Know Your Habitat Types
Art cal, Sal mel, Rhu int, Het arb
Coastal Sage Scrub
A leaf margin with large, outward-pointing teeth earns this descriptive term.
Dentate
Chamise Chaparral
This leaf-arrangement term describes lobes or leaflets spreading out from a single point — like the fingers on a hand.
Palmate
Art tri, Atr can, Eri nau,
Big Sagebrush Scrub
A stem that lies on the ground but turns upward at the tip gets labeled with this term.
Decumbent
Que dou, Aes cal, Tox div, Fra cal
Blue oak woodland
This directional term means “away from the axis” — often referring to the underside of a leaf.
Abaxial
Abr mar, Amb cha, Cam che, Dis spi
Coastal Dunes
A plant described by this term has an obvious stem aboveground, rather than all leaves appearing at the base.
Caulescent