Horehound

 Horehound in Kit Carson Park, Escondido

Horehound is quite a common plant in the Southern California. It is easily recognizable. It has bitter taste but I heard you can make candies out of it.

The Latin name for horehound is Marrubium vulgare and it belongs to the Mint family (Lamiaceae).

Hemlock

 Hemlock in Kit Carson park, Escondido

Ah, the famous plant that was used to kill Socrates. Hemlock plant belongs to apiaceae (or umbelliferae) family. Also known as carrot or parsley family. Umbelliferae means "umbrella" because the majority of species form clusters of small flowers that look like little umbrella. The thing about this family is that lots of species do indeed have family resemblance and it mights be difficult to tell one specie from another. What adds to confusion is the fact that lots of them are edible while others are poisonous. Hemlock is the example of the latter.

Hemlock flowers

The plant that resembles hemlock the most is wild carrot (also known as Queen Ann's lace or Daucus carota). Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the latter for comparison. Actually I have not seen that many hemlocks around but there was one patch where it was flourishing together with other bunch of plants.

Hemlock leaves

Remember that hemlock is highly poisonous and even a little dose might kill you. Be very careful and make sure to identify any plant of the carrot family correctly as lots of them are very good medicinal plants, for instance angelica or spices like coriander.

There are actually two genera commonly known as hemlock: Conium that is discussed in this article and Cicuta (water hemlock). Both are highly poisonous, Cicuta is even more deadly than Conium.

Henbit

 Henbit

Henbit is a rare plant. It grows wild but it has beautiful flowers though a very small ones. The picture shows an extreme close-up.

Filaree

 Filaree in Escondido

Filaree (Erodium) is the plant that took me some time to identify. It's very common in Southern California but only in the spring. It grows pretty much everywhere where the common grass grows. Filaree blooms in small delicate 5 petal flowers. The leaves are serrated though there are several species of filaree with different degree of serration. Later in the season  one can see long seedpods. They resemble storkbill which  is another name of this plant.

Curly Dock

 Curly dock in Felicita park (historic photograph)

Curly dock is a great plant. Not only does it grow wild in commons and wastelands but it is also an edible plant and quite tasty at that. Just saute it with onions and tomatoes.


So we found some good looking curly dock in Felicita park when we first came. We harvested some leaves (always leaving the majority of the plant intact). The same common or meadow had sweet alyssum and nettle growing there as well. So you could get on a foraging expedition and be in and out in no time.

But something terrible happened. They (the park authorities) decided to use this common for the parking lot. They have not paved it but they destroyed all the plants. Curly dock was the first one to go. Then nettle, even it grew only on the hillsides and was not even visible. This all happened within one year. We witnessed the destruction of wild plants firsthand and it does not feel good.

There was still plenty of nettle in the park but you had to look in different places. But the park was getting to look more and more like a sports part: just the mowed grass and no more wild plants that do not look like the grass. That's the way things are.

Sweet Alyssum

 Alyssum in Felicita Park, Escondido

alyssum is well... sweet. It is a plant of the mustard family with very small flowers that have a pleasant smell. Like most plants in the mustard family it is edible. You can add it to salads to add a little zest to your dish.

The flowers had 4 white petals and dark purple center. Here's a close-up

The Latin name for this plant is Lobularia maritima, formely known as Alyssum maritimum. However nowadays this genus is considered separate from Alyssum genus though the common name is still alyssum. 

Salt Heliotrope

 Salt heliotrope in Kit Carson Park, Escondido

Salt heliotrope (Heliotropium curassavicum) is a common plant that grows in parks and wastelands. It had small white flowers that grow in oblong clusters.

Here is a close-up on the flowers. Notice that the  flowers have dark purple center. The plant is easily recognizable.

 Salt heliotrope flowers

Eucrypta

 Eucrypta in Felicita Park, Escondido

So another plant, eucrypta, looks similar to cryptantha to me, not to mention they have the same root linguistically. Eucrypta is a Greek word, meaning 'true secret", refering to the hidden inner seeds.

Here's another picture, profile view:

Eucrypta plant

Both eucrypta and cryptantha have tiny white flowers and fuzzy stems. Eucrypta have lobed leaves while cryptantha have long leaves. They are easy to confuse because the flowers look very similar and their names have the same root meaning "hidden" or "secret".

Eucrypta used to belong to Waterleaf family (Hydrophyllaceae). However according to the lates phylogenetic studies the genus is now placed in the Borage family (Boraginaceae).

Cryptantha

 Cryptantha in Felicita Park, Escondido, CA

Today I am going to present to you a plant that is fairly common in Southern California but it's so tiny and inconspicuous that most people probably would not even notice it. However I managed to identify it. Cryptantha has small white flowers and fuzzy leaves. If I remember right, the stems and leaves are prickly.

Tomorrow I am going to show you the plant called eucrypta. To me it sounds like a twin of cryptantha. They even look kind of similar. Cryptantha means "hidden flower", probably because the flowers of some species self-fertilize without opening. Cryptantha is part of Borage family (Boraginaceae).

Coastal Sage

 Coastal sage (Artemisia californica), Escondido, CA

So we had black and white sage on this site. There is another plant known as coastal sage, purple sage or sagebrush. In spite of its name "sage" this is not a true sage (salvia). It's a very popular plant, it grows pretty much everywhere.

The plant in the above pictures is Artemisia californica and it is not part of the mint (Lamiaceae) family but aster  (Asteraceae). Like salvias it has a nice smell especially it you crush a leaf between your fingers. This plant can be also used to spice up a dish.

Veronica

 Veronica in Felicita Park, Escondido, CA

Veronica is a little wild plant growing in parks in meadows. I first noticed it in one of the city parks but I did not know what it was. It has four petals.

White Sage

As you probably know, there are several kinds of sages out there, the most common being black sage, white sage and purple sage. These are the major varieties and of course withing each one there are subspeices like Cleaveland sage and so on. For me the above categories are good enough. We already had black sage, so today the features plant is white sage.

It's not really white but it gives the impression of the light color when viewed on from the distance. In spring you can also see sages covered with tiny flowers.

A view from above:

The plant is very aromatic, especially if you crush a leaf between you fingers.

N.B. Note the resemblance to the Indigo bush. Sage does not have stiff stems sticking up.

Chickweed

Chickweed is a small white flower that grows wild. Though I saw the description pretty much in every book I only found one a couple of years ago. Here it covers big grassy areas in the park. The plant is edible too: you can eat it raw as salad or add to some other dish (it's tender so it does not require any cooking).

Chickweed (Felicita Park, Escondido, CA)

A feature that is helpful to identify chickweed is that is has 5 petals but each petal has a deep cleave so it looks like the flower has 10 petals.

Chickweed's Latin name is Stellaria media and it belongs to the pink or carnation family (Caryophyllaceae). 

The Indigo Bush

A while ago we went to Anza-Borrego desert, which is one of the biggest deserts in the country or to be more exact is the biggest National Park that covers this particular desert.

Well, desert is deceptively empty. True, the habitat is not as rich as, say, wetland or forest, however the life forms in the desert are numerous and their adaptations to the cruel heat climate are amazing. For example, some spend lots of time underground hiding from the unbearable heat of the day and going out at cool night. Others developed ability to suck the little moisture they find in plants so they don't need water. Yet others change their anatomy to adapt to living in extreme heat. Fascinating stuff.

We visited a museum that is located in the Visitors Center in Borrego Springs, little town right in the middle of this desert. The mountains around look desolate but the chaparral around the country is full of life.

Anyway, I was very impressed with this museum. It was small but full of interesting information and numerous exhibits, mainly kids-oriented but what's the heck! Information is information. For example, here is a riddle for you: which is the oldest plant on the planet? If you answered bristlecone pine, WRONG! At leat that was what I thought. Turns out the oldest plant on the planet  is a creosote bush, which is more than 9 thousand years old! They did not, however, reveal the location of this marvellous plant or even mentioned whether it was still living.

The Visitors Center also had a nice garden with typical desert plants. I am a sucker for botanical gardens so I took some pictures. For today's exhibit I chose the Indigo Bush, because it's not a famous plant yet it is quite numerous in that garden. So meet out friend:

Indigo bush (Anza-Borrego National Park, Borrego Springs)

This is the best looking bush I found, most of them do not look that luscious. I wonder if this is the plant from which the famous indigo paint comes.

Coastal monkeyflower

 Monkey flower 

This beautiful plant looks very decorative and adds a splash of colour to the often drab looking chaparral landscapes. They come in orange and red bright hues and have narrow smooth leaves.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat (Felicita Park)

Buckwheat is one of the most common desert plants that can be seen almost everywhere. It endures heat very well and adds refreshing green in the spring.

Black Sage

 Black sage (Picture taken in Escondido, CA)

Black sage is a very common plant in Southern California, it occurs quite frequently in a chaparral desert. It does like some water though. This plant is famous for medicinal use though I don't know what exactly you can do with it except add a leaf or two in your cooking to spice it up a bit.

Black sage is one of the several varieties of sages, other common species being white sage and purple sage. They are also known as salvias.

Datura

 Datura (Picture takes in Wilderness Gardens near Pala, CA)

Well, this one was really an exciting discovery. I first noticed this plant in Wilderness gardens near Pala Indian Reservation but I didn't know what plant it was. Only later i was able to identify it as datura or jimson weed, a plant that can be used as a poison or rather made into a psychedelic concoction to induce visions.

Well, since then I have seen it in other places. It grows wild though it is not really a common plant. It seems to like desert environment. It has beautiful white flowers. I have no idea what part of plants is used for trips though I suspect it's a flower or seed. Anyway it really stands out in desert.

Datura is part of the Nightshade family (Solanaceae)

Mesquite

 Mesquite tree (Casa Grande ruins, Coolidge, Arizona)

If you find yourself in a desert in Southern California or Arizona, chances are you will see mesquite bush around. It's one of the sturdy plants, sometimes bush, sometimes a tree that is thriving in a desert environment. American Indians used the seeds of the plant to make bread.

Rue

 Rue (Picture taken in Tucson Botanical Gardens)

Rue is also called herb of grace. It was used in culinary arts, medicinal arts and religious rituals. It has small oval leaves and fluffy yellow flowers.

Creosote Bush

 Creosote (Picture taken in Casa Grande Ruins)

Ah, I've heard so much about this plant. The name itself always excited me. Travelling through Indian country one can learn that American Indians used the plant for medicinal purposes. It still grows in abundance in desert country like Arizona and desert parts of California.

I expected it to smell like creosote (though I don't know how creosote smells) but I could not detect any smell. Perhaps Indians cooked it and the heating would release the smell. It has sticky oily substance that is released when you rub the leaves but it does not have any aroma.

Creosote bush (Picture taken in Joshua Tree National Park)

Another creosote bush had little white puffy balls. My guess is they are seeds. As you can see there are flowers and white puffs on the same bush. It's fairly common in plants.

Cresoste bush is called Larrea tridentata in Latin and is part of family Zygophyllaceae.

Mystery of Jojoba

 Bladderpod plant (Picture taken in Joshua Tree National Park)

Wha'd'yah'know? As soon as the mystery of epazote was solved, another one appeared. This time it's a mystery of jojoba plant. The mystery is the one of identification. This plant was growing in abundance in Joshua Tree National Park but I could not find any labeled plant in the botanical exhibit. Anyway, until confirmed otherwise, we'll consider it jojoba (Edit: the plant is actually Cleome isomeris, see note below).

A few facts about jojoba. It's a desert plant and male and female flowers grow on different plants. The leaves are smooth and turn sideways to the sun so not to expose the whole surface and thus prevent moisture evaporation. In that particular area there were several plants with brights yellow flowers, including creosote bush and desert senna.

The plant on photograph has numerous pods that smell like fresh peas but the seeds are very small. I am not sure it is really jojoba.

Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) is the only species of the family Simmondsiaceae (Jojoba family). Chinensis means "of Chinese origin".  Strangely enough, in spite of the name jojoba does not originate in China. It grows in the deserts of California, Arizona and Mexico.

Note. As it turned out, the plant above is not a jojoba but bladderpod (Cleome isomeris, also known as Isomeris arborea).  It does grow in the desert. The plant has big four-petaled yellow flowers and it is part of the family Cleomaceae that is closely related to Brassicasiae hence the morphological resemblance. In some systems it is still considered part of Brassicaseae. Peritoma arborea is another name for this plant.

Wooly Blue Curl

Wooly Blue Curl at the Deer Park Monastery, Escondido

Isn't that a beautiful plant? The interesting thing about Wooly Blue Curl is that i have only seen it once in the wild. The other time was in a plant nursery and it looked a lot like a decorative plant. Well, it definitely grows in the wild as well. The picture above is taken in its natural habitat, which is a little manipulated by its residents but we won't talk about that.

Mystery of Epazote

Epazote (?) picture taken at Daley Ranch, Escondido

If you were ever interested in spices for cooking, no doubt you came across epazote, especially if you live in an area where Mexican cuisine is popular. You can buy this plants in ethnic Mexican stores. It is rather bland in taste and have a faint neutral flavour. It is most commonly used in bean dishes.

So what's the mystery? Well, if you ever tried to find more information about epazote on internet you would come across descriptions that are quite different from the one above. The plant have small leaves with serrated edges. However, most of the descriptions specifically mention unpleasant or at least strong odour. In fact, the name epazote means something like the smell of skunk (I could not verify this information because, as usual, as soon as I checked it out again it disappeared from internet). The name is derived from Nahuatl word epazotl.

In fact I myself found the plant that looks like epazote in the wilderness  parts near Escondido, CA. It does indeed have an unpleasant smell. It's bad enough not to use for cooking.

Anyway how can one plant be described so differently. Well... here is my theory.

There are, in fact, two similar looking plants, both referred to as epazote. One is what can be bought in Mexican stores, another one is the stinky plant. They do indeed look very much alike: the leaves are of similar size and shape. The one I found in the wild also had tiny red flowers.

I still don't know for sure if it is epazote or not in the above pictures but it sure looks like it. We'll consider it epazote until proved otherwise.

Update on April 2011. Here is the picture of real epazote taken in Botanical Garden in Tucson. This plant has a nice smell. As you can see, the plant is different from the one above.

 Epazote from Tucson Botanical Gardens

So they are indeed two different plant and it's hard to tell the difference unless you compare them side by side. The plant on the first picture has more serrated leaves and unpleasant smell. The second one has a nice smell and the edges are less serrated.

Update April, 2012. I identified the plant in the first picture! It is called figwort and it grows pretty much everywhere. It has medicinal properties but it is not edible.

The mystery is solved.