Anacapa+Endemic+and+Native+Plants



Anacapa Island’s Endemic plants

I am going to tell you about 5 endemic kinds of plants you can see either on Anacapa Island. Like the Island Big-pod Ceanothus, the Cliff-aster, the Island Paintbrush, the Santa Cruz Island Buckwheat, and the Island Morning Glory.

The first plant I will speak about is the **Island big-pod Ceanothus**- Scientific name: Ceanothus megacarpus s. insularis, Location: Santa Cruz, San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Anacapa, Santa Catalina and San Clemente islands. Description: It has white petals that curve up at the ends, with a gray-black ring around the pollen line, the pollen looks yellow-green and there is a layer of it then either a purple or white pole goes to a tip up to the sky, and has little mushroom like things around it. Doesn’t the Island Big-pod Ceanothus sound amazing? But it doesn’t compare to the **Cliff-aster**- Scientific name: Malacothrix saxatilis v. implicata, Location: The only places it grows is on Santa Cruz, San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Anacapa and San Nicolas Islands. Description: It has different size white petals that are creased, with lavender tips at the top and yellow petals in the middle; with thin white cylinders that look like coconut shreds coming out from some of the petals, the very middle of it is yellow and has half-of-a-banana shape. The Cliff-aster is outstanding, although this plant leaves it behind. **Island paintbrush**- Scientific name: Castilleja lanata s. hololeuca, Location: It only grows on Santa Cruz, San Miguel, Santa Rosa and Anacapa Islands. Description: It starts out as what looks like a soft white bush of twigs, but then in the middle mini green-white corn shapes start forming and start to look like a very large wine glass twisted together, and have tinged edges and leads up to a leaf tea cup with a little red on it with a beautiful bright red flower in the middle, where it looks as someone had bunched up a flower and tied a rubber band on it. The Island Paintbrush is amazing, if you like the Island Paintbrush your gonna love the **Santa Cruz Island buckwheat**- Scientific name: Eriogonum arborescens, Location: It only grows on the following islands Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and Anacapa Islands, Description: They are little dinky light pink flowers, with a light green airbrush look in the center; with white lines, and little pink pollen balls on the top sticking out of the center. All of these plants are fantastic, but this particular plant leaves them all behind with its shining glory. **Island Morning Glory**- Scientific name: Calystegia macrostegia s. macrostegia, Location: This glorious plant only grows on Santa Cruz, San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Anacapa and Santa Catalina Islands, and the two Mexican islands of San Marin and Guadalupe. Description: This fantastic flower has giant petals with carved edges, and a yellow substance in the center, showing tubes that are white-yellow sprouting from the center with flipper shaped white objects on the top of the tubes.