Mouse-ear Cress(Arabidopsis thaliana) A.k.a. Thale Cress. This uncommon species is famous in genetics; it was the first plant to be genetically sequenced. It is an introduced/naturalized, annual plant in the Mustard (Brassicaceae) family that grows 6-30cm (up to 12 inches) tall in sandy, disturbed soil. It has a well formed basil rosette of hairy leaves. It has tiny white flowers that have 6 stamens and 4 petals. Fruits are spreading to ascending cylindrical silques that are 1-5 cm long, hairless and unsegmented, on distinct pedicels. Peak bloom time: March-April.

Jepson eFlora: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=13682

Calflora https://www.calflora.org/app/taxon?crn=433 and sightings in Monterey County (only on Fort Ord as of 4/25/24): https://www.calflora.org/entry/observ.html?track=m#srch=t&lpcli=t&taxon=Arabidopsis+thaliana&chk=t&cch=t&cnabh=t&inat=r&cc=MNT

Plants of Monterey County: an Illustrated Field Key, 2nd edition, Matthews and Mitchell ,2015, pp. 106-107.

Flora of Fort Ord: Monterey County, California , David Styer, 2019, p. 72.

Monterey County Wildflowers: a Field Guide, Yeager and Mitchell, 2016

Monterey County Wildflowers: https://montereywildflowers.com/brassicaceae-cress/

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PLANTS (general references)

Jepson eFlora (CA native and naturalized plants with botanical illustrations, some videos) https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/

Calflora (CA native plants with species distribution maps, plant communities) https://www.calflora.org/search.html

Plants of Monterey County: an Illustrated Field Key, 2nd edition, Matthews and Mitchell ,2015 (2300+ species)

Monterey County Wildflowers (photographic guide of wildflowers, shrubs and trees) https://montereywildflowers.com/index/

Monterey County Wildflowers: a Field Guide, Yeager and Mitchell, 2016 (950+ species with photos)

Flora of Fort Ord: Monterey County, California , David Styer, 2019 (includes peak bloom times)

Leaf Terminology: Simple Diagrams/Definitions: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Leaf_morphology.svg

Native American Ethnobotany: Traditional Native Plant Uses (U.S. plants for medicines, fibers, tools): http://naeb.brit.org/

Flora of North America http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Main_Page (search by scientific name)

Fort Ord A Love Story, Dorothy E. Denning, 2024 (1,000+ color photos)

5-minute video of Fort Ord Flora and Fauna, produced by David Styer: https://fortordcleanup.com/archives/2020/natural-treasures-of-fort-ord-90-amazing-photographs/

Changing Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis discolor) A.k.a. Scorpion Grass, Yellow and Blue Forget-Me-Not. It is an introduced/naturalized, uncommon, annual, puberulent to rough-hairy plant with tiny flowers, in the Borage (Boraginaceae) family. It grows 10–50 cm (up to 20 inches) tall in disturbed, moist soil. It is a smaller plant than Broad-leaved Forget-me-not (Myosotis latifolia), and with much smaller flowers (1–3 mm diameter compared to 5–10 mm). It gets its name from the flowers, which start out yellow but turn blue (or red) with age, both colors being found on the same inflorescence. Leaves are sparse, the lower leaves oblanceolate, and the cauline leaves linear to oblong. Peak bloom time: April-July. Per Jepson: "corolla generally 1--3 mm diam, wide-funnel-shaped, yellow turning blue, appendages prominent, yellow turning red."

Jepson eFlora: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=34209

Calflora (with species distribution map in CA): https://www.calflora.org/app/taxon?crn=5721 and sightings in Monterey County: https://www.calflora.org/entry/observ.html?track=m#srch=t&lpcli=t&taxon=Myosotis+discolor&chk=t&cch=t&cnabh=t&inat=r&cc=MNT

Flora of Fort Ord: Monterey County, California , David Styer, 2019, p. 66, photo p. xv.

Plants of Monterey County: an Illustrated Field Key, 2nd edition, Matthews and Mitchell ,2015, p. 95.

Monterey County Wildflowers: a Field Guide, Yeager and Mitchell, 2016, p. 3.

Monterey County Wildflowers: https://montereywildflowers.com/boraginaceae-misc/

Flora of North America http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Main_Page (search by scientific name) (species not listed)

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PLANTS (in general)

Jepson eFlora (CA native and naturalized plants with botanical illustrations, some videos) https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/

Calflora (CA native plants with species distribution maps, plant communities) https://www.calflora.org/search.html

Plants of Monterey County: an Illustrated Field Key, 2nd edition, Matthews and Mitchell ,2015 (2300+ species)

Monterey County Wildflowers (photographic guide of wildflowers, shrubs and trees) https://montereywildflowers.com/index/

Monterey County Wildflowers: a Field Guide, Yeager and Mitchell, 2016 (950+ species with photos)

Flora of Fort Ord: Monterey County, California , David Styer, 2019 (includes peak bloom times)

Leaf Terminology: Simple Diagrams/Definitions: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Leaf_morphology.svg

Native American Ethnobotany: Traditional Native Plant Uses (U.S. plants for medicines, fibers, tools): http://naeb.brit.org/

Flora of North America http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Main_Page (search by scientific name)

Fort Ord A Love Story, Dorothy E. Denning, 2024 (1,000+ color photos)

5-minute video of Fort Ord Flora and Fauna, produced by David Styer: https://fortordcleanup.com/archives/2020/natural-treasures-of-fort-ord-90-amazing-photographs/

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Borage (Boraginaceae) is a large family that includes: Baby Blue Eyes, Phacelias (Scorpionweeds), Waterleaves, and Forget-Me-Not. In general, most members of this family have hairy, prickly leaves and stems. They have alternately arranged leaves, or a combination of alternate and opposite leaves. The leaf blades usually have a narrow shape; many are linear or lance-shaped. They are smooth-edged or toothed, and some have petioles. Many have inflorescences that have a coiling shape, at least when new, called scorpioid cymes. The flower usually has a five-lobed calyx (5 petals). The corolla varies in shape and color from rotate to bell-shaped to tubular, but it generally has 5 lobes that can be green, white, yellow, orange, pink, purple, or blue. There are 5 stamens and one style with one or two stigmas. The fruit is called a drupe.

Monterey County Wildflowers: https://montereywildflowers.com/boraginaceae-misc/

Jepson eFlora Taxon Page for Boraginaceae: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=69 and Key to Boraginaceae https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_keys.php?key=69