Native Trees

Santa Barbara Region and San Rafael Mountains

Thumbnail	Common Name	Scientific Name	Description	Native
	Madrone	Arbutus menziesii	Large trees that look similar to Manzanita. Some are found at the top of the Tequepis trail and on the northern section of the Arroyo Burro trail.	Native
	Manzanita	Arctostaphylos glandulosa	Manzanita means small apple which comes from the appearance of the small fruit.	Native
	Big-Berried Manzanita	Arctostaphlos glauca	A large tree-sized Manzanita. This one was seen in the Mission Pine Spring area.	Native
	White Ceanothus - California Lilac	Ceanothus cuneatus	Also called California Lilac. When it blooms in early spring the foothills in Santa Barbara appear a dusty white from all the flowers.	Native
	Bigpod Ceanothus	Ceanothus megacarpus	A small shrub with large sticky fruit. These were seen on the hills east of San Marcos Pass near the crest. I have also seen them on the McMenemy trail and other places.	Native
	Blue Ceanothus	Ceanothus thyrsiflorus	This small tree is also called Blue Blossom and is found in the low foothills in bloom in early spring.	Native
	Creek Dogwood	Cornus sericea Occidentalis	I saw this one and others along the creek on Cold Springs trail north near the grotto. It was covered in white flowers in March 2004.	Native
	Flannel Bush	Fremontodendron californicum	Also called Fremontia. There is a small group of these beautiful shrubs on the Cachuma Fire Road. Seen in May during the Cachuma Fire.	Native
	Pale Silk-Tassel	Garrya flavescens	This beautiful tree sure did stand out as we were driving on Camino Cielo near the top of Romero trail. The long dangling flowers are very unusual.	Native
	Toyon	Heteromeles arbutifolia	Also called Christmas Berry because of the red berries that ripen in winter and are collected for Christmas decoration.	Native
	Tanbark Oak	Lithocarpus densiflorus	Not really an oak but a beech. The bark is rich in tannin and is used for tanning hides.	Native
	Chaparral Pea	Pickeringia montana	Large shrub. There are several at the top of Tequepis trail.	Native
	Western Sycamore	Platanus racemosa	Sycamores (Alisos to old Californians) are frequently found in rivers or stream beds. Their large lobed leaves are very distinctive.	Native
	Holly-leaved Cherry	Prunus ilicifolia	The leaves are used in Christmas leaves and the cherries are eaten by wild animals and humans. A real treat to find these in late fall as the fruit is quite tasty even though the pits are large.	Native
	Scrub Oak	Quercus berberidifolia	Short shrub with many sharp stiff leaves.	Native
	Valley Oak	Quercus lobata	A deciduous tree found in the inland valleys. This picture was taken in late fall of valley oaks covered with algae.	Native
	Coffee Berry	Rhamnus Californica	This plant was used by the Chumash to make a tea. The fruits look like coffee fruit.	Native
	Lemonade Berry	Rhus integrifolia	A small shrub that has sticky fruit that tastes tart like lemonade. It is usually found near the coast.	Native
	Sugar Bush	Rhus ovata Wats.	Very similar to the lemonade berry but it is shiny dark-green and the leaves taper gently to a point. Its fruit can also be used to make a tart drink.	Native
	Mexican Elderberry	Sambucus mexicana	Also known as the flute tree. The natives used it hollow stems to make flutes and whistles.	Native
	Snow Drop Bush	Styrax officinalis var. redivivus	A beautiful bush that grows to a height of ten feet. There are quite a few of these off of West Camino Cielo.	Native
	California Bay Laurel	Umbellularia californica	A very fragrant tree usually found in cool canyons.	Native