Honey bee on button willow, also known as button bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
California Native Plants That Bees Visit
Excerpted from Nectar and Pollen Plants of California (Bulletin 517) by G.H. Vansell (1941), UC Berkeley.
plus personnel observations of Robbin W. Thorp, emeritus professor, UC Davis. If you're interested in looking up the plants, see Calflora (UC Berkeley).
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q U R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Alder – Alnus spp.
Antelope brush - Purshia tridentata (Pursch.) DC.
Arrow-weed – Pluchea sericea (Nutt.) Cov.
Asters – Aster spp.
Azalea – Rhododendron spp.
B
Barberry – Berberis spp.
Beardtongue - Penstemon spp.
Blackbrush – Coleogyne ramosissma Torr.
Black sage – Salvia mellifera Greene
Blue palo verde - Cercidium floridum A. Gray
Bluecurls – Trichostema lanceolatum Benth.
Box elder – Acer negundo L. var. californicum Sarg.
Buckwheats – Eriogonum spp.
Buffalo berry – Shepherdia argentea Nutt.
Burnet – Sanguisorba spp.
Button bush – Cephalanthus occidentalis L.
C
Cactus - Opuntia spp.
California bay – Umbellularia californica Nutt.
California broom – Lotus scoparius (Nutt.) Ottley
California buckeye – Aesculus californica Nutt.
California coffeeberry – Rhamnus californica Esch.
California corn lily – Veratrum californicum Durand
California figwort – Scrophularia californica Cham. & Schldl.
California hazelnut – Corylus cornuta var. californica (A. DC.) Sharp
California scale-broom - Lepidospartum squamatum Gray
Camas – Camassia spp.
Carpet grass – Phyla spp.
Cascara sagrada – Rhamnus purshiana DC.
Catclaw - Acacia greggii A. Gray
Chamise - Adenostoma fasciculatum Hook. and Arn.
Checker mallow – Sidalcea malvaeflora (DC.) Benth.
Chia - Salvia columbariae Benth.
Chinquapin – Chrysolepis chrysophylla (Hook) Hjeluq.
Cinquefoil – Potentilla spp.
Coffee weed - Sesbania exalata (Raf.) Cory
Common cocklebur - Xanthium stumarium L.
Common meadowfoam – Limnathes douglasii R. Br.
Common rabbit brush – Chrysothamnus nauseosus (Pall.) Britt.
Cotton-thorn - Tetradymia spinosa Hook. and Arn.
Cottonwood – Populus spp.
Coyote brush – Baccharis pilularis DC.
Coyote mint – Monardella villosa Benth.
Creeping sage – Salvia sonomensis Greene
Creosote bush – Larrea tridentata (DC.) Cov.
Dalea – Dalea spp.
Death-camas – Zigadenus venenosus Wats.
Desert peach – Prunus andersonii Gray
Dodder – Cuscuta spp.
Douglas hawthorn – Crataegus douglasii Lindl.
E
Elderberry – Sambucus spp.
Fiddleneck – Amsinckia spp.
Fireweed – Epilobium angustifolium L.
Flax – Linum spp.
Forest clover – Trifolium breweri Wats.
Gilia – Gilia spp.
Golden fleece – Ericameria arborescens (Gray) Greene
Goldenrod – Solidago spp.
Grape – Vitis spp.
Honey mesquite – Prosopis glandulosa Torr.
Honeysuckle – Lonicera spp.
Horsemint – Agastache urticifolia (Benth.) Ktze.
Hound’s tongue – Cynoglossum spp.
J
Jackass clover – Wislizenia refracta Englem.
K
Keckiella - Keckiella spp.
L
Laurel sumac – Malosma laurina (Nutt.) Abrams
Lemonadeberry - Rhus integrifolia (Nutt.) Brewer and S. Watson
Lily - Lilium spp.
Locoweed – Astragalus spp.
Lupines – Lupinus spp.
Manzanita – Arctostaphylos spp.
Maples - Acer spp.
Mexican devilweed - Chlorocantha spinosa (Benth.) G. Nesom
Milkweed – Asclepias spp.
Mistletoe – Phoradendron spp.
Mojave stinkweed – Cleomella obtusifolia Torr. & Frem.
Mountain misery – Chamaebatia foliolosa Benth.
Mule fat - Baccharis salicifolia (Ruiz Lopez and Pacon) Pers.
Nightshade (some) – Solanum spp.
Oak – Quercus spp.
Onion – Allium spp.
Our Lord's Candle – Yucca whipplei Torr.
Pacific madrone – Arbutus menziesii Pursh
Peak rush-rose – Helianthemum scoparium Nutt.
Phacelia – Phacelia spp.
Poison oak – Toxicodendron diversilobum (T. & G.) Greene
Poppy – Eschscholzia spp.
Purple sage – Salvia leucophylla Greene
Raspberry – Rubus spp.
Red maids – Calandrinia caulescens H.B. K. var mensiesii Gray
Red shank - Adenostoma sparsifolium Torrey
Redwood – Sequoia sempervirens (Lamb. Endl.
Rocky mountain bee plant – Cleome serrulata Pursh.
S
Sage – Salvia spp.
Sagebrush – Artemisia spp.
Screw bean mesquite - Prosopsis pubescens Benth.
Sea dandelion - Agoseris spp.
Serviceberry – Amelanchier spp.
Sierra coffeeberry - Rhamnus rubra E. Greene
Sierra milkwort – Polygala cornuta Kell.
Smartweed – Polygonum spp.
Smoke tree - Psorothamnus spinosus (A. Gray) Barneby
Snowberry – Symphoricarpos albus Blake
Soap plant – Chlorogalum pomeridianum (Ker) Kunth
Spanish clover – Lotus purshianus (Benth.) Clem. & Clem.
Spikeweed – Hemizonia spp.
Spiny cocklebur – Xanthium spinosum L.
Spiny redberry – Rhamnus crocea Nutt.
Strawberry – Fragaria spp.
Sugar bush - Rhus ovata S. Watson
Sunflower – Helianthus spp.
T
Tan oak - Lithocarpus densiflorus (Hook and Arn.) Rehder.
Tarweed – Hemizonia spp.
Toyon – Heteromeles arbutifolia (Lindl.) Roemer
Tule mint - Mentha arvensis L.
Turkey mullein – Eremocarpus setigerus Benth.
Turpentine weed - Trichostema laxum A. Gray
V
Vetch – Vicia spp.
Virginia creeper – Parthenocissus vitacea (Knerr.) Hitchc.
W
Wallflower – Erysimum spp.
Walnut – Juglans spp.
Wax myrtle – Myrica californica Cham. & Schldl.
Western false-indigo – Amorpha fruticosa L.
Western goldenrod - Euthamia occidentalis Nutt.
Western redbud – Cercis occidentalis Torr.
White sage – Salvia apiana Jepson
Wild lilac – Ceanothus spp.
Willow – Salix spp.
Wood sorrel – Oxalis spp.
Yerba santa – Eriodictyon californicum (H. & A.) Torr.
Yellow bee plant - Cleome lutea Hook.
Yellow palo verde – Cercidium microphyllum (Torr.) Rose & Johnston