Nootka Rose
(Rosa nutkana)
Common Wild Flowering Plants of Northwestern California
This website features photos of some native wild flowering plants common to northwestern California. You may click on buttons to the left of plants' names, or browse sequentially through categories, such as "SUN LOVERS". You may learn other details about photos by moving your cursor over them.
SUN LOVERS
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California aster (Aster chiloensis) |
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Paintbrush (Castilleja affinis) |
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Sticky monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus) |
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Western columbine (Aquilegia formosa) Douglas Iris (Iris douglasiana) |
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Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) Sneezeweed (Helenium bigelovii) |
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Cow parsnip (Heracleum lanatum) Seaside daisy (Erigeron glaucus) |
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Beach morning glory (Calystegia soldanella) |
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Beach pea (Lathyrus littoralis) |
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Dune tansy (Tanacetum camphoratum) |
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Silvertop (Glehnia littoralis ssp. leiocarpa) |
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Yellow sand verbena (Abronia latifolia) |
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Common yarrow (Achillea millifolium) |
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River lupine (Lupinus rivularis) |
FOREST FLOOR PLANTS
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Candy flower (Claytonia sibirica) |
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Maianthemum (Maianthemum dilatatum) Wood violet (Viola glabella) |
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Star flower (Trientalis latifolia) Columbia lily (Lilium columbianum) |
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Windflower (Anemone quinquefolia) Clintonia (Clintonia andrewsiana) |
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Fairy bells (Prosartes hookeri) False Solomon's seal (Smilacina racemosa) |
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Wake robin (Trillium ovatum) |
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Redwood sorrel (Oxalis oregana) |
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Inside-out flower (Vancouveria hexandra) |
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Bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa) |
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Miner's lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) |
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Coltsfoot (Petasites frigidus var. palmatus) |
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Man-root (Marah oreganus) |
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Milk maids (Cardamine californica) Hedge nettle (Stachys ajugoides var. rigida) |
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Skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanum) Brook foam (Boykinia occidentalis) |
PLANTS IN THE ROSE FAMILY
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Nootka rose (Rosa nutkana) Wild strawberry (Fragaria californica) |
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California blackberry (Rubus ursinus) |
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Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) |
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Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus) |
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Ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus) |
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Ocean spray (Holodiscus discolor) |
OTHER FLOWERING SHRUBS
Barberry family - Berberidaceae
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Oregon-grape (Berberis aquilifolium) |
Buckthorn family - Rhamnaceae
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Blue blossom (Ceanothus thrysiflorus) |
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Cascara (Frangula purshiana) |
Gooseberry family- Grossulariaceae
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Red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) Stink currant (Ribes bracteosum) |
Heath family- Ericaceae
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Western azalea (Rhododendron occidentale) Pacific rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum) |
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Salal (Gaultheria shallon) Black huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) |
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Red huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium) False azalea (Menziesia ferruginea) |
Honeysuckle family - Caprifoliaceae
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Red elderberry (Sambucus callicarpa) |
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Twinberry (Lonicera involucrata) |
Silktassel family - Garryaceae
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Silktassel bush (Garrya elliptica) |
FLOWERING TREES
Maple family- Aceraceae
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Big-leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) |
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Vine maple (Acer circinatum) |
WHERE TO FIND NATIVE PLANTS
There are many places to view native flowering plants in the wild. Five good locations where many of my photos were taken are Elk Head near Trinidad, Sue-meg State Park five miles north, Stagecoach Hill Azalea Reserve just north of Big Lagoon, Orick Beach and the Ladybird Johnson Grove on the Bald Hills Road near Orick. The local chapter of the California Native Plant Society lists more sites in northwestern California.
For many more excellent photographs of native plants, please visit the iNaturalist website, or Calflora, which covers plants throughout California.
English daisy
(Bellis perennis)
Finally, one needs to understand that not every plant that one finds in the wild in northwestern California is native to the area. To learn about the signficance of wild non-native plants, please see the Humboldt County Weed Management Area's “Invasive Plants in Humboldt County” (PDF).
Your Comments welcome!