Native species | Department of Plant Sciences

Smiling older woman holding woven baskets at an exhibit table on an outdoor patio. She also holds hand-woven cooking utensils. UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences

Native Foods Celebration Highlights Access to Plants for Health, Identity, Community

by By Siddharth Jasthi and Trina Kleist
April 28, 2026

This event included cultural demonstrations and panels that emphasized the web of connections among people, plants and the land.

A man and three women wearing coats and caps. They walk along rows of ankle-high green plants.

Traditional Foods and the Health of the Planet

by Trina Kleist
January 15, 2026

The California Native Plant Foods Celebration and Symposium is organized by a team lead by Dan Potter, chair of the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences. Panelists and demonstrations.

We see strips of dry, brown in the middle of green, white-flowered plants. People are bent over, touching the dry area.

Herbicide drift, native plants, irrigation water, weed zappers

by Trina Kleist
July 11, 2024

California farmers spend over $900M annually on weed control. At UC Davis Weed Day 2024, researchers shared updates on herbicide drift, native plants for weed control, irrigation impacts, and new weed-zapping technology for organic orchards.

Landscape of low, dry mountains and in the foreground, bushes with white flowers

Car fumes and weeds pose double-whammy for fire-loving native plants

by Grace Fruto and Trina Kleist
February 15, 2024

Air pollution and invasive weeds threaten fire-adapted wildflowers in the Santa Monica Mountains. Nitrogen from smog boosts invaders, reducing native seed banks and long-term biodiversity after wildfire recovery.