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Los Angeles, CA - Home And Garden

The LA County Natural History Museum recently finished a detailed report on the plant and wildlife located 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 enabled the return of life, as a significant number of trees, shrubs, and reeds are destroyed during winter floods.

Way back 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 wrote that his party 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.

Individuals working for the California Native Plant Society have been replanting many native plants in the river basin. A part containing to flora 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 Los Angeles. An important Gabrielino Indian village was situated in the vicinity of a very large sycamore, which they called the council tree. The Spanish settlement that later became the location of Los Angeles was situated near the Indian village. The settlement was destroyed in the Great Flood of 1815, but the great tree survived. It later died in 1892 and was cut down. An examination found that it was approximately 400 years old.

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

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

The pollen of the cattail, Typha domingensis, was used by tribes for foodstuffs, while the roots were treated to make a form of medicine, and the stalks made for bedding and construction material.

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

Article Source: http://articlekarma.com

Matt Paolini is an environmental writer for CityBook.com, the family-safe Los Angeles Yellow Pages, which carries an extensive directory on Los Angeles packaging and shipping materials, retail.

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