Big Leaved Maple - Acer macrophyllum

Loves streams and moist areas.
When young, bark is smooth and light gray. When older, bark is dark gray-brown with ridges. Leaves are big, palmate, and bright yellow in the fall. Flowers are long and drooping in yellow-green groups.
Height is up to 65 feet.

California Buckeye - Aesculus californica

Loves canyon slopes and low dry hills.
Bark is smooth and gray. Leaves are long and palmate. Flowers are large and pinkish-white.
Height is up to 30 feet.

Red Alder - Alnus rubra

Loves to grow along streams, creeks, etc.
Bark is gray and white patches. Leaves curl downward and have toothed edges.
Cone is extremely small and grow in bunches.
Height is up to 60 feet.

Lady Fern - Athyrium filix-femina

Loves shady areas near water.
Fronds are long, light green, and lacy.
Height is up to 4 feet tall. The fronds are 3 to 4 feet in length.

California Hazel - Corylus cornuta ssp. Californica

Loves shade, streams, and creeks.
Leaves are soft and fuzzy.
Nuts become mature in late spring and are edible.
Height is up to 5 feet.

Horsetail - Equisetum telmateia

Loves shade and streams.
Branches are light green and needle-like. They grow in a circle around the stem.
Height is up to 5 feet.

Wood Strawberry - Fragaria californica

Loves shaded woods and streams.
Leaves are toothed leaflets in groups of three.
Flowers are white which ripen into red berries in summer.
Height is up to 2 inches tall and many feet wide.

Tan Oak - Lithocarpus densiflorus

Loves redwood and mixed evergreen forests.
Bark is smooth gray. Leaves are oval, glossy, green, brittle, and toothed.
Acorns start as clusters of flowers that turn into acorns with caps in two years.
Height is up to 80 feet.

Redwood Sorrel - Oxalis oregana

Loves the shade (very sensitive to sun) and to grow under the redwoods.
Leaves are heart-shaped leaflets. Leaves grow in groups of three.
Flowers are small and turn from white to pink/purple as they age.
Height is up to 6 inches.

Western Sword Fern - Polystichum munitum

Loves shady, sheltered areas near the redwood trees.
Fronds grow from a main stem and have spores on their undersides.
Height is up to 4 feet tall. The fronds are 2 to 4 feet in length.

Douglas Fir - Pseudotsuga menziesii

Loves mixed evergreen and redwood forests.
Bark is dark gray with short grooves. Leaves are light green needles that grow in a circle.
Cones are 3 to 4 inches, ovular with pointed tip, and with small pointy scales.
Height is up to 300 feet.

Coast Live Oak - Quercus agrifolia

Loves the deep forest as much as the edge.
Bark is grayish brown. Leaves have sharp teeth on the edges. One side of the leaf is shiny while the other is fuzzy.
Acorns are oblong with a fringed cap and end in a tip.

Coast Redwood - Sequoia sempervirens

Loves moist, cool, fog areas along the California Coast.
Bark is dark red, stringy, and between 6 to 12 inches thick. Leaves are dark green and needle-like. The leaves grow flat and on opposite sides of the branch.
Cones are small and dark brown.
Height is up to 390 feet tall.
Can be the world’s tallest living thing.

Poison Oak - Toxicodendron diversilobum

Loves dry areas as well as moist areas.
Leaves are usually three per stem. Leaves change from green-red to red in one year. Flowers are small whitish berries and bloom in the summer.
Height is up to 40 feet as a vine.

California Bay Laurel - Umbellularia californica

Loves sunlight and will twist and lean to reach it.
Bark is usually covered with lichen and moss. Leaves are thin, pointy, and have a strong fragrance. Flowers are small and yellowish-green.
Height is up to 35 feet.

Stinging Nettle - Urtica hoisericea

Loves streams and redwood forests.
Leaves are spear-shaped and toothed. Flowers are white clusters that hang where the leaves and stems meet.
Height is up to 6 feet.