The official flower of Los Angeles is a non-native imposter!
Walking around Los Angeles you will tend to find many of these plants showcasing their beautiful and bizarre flowers. The species is not native to California, it’s from South Africa, and so I find it funny that it has been so common. It’s become so popular that Los Angeles has named it the official flower of the city.
I find it dis-hearting that Los Angeles is not honoring a native plant with the honor of official city flower. It seems common sense to name it after something that is from the city, but as I dived deeper into the history it seems the decision was based more on financial gain than civic responsibility.
Its important to note that many plants while they can grow in different parts of the world should not be introduced. The effects could be harmless or very invasive. I hope one day the city flower will be changed to something that is native at least for the sake of children learning about the city.
Here is a link to a LA Times article about the history of the plant in Los Angeles – http://articles.latimes.com/2005/mar/24/home/hm-paradise24
Fun Fact- There are over 250 introduced, invasive, and / or noxious plants in California. Checkout this like to view the list – http://plants.usda.gov/java/noxious?rptType=State&statefips=06
Thanks for visiting my site – Nate Nickels
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