2017 - Robert's botanical adventures in Northern California

[Robert]

It is a short distance from Chipmunk Bluff to Loon Lake.



At the far end of Loon Lake a trail takes one to Buck Island Reservoir, Rockbound Lake and Lake Winifred, as well as Rubicon Reservoir, the gateway to Rockbound Valley. When I was in High School I spent 3 weeks in Rockbound Valley.



Brown Mountain (center-right) is a basalt plug of an ancient volcano.



To the west of Loon Lake is the drainage of Francis Creek. Francis Creek drains into Gerle Creek. My father’s cabin was down in this drainage.



I could not stay long, so I had to say goodbye, for now, to Tells Peak.

[Robert]

Commonly known as California Lilac, Redroot.
   

Alan,

Redroot is a medicinal herb derived from the roots of Ceanothus species. The roots are dug in the wintertime. I generally use Ceanothus cuneatus, however my understanding is that any Ceanothus species can be used. It is important to clean the roots and cut them into small slices before they dry. When they are dry they are rock hard! A tea made from the roots is red! It is quite pleasant to drink and is very effective to clean out the lymphatic system. Used with Lomatium it is effective against viral flu. Lomatium is not only anti-viral but it was also used as a food by Native Americans. Many Lomatium species are beautiful ornamental plants, perfect for a rock garden. Anyway you look at it, a good plant to have around.

[Robert]

My last day in El Dorado County for awhile. A typical chaparral scene at the lower elevations.



Clarkia biloba is still in bloom.



Lepechinia calycina has fragrant foliage.



Salvia sonomensis finished blooming months ago. The foliage is very fragrant.



I generally see Polygala cornuta ssp. cornuta in mid-elevation coniferous forests.

There were many plants in bloom but I did not have much time as I was also packing  - ready to return to Sacramento.

A strange weather forecast for the coming week. Maybe some more rain. Generally we do not get much rain in June, so the forecast is a bit unusual. Next outing??

Until then.....

[fermi de Sousa]

Lepechinia calycina has fragrant foliage.

and good to see that it's on our allowed list !

Salvia sonomensis finished blooming months ago. The foliage is very fragrant.

We grow a hybrid called 'Celesial Blue' which has similar foliage and is very fragrant
cheers
fermi

[Robert]

Fermi,

During the drought years the seed crop on Lepechinia calycina was dubious. This year with more or less double average precipitation maybe I can get better germination. The same can be said for Salvia sonomensis. I am very pleased that there is a huge seed crop on the high elevation form of Primula (Dodecantheon) hendersonii. Of coarse, the coastal race sets plenty of seed and there is obvious and observable variation. Both are well worth growing in a shady xeric garden. 100% dry conditions during the summer is a must! So far, between all the different forms of Primula hendersonii I enjoy 2 months of flowers in our Sacramento garden. If you ever decide to grow any, it is good to grow a populations of different clones. All indications are that they are obligated out-breeders. I am sure that with some effort a range of color shades can be obtained as well as white. They are small and do not take up much space. This is an added bonus, considering how I am working with them.

Here in California we have Salvia 'Bee's Bliss'. Judging from its habitat of growth and the fragrance of its foliage I bet it is a Salvia sonomensis hydrid. I have had it in the garden, up at the farm, for 20 + years. It has never set seed, however I grow Salvia sonomensis in another part of the farm. 'Bee's Bliss' does grow next to a large Salvia clevelandii. I have never gotten any seed off the Salvia clevelandii. Odd, as Salvias generally self very easily.

I did see some other nice plants yesterday but did not have time to photograph them: Delphinium patens, Dichelostemma multiflorum, some excellent forms of Naravettia pubescens, and Brodiaea elegans. Leontodon saxatilis is a invasive weed and is in bloom everywhere at the lower elevations.

Lastly, the best find yesterday was an access point to some BLM land where I will most likely find Calystegia stebbinsii. Generally I am not around a TV, but I did see some video footage from the high Sierra Nevada. There is still 2 + meters of snow at Ebbetts Pass. At this point I am not sure when I will be able to access the high elevations in the Sierra Nevada. Fortunately, there are plenty of species blooming on the BLM site, as well as in the middle elevations of the Sierra Nevada.

Now I have to work for awhile, but hope to get out again soon.

It sounds like you were out-of-town for awhile. It must be good to be back to your garden!

[hamparstum]

Hello Robert!
   Looking and studying your Delphiniums my first question is which of the very many have you tried to cultivate. D.cardinalis; D. hesperium; D.hansenii; D.nudicaule;  and many more...?Have you tried other native Delphiniums beyond California natives : D.novomexicanum; D.barbeyi. Perhaps you are ware of others working on this Genus from a horticultural view. In general  western N.American species are much better adapted to mesic/low mesic and even almost xeric situations. At least even the forest species have to put up with 3 months long summer natural drought. The garden alternative which I'm greatly fond of requires a much more wet environment from Europe (D.elatum and its hybrids =D.cultorum).
Thank you.

[Robert]

Hello Robert!
   Looking and studying your Delphiniums my first question is which of the very many have you tried to cultivate. D.cardinalis; D. hesperium; D.hansenii; D.nudicaule;  and many more...?Have you tried other native Delphiniums beyond California natives : D.novomexicanum; D.barbeyi. Perhaps you are ware of others working on this Genus from a horticultural view. In general  western N.American species are much better adapted to mesic/low mesic and even almost xeric situations. At least even the forest species have to put up with 3 months long summer natural drought. The garden alternative which I'm greatly fond of requires a much more wet environment from Europe (D.elatum and its hybrids =D.cultorum).
Thank you.

Arturo,

At one time I grew some of the western Delphinium species that grow beyond the borders of California. At this time, I just grow California native species - I have my hands full with this! Many of the California Delphinium species grow under summer xeric conditions. Delphinium patens comes to mind. A week or so ago, I had a plant in bloom, of D. gracilentum, here at our Sacramento garden, however I did not have time to photograph it for the forum.    Very beautiful. Some of the California species can be a bit tricky to cultivate. Delphinium hansenii is another dryland species. In cultivation I have found that it needs a tiny amount of moisture while dormant. Too much water and it rots, not enough and it completely desiccates. I have yet to grow Delphinium hesperium. Each of the species have different growing requirements. Each species needs to be dealt with on an individual basis. The seedling stage is often very tricky, however once they get through the first season they are less fussy.

I am finding Castilleja easier to grow! At least the perennial species. I have not tried any of our annual species, however I hope to change this. 

My next outing is planned for this Thursday. There is still too much snow at Lyons Creek. I will be able to be out ALL day!        It is a bit early but I hope to check on Calochortus clavatus var. avius a local endemic Taxon (El Dorado and Amador Counties). The weather forecast is for rain! I might have to make some last minute changes.

[hamparstum]

Robert, yes Castilleja is a fascinating genus. Just within California I just read from Calflora 78 forms! I would love to know which you've tried. There's an excellent article by Paul Cumbleton in the Planstman Dec 2008. He has also been successful in growing them. However, those of us trying more xeric species should have the climatic advantage.Finally there's some literature about how to them along with host species,...if done soon enough they seem facultative about which host to attach themselves to. Even alfalfa ( which grows spontaneously here) serves that purpose!. Have you any experience in that?. It sounds a fun project. The genus has quite a few annuals too.I.E. C.campestris that seems associated with vernal pools that dry up in summer. Ephemeral annuals that are characteristic of winter wet, but dry summer should be easy to bring into cultivation. I wonder if they germinate with the first fall rains and grow slowly in not too cold winters and shoot up into bloom for spring bloom. They could easily find room in a gardening scheme for early bedding purposes, along with other similar cycle plants .
My next group are the milk vetches, Astragalus... ,more rock garden types. Any experience with those?
thanks for your patience,
Arturo

[Robert]

Arturo,

So far I have somewhat limited experience growing Castilleja, however I do pay attention with my field studies and have made some useful observations. All my attempts at cultivation have been successful beyond any expectations I might have had. I tend to use Lupinus albifrons as a host (companion) plant. However I am now experimenting with Arctostaphylos (Manzanita) and will try other shrubby chaparral species as I can. As of today, I have not attempted any of the annual species. Species such as Catilleja attenuata and C. exserta clearly grow in association with Poaceae. Invasive grass species clearly seem to work, however I am more interested in experimenting with California native bunch grasses and herbaceous Eudicot species that grow in association with Castilleja. In addition, I have not tried any of the perennial high elevation species. There are some fine species to work with. Castilleja miniata  ssp. miniata is very common in the Sierra Nevada, however there are other species that are quite attractive. Their habitat preferences are quite varied. Attention to these details might be important to success. From my experiences to date, Castilleja will easily grow without any host or symbiotic relationship, however they clearly seem to benefit at some time in their growth cycle.

Many of the fine Astragalus species are found on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada or in the Great Basin. There are a few annual species that I see on the western slope, as well as in the coastal mountains. I have never attempted to grow any of the annual species. I have grown the perennial species Astragalus whitneyi, however I lost the plants when I moved the bulk of my growing to our Sacramento garden last year. They seem very demanding as to their growing conditions. Just yesterday my wife and I were discussing the construction of a new planting bed for there cultivation here at our Sacramento garden. We have a good plan however I do not think anything will be ready to plant until Autumn. The eastern Sierra species seem to preform much better when they are seeded directly where they are to grow. I still have much to learn about this Genus and other projects are getting the bulk of my attention right now. Progress is slow.

I am looking forward to my outing tomorrow. I have a good plan(s) depending on the weather. There are several site I wish to explore on Peavine Ridge. The both the plants and the geology are quite interesting. If all goes well I will check on a site or two on Chipmunk Bluff too. With Poor weather, I may need to try something different. Next week I will be returning to Snow Mountain.

Stay tuned..... 

[Robert]

Despite less than ideal weather I had a very productive outing to various sites on Peavine Ridge.



I like to trust my intuition. There was active logging at one site on Peavine Ridge, so I needed to change my plans. From Peavine Ridge, weather conditions near the crest of the Crystal Range looked terrible, however my intuition prompted me to check on plants on Chipmunk Bluff. Conditions were drizzly with a bitter cold wind, but the plants I saw were outstanding (photographs not so good    )



On my return to Sacramento, I stopped shortly near Kanaka Valley (a low elevation site in El Dorado County).

As I can, I will be reporting on this outing.

[Robert]

PEAVINE RIDGE
CHIPMUNK BLUFF
&
KANAKA VALLEY

Part I
Peavine Ridge

Thursday, 8 June 2017

Sacramento Weather

Weather: Cloudy
Temperature, High: 75 F, 24 C
            Low: 54 F, 12 C
Precipitation: .14”, 3.5 mm


During the past few weeks I have been able to do a quick reconnaissance of a number of site on Peavine Ridge, El Dorado County, California. On this outing I returned to a number of these sites to do a more thorough survey of the plant species and geology of each site.

Early Thursday morning began overcast and gray with numerous rain showers passing through the region. As I set off eastward toward the Sierra Nevada the rain intensified to a steady moderate rain. Fortunately, I was prepared for rain and was quite hopeful that the day would be productive.



I arrived at Riverton at the base of Peavine Ridge early in the morning. The skies were threatening, but the rain had not arrived yet. It was a balmy 60 F, 15.5 C.

Riverton is a deserted site along U.S. Highway 50 next to the South Fork of the American River. In the early days of Highway 50, Riverton boasted a grand hotel as well as other accommodations for highway travelers. Sometime in the past the hotel burned to the ground and was not rebuilt. In the 1960’s I remember the “Life or Death” billboard; a police office handing out a traffic ticket on the “Life” side and a car wreck on the “Death” side. The billboard remained for 25 years or so, but now Riverton can only boast its advertisements for the Nevada gambling halls.

Ice House Road begins its accent to the top of Peavine Ridge at Riverton. There is a small section of forestland in this area that did not burn during the Ice House Fire (1959) or the Cleveland Fire (1992). It is reasonable example of older growth forest on Peavine Ridge.  I made my first stop at 3,369 feet (1,027 meters) just above the old site of Riverton.



Here some of the eroded rocks of the Calaveras complex can be seen. Quartz veins fill some of the fractures in this schist outcrop.



The forest in this area has certainly been altered from its original condition after the region became a major freight and transportation route during the 1850’s onward. The forest species were quite diverse at this site and many were still in bloom. Asclepias speciosa was one of two Milkweeds in bloom at this site.



Asclepias cordiflolia grew and was blooming side-by-side with A. speciosa. There was no indication that there was any mixing (hybrids) between the two species.



I forgot to key this Trifolium species, however it may have been Trifolium obtusiflorum. Trifolium obtusiflorum is glandular-hairy and quite sticky. My plan was to get back to it, but this did not happen.

At another site on Peavine Ridge I did come across another native clover, Trifolium breweri. Rain and wind prevented photography.

[Robert]

Near the Milkweeds there were scattered plants of Cirsium occidentale var. venustum. This showy species is extremely variable. The flowers in this population were quit showy, however the foliage was rather bland compared to other forums of this species.



The canyon slope in this area was very steep. In addition, the soil was very loose and the covered with pine needles, making the scramble up the slope very difficult. Lupinus grayi was blooming in scattered stands among the twinning stems of Calystegia malacophylla ssp. malacophylla.



Malacothrix floccifera grew in loose colonies in areas open to fairly strong sun.



Pellaea mucronata is not phased by sun or dry conditions. They were quite happy growing among the boulders on this dry slope.



At first I thought that this fern was Pentagramma pallida, however on closer inspection it proved to be Pentagramma triangularis. Occasionally I come across specimens of Pentagramma triangularis with white exudate on the abaxial leaf surface but never on the adaxial surface. Plants of this type have sometimes been treated as P. triangularis ssp. semipallida and P. triangularis ssp. rebmanii.

I spent a considerable amount of time at this site and found a diverse array of species. There was much I wanted to accomplish this day, so it was soon time to move on to the next site.

[Robert]

I drove up the to the next site, 3,644 feet, 1,111 meters. Here earlier in the season, I had observed a very interesting population of Manzanita, Arctostaphylos sp. In addition, there appeared to be healthy regrowth of the forest after the Cleveland fire in 1992.

The Manzanitas at this site have a number of fascinating characteristics. Arctostaphylos viscida is the dominant species. The plants exhibit characteristics that range from those of subspecies viscida to those that are associated with subspecies mariposa. There are also a number of plants that superficially resemble Arctostaphylos manzanita ssp. manzanita. On closer inspection, the nascent inflorescence of these plants closely resembles those of Arctostaphylos mewukka, another Arctostaphylos species found on Peavine Ridge.

After checking the Manzanitas, I worked my way through the brush into the forest above the road. I was a bit surprised to find a plantation type forest beyond the thick border of shrubbery near the road. It was disappointing to find a monoculture of Ponderosa Pine, Pinus ponderosa and the forest floor dominated by the invasive annual Dogtail Grass, Cynocurus echinatus.



Many of the stumps from the salvage logging operations after 1992 Cleveland Fire still remain.



There were also a diversity of species that had stump sprouted after the fire and were not sprayed with herbicides. The regeneration of this California Black Oak, Quercus kelloggii, was a typical scene among the regenerating woody species.



I was very encouraged when I found a healthy and sizable stand of the native perennial bunch grass Stipa lemmonii ssp. lemmonii.

[Robert]

As I hiked up the slope there were other encouraging features in the landscape. It was clear that slowly other indigenous species were slowly recolonizing the area.



Occasionally, there were large drifts of Madia elegans.



Iris hartwegii ssp. hartwegii had found its way to this site and there were some nice colonies scattered about the mountainside.



There was still much to do. I moved on to the next site where there was an obvious plantation type forest, 4,001 feet, 1,220 meters.



There was a good variety of native species growing in a waste area adjacent to the plantation of conifers. A thick stand of the native annual Navarretia intertexta spp. Intertexta was found blooming among the many grasses (all invasive).

[Robert]

PEAVINE RIDGE

Part II

Along with the Navarretia, Achillea millefolium had recolonized the waste area outside the conifer plantation. There were a surprising number of species in bloom: Dichelostemma multiflorum, Eriodictyon californicum, Madia subspicata, and Brodiaea elegans ssp. elegans to name a few.



The “waste area”, public land owned by the U.S. Forest Service, turned out to be quite interesting. When I hiking into the Plantation forest (private timberland) the forest floor was almost devoid of plant life. A few Lathyrus sulphureus had escaped the herbicide sprays and were blooming.



My goal was to reach a stand of conifers that had not burned during the Ice House Fire or the Cleveland Fire. For some, private land management does not seem inclusive of other plant species. There was not much growing on the forest floor. The marked trees will be thinned. I do not object to tree thinning or timber harvesting, however I would rather see much more species diversity.



There was one huge clump of Lupinus polyphyllus blooming in the middle of this stand of timber. It seemed somewhat out of place all by itself.



There was nothing much to see on the private land, so I hiked back to the public Forest Service land. There was a considerable contrast as I crossed back onto the public land. The young forest (planted after the Cleveland Fire) was carpeted with Lupinus grayi in full bloom. There was also a diverse mix of annual and herbaceous species, as well as many woody broad leaf trees and shrubs.