List of San Francisco Bay Area wildflowers facts for kids
The San Francisco Bay Area is a special place, even though it's a big city area! It has lots of natural spaces like parks and wild areas. Especially in spring, these places burst with amazing wild flowers. This article will tell you about some of the beautiful wildflowers you can spot there.
Contents
What Wildflowers Are on This List?
The plants that grow naturally in the San Francisco Bay Area are sometimes unique to this region. Some are even endemic, which means they only grow here and nowhere else in the world! This list focuses on the flowers you're most likely to see across the Bay Area's nine counties. We've included flowers that are common or already have their own articles on Wikipedia. We'll also mention flowering bushes and trees, but only if their flowers are really noticeable.
Cool Flowering Herbs
Herbs are plants that don't have woody stems above ground. Many wildflowers are herbs!
- California poppy, Eschscholzia californica
- Purple Chinese houses, Collinsia heterophylla
- Yellow pansy, Viola pedunculata
- Franciscan wallflower, Erysimum franciscanum
- Douglas iris, Iris douglasiana
- Baby blue-eyes, Nemophila menziesii
- Coral bells, Heuchera spp.
- Western blue-eyed grass, Sisyrinchium bellum
- Calypso orchid, Calypso bulbosa
- Fiddlenecks, Amsinckia
- Blue flax, Linum lewisii
- Cow parsnip, Heracleum maximum
- Common star lily, Toxicoscordion fremontii
- Crimson columbine, Aquilegia formosa
- Wavy-leafed soap plant, Chlorogalum pomeridianum
- Farewell to spring, Clarkia amoena
Awesome Bushes and Climbers
These plants have woody stems, but they are smaller than trees. Some can even climb!
- Bush lupin, Lupinus ssp.
- Manzanitas, Arctostaphylos spp.
- California wild grape, Vitis californica
- California lilacs, Ceanothus spp.
- Pipestem clematis, Clematis lasiantha
- Salmonberry, Rubus spectabilis
- California rose, Rosa californica
- California huckleberry, Vaccinium ovatum
- California manroot, Marah fabacea
- Currants, Ribes spp.
- Chaparral currant, Ribes malvaceum
Tall Flowering Trees
Even big trees can have beautiful flowers! Here are some found in the Bay Area.
- California buckeye, Aesculus californica
- Black elderberry, Sambucus nigra
- Pacific madrone, Arbutus menziesii
- Coast live oak, Quercus agrifolia
Garden Escapes
Garden escapes are plants that started in someone's garden but then spread into the wild. This can happen when their seeds blow away, or their roots grow beyond the garden fence. Sometimes, these plants can become invasive species, meaning they grow so much that they push out the native plants that belong there. Because the Bay Area has so many people and different kinds of gardens, you might see many garden escapes.
- Acacia spp.
- Bougainvillea spp.
- Common Broom (Spanish, French, others)
- Cortaderia spp. (Pampas grass)
- Eucalyptus spp.
- Forget-me-nots (Myosotis discolor and M. latifolia)
- Ice plant - several types
- Ivy - Hedera spp.
- Lavender
- Nassella tenuissima - Mexican feather grass
- Pelargonium spp.
- Pennisetum setaceum
- Rubus armeniacus – Himalayan Blackberry
- Searocket
- Vinca major
Weeds
Weeds are plants that grow where people don't want them, like in gardens, farms, or lawns. They can sometimes compete with other plants for water and sunlight.
- Purple salsify
- Artichoke thistle
- Red Valerian
- Herb Robert
- Wild radish
- Scarlet Pimpernel
- Pale Flax
See also
- List of California native plants
- Index: Flora of the San Francisco Bay Area
