Trip Recap
A large group of 32 CNPS members and non-members attended the most ambitious on this year’s schedule (you were warned). We began at Blue Jay campground, high in the heart of the Santa Ana Mountains. On the drive up we stopped briefly to note a colony a giant stream orchids (Epipactis) in bloom. During the short walk to the trailhead we observed a mature Piperia (rein orchid) beginning to spike – so we knew it would be a good plant day.
The weather was warm, clear and still. Once on the trail, we soon discovered the near endemic San Miguel savory (Satureja) with its incredibly fragrant foliage, silktassel (Garrya) and a small native vetch (Vicia). White fairy lantern lily (Calochortus albus) was present, but not quite in bloom. Once into Hot Springs Canyon the array of flowers rolled by quickly (clarkia, Chinese houses, cryptantha, delphinium, wild hyacinth, sticky cinquefoil, baby blue eyes, California peony, popcorn flower, chia, four phacelias and three clovers). A couple of unusual plants included large stands of golden linanthus, Douglassandwort (Minuartia) and slender woolly-heads.
With such a large group, the going was slow, but the spirits were high as we eventually rounded the bend to see perhaps OC’s only colony of Oregon grape (Berberis aquifolium var. dictyota). After another half mile of rocky trail we rested at a waterfall and admired the large colony of sticky dudleyas on the rocks before heading back.
All told, we noted an incredible 149 plant species along the 3.7miles from our beginning. See the next tab for a complete list. Also noted were a few California newts, a striped racer snake, Indigo buntings, several butterflies and many unnamed insects.
Quite a day.
Plant Seen
Acmispon glaber - deerweed Acmispon heermanii – wooly lotus Acmispon sp. (prob A. maritimus) Acmispon strigosus - hirsute lotus Acourtia microcephala - sacapellote Adenostoma fasciculatum – chamise Adiantum sp. - maidenhair fern* Agoseris grandifolora – mountain dandelion Allium haematochiton – red-skinned onion Alnus rhombifolia - alder Anagallis arvensis - scarlet pimpernel+ Anthriscus caucalis? - bur-chervil?+ Arctostaphylos glandulosa – eastwood manzanita Artemisia californica - California sagebrush Artemisia douglasiana - California mugwort Avena sp. – wild oat+ Baccharis salicifolia - mule fat Barbarea orthoceras - American winter cress Berberis aquifolium var, dictyota - barberry Brickellia californica - California brickle bush* Calochortus albus - Mariposa lily Calochortus sp. (likely C. weedii var. intermedius) Carduus pycnocephalus – Italian thistle+ Castilleja exserta – purple owl’s clover Castilleja foliosa – felt paintbrush Castilleja minor ssp. spiralis – California threadtorch Ceanothus sp. (oliganthus?) – California lilac Centaurea melitensis – tocalote+ Cercocarpus betuloides - mountain mahogany Cheilanthes clevelandii - cleveland's lip fern Cirsium officidentale - California thistle Clarkia purpurea – four-spot clarkia Claytonia perfoliata - miners lettuce Clematis pauciflora - ropevine Collinsia heterophylla - chinese houses Corethrogyne (Lessingia) filaginifolia - cliff aster Crassula connata – pigmy stonecrop Cryptantha sp. - cryptantha Datisca glomerata - durango root Delphinium parryi - parry's larkspur Delphinium patens - liver-leaved larkspur Dendromecon rigida – bush poppy Dichelostemma capitatum - wild hyacinth Drymocallis glandulosa - sticky cinquefoil Dudleya lanceolata - lance-leaved live-forever Dudleya pulverulenta – chalk dudleya Dudleya viscida – sticky live-forever Eleocharis sp. – spike rush Elymus condensatus - giant wild rye Epilobium canum - California fuchsia Eriogonum fasiculatum ssp. polifolium – Cal. buckwheat Eriogonum gracile – slender buckwheat Eriophyllum confertifolium - golden yarrow Erodium sp.- cranesbill+ Fraxinus dipetala – California flowering ash Galium angustifolium - narrow-leaved bedstraw Galium aparine - common bedstraw+ Garrya flavescens – silktassel Gilia sp.* Hedypnois creteca - Crete weed+ Helianthus gracilentus – slender sunflower Hesperoyucca whipplei - chaparral yucca Heteromeles arbutifolia - toyon Hypochaeris glabra – smooth cat’s ear+ Jepsonia parryi – coast jepsonia Juncus sp. - rush Keckiella cordifolia – heart-leaved bush penstemon Lasthenia (coronaria?) - goldfields Lathyrus vestitus var. vestitus - San Diego sweet pea Ledidium sp. - peppergrass Lilium humboltii var. oscellatum – humbold lily* Leptosiphon aureus – golden linanthus Lithophragma affine - woodland star* Lomatium dasycarpum – wooly-fruited lomatium Lomatium lucidum - shiny lomatium Lonicera subspicata - southern honeysuckle Lupinus bicolor - miniature lupine Lupinus excubitus – guard lupine Malosma laurina - laurel sumac Malacothamnus fasciculatus laxiflorus – bushmallow Marah macrocarpa - wild cucumber Meconella denticulata - small-flowered meconella* Melica imperfecta - melic grass Micranthes californica - California saxifrage* Mimulus aurantiacus - bush monkeyflower Mimulus brevipes - slope semaphore Mimulus cardinalis – scarlet monkeyflower Mimulus guttatus - seep monkeyflower Minuartia douglasii – Douglas sandwort Muhlenbergia rigens - deer grass Nemophila menziesii - baby blue eyes Oxalis albicans – California wood sorrel Paeonia californica - California peony Pellaea andromedifolia - coffee fern Pellaea mucronata - California cliff-brake Pentagramma triangularis - goldback fern Phacelia distans – common phacelia Phacelia imbricata – imbicate phacelia Phacelia minor - wild canterbury-bell Phacelia parryi – parry’s phacelia* Pinus coulteri – coulter pine+ Piperia sp. (prob P. cooperi) – rein orchid Plagiobothrys sp. - popcorn flower Plantago erecta - plaintain Platanus racemosa - western sycamore Plectritis ciliosa – long-spurred plectritis* Polypodium californicum - California polypody fern Pseudognaphalium californicum - California everlasting Pseudognaphalium canescens - white everlasting Psilocarphus tenellus var. tenellus– slender woolly-heads Pteridium aquilinum - western bracken fern Quercus agrifolia - coast live oak Quercus berberidifolia - scrub oak Rhamnus californuca - redberry Rhamnus illicifolia - holly-leaved redberry Rhus ovata - sugarbush Rhus trilobata - skunk bush Ribes californicum – hillside gooseberry Ribes indecorum - white-flowered currant Ribes speciosa – fuschia-flowered gooseberry Rosa californica - California wild rose Rubus ursinus - California blackberry* Rumex sp. - dock Salix sp. - willow Salvia apiana - white sage Salvia columbaria - chia sage Salvia mellifera - black sage Sambucus mexicana – Mexican elderberry Sanicula crassicaulis – pacific sanicle Satureja chandleri – San Miguel Savory Scrophularia californica - figwort Seliginella begelovii - bushy spike moss Sidalcea malviflora – common checker bloom Silene gallica – common catchfly+ Sisyrinchium bellum – blue-eyed grass Solanum sp. - nightshade Solidago velutina – California goldenrod Sonchus sp. – sow thistle+ Stachys sp. – hedge nettle Stephanomeria cichoriacea – chicory-lvd. wreath plant Stipa pulchra – purple needlegrass Symphiocarpus mollis - spreading snowberry Thalictrum fendleri - meadow rue Toxicodendron diversilobum - poison oak Trifolium ciliolatum – tree clover Trifolium hirtum – rose clover+ Trifolium willdenovii - valley clover Vicia sp. (prob. V. ludoviciana) - vetch Vicia villosa - purple vetch+ Observed nearby: Epipactus gigantea – giant stream orchid Swertia parryi – parry’s deer’s ears * Seen during last week’s scouting trip + Not native - at this site
