Tiny Lessingia in the dunes of the Presidio NPS photo. Wind patterns in the sand above Baker Beach NPS photo. The endangered San Francisco lessingia (Lessingia germanorum) is found only in the Presidio and in one spot south of the city in San Mateo county. It grows in open sandy areas within mature dune scrub. In 1985, only a few hundred plants were counted by California Native Plant Society volunteers. Following restoration of the surrounding dune scrub, the population has since risen to hundreds of thousands.