Flora of California

Sequoiadendron giganteum (also known as the giant sequoia, giant redwood, Sierra redwood or Wellingtonia) is a species of coniferous tree, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae. Giant sequoia specimens are the largest trees on Earth. They are native to the groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California but have been introduced, planted, and grown around the world. The giant sequoia is listed as an endangered species by the IUCN with fewer than 80,000 remaining in its native California. The giant sequoia grow to an average height of

Pinus balfouriana, the foxtail pine, is a rare high-elevation pine that is endemic to California, United States. It is closely related to the Great Basin and Rocky Mountain bristlecone pines, in the subsection Balfourianae.

Pinus sabiniana (sometimes spelled P. sabineana) is a pine endemic to California in the United States. Its vernacular names include towani pine, foothill pine, gray pine, ghost pine, and bull pine. The name digger pine was historically used but includes a racial slur.

Abies bracteata, the Santa Lucia fir or bristlecone fir, is the rarest fir in North America. It is confined to steep-sided slopes and the bottoms of rocky canyons in the Santa Lucia Mountains, in the Big Sur region on the central coast of California, United States.

Torreya californica is a species of conifer endemic to California, occurring in the Pacific Coast Ranges and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It is commonly known as California torreya or California nutmeg tree (although not closely related to true nutmeg). It is one of only two species of genus Torreya that are native to North America. A slow-growing (but long-lived) subcanopy tree, it is listed as "vulnerable" in the IUCN Red List.

Quercus douglasii, known as blue oak, is a species of oak endemic to California, common in the Coast Ranges and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It is California's most drought-tolerant deciduous oak, and is a dominant species in the blue oak woodland ecosystem. It is occasionally known as mountain oak and iron oak.

Sequoiadendron is a genus of evergreen trees, with three species, only one of which survives to the present: Sequoiadendron giganteum, extant, commonly known as wellingtonia, giant redwood and giant sequoia, growing naturally in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California † Sequoiadendron chaneyi, the predecessor of Sequoiadendron giganteum, found mostly in the Nevada area of the Tertiary Colorado Plateau until the late Miocene †Sequoiadendron tchucoticum Late Cretaceous; Enmyvaam River Basin, Russia

Aesculus californica, commonly known as the California buckeye or California horse-chestnut, is a species of buckeye native to California and southwestern Oregon.

The Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana) is a rare pine species in California, United States. It is a critically endangered species growing only in coastal San Diego County, and on Santa Rosa Island, offshore from Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara County, and in Monterey County. The Torrey pine is endemic to the California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion.

Quercus lobata, commonly called the valley oak or roble, is the largest of the California oaks. It is endemic to the state, growing in interior valleys and foothills from Siskiyou to San Diego counties. Deciduous, it requires year-round groundwater, and may live up to 600 years. Its thick, ridged bark (resembling alligator hide) and deeply lobed leaves are characteristic, and assist in identification.

Pseudotsuga macrocarpa, commonly called the bigcone spruce or bigcone Douglas-fir, is an evergreen conifer native to the mountains of southern California. It is notable for having the largest (by far) cones in the genus Pseudotsuga, hence the name. The tree occurs from the San Rafael Mountains in central Santa Barbara County and the Tehachapi Mountains of southwestern Kern County, south through the Transverse Ranges, to the Cuyamaca Mountains in San Diego County. The tree is shade-tolerant and prefers to grow on slopes.

Quercus durata, commonly known as leather oak, is a species of oak in the white oak group (subgenus Quercus, section Quercus). The common name "leather oak" is derived from the leathery texture on the lop of its leaves. It is endemic to California, common in the Coast Ranges and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It is found nearly exclusively on serpentine soil.

Juglans californica, the California black walnut, also called the California walnut, or the Southern California black walnut, is a large shrub or small tree (about 20–49 feet (6.1–14.9 m)) of the walnut family, Juglandaceae, endemic to the Central Valley and the Coast Range valleys from Northern to Southern California.

Delphinium luteum, known by the common name yellow larkspur, is a species of small perennial herb in the buttercup family bearing bright yellow cornucopia-shaped flowers. Endemic to the rocky, foggy hillsides of coastal Sonoma County, California, it is critically endangered, with about 200 individuals believed to be in existence as of 2005. The plant was never distributed beyond the coastal area of Sonoma and Marin counties, and has never been abundant. Activities in the area including quarrying, grazing, agriculture, and development further reduced the population of yellow larkspur to its

Quercus john-tuckeri is a North American species of oak known by the common name Tucker oak, or Tucker's oak. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the chaparral and oak woodlands of mountain slopes in the western Transverse Ranges, the southernmost Central Coast Ranges, and the margins of the Mojave Desert. The species is named after John M. Tucker, professor of botany (1947–1986) at the University of California at Davis, specialist in Quercus.

Astragalus agnicidus is a rare species of milkvetch known by the common name Humboldt County milkvetch. It is endemic to northern California, where it is known only from two populations in Humboldt County and one in Mendocino County.

Allium abramsii is a species of wild onion known by the common name Abrams' onion.

Arabis blepharophylla is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, known by the common names coast rock cress and rose rock cress. It is endemic to California, growing mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area and nearby low-elevation California Coast Ranges. This herbaceous perennial that sends up thin, hairy stems from a basal rosette of fuzzy leaves. It bears small flowers with four bright purplish-pink petals. Uncommon in the wild, it is often grown as an attractive, sweet-scented flowering garden plant. There are several cultivars bred for garden use. The cultivar

Allium hyalinum is a Californian species of wild onion known by the common name glassy onion. It is endemic to California, where it is a common species of the Sierra Nevada foothills, from 50–1,500 metres (160–4,920 ft) in elevation, from Kern County to Butte County. There are additional populations in the Coast Ranges of Lake, Alameda, Santa Clara, Merced, and San Benito Counties.

Quercus pacifica is a species of oak known by the common names island scrub oak, Channel Island scrub oak, and Pacific oak.

Calycanthus occidentalis, commonly called spice bush or western sweetshrub, is a species of flowering shrub in the family Calycanthaceae that is native to California. It grows along streams and moist canyons in the foothills of mountains.

Astragalus albens is a species of milkvetch known by the common names Cushenbury milkvetch and silvery-white milkvetch.

Allium lacunosum is a species of wild onion known by the common name pitted onion. It is endemic to California, where it is a common member of the flora in many types of habitat, from bayside to mountain to desert.

Allium hickmanii is a rare species of wild onion known by the common name Hickman's onion. It is endemic to California, where it is known from Monterey, and San Luis Obispo Counties.

Salvia spathacea, the California hummingbird sage or pitcher sage, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to southern and central California growing from sea level to 610 m (2,001 ft). This fruity scented sage blooms in March to May with typically dark rose-lilac colored flowers. It is cultivated in gardens for its attractive flowering spikes and pleasant scent.

Quercus parvula, the Santa Cruz Island oak, is an evergreen red oak found on north-facing Santa Cruz Island slopes and in the California Coast Ranges from Santa Barbara County north to Mendocino County. It was taxonomically combined with Quercus wislizeni until resurrected as a separate species by Kevin Nixon in 1980. The type locality of Q. parvula var. shrevei (originally described by C.H. Muller as Q. shrevei) is Palo Colorado Canyon in Monterey County. It is placed in Quercus section Lobatae. Three varieties of Q. parvula are currently recognized: Q. parvula differs morphologically from

Nolina cismontana, the chaparral beargrass, chaparral nolina, California beargrass, Peninsular beargrass, or peninsular nolina, is a rare species of flowering plant of the Peninsular and Transverse Ranges in California. It is endemic to (known from) only four counties in Southern California: Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and Ventura Counties. There are perhaps 15 to 17 occurrences in existence, with a total population estimated between 10,000 and 20,000. This species, previously classified as a subspecies of Nolina parryi, was elevated to species status in 1995. The type specimen is from

Lilium maritimum is a species of lily known by the common name coast lily. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the coastline north of San Francisco. It formerly occurred south of San Francisco, but these occurrences have all been extirpated. The species is now restricted to the North Coast from Marin County to Del Norte County, and is most common in Mendocino County. It grows in the California coastal prairie habitat, coniferous forests, and bogs amongst Drosera species.

Lilium kelleyanum is a California species of lily known by the common name Kelley's lily. It grows primarily in wetlands in the Sierra Nevada as well as in the Coast Ranges and southern Cascades in the northern part of the state.

Fritillaria pluriflora is a rare California fritillary known as adobe lily. This wildflower is mainly limited to northern California. It grows in adobe clay soils of the Coast Ranges and low hills in the Central Valley from Tehama and Mendocino Counties south to Solano County.