California Coastal Commission, Upper Newport Bay Project

“To be able to call the plants by name makes them a hundredfold more sweet and intimate. Naming things is one of the oldest and simplest of human pastimes.”
--Henry Van Dyke

Welcome to the Plant Page, 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.

Photos and descriptions of the plants can be accessed in the following ways:
•  By Common Name
•  By Scientific Name
•  By Native or Non-Native Designation
•  By Habitat Type

For each plant you will find:

The common name and the scientific name. The scientific (Latin) name allows us to share information without inaccuracies (since plants are typically called by more than one common name). Often, the Latin words can be translated to descriptors. Longifolius, for example, means long leaves. Scientific names have two parts and are written in italics. The genus is always capitalized and refers to a group of species that have similar characteristics, such as roses. The genus for rose is Rosaceae. The species name follows the genus. Species are identified by their ability to successfully reproduce with one another.
A description of the phenotype (physical characteristics) along with a photograph of the plant. The description includes interesting facts such as origin, edibility, and habitat.
The size, shape, scent, and color of the leaf and flower. Although flowering times vary, most of these plants bloom either in spring or year-round. Often the shape, scent, or color of the flower can tell you something about its specific pollinator: hummingbirds visit reddish tube-shaped flowers because of their vision and beak shape; and while bees like it sweet, beetles are attracted to rancid smells.

Common Name

•  Alkali Heath
•  Arroyo Willow
•  Beach Evening Primrose
•  Black Mustard
•  Black Sage
•  Bladderpod
•  Brewer's Saltbush
•  Bush Monkey Flower
•  California Buckwheat
•  California Encelia (also called Bush Sunflower)
•  California Sagebrush
•  Coast Goldenbush
•  Deerweed
•  Giant Reed
•  Golden Yarrow
•  Horseweed
•  Iceplant, Sea Fig
•  Lemonadeberry
•  Lupine
•  Marsh Rosemary (also called Sea Lavender)
•  Mexican Elderberry
•  Mugwort
•  Mulefat
•  Myoporum (also called Lollypop Tree)
•  Pickleweed
•  Saltgrass
•  Saltwort
•  Shoregrass (also called Wiregrass)
•  Southern Spikeweed (also called Southern Tarplant)
•  White Sage
•  Wild Heliotrope
•  Woolly Seablight
•  Yellow Star Thistle

Scientific Name

•  Artemisia californica
•  Artemisia douglasiana
•  Arundo donax
•  Atriplex lentiformis ssp. Brewer
•  Baccharis salicifolia
•  Batis Maritima
•  Brassica nigra
•  Camissonia cheiranthifolia
•  Carpobrotus chilensis
•  Centaurea melitensis
•  Conyza canadensis
•  Distichlis spicata
•  Encelia californica
•  Eriogonum fasciculatum
•  Eriophyllum confertiflorum
•  Frankenia salina
•  Heliotropium curassavicum
•  Hemizonia parryi ssp. australis
•  Isocoma menziesii var. vernonioides
•  Isomeris arborea
•  Limonium californicum
•  Lotus scoparius
•  Lupinus ssp.
•  Mimulus aurantiacus
•  Monanthochloe littoralis
•  Myoporum laetum
•  Rhus integrifolia
•  Salicornia virginica
•  Salix lasiolepis
•  Salvia apiana
•  Salvia mellifera
•  Sambucus mexicana
•  Sueda taxifolia

Native
A native plant has evolved over thousands of years in a particular region. It has unique adaptations to region-specific geography, climate, and eco-interactions. As a result, a community of native plants provides habitat for a variety of native wildlife species.

•  Alkali Heath
•  Arroyo Willow
•  Beach Evening Primrose
•  Black Sage
•  Bladderpod
•  Brewer's Saltbush
•  Bush Monkey Flower
•  California Buckwheat
•  California Encelia
•  California Sagebrush
•  Coast Goldenbush
•  Deerweed
•  Golden Yarrow
•  Horseweed
•  Lemonadeberry
•  Lupine
•  Marsh Rosemary
•  Mexican Elderberry
•  Mugwort
•  Mulefat
•  Pickleweed
•  Saltgrass
•  Saltwort
•  Shoregrass
•  Southern Spikeweed
•  White Sage
•  Wild Heliotrope
•  Woolly Seablight

Non-Native
Non-native plants have been introduced, both intentionally and unintentionally, beyond their natural range. Some "invasive" non-natives will invade complex native plant communities; since they did not evolve with the surrounding community, they may have no controls to limit their spread. Non-natives make up 47% of the flora at Upper Newport Bay.

•  Black Mustard
•  Giant Reed
•  Iceplant, Sea Fig
•  Myoporum (also called Lollypop Tree)
•  Yellow Star Thistle

For more information on the Upper Newport Bay Project, contact Matt Yurko at myurko@coastal.ca.gov.