SANTA CLARITA NATIVE PLANTS

Walking around the trails and open spaces you’ll begin to see the same vegetation over and over. For those who are curious, below is some fun information on the more common and interesting native plants that you’ll encounter.

California Sagebrush

Artemesia Californica

Known as “Cowboy Cologne” this common SCV plant smells phenomenal.

California Buckwheat

A keystone species within our chaparral habitat, supporting 50+ butterfly/moth species, and great for making honey.

WHITE SAGE

The same sage that people burn as incense. This threatened sage has beautiful pale leaves and shoots up huge blooms in early summer.

MULEFAT

Find this along any stream or water source around SCV. It blooms almost year-round, and popular with pollinators.

CEANOTHUS

California Lilac, a nitrogen-fixing shrub (with 60+ species) in the buckthorn family and important wildlife plant.

Coyote Brush

A secondary pioneer plant in chaparral habitat, this common plant is widely used in native, drought-tolerant gardens.

Sugarbush

Also known as a sugar sumac, this is a fast-growing, evergreen chaparral plant that has beautiful leaves and berries.

Scrub Oak

Also known as a sugar sumac, this is a fast-growing, evergreen chaparral plant that has beautiful leaves and berries.

Whitestem Hedgenettle

Also known as a sugar sumac, this is a fast-growing, evergreen chaparral plant that has beautiful leaves and berries.

Poison oak

Also known as a sugar sumac, this is a fast-growing, evergreen chaparral plant that has beautiful leaves and berries.

California Goldenrod

Also known as a sugar sumac, this is a fast-growing, evergreen chaparral plant that has beautiful leaves and berries.

Coffeeberry

Also known as a sugar sumac, this is a fast-growing, evergreen chaparral plant that has beautiful leaves and berries.

BLACK SAGE

keystone sage species with aromatic leaves, this plant is an important food source for butterflies, hummingbirds, quail, and more.

DEERWEED

Another bee-magnet plant with beautiful yellow blooms, common across our hills.

GOLDEN YARROW

Look for clusters of golden flowers a foot or two off the ground. This plant is actually in the daisy family and not related to true yarrow.

Bush Monkeyflower

A long-blooming, orange flowered shrub that can be seen along many of the hikes, and alongside cliff-faces while driving through local canyons.

Heartleaf Keckiella

Beautiful shiny heart-shaped leaves, and a hummingbird favorite when the red trumpet-like flowers appear. This plant can be found on hillsides, often growing over other plants.

Vinegarweed

Also known as a sugar sumac, this is a fast-growing, evergreen chaparral plant that has beautiful leaves and berries.

Sunflower

Also known as a sugar sumac, this is a fast-growing, evergreen chaparral plant that has beautiful leaves and berries.

Scarlet Monkeyflower

Also known as a sugar sumac, this is a fast-growing, evergreen chaparral plant that has beautiful leaves and berries.

Telegraphweed

Also known as a sugar sumac, this is a fast-growing, evergreen chaparral plant that has beautiful leaves and berries.

Rubber rabbitbrush

Also known as a sugar sumac, this is a fast-growing, evergreen chaparral plant that has beautiful leaves and berries.

False Goldenaster

A highly variable plant, in the SCV it has a tendency to be a low growing shrub that thrives in open grassland - it smells like an autumn candle.

Thick-Leaved Yerba Santa

Eriodictyon crassifolium

Great for making tea and treating respiratory illnesses.

PURPLE SAGE

The most colorful local sage, the bright purple blooms are unmatched, and a bee magnet.

COAST LIVE OAK

The most widespread local oak that make up most of our local oak forests.

BLUE ELDER

One of the most important food sources for birds in California.

Golden currant

This ribes species has no thorns, beautiful golden flowers that smell like cloves, berries that are a bird favorite (and can be made into jam)

Sawtooth Goldenbush

A local plant that blooms in the fall, a savior for pollinators when most other plants are no longer in bloom.

Bladderpod

Also known as a sugar sumac, this is a fast-growing, evergreen chaparral plant that has beautiful leaves and berries.

Turkey Mullein

Also known as a sugar sumac, this is a fast-growing, evergreen chaparral plant that has beautiful leaves and berries.

leafy fleabane

Also known as a sugar sumac, this is a fast-growing, evergreen chaparral plant that has beautiful leaves and berries.

California Fuschia

Also known as a sugar sumac, this is a fast-growing, evergreen chaparral plant that has beautiful leaves and berries.

Coyote Gourd

Also known as a sugar sumac, this is a fast-growing, evergreen chaparral plant that has beautiful leaves and berries.

Longstemmed Buckwheat

This patch of whimsical wand-like stalks, lined with pink tufts of flowers are a unique fall bloomer.

Parish’s Lupine

Lupinus latifolius var. parishii

This rare, moisture loving native lupine has an extremely restricted range in Southern California.

Narrowleaf Goldenbush

Ericameria linearifolia

A spring-blooming butterfly magnet of a plant that’s native to the drier regions of Southern CA

Rod Wirelettuce

Stephanomeria virgata

Who needs leaves in the intense Southern California heat? This summer annual is all flowers-and-stems.