Plants For Chaparral

Pickeringia montana, Chaparral Pea, is not very common, but so colorful in a  California garden.  - grid24_12
Pickeringia montana Chaparral Pea

Chaparral Pea is an evergreen shrub (deciduous under stress). It will grow to 3' tall and 6' wide. It is difficult for us, but usually of in a native garden. Do not try if you have not planted native... Learn more.

This is a specimen of Pinus attenuata, Knobcone Pine, in its native habitat in central California, of mixed evergreen forest.  - grid24_12
Pinus attenuata Knobcone Pine

Knobcone Pine is a 50 ft green pine. Native in mountains of Calif., Ore.. Knobcone Pine likes fertile soil and regular water. It is native where the rainfall is 30+ inches. It is useful because it is... Learn more.

A young digger pine - grid24_12
Pinus sabiniana Gray Pine

Gray Pine. Foothill Pine. This conifer grows fast to 45 ft. in 15 years. It can gradually get to 75' in 200 years. The foliage is gray green,lacy, fairly open and it is sometimes called the see-throug... Learn more.

Pityrogramma triangularis, Goldback Fern, or Pentagramma triangularis ssp. triangularis, is an amazing plant, growing in shade in central oak woodland, Santa Margarita, California. - grid24_12
Pityrogramma triangularis Goldenback Fern

A 1 foot fern. It goes dormant in summer without water. It has dark green fronds, the underside coated with a yellowish powder. In the nursery it is native to shady, rocky areas. Native to cismontane ... Learn more.

Plantago erecta - Dot-seed Plantain - grid24_12
Plantago erecta Plantain

Low Annual, with villous hairs (long, soft hairs), covering the leaves, the flowers are colorless, in spikes, still attractive, leaves in a cluster at the base of the plant, nice for a small annual na... Learn more.

In this photo you can see the pattern of the bark of a Platanus racemosa, California Sycamore, growing in Arroyo Grande, California.  - grid24_12
Platanus racemosa California Sycamore

A fast 75' deciduous tree. It will grow to 15-20 ft. in 5-10 years. It is along creeks in the foothills and coast ranges of Calif.. It takes takes wind, heat, but not drought tolerant until establishe... Learn more.

Platystemon californicus, Cream Cups - grid24_12
Platystemon californicus Cream Cups

A annual wildflower. In the past it was common in open fields and following fires. Now largely replaced with weedy annual grasses, starthistle, and mustard. Cream cups used to be included in wildflowe... Learn more.

A closeup photo of Polypodium californicum, California Polypody, so you can see the detail of the fronds. - grid24_12
Polypodium californicum California Polypody

A creeping perennial fern that grows in moist rock crevices. Almost always associated with seeps in the coastal areas and in the middle Sierras. Usually in part-shade, sometimes in the fairly deep sha... Learn more.

Polypodium hesperium Western Polypody - grid24_12
Polypodium hesperium Western Polypody

A small creeping perennial fern that grows throughout much of the west to B.C. and Mexico. Western Polypody is usually found in rocky crevices that are seasonally(winter) wet drying in summer to no mo... Learn more.

Populus fremontii, Western Cottonwood along hwy 58 - grid24_12
Populus fremontii Western Cottonwood

A deciduous tree. Plant and stand back, very fast with regular water, on one site 30' in a year. We grow male trees, females have cotton. An excellent shade tree. Keep away from septic system. Do not ... Learn more.

Populus fremontii,  Zapata Fremont Cottonwood tree with fall color - grid24_12
Populus fremontii 'Zapata' Fremont Cottonwood

''Zapata'comes from a parent tree that is 80' tall and 40' wide out in a stream bed of a customers property. I had to stand on my pickup roof with a 10' pole pruner to get a bottom branch. It is nativ... Learn more.

Populus trichocarpa,  Black Cottonwood fall color - grid24_12
Populus trichocarpa Black Cottonwood

Populus trichocarpa,  Black Cottonwood.is a deciduous tree, fast to 100'. Native from San Diego County to Alaska. I've seen it a quarter mile from the ocean where the salt spray had blown the top... Learn more.

Prunus emarginata Bitter Cherry - grid24_12
Prunus emarginata Bitter Cherry

I've seen Prunus emarginata in only two spots now. One was around Grants Grove at @7800 ft in the Sierras, under Pines in seeps and draws on the north slopes and above Cambria in a seep at about 2000 ... Learn more.

Beach sand almond, Prunus fasciculata puncata - grid24_12
Prunus fasciculata var. punctata Sand Almond

Sand almond is a deciduous sub-shrub up to three feet tall. It has small white flowers in spring and, later in the year, small almonds. Sand almond is native to southern San Luis Obispo County and ... Learn more.

An old picture of Desert Peach,. This is what the web looked like in 1997. - grid24_12
Prunus fremontii Desert Apricot

Desert Apricot grows in sandy washes and moister hillsides and gullies. This is one of the plants of the desert that you can't figure out have(or why) it grows. You'll almost never see a ripe fruit as... Learn more.

Ripe fruit on the Hollyleaf  Cherry, Prunus ilicifolia - grid24_12
Prunus ilicifolia Holly-Leafed Cherry

Hollyleaf Cherry, Prunus ilicifolia is an evergreen shrub to tree, average 14 ft. high and  has clusters of white flowers in spikes in March that cover the entire plant, and in the fall is very sh... Learn more.

Catalina Cherry, Prunus Lyonii - grid24_12
Prunus lyonii Catalina Cherry

Catalina Cherry, Prunus lyonii, is a narrow evergreen tree to 30 ft native to the Channel Islands. It has white flowers in spikes in April-May. It has large black edible cherries that are all seed an... Learn more.

Prunus virginiana demissa, Western Chokecherry flowers - grid24_12
Prunus virginiana var. demissa Western Chokecherry

Prunus virginiana demissa, Western Chokecherry forms a small tree or large shrub. Western Chokecherry does great at higher elevations in California, but grows in small numbers on north slopes everywh... Learn more.

Pseudotsuga macrocarpa Bigcone Spruce - grid24_12
Pseudotsuga macrocarpa Bigcone Spruce

Bigcone Spruce, Pseudotsuga macrocarpa, is native to the mountains of Southern California from 1500' to 6000'. At the lower elevations these trees hide in north side ravines along the desert edge. B... Learn more.

Psoralea macrostachya,  Leather Root flowers - grid24_12
Psoralea macrostachya Leather Root

Synonym: Hoita macrostachya. A deciduous perennial that grows to 6 ft. tall with pea-shaped purple flower clusters. The Indians used the roots as rope fiber. Psoralea macrostachya is a stream-side or... Learn more.

Psoralea orbicularis, Giant Clover has big flowers. - grid24_12
Psoralea orbicularis Giant Clover

Synonym: Hoita orbicularis. Picture a patch of clover, but the foliage is huge, each 3 leaf cluster is 2-3 inches across. The patch forms a 1 foot high mat that can commonly be 10 ft across. Useful i... Learn more.

Ptelea crenulata, Western Hop tree with Lorquin's BAdmiral Butterfly - grid24_12
Ptelea crenulata Western Hop tree

A small deciduous tree that grows in the lower elevations of northern California and one spot in Orange County. "This shrub because of its glossy green foliage and light green fruits which turn brown ... Learn more.

Pteridium aquilinum pubescens, Brake - grid24_12
Pteridium aquilinum var. pubescens Brake

A creeping fern of mountainous hillsides. Bracken ranges throughout most of the west from northslopes in Baja to Alaska and N. Dakota. Although the old timers ate the new shoots, it is not recommended... Learn more.

Purshia glandulosa, Desert bitterbrush flowers - grid24_12
Purshia glandulosa Desert bitterbrush

Desert bitterbrush is anevergreen shrub that grows to 4' tall and 6' across. It is native from Tom's place north of Bishop, east into west central Nevada and south along the east side of the Sierras t... Learn more.

Pycnanthemum californicum Mountain Mint - grid24_12
Pycnanthemum californicum Mountain Mint

Pycnanthemum californicum, Mountain Mint is a fragrant perennial herb with dense clusters of small, white flowers (with lavender spots). It has very nice looking shiny gray foliage. In the garden Mou... Learn more.