November 2011
Plant List
An online plant list for More Mesa has now been compiled and loaded onto the web site. The entries on the list are derived from the 1982 and 2010 Biological Resources Studies, a list from the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens, and a few other observations. Please click here for the list.
Native Plants Blooming on More Mesa
Whenever possible, the monthly news will feature some of the plants blooming on More Mesa at that time. Plants blooming in November are for the most part those that bloom year round, and are not limited to spring and summer flowerings.
| More Mesa Native Plants – November | |
| California Poppy – Coastal Variety | California Bush Sunflower |
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California Poppies have showy flowers and fine gray-green leaves. The flowers unfurl from a pointed cap, after which the petals open in sunshine, and close in the evening or cooler weather. Sometimes bees rest in the closed petals overnight. In warmer areas especially with coastal fog, they grow as several-year perennials. This variety is resistant to powdery mildew, and has yellowish edging to the petals. On seeding, the long and pointed capsules twist as they dry, to pop and scatter the seeds. |
Bush Sunflower is a perennial shrub growing mostly on coastal bluffs and open slopes in coastal sage scrub and chaparral below 2000 feet. This shrub grows to a height of about four feet. Flowering can start as early as the first rains in fall, and continue through the moist months of spring. Under the right conditions, some flowering can even extend throughout the whole year. In hot and dry conditions, the plant ceases flowering and may lose leaves. Seeds are set during summer, and attract many native birds. |