October 2017 Plant of the Month

Deinandra corymbosa – fragrant tarplant

by Doreen Smith

Marin is short of new species to flower in Fall, except for yellow-flowered Compositae, aka the Asteraceae.

Deinandra corymbosa, once called Hemizonia corymbosa, is a glandular, fragrant species of tarplant now blooming near Limantour Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore.
It grows on sunbaked, open ground along the trail to Muddy Hollow near the Limantour Beach parking lot. Once widely distributed in Marin it is now declining in abundance in Marin due to lack of disturbance and smothering by invasive weeds.
Some remaining and historical sites are China Camp group campground, Bahia cemetery, north Novato and parts of Point Reyes.

Photos by Vernon Smith