List of California Native Plants - Introduction

Introduction

California is home to 5,862 species and 1,169 subspecies or varieties of native plants. This figure is comparable to all the species in all the other states combined. The Jepson Manual documents the state's ever changing botany statistics.

Of California's total plant population, 2,153 species, subspecies, and varieties are endemic and native to California alone. This botanical diversity stems not only from the size of the state, but also its diverse topographies, climates, and soils (e.g. serpentine outcrops). Numerous plant groupings exist in California, and botanists work to structure them into identifiable ecoregions, plant communities, vegetation types, and habitats, and taxonomies.

Some California native plants have extraordinary horticultural appeal. Sometimes the appreciation was greater abroad first, such as Lupines, California Fuchsias, and California Poppies being cultivated in British and European gardens for over a century.

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