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Home | Plant Communities | Riparian Woodland

Riparian habitat is the habitat along freshwater rivers and streams, and it exists within all other plant communities where water flows most of the year. Flowing water is much more common in Northern California than in the South, but this habitat is found along the Ortega Highway and the Corona Freeway. In nature, the water table, snow melt and seasonal differences determine the amount of available water in a riparian plant community. The stream at the ENC is run by a recirculating pump and the area is representative of an arroyo riparian community.

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Arroyo Willow

Salix lasiolepis; Willow Family

• thicket-forming shrub or small tree
• pale, gray-brown bark and slender erect branches form a narrow, irregular crown
• narrow, leathery leaves, dark green above, whitish and hairy on the underside; reverse lance-shaped and blunt pointed at both ends
• catkins 1 - 2 inches long with dense, long white hairs form in early spring
• used by Native Americans to alleviate headaches
• Salix species are host plants for several butterfly species, including the Western Tiger Swallowtail, Loquin's Admiral, Mourning Cloak, Viceroy, and several Hairstreaks

Sycamore

Platanus racemosa; Sycamore Family

• deciduous tree often growing to 90 feet high
• stout trunks usually twisted and leaning, with smooth, whitish bark peeling in reddish-brown flakes, creating a mottled effect
• star-shaped, yellowish-green leaves with hairy undersides grow up to 10" wide and are divided into 3 to 5 deep, pointed lobes
• flowers are small in 2 to 7 ball-like clusters on slender stalks near the ends of the branches
• fruiting balls approximately 1" in diameter fall apart in winter, releasing small seed-like nutlets
• hummingbirds weave the downy undersides of these leaves into their nests
• host plant to the Western Tiger Swallowtail

Mule Fat

Baccharis salicifolia; Aster Family

• large bush with sticky foliage
• plentiful small, fuzzy, pink or red-tinged white flowers
• Native Americans boiled the leaves to make a liquid for cleaning wounds
• the wood was used to make arrows and fire-making drills
• Baccharis flowers are a favorite nectar source for many butterflies

California Blackberry

Rubus ursinus; Rose Family

• thorny, trailing shrub; grows in dense, impenetrable thickets
• tri-foliate leaves
• white, 5-petaled flowers grow in clusters of 2 to 15
• berries are edible; dried leaves make a delicious tea