The mission of the California Native Plant Society is to increase understanding and appreciation of California’s native plants and to conserve them and their natural habitats through education, science, advocacy, horticulture and land stewardship.
Dedicated to the preservation of California's native plants
Fiscalini Ranch, January, 2019. Cambria, California. Marlin Harms.
Hot Topics

Succulent Smuggling Comes to the Central Coast
Last spring, the story of a Dudleya smuggler in Mendocino County hit the news when an observant person noticed something odd while waiting in line at the local post office. (Here's a link to one of the news outlets covering that story.) Now we have our own case of...
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Maintaining Garden Tools
February is pruning month and with all the rain its time to get out the pruning tools. A dull, unsharpened tool can be dangerous to use so it is wise to sharpen them before use. Some general rules about sharpening tools. First, always wear gloves when sharpening...
read moreWinners and losers under the impact of intense drought
As we have just experienced an intense and prolonged drought, a team of scientists has just published in Nature Climate Change Letters an analysis of impacts in the Carrizo Plain. They quantified the responses of 423 species of plants, arthropods, birds, reptiles and...
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Wildflowers of San Luis Obispo 2nd Edition
The Revised and Expanded 2nd Edition of our wonderful Wildflowers of San Luis Obispo, California has arrived just in time for the holidays! 20 new plants have been added and the SLO City open space map has been updated including trailhead directions. The new cover photograph of Woolly Blue Curls with the distant view of an oak studded grassy hillside puts you on our Central Coast.
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European Beachgrass (Ammophila arenaria)
Ammophila arenaria is in the Poaceae family. It is native to northern Europe and
spread from plantings from the late 1800s to the late 1900s. Andrea Pickart has
written that European beachgrass is the most pervasive exotic plant species
currently threatening coastal dunes on the west coast of the U.S. and is invasive in
every major dune system from Santa Barbara County …

Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolium)
Toyon, Heteromeles arbutifolium is a wonderful, hardy, native California evergreen shrub. It can be a good screen in the yard, growing up to 6 feet fairly quickly. It tolerates soils from serpentine to clay, to sand. It is not as flammable as other chaparral shrubs. It is a great forage plant for bees, butterflies, and …
read moreHelp is needed at the sales table
We could use some help behind the counter at some of our meetings and events. You can be as involved as you like: selling and writing receipts, report on the sales after the meeting, even order books. Please consider a few hours to keep us operating!
read moreEvent Calendar
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