California Diocesan Wildflowers: Sanctuary East Kneeler Cushions Click here for general background information on this series. Northern California Central arms: paten and chalice of holy communion, flanked by two shells of baptism -- holy communion and baptism being the two scriptural sacraments -- diocese founded 1874 Place cursor on image to see numbers, which refer to numbers in caption below. 1. Del Norte iris; 2. Yerba santa; 3. Crimson columbine; 4. Alpine laurel; 5. Chinese-houses; 6. Common chickory (introduced); 7. Yellow sand verbena; 8. Golden brodiea; 9. Mat phlox; 10. Gully lupine 11. Blazing star; 12. Firecracker; 13. Purple nightshade; 14. Dowingia; 15. Yellow windsorrel (introduced); 16. Bindweed; 17. Indian pond lily; 18. Coast wall flower. The diocese covers an area larger than North Carolina. Extending eastward from the rugged shore, near-coast redwood groves, and forested coastal ranges, to the open grassland and rivers of the Sacramento Valley, it climbs the foothills into the forested northern Sierra Nevada, and beyond into the high volcanic plateaus of the interior northwest. Twelve florisitic plant units have been identified in the area. Plants of interest include Yerba santa, "holy herb", a medicinal plant of dry slopes, introduced to the Spanish friars by native California tribes. The species name of Firecracker, "Ida-Maia", is supposed to be the Latin for "Ida May", the discovering botanist's daughter. Dowingia is a flower of seasonal vernal pools, known for their rare flora.