California Horkelia

Horkelia californica

California Horkelia (Horkelia californica) is a rare plant that I found in our oak grove. There are just a few patches along the dry bed of a brook. The only other flowering plants there right now is milkweed (Asclepias). So what can we deduce by looking at the plant?

Horkelia flower

Well, it is covered by by fuzz much like the plants of the borage family. Is it a member of Boraginaceae? No. The flower is rather small with five white petals? Could it be a member of Caryophyllaceae (Carnation family)? No. The plant belong to... Rose family. Yes, it does not resemble any known Rosaceae members except for the fact that it has 5 petals.

A flower before (or after) petals become white

Pacific Ninebark

 Pacific ninebark behind twinberry

Pacific ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus) is not a herb but a shrub. The common name gets its name from the fact that the bark is peeling away in layers but I haven't really looked at the bark because I did not know what the plant was at the moment. Notice on the above pictures that the plant in the front is twinberry.

Pacific ninebark flowers and leaves

It's a shrub that puts forward round clusters of white attractive flowers. The plant belong to the Rose family (Rosaceae) so expect to see 5 petaled flowers with lots of stamens. The flowers and the leaves do indeed remind those of Rubus (thimbleberry, etc) except they are small and form round clusters.

This plant likes wet habitat so it can be most often found along the rivers. However it is drought-tolerant and therefore became a popular garden plant. Personally I have not seen this plant often.

Cinquefoil

Silverweed cinquefoil or argentina anserina is a plant found mainly in marshes. It has yellow flowers like buttercup but the leaves are different. The plant is also known as common silver weed or just silver weed. The Latin name argentina means silver.The plant is part of the Rose family (Rosaceae)

The name cinquefoil (without silverweed part) usually refers to a related but different plant potentilla that resembles strawberry. Like strawberry and silverweed it also belongs to Rose family.

Argentina leaves

The leaves are composite, serrated and very shiny.

Silverweed flower

Thimbleberry

 Thimbleberry bush

Thimbleberry is a common sight in a redwood forest. It's a shrub with rounded deeply lobed leaves. Right now it's blooming.

Thimbleberry belongs to the Rose family, to which such plants as blackberry, raspberry and strawberry also belong. You can actually see some family resemblance. 

Thimbleberry flower

It means that very soon we'll see some thimbleberry berries. Perhaps, thimbleberry pie?