Local Plants
The South Coast area, roughly speaking, comprises coastal Los Angeles between Long Beach and El Segundo and east to the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains as well as Catalina and San Clemente Islands. The image below shows the South Coast chapter area in red.
The area is home to a large number of native plants. Of the approximately 25,500 vascular plant taxa native to North America north of Mexico (NatureServe.org), about 6 percent (1427 taxa) are found in the South Coast chapter area (CalFlora.org). With such a rich diversity of native plants in our area, our chapter is dedicated to furthering the preservation and conservation of the native flora and plant communities in our area and the appropriate use of native plants in garden settings.
Endemic Plants
See our list of Redondo and Hermosa Beach back dune plants
Plant Checklists
It is helpful to print and bring a plant list when visiting one of our natural areas, because they can help locate plants and confirm identifications.
See our Local Plant Lists page to download plant species lists for local natural areas.
Invasive Plants
This section has not yet been completed.
South Coast Chapter Resources for Local Native Plants
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May 05 2023 Did you know that California has more native plant species than any other state in the nation? To honor California’s incredible plant life, the California State Legislature designated the third week of April to be California Native Plant Week. Chapter board member Rosalie Preston has been making native plant floral arrangements for years during Native… -
Mar 27 2023 Comment Letter on Metro C line Extension / Tarplant Preserve
The SCCNPS has commented on a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Metro Green Line extension at the new Torrance Transit Center. The gist of the issue is that there may be inadequate protection for the Preserve during construction.…
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Mar 23 2023 Southern Tarplant and the Metro C Line Extension to Torrance
The Metro C Line Extension Project proposes to extend Metro C Line from Redondo Beach to Torrance’s new Transit Center on Crenshaw at 208th St near Old Torrance. The Project may impact southern tarplant, of which there are only two reported (possible two remaining) populations left in the City of Torrance. In 2014, to mitigate… -
Feb 22 2023 Palos Verdes Peninsula Native Plants online flora
Neil Uelman writes to let us know that he is working on an online flora for the Palos Verdes Peninsula (e-flora or e-field guide). You all know Neil from his general botany talk to the chapter and his interest in…
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Feb 21 2023 Common Bryophytes of George F Canyon
Neil Uelman held a field excursion in George F Canyon on Feb 12, 2023 at which he provided a nice tri-fold pamphlet detailing the common bryophytes of George F Canyon. Today he’s shared an electronic copy for anyone to download…
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Apr 21 2021 Hermosa & Redondo Back Dune Plant List
In Hermosa Beach and other local beach cities, most of the built space resides upon old back dunes. Back dune refers to established dunes in a coastal setting that are detached from the shoreline by other dunes referred to as foredunes. The soil tends to be sandy and well-draining and the shapes of the local…