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California Native Plant Societies: Home

California Native Plant Societies

Since its beginning in 1965 the California Native Plant Society has focused on preserving their native plant heritage. According to their website they were concerned with the destruction of habitat and the demise of native plants. Members were called upon to help with many tasks from tape-recording, photography, record keeping, and catalog searching to seed collecting. Now with 34 chapters and over 10,000 members, the Society is working harder than ever to promote the preservation of California's native plants.     

  • California Native Plant Society
  • Alta Peak Chapter
  • Baja California Chapter
  • Bristlecone Chapter
  • Channel Islands Chapter
  • Dorothy King Young Chapter
  • East Bay Chapter
  • El Dorado Chapter
  • Kern County Chapter
  • Los Angeles-Santa Monica Mountains Chapter
  • Marin Chapter
  • Milo Baker Chapter
  • Mojave Desert-no website at this time. Contact president Tim Thomas at timthom@verizon.net or (760) 242-8480.
  • Monterey Bay Chapter
  • Mount Lassen Chapter
  • Napa Valley Chapter
  • North Coast Chapter
  • North San Joaquin Valley Chapter

Society Newsletters

The Society publishes a newsletter, Fremontia, three times a year, the California Native Plant Society Bulletin, four times a year and an e-newsletter every month.

The following list gives you access to all of California's Native Plant Societies newsletters.

  • California Native Plant Society - Fremontia
  • California Native Plant Society e-Bulletin
  • California Native Plant Society Bulletin
  • Alta Peak Insignis Newsletter
  • Bristlecone Chapter Newsletter
  • Channel Islands Newsletter - Matilija
  • Dorothy King Young Newsletter - The Calypso
  • East Bay - The Bay Leaf
  • El Dorado - Gold Field Notes
  • Kern County - Mimulus Memo
  • Los Angeles-Santa Monica Mountains - Toyon Newsletter
  • Marin Chapter News
  • Milo Baker Chapter News
  • Monterey Bay - The Wallflower Newsletter
  • Mount Lassen - The Pipevine Newsletter
  • Napa Valley Chapter News
  • North Coast - Darlingtonia
  • North San Joaquin Valley - The Oak Leaf

California Botanical Society Logo

According to their website, The California Botanical Society was founded by Willis Linn Jepson in 1913 and serves a major role in advancing Western American botany with its five primary program services; Scientific publications, Annual Banquet, Research Support, Graduate Student Support, and Community Outreach.

  • California Botanical Society
  • Madroño
    A quarterly newsletter published by the California Botanical Society. As a member you can see the latest issue through their website. Past issues are available on the Biodiversity Heritage Society's website.
  • Madroño on Biodiversity Heritage Library

California's Giants

Giant Sequoia
Photo courtesy of Wilkimedia Commons/Tewy

The Coast Redwood, Sequioa semperviens, can live for up to 3000 years. NYBG has a large collection of books (and specimens on grounds!) covering a wide range of topics on this magnificent tree.

  • The Lore and the Lure of the Sequoia

Recommended Reading

  • Book CoverNative plants : Torrey Pines State Reserve and nearby San Diego County locations by Fillius, Margaret L.
    Call Number: QK 194 .F55 2010
    Publication Date: 2010
  • Book CoverCalifornia native plants for the garden by Bornstein, Carol
    Call Number: SB439.24.C2 B67 2005
    Publication Date: 2005
  • Book CoverRambles of a botanist among the plants and climates of California by Muir, John
    Call Number: QK 194 .M75
    Publication Date: 1974
  • Book CoverTrees of the California Landscape by Charles R. Hatch; Phyllis M. Faber (Other Primary Creator)
    ISBN: 0520251245
    Publication Date: 2007-09-04

Pioneering Botanists

Field Party of 1864, Gardiner, Cotter, Brewer and King

The Field Party of 1864, Gardiner, Cotter, Brewer and King
Mount Brewer, located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California was named after William Henry Brewer, an American botanist who, as chief botanist, led the field party for the first California Geological Survey in 1864.

Carl Purdy's 1885 Seed CatalogThe American nurseryman,  Carl Purdy, 1861-1945, specialized in California native plants. He started collecting seeds at a very young age and founded a nursery in 1879 in Ukiah, California. He published his first catalog in 1896 and continued to collect and identify plants throughout his life. He also contributed articles for botanical and horticultural publications which garnered respect from California’s early botanists. For more information on the "Lily Man of Ukiah" please see the Nursery and Seed Catalog LIbGuide for Carl Purdy.

  • Base Camp Botany
  • Memoir of William Henry Brewer
  • Nursery and Seed Catalog LibGuide for Carl Purdy
  • Last Updated: Dec 23, 2019 1:46 PM
  • URL: https://libguides.nybg.org/c.php?g=676849
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