Epipactis gigantea is a species of orchid known as the stream orchid, giant helleborine, and chatterbox. This wildflower is native to western North America from British Columbia to central Mexico. This is one of the most abundant orchids of the Pacific coast of North America.
Horkelia tularensis is a species of flowering plant in the rose family known by the common name Kern Plateau horkelia. It is endemic to Tulare County, California, where it is known from about ten occurrences in the High Sierra Nevada. It grows in rocky, exposed areas.
Camissoniopsis micrantha is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name miniature suncup. It is endemic to California, where it grows along the coast and in the coastal mountains as far north as the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as in the Central Valley. It grows in sandy areas in a number of habitats, from beaches to inland slopes. This is a small, hairy annual herb producing a basal rosette of leaves. The stem varies in morphology, approaching half a meter in erect height or quite short and flat, with or without branching. The larger leaves are located in the basal rosette; those on the stem are narrow and shorter. The inflorescence produces bears a number of flowers with petals less than 5 millimeters long. They are bright yellow and dry to a reddish color as they close. If the inflorescence is located on an erect stem it bends the stem over with its weight. The flowers self-pollinate. The fruit is a cylindrical capsule 1 to 2 centimeters long.
Lathyrus palustris is a species of wild pea known by the common name marsh pea. It is native to Europe, Asia, and North America. It is a perennial herb with leaves made up of oval-shaped or oblong leaflets a few centimeters long. It has branched, coiled tendrils. The plant bears an inflorescence of two to eight pinkish purple pea flowers each up to two centimeters wide. The fruit is a dehiscent legume pod.
Boechera cobrensis is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names Masonic rockcress and sagebrush rockcress. It is native to the western United States from eastern California to Wyoming, where it is found in sandy habitat, especially sagebrush. This is a perennial herb growing several erect, slender stems to heights near half a meter from a branching caudex. The plant forms a narrow clump with a base of narrow, linear, densely hairy leaves up to 5 centimeters long. There are also a few slightly shorter leaves clasping the stems at intervals. The top of each stem is occupied by an inflorescence of small, nodding flowers with dull yellowish sepals and white petals. The flowers give way to fruits which are narrow, straight siliques up to 4 centimeters long containing winged seeds.
Clarkia arcuata is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name glandular clarkia. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the chaparral and woodlands of the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range. It is an annual herb producing a slender, erect stem often exceeding half a meter in height. The leaves are narrow, usually linear or lance-shaped, and up to 6 centimeters long. The inflorescence bears a few flowers, which dangle when they are buds and grow erect as they open. The sepals stay fused as the petals open and emerge from one side. They are coated in glandular hairs. The petals are up to 3 centimeters long, pink-lavender in color, sometimes with a reddish blotch at the base. They form a bowl-shaped corolla. There are 8 stamens and a protruding, four-chambered ovary. The fruit is an elongated capsule which may reach 3.5 centimeters long.
Taraxia tanacetifolia is a species of evening primrose known by the common name tansyleaf evening primrose. It is native to the western United States, particularly the Great Basin and the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. It is a perennial herb growing from a woody taproot and spreading via lateral shoots. It lacks a stem and takes the form of a flat rosette of hairy leaves with a central inflorescence. The frilly leaves are long and narrow, lined with deep, irregular, narrow lobes. The leaf blades are up to about 30 centimeters long and are borne on long petioles. The flowers at the center of the rosette have bright yellow petals up to about 2.3 centimeters long. The fruit is a swollen, leathery capsule containing two rows of seeds.
Epilobium pallidum is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name largeflower spike-primrose. It is native to western United States, where it grows in moist areas in northern California, Oregon, and Idaho. It is an annual herb producing a narrow, upright stem up to 60 centimeters long lined with narrow oval leaves each up to 5 centimeters in length. The inflorescence atop the stem bears several flowers and hairy, leaflike bracts. Each flower has four bilobed petals each up to about a centimeter long and bright pink in color. The fruit is a beaked capsule between 1 and 2 centimeters long containing a row of tiny seeds.
Lewisia pygmaea is a species of flowering plant in the family Montiaceae known by the common name alpine lewisia and pygmy bitterroot. It is native to western North America from Alaska and Alberta to California and New Mexico, where it grows in many types of moist, rocky mountain habitat, such as gravel beds and sandy meadows. This is a highly variable species with a wide distribution, and it often hybridizes with other Lewisia species, making identification difficult. In general, this is a petite perennial herb growing from a taproot and caudex unit, and producing a basal rosette of several leaves 2 to 8 centimeters long. The leaves are narrow but thick and fleshy, blunt-tipped, and linear to lance-shaped. The inflorescence is usually made up of a few very short stems each bearing one or more flowers which appear to be sitting on or within the basal leaf rosette. Each flower has 5 to 9 white, pink or red petals which may or may not have dark veining or striping. The petals are 4 millimeters to 1 centimeter long.
Mitella ovalis is a species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family known by the common names coastal miterwort and oval-leaf miterwort. It is native to western North America from southwestern British Columbia, including Vancouver Island, to northern California as far south as Marin County. It grows in moist, shady habitat, such as coastal forests and streambanks. It is a rhizomatous perennial herb growing up to about 35 or 40 centimeters tall. The leaves occur around the base of the stem. They have oval blades up to 5 centimeters wide with toothed, lobed edges. The erect inflorescence bears several flowers, generally 20 to 60, usually along one side of the stem. The distinctive flower is saucer-shaped with five greenish yellow petals which are divided into narrow, whiskerlike lobes.
Mollugo cerviana is a species of flowering plant known by the common name threadstem carpetweed. It can be found on most continents growing as a weed in many types of dry, sandy habitat types. It is an annual herb producing a thin, erect stem up to about 20 centimeters tall. The narrow, waxy leaves are up to 1.5 centimeters long, linear in shape, and arranged in whorls around the stem. The inflorescence is a loose umbel of tiny flowers each made up of whitish, petal-like sepals less than 2 millimeters long, and no true petals.
Platanthera ephemerantha is a species of orchid known by the common names whiteflower rein orchid, slender white piperia, and white-flowered piperia. It is native to western North America from Alaska to the San Francisco Bay Area, where it grows in coniferous forests and other habitat in coastal and inland mountain ranges within 150 kilometers of the coast. It grows erect to about half a meter in maximum height from a bulbous caudex. The basal leaves are up to 18 centimeters long by 3 wide. Leaves higher on the stem are much reduced. The upper part of the stem is a spikelike inflorescence of up to 100 small flowers, mostly arranged along one side of the stem. The fragrant, honey-scented flowers are whiter than those of other Platanthera, but sometimes green-tinged or -veined, or green with white margins. The status of this species in the wild is difficult to determine because most populations are small and may produce flowers only rarely.
Platanthera colemanii is a rare species of orchid known by the common names Coleman's piperia and Coleman's rein orchid. It is endemic to California, where it is known from scattered occurrences along the Sierra Nevada and one disjunct location in Colusa County, California. It grows in coniferous forests and chaparral in deep sandy substrates. It was differentiated from the very similar Platanthera unalascensis in 1993.
Platanthera cooperi is an uncommon species of orchid known by the common names Cooper's rein orchid and chaparral rein orchid.
Platanthera elongata is a species of orchid known by the common names denseflower rein orchid, chaparral orchid and wood rein-orchid. It is native to western North America from British Columbia and Montana to southern California, where it grows in mountain forests and scrub habitat. This orchid grows erect to about 1.3 meters in maximum height from a bulbous caudex, its stem becoming narrow toward the tip. The basal leaves are up to 30 centimeters long by 6.5 wide. Leaves higher on the stem are much reduced. The upper part of the stem is a spikelike inflorescence of many small green flowers which are sometimes densely arranged. They are sometimes faintly and variably fragrant in the evenings. The spur on each flower may be up to 1.5 centimeters long.
Platanthera michaelii is an uncommon species of orchid known by the common names Michael's rein orchid and Michael's piperia. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the coastal plains, hills, and mountains, and the Sierra Nevada foothills. It can be found in varied habitat, including scrub, woodland, and forest. This orchid grows erect to about 70 centimeters in maximum height from a bulbous caudex. The basal leaves are up to 24 centimeters long by 5 wide. Leaves higher on the stem are much reduced. The upper part of the stem is a spikelike inflorescence of many yellow-green flowers which are fragrant in the evenings.
Platanthera transversa is a species of orchid known by the common names royal rein orchid and flat spurred piperia.
Platanthera unalascensis is a species of orchid known by the common names slender-spire orchid, Alaska piperia and Alaska rein orchid. It is native to much of western North America from Alaska to the southwestern United States, as well as eastern sections of Canada and the Great Lakes. It can be found in forest, woodland, and scrub habitat, often in dry areas. This orchid grows erect to about 70 centimeters in maximum height. The basal leaves are up to 15 centimeters long by 4 wide. Leaves higher on the stem are much reduced. The upper part of the stem is a slender, spikelike inflorescence of widely spaced translucent green flowers. The flowers are fragrant in the evenings, with a musky, soapy, or honeylike scent. The plant is variable in size, stem thickness, density of inflorescence, petal shape, and scent. Plants of the coast ranges and the Pacific Northwest are stouter and have broader sepals and petals than do interior and montane forms.
Boechera yorkii is a rare species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name Last Chance rockcress. It is endemic to Inyo County, California, where it is known only from the Last Chance Range in Death Valley National Park. There are only two occurrences known, but the plant occurs in remote, nearly inaccessible mountain territory, so more plants may exist unobserved. The species was only described to science in 2004. Its habitat is rocky mountain canyons on cliffs of dolomite.
Spiranthes delitescens is a rare species of orchid known by the common names reclusive lady's tresses, Canelo Hills lady's tresses, and Madrean lady's tresses. It is native to Arizona in the United States, where there are only four occurrences. It is threatened by the loss and degradation of its habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.
