PEOPLE FOOD & LAND Foundation

SunMt Research Center: SunGardens


Photos from SunMt Herbal Cookery

SunMt Research Center is located in the Chaparral zone of the Sierra foothills of California at 2,000 ft. level, with dry hot or cold weather. In Fresno County it seldom rains between May & November, so our SunGarden and wild area have many arid land plants, drought tolerant, pest resistant, multi-purpose perennials using Permaculture design concepts. We have done extensive trials here since 1983.

SunMt Research Center
Plant Inventory & Illustrated Plant Trials

Key: – indicates failure due to drought, frost, pests, removal etc.

ACACIA

  • Acacia decurrens – delbata
  • – Acacia farnesiana
  • – Acacia villosa Acacia iteaphylla
  • – Acacia myrtifolia

Alfalfa

  • – Almond Non-pareil squirrels got the nuts 1st, so dry farmed
  • – Aloe Vera, greenhouse & kitchen
  • – Amaranth , A. hypochondriacus
  • – Angelica
  • – Anise Anise hyssop

APPLES low chill

  • Anna Israel, mild flavored yellow
  • Early Dawn, S. CA
  • – Golden Dawn, Bahamas, mild yellow

APPLES heirloom lower orchard near stream most lost in drought

  • – Ashmead’s Kernal
  • – Cox Orange Pippin
  • – Ketherine
  • – King Solomon
  • – Liberty
  • – McIntosh dwarf
  • – Mutzu
  • – Pink Permain
  • – Pioneer Scarlet
  • – Prima
  • – Priscilla
  • – Spitzenberg
  • – Yellow Bellflower
  • – Wealthy

Wickson Apricot, Blenheim

  • – Artichoke
  • – Asparagus

Avocado, Mexicola, greenhouse BAMBOOS, all lost in drought

  • – Black
  • – B.. viridis
  • – Golden
  • – B. Meyeri
  • – B. Moso

BANANA greenhouse, too arid

  • – Honey
  • – Red

BASILS

  • Sweet Basil
  • Cinnamon Basil
  • Dark Opal Basil
  • Lemon Basil

BEANS

  • Scarlet Runner
  • Tepary
  • Chinese Long Bean
  • Purple Long bean

Bee Balm, Scarlet

Bee Balm, Wild Purple Beets

Beefsteak Plant, Perilla

BERRIES

  • Autumn Olive, E. Umbellata
  • Elderberries
  • Goumi berry, E. multiflora
  • Hawthorne berry
  • Juniper berry
  • Lycii berry (Wolfberry)
  • Mulberry, Black Persian
  • Mulberry, Black
  • Mulberry, white

– BLACKBERRIES

  • Cheyenne
  • Cherokee
  • Shawnee
  • Black satin

Black Locust Robinia pseudoacacia L.- Bog bean (died in pond)

Borage

Broccoli

– Burdock

Cabbage

Cabbage, Chinese

Cabbage, Purple flowering

CACTI

  • Cholla,Cylindropuntia
  • Night blooming cereus
  • Nopale, Opuntia basilaris, Opuntia robusta

Calendula

  • – Canigre
  • – Caraway
  • – Carnation
  • – Caper plant

Carob

Catnip

Cattails, dwarf (pond)

Cayenne

Century plant, Agave Americana

Chamomile, Matricaria recutita

Chamomile, Roman, C. nobile

Chard, Rainbow

Chasteberry, Vitex agnus-castus

  • Chayote
  • – Chervil
  • – Chestnut, Malabar (drought)

Chickweed

Chinese Boxthorne

Chives

Chives,Garlic

Chrysanthemum
CITRUS

  • Blood orange, genetic dwarf
  • Calamondin
  • Grapefruit
  • – Honey mandarin
  • – Kumquat
  • Lemon, Meyer
  • – Tangerine

Cleavers

CLOVERS

  • Subterranean
  • Red
  • White

Collards, Perennial

Comfrey

Coriander

CORN

  • Corn silk
  • Taos Blue
  • Papago white
  • Red

CUCUMBER

  • Cucumber, Armenian
  • Cucumber, Lemon

Curly leaf dock

Curry plant

Dandelion

Day Lily

Devil’s Claw

Dill

Dock, Yellow

Echinacea

Eggplant, Japanese

Fennel

FIGS

  • Fig, Black Mission
  • – Fig, Calmyrna
  • – FoTi: polygonum multiflorum

GARLICS

  • Garlic
  • Garlic, Elephant
  • Garlic, Society

Geranium, Rose

Giant Purslane

Ginger (greenhouse/mild root)

GOURD

  • African
  • Bottle
  • Buffalo
  • Luffa

GRAPES

  • – Agawan Alden
  • – Ameria
  • – Aanab-E-Shahi
  • – Black Corinth
  • – Black Damascus
  • – Cardinal
  • – Christmas
  • Flame
  • – Golden Chasselas
  • – Interlaken
  • – Iona
  • – Katakourgan
  • – Keuka
  • Lady Finger
  • Manuka
  • – Mission
  • – Muscat of Alexandria
  • – Muscat orange
  • – Oeillade noir
  • – Palomino
  • Perlite
  • – Red Chanez
  • – Servant
  • – Sauvis
  • Thompson

Grasses, native bunching

Green onion

Hibiscus, H. sabdariffa

Honeysuckle

Hops

Horehound

Jasmine

Jerusalem artichoke

Jujube, Red Dates

Kale

Kohlrabi

Lambsquarters, large leaf

LAVENDERS

  • French
  • English
  • Spanish

Lemon Balm

Lemongrass, greenhouse

Lemon verbena, as annual Licorice, native G. lepidota Loquat

– Lotus (pond dried out)

– Lovage

MALLOWS

  • Hollyhock
  • Desert Mallow (shrub/tree)
  • Mallow

MARJORAMS

  • Marjoram, garden
  • Marjoram, creeping
  • Marjoram, creeping golden

– Matilija poppy (romneya coulteri)

Mesquite, Honey

Milk thistle

MELON

  • Melon, Juan Canary
  • Melon, Desert Watermelon

MINTS

  • – Apple mint
  • Bergamot mint
  • Black peppermint
  • – Chocolate mint
  • Spearmint
  • – Pineapple mint

Mullein,Verbascum thapsis

Nasturtium (greenhouse)

Nettle

Nigella

Olives

Onion

Oregano

Oregon Grape

Orris root iris

Palo Verde

Parsley

Passion flower

Passion fruit

PEACHES

  • Indian burgundy
  • Nectar

Peas, Edible pod

Peony tree

PEPPERS

  • Cayenne
  • Fresno chile
  • Italian long

PERSIMMONS

  • – Persimmon, Chocolate
  • – Persimmon, Cinnamon
  • Persimmon, Fuyu
  • Persimmon, Hachiya

Pineapple guava

Pineaple Quince

PLUMS

  • Plum, Japanese flowering
  • – Plum, Natal (frost) Plum,
  • Santa Rosa

POMEGRANATES

  • Pink Pomegranate, Thompson
  • Wonderful

Raisin Tree

Rosemary

ROSES

  • Rose, Rosa Rugosa Frau Dagmar Haustrup
  • Rose, Lady Banks, Rosa banksiae
  • Wild Rose, Rosa californica

SAGES,native + garden

  • Sage, garden
  • Sage, Mexican
  • Sage, White, Salvia Apiana
  • Sage, Wild Black, S.Mellifera

Sagebrush, Artemesia tridentata

Santolina

Siberian Pea Bush

Southernwood

SQUASH

  • Crook neck yellow
  • Luffa squash
  • Zucchini

Strawberry Tree, Heteromeles arbutifolia

Sunflower

Tansy

Tarragon

TOMATOES

  • Brandywine heirloom
  • Sweet 10 Cherry tomatos
  • Pear Tomatoes, low acid

THYME

  • Thyme, officinalis
  • Thyme, lemon

Valerian

Watercress (in stream)

Wormwood

YARROW

  • Golden Yarrow
  • Pink Yarrow
  • White Yarrow

Flora found on SunMt property

Brodiaea B. californica

Brodiaea, Brodiaea elegans

Milkweed, Asclepias

California Bay Laurel, Umbellularia californica

California Lilac, Ceanothus calfiornica

California poppy, Eschscholzia californica

Chinese houses,Collinsia heterophylla

Common Camas, Camassia quamash

Blazing Star, Mentzelia laevicaulis

Blue Dick, Dichelostemma capitatum

Buckeye, Aesculus californica

Elderberry, Sambucus nigra

Fern, Woodwardia fimbriata

Fremontia, Fremontodendron

Lupin, L. californicum

Manzanita, Arctostaphylos

Mimulus, Diplacus aurantiacus

Owl Clover, Orthocarpus purpurascens

OAKS

Valley Oak, Quercus lobata

Live Oak Quercus wislizeni

Pearly Everlasting, Anaphalis margaritacea

Penstemon, Penstemon heterodoxus

Pineapple weed, Matricaria discoidea

Plantain, Plantago ovata

Poison Hemlock, Conium maculatum

Poison oak,Toxicodendron diversilobum

Popcorn flower, Plagiobothrys tenellus

Pine, Gray Pinus sabiniana

Purple Owl’s Clover, Castilleja exserta

Redbud, Cercis occidentalis

Sage, Chia, Salvia columbariae

Spice Bush, Calycanthus occidentalis

Soap plant, Chlorogalum pomeridianum,

Tarweed, Harmonia species

Turkey Mullein, Croton Setiger

Twining Snakelily, Dichelostemma volubile

Vinegar weed, Trichostema lanceolatum

Wild cucumber, Marah macrocarpus

Wild lettuce, Lactuca virosa

Wild onion, Allium fimbriatum

Wild oats, Avena fatua, Europe

Woodwardia fern, Woodwardia fimbriata

Yerba Santa, Eriodictyon californicum

SunMt PLANT TRIALS

Downloadable PDF of illustrated details on selected plants.