Today we have some plant photos sent by reader Amy Perry. Amy’s captions and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge her photos by clicking on them.
These photos were taken with my iPhone 11 in December of 2025 in the Torrey Pines State Nature Reserve Extension, except where otherwise indicated. I was pleasantly surprised to find enough flowers in bloom to photograph to send to you.
The Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana), for which the state nature reserve is named, is a rare pine species in California. It is a critically endangered species growing only in coastal San Diego County, and on Santa Rosa Island, offshore from Santa Barbara. The Torrey pine is endemic to the California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion. Like all pines, its needles are clustered into fascicles that have a particular number of needles for each pine species; in the Torrey pine there are five needles in each fascicle, as in Photo 1 (taken outside the reserve in December 2024). Trees near the ocean are battered by strong winds into odd, twisty, even grotesque, shapes, as in the second photo. The third photo shows an upright tree, growing in the reserve extension, which is a separate area a few blocks from the ocean.
The species epithet torreyana is named for John Torrey, an American botanist, after whom the coniferous genus Torreya is also named. The Torrey pine is protected by a city tree ordinance in Del Mar, near the native habitat, and construction projects and residents require a permit for its removal.
California buckwheat, or flat-topped buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), is a keystone species for sagebrush scrub ecosystems. It has been used as a food crop and medicinal plant by various Native American tribes. It’s a nectar host for several butterflies and a larval host for several others. Often the compact, drab dark brown balls of winter (Photo 4) coexist on the same plant as, and contrast with the fluffy, delicate white and pink blossoms (second photo) left over from spring, summer, and fall.
White sage (Salvia apiana) leaves are thickly covered in hairs that trigger oil glands; when rubbed oils and resins are released, producing a strong aroma. The flowers are very attractive to bees, which is described by the specific epithet, apiana. Young leaves start off green and turn white as they get older.
Also called bee sage or sacred sage, white sage is deeply rooted in the cultures and lifeways of indigenous communities of southern California and northern Baja, the only region where this sage naturally occurs in the world. Over-harvest of wild Californian white sage populations is a concern held by many Native American groups and conservationists. The destruction of white sage has become a focus of the Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy.
California aster (Symphyotrichum chilense) sports petite flowers in subtle shades of blue and lavender. I see it in those colors and in white. (Other flowers usually in blue or lavender sometimes occur in white in Indiana, where I live.) Butterflies and moths are attracted to the nectar. California aster, also called coast aster and Pacific aster, is a host plant for several species of both insects. Birds eat the seeds after blooming. Despite its scientific name, it does not occur in Chile:
Laurel sumac (Malosma laurina) is named “laurel” because the foliage is reminiscent of bay laurel but it is not in that plant family. It is a key plant in coastal sage scrub and chaparral, and the berries (second photo, October 2025) are appreciated by songbirds, especially warblers. It is sensitive to cold and tolerates extended freezing conditions poorly. Orange growers in the early history of southern California used to pick places to plant their oranges based on where laurel sumac was growing because this indicated it would not get too cold for oranges:
Telegraph weed (Heterotheca grandiflora) is a pioneer species and roadside weed even where it is native. This is a tall, bristly, hairy plant and looks weedy, but I think it’s cool because it’s unusual and spectacular. Sometimes exceeding a meter in height, as in the second photo (December 2024), its resemblance to a telegraph pole gives it this name. Another name is silk-grass goldenaster:
California sagebrush (Artemisia californica) has an aromatic fragrance and threadlike silvery green leaves. The silvery appearance is due to the numerous fine hairs on the leaves. Although it is called sage because of its aroma, it is really a member of the sunflower family. An amusing name for it is Cowboy cologne. Here it is growing in the middle of California brittlebush or California bush sunflower (Encelia californica). The dried resin of this plant can be burned for incense; the Spanish common name for this plant is incienso. Like many desert plants, both of these are very sprawling and unruly-looking:
