SIXTEEN NATIVE PLANTS

Common names: Cattail, Ceanothus, Chocolate Lily, Oak, Datura, Dudleya, Lupin, Madrone, Pine, Poison Oak, Shooting Star, Sycamore, Viola, Western Columbine, White Sage, and Yucca.

This project represents Cal Poly’s efforts to cultivate deeper relationships to the land. The paintings celebrate diverse habitats of California and bring closer attention to native plants, their beauty, specificity, harmony, patterns and diversity. We may not eat these plants or use them daily, nevertheless many have uses and they share a place, like us, in the natural order of all life.  Seven of these plants can be found hiking atop the “P” mountain in Spring.

The sixteen different plants are oriented in four directions to represent four main Californian terrestrial habitats for plant life.  Looking north you will see plants of the mountainous regions including dodecatheon meadia, common name, (shooting stars), Viola, Madrone, and Pine. Looking East toward the arrid chapparal, one sees Yucca, Chocalate Lily, Datura, and Sage. Facing South, the Riparian, Poison Oak, Sycamore, Columbine, and Cattails. Lastly, looking West toward the coastal and dune habitat, Ceanothus, Dune Lupin, Ice Plant and Coast Live Oak.