Oak Hardwood Forest
Blackberry (Rubus ursinus) Blackberries can be found in most of the wooded communities on campus and along disturbed edges of trai. These native black berries are usually smaller than their European counterpart and don't produce as much fruit. You can find the best blackberries in sunny areas near water (3).
Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum) Bracken can be found everywhere from the deep redwood forest to the open meadow. Bracken is a species that has been shown to have an allelopathic effect on plants around it.
Califonia Bay (Umbellularia californica) This species has an allelopathic effect on plants around it, often allowing it to develop in pure stands of Bay.
Hedge nettle (Stachys bullata) Hedge nettle has soft, fuzzy leaves that grow opposite along the square stem. The leaves smell minty and lemony. It is common in somewhat sunny areas, often found on trail sides, and like others in it's family love water.
Hairy Honeysuckle (Lonicera hispidula) This native vine can be found in all wooded communities on campus, but is more frequent in sunnier areas.The berries are not edible, but the flowers have a sweet drop of liquid inside.
Madrone (Arbutus menzeisii) Found in mixed stands of trees such as oak or redwoods, it often grows in twisted shapes in its search for light (3). Berries are edible
Manzanita (Arctostaphylos sp.) Occurs in three subspecies on campus, the brittle leaved, santa cruz, and sensitive.
Oak (live and tan) (Quercus and Lithocarpus sp) All oaks produce acorns that can be ground into a flour only after soaking in hot water to remove the tannic acid. The acorn was an important food source for local Indians. Acorns were also used to culture a mold that was used as penicillin is today (3).
Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana) Native to Argentina, is common along disturbed, sunny areas. They grow in large clumps and have large plumes that come out of the center of the clump. The edges of the grass are sharply serrated. To remove pampas grass, the flowering plumes must be carefully taken off without spilling the seeds, and the roots dug up.
Wax Myrtle (Myrica californica) Depending on the location, this plant can either be a tree or large shrub. Similar to the Bay tree, the leaves are dark green,. They also have a distinct smell, but the Bay tree is much more pungent.