Practice with Plant Identification!

Fellow environmentalists!
I recently tagged along with the Decal members to learn more about the local plant species that can be observed on the Berkeley campus. I was very surprised to learn about the vast diversity that was displayed in just several hundred feet of campus and will now be sharing what I learned with you!

This is tanoak! Also known as Notholithocarpus densiflorus in the Fagaceae family, this plant's identifying characteristic is its tiny hair-like protrusions on the base of the underside of the leaf that come off when you rub it. This is an evolutionary adaptation that prevents herbivores and insects from devouring it to some degree. The leaf also is singly serrated on the edge (i.e. has periodic teeth on the edges) and varies in size. Lastly the plant itself is not currently producing fruit but when it does it does so in an acorn form.

This is a young representation of the buckeye, or Aesculus californica of the Sapindaceae family, which has non-serrated leaves. Each leaf has 5 leaflet subdivisions, so each branch is made up of a stem and essentially 5 separate "leaves". Due to its unique leaves it is hard to mistake for other plant species.

This is the coffeeberry, or Frangula californica of the Rhamnaceae family. It is very similar to tanoak, although coffeeberry is a bush 
rather than a tree. It doesn't have any particular identifying characteristics i.e. smell, teeth 
on the margin, hairs on the leaves. Its leaves are a very dark shade of green and the plant itself has 
large black berries early in the year that are technically edible, though one will be quite likely to get
sick if one tries.

This is Toyon or Heteromeles arbutofolia in the Rosaceae family. The leaf size is variable but the shape is always elliptical. The margin/outside

of the leaf is doubly serrated. The shade of the leaf is not as dark as the tanoak so it can grow in
areas of more sunlight. During the spring the plant has red berries.

This is the Coast Live Oak or Quercus agrifolia of the Fagaceae family. As such it shares a family with the tanoak (which is no longer considered an oak).
I hope that this little review was as informative and interesting for you as it was for me and that you are now even more encouraged to take care of the biodiversity present on campus whether it be surrounding or regarding the Creek! Until next week!