#calflora

Friendship ended with Labubu, Now Pokémon Winds & Waves is my best friend.

Phacelia grandiflora is from one of my favorite plant genera and is one of my favorites even from this genus. Despite how commonly it occurs through its range, P. grandiflora is limited to near-coastal regions and the south side of the Transverse Ranges through the lower third of California and a touch into Baja California. No two plants produce the same flower patterns – some deeply blue-purple, some pale, some with a dark center and pale tips. Growing up to about three feet tall, they thrive in disturbed areas and can on occasion dominate a space, though they usually coexist with other Phacelias such as P. brachyloba and P. cicutaria. The large flowers have a strange pungent odor (sweet, with a strong bias of burning rubber) and feature a prominent nectar cup. They are a favorite of native bees, particularly larger bumble bees which will make sure to pay thorough visits to each flower. The plants can produce numerous small seeds which will grow the following spring with very little water required to produce prolific and showy blooms.

then and now. pokemon sun and moon to pokemon winds and waves. 2016 alola to 2026 winds and waves.

Dudleya cymosa ssp. pumila is a succulent native and endemic to California, meaning it cannot be found growing naturally anywhere else in the world. This plant is most often found on north-facing canyon walls and roadcuts throughout the transverse ranges (a series of mountains that run east-west through CA instead of the usual north-south.) Dudleya in general have special adaptations which allow them to survive challenging environments, in this case growing in the wet but coldest part of the year and surviving a long, very hot, and very dry summer. Even in this subspecies there are many included forms, with varying traits such as flower color, leaf farina, altitude, etc., which goes in hand with Dudleya being a genus of complicated and still-developing taxonomy with quite a lot of undescribed species. Molecular phylogeny is making this possible by sampling genetic material to determine evolutionary relationships. This process is further complicated by the fact that Dudleya is a highly poached genus and many populations of unique plants are threatened by sprawling human development and introduced herbivores before they even have a chance to be recognized. Dudleya is one of my favorite genera of plants, so expect to see more of them in my posts in the future!

Helianthus gracilentus, the Slender Sunflower, is a perennial sunflower native to southern California and Baja California mostly in semi-coastal chaparral and light pine forests. Where the more commonly seen Helianthus annuus only lasts through one good growing season, H. gracilentus persists indefinitely with woody stems instead of pith-filled stems which allow the annual sunflower to grow quickly and last just long enough to set seed and die. Where the annual sunflower has many cultivars ranging from ones with multi-kilogram heads to branched habits producing many smaller flowers in a season, H. gracilentus can produce blooms for most of the year in gentle climates, only needing a break in the coldest months of the year and persisting through a hot, dry summer through the aid of a stout taproot.

Keckiella cordifolia (heartleaf keckiella) is a climbing or draping shrub which resides in dry woodlands or chaparral habitats throughout coastal southern California and Baja California. It is perennial which enters a dormant state in summer drought and winter cold conditions if the location is severe enough. It can often be found growing out of road cuts, cliffsides, or through other plants and shrubs where the tubular red flowers spill forth at the ends of branches. The blooms typically come on in late spring through summer and persist into the hottest month of the year. The red tubular flowers are cater toward hummingbirds as their pollinators and can provide a late season nectar source.