Alcatraz Island
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Commonly seen plants on Alcatraz

Flowers

Bear's Breech

These flowers are spirally arranged on 1 meter stalks. The basal leaves are large, 1-1.5 meters long. The flowers are 3-6 cm.long, tubular, and white to rose, purple, or green. There are 30-50 flowers per stalk.

California Poppy

The single flowers are born on 24-72 cm. stems. The leaves are blue-green and finely divided. The 9-12 cm. flowers are satiny, and yellow to deep orange in color.

Honeysuckle

These fragrant flowers are arranged in pairs along 6-8 meter vines. The ornate leaves are 3-9 cm. long. The tubular flowers are white to yellow, and 3-5 cm. long.

Lily of the Nile

The 3-6 cm. flowers form round clusters at the ends of 1 meter stalks, 20-50 flowers per cluster. They are funnel shaped and sky blue in color. The basal leaves are 1.5 meters long and strap shaped.

Nasturtium

The elaborately colored flowers are found along 2-3 meter vines. They are 6-9 cm. long, and range from yellow to red-brown or orange. The leaves are umbrella-like, 3-12 cm. in length.

Red Hot Poker

Hundreds of small flowers, 3-5 cm. form poker-like clusters at tops of 1-2 meter stalks. They are orange-red to yellow, and tubular in shape. The 1-2 meter leaves are sword-like.

Valerian

Hundreds of 1 cm. flowers form dense clusters on .5-1 meter stalks. They are rose-pink or maroon in color. The 6-12 cm.leaves are arrow shaped.

Succulents

Century Plants

These are gigantic plants. Basal leaves are blue-green, edged with spines, and 1-2 meters in length. Plants flower every 3-10 years. Clusters of yellow flowers are borne on ends of 5-13 meter stalks.

Ice Plant

The irridescent flowers are found along 1 meter stems. The 5-10cm. flowers have hundreds of small petals, either yellow or bright magenta. The leaves are 3-sided, fleshy, and 3-5 cm. in length.

Shrubs

California Blackberry

These prickly vines are 2-4 meters long. White flowers bloom in spring, and turn into edible blackish-red berries in summer. The 6-12 cm. leaves are sharply serrated.

Fuchsia

These are woody shrubs 1-4 meters tall. Flowers can be white,red, pink, blue-violet, or violet-purple. They are 3-9 cm. long and hang in clusters at the branch ends. The 3-9 cm. leaves are recurved.

Geranium

These succulent or woody stemmed shrubs are 1-1.5 meters tall. The 3-9 cm. flowers are elaborately colored; from white to pink, brilliant red, lavender, purple or coral. Petals may be double or single. Leaves, 3-9 cm. may be round, serrated, ruffled, ivy-like or bordered.

Pride of Madeira

Hundreds of .5-2 cm. flowers are found in spike-like clusters atthe ends of 1-1.5 meter stalks. The tiny flowers are sky blue and white. The leaves are 6-18 cm. long, blue-green, and lance shaped.

Trees

Eucalyptus

These trees grow up to 50 meters in height. The curved leaves are 12-20 cm. long, and emit a pungent odor. Rosy pink to yellow flowers, 3-6 cm. wide, bloom in spring. Bell shaped seed capsules form in summer.

Monterey Cypress

These evergreen trees can grow up to 15 meters or more. They have tiny scale-like leaves, closely set on cord-like branches.

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