Los Angeles, CA - Home And Garden

The Los Angeles County Natural History Museum recently concluded a comprehensive account of the plant and wildlife found in the vicinity of the Los Angeles River. The majority of the plants and wildlife subsist in the section between the Flood Basin and Frogtown. The many natural sandy bottoms in this section have facilitated the return of life, as a significant number of trees, shrubs, and reeds are destroyed during winter floods.

In 1769, the flora and fauna along the river was examined by intrepid explorer Juan Crespi during the Portola expedition. When arriving at a location that was likely near Frogtown, he noted that his group had entered a very large valley, overgrown with cottonwoods and alders, among which ran a body of water from the north-northwest, in reference to the Los Angeles River.

Members of the California Native Plant Society have been seeding many native plants in the river basin. A part devoted to flowers that attract hummingbirds has also been placed in the area.

The following list contains some of the native plants that might be encountered along the river:

The sycamore tree, Platanus racemosa, actually had a role in the founding of the city of Los Angeles. An important Gabrielino Indian village was located in the vicinity of a very large sycamore, which was known as the council tree. The Spanish camp that later became the location of Los Angeles was situated near the Indian village. The camp was destroyed in the Great Flood of 1815, but the great tree survived. It later died in 1892 and was cut down. An examination ascertained that it was about 400 years old.

The cottonwood tree was very common along rivers in early California. As industrialization has lowered water levels, these riparian trees have disappeared from many riverbanks. Early explorers utilized the cottonwood�s riparian nature to help them in finding water.

Willow trees are another widespread riparian tree growing in the region. The tree leaves were utilized by California Indian tribes for medicine, while the small branches were gathered for basket making and the larger branches for wood.

The pollen of the cattail, Typha domingensis, was used by tribes for food, while the roots served as a form of medicine, and the stalks made for bedding and construction material.

Jimson Weed was utilized by California Indians as a ritual drug. It can be poisonous to both humans and animals.

Matt Paolini is an environmental writer for CityBook.com, the family-safe Los Angeles Yellow Pages, which carries an extensive directory on Los Angeles security systems and services.