2019 Plants of the Month Archives

June-August 2019 Plants of the Month

by Vernon Smith | May 25, 2019 | 2019 Plants of the Month

Marin’s Native Clarkia Species by Doreen Smith Most of us know that the genus Clarkia was named after William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and similarly, Meriwether Lewis was honored with the genus Lewisia. In 1804, Thomas Jefferson sent the explorers to cross the lands west of the Mississippi as far as the Pacific Ocean and to investigate and record the natural resources. They... read more

May Plant of the Month

by Vernon Smith | Apr 26, 2019 | 2019 Plants of the Month

Hesperevax sparsiflora var. brevifolia by Doreen Smith Some little obscure annual grey-green “belly-flowers” can be listed rare plants! Here in Marin, this category includes short-leaved evax, Hesperevax sparsiflora var. brevifolia, CNPS 1B.2. Mostly coastal, this species grows on sandy soils and ocean bluffs on Pt. Reyes and near Dillon Beach. The nominate species H. sparsiflora var.... read more

March Plant of the Month

by Vernon Smith | Apr 11, 2019 | 2019 Plants of the Month

Anemone grayi, Gray’s windflower by Doreen Smith Windflower, Anemone grayi, is the local native wood anemone that occurs in many Marin County sites in the coast redwood forest understory. It has been cycled through several Latin names; here I’m using the one in the most recent Jepson Herbarium eFlora treatment from 2012, by Scott Simono. He separated three species, Anemone oregana var. oregana,... read more