maximum height. The leaves are oval or widely lance-shaped, up to 4 centimeters long, and borne on very short petioles. The top of the stem is occupied by the inflorescence, in which the lower flowers open while the upper buds hang closed. The sepals remain fused as the flower blooms from one side. Each unlobed oval petal is about a centimeter long and pink to pinkish-lavender. There are 8 stamens, some with large orange anthers and some with smaller, paler anthers. There is also a protruding stigma with four large, fuzzy lobes.

Clarkia dudleyana is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name Dudley's clarkia. It is endemic to California, where it can be found in the mountains of the Transverse Ranges and the southern Sierra Nevada foothills. It grows in woodland, forest, and chaparral habitats under 1500 meters in elevation. This annual herb produces an erect stem sometimes exceeding half a meter in height. The leaves are lance-shaped, up to 7 centimeters long, and borne on short petioles. The top of the stem is occupied by the inflorescence, which has opening flowers below closed, hanging buds. As the flower blooms the pink to reddish-purple sepals remain fused, opening along one side only. The petals are up to 3 centimeters long, fan-shaped, pinkish lavender in color and sometimes flecked with red. There are 8 stamens, some of which have large lavender anthers and some that have smaller, paler anthers. The stigma protrudes farther than the stamens.

Clarkia epilobioides is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name canyon clarkia. It is native to California, Arizona, and Baja California, where it grows in shaded habitat in woodland and chaparral. It is an annual herb producing a slender, erect stem sometimes exceeding half a meter in height. The leaves are narrowly to widely lance-shaped and less than 3 centimeters long. The top of the stem is occupied by the inflorescence. Each hanging bud has four red sepals which remain fused all together or in pairs as the petals emerge during blooming. The petals are one half to one centimeter long, oval in shape, solid white or cream in color, often fading pink as they age. There are eight protruding stamens and one stigma.

Clarkia exilis is a small herbaceous annual plant of western North America. It is an uncommon species in the evening primrose family known by the common names Kern River clarkia and slender clarkia. C. exilis is an annual herb producing a slender, erect stem often exceeding half a meter in height. The bright green leaves are lance-shaped to narrowly oval, hairless, up to 6 centimeters long, and sometimes lacking petioles. The top of the stem is occupied by the inflorescence, with open flowers and deflexed buds towards the tip of the stem. The sepals and ovary may be lightly hairy (but typically distinctly less so than its sister-species Clarkia unguiculata). The sepals will remain fused together along one side as the petals bloom. Each of the four petals has a narrow claw and diamond-shaped limb. The entire petal is up to 1. 5 centimeters long and white or soft purple or pink, sometimes with a purple spot. There are eight stamens, four of which have large reddish anthers and four with smaller, paler anthers. At maturity the style is equal to the stamens. The fruit is a capsule up to 3 centimeters long and about 2 millimeters wide that may contain from a few to 80 seeds. C. exilis is endemic to California, where it is known only from the woodlands of the southernmost Sierra Nevada foothills immediately northeast of Bakersfield and the adjacent Tehachapi Mountains. Populations are largely proximal to the Kern River and its nearby drainages, with some few populations found to the immediate west in the foothills of the Sierra as they descend to the Great Central Valley.

Clarkia franciscana is a rare species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name Presidio clarkia. It is endemic to the San Francisco Bay Area of California, where it is known only from two populations at the Presidio of San Francisco and three occurrences in Oakland. The plant is known only from serpentine soils. Clarkia franciscana is a federally listed endangered species. The two San Francisco populations are on land which is protected from development but is affected by many other factors including invasive plant species, trampling, and landscaping of vegetation. The three Oakland populations are probably the remnants of one population that was fragmented by development in the heavily altered urban habitat. The largest of the three occurrences is partially protected at Redwood Regional Park, but the other two are on privately owned property which is proposed to undergo some development. Construction of housing is proposed on the site, with less than an acre being left undeveloped as a compromise between developers and environmental advocates. The Presidio clarkia, Clarkia franciscana, is an erect annual herb growing up to about 40 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves are narrowly lance-shaped and up to about 3. 5 centimeters long. The top of the stem is occupied by the inflorescence, which bears opening flowers and closed, erect flower buds. The sepals stay fused together as the petals bloom from one side. The small corolla is bowl-shaped, with petals up to 1. 3 centimeters long and wedge-shaped with mostly flat tips. The petals are lavender-pink in color, darkest at the tips and lightening to nearly white at the base, where there is a deep red spot. The plant is self-pollinating. The population sizes are variable from year to year; sometimes there are no plants seen at all, the seed banks remaining dormant until conditions improve.

Clarkia gracilis is a species of wildflower known by the common name slender clarkia. This plant is native to the US states of California, Oregon, and Washington, where it is found in coastal, foothill, valley, and low-elevation mountain habitats. The plant is variable across subspecies but is generally an erect slender stem with a few sparse, narrow leaves several centimeters long. It bears an flower cluster of drooping buds which open into bowl-shaped flowers with pinkish lavender petals 1 to 4 centimeters long and bearing a red or white splotch which can appear in the center or at the base of the petal, depending on the subspecies.