California Plants: A Guide to Our Iconic Flora

by Matt Ritter, 2018. Paperback, 320 pages.

Winner of the Northern California Independent Booksellers' Association Golden Poppy Award

California Plants is an essential resource for outdoor enthusiasts. With his vibrant photographs and lively writing, Matt Ritter takes the reader on a journey through the Golden State's iconic landscapes and abundant plant life. This definitive guide features more than 500 species, along with detailed descriptions, fascinating natural history stories, and handy tree and wildflower color identification charts.

About the Author

Dr. Matt Ritter grew up in rural Mendocino County, California. After earning a bachelor's degree in microbiology from U.C. Santa Barbara, he attended U.C. San Diego for a Ph.D. in plant biology. He's a botany professor in the Biological Sciences Department at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California, where he lives with his wife and two children. He's the author of several books and his writing has appeared in several magazines, including a regular column on tree diversity in Pacific Horticulture. He won the Cal Poly Excellence in Teaching Award and the Western Chapter International Society of Arboriculture Award for Excellence in Education. He studies California's native plants and trees that escape cultivation, particularly Eucalyptus. He's an avid woodworker, mason, and gardener.