Welcome to the Plant Pages, where you will find an introduction to 25 common plants of Upper Newport Bay. This is a product of a dedicated and talented volunteer, Don Millar, who photographed plants for over three years to capture the blooms and seeds during their season. The pictures and descriptions should help you recognize the plants you will encounter during restoration projects and on outings in this habitat. You can find a larger index of Upper Newport Bay plants by visiting the Newport Bay Naturalists and Friends website.

Right Column

Yellow Star Thistle (Centaurea melitensis)

Plant: Non-native weed, annual, erect, 1 to 1-1/2 feet high, gray-downy with few branches above the base. Invasive.
Flowers: Flower heads are solitary or with 2 or three at the ends of branching stems. Numerous yellow disk flowers, bracts 3/8 inch high, covered with spines with purple or brown tinge.
Leaf: Alternate on stems. Lower leaves are cleft with large terminal lobe, 2 to 4-1/2 inches long. Upper leaves are linear, smooth edges. All leaves have no stems and extend down the main stem, wing-like.