Catching Up with Dr. Matt Ritter
A conversation about the inspiration for Matt's latest book, botany's emerging hipster status, and the one thing he most wants to instill in his students.
Whether you’re new to California native plants or an experienced botanist, this collection of helpful information and resources will help you on your way. In addition to these resources, we encourage you to contact us at any time with questions or suggestions at cnps@cnps.org. Thank you for your interest in California’s native plants!
Additional resources and information
California native plant 101
What makes a native, and why are they important? If you’re new to native plants, start here.
Resources for teachers and parents
See our fun collection of activities, curriculum, and helpful links designed to inspire the young nature lovers in your life!
Herbaria, Collections and Databases
- The Consortium of California Herbaria 16 participating CA herbaria
- California Natural Diversity Database
- USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program
- CalFlora — an online database of California plants
- CalPhotos: Plants — California plant images, Berkeley Digital Library
- University and Jepson Herbaria — UC Berkeley
- Jepson Herbarium Links Page
- Carl G. Sharsmith Herbarium — San Jose State University
- Oregon State University Herbarium
- Botanical Society of America Online Image Collection
- Information Center for the Environment (ICE) — UC Davis
- Native American Ethnobotany Database
- University of California, Davis Herbarium
- Index to American Botanical Literature — NYBG searchable database
- International Plant Names Index (IPNI) — database of names and associated basic bibliographical details of all seed plants
- Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
Leading Collections of California Native Plants
- Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden – Claremont
- Regional Parks Botanic Garden – Tilden Regional Park
- Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
- University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley
Additional locations with valuable native collections
- Clovis Botanical Garden
- Forrest Deaner Native Plant Botanic Garden – Benicia
- Humboldt Botanical Garden
- Living Desert Zoo & Gardens – Palm Desert
- Manhattan Beach Botanic Garden
- San Luis Obispo Botanic Garden
- San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum
- University of California Davis Arboretum
- University of California Riverside Botanic Gardens
- University of California Santa Cruz Arboretum
- CSU Fullerton Arboretum
Taxonomic Resources
- Jepson Manual Corrections
- Jepson Online Interchange — search the Jepson Flora Project using the Index to California Plant Names
- Flora of North America
- Biota of North America Program — North Carolina Botanical Garden
- International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT)
- The Tree of Life — phylogeny and biodiversity
- National Biological Information Infrastructure — all biota
- International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Toyko Code)
- Green Plant Phylogeny Research Coordination Group
- Botanical Glossary — 3700 terms relating to botany, gardening and horticulture
- On-Line Flora of Napa County — by Joe Callizo, Jake Ruygt, and Gilbert Muth
- Encelia and its relatives — Heliantheae, Asteraceae
- Flora of Ventura County:
Non-vascular Plants
General Botany Resources
- Discovering Botany — British Natural History Museum
- Nevada Natural Heritage Program
- Directory of Botanical Resources — Botanique
- Missouri Botanical Garden Library — searchable catalog and digitized rare books
Additional California Organizations
- California Botanical Society, CBS
- California Indian Basketweavers Association, CIBA
- California Native Grass Association, CNGA
- California Oak Foundation
- California Invasive Plant Council, Cal-IPC
- The California Society for Ecological Restoration, SERCAL
- Northern California Botanists
- Southern California Botanists
Become a member!
A great way to learn about and support California’s native plants and places!
Latest news and stories
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The Governor’s Biodiversity Initiative | Top Three Take-Aways
The Governor's new Biodiversity Initiative is a victory for native plants and a important validation of CNPS work. -
2018 Cal-IPC Symposium in Monterey
Learn and celebrate the latest in invasive plant biology and management. This year's theme confronts that along with biological diversity, cultural and intellectual diversity are necessary.