Sagebrush Bluebells (Mertensia oblongifolia var. oblongifolia) is a rare native perennial herb that grows in Central and Northern California, primarily in the Warner Mountains and Modoc Plateau regions. It tends to grow in open slopes and spring-moist meadows, at elevations from 3300-9800 feet.

Micranthes aprica is a species of saxifrage known by the common name Sierra saxifrage. It is native to the high mountains of California, including the Sierra Nevada and the southern Cascade Range, and adjacent slopes in southern Oregon and western Nevada. It grows in mountain habitat in areas of alpine climate, such as meadows and next to streams of snowmelt. It is a perennial herb which spends most of the year in a dormant state in order to save water, and rarely flowers. It produces a small gray-green basal rosette of toothed oval leaves up to about 4 centimeters long. When it does bloom, it sends up an erect inflorescence on a peduncle several centimeters tall topped with a cluster of flowers. Each flower has five sepals, five small white petals, and a clump of whiskery stamens at the center.

Micranthes bryophora is a species of saxifrage known by the common name bud saxifrage. It is native to the western United States, where its two varieties are geographically separated. The more common var. bryophora is endemic to the mountains of California, and the rare var. tobiasiae is known only from the Payette National Forest of western Idaho. This plant is a perennial herb producing a basal rosette of fleshy, hairy, lance-shaped leaves up to 4 centimeters long. The inflorescence arises on a peduncle up to 25 centimeters tall with widely spaced flowers, each at the tip of a pedicel. The inflorescence also contains reproductive bulblets. Each flower has five spade-shaped petals which are white with two golden spots near the base. At the center are ten stamens tipped with red anthers.

Micranthes californica (syn: Saxifraga californica), known by the common name California saxifrage, is a species of saxifrage. It is native to much of California west and north of the desert regions, as well as adjacent sections of southern Oregon and northern Baja California. It grows in many types of moist habitat from the coast to the mountains. Micranthes californica is a perennial herb producing a small gray-green basal rosette of thick toothed oval leaves up to 10 centimeters long. The inflorescence arises on a peduncle up to 35 centimeters tall bearing clusters of flowers, sometimes all on one side. Each flower has five green to reddish sepals, five small white petals, and ten stamens at the center.

Micranthes ferruginea is a species of saxifrage known by the common names russethair saxifrage and rusty saxifrage. It is native to western North America from Alaska and northwestern Canada to northern California to Wyoming, where it can be found in moist, rocky habitat in mountainous areas. It is a perennial herb growing from a caudex and rhizome system and producing a basal rosette of leaves. Each leaf is up to 6 centimeters long, thick and fleshy with large teeth along the edges. The inflorescence arises on a slender, hairy peduncle up to 40 centimeters tall. Thin branches bear flowers and reproductive bulbils. Each flower has spade-shaped white petals, the upper ones dotted with gold.

Micranthes howellii (formerly Saxifraga howellii) is a species of saxifrage known by the common name Howell's saxifrage. It is endemic to the Klamath Mountains of southern Oregon and northern California, where it grows in moist, rocky habitat. It is a perennial herb growing from a caudex, usually with a rhizome system. It produces a basal rosette of leaves with rounded or oval blades edged with dull or sharp teeth or scalloping. Each leaf is up to 6 centimeters long, thick and fleshy, and borne on a short petiole. The inflorescence arises on an erect peduncle up to 20 centimeters tall. An array of branches bear several flowers with small white petals.

Micranthes integrifolia is a species of saxifrage known by the common name wholeleaf saxifrage. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Montana and northern California, where it grows in moist habitat, including meadows, prairies, and grassy mountain slopes. It is a perennial herb growing from a caudex and system of rhizomes, and producing a basal rosette of leaves. Each leaf is up to 7 centimeters long with a toothed or smooth-edged blade borne on a short petiole. The inflorescence arises on a stout, hairy peduncle up to 35 centimeters tall. White-petaled lowers occur in a cluster or dense array at the top.

Micranthes nidifica is a species of saxifrage known by the common name peak saxifrage. It is native to the northwestern United States, where it grows in moist habitat, often in mountainous areas. It is a perennial herb growing from a caudex and system of rhizomes and producing a basal rosette of leaves. Each leaf is up to 10 centimeters long with a smooth-edged or minutely toothed blade on a thin petiole. The inflorescence arises on a peduncle up to half a meter tall and bears clusters of flowers with white petals.

Micranthes odontoloma is a species of flowering plant known by the common name brook saxifrage. It is native to much of western North America, where it can be found in many types of moist and rocky habitat types. It is a perennial herb growing from a caudex and rhizome system. It produces a clump of leaves with rounded, toothed, or scalloped blades on long, thin petioles. The branching inflorescence arises on a slender, erect peduncle up to half a meter tall bearing many flowers. Each flower has five teardrop-shaped white petals with threadlike bases, and stamens with flat, narrow filaments that sometimes resemble additional petals.

Micranthes oregana is a species of flowering plant known by the common name Oregon saxifrage. It is native to western North America, including the mountainous regions of the western United States. It can be found in moist habitat, such as marshes and other wetlands. It is a perennial herb growing from a thick, fleshy or woody caudex. It produces a basal rosette of linear to lance-shaped leaves each up to 25 centimeters long. The inflorescence arises on a stout peduncle which may exceed a meter in height. It is topped with one or more dense clusters of white-petaled flowers.

Micranthes tolmiei is a species of flowering plant known by the common name Tolmie's saxifrage, or Tolmie's alpine saxifrage. It is native to western North America from Alaska to Montana to California, where it grows in rocky mountain habitat types, especially in alpine climates, such as talus and fellfields. It is a small perennial herb growing in mats of creeping stems lined with thick, fleshy leaves each up to 1. 5 centimeters long. The inflorescence arises on a stout, erect peduncle with a few stubby bracts midway up. The flowers have narrow white petals and petal-like white stamens.

Micromonolepis pusilla, (Syn. Monolepis pusilla) is the only species of genus Micromonolepis in the flowering plant amaranth family, known by the common names small povertyweed and red povertyweed. It is native to the western United States, including the Great Basin and surrounding areas, where it grows in sandy scrub, dry valleys, playas, and other open habitat. It is a somewhat fleshy annual herb producing a branching, slender stem that has a mealy whitish texture when young and turns dull to bright red with age, losing its grainy coat. It grows up to 14 to 20 centimeters tall. The thick oblong leaves are up to a centimeter long. Clusters of 1 to 3 minute flowers appear in the leaf axils, each flower made up of 3 tiny sepals.

Micropus amphibolus is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Mount Diablo cottonseed. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the San Francisco Bay Area and nearby mountains, growing in open, rocky habitat. It is an annual herb similar in appearance to its relative, the "Q-tips". It produces one or more small, erect stems coated thinly in wispy, webby fibers. The inflorescence is a spherical flower head a few millimeters wide which resembles a tiny cotton boll since the flowers and maturing fruits are very woolly.

Microseris acuminata is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Sierra foothill silverpuffs. It is native to the Central Valley of California and the mountain ranges, including the Sierra Nevada, surrounding it. There is a disjunct occurrence in Jackson County, Oregon. The plant grows in grassy habitat, woodlands, and sometimes the edges of vernal pools. It is an annual herb growing 5 to 35 centimeters tall from a basal rosette of erect leaves; there is no true stem. Each leaf is up to 20 centimeters long and has edges lined in comblike narrow lobes. The inflorescence is borne on an erect, curving, or drooping peduncle. The flower head contains up to 50 flat ray florets. The distinctive fruit is an achene with a brown, hairless body about half a centimeter long. At the tip of the body is a large pappus made up of five long, jointed scales each up to a centimeter in length and lined with bristles and hairs. It is an annual herb growing 5 to 35 centimeters tall from a basal rosette of erect leaves; there is no true stem. Each leaf is up to 20 centimeters long and has edges lined in comblike narrow lobes. The inflorescence is borne on an erect, curving, or drooping peduncle. The flower head contains up to 50 flat ray florets. The distinctive fruit is an achene with a brown, hairless body about half a centimeter long. At the tip of the body is a large pappus made up of five long, jointed scales each up to a centimeter in length and lined with bristles and hairs.

Microseris bigelovii is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name coastal silverpuffs. It is native to the west coast of North America, where its range extends from the southern tip of Vancouver Island to the northern coast of California. Its distribution is scattered, and the northernmost populations are genetically distinct from the southernmost. In British Columbia there are five or six occurrences known to remain, in Washington the single known occurrence has probably been extirpated, and the Oregon populations are imperiled. The plant grows in rocky coastline habitats. It is an annual herb growing up to 60 centimeters tall from a basal rosette of erect leaves; there is no true stem. Each leaf is up to 25 centimeters long and has edges divided into many lobes. The inflorescence is borne on an erect or curving peduncle. The flower head contains up to 100 yellow or orange ray florets. The fruit is an achene with a brown, hairy to hairless body a few millimeters long. At the tip of the body is a large pappus made up of five long, bristly scales.

Microseris campestris is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name San Joaquin silverpuffs. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the San Joaquin Valley and adjacent Sierra Nevada foothills, and the central California Coast Ranges. It is a resident of grassland and open slope habitats, sometimes near vernal pools. Microseris campestris is an annual herb growing up to half a meter-1. 5 feet tall from a basal rosette of erect leaves; there is no true stem. Each leaf is up to 20 centimeters long and has edges divided into many lobes. Microseris campestris is an annual herb growing up to half a meter-1. 5 feet tall from a basal rosette of erect leaves; there is no true stem. Each leaf is up to 20 centimeters long and has edges divided into many lobes. The inflorescence is borne on a peduncle arising from ground level. The flower head contains up to 100 white or yellow ray florets. The fruit is an achene with a gray or brown, sometimes speckled body a few millimeters long. At the tip of the body is a large pappus made up of five long, bristly scales.

Microseris douglasii is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Douglas' silverpuffs. It is native to western North America from Oregon and California to Baja California. It grows in several types of habitat, including grassland and vernal pools, and on soils containing clay and serpentine. Microseris douglasii is plant is variable in appearance. In general it is an annual herb growing 5 centimeters to over half a meter tall from a basal rosette of leaves; there is usually no true stem. Each leaf is up to 25 centimeters long and has edges which are smooth, toothed, or divided into many lobes. Microseris douglasii is plant is variable in appearance. In general it is an annual herb growing 5 centimeters to over half a meter tall from a basal rosette of leaves; there is usually no true stem. Each leaf is up to 25 centimeters long and has edges which are smooth, toothed, or divided into many lobes. The inflorescence is borne on an erect or curving peduncle arising from ground level. The flower head contains up to 200 white or yellow ray florets. The fruit is an achene with a brown to nearly black, sometimes speckled body up to a centimeter long. At the tip of the body is a large pappus made up of about five long, bristly, barbed scales.

Microseris elegans is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name elegant silverpuffs. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in the valleys, foothills, and coastal mountain ranges. Its habitat includes grassland, sometimes near vernal pools, and especially clay soils. It is an annual herb growing up to 35 centimeters tall from a basal rosette of erect leaves; there is no true stem. Each leaf is up to 20 centimeters long and has edges which are smooth, toothed, or divided into many lobes. The inflorescence is borne on an erect or curving peduncle arising from ground level. The flower head contains up to 100 orange or yellow ray florets. It is an annual herb growing up to 35 centimeters tall from a basal rosette of erect leaves; there is no true stem. Each leaf is up to 20 centimeters long and has edges which are smooth, toothed, or divided into many lobes. The inflorescence is borne on an erect or curving peduncle arising from ground level. The flower head contains up to 100 orange or yellow ray florets. The fruit is an achene with a brown to nearly black body a few millimeters long. At the tip of the body is a large pappus made up of five long, flat, barbed scales.

Microseris laciniata is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name cutleaf silverpuffs. It is native to the western United States from Washington to northern California and Nevada, where it grows in forest and grassland habitat. It is a perennial herb growing up to a meter tall with a branching stem. The plentiful leaves are 10 to 50 centimeters long and variable in shape, with smooth, toothed, or lobed edges. The flower cluster is borne on a tall, erect or curving peduncle. The flower head may be 3 centimeters long when in bud and wide when in bloom, bearing up to 100 or more long yellow ray florets. The fruit is an achene with a gray or brown body a few millimeters long. At the tip of the body is a large pappus made up of 5 to over 20 long, hairy scales, each of which may exceed one centimeter in length.

Microseris nutans is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name nodding microseris. It is native to western North America, including southwestern Canada and much of the western United States, where it grows in many types of habitat. The plant is variable in appearance. In general, it is a perennial herb growing up to 70 centimeters tall with a branching stem. The plentiful leaves are up to 30 centimeters in length and generally toothed or lobed along the edges. The somewhat hairy flower cluster is borne on an erect or upright peduncle. The often nodding flower head contains up to 50 yellow ray florets. The fruit is an achene with a brownish or reddish body a few millimeters long. At the tip of the body is a large pappus made up of 15 to 30 silvery, hairy scales.

Microseris sylvatica is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names sylvan scorzonella and woodland silverpuffs. It is endemic to California, where it has a scattered distribution throughout the central California Coast Ranges and inland mountain ranges, including the Sierra Nevada of the state. Its habitat includes grassland and openings in wooded areas. This is a perennial herb growing up to 75 centimeters tall. The leaves are up to 35 centimeters in length and wavy, toothed, or lobed along the edges. The inflorescence is borne on an erect peduncle, the flower head containing up to 70 yellow ray florets. This is a perennial herb growing up to 75 centimeters tall. The leaves are up to 35 centimeters in length and wavy, toothed, or lobed along the edges. The inflorescence is borne on an erect peduncle, the flower head containing up to 70 yellow ray florets. The fruit is an achene with a pale body up to a centimeter long. At the tip of the body is a large pappus made up of several long, barbed, bristly scales each up to a centimeter in length themselves.

Microsteris is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the phlox family containing the single species Microsteris gracilis, known by the common name slender phlox. The segregation of this species into a genus of its own is controversial, and many botanists continue to include the plant in genus Phlox. Genetic analysis is continuing. Microsteris gracilis is native to western North America from northwestern Canada to the American Midwest and West Coast, through Mexico, as well as parts of South America. It is native to all the diverse plant communities in California. Microsteris gracilis is an annual herb which is variable in shape, taking a decumbent, branching, sometimes almost tuftlike form or growing erect and very slender. Its maximum height approaches 20 centimeters, but it may be much smaller. The lance-shaped leaves are 1 to 3 centimeters long and oppositely arranged except for the upper ones, which are alternate. The herbage is glandular and hairy in texture. The inflorescence at the top of the stem bears one or more small flowers. The flower has a tubular throat around a centimeter long encased in a tubular calyx of sepals. The flat corolla has five flat-tipped or notched lobes just 1 or 2 millimeters long. The flower is white to bright pink with a yellowish throat.

Mimetanthe pilosa is a species of monkeyflower known by the common names false monkeyflower and downy mimetanthe. It is native to the western United States and Baja California, where it grows in moist and disturbed habitat types. This plant is different enough from other monkeyflowers that it is often treated in its own monotypic genus, Mimetanthe; however, genetic analysis of the monkeyflowers suggests that this species be retained in Mimulus. This is an annual herb growing to a maximum height of about 35 centimeters. It is coated densely in long hairs. The oppositely arranged, narrow or wide lance-shaped leaves 1 to 3 centimeters long. The tubular base of the flower is encapsulated in a calyx of sepals. The yellow flower corolla is under a centimeter long, divided into five rounded lobes at the mouth, and often dotted with red in the throat.

Roundleaf Monkeyflower (Mimulus glabratus) is a native perennial herb that grows in central and northern California.

Mimulus ringens is a species of monkeyflower known by the common names Allegheny monkeyflower and square-stemmed monkeyflower. It is native to eastern and central North America, and there are occurrences in the western United States, some of which may represent introductions. It grows in a wide variety of wet habitat types. This is rhizomatous perennial growing 20 centimeters to well over a meter tall, its 4-angled stem usually erect. The oppositely arranged leaves are lance-shaped to oblong, up to 8 centimeters long, and sometimes joined or nearly so clasping the stem. The herbage is hairless. The flower 2 to 3 centimeters long, its tubular base encapsulated in a ribbed calyx of sepals with pointed lobes. The flower is lavender in color and divided into an upper lip and a larger, swollen lower lip. One variety of this plant, var. colophilus, is rare, ecologically restricted, and vulnerable. It is known from Quebec, it has been reported in Vermont, and there are a few occurrences in Maine, where it grows only in freshwater sections of tidal estuaries. This plant variety faces several threats, but its current status is not known due to a lack of data.

White Four O'Clock (Mirabilis albida) is a native perennial herb that grows in southern and central California. It tends to grow at elevations from 4900-8200 feet.

Mirabilis alipes is a species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family known by the common name winged four o'clock. It is native to the southwestern United States from eastern California to western Colorado, where it grows in brush, woodland, and dry mountain slope habitat. It is a perennial herb growing in a clump near 40 centimeters tall and up to 80 centimeters wide. The leaves are oppositely arranged on the spreading stem branches. Each fleshy leaf has an oval or rounded blade up to 7 or 9 centimeters long and is hairless or sparsely hairy. The flowers occur in leaf axils on the upper branches. Five to nine flowers bloom from a cup-shaped involucre of several partly fused bracts. Each five-lobed flower is about 1. 5 centimeters wide and magenta in color; cream-colored flowers are also known.

Mirabilis coccinea, the scarlet four o'clock, is a spring wildflower native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. The plant grows to two feet with deep red flowers which open at night. The plant can be found on washes, plains, and rocky slopes.

Desert wishbone bush (Mirabilis laevis) is a low-growing, drought-tolerant shrub in the Four O'Clock family (Nyctaginaceae). This species, recently redefined, now includes several varieties previously classified as separate species, such as the well-known California chaparral plant Mirabilis californica. There are currently five recognized varieties, all found in the southern half of California.

This trailing shrub reaches about one foot in height and spreads up to eight feet wide, making it an excellent choice for ground cover in native gardens. Its bright pink to magenta flowers bloom in spring, opening in the morning and afternoon before closing during the heat of the day. After flowering, the plant enters summer dormancy, losing its leaves until cooler weather returns.

Desert wishbone bush thrives in full to part sun and well-draining soils. It is highly drought-tolerant and grows quickly once established. The plant also supports biodiversity, hosting up to seven species of butterflies and moths, making it a valuable addition to wildlife-friendly landscapes.

California Four O'Clock (Mirabilis laevis var. crassifolia) is a common native perennial herb that grows in Southern and Central California, primarily in the Central Coast, the South Coast Range and South Coast regions. It tends to grow in grassy places, at elevations from 0-3300 feet. The plant form is dense and mounding, producing a large number of small brightly colored flowers ranging from pink to purple. The plant sometimes goes deciduous in the summer, leaving only winding white twigs until the next rainy season. It may retain some foliage in shady locations and with occasional summer water. It is sometimes difficult to establish, but once established it require little or no attention. It spreads by runners and readily reseeds in native plant gardens.

Mirabilis laevis var. villosa is one of five recognized varieties of Mirabilis laevis. It is the desert form which tends to grow in rocky places, at elevations from 0-7500 feet, from Mono County southward. It has white flowers rather than the purple flowers of the coastal and mountain Varieties:

Mirabilis multiflora is a species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family known by the common name Colorado four o'clock. It is native to the southwestern United States from California to Colorado and Texas, as well as far northern Mexico, where it grows in mostly dry habitat types in a number of regions. It is a perennial herb growing upright to about 80 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves are oppositely arranged on the spreading stem branches. Each fleshy leaf has an oval or rounded blade up to 12 centimeters long and is hairless or sparsely hairy. The flowers occur in leaf axils on the upper branches. Usually six flowers bloom in a bell-shaped involucre of five partly fused leafs. Each five-lobed, funnel-shaped flower is 4 to 6 centimeters wide and magenta in color.

Desert Four O'Clock (Mirabilis multiflora var. pubescens) is a native perennial herb that grows in southern and central California. It tends to grow in dry and rocky or sandy places, at elevations from 200-6900 feet.

Mirabilis tenuiloba common names longlobe four o'clock or maravilla, is a plant species native to the southwestern United States and northeastern Mexico. It is reported from Baja California, Baja California Sur, southern California (Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Imperial Counties) and Arizona (Pima and Yuma Counties). Mirabilis tenuiloba is a perennial herb up to 100 cm tall, usually with many glandular hairs. Leaves are broadly egg-shaped, up to 8 cm long and 12 cm across. Flowers are trumpet-shaped or bell-shaped, white or pale pink, up to 18 mm long. Fruits are egg-shaped, dark red-brown, up to 6 mm long.

Moehringia macrophylla is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name largeleaf sandwort. It is native to parts of eastern and western North America, where it can be found in moist, shady habitat types, such as mountain forests. It is a rhizomatous perennial herb growing erect to about 18 centimeters in maximum height. The lance-shaped leaves are up to 5 centimeters long and oppositely arranged about the stem. The inflorescence is a cyme of 2 to 5 flowers, each with 5 pointed green sepals and 5 rounded white petals. The fruit is a toothed black capsule. Media related to Moehringia macrophylla at Wikimedia Commons

Pony Beebalm (Monarda pectinata) is a rare native annual herb that grows in Southern California, primarily in the Desert Mountains and Mojave Desert regions. It tends to grow in washes and rocky slopes, at elevations from 3800-4900 feet.

Grows best in sandy, coarse-grained or other fast draining soil. Prefers sun or part shade in coastal sites, and part shade in inland sites. Selected for the garden.

Monardella australis is a perennial herb growing in a small tuft and producing long, sometimes erect flowering stems. The pale green or grayish leaves are oval or lance-shaped and often toothed.

The plant is endemic to southern California, in the Greater Los Angeles Area. It is known only from populations in the San Gabriel Mountains and San Bernardino Mountains of the eastern Transverse Ranges, and the adjacent San Jacinto Mountains of the Peninsular Ranges. Its habitats include the red fir forest and yellow pine forest on the higher slopes of the ranges.

A great butterfly plant for a rock garden or other small space. Inland, protect from afternoon sun. Both leaves and flowers are fragrant. Distasteful to deer.