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Articles referenced in introduction:
Desert Fan Palm - Washingtonia filifera: NATIVE
This is the only palm tree native to the western US, and thus the only OG California palm tree! (1) Most of the palms you see around these days are from Africa, Asia, and South America.
Avocado Tree - Persea americana: nah
The avocado tree is said to have first appeared in central Mexico (2) where it evolved alongside (now extinct) giant ground sloths that spread their seeds across South America. (3)
Bird of Paradise - Strelitzia (genus comprised of 5+ species) : nah
Though they are the official flower of Los Angeles, these colorful beauties are native to South Africa (4), where they are known as "isigude" by the indigenous Nguni people. (4)
Valley Oak - Quercus lobata: NATIVE
Of the over 20 species of oak found across California, the valley oak is the largest of all in North America. (5) They can grow over 100 ft (30.8 m) high and live past 600 years old. (6)
Bougainvillea - Bougainvillea (genus comprised of 4-18 species) : nah
Native to South America, this vivid, papery-bracted plant is now found worldwide, perhaps most famously in Mexico, where it is traditionally used as a tea to treat coughs and other respiratory illnesses. (7)
Incense Cedar - Calocedrus decurrens: NATIVE
This gorgeous smelling tree is one of many native plants adapted to fire. (8) In the face of increasingly severe droughts and wildfires, it's important to remember that burns are necessary and natural in many California ecosystems. (9) Controlled burns are one of many indigenous techniques that can be utilized to prevent loss of life in the dry season.
Weeping Fig - Ficus benjamina: nah
Though small and cute at first, these are the very same trees that grow into the notorious shallow-rooted sidewalk destroyers around Los Angeles. They are native to Asia & Australia. (10)
Jacaranda - Jacaranda mimosifolia: nah
Jacaranda are native to South America where they too cover everything with their sticky purple flowers (11)
Joshua Tree - Yucca brevifolia: NATIVE
The Cahuilla people of Coachella Valley call this plant “hunuvat chiy’a”, (12) This sensitive species that grows almost exclusively in the Mojave desert is suffering a huge die off due to climate change, development, and a loss of the species that carry their seeds to other environments. (13)
Magnolia - Magnolia grandiflora: nah
This Magnolia is part of an ancient genus that evolved long before bees, instead relying on beetles to spread their genes. (14) Take the time to smell a flower next time you see one… you won’t regret it.
Lily of the Nile - Agapanthus (genus comprised of 6-10 species) : nah
Though you’d think its name might give away the origins of this flower, it is neither a lily, nor is its native range particularly close to the Nile River. (15) Today, however, they can be found cultivated in warm places across the world.
Pacific Ponderosa Pine - Pinus ponderosa benthamiana: NATIVE
Ponderosas are the most widely spread species of pine in North America. (16) This subspecies is one of the tallest growing pines in the world, the record currently held in state by an individual reaching 274.6 ft (83.7 m) tall! (17)
Hibiscus - Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Genus of 300+ species) : nah
Researchers can’t seem to agree on where these big pretty flowers originally came from, but they are abundant in tropical regions all over the world. (18)
Prickly Pear - Opuntia (number of species disputed) : NATIVE
These incredible cacti not only provide food from their stems & fruit, but they also have amazing potential to fight environmental disaster by the way their mucusy insides bind to oil. Scientists are at work to replace toxic chemicals used to clean oil spills with a powdered version of this plant. (19)
Toyon - Heteromeles arbutifolia : NATIVE
Also known as the Christmas Berry or California Holly, this plant's berries are enjoyed widely by the Chumash, Tonga, Costanoan, Luiseno, Kumeyaay and Cahuilla tribes, and its leaves are used for all sorts of medicinal remedies. (20)
Passionflower - Passiflora (genus comprised of ~550 species) : nah
In addition to being beautifully alien looking & some species producing delicious fruit, the passionflower plant also has powerful medicinal properties, long used to treat insomnia and anxiety. (21)
Redwood / Sequoia - Sequoiadendron sempervirens & Sequoiadendron giganteum : NATIVE
These magnificent trees are some of earth’s oldest living organisms, with the oldest specimen still alive at 3,500+ years old. (22) However, less than 20% of their old growth forests are left, largely due to government-supported logging and destruction. (23) Both species are now endangered, (24) but planting some saplings vigilante-style is both totally legal and would make for a really cool-sounding hobby. *
* as always, do your research before trying this. Some public lands may not allow this, and remember it’s always best to put natives where they belong - in their native range!
Citrus - Citrus (genus comprised of 3 species) : nah
All those orange, lemon, grapefruit, mandarin, and kumguats your neighbors never seem to pick off their overburdened trees? Their origins are disputed, but most researchers think they originated in and around south, east, and southeast Asia. (25) Your neighbors wouldn't miss them if you took a few. Trust me.
Society Garlic - Tulbaghia violacea : nah
These are commonly planted in road divides all over Southern California, but did you know they’re a type of garlic native to grassland areas of South Africa? (26) And that they’re totally edible and delicious? (27)
Island Morning Glory - Calystegia macrostegia : NATIVE
Though rarer than it's bluish-purple relative, this species is the only morning glory native to California.(28
Unsurprisingly, this native is much more hardy, drought-tolerant, and beneficial to local ecosystems than the Heavenly Blue variety.
White Sage - Salvia apiana : NATIVE
White sage is traditionally used for smudging by natives all over Northern America. Unfortunately, due to the appropriation and popularity explosion of this practice in recent years, overharvesting is putting wild populations at serious risk. (29)(30) Instead of buying white sage from stores that are not native owned land very likely source it unethically) consider growing it yourself. It's hardy, drought-tolerant, has a beautiful scent, and pollinators love it!
Marijuana - Cannabis : nah
Though seemingly integral to California culture, marijuana is in fact native to the steppes of Central Asia. It is considered one of the oldest species of plants cultivated by humans, with evidence of use dating back to 3000 BC. (31)
Maidenhair Fern - Adiantum jordanii : NATIVE
Though there are over 200 species in the genus Adiantum, this particularly delicate, lacy species first appeared right here in California. (32) Look for it around creeks or waterfalls on your next hike. If you can still find some running, that is.
Dudleya - Dudleya (genus comprised of ~45 species) : NATIVE
succulents have taken over human-tended landscapes to fight drought in recent years. While a "succulent" is just a broad term for any fleshy, water-storing plant, many species among this particular genus are native to California. (33) They are beautiful, easy to propogate, and are low maintenance.
Eucalyptus (Genus) - Eucalyptus (genus comprised of 700+ species) : nah
Introduced to California by European settlers via Australia during the Gold Rush, eucalyptus trees are unfortunately invasive. The oils in their leaves are highly flammable and have catalyzed deadly firestorms in the state. E. globulus in particular is inhospitable to species that rely on the countless native coastal oaks they have widely displaced. (34)
Star Jasmine - Trachelospermum jasminoides : nah
Arguably one of the best-smelling things in California, star jasmine is actually native to east and southeast Asia. (35)
California poppy - Eschscholzia californica : NATIVE
Long before it became California's state flower in 1903, indigenous peoples (such as the Luiseno, Cahuilla, Costanoan and Pomo) recognized and utilized these plants for their medicinal, nutritional and cosmetic properties. (36)
36. "California Poppy." USDA Plant Guide (September 2018).
