San Bruno Mountain Native Plants

San Bruno Mountain stands at the northern edge of the Santa Cruz Mountains, dominating the landscape of the southern San Francisco peninsula. Influenced by San Francisco's famous fog, climatic conditions on the mountain are cool and mild, creating a welcoming habitat for numerous plant species. Among the rich plant life native to San Bruno Mountain are several endemic species, which have increased in rarity due to development and human encroachment.

San Bruno Mountain Manzanita

San Bruno Mountain manzanita (Arctostaphylos imbricata) occurs only along the slopes of San Bruno Mountain, where its range is restricted to six locations. Small and spreading, it reaches less than 3 feet in height but will create a dense, 10-foot-wide mat of tangled branches and foliage. The small, leathery leaves present a rounded ovate shape with a smooth, dark-green top and waxy white underside. In late spring and early summer, San Bruno Mountain manzanita bears a profusion of erect, cup-shaped flower clusters comprised of tiny white blossoms. It relies on fire for reproduction, but within San Bruno Mountain State Park fire suppression is practiced, greatly reducing its ability to increase its numbers.

San Francisco spineflower (Chorizanthe cuspidata) thrives in sandy soil, particularly along the lower slopes of San Bruno Mountain. Unremarkable in appearance, it is a low-growing species of buckwheat measuring 1.5 feet in height with a spreading, flattened growth habit. The leaves are basal, occurring only at the base of the plant, with a hairy texture and reddish-green color. A series of wiry stems laying prostrate at ground-level, each tipped with a cluster of globe-shaped flower clusters comprised of tiny, light-pink blossoms.

Among the rarest plants in the San Francisco bay area, San Francisco lessingia (Lessingia germanorum) occurs within four small areas throughout the region. On San Bruno Mountain, this species maintains a small population along the northerly slopes near Daly City, where it is threatened due to residential development. Small and hardy, San Francisco lessingia grows to less than 1-foot in height, sending up one or two erect, hairy stems with a reddish hue. The ornately lobed foliage is greenish-gray in appearance with a covering of fine hairs. From early summer until fall, it bears a single, daisy-like flower at the tip of its stem.

Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) occurs throughout much of California, including along the lower, west-facing slopes of San Bruno Mountain. It is an evergreen species bearing a dense, rounded crown of foliage. The leaves are rounded and slightly cupped with prickly spines along the edges. Highly variable in size, coast live oak grows to between 30 and 75 feet in height with a low, spreading growth habit. Within its range along San Bruno Mountain, this species maintains a small, gnarled profile, appearing more like a large shrub than a tree.