Here’s the map with the Google photo on which it’s based:

Updated May 23, 2026

Many native California plants that benefit local insect and wildlife populations are eager to grow in Potrero Commons if given half a chance.

As of May 2026, a bunch of happy California native species are thriving in their serpentine habitat we’ll call Potrero Commons:

Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum)
California Buckeye (Aesculus californica)
California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia)
Coastal California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica var. maritma)
Coyote Bush (Baccharis pilularis)
Elegant Clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata)
Farewell To Spring (Clarkia amoena)
Prairie Flax (Linum lewisii)
Purple Clarkia (Clarkia purpurea)
St. Catherine’s Lace (Eriogonum giganteum)
Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)
Valley Oak (Quercus lobata)

Mammals, birds, insects!

Besides flora, we have fauna too:

California scrub jay (Aphelocoma californica)
Coyote (Canis latrans)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus)

Bad weeds of Potrero Commons

In the recent past, the Commons was allowed to deteriorate into a weed-ridden trash-strewn lot, where only a small handful of native plants were able to withstand the invasive plants that outcompeted them for space.

Efforts made since 2022 have begun to put a dent in the weed density, allowing more re-introduced native California species to get established.

Pampas grass

The most damaging plant in the Commons is Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana or Cortaderia jubata). It should be aggressively reduced. Pampas grass not yet cut to ground or removed should have their flower stalks removed before they bloom and spread. Because this plant is so invasive, all Pampas grass debris should be black-bagged and sent to landfill — not compost.

Oxalis

Bermuda buttercup (Oxalis pes-caprae), also called Oxalis, will easily overwhelm native California wildflower seedlings. It comes on in the Fall when rain begins. Unfortunately, Oxalis produces underground bulbs which power new growth — it’s very persistent and difficult to completely stop. While we may never eliminate it, we can reduce it enough to make room for good native plants.

Ivy

English ivy (Hedera helix) grows aggressively with vines that re-root easily. It should pulled from entangling trees and bushes, then ripped out at the roots. It can stopped, but requires a few years of attention, ripping out new growth as it appears.

Blackberry

Himalayan blackberry (Rubus armeniacus) should be dug out, removing as much root as possible. It’s not uncommon for it to re-sprout from where it had been dug out, since it’s difficult to find all the root pieces that might power a new plant. Be careful — gnarly thorns.

Grasses and other common weeds

There are many grasses and other invasive annual plants that can be found in Potrero Commons. We gotta stop them re-seeding!

1. Bristly ox-tongue (Helminthotheca echioides)
2. Brome fescue (Festuca bromoides)
3. English plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
4. Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)
5. Field clover (Trifolium campestre)
6. Foxtail (Hordeum murinum)

Pull weeds with some care, since they’re often growing around “good” plants, like our many California wildflowers, or saplings of native trees and bushes like Coast Live Oak and Coyote Bush.

Updated May 21, 2026

Potrero Commons is open space in San Francisco, at De Haro & 19th Streets. As an important part of San Francisco’s serpentine ecology, as well as the Potrero Hill neighborhood, the Commons is cherished and supported by the community. A long-term project of restoring it as a healthy landscape of native California plants was begun in 2022.

Want to get your hands dirty?

Get in touch by email: potrerocommons [at] gmail [dotcom]

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See a map of Potrero Commons.

Further reading

Potrero Hill history

1. 1954 photo of Potrero Commons from 19th Street and Rhode Island.
2. 1965 photo Potrero Commons from Arkansas near 18th Street.
3. 1970s photo of Potrero Hill Junior High School, built in 1971 on the site of Potrero Commons at 655 De Haro.
4. Potrero Commons in the 1970s and 1990s
5. The 1990s battle for Potrero Commons is described in How to Fight City Hall and Lose
6. Reshaping Potrero Hill

Potrero Hill & San Francisco native plants

1. Starr King Test Plot is another site of ecological restoration, within Starr King Open Space
2. The Potrero Hill Eco-Patch: Part 1 of 2 — the Eco-Patch is another site focused on restorating California native ecology.
3. Eco-Patch Test Garden
4. Native Plants Can be Found Throughout Potrero Hill
5. Botanist Alice Eastwood writing in 1945 about San Francisco wildflowers
6. California Native Plant Society Yerba Buena / San Francisco chapter

Serpentinite ecology

1. San Francisco rocks! The fascinating history behind Bay Area geology
2. Serpentine Grasslands and Maritime Chaparral
3. On San Francisco’s Serpentine Trail
4. Community-Based Ecological Restoration at the Presidio
5. The Unexpected Wealth of Serpentine Habitats — Audubon California
6. Serpentinite FAQ — National Park Service

Greening The City

1. Let’s Green San Francisco For People And Nature
2. Nature in the City
3. Grow Nature — San Francisco Environment Department

Ecological restoration

1. Resources for Habitat Restoration and Native Gardening in California

You can help

Contributions are greatly appreciated. Caring for the Commons incurs costs for garbage bags, gloves, tools & their maintenance, plants, seeds, and feeding The Gardener. 👨🏼‍🌾 If you have tools, time or muscle to contribute to this effort, please send email: potrerocommons [at] gmail [dotcom]

Keep reading: Good plants, bad weeds in Potrero Commons