Desert bluebells are annual herbs with bright blue flowers the are low growing.

Coastal gumweed is a native perennial found at various beaches and marshes across the west coast. It is a sticky low growing and sprawling plant.

This plant has beautiful yellow flowers and blooms from February-May. It attracts various pollinators and can be found growing in deserts, rocky mountainsides, and dried riverbeds.

This woody shrub is native to Baja California. It has bright red duster-like flowers and pea-like leaves that attract bees and hummingbirds. It is a drought tolerant plant and loves full sun.

Collinsia are annual flowering plants in the same family as Penstemon (Plantaginaceae). These plants flower from late spring through summer. There are 18 species of Collinsia found in California, most of which are native to the Sierra Nevada or the coast.

This interesting tree is found within Baja California. Its leaves are thin but have a serrate (jagged) margin. The flowers are pink with a yellow center. As the plant blooms, the newer flowers grow in front of the older flowers while the older flowers mature into winged fruits. These fruits will then be dispersed by the wind.

The coastal redwood is one of the most unique plants in California! It is an evergreen tree that can live to be around 2,200 years old or more. These trees can grow to be 379 feet and have a diameter of 26 feet. It best lives in coastal California and Oregon where the winters are cool and the summers are foggy. For their impressive size their cones are quite small.

Firecracker penstemon and scarlet bugler are two red penstemon species that look very similar to one another. Firecracker penstemon grows from the Rocky Mountains to California, but only in the California deserts. Scarlet bugler grows all across the southern California coast and coastal ranges. These two penstemons are excellent attractors for hummingbirds.

This plant from the sunflower family is a shrub native to coastal southern California and northern Baja. It is part of the chaparral and coastal sage scrub communities, living on dry mesas, canyons, and slopes. The showy yellow flowers of this plant can be seen most of the year.

The boojum tree is often considered to be the strangest tree on Earth which is native to Baja California and part of the Sonoran desert. It has a single conical stem with numerous small twigs around the whole tree. While it can live for centuries, it grows very slowly and can take 10 to 20 years to reach one foot in height. The boojum tree usually loses its leaves in drought and develops more when it starts to rain. In late summer, it develops yellow tubular flowers towards the top of the tree which attract insects and birds.

This fern is widespread and found on all continents except Antarctica! It also grows in a variety of habitats from the woods, fields, and marshes.

This lovely perennial is also known as the Apricot Mallow. It grows in the western United States including California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, as well as Baja California. It has fuzzy leaves and beautiful flowers that bees love to visit! You can find this plant in the Cultivar and Flower Garden.

This rose, also called the small-leaved rose, grows in chaparral and succulent scrub communities in northern Tijuana and parts of San Diego. Much of its habitat has been destroyed and it is listed as endangered by the California Native Plant Society.

This vine is native to southern California. It has small white flowers and the fruit are round, green, and spiky!

This shrub has sweet-smelling flowers that bloom in clusters. It is found throughout the coastal mountain ranges of the southern half of California and into Baja California.

The changing colors of the western redbud!

It is native to the West Coast of the United States from Washington to California, and into Baja California, Mexico.

Baja pitcher sage, Lepechinia hastata, is a shrub native to Baja California and Socorro Island, MX and it can be 1-8 ft tall. Though this plant is not in California, it is part of the California Floristic Province. The California Floristic Province is defined by a Mediterranean-type climate characterized by long dry summers and winter rains. Flowers are purple-reddish in color and attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

This glorious plant is native to the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. It does really well in the peak heat of summer and is known for its leafless and sharp branches. It is used medicinally for skin remedies by the Yavapai tribe.

Common wildflower in forests throughout California, and one of our native mustard-relatives!

These cute yellow flowers are widespread through California, growing in meadows and moist, shady places.

A rare endemic species, native to the Channel Islands, Guadalupe Island (off the coast of Baja California), and Portuguese Bend Nature Preserve in Los Angeles County.

This evergreen shrub is closely related to Lemonade Berry. It grows in dry canyons and slopes in the mountains of Southern California, Baja California, and Arizona. The fruit are edible, and the leaves have been used by the Cahuilla people to treat colds.

Best known for their poisonous berries, nightshade or Solanum species are closely related to potatoes and have beautiful purple flowers! In Southern CA they can be found blooming even in the middle of winter.

This spiky plant from Baja California has the distinction of being in a monotypic genus. What does that mean? Within the genus Acanthogilia, this is the only species. In most genera, there are several species that are relatively closely related. It's fairly rare for a species to have no close relatives.

Despite the common name, telegraph weed is a native wildflower in California. "Weed" is an arbitrary term used for plants that are unwanted in an area. In a garden of cultivated plants, telegraph weed may legitimately be considered a weed, but in the wilds of California, it is an important part of the ecosystem. It is, however, an invasive weed in wildlands of Australia where it has been introduced.

There are 18 species of oaks growing in the garden. The fruit of an oak is called an acorn, which you'll likely see squirrels and maybe woodpeckers collecting and storing. In some years an oak will produce a huge number of acorns relative to other years. This is called masting. Years of very high acorn production overwhelm the animals that would eat them, so many of the acorns the animals store in those years are not eaten and have a chance to grow into new trees and shrubs.

Common sunflowers are the tall plants with yellow flowers that greet you in the Wildflower Meadow when you first step into the garden. This species is native to much of North America where it has been cultivated by Indigenous Americans for thousands of years. The sunflowers you grow with giant flowers are this same species but selectively bred for bigger flowers and thus the bigger, tasty sunflower seeds you eat.

The genus name Cercocarpus means tailed-fruit, which you can see in the photo is an appropriate name for this plant. The hairs on the tail help the fruit better catch the wind and blow it to new locations. The tail curls when dry and uncurls when moist. This change between curled and uncurled can actually drill the seed into the soil where it may grow to become a new shrub.

The sticky monkeyflowers are the only shrubby monkeyflowers in California and named for the often sticky leaves. These species have a wide variety of flower colors that are made even wider by cultivated hybrids. The garden has a nice sampling of both native species and cultivars derived from them. The most common color you'll see is orange but you can find flowers that are red or yellow. Try looking for them on the western portion of the loop trail in the CA plant communities garden.

While the dangling red flowers of the fuchsia-flowered gooseberry look somewhat like fuchsia flowers, they aren't even closely related. They are, however, closely related to several other species of the genus Ribes (currants and gooseberries) in the garden that have very different flowers. How many Ribes species can you find in the garden?

California pipevine has possibly the most bizarre flowers of any plant in the garden. These flowers have an odor that attracts carrion feeders like some flies. Because of the odd shape of the flower, these flies may get temporarily stuck and disoriented inside, picking up extra pollen while trying to find their way out. California pipevine is also the host plant for the pipevine swallowtail butterfly.

Presumably named for the long-tubed yellow flowers, golden currant also has fruit that is sometimes golden. Interestingly, the ripe fruit of golden currant can range in color from yellowish orange to red to black, even in the same population. This shrub is common in the communities section of the garden.

Did you know that the California Floristic Province also includes part of Baja California in Mexico? Visit the Baja California section of the garden to see these beautiful pale blue palms and other species from the southernmost reaches of the California Floristic Province.

Beautiful any time of year due to their red bark and elegant form, manzanitas are most spectacular in the winter and early spring when in flower. There are ~35 species and even more cultivars of manzanita at California Botanic Garden. How many can you find?

Who can resist a plant that goes without water for months and then rewards us with bright red hummingbird pollinated flowers in late summer? California fuschia occurs in diverse habitats across most of California. Numerous cultivars have been selected for their growth forms, stature and leaf color. There is even one called ‘Route 66!’ How many different forms can you identify during your visit to California Botanic Garden?

The bright yellow flowers of the tall evening-primrose contrast beautifully against the plant’s aloe- colored leaves and add beautiful pops of color to the garden. This summer blooming plant will open its flowers in the late afternoon into early evening, and the flowers will then wilt in the heat of the following day. That bright yellow color stands out at night too and provides visual cues to attract a special pollinator in the dim light of the evening, the night flying hawkmoth. The hawkmoth will use its very long tongue to probe into the long floral tube for nectar.

Perhaps one of the most endangered trees in all of North America, this beautiful tree is native to Catalina Island. There are only seven known individuals left in the wild! Here at the garden, though, these trees are thriving!

These vines produce large, magnificent flowers. Typically white, their petals can also be pale purple or blue.

In the sunflower family, this plant produces cute yellow flowers throughout the year. It is native to the Sierra Nevada, coastal ranges in California, and Baja California - but it also would be great in your yard!

In greek mythology, Iris was the goddess of the rainbow serving as messenger to the Olympian Gods. The scientific name for the Iris genus is super easy to remember because it’s the same as the common name, Iris!

These sweet, small flowers are not really grasses at all! They are in the Iris family. In the wild, these flowers are usually blue - but sometimes can be white! Other species in the same genus have lovely yellow flowers.

Our state flower can, of course, be found throughout the Garden! While showy, the petals close at night or during cloudy days. In areas with cold winters, the plant acts as an annual but acts as a perennial where the winters are mild. Watch out for flashes of bright orange petals and happy pollinators!

These gorgeous yellow flowers can be spotted throughout the garden. During the summer it produces blue berries that look like grapes - giving it the namesake Oregon Grape!

For any gardener looking to attract hummingbirds, this is the perfect plant! Its dark pink, tubular flowers are known to be hummingbird pollinated. Aromatic, leathery leaves will ward off deer. This sage needs a bit more shade and water than the others but it is well worth the additional attention!

The eye-catching ceanothus are giant shrubs in the genus of the same name, and have wrinkled, oval shaped, sometimes spiky leaves and big, beautiful clusters of fragrant blue, purple, or white tiny flowers. They grow in well-drained soils across Western North America, but particularly here in California. You’ll often see ceanothus in gardens and along streets since it is fast-growing and drought tolerant. Ceanothus plants have been used by Native Americans for many medicinal reasons: to help with poison oak, for gynecological problems, foot injuries, and more!

Among the first to flower in Spring, lupines are beautiful shrubs of the genus Lupinus that have long stems, leaves that radiate out of the stems, and beautiful pea-shaped flowers that encircle the stems and come in a variety of colors. Sometimes referred to as “the wolf bean,” lupines can be found in a variety of habitats across 5 continents! There are more than 100 species of lupine that are native to California alone. Lupines are also great for bees and butterflies!

De la Mina verbena, also known as purple Cedros Island verbena, is a beautiful shrub with green wrinkled leaves and fragrant, rich purple blossoms that grow in clusters on long stems. It only grows naturally on Cedros Island, off the coast of Baja California. However, it can grow in well-drained soils in South-western and Southern U.S. This lovely plant blooms almost year round, grows fast, and is drought tolerant.

Also known as beloperone, the vibrant chuperosa is a shrub with green, succulent-like leaves and lots of long, tubular flowers that come in different shades of red or sometimes yellow. Hardy and beautiful, chuparosa grows in hot, dry, and sandy or rocky places in Southern California, Arizona, and North-western Mexico. This plant also attracts a lot of hummingbirds and other birds. In fact, its name “chuparosa” meant “hummingbird” in Spanish!

Deliciously fragrant, woolly blue curls is a shrub with bright green and narrow leaves and rich blue and purple, curly, and woolly flowers that grow on stalks. Though they tend to grow towards the coast in western parts of California, they grow in dry, sunny areas in California and Baja California. This plant is very attractive to hummingbirds. Bees and butterflies, like the Variable Checkerspot butterfly, love it too! Its leaves are also said to make a very delicious tea.

Toyon is also known as the California holly for its bright red berries. Toyon also has small, white flowers in clusters and spiked, dark green leaves. It grows in dry, sunny areas in Western California, and is an important resource for animals. Butterflies and bees depend on the flowers for nectar, and the berries serve as food for many species of birds, squirrels, coyotes, bears, and even humans! Native Americans traditionally use this berry to make into a drink. Many benefit from the toyon’s beauty and berries. Visit it today!

Vibrant and beautiful, the island snapdragon is a shrub with bright red, tubular flowers that grow in clusters and smooth, lime-green leaves. It prefers coastal areas, but is a drought-tolerant plant that can grow in well-drained and rocky areas. Hummingbirds love its lovely flowers, and island snapdragon is fire resistant. It is also an endangered species and only grows naturally on the islands off the coast of Southern California and Baja California.

Bladderpod is a shrub with many branches, blue-green, circular leaves, and beautiful bright yellow flowers that grow in clusters. It tends to bloom year round and can be found from the coast to the deserts in Southern and Baja California. Named after its puffed up, edible seed pods, this hardy plant attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. It also gives off an interesting fragrance that is a source of debate: some think the smell is pleasant while others think the complete opposite. Visit the bladderpod today and discover what you think of it!

The Channel Island tree poppy is a rare, tall shrub with beautiful, bright, and fragrant yellow flowers and smooth, silvery leaves. They grow fast in dry areas and they only grow naturally on the Channel Islands. Did you know that this drought-tolerant plants’ seeds germinate better after a fire?

Common and beautiful, the black sage is a shrub with dark green leaves and mildly fragrant purple, blue, or white flowers that are in raised clusters. It quickly grows in sunny and dry areas, especially near the coast, from Central California to Baja California. It also provides food for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, quail, and for us too! Black sage is famous for its honey. Sages are also famous for their medical properties; black sage has antimicrobial oils, is used to help with respiratory problems, is anti-inflammatory, and is used by Native Americans to treat arthritis.

The California brittlebush is hardy and tall with bright yellow flowers that form in clusters on thin stems. They can grow in a variety of places, including rocky or marshy areas, throughout California and Baja California. This perky plant grows fast, loves the sun, and is perfect for bees and butterflies like the Painted Lady.

Desert marigold and their tall, radiant yellow flowers are perfect pops of color in gardens. They thrive in dry, sunny, and rocky areas in the southwestern parts of the U.S. and in northern Mexico. Desert marigolds are not true marigolds (Tagetes spp.) but both are members of the aster family (Asteraceae).

Also known as “the fried-egg plant”, the Matilija poppy is a beautiful, fragrant flower that only naturally occurs in California (both the U.S. state and the Mexican state, Baja California). It can be found in canyons and dried riverbeds, also known as washes. Their seeds can only germinate after a fire or heat-flash but once they’re planted they can keep growing, even after you try and remove them! This water wise plant is easily identifiable and has the largest flowers of any native California plant species.

This drought-tolerant and lovely shrub has small, fuzzy leaves and white, small flowers that grow in dense clusters on the bush. It can be found growing all over sandy areas, such as canyons and dried riverbeds, throughout Central and Southern California. California buckwheat’s beautiful flowers change color from white to pink to burnt orange as the plant dries and the season progresses, and has been used by Native American communities as a medicine to alleviate head and stomach aches, promote heart health, and aid in digestion.