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

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?