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Health & Fitness

Blog: Blooming Now in the Santa Monica Mountains, Late March

As the white-flowered ceanothuses finish their bloom season, the blue-flowered species take over and more annuals and perennials come into bloom.

There are three blue-flowered species of ceanothus in the Santa Monica Mountains.  (White thorn, Ceanothus leucodermis, is rare and blooms April to June and will not be discussed here.)  Two of the blue-flowered species are in bloom now.  They can easily be told apart by the color of their bark.  Greenbark ceanothus (Ceanothus spinosus) has - you guessed it - green bark on the trunk and stems.  The flowers are pale blue, sometimes almost white.  Hairy-leaved ceanothus (Ceanothus oliganthus) does not have green bark and the leaves, which are slightly downy on the underside, have three main veins.   

Besides these tall shrubs, smaller annuals and perennials are also blooming.

Shiny lomatium (Lomatium lucidum) had clusters of tiny yellow flowers growing in an umbel.  Just like it sounds, an umbel is like an umbrella, ribs and all.  This plant is about a foot tall and grows in the chaparral.  

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Several species are known as popcorn flower and they are very similar.  The tiny white flowers grow in a coil at the end of the flower stalks.  Plants can be anywhere from 4 inches to 20 inches tall.  They are annuals and are usually found in groups in openings in the chaparral or coastal sage scrub.  

There are several species of yellow-flowered monkeyflower (Mimulus) in the Santa Monica Mountains.  Creek monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus) has red spots.  Look for it in wet places.  

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Another flower of wet places is red-skinned onion (Allium haematochiton).  Look for leaves like chives or a very small domestic onion.  The white flowers grow in a compact cluster.  

The curious name of blue dicks is derived from its scientific name Dichelostemma capitatum.  This common bulb plant is distinguished by its cluster of purple flowers perched on the end of a long, bare stem.  The leaves are grasslike and rarely noticed.  The plant is 1 to 2 feet tall and can be seen in chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and grassland.  

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