The native annual wildflowers of Sacramento County are listed below.
Native Dryland Annual Wildflowers
The following native annual wildflowers grow throughout Sacramento County in areas not adjacent to rivers, streams, or other wetlands. They can be successfully grown in urban or suburban landscaping without supplemental water.
blow wives annual mountain dandelion tarweed fiddleneck smallflower fiddleneck wild parsley dwarf milkvetch red maids sticky Western rosinweed spiked Western rosinweed valley tassels (also called narrowleaf owl's clover) denseflower paintbrush (also called denseflower owl's clover) purple owl's clover cutleaf paintbrush (also called foothill owl's clover) thinlobe valley tassels (also called sagebrush owl's clover) Monterey centaury charming centaury Fitch's tarweed Contura Creek sandmat thymeleaf sandmat Oregon timwort chaparral fairyfan winecup godetia mountain garland (also called elegant clarkia) miner's lettuce purple Chinese pagodas fewflower Chinese pagodas slender bird's beak sand pygmyweed doveweed American wild carrot tall annual willowherb (also called panicled autumn willowherb) denseflower spike-primrose narrowleaf willowherb slender woolly buckwheat tufted poppy warty spurge common bedstraw fragrant bedstraw Carolina geranium bluehead gilia bird's eye gilia common bluecup (also called Venus' looking-glass) California mustard hayfield tarweed Fitch's spikeweed stemless dwarf cudweed San Joaquin tarweed narrow yellowflower tarweed Coulter's horseweed glandular hareleaf California goldfields Fremont's tidytips common tidy tips true babystars thread linanthus narrowflower flaxflower riverbar bird's foot trefoil shortpod foothill deervetch smallflower desert deervetch Spanish clover American bird's foot trefoil calf bird's foot trefoil spider lupine chick lupine sky lupine Mount Diablo lupine arroyo lupine plumpseed tarweed grassy tarweed slender tarweed slender cottontop Fremont's monkeyflower Kellogg's monkeyflower California sandwort hoary pincushionplant threadstem pincushionplant downy pincushionplant skunkbush marigold pincushionplant sticky pincushionplant small baby blue eyes fivespot baby blue eyes coyote tobacco little combseed valley popcornflower common popcornflower rusty popcornflower California dotseed plantain longspur seablush longhorn seablush Sacramento mesamint fairy mist Sierra mock stonecrop fringed checkermallow shining chickweed sand fringepod showy fringepod vinegarweed Indian rancheria clover cowbag clover sour clover pinpoint clover hairy maiden clover tomcat clover butter 'n' eggs dwarf owl's clover
Native Annual Wildflowers Outside Their Usual Range
The following native annual wildflowers grow occasionally in a few areas of Sacramento County, but grow more successfully in other parts of California (usually at higher elevations). They can be successfully grown in urban or suburban landscaping, but may require extra care to keep them healthy. They may be only marginally well adapted to Sacramento's clay soil and summer heat.
carelessweed Eastwood's fiddleneck spearleaf saltbrush (also called spearscale orache) Mojave suncup (also called field evening-primrose) miniature suncup redstem springbeauty hairy bird's beak autumn willowherb frying pans fewflower dwarf cudweed Western stinging nettle shaggyfruit pepperweed veiny pepperweed prostrate pepperweed spreading pygmyleaf California cottonrose lemon-scented tarweed common tarweed foothill silverpuffs San Joaquin silverpuffs shortscale silverpuffs Lemmon's phacelia cutleaf groundcherry Rebecca Austin's popcornflower scribe's popcornflower Chilean woollyheads Pinole notchleaf clover foothill tree clover Valparaiso thimble clover fewflower clover yellowbeak owl's clover jackass clover California hedgeparsley
Native Wetland Annual Wildflowers
The following native annual wildflowers grow throughout Sacramento County, but only along rivers, streams, and other wetlands. They can be successfully grown in urban or suburban landscaping, but will need regular watering.
mat amaranth purple ammannia grand redstem chaffweed annual water aster (also called slimaster) heartscale orache fat hen saltbush (also called spear orache) Texas bergia sticktight (also called devil's beggartick) common stickyseed seaside petunia Bolander's water starwort vernal pool paintbrush (also called yellow owl's clover) alkali centaury pappose tarweed common tarweed Canadian horseweed water pygmyweed doublehorn calicoflower toothed calicoflower folded calicoflower flatface calicoflower dwarf calicoflower Southwestern waterwort selfing willowherb smooth spike-primrose Western marsh cudweed bractless hedgehyssop Boggs Lake hedgehyssop clammy hedgehyssop hairyleaf sunflower hogwallow starfish fewflower heterocodon smooth goldfields yellowray goldfields alkali goldfields smooth tidytips false Venus' looking-glass common pepperweed San Diego dwarf pepperweed shining pepperweed white meadowfoam common meadowfoam broadleaf stemless mudwort tricolor monkeyflower annual water miner's lettuce little mousetail needleleaf pincushionplant whitehead pincushionplant Myers' pincushionplant curlytop knotweed wild petunia adobe popcornflower bracted popcornflower Greene's popcornflower dwarf popcornflower bearded popcornflower alkali popcornflower vernal pool popcornflower roughfruit popcornflower coast popcornflower longleaf prairie plantain Douglas' mesamint thymeleaf mesamint Marin knotweed ram's horn short woollyheads Oregon woollyheads slender woollyheads Carter's buttercup bluntleaf yellowcress lowland rotala sticky annual pearlwort trailing pearlwort Point Reyes checkermallow hairy checkermallow salt sandspurry bearded clover clammy creek clover Pacific Grove clover whitetip clover neckweed spiny cockleburr rough cockleburr