Coarsegold, California
Revised 6-11-15

White Flowers       Yellow Flowers       Orange Flowers        Red Flowers        Wildflower Index        Blue Flowers        Purple Flowers        Blue Flowers       Green/Brown Flowers
California Bay CU     NOTES

California Bay

California Bay, Leaves

California Bay, Leaves
AKA California Laurel,
Oregon Myrtle, Pepperwood
Umbellularia californica
Laurel family

Buffalo-Bur, Flower       NOTES

Buffalo-Bur
(Closeup)

Buffalo-Bur

Buffalo-Bur
Solanum rostratum
Nightshade family

Shrubby Butterweed CU       NOTES

Shrubby Butterweed
(Closeup)

Shrubby Butterweed, Leaves

Shrubby Butterweed, Leaves
AKA Bush Senecio,
Douglas' Senecio
Threadleaf Ragwort

Senecio flaccidus var. douglasii
Sunflower family

California Bur Clover     NOTES

California Bur Clover
AKA Bur Medic, Burclover
Medicago polymorpha
Pea family

 

  

Clover,LowHop5-11-07CU.jpg (10491 bytes)     NOTES

Low Hop Clover
(Closeup)

CloverLowHop5-11-07.jpg (14175 bytes)

Low Hop Clover
Trifolium procumbens
Pea family

CloverSweet5-11-07CU.jpg (14135 bytes)     NOTES  

Yellow Sweet Clover
(Closeup)

Yellow Sweet Clover

Yellow Sweet Clover
Melilotus officinalis
Pea family

False Dandelion CU     NOTES

False Dandelion
(Closeup)

DandelionFalse,Lvs4-21-08.jpg (30464 bytes)

False Dandelion, Leaves
AKA Rough Cat's Ear
Hypochaeris radicata
Sunflower family

Durango Root CU     NOTES

Durango Root
(Closeup)

Durango Root, Leaves

Durango Root, Leaves
Datisca glomerata
Datisca family

Hooker's Evening Primrose CU.jpg       NOTES

Hooker's Evening Primrose
(Closeup)

Hooker's Evening Primrose.jpg

Hooker's Evening Primrose
Oenothera elata ssp. Hookeri
Evening Primrose family

Fiddleneck CU     NOTES

Menzies' Fiddleneck
(Closeup)

Fiddleneck

Menzies' Fiddleneck
AKA Common Fiddleneck
Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia
Forget-Me-Not family

Flannel Bush CU     NOTES

Flannel Bush
(Closeup)

Flannel Bush

Flannel Bush
Fremontodendron californicum
Cacao family

Frying Pans CU     NOTES

Frying Pans
(Closeup)

Frying Pans

Frying Pans
AKA Frying Pans Poppy,
Lobb's Goldenpoppy
Eschscholzia lobbii
Poppy family

Gambleweed CU     NOTES

Gambleweed
(Closeup)

Gambleweed, Leaves
AKA Pacific Snakeroot,
Pacific Sanicle

Sanicula crassicaulis
Carrot family

Gambleweed,4-3-07.jpg (19324 bytes)

Gambleweed,
Another View

 
Goldfields CU     NOTES

Goldfields
(Closeup)

Goldfields,Lvs3-27-07.jpg (22404 bytes)

Goldfields, Leaves
Lasthenia californica
Sunflower family

GoldfieldsCU3-27-07.jpg (15853 bytes)

Goldfields,
Aging Flower

Goldfields

Goldfields
en masse

Chaparral Honeysuckle CU      NOTES

Chaparral Honeysuckle
(Closeup)

HoneysuckleChaparral,Lvs5-23-08.jpg (20113 bytes)

Chaparral Honeysuckle
Lonicera interrupta
Honeysuckle family

Slender Keel Fruit CU (11411 bytes)      NOTES

Slender Keel Fruit
(Closeup)

Slender Keel Fruit, Leaves
AKA Dobie Pod
Tropidocarpum gracile
Mustard family

LettucePrickly,Flower.jpg (15849 bytes)      NOTES

Prickly Lettuce
(Closeup)

LettucePrickly,Lvs.jpg (20596 bytes)

Prickly Lettuce
AKA Poison Wild Lettuce,
Bitter Lettuce, Opium Lettuce
Lactuca serriola
Sunflower family

    NOTES

Common Lomatium
AKA Foothill Lomatium,
Bladder Parsnip,
Hog Fennel

Lomatium utriculatum
Carrot family

 
Hill Lotus CU      NOTES

Hill Lotus
(Closeup)

Hill Lotus  

Hill Lotus
AKA Foothill Deervetch
Bird's-Foot Lotus
Lotus humistratus
Pea family

     NOTES

Butter Lupine
(Closeup)
 

Butter Lupine, Leaves
Lupinus luteolus
Pea family

    NOTES

Harlequin Lupine
(Closeup)
 

Harlequin Lupine, Leaves
Lupinus stiversii
Pea family

Common Madia CU      NOTES

Common Madia
(Closeup)

 

Madia, Leaves

Common Madia, Leaves
AKA Tarweed
Madia elegans
Sunflower family

Dark-Centered Madia CU

Common Madia, ssp. densifolia
(Closeup)

 

Common Madia

Common Madia
 

Indian Mallow CU     NOTES

Indian Mallow
(Closeup)

Indian Mallow

Indian Mallow
AKA Velvetleaf, Pie Marker
Abutilon theophrasti
Mallow family

Bur Marigold CU     NOTES

Bur Marigold
(Closeup)

Bur Marigold

Bur Marigold
AKA Sticktight, Devil's Beggartick
Bidens frondosa
Sunflower family

Narrow-Leaved Meconella CU      NOTES

Narrow-Leaved Meconella
(Closeup)

Narrow-Leaved Meconella  

Narrow-Leaved Meconella
Meconella linearis
Poppy family

Woolly Milkweed CU     NOTES

Woolly Milkweed
(Closeup)

Woolly Milkweed

Woolly Milkweed
Asclepias vestita
Milkweed family

Common Monkeyflower CU     NOTES

Common Monkeyflower
(Closeup)

Common Monkeyflower

Common Monkeyflower
AKA Seep-Spring Monkeyflower
Mimulus guttatus
Figwort family

Common Monkeyflower CU, variant

Common Monkeyflower,
Pattern variation
(Closeup)

Common Monkeyflower, variant

Common Monkeyflower
Pattern variation

Mugwort,8-8-05CU.jpg (15717 bytes)     NOTES

Mugwort
(Closeup)

Mugwort,8-4-05,Lvs.jpg (19804 bytes)

Mugwort, Leaves
AKA Douglas' Sagewort,
California Mugwort
Artemisia douglasiana
Sunflower family

Hall's Mule Ears CU     NOTES

Hall's Mule Ears
(Closeup)

Hall's Mule Ears, Leaves

Hall's Mule Ears, Leaves
AKA Hall's Wyethia
Wyethia elata
Sunflower family

Common Mullein CU     NOTES

Common Mullein*
(Closeup)

Common Mullein

Common Mullein*
AKA Woolly Mullein,
Flannel Mullein

Verbascum thapsus
Figwort family

MulleinMothCU5-23-08.jpg (24670 bytes)     NOTES

Moth Mullein
(Closeup)

MulleinMoth,lvs5-23-08.jpg (27215 bytes)

Moth Mullein
Verbascum blattaria
Figwort family

Charlock Mustard, Flower     NOTES

Charlock Mustard
(Closeup)

Charlock Mustard, Leaves

Charlock Mustard, Leaves
AKA Wild Mustard
Sinapis arvensis
Mustard family

Field Mustard CU     NOTES

Field Mustard
(Closeup)

Field Mustard, Leaves

Field Mustard, Leaves
Brassica rapa
Mustard family

Oxalis CU     NOTES

Oxalis
(Closeup)

Oxalis, Leaves

Oxalis, Leaves
AKA Creeping Wood Sorrel,
Wood Shamrock, Sourgrass
Oxalis corniculata
Wood Sorrel family

Yellow Pincushion CU     NOTES

Yellow Pincushion*
(Closeup)

Yellow Pincushion

Yellow Pincushion*
AKA Pebble Pincushion,
Golden Girls

Chaenactis glabriuscula
Sunflower family

PineappleWeed5-11-07CU.jpg (18342 bytes)     NOTES

Pineapple Weed
(Closeup)

Pineapple Weed

Pineapple Weed
Chamomilla suaveolens
Sunflower family

    NOTES

Tufted Poppy
(Closeup)
 

Tufted Poppy
AKA Foothill Poppy
Eschscholzia caespitosa
Poppy family

PrettyFace5-11-07CU.jpg (12487 bytes)     NOTES

Pretty Face
(Closeup)

Pretty Face

Pretty Face
Triteleia ixioides
Lily family

Puncture Vine     NOTES

Puncture Vine
AKA Goat's Head, Tackweed,
Caltrop, Ground Bur-Nut

Tribulus terrestris
Caltrop family

  Common Purslane CU      NOTES

Common Purslane
(Closeup)

Common Purslane

Common Purslane
Portulaca oleracea
Purslane family

Wild Radish CU     NOTES

Wild Radish
(Closeup)

Wild Radish, Leaves  

Wild Radish, Leaves
Raphinus sativas
Mustard family

Dwarf Cliff Sedum    NOTES

Dwarf Cliff Sedum
AKA Sierra Stonecrop
Parvisedum pumilum
Stonecrop family

Common Senecio     NOTES

Common Senecio
AKA Old Man of Spring, Common Groundsel,
Common Butterweed
Senecio vulgaris
Sunflower family

Shieldleaf5-11-07CU.jpg (10791 bytes)     NOTES

Shieldleaf
(Closeup)

Shieldleaf
AKA Jewelflower
Streptanthus tortuosus
Mustard family

Silver Puffs CU     NOTES

Silver Puffs
(Closeup)

Silver Puffs, Leaves

Silver Puffs, Leaves
AKA Lindley's Silverpuffs
Microseris lindleyi
AKA Uropappus lindleyi
Sunflower family

Bermuda Sorrel CU       NOTES

Bermuda Sorrel
(Closeup)

Bermuda Sorrel, Leaves

Bermuda Sorrel, Leaves
AKA Bermuda Buttercup
Oxalis pes-caprae
Violet family

Spiny Sowthistle     NOTES

Spiny Sowthistle
(Closeup)

Spiny Sowthistle, Leaves
Sonchus asper ssp. asper
Sunflower family

Sierra Suncup CU       NOTES

Sierra Suncup
(Closeup)

Sierra Suncup, Leaves
Camissonia sierrae ssp. sierrae
Evening Primrose family

Sunflower CU     NOTES

Sunflower
(Closeup)

Sunflower

Sunflower, Leaves
Helianthus annuus
Sunflower family

Sun Spurge CU     NOTES

Sun Spurge
(Closeup)

Sun Spurge

Sun Spurge
AKA Wartweed
Euphorbia helioscopia
Spurge family

Heermann's Tarweed     NOTES

Heermann's Tarweed
(Closeup)

Heermann's Tarweed

Heermann's Tarweed
Holocarpha heermanni
Sunflower family

Telegraph Weed CU      NOTES

Telegraph Weed
(Closeup)

Telegraph Weed, Leaves
AKA Golden Aster
Heterotheca grandiflora
Sunflower family

Tocolote CU      NOTES

Tocolote
(Closeup)

Tocolote

Tocolote
AKA Maltese Star Thistle
Centaurea melitensis
Sunflower family

Bird's-Foot Trefoil CU       NOTES

Bird's-Foot Trefoil
(Closeup)

Bird's-Foot Trefoil

Bird's-Foot Trefoil
AKA Birdfoot Deervetch,
Birdsfoot Lotus
Lotus corniculatus
Pea family

VioletMtn4-3-07CU.jpg (12268 bytes)     NOTES

Mountain Violet
(Closeup)

VioletMountainLvs3-27-07.jpg (40151 bytes)

Mountain Violet, Leaves
Viola purpurea
Violet family

Golden Yarrow CU     NOTES

Golden Yarrow
(Closeup)

YarrowGolden,lvs5-4-08.jpg (24512 bytes)

Golden Yarrow, Leaves
AKA Yellow Yarrow
Eriophyllum confertiflorum
Sunflower family

   

NOTES:

Bermuda Sorrel

Bloom:  November–March
Description:  Perennial herb, 4–12".  Yellow funnel-shaped flowers on a tall, leafless stem.  Basal leaves cloverlike.
Special:   Not native; invasive.   BACK

Bird's-Foot Trefoil

Bloom:  May–September
Description:  Perennial herb.  Yellow flowers (banner petal may be reddish).  Prostrate stems, 3 oblong leaflets per leaf.  Large pair of leaflike stipules at the base of each long leaf petiole.
Special:  Not native; invasive.   BACK

Buffalo-Bur

Bloom:  April–November
Description:  Low-growing hairy annual to 2'.  1–1½" attractive yellow flowers are five-lobed, wheel-shaped, in clusters on spiny flower stalks.  Leaves alternate, irregularly cut into 5–7 lobes.  Every part of the plant, except the flower petals, has spines.  Forms a spiny bur that encloses the seed.
Special:  Native to Midwest.  Considered a noxious weed on farms and rangelands.   BACK

Bur Marigold

Bloom:  July–November
Description:  Annual herb, 2–7'.    Nodding yellow flower heads ¾–2" wide.  Yellow ray flowers are broad; central disk is slightly darker and buttonlike.  The flower head has a few long, leaflike bracts.  Toothed leaves in pairs, lance-shaped to oblong.
Special:  Native.  Prefers wet areas.    BACK

Butter Lupine

Bloom:  May–August
Description:  Annual herb, 1–2'.  Flowers are in whorls on a long raceme.  Bright green palmate leaves with broad leaflets.
Special:  Native.  Dry slopes.    BACK

California Bay

Bloom:  Late winter–early spring
Description:  Evergreen tree, 40–80'.  Bark is green to reddish brown.  Leaves are 2–5", shiny dark green above, paler and dull below.  Berries are greenish-purple, up to 1", enclosing a large brown seed.
Special:  Native.  All parts are aromatic.  Fruits eaten by birds and small animals.  California natives used the saplings for bows, and ground the nuts into meal for small cakes.  Tea was made from the leaves to cure stomach ailments and headaches.  Today, we use the leaves as flavoring for soups and stews.  The wood is prized for furniture, paneling, and woodenware.   BACK

California Bur Clover

Bloom:   All Year
Description:  Annual herb, 6–18".  Yellow pea-shaped flowers.  Trifoliate leaves strongly toothed.  Leaf stipules at base strongly fringed. Stem prostrate.
Special:  Not native; invasive.   BACK

Chaparral Honeysuckle

Bloom:  May–July
Description:  Deciduous, sprawling shrub with yellow honeysuckle flowers.  It has edible but bitter berries.
Special:  Native.  Hummingbirds like the flowers.    BACK

Charlock Mustard

Bloom:  Spring–Fall
Description:  Annual herb, 8–30".  Flowers are 4-petaled, yellow.  Middle & upper leaves toothed, not lobed or clasping.  Lower leaves deeply lobed.  Stem green, often hairy, especially near the base.
Special:  Not native.  Highly invasive, & may be poisonous to livestock.  Considered a noxious weed.   BACK

Common Lomatium

Bloom:  February–May
Description:  Perennial herb, ½–2'.  Tiny yellow flowers.  Leaves divided into linear segments.
Special:  Native.  Grassy places.    BACK

Common Madia

Bloom:    May–September
Description:   Annual herb, ½–3'.  Bright yellow daisylike bloom with numerous 3-toothed ray flowers and several central disk flowers.  The center may be solid yellow or maroon.  Leaves are long, narrow (to 8").  The strongly-scented flower head grows at the end of a slender green stem.  Flowers close at night.
Special:   Native.  Grows in masses.  Its fruits are achenes, which were historically used as food by Native Americans, including the Pomo and Miwok, who baked them or ground them into flour.   BACK

Common Monkeyflower

Bloom:  March–August
Description:  Annual or rhizomed perennial, up to 5'.  Leaves oval, opposite, up to 3".  Inflorescence is a raceme of at least 5 tubular flowers, 5-lobed, 2-lipped, up to 1½" long.  Throat and lower lobes of corolla often have red freckles.  Fleshy stem has smooth leaves.
Special:  Native.  The "red freckles" attract pollinators and act as nectar guides.  Young herbage may be eaten in salads; older leaves grow bitter, but are still edible.  Larvae of the buckeye butterfly feed on this plant.   BACK

Common Mullein

Bloom:  June–August
Description:  2–7' spike.  Leaves are 4–16", ovate & covered with feltlike gray hair.  Flowers are ¾–1", densely packed, 5 round lobes spreading out flat; 5 stamens, the upper 3 with yellow hairs on stalks.
Special:  Not native; invasive.  Ancient Greeks & Romans dipped the stalks in tallow for funeral torches.  Today, children hurl the dried stalks as javelins, the light weight & pointed root sailing them far & straight.   BACK

Common Purslane

Bloom:  June–September
Description:  Annual herb; creeper.  Small 5-petaled yellow flowers.  Leaves succulent and fleshy, spatula-shaped, widest in upper half.
Special:  Not native.  Produces thousands of tiny black seeds.  Brought to the New World as a potherb and medicinal plant.  Spanish Americans use it with tomatoes, onions, and seasonings, calling it Verdolagas.   BACK

Common Senecio

Bloom:  March–June
Description:  Annual herb, 4–20".  Leaves are rough, pinnately lobed.  Stem is filled with milky sap.  Yellow disk flowers emerge slightly above long, green phyllaries, which are pointed & black-tipped.  When the flowers go to seed, they have dandelionlike parachutes.
Special:  Not native.  Common weed in our park.   BACK

Durango Root

Bloom:  May–June?
Description: 
Perennial herb.  Grows mainly in wetlands or streamsides.
Special:  Native.  Excerpts from an internet article:  In a handful of species, such as Durango Root, plants with strictly male flowers will appear among bisexuals.  But how do the males find a purpose in life when the females can make their own pollen?  The male flowers are the macho men of the plant world, producing and disseminating nearly four times the pollen of the bisexuals.  The plant is often confused with marijuana, but marijuana is a heterosexual plant.   BACK

Dwarf Cliff Sedum

Description:  Annual herb, 1–10".  Bright yellow flowers with 5 star-shaped petals, 10 anthers.  Bootlace-like stems.
Special:  Native.  Grows in rocky areas and drying vernal pools.   BACK

False Dandelion

Bloom:  Late Spring–Fall
Description:  Perennial herb, 8–18".  Flower dandelionlike; stems smooth above an almost flat rosette of shallowly lobed, hairy leaves. 
Special:  Not native; invasive.  Likes disturbed places.   BACK

Field Mustard

Bloom:  January–June
Description:  Annual herb, 1–4'.  Flowers 4-petaled, bright yellow.  Both lower pinnate leaves and upper arrowhead leaves clasp the stem. 
Special:  Not native; invasive.   BACK

Flannel Bush

Bloom:  May–June
Description:  Evergreen shrub or small tree, 3–12'.  Leaves dark green, ovate or round, sometimes 3-lobed, 1–2", covered by hairs.  Masses of showy clear-yellow flowers in a flat saucer shape with 5 petals, about 2".
Special:  Native.  Hairs may cause irritation if touched.  This tree was planted, but Flannel Bush grows wild near Oakhurst.   BACK

Frying Pans

Bloom:  Spring
Description:  Annual herb, 6–12". Bright yellow flowers, ¼–½".  Petals are pointed, sometimes diamond-shaped, and flat.  Basal leaves are deeply divided into narrow segments.
Special:   Native; limited to California.   BACK

Gambleweed

Bloom:  March–May
Description:  Perennial herb, 1–3'.  Flower umbel is compound, with 2–5 smaller ones.  Leaves are maplelike with spiny margins.  Stems are erect and smooth.  Seeds are oval with spiny hooks.
Special:  Native.  Shady woods.   BACK

Golden Yarrow

Bloom:   May–August
Description:  Perennial shrub or subshrub.  Flowers yellow, 4–6 petals.  Stems woody at base.  Leaves finely pinnate. 
Special:  Native.  Not a true yarrow.  Used medicinally, reputedly for pimples!   BACK

Goldfields

Bloom:  March–May
Description:  Annual herb.  Reddish stem 4–16", sometimes simple, other times branched, bears a few pairs of light-green, very narrow, opposite leaves (½–2½"), stiffly hairy at base, & one or several ½–1" flower heads with about 10 oblong rays surrounding a conical disk.
Special:  Native.   BACK

Hall's Mule Ears

Bloom:   June–August
Description:  
Coarse perennial herb, 1–2'.  Large, toothed yellow ray flowers surrounding yellow disk flowers.  Leaves large, grayish, and fuzzy, slightly serrated.
Special:   Native; limited to California.  Seeds edible, tasting like sunflower seeds.  Some Native Americans used the roots as medicine for sores, burns, and rheumatism.   BACK

Harlequin Lupine

Bloom:  April–July
Description:  Annual herb, up to 18".  Leaves palmately compound with 6–8 leaflets, each up to 2" long.  In the cluster of flowers, ¾" long, the banner is yellow, wings are pink, and keel is white.  ¾" fruit is brown, hairy, filled with seeds.
Special:  Native, limited to California.   BACK

Heermann's Tarweed

Bloom:  June–October
Description:  Annual herb, 1–4".  Slender, odorous.  Very narrow leaves, the upper ones tipped with a broad dish-shaped gland.  Yellow flower heads in a narrow cluster, about 1", with 3–8 broad rays, each with 3 teeth at end, the central tooth narrowest.
Special:   Native, limited to California.  Flowers close at midday in hot sun to protect their pollen.  Natives gathered rich, oily seeds in midsummer & made a thin mush from them.   BACK

Hill Lotus

Bloom:  March–June
Description:  Annual herb; creeper.  Small (¼") yellow flowers, one per leaf axil, aging red.  Banner is erect & rounded, with much smaller wings perpendicular to banner.  Leaflets are ¼–½", usually only 4 or 5.  May form mats, usually no more than 2" high.  Reddish stem, leaves, and narrow pointed sepals are covered with stringy white hairs.
Special:   Native.   BACK

Hooker's Evening Primrose

Bloom:  June–December
Description:  Perennial herb, 1–5'.  Bright yellow flowers, lancelike leaves.

Special:  Native.  Prefers moist areas, but also found in dry areas.   BACK

Indian Mallow

Bloom:  Summer–Fall
Description:   Annual herb, 2–6'.  Large velvety leaves, heart-shaped, tapering at the point, toothed or entire.  Stems branched, soft-hairy.  Yellow flowers ½–1", borne singly or in small clusters in the axils.
Special:   Not native.    BACK

Low Hop Clover

Bloom:  All Year
Description:  Annual herb, 6–18", stems often prostrate.  Flowers are tiny yellow heads.  Leaves trifoliate, strongly toothed.
Special:   Not native.   BACK

Menzies' Fiddleneck

Bloom:  April–May
Description:  Annual herb, 1–3'.  Leaves ¾–6" long, narrowly or broadly lanceolate.  Small yellow-orange flowers in coils at ends of branches.  Calyx with 5 narrow lobes; corolla about 1/8", all petals joined to form a funnel with a narrow tube and abruptly flared end.  The leafy stems have both long, spreading, bristly hairs and very short, dense, downward-projecting ones.
Special:  Native.  The name refers to the shape of the coiled flower.  As blooming proceeds, the coil opens.  Herbage & seeds contain toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids, poisonous to cattle.   BACK

Moth Mullein

Bloom:  May–September
Description:  Perennial herb, 1–5'.  2–6" leaves, largest in a basal rosette, variously lobed or toothed, becoming smaller toward the flower cluster.  The spire of flowers is pale yellow (sometimes white), 1", 5 round lobes equal sized, stamens 5.  Stalks are covered with red-purple hairs.
Special:  Not native.  The name alludes to the resemblance of the flowers to moths resting on the stem.   BACK

Mountain Violet

Bloom:  April–June
Description:  Perennial herb, up to 4".  Leaves ovate, nearly triangular, toothed margins, to 2", on a basal leaf stalk up to 6" long.  Underside of leaves often purple.  Nodding, funnel-shaped deep lemon-yellow flowers are 5/8" with 5 petals.  The 2 uppermost are purple on the back.  The three lower petals are joined into a spur with purple lines.  Side petals have tiny hairs.
Special:  Native.  Purple lines are nectar guides.  Plant has some flowers that are self-pollinating.  Stems and leaves edible when cooked.   BACK

Mugwort

Bloom:  June–October
Description:  Perennial herb to 3'.  Aromatic foliage, green on top and silvery beneath. The flowers are small and not particularly showy.
Special:  Native.  Can cause dermatitis.
  Long history of medicinal uses.    BACK

Narrow-Leaved Meconella

Bloom:  March–May
Description:  Annual herb.  Low plants with paired leaves. This variety has 3 yellow petals and 3 white sepals.
Special:  Native.    BACK

Oxalis

Bloom:  All Year
Description:  Perennial herb.  Yellow flowers 5-petaled.  Leaves trifoliate.  Spreads by rooting at each node.
Special:  Leaves and seedpods (like pickles) are pleasantly sour tasting.  The leaves are rich in Vitamin C, but inhibit absorption of calcium, so should be eaten only occasionally, as in salad.
Special:  Not native; invasive.    BACK

Pineapple Weed

Bloom:  April–May
Description:  Annual herb, 2–12".  Yellow, conical flowerheads (¼–½") nestled in soft, pleasantly fragrant leaves.  Likes disturbed places.
Special:  Not native.   BACK

Pretty Face

Bloom:  March–July
Description:  Perennial, from a corm.  Up to 30".  2–3 basal leaves, up to 1', lanceolate, often withered by bloom time.  Flat wheels of pale creamy yellow; petal segments broad.  Each has 3 petal-like sepals and 3 petals, with a pale purple or green stripe in the middle.
Special:  Native.  The purple stripe acts as a nectar guide for insects.  Corms edible; best eaten after cooking.   BACK

Prickly Lettuce

Bloom:  May–September
Description:  Perennial herb, 2–5'.  Small yellow flower heads open during morning hours.  Single tall, white stem has broad dark gray-green pinnate-lobed leaves.  Yellow prickles cover both sides of each leaf.
Special:  Not native.  Likes disturbed places.  Fluffy parachuted seeds.   BACK

Puncture Vine

Bloom:  April–November
Description:  Annual herb; creeper. Small (¼–½) 5-petal yellow to yellow-orange flowers.  Pinnate leaves 1–2", opposite.
Special:  Not native.  Considered a noxious weed.  Fruit is a hard capsule that has 5 sharp 2-horned segments, which can easily pierce bicycle tires and bare feet.   BACK

Shieldleaf

Bloom:  April–August
Description:  Annual or perennial herb, 8–36".  Four-petaled yellow to purplish flowers are small (½") and odd, urn-shaped.  Flowers are insignificant compared to the unusual leaves, which are round, smooth, & completely surround the stems like an umbrella (1–3").  In the fall, they turn shiny bronze.  Likes open, rocky areas.
Special:  Native.    BACK

Shrubby Butterweed

Bloom:  April–September
Description:  Shrub, 1–3'.  Yellow flowers 1¼", rays not overlapping, in branched clusters.  Bluish-green leaves 1–5", divided into very narrow lobes; upper leaves often simply quite narrow.
Special:  Native.  Can cause minor dermatitis.  One of the most toxic range plants to livestock, particularly new growth.  Once used medicinally by natives.   BACK

Sierra Suncup

Bloom:  March–May
Description:  Annual herb, 2–8".  Clear yellow 4-petaled flowers ¼–½".  Petal bases may have red dots.  Stigma tip is a round lobe.  Leaves long, narrow, with toothed margins.
Special:  Native; restricted to California.  Rare species.    BACK

Silver Puffs

Bloom:  May–July
Description:  Annual herb, 4"–2'.  Single 70- to 100-flowered heads.  Seed heads are white, 5-petal star shape.
Special:  Native.   BACK

Slender Keel Fruit

Bloom:   
Description:  Annual herb, 4–12".  Racemes of small, yellow 4-petaled flowers in the axis of leaflike bracts.  Stems erect to reclining, downy with fine hairs, pinnately divided leaves.
Special:  Native, restricted to California.    BACK

Spiny Sowthistle

Bloom:  June–September
Description:  Annual herb, 1–3'.  Coarse plants with bright yellow flower heads ½–2".  Numerous arrow-shaped leaves clasp stem & are spiny toothed.
Special:  Not native; invasive.  Seeds have parachutes of soft cottony hairs, & birds are fond of them.   BACK

Sunflower

Bloom:  June–September
Description:  Annual herb, 2–13'.  Hairy stems commonly branched in the upper half.  Lower leaves ovate, often heart-shaped, usually with irregular teeth; upper leaves smaller & narrower.  Flower heads 3–5", central maroon disk surrounded by many bright yellow rays.
Special:  Native.  Heads follow the sun (Spanish name means "looks at the sun."  Yellow dye from flowers and black or dull-blue dye from seeds were once important in native basketry & weaving.   BACK

Sun Spurge

Bloom:  Summer–Fall
Description:  Annual herb.  Upper leaves opposite or whorled; juice milky.  Many-branched flower clusters are yellow-green.  Below is a whorl of (usually 5) finely toothed, egg-shaped leaves with rounded tips.  Lower leaves scattered along stem.  Stem smooth.
Special:  Not native.  The acrid, milky sap of Spurges may burn the lips & mouth.  Plants may cause intestinal upset, even death if eaten in quantity.   BACK

Telegraph Weed

Bloom:  All Year (but mostly Fall)
Description:  1–7'.  Many large, round, yellow flowers in a dense cluster near the top of a pole-like stem.  Thick leaves covered with dense, short, white hairs.  Strong creosote-like odor.
Special:  Native; restricted to California.   BACK

Tocolote

Bloom:  May–January
Description:  Annual herb, 1–5'.  Yellow flower heads (½–¾"), with long spines (¾") below.  Cottony-haired leaves linear, extending down the stem.  Well branched.
Special:  Not native; invasive.  Very similar to Yellow Star Thistle.   BACK

Tufted Poppy

Bloom:  May–June
Description:  Annual herb, 8–10".  Flowers are satiny yellow, sometimes with orange centers.  Basal leaves finely dissected.usually with several 4-12" stems from a tuft of finely dissected, basal leaves.  This poppy has a small pedicle and the flowers shatter easily.
Special:  Native; restricted to California.   BACK

Wild Lettuce

Bloom: August–October
Description: Biennial to 6'. Leaves oval to oblong, sharply toothed and clasping. Flowers in numerous small, elongate heads in open-branched groups. Leaves oval to oblong, sharply toothed and clasping.  Flowers in numerous small, elongate heads in open-branched groups.
Special:  Not native.  Was once prescribed by early medical doctors for its purported sedative properties.  May cause dermatitis, or internal poisoning in large doses.   BACK

Wild Radish

Bloom:  February–July
Description:  Annual or biennial herb, 1–4'.  Flowers are various colors, including pink, yellow, and white.  Broad pinnate leaves, varying in size and shape.  Seedpods are elongated and pithy or spongy.
Special:  Not native.    BACK

Woolly Milkweed

Bloom:  May–June
Description:  Perennial herb, ½–2'.  Flowers pale yellow with white "pegs" in center.  Long, oblong leaves in opposite pairs.  Leaves and stems are white woolly-haired.
Special:  Native; limited to California.  Can cause minor dermatitis.    BACK

Yellow Pincushion

Bloom:  March–May
Description:  Annual herb, 6–16".  Large, showy pincushion flower heads of disk flowers only.  Outer petals much larger.  Leaves pinnately divided into very thin segments.
Special:  Native; limited to California.   BACK

Yellow Sweet Clover

Bloom:  April–October
Description:  Annual or biennial herb, 1–4'.  Tiny flowers in long spikes.  Trifoliate leaves.
Special:  Not native; invasive.  Distinctive sweet odor on hot days.   BACK

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