Yerba Santa is actually several closely related annual plant species native to California and Oregon. In my personal experience, Yerba Santa can frequently be found along roadsides and in disturbed soils in the Sierra Nevadas, but CalScape suggests that they're mainly found in the mountains around SoCal and along the Pacific side of the Diablo range. The leaves are tough and leathery with a rich, dark green coloration on top and a fuzzy underside that looks much paler. The plant can be a little unpleasant to handle due to the sticky resin it secretes. The leaves are long and toothed, and grow off of stems that don't branch. I've never seen a single yerba Santa plant by itself, it almost always grows in small, dense clusters like you see in the picture. Yerba Santa also puts off clusters of trumpet-like purple-white flowers from the top that are used by native butterflies, but I haven't seen this in person.

Multiple sources report the medicinal use of Yerba Santa by both First Nations peoples (Miwuks and Yokuts to name a few) as well as Spanish settlers to treat a variety of remedies. As bitter as the plant is (also, tar is another foraging red flag for me; where there's tar, I usually expect that there's some pretty bioactive compounds like Nicotine, and that's a recipe for a bad time), I can't help but imagine that there's probably some compounds in it that might not be great to put in your body all the time, so I highly recommend doing your own research here. Also, a lot of the information about the supposed medicinal qualities seems really apocryphal and like it's just something that people repeat but never verify; I'd want to follow up with some people who have real experience with this plant before just going and chewing on it. For animals, Yerba Santa provides food for butterflies, native bees, and birds in the form of nectar and seeds, and has been documented as a forage of last resort by native blacktail deer when most other plants have already died or gone dormant. Additionally, Yerba Santa has been documented as being useful for stabilizing disturbed or scorched soils. There's a few weeds that could conceivably appear similar to Yerba Santa due to their habit of growing as a cluster of dense, non-branching stalks, but the tell I would suggest is the leaves. Most weeds that have similar growth habits won't have the same thick, robust, tar-covered leaves that Yerba Santa has, and won't have the trumpet-like flowers. The most serious lookalike, imo, is Oleander. Oleander is a woody shrub that gets much larger than Yerba Santa, but has similar-looking, rich dark-green, tarry leaves with trumpet-like flowers. OLEANDER IS VERY POISONOUS AND WILL KILL YOU IF CONSUMED. Oleander is not native, and is widely used as an ornamental throughout California. As a rule of thumb, if it's woody OR big OR looks like it's supposed to be there, it's Oleander.

Yerba Santa varies in hardiness. Like many California natives, it is wholly unafraid of summer sun; though most natives do fine with at least a little shade in the day, Yerba Santa is beyond such weakness. Some species of Yerba Santa can grow quite aggressively in disturbed soils, while others in the Santa Barbara region are seriously endangered. If you want to get your hands on this plant, I'd advise against harvesting Yerba Santa from the wilderness for several reasons:

• you could be harvesting an abandoned Oleander plant, and Oleander will kill you if consumed.

• you might accidentally be harvesting one of the endangered members of the species, which is not only unethical but likely illegal.

• Yerba Santa ain't no slouch, that plant is doing work where it is, holding the disturbed soil together and providing forage for wild animals through parts of the year when forage is scarce. You're hurting a lot of things that depend on that plant by taking it out of the ecology.

Instead, I'd strongly recommend getting some seeds from a reputable source and trying to grow some from seed.

Chenopodium Album, also known as Goosefoot, Pigweed, or Lambsquarters, is a member of the amaranth family that has become endemic to much of California up to 5900 ft in elevation. It's originally native to Europe and Asia, where it has been known to be grown as a food crop for people and livestock.

Lambsquarters' distinguishing features include soft, arrowhead-shaped, gently toothed, dark green foliage that appears silvery-gray on the underside of the leaf; the leaves also can have a fine, white powdery substance dusting their surfaces; the plant is an annual that has a large, shrub-like growth habit that I've seen grow to roughly seven feet high under good conditions, though most top out around four of five feet; it has strong stems that, as the plant ages, get streaked with purple and dry to a woody texture when the plant has died; in the late summer and early fall, the plant manifests inflorescences from which very small, black seeds will eventually fall.* The plant prefers disturbed soil, and is a common sight in agricultural and untended urban settings.

*Some sources indicate that Lambsquarters can start flowering in May. I have spent a lot of time around these plants and I can't remember ever having seen that, but it's possibly down to regional variance.

Like many other invasive species endemic to California, Lambsquarters is extremely drought tolerant. This is probably one of the more aesthetically pleasing endemic invaders come August or July, as it's one of the few remaining wild plants that appears healthy, happy, and green. I have some experience foraging Lambsquarters; its flavor is just sort of an unimpressive green flavor, though the leaf has a nice bite. Apparently, the leaves are very high in protein, and I think it'd probably do swell in a soup (though, again, I'd recommend boiling the leaves in a change of water first, as some sources suggest that Lambsquarters has oxalates that'll mess you up over the long run). I have no experience using the seeds as a food source, but it seems fairly straightforward, winnowing aside. The seeds are extraordinarily small and likely won't lend themselves to milling, but would probably make for a good supplementary grain to a porridge or something like that.

So, how bad is Lambsquarters?

Well, the California Invasive Plant Council doesn't have a page dedicated to Lambsquarters. That said, it has been known to be a reservoir of viruses for crop species also in the Amaranth family. It's likely that Lambsquarters, like the other invaders from the Amaranth family, are both practically impossible to be rid of while also being generally self-limiting, in particular given the plant's preference for disturbed soils.

Hello, everyone!

I'm going to start profile common invasive species to the central valley to help people recognize them, know which are good, bad, and ugly, and distinguish them from true natives. I'm starting with a special guest the central valley drivers will soon be getting re-acquainted with: the Tumbleweed (Salsola sp.). The tumbleweed, also known as Russian Thistle, was first introduced by Russian immigrants to the Dakotas in the late 1800s. The plant spread aggressively, and was in California before the turn of the century.

In terms of physical characteristics, Salsolas tend to have a darker, olive green appearance, with the larger stalks taking on purple-hued streaks later in the season. The leaves are sort of clusters of feathery spines (with some not so feathery spines mixed in for good measure). Later in their growth season, they have small, purple-hued flower like structures (though I don't think they're true flowers) at the nodes. They have an erect habit that forms a small, oblong sphere of a bush, about two to three foot high (there's a lot of variety there, but I'd say that about two foot is average) and a little wider than it is tall by the end of the growing season.

Salsolas are hardy plants that thrive in disturbed souls and hot, dry conditions. In fact, they have a root structure that's designed to release the stalk of the plant and let it tumble once it comes into contact with water, which is why you generally start seeing them jump out in front of traffic around the time of the first rains. Salsolas are safe to eat in small quantities, and I have some personal experience with this. You really only want the new growth from very young plants, anything else is going to be tough as boots and half as appetizing (nevermind the spines). Young plants have smaller, softer spines and the new growth tastes of spinach when boiled (which is how I prepare it, I never eat it raw. As I recall, it has some quantity of oxalic acid in it that will wreck your kidneys with enough exposure, boiling removes the oxalic acid). I'm not personally fond of foraging Salsolas because their preference for disturbed soils generally means a high likelihood that they've been exposed to some pretty nasty stuff, and they're really only acceptable for cooking while the plants are less than a month old.

So, how bad are tumbleweeds?

Well, as far as I can tell, in the way of invasive plants, you can do a whole lot worse than tumbleweeds. According to the California Invasive Plant Council, Salsolas actually seem to help native grasses by stabilizing disturbed soil and introducing phosphorus. They're not very competitive, and rarely dominate anywhere long term. In fact, they note that Salsolas tend to be the first thing that will grow in disturbed soil, and are usually followed and eventually squeezed out by other plants and grasses that benefit off the shelter, phosphorus, and stabilized soil that the Salsola provides. Additionally, native animal species (in particular small lizards and reptiles) have been observed to use the Salsola for both shelter and hunting grounds. Salsolas don't have a significant impact on ecology in terms of fire risk or water patterns, either. Probably the worst thing about them is that they can be kind of a pain in the butt for humans when they swarm streets or highways or pile up on fences.

I'm considering planting some Salsolas in my back yard to try and stabilize the loose soil this winter, and I'll cut them back once other plants start to take over.

This is a list of reputable brands, seed dealers, and nurseries for acquiring native plants, both online and offline. If you'd like to add one to the list, just post it below, and I'd appreciate a little blurb about your experience with them or why you find them reputable.

The list is currently pretty sparse, but with everybody's help, we can make a great list!

Nurseries

Online

Offline

SoCal

NorCal

Bay Area

Central Valley

Sierra Nevada

Mariposa

Creekside Nursery

Address: 5047 Stroming Rd, Mariposa, CA 95338

Phone: (209) 742-5107

Web: https://www.creeksidemariposa.com/

Blurb: Small nursery, literally by Mariposa creek. Known to carry several native shrubs including Ceanothus sp. and California Rose, as well as seeds for California Poppies.

Brands

Online

Offline

SoCal

NorCal

Bay Area

Central Valley

Sierra Nevada

Seed Dealers

Online

Offline

SoCal

NorCal

Bay Area

Central Valley

Sierra Nevada

Make sure you're planting a native species for your area first! Milkweeds have a very wide range, and there's been issues with tropical milkweeds being planted here in California, since they don't go dormant during the fall and winter. That means that:

• Along the coast, they're more likely to be exposed to high levels of moisture that will promote disease growth that can be spread to Monarchs

• Monarchs might lay their eggs on the non-dormant plants instead of migrating, which will likely cause the caterpillars to die, being out of season.

California has some 15 species of milkweed that are native, with one of the more common being the narrowleaf milkweed. You can buy seeds for narrowleaf milkweed online, and now's the time to do it if you plan on directly sowing the seeds, since they need to get cold in order to germinate reliably.

Some fast facts about milkweed:

-It's a perennial, and once established will continue to spread through tubers.

-It's very drought tolerant once established

-The flowers are said to be highly fragrant and are known to draw in a lot of pollinator species besides monarchs.

If you've ever thought about planting some native plants, early fall is usually the ideal time to start planting for California natives. I'm considering picking up some more California Poppy seeds, as well as some milkweed. I have other ambitions for some larger shrubs, like Manzanita or Flannel Bush, but I don't know how well that's going to go. The biggest battle I'm currently fighting is that I'm lobbying to replace our crepe myrtle with a Toyon shrub.

Do you guys have any natives that you're considering planting?

In case you're interested in learning more about or advocating for native flora, it's definitely worth checking out the CNPS. They've got chapters all over California, and many of them regularly do relatively easy hikes for educational purposes. Also, October is the month that most chapters participate in a native plant sale, so your local chapter may have some native plants available for you right now!

Hello, everyone! I thought I'd share this really neat in-depth presentation on how to make a garden with native trees and shrubs that requires very little to no irrigation and doesn't look deep fried by July.

Welcome to California Native Plants! I hope you enjoy your visit to this community and learn something new. While you're here, here are some guidelines to keep in mind:

-Don't be a jerk, keep discussions civil.

-Don't promote illegal activity. (AFAIK, Guerilla gardening isn't illegal per se, and tends to fall more in the realm of civil dispute, so it isn't covered by this rule. If you're going to do it, please try to proceed respectfully and don't vandalize people's property)

-Forage with caution! You're welcome to seek plant identification advice here, including for the purpose of foraging, but we make absolutely no guarantees about the quality of the identification, as none of the participants here are vetted for their knowledge. I highly recommend doing your own homework and seeking out the opinion of local experts and guidebooks over relying solely on the opinion of internet strangers. However, communities like this one can be a useful resource for a second opinion, and that's how I recommend you use it for identification purposes. Foraging is a serious matter, and eating the wrong plant can leave you or others dead or disabled. You consume any plants on the advice given here fully at your own risk, as we should not be considered a primary source of knowledge on the matter of foraging.

-Mistakes are welcome, malice is not. Users suspected of intentionally giving malicious or willfully bad advice or promoting blatantly ecologically destructive practices will be warned exactly once before being permanently banned.

-This community is focused primarily on plants native to California. For better or worse, a lot of non-native plants can be found in our state as well. It's not against the rules to discuss or identify non-native plants, but the primary focus here is on promoting plants that are native to the state.