Coastal Sage Scrub vegetation grows on south facing hillsides which are in the sun all day long and receive less than 15 inches of rain each year. Many of these plants adapt to the dry conditions by being drought deciduous. They lose their leaves in the hot dry months and come back to life with the winter rains. Some of them also practice a special type of photosynthesis. Like cacti they keep their stoma closed during the day to conserve moisture. They open their stoma at night and take in carbon dioxide needed for photosynthesis. The carbon dioxide is stored as an acid until daylight when it is used in the presence of sunlight to make food. These plants are incredibly efficient food and oxygen producers. Less than 20% of them are left due to development of their habitat. We have had a hard time getting sages to grow due to our lack of drainage.

Black Sage (Salvia mellifera), California Sagebrush (Artemesia californica) (and cultivar Montara and a hybrid Powis Grey), Cleveland Sage (Salvia clevlandii), Giant Wild rye (Lemus condensatus), Munzi Sage (Salvia munzii),

all our Ceanothus are located in this section: Big Pod Ceanothus (Ceanothus megacarpus), Buck brush (Ceanothus cuneatus), Ceanothus "Sierra Blue," Coast White Lilac (Ceanothus verrucosus), Greenstem Ceanothus (Ceanothus spinus), Ramona Lilac (Ceanothus tomentosus), Whitebark Ceanothus (Ceanothus leucodermis),  

 

 

Top: Ceanothus in June, 1999; Left: Black Sage with bee June, 1999 Right:Giant Wild Rye in 1997

(Information about the animals , which live in the Coastal Sage Scrub can be found on the website of Mission Trails Regional Park.)

CLICK HERE FOR ETHNOBOTANY INFORMATION ABOUT THESE PLANTS

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