Seasonal Plants to Enjoy this Fall
Alumroot | Saxifrage Family
Small-flowered Heuchera Heuchera micrantha Pink Heuchera Heuchera rubescens
Other Names Heuchera, Coral Bells
Habitat & Elevation Heuchera micrantha: moist, shady, rocky slopes below 8,200′; Heuchera rubescens: 4,900′ – 13,000′
Collection Root: fall; Leaf: spring, summer
Bay, California | Laurel Family
Umbellularia californica
Other Names Oregon Myrtle, Pepperwood, California Bay Laurel
Habitat & Elevation Hillsides, near streams, upper foothill and mixed conifer belts, and moist canyons below 5,000′
Collection Leaf: all seasons; Fruit: fall (purplish-brown in color when ripe)
Blue Flag, Western | Iris Family
Iris missouriensis
Related Species Sierra Iris syn. Hartweg’s Iris (Iris hartwegii); Slender Iris (Iris tenuissima); Ground Iris syn. Long-tubed Iris (Iris macrosiphon)
Habitat & Elevation Moist areas 3,000′ – 11,000′
Collection Root: spring, summer; Seed: fall
Dogwood | Dogwood Family
Cornus species
Habitat & Elevation Red-twig Dogwood syn. Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea sub. occidentalis): shrub in moist habitats below 8,000′;Pacific Dogwood syn. Mountain Dogwood (Cornus nuttallii): wooded areas below 6,000′; Blackfruit Dogwood syn. Miner’s Dogwood (Cornus sessilis): near streams north of Calaveras County; Brown Dogwood (Cornus glabrata): moist areas throughout the Sierras
Collection Fruit: fall; Twig, Bark: all seasons; Leaf: spring, summer
Fern, Giant Chain | Deer Fern Family
Woodwardia fimbriata
Habitat & Elevation Wet areas below 5,000′
Collection Root: fall
Grape, California Wild | Grape Family
Vitis californica
Habitat & Elevation Streamsides and riverbanks below 3,000′
Collection Leaf: early summer; Fruit: fall
Madrone, Pacific | Heath Family
Arbutus menziesii
Habitat & Elevation Dry, wooded slopes and canyons below 5,000′
Collection Berry: fall; Leaf: all seasons
Nutmeg, California | Yew Family
Torreya californica
Habitat & Elevation Diverse soils from shaded forested areas to hot, dry habitats 100′ – 7,000′
Collection Leaf: all seasons; Nut: fall
Oak | Oak Family
Quercus species
Habitat & Elevation Canyon Live Oak (Quercus chrysolepis): moist hillsides and canyons 3,500′ – 6,500′; Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii): dry hillsides below 3,000′; Valley Oak (Quercus lobata): formerly common in valleys below 3,000′; Interior Live Oak syn. Sierra Live Oak (Quercus wislizenii): dry hillsides and valleys 1,500′ – 4,000′; Black Oak (Quercus kelloggii): foothill slopes below 7,000′; Brewer’s Oak (Quercus garryana var. brewerii): 1,000′ – 5,000′; Huckleberry Oak (Quercus vaccinifolia): steep, subalpine forests 2,800′ – 8,500′; Scrub Oak (Quercus berberidifolia): chaparral and foothill areas 1,000′ – 4,800′; Leather Oak (Quercus durata): chaparral, foothills, woodlands 500′ – 4,800′
Collection Bark, Twig: all seasons; Nut: fall
NOTE Valley Oaks are an indicator of good soil since they typically grow in valleys that were stream and river floodplains. Development and dams have contributed to their decline. Hybrid species are fairly common. For example, a natural hydrid called ‘Oracle Oak’ grows in some areas where Interior Live Oak and Black Oak overlap.
Oregon Grape | Barberry Family
Berberis aquifolium
Other Names Barberry
Related Species Berberis aquifolium var. repens
Habitat & Elevation Rocky slopes below 4,000′
Collection Root: fall; Berry: summer
Rose, California Wild | Rose Family
Rosa species
Habitat & Elevation California Wild Rose (Rosa californica): dry hillsides below 5,000′; Dog Rose [naturalized] (Rosa canina): woods, banks up to 2,950′; Bridge’s Rose (Rosa bridgesii): conifer understories 2,950′ – 8,200′; Wood Rose (Rosa gymnocarpa): shaded wooded habitats below 6,000′; Mountain Rose (Rosa woodsii): moist areas 2,500′ – 10,500’; Ground Rose (Rosa spithamea): forests, chaparral below 5,000′
Collection Flower: summer; Fruit (hip): fall
Walnut, California Black | Walnut Family
Juglans californica var. hindsii
Habitat & Elevation Canyons and valleys below 1,500′
Collection Leaf: summer, fall; Nut: fall
NOTE California Black Walnut is included in the California Native Plant Society inventory of rare and endangered plants.
