Mount Hamilton Wildflowers and Plants

The Mount Hamilton, California area has a wide variety of wildflowers that I have been learning and photographing for a couple years now. I've done my best to properly identify the flowers. The area includes the region of the Diablo range from roughly the bottom of Mount Hamilton (Alum Rock and Quimby Roads in San Jose), through Lick Observatory at the peak of Mount Hamilton at over 4200 feet elevation, to about the Junction in the San Antonio Valley.

Please let me know if there are any errors in my identifications. While I've had considerable help from many people in learning the flowers, it is possible I've gotten something wrong.

All images are copyright 2007 by Elinor Gates. Contact me if you want a higher resolution image.

PhotoCommon Name(s)Scientific Name
Santa Clara Thornmint Acanthomintha lanceolata
Yarrow, Common Yarrow Achillea millefolium
Blow-wives Achyrachaena mollis
Spearleaf Mountain Dandelion Agoseris retrorsa
Pennisular Onion Allium peninsulare
Dense False Gilia Allophyllum gilioides ssp. violaceum
Common Fiddleneck Amsinckia menziesii
Scarlet Pimpernel Anagallis arvensis
Sail-flower Snapdragon Antirrhinum vexillo-calyculatum
Tower Mustard (with Canyon Dodder) Arabis glabra
Bigberry Manzanita Arctostaphylos glauca
Heart-leaf Arnica Arnica cordifolia
California Mugword Artemisia dauglasiana
California Milkweed Asclepias californica
Roughleaf Aster, Broadleaf Aster Aster radulinus
Milkvetch Astragalus lentiginosus or astragalus breweri
Erectpod Winter Cress Barbarea orthosceras
Elegant Brodiaea Brodiaea elegans
Red Maids Calandrinia ciliata
White Globe Lily, Fairy Lantern Calochortus albus
Butterfly Mariposa Lily Calochortus venustus
Suncup Camissonia ovata
Sharsmith's Harebelle Campanula sharsmithiae
Shepherd's Purse Capsella bursa-pastoris
Common Milkmaids Cardamine californica
Few-Seeded Bittercress Cardamine oligosperma
Heartpod Hoary Cress Cardaria draba
Purple Owl's Clover Castilleja exserta ssp. exserta
Wooly Indian Paintbrush Castilleja foliolosa
Buckbrush Ceanothus cuneatus
Blueblossom Ceanothus thyrsiflorus
Mountain Mahogany Cercocarpus betuloides
Common Pineappleweed, Pineapple Weed Chamomilla suaveolens
Pink Spineflower Chorizanthe membranacea
Rabbitbrush (and Yellow-Jacket) Chrysothamnus nauseosus ssp. mohavensis
Venus Thistle Cirsium occidentale var. venustum
. Clarkia sp.
. Clarkia sp.
. Clarkia sp.
Redribbons Clarkia concinna
Winecup Clarkia Clarkia purpurea
Tongue Clarkia Clarkia rhomboidea
Serpentine Springbeauty Claytonia exigua
Serpentine Spring Beauty Claytonia exigua
Miner's Lettuce Claytonia parviflora
Miner's Lettuce Claytonia perfoliata
Pipestems Clematis lasiantha
Chinese Houses Collinsia heterophylla
Sticky Blue-Eyed Mary Collinsia ratanii
Spinster's Blue-Eyed Mary Collinsia sparsiflora
Large-flowered Collomia Collomia grandiflora
Western Hound's Tongue Coynoglossum grande
Smooth Hawksbeard Crepis capillaris
. Cryptantha sp.
Minature Popcorn Flower Cryptantha sp. micromeres?
Canyon Dodder (on Tower Mustard) Cuscuta subinclusa
Rattlesnake Weed Daucus pusillus
Red Larkspur Delphinium nudicaule
Spreading Larkspur Delphinium patens
Blue Dicks Dichelostemma capitatum
Ookow Dichelostemma congestum
Shooting Stars Dodecatheon clevelandii
Whitlowgrass Draba verna
Diablo Range Dudleya Dudleya cymosa ssp. paniculata
California Fuschia Epilobium canum
Turkey Mullein Eremocarpus setigerus
Interior Goldenbush Ericameria linearifolia
Rock Daisy Erigeron petrophilus var. petrophilus
Naked-stem Buckwheat Eriogonum nudum
Wright Buckwheat Eriogonum wrightii
Golden Yarrow Eriophyllum confertiflorum
Broadleaf Filaree Erodium botrys
Red-Stemmed Filaree Erodium cicutarium
Western Wallflower Erysimum capitatum
Tufted Poppy Eschscholzia caespitosa
California Poppy Eschscholzia californica
California Fluffweed Filago californica
Serpentine Bedstraw Galium andrewsii ssp. gatense
Goosegrass, Bedstraw Galium aparine
California Bedstraw Galium californicum
Climbing Bedstraw Galium porrigens
Dove's-Foot Geranium Geranium molle
California Gilia Gilia achilleifolia
Birdseye Gilia Gilia tricolor
Bluecup Githopsis specularioides
Hawkweed Hieracium albiflorum
Mediterranean Mustard Hirschfeldia icana
Leather-root Hoita macrostachya
Creambush Holodiscus discolor
Ground Iris Iris macrosiphon
Western False Rue Anemone Isopyrum occidentale
Red Beardtongue Keckiella corymbosa
Clasping Henbit Lamium amplexicaule
Goldfields Lasthenia californica
Hillside Pea, Woodland Pea Lathyrus vestitus
Tidytips Layia platyglossa
Common Peppergrass Lepidium nitidum
California Aster Lessignia filaginifolia var. californica
Douglas' Meadowfoam Limnanthes douglasii
Serpentine Linanthus Linanthus ambiguus
Common Linanthus Linanthus androsaceus
Bicolor Linanthus Linanthus bicolor
Wiskerbrush Linanthus Linanthus ciliatus
Woodland Star Lithophragma affine
Hillside Star, Woodland Star Lithophragma heterophyllum
Hog Fennel Lomatium dasycarpum
Observatory Lomatium Lomatium observatorium
Spring-Gold Lomatium utriculatum
Colchita Lotus humistratus
? Lupine Lupinus sp.
Collin's Bush Lupine, Bay Area Silver Lupine Lupinus albifrons var. collinus
Miniature Lupine Lupinus bicolor
Broadleaf Lupine Lupinus latifolius
Gully Lupine Lupinus microcarpus ssp. densiflorus
Small Tarweed Madia exigua
Slender Madia Madia gracilis
Small Madia Madia minima
Desert Dandelion Malacothrix floccifera?
California Manroot Marah fabaceus
California Burr Clover Medicago polymorpha
Lindley's Blazingstar Mentzelia lindleyi
Golden Blazing-Star Mentzelia micrantha
Slender Cottonweed Micropus californicus
Scarlet Monkeyflower Mimulus cardinalis
Purple Mouse Ears Mimulus douglasii
Common Monkeyflower, Seep Monkeyflower Mimulus guttatus
False Monkeyflower, Downy Monkeyflower Mimulus pilosus
Largeleaf Sandwort Moehringia macrophylla
Coyote Mint Monardella villosa
Baby Blue Eyes Nemophila menziesii
Small-Flower Nemophila Nemophila parviflora
Sweet-cicely Osmorhiza chilensis
Indian Warrior Pedicularis densiflora
Birdfoot Fern Pellaca mucronata
Foothill Penstemon Penstemon heterophyllus
California Yampah Perideridia californica
? Phacelia Phacelia sp.
? Phacelia Phacelia sp.
Brewer's Phacelia, Brewer's Scorpionweed Phacelia breweri
Wild Heliotrope, Distant Phacelia Phacelia distans
. Phacelia imbricata
Stinging Phacelia Phacelia malvifolia
Slender Phlox Phlox gracilis
Popcorn Flower Plagiobothrys nothofulvus
California Plantain Plantago erecta
Longspur Plectritis Plectritis ciliosa ssp. ciliosa
Longhorn Plectritis Plectritis macrocera
Thymelike Pogogyne Pogogyne serpylloides
Sticky Cinquefoil Potentilla glandulosa
Western Choke Cherry Prunus virginiana var. demissa
? Oak Quercus sp.
California Buttercup Ranunculus californicus
Wild Radish Raphanus sativus
Hillside Gooseberry, California Gooseberry Ribes californicum
California Rose Rosa californica
Himalayan Blackberry Rubus discolor
California Blackberry Rubus ursinus
Chia Salvia columbariae
Purple Sanicle Sanicula bipinnatifida
Turkey Sanicle Sanicula tuberosa
California Saxifrage Saxifraga californica
Shepherd's Needle Scandix pecten-veneris
California Groundsel Senecio arnicoides
Common Groundsel Senecio vulgaris
Windmill Pink Silene gallica
Blue Witch Solanum umbelliferum
California Hedgenettle Stachys bullata
Common Chickweed (on left) Stellaria media
Tall Stephanomeria Stephanomeria virgata
Mount Hamilton Jewelflower Streptanthus callistus
Bristly Jewelflower Streptanthus glandulosus
Wind Poppy Stylomecon heterophylla
Hartweg's Tauschia Tauschia hartwegii
False Lupine Thermopsis macrophylla
Hairy Fringepod Thysanocarpus curvipes
. Tonella tenella
Poison Oak Toxicodendron diversilobum
Indian Clover Trifolium albopurpureum
Hop Clover, Golden Clover Trifolium aureum
Notch-leaf Clover Trifolium bifidum
Rose Clover Trifolium hirtum
Smallhead Clover Trifolium microcephalum
Tomcat Clover Trifolium willdenovii
Butter-and-Eggs Triphysaria eriantha
Ithuriel's Spear, Wally-baskets Tritelei laxa
California Bay Umbellularia californica
Stinging Nettle Urtica dioica ssp. gracils
Silver Puffs Uropappus lindleyi
Western Verbena Verbena lasiostachys
Hairy Purslane Speedwell Veronica peregrina ssp. xalapensis
Bird's Eye Speedwell, Persian Speedwell Veronica persica
American Vetch Vicia americana
Spring Vetch Vicia sativa
Douglas' Violet Viola douglasii
Johny-Jump-Up Viola pendunculata
Oak Violet Viola purpurea
Narrow-leaf Mule-ears, Narrow-leaf Sunflower Wyethia angustifolia
Mule-Ears, Grey Mule-Ears, Mule's Ear Sunflower Wyethia helenioides
?? ??
Dwarf Loco Weed
Thanks to Dean Harpster for the ID
Astagalus gambelianus
?? ??
Pacific Sanicle
Thanks to Dean Harpster for the ID
Sanicula crassicaulis
?? ??


Elinor Gates
Last modified: Sat Apr 5 12:15:10 PDT 2008