Where are you at?

The Answer Key...

Give yourself 1 point for each correct answer that you know without looking it up. Don't cheat!

1. What plant community was dominant in your neighborhood before your home was built?
   Look for surviving plant community remnants in your area, especially if there are greenbelts nearby. Near me, there are coast live oaks, coastal sagebrush, black sage, toyon, chamise, etc. Thus, in my area, there once existed oak woodland, coastal sagebrush scrub, and chaparral. Some of it still persists in a substantial greenbelt nearby.
2. What compass direction does your front door face?
   Get a compass and check yours. My front door faces due west.
3. What was the approximate total rainfall in your area last year? (1 July to 30 June; Orange County average is Ok).
   Go to Orange County Watershed, http://www.oc.ca.gov/pfrd/envres/Rainfall/rainfalldata.asp and select the rainfall station closest to your home. The totals are at the bottom of the page. The 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003 Season Totals are:
   a. Santa Ana Station 14.57 inches
   b. Villa Park Dam 16.83 inches
   c. Santiago Peak 32.04 inches
   d. Costa Mesa 14.73 inches
   The average of these measurements is 19.54 inches.
4. On what date did you take your most recent hike in a natural area or tour someone else's native plant garden? Award yourself a 0 if it's been over one year.
   Oh, please tell me that you earned 1 point for this! If not, shame on you. My last hike was in September in Trabuco Canyon to search for Brickellia californica in flower. My last native plant tour was in mid-October to Chaparral Hill at the Fullerton Arboretum.
5. Name 3 native plants that bloom only in the Spring.
   Defined as the months of March, April, & May. It's the word "only" that's gonna get you! Many plants bloom in spring and early summer. Even so, there are dozens of local plants that fit the bill. Many will flower beyond their natural season if artificially watered, so let's restrict this to the natural flowering period. Here are 3 Spring-only bloomers that come to mind:
   a. Catalina Mariposa Lily, Calochortus catalinae
   b. Ground Pink, Linanthus dianthiflorus
   c. Stinging Lupine, Lupinus hirsutissimus
6. Name 3 native plants that bloom only in the Fall.
   Defined as the months of September, October, & November. This one may be tough because so many folks think our blooming season has ended well before Fall. Not true! Fall is when our lovely Fall-flowering asters (members of the family Asteraceae) perk up our spirits with their autumnal glory. Here are my 3 picks:
   a. Coyotebrush, Baccharis pilularis
   b. California Brickelbush, Brickellia californica
   c. Coastal Goldenbush, Isocoma menziesii
7. Name 3 native plants that come up primarily after fire.
   Many native southern California plants are famous for their adaptations to fire. The seeds of some species germinate only after being scorched by fire, others need the taller plant cover removed so that they can germinate or obtain enough sunlight to produce flowers. Legendary among fire-followers are the poppies (members of the family Papaveraceae) such as:
   a. Golden Eardrops, Dicentra chrysantha
   b. Fire Poppy, Papaver californicum
   c. Wind Poppy, Stylomecon heterophylla
8. Name 3 edible plants in your area, list the edible part(s), and when they are available.
   You hear a lot of rumors about the ability to eat all sorts of native plants. Never, never do so on your own! Consult an expert to confirm all plant identifications. Many (most?) plant poisonings occur as a result of misidentifications. Here are three plants that are easy to identify and sample.
   a. Coastal sagebrush, Artemisia californica. Native plants make great seasoning herbs! They are often more pungent that their cultivated counterparts found in grocery stores, so you decrease the quantity to be added. Oddly, they are not in use by most people. Instead of European terragon, I place 3-4 leaves of coastal sagebrush in spaghetti sauce to give it a hint of unusual flavor. A single leaf makes a nice breath freshener during a hike. Leaves are available only during winter, spring, and late fall. Why? They are somewhat summer deciduous and may drop leaves during hot summers, but retain them along the coast and if artificially watered.
   b. Black sage, Salvia mellifera. I place one half of one leaf in spaghetti sauce. Leaves are available year-round.
   c. Gooseberries & currants, Ribes spp. Their fruits, available only in spring, can be eaten raw.
9. Name 3 poisonous plants in your area, list the poisonous part(s), and why they are poisonous (toxin and/or effect).
   Plants evolve various defenses to discourage being eaten (herbivory). This may involve a hard seed coat (acorns), fruit spines (gooseberries), terrible smell (odora), or poisonous compounds that sicken or kill herbivores. In fact, there are more local poisonous plants than edible ones. Thus, every Californian should have on his/her shelf a copy of Poisonous Plants of California by Tom Fuller & Elizabeth McClintock (UC Press, 1986). You should also know that the Orange County Poison Control Center is available to you at 714-634-5988.
   a. Nearly all members of the Carrot family (Apiaceae) have toxins in their sap. One effect is that of hypersensitivity to sunlight whereby the skin reddens and blisters like a sunburn, sometimes followed by a purple pigmentation that may be permanent. Some contain toxins that affect the central nervous system, beginning with nausea, salivation, and ending with pain, paralysis, and death.
   b. Milkweeds, Asclepias spp. All parts are poisonous and contain cardiac glycosides that cause nausea, convulsions, coma, and death.
   c. All members of the Nightshade, Potato, & Tomato family (Solanaceae) contain alkaloids of varying toxicity, including nicotine.
10. On what date was the last rainfall (not fogdrip) in your neighborhood?
    It rained throughout Orange County on Halloween, Friday 31 October.
11. Name 3 native grasses in your area.
    With so many stunningly beautiful native grasses here, it is difficult to select only three. Here goes:
    a. Giant Needlegrass, Achnatherum (Stipa) coronata
    b. Foothill Needlegrass, Nassella (Stipa) lepida
    c. Purple Needlegrass, Nassella (Stipa) pulchra
12. Name 3 native plants that are in flower this week in your area.
    As I write this key during early November, the answers to question #6 apply. Here are another three:
    a. California Fuchsia, Epilobium canum
    b. Telegraphweed, Heterotheca grandiflora
    c. California Buckwheat, Eriogonum fasciculatum
13. Name 3 native plants that were removed from your property when your home was built.
    Isn't this a sad thing to think about? The answers to question #1 will probably be helpful here. For me:
    a. Toyon, Heteromeles arbutifolia
    b. Coastal sagebrush, Artemisia californica
    c. Chaparral beargrass, Nolina cismontana
14. Name 3 rare plants that currently live in Orange County.
    Let's define "rare". For purposes of this quiz, it will include any plant listed in the CNPS publication, Inventory of Rare and Endangered Vascular Plants of California. The answers are easiest found in the paper, Rare and Endangered Vascular Plants of Orange County by Fred Roberts (1990. Crossosoma 16[2]:3-12) or in A Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Orange County, California, second edition, by Fred Roberts (1998, F.M. Roberts Publications). Here are 3 that come to mind:
    a. Palmer's Grappling Hook, Harpagonella palmeri
    b. Western Dichondra, Dichondra occidentalis
    c. Summer Holly, Comarostaphylos diversifolia
15. What is the elevation of your home (above or below sea level, in feet or meters)?
    If you don't know this one, beg, borrow, or buy a topographical map and/or GPS receiver. My home is at 730 feet (222.5 meters).
16. Name the dominant species of oak tree in your neighborhood.
    This assumes, of course, that native oaks once occured or currently remain in your neighborhood. No problem. An acceptable answer is the name of the nearest oak to your home. For most of us, that will be one of the following:
    a. Coast live oak, Quercus agrifolia
    b. California Scrub Oak, Quercus berberidifolia
17. What is the name of the wild area nearest to your home & how far away is it? Kudos if you can also point toward it from inside your home.
    If you don't know this one, you need to get out more often! The Biophilia Hypothesis, espoused by E.O. Wilson and others, tells us that a connection to wildlife & wild areas keeps us sane, healthy, and happy. Get out to a wild area and relax, even if it is just to gaze at wild lands from a sidewalk. I live near the Wilderness Glen Greenbelt in Mission Viejo. And yes, I can point to it from anywhere in my home.
18. When you need to identify an unknown plant, what book do you first consult? (other people and websites don't count)
    No friends or websites? What a tough question! Never fear, there are hundreds of good books out there. For Orange County, these should come to mind:
    a. Belzer, T.J. 1984. Roadside Plants of Southern California. Mountain Press Publishing Co., Missoula, Montana.
    b. Dale, N. 2000. Flowering Plants. The Santa Monica Mountains, Coastal & Chaparral Regions of Southern California, revised second edition. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento, CA.
    c. Hickman, J.C., editor. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.
    d. Niehaus, T.F. & C.L. Ripper. 1976. A Field Guide to Pacific States Wildflowers. The Peterson Field Guide Series: 22. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, MA.
    Of course, if you're been paying attention to the local scene, you would also think of two upcoming books: Wildflowers of Orange County by Bob Allen, Chris Barnhill, & Fred Roberts, and the Flora of Orange County by Fred Roberts. {That Fred Roberts guy certainly gets around, doesn't he?}.
19. To the nearest 100, how many species of plants are recorded from Orange County?
    On page 6 of A Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Orange County, California, second edition, by Fred Roberts (1998, F.M. Roberts Publications), he lists 1,269 taxa. About 10 others have been discovered (one new to science!) and will appear in the third edition of the checklist.
20. In what year did CNPS form?
    This was much more difficult to locate than it should have been. After I wrote the question, I checked the CNPS website (http://www.cnps.org/) but was unable to find the date. An e-mail to the webmaster put me in touch with the right person who provided the answer and agreed with me that it should be on the website. It was added soon thereafter. The year? 1965.

Scoring

Inspired by the article, "Where are you at?", CoEvolution Quarterly (now known as Whole Earth Review), Winter 1981. Totally rewritten by Bob Allen, OC-CNPS. Answer key by Bob Allen.

Revised Saturday, November 8, 2003.