Common Trees, Shrubs, and Flowers of Foothill Horizons

By Pamela Dupzyk, updated and augmented by Pam Ivie

TREES

Grey Pine - Pinus sabiniana

Needles are grey-green, in groups of three, and 7-13 inches long. The needles droop from the branches giving the tree a feathery

look. The trunk is forked and many-branched, and the bark is gray and rough. Height is 50-70 feet. The cones are 6-10 inches

long, very round and heavy, and have large sharp hooks on the end of each scale. Grows at elevations of 1,200-3,500 feet.

Lifespan is 100-150 years. Evergreen. Former common names have included digger pine and bull pine.

Ponderosa Pine - Pinus ponderosa

Needles are yellow-green, in groups of three, and 5-10 inches long. The trunk is very straight with no secondary trunks, and the

bark is yellow to yellow-brown, with deep furrows and puzzle-like pieces. Height is 70-200 feet. The cones are 3-5 inches long,

dark reddish-brown, and have short prickles. Lifespan is 300-500 years. Evergreen.

Black Oak - Quercus kelloggii

Large dark yellow leaves which are deeply lobed and spiked. Bark is dark and deeply furrowed. Height is 30-40 feet. Acorns are

fat and round with a reddish-brown cup that covers about half the acorn. Grows at elevations of 1,500-6,500 feet. Deciduous.

Blue Oak - Quercus douglasii

Small, oblong leaves, 1-2 inches long, which have very shallow lobes and are bluish-green in color. Bark is nearly white with

thin squarish scales. Acorns are oval in shape, about 1 inch long, and have small whitish, bumpy cups. Deciduous.

Valley Oak - Quercus lobata

Leaves vary greatly in size, are medium green, and are deeply lobed and rounded. Bark is whitish, thick, and chunky. Height is

up to 100 feet. Acorns are large and long, and have thick bumpy cups. Deciduous.

Interior Live Oak - Quercus wislizeni

Leaves are small, leathery, and dark green on both sides with tiny spiked lobes.

Bark is whitish-brown, and lightly furrowed. Height is 25-75 feet. Acorns are small, long, and slender and have cups that are

reddish-brown, deep, and narrow. Evergreen.

Golden Cup or Canyon Live Oak - Quercus chrysolepis

Leaves are small and thick, and are dark green on the topside and light green and fuzzy on the underside. Young trees have

leaves that are spiny edged while older trees have smooth edged leaves. Height is 30-40 feet. Acorns are round with cups that are

covered with yellowish-gold powder. Lifespan is 100-300 years. Evergreen.

Oracle Oak - Quercus x morehus (this cross no longer recognized as a species by The Jepson Manual)

This oak is a cross between an Interior Live Oak and a Black Oak. They grow only where the range of these two trees overlap.

The leaves are mid-sized, with shallow lobes and small, scattered spines. Acorns are medium sized, oval, and tapering in shape,

and the cup is fairly deep and scaly. It is both deciduous and evergreen with some of its leaves turning colors and falling off in

the autumn and some leaves staying green on the tree year round.

California Buckeye - Aesculus californica

Also known as Horse Chestnut or California Pear. Leaves are compound with 5 to 9 separate serrated, oblong leaflets which are 3

to 6 inches long. Height is 15-30 feet. White flowers appear in late spring which produce pear-shaped fruit, 1-2 inches in

diameter. Fruits are only edible after grinding and leaching and have never been an important food source for humans.

According to The Jepson Manual, “Native Americans used ground seed as fish poison; nectar and pollen toxic to honeybees.”

Buckeyes are usually the first trees to shed their leaves, doing so in the late summer. Pods remain hanging on the ends of the

branches.

Broad-Leaf Maple - Acer macrophyllum

Also known as Oregon, Canyon, Water, White, or Big-Leaf Maple.

Its large dark green lobed leaves are 6-12 inches wide. Sweet smelling yellow flowers appear after the leaves. Seeds are yellow-

brown in color, "U" shaped with little wings, and are covered with bristle-like hairs. Height is 30-100 feet and the trunk diameter

varies from 1 to 2 1/2 feet. Bark is rough with hard scaly ridges, gray to reddish-brown in color.

White Alder - Alnus rhombifolia

Their leaves are light yellow-green and finely toothed. Cones are very small with seeds that have very hard, thin borders. Height

is 30-70 feet and the trunk diameter is 1-2 feet. Usually found along riverbanks and canyon streams.

SMALL TREES/SHRUBS

Toyon - Heteromeles arbutifolia

Leaves are shiny green, oblong, thick, leathery, and sharply toothed. Individual leaves are shed at the end of their second winter.

Bark is ashy-gray and smooth. Height is 5-20 feet. Small white flowers appear in the late summer to early fall. From October to

February, these flowers ripen into bright red fruit from which the common names of Christmas Berry or California Holly are

derived.

Manzanita - Arctostaphylos

Leaves are light green, roundish, thick and leathery. Flowers are white and pink and vase-shaped. The fruit is 1/4 inch in

diameter, fleshy and reddish-brown in color. Manzanita is the Spanish word for "little apple" and the fruit does resemble tiny

ones. Me-wuks used the berries for cider. The bark is reddish-brown and very smooth. On old branches the red bark often

shreds off. They often grow straight but they may also grow horizontally or lie along the ground. There are 6 different types in

the Sierras and at least 38 different types in California.

Ceanothus - Ceanothus cuneatus and Ceanothus integerrimus

Buck Brush (C. cuneatus) and Deer Brush (C integerrimus) are found throughout the Sierra Nevada. Leaves are small, oblong,

green, and leathery. They are a favorite food for deer, hence the name. The flowers are white or blue, in clusters, and they

resemble lilac blossoms. Height is 3-8 feet. Branches are stiff, dense, and have gray bark on Buck Brush and yellowish bark on

Deer Brush.

Poison Oak - Toxicodendron diversiloba

Leaves are compound with 3 leaflets, 3-6 inches long and lobed. The leaves are reddish when new and then change to dark green.

The flowers are greenish-white in color and bloom through April and May. The flowers produce small white or brown fruit that

falls shortly after maturing. They grow mainly as shrubs, 2-8 feet tall, but they also climb on trees like a vine. The oil from the

plant is poisonous to people but not to other animals.

Mountain Misery - Chamaebatia foliolosa

Also known as Kit-ket-dizze, Bear-mat, Bear-clover, Tarweed, Running Oak, Jerusalem Oak, and Tobacco Plant. Leaves are

close together, finely divided, and light green. They give off a distinct smell when crushed and are often sticky to the touch. It is

a small, low-growing, dense shrub with a thick root system which makes it hard to uproot. Flowers are small and white.

California Wild Grape - Vitis californica

This is a woody vine which grows from 5-50 feet long. Leaves are heart-shaped and large in size. Flowers are greenish and

fragrant and bloom in May and June. The fruit is small, purple, sweet, and has large seeds and very little pulp.

Willow – Salix spp.

Willows are dioecious, which means that male and female plants are separate; willows also reproduce vegetatively. The leaf

blade is generally linear; the inflorescence is a dense catkin. Willows are water-loving and so are found in wet areas.

WILDFLOWERS

Listed in approximate order of blooming

Baby Blue Eyes - Nemophila menziesii

Blooms: February to June. Flowers are sky blue with a white center. Low-growing, delicate, branching plant.

White Nemophila - Nemophila heterophylla

Blooms: February-July. Tiny white flowers with five petals. Grows close to the ground and has small, delicate leaves.

Western Buttercup - Ranunculus occidentalis

Blooms: March to June. Flowers are shiny yellow with 5-8 petals. They grow 12-18 inces high on sparsely-leaved branches.

Indians roasted the seeds and then beat them into a flour for consumption.

Mountain Violet - Viola purpurea

Blooms: March to May. The five petals are deep lemon-yellow; the lower three are purple-veined, the back of the upper two are

brown. Leaves are nearly triangular, with toothed margins.

California Poppy - Eschscholzia californica

Blooms: February to September. Flowers are usually bright orange but can also range from white to yellow to red. Indians used

the foliage, either roasted or boiled and then put in water, as a medicine for headache or insomnia.

Shooting Stars - Dodecatheon hendersonii

Blooms: February to May. Flowers are magenta with yellow, white and purple centers. The petals fold backwards giving the

flower an inside out look. They are also called Mad Violets, Mosquito Bills, Rooster's Heads, and Wild Cyclamen.

Red Maids - Calandrinia ciliata

Blooms: February to May. These tiny red flowers open in the sun and last only 1 day. There are many buds on each leafy stem

and they grow close to the ground.

Common Monkey Flower - Mimulus guttatus

Blooms: March to August. Flowers are yellow with red spots and are in the snapdragon family. Stem length varies from very

short to 2 feet high. It is common in moist areas.

Kellogg's Monkey Flower - Mimulus kelloggii

Blooms: March to June. Rose-purple and yellow flower with red spots. Dwarf plants that are found in recently dried depressions.

Filaree - Erodium cicutarium

Blooms: February to June. Flowers are small, reddish, and grow in a cluster. Leaves are fringed and delicate. They grow in open

grassy areas and range from 4 to 20 inches in height. They are easily identifiable because of the long thin fruit which coils into

spirals when dried. It is also known as Storksbill, Clocks, or Pinclover.

Chinese Houses - Collinsia heterophylla

Blooms: March to June. These grow 10-20 inches high either as a single stem or many branched with the flowers in a tiered

whorled pattern. The upper petals are pale-lilac or white and the lower petals are violet or rose-purple. They prefer shady areas

and sandy soil.

Popcorn Flower - Plagiobothrys spp.

Blooms: March to May. Flowers are small, white with yellow centers, and clustered at the top of the stems. Stems are 8 to 16

inches high with grayish leaves and branching at the top. Also called White Forget-Me-Not. A purple dye can be made from the

roots and stems.

Yarrow - Achillea borealis

Blooms: March to June. Flowers are small, white, aromatic and arranged in numerous flat heads on stems 20 to 40 inches high.

They have small leaves along the stem and a rosette of leaves at the base.

Star Tulips - Calochortus monophyllus

Blooms: April to May. Flowers are deep yellow, star shaped and very hairy, which give them their other common name, Cat's

Ear. They have pale, smooth, delicate stems and leaves. The bulbs of many Calochortus were eaten by the Indians.

Mariposa Lily - Calochortus venustus

Blooms: April to June. Flowers are white to yellow or lavender with a dark purplish spot surrounded by yellow on each petal.

One or more flowers are on each stem and a few narrow leaves at the ground and tiny ones on the stem.

Fairy Lanterns - Calochortus albus

Blooms: April to June. Flowers are delicate, hanging, creamy white globes with a purple tinge that hang down. They grow 2-8

inches high in shady areas. Also called Globe Lily.

Blue Larkspur - Delphinium spp.

Blooms: April to May. Larkspurs have a single stalk with numerous dark purple flowers with five petals. They grow up to 32

inches high. They prefer moist areas.

Vetch - Vicia spp.

Blooms: April to July. Vetch is in the pea family. They have small, fragrant spikes of flowers varying in color from red and

orange to blue and purple. They have dark green leaves and tendrils and will climb.

Blue Dicks - Dichelostemma capitatum

Blooms: April to June. Also known as “Brodiaea”. These have many dark purple flowers in a clump on a leafless stem up to 24

inches tall.

Wild Hyacinth – Dichelostemma multiflorum

Blooms: May-June. Similar to Blue Dicks, but each flower has a short stem (pedicel). The lavender-blue flowers are constricted

above the ovary.

Twining Brodiaea, Snake Lily – Dichelostemma volubile

The long, leafless stem twines around other plants for support. There are 10-30 pink flowers in the terminal head.

Farewell-To-Spring - Clarkia purpurea

Blooms: April to May. One of the last wildflowers blooming, they are lavender to purple in color, have 4 petals and there are

many flowers on each stem. They grow 4 to 20 inches high and prefer open areas.

Lupine - Lupinus spp.

Blooms: April to June. There are 82 different species of lupine in California. Flowers vary from white to dark purple and from a

few inches to over a foot in size. The flowers grow in a whorled pattern around a single stem. Many species are very fragrant.

The leaves are palmately compound and look like many-fingered hands.

Paintbrush - Castilleja spp.

Blooms: April to August. These are bright spikes of yellow, red or green flowers on strong, straight, hairy, stems. The leaves are

long and grayish. They are found in dry, rocky areas and often live as parasites on shrubs.

Milkweed - Asclepias cordifolia

Blooms: May to August. Flowers are clustered at the top of the stem and have heavy turned backed petals, 3 to 6 inches long,

which are white with a light rose center. Leaves and stem are grayish-green and reach a height of up to 36 inches.

Blue-Eyed Grass - Sisyrinchium bellum

Blooms: May-June. Light sky blue to violet flowers with 6 petals that grow from a tuft of grass-like leaves, 4-16 inches high.

They are in the Iris family.