Yosemite Flora (Plants & Flowers)

Yosemite's diverse landscape shelters 37 species of native trees and hundreds of species of native wildflowers, many of which can be found only in the park. Some of the most abundant Yosemite flora (plants) include:

• Giant Sequoias - considered to be the most massive living thing on earth, Giant Sequoia trees can live from 1,000 - 3,000 years. Yosemite boasts three groves totaling 700 trees: Mariposa Grove, Tuolumne Grove and Merced Grove.
• California Black Oak - large deciduous trees, with yellow-green leaves and dark trunks. Of all Yosemite trees, oaks were especially prized by the native people who used the acorns as a staple in their diet.
• Ponderosa Pine - evergreens with bark of irregularly shaped plates separated by dark furrows. Mature trees are wide at the base with a straight trunk that rises many feet before the branches form.
• Incense-Cedar - have a feathery, reddish bark and grow abundantly throughout the park and the entire Sierra.
• Mariposa Lily - identified by three white petals and dark center. These Yosemite flowers are often found blooming under pines.
• Shooting Star - pink to white dart-like flowers. You can find these Yosemite flowers blooming in our meadows in spring.
• Dog Wood - The showy white flowers on dog wood trees decorate Yosemite in the spring, usually between April and July.