Plant information & identification

Resources

Great Valley Phacelia (Phacelia ciliata) & Common Monolopia (Monolopia lanceolata)

Identifying unfamiliar plants can be challenging. MB-CNPS has published two recent books which may help in this process.  Further details may be found on the Publications page.

In additions, there are a number of online botanical databases and other websites that provide extensive information about California plants. These are found on the Online Resources Page

The Plants of Monterey County – an illustrated field key

by Mary Ann Matthews and Michael Mitchell

This is a botanical key to all of the plants currently found in Monterey County, most of them illustrated by superb line drawings. An invaluable resource for botanists and non-botanists alike.

Monterey County Wildflowers – a field guide

by Rod M Yeager MD and Michael Mitchell

This is a guide to close to 1000 plants found in the county, almost all illustrated by multiple photographs and organized primarily by the (most typical) color of the flowers and then by family and scientific name. It is designed to be readily accessible to any wildflower lover, with or without any real botanical knowledge.

Monterey County Wildflowers, Trees & Ferns – a photographic guide

created by Michael Mitchell

This is a user-friendly online guide to close to 1000 wildflowers, trees and ferns found across the county. The website allows you to search for a particular plant either from pages containing thumbnail photos of the plants organized by color or from index pages of both scientific and common names.