Petals Absent, Not Apparent (Sepals may look like Petals), or Hard to Count   Return to SDWildflowers page 

• Amaranthaceae (Amaranth Family)

   

• Caryophyllaceae (Pink Family)

  Cardionema ramosissimum (Tread Lightly) -- Tiny flowers on low-growing mound of spine tipped leaves. -- Uncommon.  -- Found on burns and open sandy areas, coast below 150m. -- Distance across Sepals about 4mm, spine tipped -- Rudimentary Petals are much smaller.

• Amaranthaceae (Goosefoot Family)

  Salsola (Russian Thistle aka Tumbleweed) -- Often mealy, scurfy-white, dandruff-like surfaces -- Greenish flowers, very small -- No Petals -- Flowers in dense spike-like clusters

• Euphorbiaceae (Spurge Family)

  Chamaesyce (Spurge) Croton (Calif Croton) Ricinus (Castor Bean)  -- Usually thick milky sap -- Cluster of Stamens & Glands -- 3-lobed Ovary (beside stamens)

• Members of Fabaceae (Pea Family) - subfamilies other than Papilionoideae

  Acacia -- Mimosoideae subfamily -- Non-Native (Australia) -- Many tiny Radial flowers in Axillary head
  Calliandra (Fairy Duster) -- Mimosoideae subfamily -- Petals & Sepals inconspicuous -- Several flowers in short Axillary head -- Many long Stamens per flower, fused into bunches near the base of the flower. -- Desert plant

• Fagaceae (Oak Family)

  Quercus dumosa (Nutall's Scrub Oak) -- Leaves shiny green above, rough grayish-green below -- Common chaparral shrub in San Diego County -- 5 or 6 Sepals, No Petals --

• Grossulariaceae (Gooseberry Family)

  Ribes speciosum (Fuchsia-flowered Gooseberry) -- Unusual in this Family with 4 Sepals and 4 (hard to count) Petals -- Common chaparral shrub -- Long Exserted Styles & Stamens -- Stem Nodes have Spines

• Orobanchaceae (Broom-Rape Family)

  Castilleja affinis (Indian Paintbrush) -- Common low-growing bush --  Orthocarpus purpurascens (Owl's Clover) -- Common in grassy areas below 4000 ft, coastal & foothill. --

  Castilleja minor (Calif Thread-Torch) -- Occasional in moist places, foothills, mountains & desert. Slender, 2 to 4 ft high. --  Cordylanthus rigidus (Bird's-Beak) -- Common many-branched sub-shrub 2 to 6 ft high. -- Found in disturbed and open areas west side of mountains

• Paeoniaceae (Peony Family)

  Paeonia californica (California Peony) -- Found in chaparral & coastal scrub -- 5 leathery Sepals -- Flowers typically seen nodding & barely open -- 5 to 10 deep blackish-red Petals -- Leaves dark green & deeply divided

• Papaveraceae (Poppy Family)

  Dicentra chrysantha (Ear-Drops, Golden) -- Found after fires, foothills & mountains above 500 ft. -- Fumarioideae subfamily (cousins of Poppies & Cream Cups) -- Biradial (divisible into mirror image halves 2 ways) -- 2 Sepals (shed early), 4 Petals (inner 2 adhere at tips) -- Leaves deeply dissected.

• Platanaceae (Sycamore aka Plane-tree Family)

  Platanus racemosa (Western Sycamore) -- Common trees in stream-sides and canyons -- 3 to 6 Petals (flowers unisexual) -- Flower head a sphere, diameter about 1 inch -- Leaves Simple, Alternate, Deciduous, with 3 to 5 Palmate Lobes

• Ranunculaceae (Buttercup Family)

  Clematis is generally a Woody Vine -- 3 to 9 Leaflets on a Leaf -- No Petals, 4 Sepals (may look like shrivelled Petals) -- 30 to 50 Stamens, almost as many Pistils -- See also Delphinium and Ranunculus

• Saururaceae (Lizard-Tail Family)

  Anemopsis (Yerba Mansa) -- Sepals & Petals absent, white Bracts look like Petals -- Leaves simple and alternate -- Flowers in dense spike -- Stamens 6 to 8 -- Pistils 3 or 4, free or fused

• Salicaceae (Willow Family)

  Salix (S. exigua, Narrow-leaf Willow probable ID) -- Many tiny flowers on Catkin (flower head) -- Staminate flowers have 2 long Stamens per flower -- Pistillate flowers 2 to 3 mm long, pear shaped -- Common along streams --

• Viscaceae (Mistletoe Family)

  Phoradendron (P. californicum, Desert Mistletoe) -- Shrub or parasite growing on other shrubs or trees -- 3 Sepals & Petals in flowers, tiny (1 mm diam) -- Diameter of red berries is about 3 mm. --  --

Back to Top Level Key