The Native Plants of 
Rubio Canyon


Fragrant California Brickle Bush

    The dry landscapes of Southern California are home to hundreds of water and nutrient conservative, slow growing native plants.  They thrive in long dry summers, survive and re-establish themselves after fire, but have difficulty competing with fast growing invasives.

    The palette of native plants in Rubio Canyon is a fine representation of Southern California’s transverse range plant communities.  Our steep, rugged and diverse terrain offers opportunity for hundreds of native plant species, and many that have been introduced from around the world.

California Fuchsia

Coast Wild Buckwheat

California Fuchsia

Native Rye Grass

One of the Popcorn Flowers

Poison Oak

The Non-Native Plants 
of Rubio Canyon

Sticky-Icky Eupatorium

    Native to Mexico, Sticky Eupatorium (Ageratina adenophora) invades coastal canyons from San Diego County north to Marin and has earned a place on the B list of Exotic Pest Plants of Greatest Ecological Concern of CalEPPC, a non-profit organization which deals with problem plants throughout the state. 
    Found growing in moist places with plenty of sun, it overtakes riparian habitats by sheer numbers, clogging and drying up seasonal streams, crowding out native perennials, shrubs and seedling trees.
    Sticky Eupatorium may have medicinal value, appearing in the pharmacopoeia of the padres and early Mexican settlers.  Its showy white flowers and ease of growth may have made it a garden selection.

Tree Tobacco

    Tree tobacco (Nicotiana glauca) was originally introduced from South America by the Spaniards. It blooms nearly year-round, pausing only in extended drought or in the coldest part of winter. It has been naturalized in waste and disturbed areas, stream beds and roadsides.
    Like many species of the Nightshade family, it is poisonous to ingest in any form.  Fortunately, it's generally unpalatable to livestock and wildlife, save for the nectar which the hummingbirds seem to love.
    This plant increases fuel loads and competes with natives for water, light, nutrients and space. Steadily improving habitat quality and expanding species diversity will probably limit the spread and numbers of this species.

Fountain Grass at Rubio Falls

    Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum) has been introduced as an ornamental plant in the 1950’s and is widely used in residential and commercial landscaping. This African grass crowds out native species by  creating monocultures that consume scarce water and nutrient resources, and prevent
recovery of native plant populations. 
    Washes and roadsides are most vulnerable to infestations. However they can spread into undisturbed habitat, as well.
    Propagating itself by fertilized and unfertilized seeds, Fountain grass re-establishes soon after fire, when it can spread more quickly without competition. In contrast, bluff and scrub plant communities can take decades to reestablish following a fire.

(Technical supplement: Fountain grass can reproduce by either fertilized or unfertilized seeds (Simpson and Bashaw 1969, Dujardin and Hanna 1989).  The plants flower from July through October. Fountain grass is apomictic, meaning that it can reproduce asexually by producing seeds from the cells of female plants other than egg cells (Simpson and Bashaw 1969, Dujardin and Hanna 1989). It may also reproduce by seeds produced following pollination and subsequent fertilization of a female egg cell.  Seeds remain viable in the soil for at least seven years (Tunison et al. 1995).

We'd love to have you join us
for a few hours of stewardship
in Rubio Canyon!