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Flora

The flora of California is even more varied than the people and the terrain are. From the enormous and well known, to the small and shy, here we’ll try to cover just a small sample of the flora in California, which will be just a mere portion of the pie that is the rich display of plants which this sunny state offers.

First on our list is the San Mateo woolly sunflower which is a perennial herb that grows solely in California. Officially listed as an endangered species, this flowering plant’s range only covers parts of San Mateo County and Napa County. Another colorful little flower which happens to grow in regions of Northern and Central California is the Douglas Iris which flashes its amazing shades of blue from April through to June. The name of the Crimson Columbine more than betrays its own color; its dazzling red flowers can be seen from April to August. And still talking small flowering plants, the ‘Farewell to Spring’ is a tall annual plant which displays beautiful flowers of pinkish purple.

Now, to go from one extreme to the other, from small to large, we have the trees that grow in California. In fact, California is very famous for its trees, namely the giant Sequoia, but we’re going to leave discussing them till last. In the meantime, there are many other tree species which are certainly more than worth mentioning, such as the California Sycamore. This is a large tree with large leaves and a trunk that is divided into several large secondary trunks. The Valley Oak, which is the largest of the North American Oaks ranges over the hot valleys which speckle inner California, where you can find some mature specimens which can be over 600 years old!

Take a walk through the Yosemite Natural Park and you can come across some magnificent specimens of the Abies Magnifica, a.k.a. the Red Fir which are actually native to the mountains of California, and also Southwest Oregon. And finally, let’s talk house. “The House” is the name of a collection of enormous Giant Sequoias which can be found in Sequoia National Park. The park is famous for its trees, hence the name, especially the ‘General Sherman Tree’, which is the largest tree on earth with a height of 275 feet. General Sherman is indeed the largest tree in terms of volume, but is surpassed in height by a fellow Sequoia, ‘Hyperion’, which stands at 379,1 feet and can be found in the Redwood National Park.

For whatever other reasons you may visit California, don’t forget to appreciate all the natural flora that the state has to offer!