Sources

 

Nomenclature:

Bagust, Harold  The Gardener's Dictionary of Horticultural Terms (1994)
Bailey, L.H.  How Plants Get Their Names (1963)
Borror, Donald J. Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms (1960)
Brown, Roland Wilbur Composition of Scientific Words (1956)
Coombs, Allen J.  Dictionary of Plant Names (1994)
Gledill, D. The Names of Plants (1985)
Healey, B.J.  A Gardener's Guide to Plant Names  (1972)
Hyam, Roger and Pankhurst, Richard  Plants and Their Names: A Concise Dictionary (1995)
Jackson, B. Daydon A Glossary of Botanical Terms (1900)
Jaeger, Edmund C.  A Source-Book of Biological Name and Terms (1959)
Jaeger, Edmund C. The California Deserts (1933, 1965)
Johnson, A.T. and Smith, H.A. Plant Names Simplified (1931, 1972)
Neal, Bill  Gardener's Latin (1992)
Nillson, Karen B.  A Wildflower By Any Other Name (1994)
Quattrocchi, Umberto (1999) CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology (in 4 volumes)
Robinson, E.R. New Pronouncing Dictionary of Plant Names (1939)
Smith, A.W. A Gardener's Handbook of Plant Names, Their Meanings and Origins (1963, 1997)
Stearn, William T.  Botanical Latin (1995)
Stearn, William T.  Stearn's Dictionary of Plant Names (1996)
Sterndale-Bennett, Jane (Ed.) Plant Names Explained (2005)
Zimmer, G. F. A Popular Dictionary of Botanical Names and Terms (1922)

Floras and Checklists:

Abrams, Le Roy Flora of Los Angeles and Vicinity (1904)
Abrams, Le Roy Illustrated Flora of the Pacific States, Vol I (1940)
Abrams, Le Roy Illustrated Flora of the Pacific States, Vol II (1944)
Abrams, Le Roy Illustrated Flora of the Pacific States, Vol. III (1951)
Abrams, Le Roy and Ferris, Roxana Illustrated Flora of the Pacific States, Vol. IV (1960)
Allan, Gerard J. and Brown, William J., Jr. A Field Guide to the Rare Plants of the Angeles National Forest (1995)  
Arnberger, Leslie P. Flowers of the Southwest Mountains (1982)
Bailey, L.H. Manual of Cultivated Plants (1961)
Banks, Darin L. A Vascular Flora of the Agua Tibia Mountains, Southern California (1999)
Beauchamp, R. Mitchell  A Flora of San Diego County, California (1986)
Belzer, Thomas J. Roadside Plants of Southern California (1984)
Benson, Lyman The Native Cacti of California (1969)
Birgh, Horace Rei Conspicuous Plants of Eaton Canyon (1991)
Blackwell, Laird R. Wildflowers of the Eastern Sierra and Adjoining Mojave Desert and Great Basin (2002)
Blackwell, Laird R. Wildflowers of the Sierra Nevada and the Central Valley (1999)
Blackwell, Laird R. Wildflowers of the Tahoe Sierra (1997)
Bowers, Janice Emily Flowers and Shrubs of the Mojave Desert (1999)
Bowers, Janice Emily One Hundred Desert Wildflowers (1994)
Bowers, Janice Emily Shrubs and Trees of the Southwest Deserts (1993)
Boyd, Steve Vascular Flora of the Liebre Mountains, Western Transverse Ranges, California (1999)
Boyd, Steve, Ross, Timothy S. and Mistretta, Orlando Vascular Flora of the San Mateo Canyon Wilderness Area, Cleveland National Forest, California  Aliso 14(2), pp.109-139 (1995)
Broughton, Jacqueline P. Plant Communities in Santa Barbara County (1972)
Clements, Edith S. Flowers of Coast and Sierra (1928)
Clokey, Ira W. Flora of the Charleston Mountains, Clark County, Nevada (1951)
Coffeen, Mary Central Coast Wildflowers (1996)
Coleman, Ron The Wild Orchids of California (1995)
Collins, Barbara J. Key to Coastal and Chaparral Flowering Plants (1987)
Collins, Barbara J. Key to Trees and Shrubs of the Deserts of Southern California (1976)
Collins, Barbara J. Key to Trees and Wildflowers of the Mountains of Southern California (1974)
Collins, Barbara J. Key to Wildflowers of the Deserts of Southern California (1979)
Conard, Henry S. How to Know the Mosses and Liverworts (1956)
Conrad, C. Eugene Common Shrubs of Chaparral and Associated Ecosystems of Southern California (1987)
Constantine, Helen Plant Communities of the Mono Basin (1993)
Dale, Nancy Flowering Plants of the Santa Monica Mountains (2000)
Davidson, Anstruther and Moxley, George L. Flora of Southern California (1923)
Dawson, E. Yale and Foster, Michael S. Seashore Plants of California (1982)
DeDecker, Mary Flora of the Northern Mojave Desert, California (1984)
Dodge, Natt N. Flowers of the Southwest Deserts (1985)
Dole, Jim W. and Rose, Betty B. Shrubs and Trees of the Southern California Coastal Regions and Mountains (1996)
Dole, Jim W. and Rose, Betty B. Shrubs and Trees of the Southern California Deserts (1994)
Elmore, Francis H. Shrubs and Trees of the Southwest Uplands (1976)
Faber, Phyllis M. Common Wetland Plants of Coastal California (1996)
Faber, Phyllis M. and Holland, Robert F. Common Riparian Plants of California (1992)
Faull, Mark Toward A Flora of Red Rock Canyon: A Preliminary Checklist (2001) (Unpublished State Park checklist)
Ferris, Roxana S. Death Valley Wildflowers (1983)
Ferris, Roxana S. Flowers of the Point Reyes National Seashore (1970)
Francis, John K. (Ed.) Wildland Shrubs of the United States and Its Territories: Thamnic Descriptions: Volume 1 (2004)
Fuller, Thomas C. and McClintock, Elizabeth Poisonous Plants of California (1986)
Graf, Michael Plants of the Tahoe Basin (1999)
Grennan, Albert J. Coastal Sage Scrub Plants (1999)
Grillos, Steve J. Ferns and Fern Allies of California (1966)
Hale, Mason E., Jr. and Mariette Cole Lichens of California (1988)
Hickman, J.C. (Ed.) The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California (1993)
Horn, Elizabeth L. Sierra Nevada Wildflowers (1998)
Jaeger, Edmund C.  Desert Wild Flowers (1941)
Jepson, Willis Linn A Flora of California (several volumes, various dates)
Johnson, Paul R. Cacti, Shrubs and Trees of Anza-Borrego (1990)
Junak, Steve et. al. A Checklist of Vascular Plants of Channel Islands National Park (1997)
Junak, Steve et. al. A Flora of Santa Cruz Island (1995)
Kartesz, John T. and Rosemarie Kartesz A Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Canada and Greenland, Vol. II (1980)
Keator, Glenn Complete Garden Guide to the Native Shrubs of California (1994)
Knute, Adrienne  Plants of the East Mojave (1991, 2002)
Kozloff, Eugene N. and Beidleman, Linda H. Plants of the San Francisco Bay Region (1994)
Krantz, Tim A Guide to the Rare and Unusual Wildflowers of the Big Bear Valley Preserve (1983)
Lamb, Samuel H. Woody Plants of the Southwest (1989)
Lanner, Ronald M. Conifers of California (1999)
Lathrop, Earl W. and Thorne, Robert F. A Flora of the Santa Ana Mountains, California  Aliso 9(2), pp.197-278 (1978)
Lathrop, Earl W. and Thorne, Robert F. A Flora of the Santa Rosa Plateau, Southern California (1985
Lightner, James San Diego County Native Plants (2004)
Liskow, George Wildflowers of the Mount Wilson Trails and San Gabriel Mountains (1990)
Lloyd, Robert M. and Mitchell, Richard S. A Flora of the White Mountains, California and Nevada (1973)
Lyons, Kathleen and Cooney-Lazaneo, Mary Beth Plants of the Coast Redwood Region (1988)
MacKay, Pam Mojave Desert Wildflowers (2003)
Margerum, Hugh and Powdrell, David A Field Guide to Common Plants of the Santa Barbara Foothills and Southern California (2005)
McAuley, Milt  Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains (1996)
McHoul, Lilian and Elke, Celia Wild Flowers of Marin (1979)
McLeod, Malcolm Dune Mother's Wildflower Guide (Dunes of Coastal San Luis Obispo & Santa Barbara) (2001)
McMinn, Howard E. An Illustrated Manual of California Shrubs (1939)
Moe, L. Maynard A Key to Vascular Plants of Kern County (1995)
Morgenson, Dana C. Yosemite Wildflower Trails (1975)
Morhardt, Sia and Emil California Desert Flowers (2004)
Muns, Bob California Desert Flora of Joshua Tree National Monument (1988)
Muns, Bob  Flora of the Bolsa Chica Marsh (1983)
Muns, Bob Flora of Point Mugu State Park (1988)
Muns, Bob Flora of the Santa Rosa Plateau (1990)
Muns, Bob Flora of Topanga State Park (1983)
Muns, Bob Malibu Creek State Park Flora, A Checklist (1983)
Muns, Bob Santa Monica Mountains Flora, A Checklist (1983)
Munz, Philip A. California Desert Wildflowers (1962, 2004)
Munz, Philip A. California Mountain Wildflowers (1963, 2003)
Munz, Philip A. California Spring Wildflowers (1961, 2004)
Munz, Philip A.  A Flora of Southern California (1974)
Munz, Philip A. Shore Wildflowers of California, Oregon and Washington (1964, 2003)
Munz, Philip A. and Keck, David D. A California Flora and Supplement (1973)
Nakamura, Gary and Nelson, Julie Kierstead (eds) Selected Rare Plants of Northern California (2001)
Niehaus, Theodore F. Sierra Wildflowers, Mt. Lassen to Kern Canyon (1974)
Niehaus, Theodore F. and Ripper, Charles L. A Field Guide to Pacific States Wildflowers (1976)
Norris, Larry L. A Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Death Valley National Monument (1982)
Patraw, Pauline M. Flowers of the Southwest Mesas (1964)
Pavlik, Bruce M., et.al Oaks of California (1991)
Peterson, P. Victor Native Trees of Southern California (1966)
Petrides, George A. Trees and Shrubs (1958, 1972) (A Peterson Field Guide)
Petrides, George A. & Olivia Trees of the California Sierra Nevada (1996)
Petrides, George A. & Olivia Western Trees (1992) (A Peterson Field Guide)
Quinn, Meg Wildflowers of the Desert Southwest (2000)
Raven, Peter H. Native Shrubs of Southern California (1982)
Raven, Peter H., Thompson, Henry J., and Prigge, Barry A. Flora of the Santa Monica Mountains, California (1986)
Reiser, Craig H. Rare Plants of San Diego County (1984)
Rickett, H.W.  Wild Flowers of America (1953)
Roberts, Fred M., Jr. A Checklist of the Vascular Flora of Orange County, California (1998)
Roberts, Fred M., Jr. The Oaks of the Southern Californian Floristic Province (1995)
Roberts, Fred M., Jr., White, Scott D., Sanders, Andrew C., Bramlet, David E. and Boyd The Vascular Plants of Western Riverside County: An Annotated Checklist (2004)
Roberts, Norman C. Baja California Plant Field Guide (1989)
Rodin, Robert J. Ferns of the Sierra (1960)
Schofield, W. B. Field Guide to Liverwort Genera of Pacific North America (2002)
Sharsmith, Helen K. Spring Wildflowers of the San Francisco Bay Region (1965)
Shosteck, Robert Flowers and Plants, An International Lexicon with Biographical Notes (1974)
Simpson, Michael G. and Jon Rebman Checklist of the Vascular Plants of San Diego County (1995, 2001)
Smith, Clifton F. A Flora of the Santa Barbara Region, California (1998)
Spellenberg, Richard National Audubon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers (1979)
Spellenberg, Richard Sonoran Desert Wildflowers (2003)
Stark, Milt A Flower-Watcher's Guide to Spring-Blooming Wildflowers of the Antelope Valley (1991)
Stewart, Jon Mark Colorado Desert Wildflowers (1993)
Stewart, Jon Mark Mojave Desert Wildflowers (1998)
Stuart, John D. and Sawyer, John O. Trees and Shrubs of California (2001)
Swinney, Dick Glendora Foothills Plant Checklist, San Gabriel Mountains (1994)
Taylor, Ronald J. Desert Wildflowers of North America (1998)
Taylor, Ronald J. Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary (1992)
Thomas, John Hunter and Parnell, Dennis R. Native Shrubs of the Sierra Nevada (1974)
Thorne, Robert F., Prigge, Barry A. and Henrickson, James A Flora of the Higher Ranges and the Kelso Dunes of the Eastern Mojave Desert in California (1981)
Thurston, Carl Wildflowers of Southern California (1936)
Twisselmann, Ernest C. A Flora of Kern County (1967)
UC Oakland Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources The Grower's Weed Identification Handbook
UC Riverside The Vascular Plants of the San Bernardino Mountains (1995)
USDA/Forest Service Mistletoes of North American Conifers (2002)
Vasek, Frank C.  A Vegetative Guide to Perennial Plants of Southern California (no date)
Walters, S.M., et. al. (ed)  The European Garden Flora, Vols. I-IV (1984)
Weeden, Norman F. A Sierra Nevada Flora (1996)
Whitson, Tom D.(Ed.) Weeds of the West (1996)
Wiese, Karen Sierra Nevada Wildflowers (2000)
Wilson, Lynn & Jim, and Nicholas, Jeff Wildflowers of Yosemite (1994)
Wishner, Carl  Flora of the Santa Monica Mountains: Synonymized Checklist and Index
Witham, Helen Ferns of San Diego County (1972)
Zabriskie, Jan G. Plants of Deep Canyon and the Central Coachella Valley (1979)

Botanists and Collectors:

Beaty, Janice J. Plants in His Pack: A Life of Edward Palmer (1964)
Smith, Clifton F. "Botanical History and Exploration" pp. 42-53 in A Flora of the Santa Barbara Region by the same author
Twisselmann, Ernest C. "The Botanical Exploration of Kern County" pp.136-154 in A Flora of Kern County by the same author

Butterflies:

Emmel, Thomas C. and John F. The Butterflies of Southern California (1973)
Heath, Fred An Introduction to Southern California Butterflies (2004)
Glassberg, Jeffrey A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Western North America (2001)
Mattoni, Rudi Butterflies of Greater Los Angeles (1990)

General:

Barbour, Michael G. and Major, Jack (eds) Terrestrial Vegetation of California (1995)
Bell, Adrian D. Plant Form: An Illustrated Guide to Flowering Plant Morphology (1991)
Capon, Brian Botany for Gardeners (1990)
Crampton, Beecher Grasses in California (1974)
Dallman, Peter R. Plant Life in the World's Mediterranean Climates (1998)
Elpel, Thomas J. Botany in a Day (1996)
Ewan, Joseph (Ed.) A Short History of Botany in the United States (1969)
Felt, Ephraim Porter Key to American Insect Galls (1917)
Fried, Jeremy S., Bolsinger, Charles L., Beardsley, Debby Chaparral in Southern and Central Coastal California in the Mid-1990s: Area, Ownership, Condition and Change (2004)
Hall, Clarence A., Jr. (Ed.) Natural History of the White-Inyo Range (1991)
Harrington, H.D. How to Identify Grasses and Grasslike Plants (1977)
Harrington, H.D. How to Identify Plants (1957)
Harris, James G. and Harris, Melinda Woolf Plant Identification Terminology (1994)
Head, W.S. The California Chaparral (1972)
Johnson, Russ and Anne The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest (1970)
McAuley, Milt Wildflower Walks of the Santa Monica Mountains (1988)
Ornduff, Robert Introduction to California Plant Life (1974)
Orr, Robert T. and Orr, Dorothy B. Mushrooms and Other Common Fungi of Southern California (1968)
Raven, Peter H. and Axelrod, Daniel Origin and Relationships of the California Flora (1995)
Ross, Timothy S. Herbarium Specimens as Documents: Purposes and General Collecting Techniques (1996, 1998)
Rundel, Philip W. and Robert Gustafson Introduction to the Plant Life of Southern California (2005)
Smith, James Payne, Jr. Vascular Plant Families (1977)
Taylor, Norman (Ed.) The Garden Dictionary (1936. 1938)
Taylor, Norman (Ed.) Taylor's Encyclopedia of Gardening (1936, 1956)
Vessel, Matthew F. and Herbert H. Wong Natural History of Vacant Lots (1987)
Walters, Dirk R. and Keil, David J. Vascular Plant Taxonomy (1975)

(This list by no means exhausts the source material on California flora, but merely represents those volumes actually in my possession.)