The CCSF Native Plant Blog Blossoms Again!

It may have been almost two years since the previous posting, but our CCSF Native Plant Garden is still growing strong!  Each semester two students get together to assist on the maintenance and host workdays at the garden on the east side of the science building.  This Spring Semester we welcome Michael Case and Emily Fryer to the team.

A highlight of spring is when the Douglas iris (Iris douglasiana pictured above) are in bloom.  Though drought tolerant, the foliage does have a tendency to look shabby and brown during the summer, but the wait pays off with this intricate inflorescence.

I'm sure you're asking: "What kind of exciting activities do they have planned?"

Weeding and cleaning! Some pesky weeds have made their way into the beds, along with a lot of cigarette butts.  With the help of some biology students we were able to perform some routine maintenance to keep the beds looking fresh. 

Stay Tuned for volunteer opportunities and plant info!

Beach Strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis)

Beach Strawberry is a perennial member of the Rose family. It reproduces by sending out runners forming a dense mat, which is good for filling in between rocks or on the borders of your garden. Of our two native strawberry species this one is more aggressive and hardier. It grows along the coast and can be found in the Coastal Strand, and North Coastal Scrub. During the spring and summer it has white flowers that give way to tiny edible strawberries. It has adapted to life on the coast by forming a thick waxy coating on the tops of its 3 serrated, oval shaped leaves. This adaptation limits evaporation making the Beach Strawberry a very drought tolerant ground cover. Another way it is adapted to life on the beach can be observed when the plant is buried by shifting sands. When this happens it sends a runner shoot up out of the sand to form a new colony. In San Francisco it can be found in the dunes of Ft. Funston, along Ocean Beach all the way up to Baker Beach and around to Crissy Field. When the Army operated at Ft. Funston (and other coastal sandy sites) they could have chosen Beach Strawberry as one of the plants to stabilize the dunes instead of introducing the invasive, bluff busting ice plant.

Beach Strawberry at a glance

Sun: Full
Water: None or very little
Soil: Requires good drainage
Wildlife: Butterflies, Bees, Birds, and Small Mammals
Pair with: Seaside Daisy, Beach Sagewort, Prostrate Coyote Brush, Coast Buckwheat, Pacific Gum Plant, Dune tansy

Whos Says it Never Snows in SF?

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus in bloom on campus

While the east coast is bathed in blankets of school-stopping snow, here in the cool coastal climate, wintertime means bloom time for species such as the wild lilac, "Snow Flurry,"  (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus).

You can also see the little blue blooms of the coast blue blossom around campus (walking from the bungalows to the back side of the library, for one example) and the bay area.