March 4, 2019

NEW
– Douglas iris is starting to bloom white in the forests.
– Oakland star tulip is blooming with its whiteish, mariposa lily-shaped flower in the meadow below 11 on the Homestead Trail.
– Shooting star with its distinctive pink flower is blooming on the Ridgewood Rock and below the trail junction sign at 9.

Forests
– Bay laurel, one of our most common trees, flowers smell sweetly of vanilla and bloom in cream clusters.
– California nutmeg, this conifer’s male pollen cones are blooming white.
– Canyon gooseberry, shrubs are along the trail up from Madrone Park Circle and visible from the road, across the creek at the u-bend trailhead on Ridgewood.
– Cherry plum*, native of Europe, grows near water throughout Homestead and is blooming now.
– Coast live oak, another of our common trees, blooms with tassel flowers.
– Fetid adder’s tongue, one of our most exotic blooms is peaking now.
– False lily of the valley with its white star flowers is blooming below the 11 junction and soon will carpet the forest.
– Forget-me-not*, native of Europe, is one of the most invasive plants of the Homestead forest. Its seeds form small burrs that animals spread deep into wild areas. Please, pull forget-me-nots wherever you see them.
– Giant trillium is taller with larger leaves than the more common Pacific trillium, has vertical cream or purple flowers and is blooming beyond the first curve below 16.
– Milkmaids are starting to bloom white in the meadow below Amaranth.
– Tasmanian blue gum, native to Australia, has gum nuts that are blooming now.
– Trilium, white bloom floating on three large heart-shaped leaves can be seen in the Laverne road cut above Stolte Grove, at the creek just past 9 and in the forests.
– Wood sweet-cicely, found throughout the forests of Homestead blooms with small white flowers.

Forest edges
– Albizia*, a wattle native to Australia and a garden escapee is blooming in the gully below Pixie Trail.
– Arroyo willow grows near water and is blooming with bottle brush flowers.
– American vetch, one of our native pea vines is blooming purple.
– California blackberry, is blooming white up on the ridge.
– Calla lily*, native to Southern Africa, has naturalized into wet seeps and is blooming white.
– Cape ivy, native of South Africa, is a noxious weed in California. It blankets shrubs, trees and ground, suppressing any other growth, is toxic to animals that eat it and to fish if it trails in the water.
– Chickweed*, native to Europe, a low weed with white flowers is a traditional edible and medicinal plant.
– Cowparsnip with its large white umbels is blooming at the forest edge.
– Green wattle acacia* tree native to Australia is starting to bloom with its bright yellow puff flowers.
– Latin American fleabane*, native of Central America, has colonized a small area below Amaranth.
– Manroot, the wild cucumber vine is blooming white.
– Milkflower cotoneaster*, native to China, is blooming with white clusters on the ridge.
– Miner’s lettuce with its white flowers at the center of an edible circular leaf is blooming in wet seeps.
– Oso berry, a deciduous shrub, blooms almost before its leaves emerge. Flowers are white and very fragrant.
– Pacific hound’s tongue is emerging all over at the forest edges. Tall spikes topped with pretty blue flowers are starting to show.
– Sourgrass, native to South Africa, is a noxious weed here. Bright yellow flower, sour stem sucking.
– White flowered onion*, native of the Mediterranean basin, is blooming in wet areas – edible.
– Woodland strawberry is blooming white up on the ridge below Homestead Hill.

Meadows
– Checker lily’s yellow-spotted chocolate bell is blooming on the Ridgewood Rock with budding sprouts waiting nearby.
– Death camus, a white star lily is starting to bloom in meadows.
– Footsteps of spring’s chartreuse clusters brighten the ground up on the ridge.
– Greene’s saxifrage with its small white flower is blooming on the Ridgewood Rock.
– Ground iris is blooming purple on the knoll north of Homestead Hill.
– Indian warrior’s tall burgundy spikes are blooming all up and down the hillside under the oaks at 15 on the Homestead trail.
– Marin checker lily, with chocolate bell flowers is blooming in the meadow below Amaranth.
– Spring gold, a bright yellow ground hugging lomatium is blooming on the Ridgewood Rock.
– Wooly lomatium is blooming with its champagne froth clusters near its bright yellow cousin, spring gold, on the Ridgewood Rock.

Key to map:
I haven’t located plants on on the map if they are very prolific. Find them by their habitat.

Gallery of wildflowers and plants found in Homestead.

*Non-native

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