SF Bay Area Wildflowers

The purpose of this page is to provide a framework for collecting pictures and descriptions of the wildflowers I've seen on my hikes in 1995. The source: Spring Wildflowers of the San Francisco Bay Region.

My favorite book for learning to identify SF Bay Area wildflowers by picture is Plants of the Coastal Redwoods. The color is wonderful. I used it to learn in two ways. The first was just going out on the trail, finding a flower, skipping to the right color section in the book, and flipping the pages like mad until I found what I was looking at. Later on, when I started yearning to see a particular new flower I'd note that it liked a particular microbiotic community e.g. Redwood Forest, then I'd choose my hikes accordingly.

Later on, I used Wildflowers of the West to learn to identify flowers by their component parts. I find that the more I learn the more I see, and the more I enjoy walking.

Sometimes I just feel like going back to page flippin' so I drag out Wild Flowers of Marin to try and identify some new species when I'm pretty sure what the family is.

40 Liliaceae (Lily)

• 41 Zigadenus femontii (Star Lily or Star Zigadene)
• 46 Fritillaria lanceolata (Checker Lily or Mission Bells)
• 48 Smilacina stellata var. sessilifolia (Slim Solomon's Seal)
• 48 Disporum hookeri (Fairy Bells)
• 50 Scoliopus bigelovi (Fetid Adder's Tongue)
• 51 Trillium chloropetalum (Common or Giant Trillium)
• 52 Trillium ovatum (Coast Trillium)
• 54 Brodiaea pulchella (Blue Dicks)

56 Iridaceae (Iris)

• 56 Sisyrinchium bellum (Blue-eyed Grass)
• 57 Iris douglasiana (Douglas Iris)
• 57 Iris macrosiphon (Ground Iris)

58 Orchidaceae (Orchid)

• 58 Calypso bulbosa (Calypso Orchid)
• 58 Corallorrhiza striata (Striped Coral Root)
• 58 Corallorrhiza maculata (Spotted Coral Root)

59 Aristolochiacea (Birthwort)

60 Polyganceae (Buckwheat)

61 Nyctaginaceae (Four-O'-Clock)

62 Portulacaeae (Purslane)

• 63 Montia perfoliata (Miner's Lettuce)

65 Caryophyllaceae (Pink)

67 Ranuculaceae (Buttercup)

• 67 Aquilegia formosa (Columbine)
• 69 Delphinium nudicaule (Red Larkspur)
• 70 Delphinium decorum (Coast Blue Larkspur)
• 73 Ranunculus californicus (California Buttercup)

74 Beriberidaceae (Barberry)

75 Papaveraceae (Poppy)

• 75 Platystemon californicus (Cream Cups)
• 77 Eschscholzia californica (California Poppy)

78 Fumariaceae (Fumitory)

79 Cruciferae (Mustard)

• 82 Dentaria californica (Milk Maids)

87 Crasulaceae (Stonecrop)

89 Saxifagraceae (Saxifrage)

• 91 Lithophragma affinis (Woodland Star)

93 Rosaceae (Rose)

• 94 Fragaria vesca (Wood Strawberry)

96 Leguminosae (Pea)

• 98 Lupinus ? (Lupine)
• 99 Lupinus densiflorus (Gully Lupine)
• 100 Lupinus bicolor (Dove Lupine)
• 104 Trifolium tridentatum (Tomcat Clover)
• 109 Vicia americana (American Vetch)
• 109 Lathyrus vestitus (Hillside Pea)

110 Oxalidaceae (Wood Sorrel)

• 110 Oxalis oregana (Redwood Sorrel)

111 Limnanthaceae (Meadow Foam)

111 Malvaceae (Mallow)

111 Sidalcea malvaeflora (Checker Bloom)

112 Violaceae (Violet)

• 114 Viola pedunculata (Johnny-Jump-Up)

115 Loasaceae (Loasa)

116 Onagraceae (Evening Primrose)

• 118 Oenothera ovat (Sun Cups or Golden Eggs)

120 Umbelliferae (Parsley)

• 120 Sanicula arctopoides (Footsteps of Spring)
• 120 Sanicula crassicaulis (Gambel Weed or Pacific Sanicle)
• 121 Sanicula lacinaiata (Coast Sanicle)
• 121 Sanicula bipinnatifida (Purple Sanicle)

125 Primulacease (Primrose)

• 126 Dodecatheon hendersonii (Woodland Shooting Star)
• 127 Trientalis latifolia (Star Flower)
• xxx Agagallis arvensis (Scarlet Pimpernel)

127 Plumbaginaceae (Thrift)

128 Convalvulaceae (Morning Glory)

• 128 Convolvulus occidentalis (Western Morning Glory)

129 Polemoniaceae (Phlox)

135 Hydrophyllaceae (Phacelia)

• 136 Nemophila menziesii (Baby Blue Eyes)
• 137 Phaecelia californica (California Phacelia)

140 Boraginaceae (Borage)

• 140 Cynoglossum grande (Hounds Tongue)
• 141 Amsinckia intermedia (Common Fiddleneck)
• 143 Plagiobathrys stipitatus (Valley Popcorn Flower)
• xxx Myosotis sylvatica (Forget-Me-Not)

144 Labiatae (Mint)

• 146 Stachys rigida subsp. quercetorum now Stachys ajugoides var. rigida (Hedge Nettle)

148 Solanaceae (Nightshade)

• 148 Solanum xantii (Purple Nightshade)
• 148 Solanum umbelliferum (Blue Nightshade)h

149 Scrophulariaceae (Plantain)

• 149 Collinsia heterophylla (Chinese Houses)
• 151 Piplacus aurantiacus (Sticky Monkey Flower)
• 151 Castilleja affinis (Indian Paint Brush)
• 153 Orthocarpus densiflorus (Owl's Clover)
• 156 Pedicularis densiflora (Indian Warrior)

157 Valerianaceae (Valerian)

158 Cucumbitaceae (Cucumber)

159 Asteraceae [Compositae] (Sunflower)

• 163 Wyethia augustifolia (Narrow-leaved Mule Ears )
• 164 Wyethia helenoides (Grey Mule Ears)
• 165 Hemizonia xantii (Springtime Tarweed)
•        Chamomilla suaveolens (Pineapple weed)

Also:

xxx Geriaceae (Geranimum)

• Erodium cicutarium (Red-stemmed filaree)

xxx Rubiaceae (Madder)

• Galium aparine (Bedstraw)

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I'd value your comments. Email me at mike@thoma.com