Our newest expedition from California Academy of Sciences is Plants of the Southern California Coast.
The coast of southern California is populated with coastal mountain ranges, chaparral, and sage scrubland. The Transverse Ranges on the coast include the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains, which can rise above 10,000 ft (around 3,000 m). Inland, the habitat transitions into arid and semi-arid desert climates that overlap with the range of many California desert natives. The Channel Islands off the coast of Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties also offer separate and unique habitats where several plant species unique to the islands can be found. In addition to harboring its own regional plants, the southern California coast overlaps with the ranges of many plants found in neighboring Mexico and Arizona. Here are a few interesting species of plants that can be found in this region:
Stachys bullata – Also known as California hedgenettle, it is a member of the mint family, Lamiaceae. It can be found up and down the California coast, including in the coastal valleys of the Channel Islands. The California hedgenettle prefers to grow in damp and shaded areas.
Datura wrightii – A plant significant to Indigenous California culture, Datura wrightii is also called Sacred Datura and is a member of the family Solanaceae. Its natural range includes northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States. At night, Datura wrightii is often pollinated by hawk moths. This plant was used as a religious hallucinogen by the Chumash and Tongva people of Southern California. (Warning!: Do not try this; it can cause seizures and functional blindness.) This flower also appeared prominently in the art of Georgia O’Keeffe, with one painting of Datura wrightii selling for $45 million. That’s a pricey plant!
Cordylanthus rigidus – A member of the family Orobanchaceae, it is also known by the common name stiffbranch bird’s beak. This plant is native to California and Baja California and can be found in coastal mountains and flats. This plant is unusual in that it is parasitic and steals resources from other plants instead of relying completely on photosynthesis.
You can try out Plants of the Southern California Coast here: https://bit.ly/4cBICKK
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