Blog: Blooming Now at the Beach

Flowers bloom all over the Santa Monica Mountains, from the peaks to the sea.  The following were seen recently on coastal bluffs and dunes.

Bladderpod (Isomeris arborea) is a shrub with yellow flowers and seed pods like inflated sacks.  It is foul smelling.

Encelia or bush sunflower (Encelia californica) is a shrub found in many different habitats, including the coastal strand.  Look for an abundance of yellow 'daisies' with brown centers.

Sea rocket (Cakile maritima) is an annual that grows in the sand.  Looks for clusters of pink flowers with many petals.   

Sea fig (Carpobrotus chilensis) is a very common nonnative trailing succulent.  The many-petalled flowers are magenta.  The related Hottentot fig (Carpobrotus edulis) is similar except the flowers are yellow.  In its native South Africa, the ripe fruits are a bush treat.  

Beach pancake (Abronia maritima) gets its common name from its round, flat leaves.  This dune plant has clusters of magenta flowers.  

Southern California locoweed (Astragalus trichopodus) is a plant of the coastal sage scrub and bluffs near the coast.  Look for grayish foliage and light yellow flowers.  Point Mugu is the northern limit for this plant.