2017 - Robert's botanical adventures in Northern California

[Robert]

While walking around, I found this nice form of Eriogonum tripodum. I was very dense and compact compared to others at this site.



Leather Oak, Quercus durata var. durata thrives with the serpentine conditions at Traverse Creek.



The flowers of Arctostaphylos viscida ssp. mariposa are just starting to open. I keep finding this Taxon in unexpected locations.



Cardamine oligosperma is an unassuming annual species. It is a native species, however it can be a bit C. hirsuta is weedy and it frequently turns up on farms, in nurseries, and gardens.



I finally was able to get a halfway decent close-up photograph of this tiny, early blooming species.

[Hoy]

Cardamine oligosperma looks a bit like C hirsuta which is a cumbersome weed!

Lomatium utriculatum looks great!

[Robert]

Cardamine oligosperma looks a bit like C hirsuta which is a cumbersome weed!

Lomatium utriculatum looks great!

Thank you Trond!

Cardamine hirsuta has been a weed here in California for a long time. Although the photograph is of Cardamine oligosperma in a wild setting my statement about it being weedy should have read C. hirsuta. In our foothill region both species can be found. The chromosome count of both species is 2n=16. Cardamine hisuta has been around for so long that it seems possible, in some cases, that there may have been some mixing of the two species. There is way too much stress while I am at the farm and I make so many stupid mistakes!    Thank you for your comment! 

Lomatium utriculatum is nice and I have had some success growing it in our garden. Slugs like it!  The slugs came close to destroying the batch this spring, but now they are doing better.

[Robert]

Most days I have been going out for a short period of time to make a brief survey of various local sites. This day I visited the Deer Creek Hills, an area of low hills that is a transition zone between the Central Valley of California and the Sierra Nevada foothills.



The fallow fields look devoid of flowers at this time, however there are plants blooming out there. Later in the season there will be a riot of color with Dichelostemma, Triteleia, Eschscholzia, Calochortus, and many other species in bloom.



In contrast is the rangeland in this same area. Later in the season the heavily grazed rangeland is more or less devoid of wildflowers. Last year the only “flowering” species that I noted was Trifolium subterraneum. The majority of the species are non-native invasive annual grasses such as Bromus diandrus and Bromus hordeaceus. The vernal pool in the center of this photograph is more or less barren!



There are many streams that run through the Deer Creek Hills, Deer Creek being the primary water coarse. These riparian habitats are too often very fragile and extremely susceptible to damage by cattle. This seasonal creek has been off limits to the cattle for a number of years.



A storm was moving in and it was too windy for photography. I did get this photograph of Popcorn Flower, Plagiobothrys fulvus var. campestris in bloom. In the photograph you can almost see the dense dark brown hairs on the calyx. A few other noteworthy species in bloom were Amsinckia intermedia, Dichelostemma capitatum, as well as some invasive species such as Erodium botrys, and Raphanus sativus.

[Robert]

I returned the next day, however an intense squall moved in very quickly. No point in hanging around this day! On the return trip to the farm the heavy rain turned to snow. The snow quickly accumulated on the roadway. No chains! Fortunately the car did not slide on the snow and I arrived safely back at the farm.

[Robert]

When I was out at Rock Creek several days ago I did see this beauty, Claytonia parviflora ssp. grandiflora. With a casual glance this species resembles Claytonia perfoliata, a common species in our area known as Miner's Lettuce. C. perfoliata is quite good to eat and the seed is sold in the U.S.A. as a salad green. Claytonia parviflora differs from C.perfoliata having long narrow basal leaves. Claytonia parviflora ssp. grandiflora can have flowers that are white or pink. The plant pictured has very nice pink flowers. It really stood out.

[Gabriela]

I am always looking fw to the spring beauties Robert! They are among the first flowers to appear in the woods here, both C. virginica and caroliniana.
The common name suits them all very well

[Robert]

I am always looking fw to the spring beauties Robert! They are among the first flowers to appear in the woods here, both C. virginica and caroliniana.
The common name suits them all very well

Gabriela,

I especially like the pink flowering form of Claytonia parviflora ssp. grandiflora. 

We use Miner's Lettuce as a common name (at least for C. perfoliata), do you use another for the Claytonia species in your region?



The snow was not much and never lasted around the farm. It was a bit too warm. I did take the scenic route into town. There was still snow on the ground on the ridges above the South Fork of the American River. The photograph is of one of the many ponds in our area.



The bits of white on the ridge top is the remaining low elevation snow. In 3 or 4 days the forecast is for 20C+ temperatures. The low elevation snow will be gone, the wildflowers will be blooming.



Water is cascading down from the ridge tops into the canyon far below.


I will be home Wednesday and I have an outing planned for the following Wednesday. Weather will play a factor in the destination. Maybe the Coastal Mountains if the weather remains dry. The wildflower season will be progressing in this region. As a backup, the Sierra Nevada Foothills will have to do. There are plenty of places to check on, rain or shine.

In the mean time I will get some rest. 

Until the next time.....

[Gabriela]

Robert,
it looks like a  very wet spring in California!

Claytonia sp. are commonly called here Spring beauties (no one uses the specifics Carolina spring beauty and Virginia spring beauty because they are very similar).

[Robert]

Robert,
it looks like a  very wet spring in California!

Claytonia sp. are commonly called here Spring beauties (no one uses the specifics Carolina spring beauty and Virginia spring beauty because they are very similar).

Gabriela,

Thank you for responding! Spring Beauties seems a very fitting name.

I also wanted to thank you for the link to eFloras.org  I have my hands full" right now, but I did check some of the links on the main page. It seems that there could be a considerable amount of fascinating information through the various links. 

[Hoy]

Robert,

Interesting as usual!

Only one spring beauty is common here - Claytonia siberica. It is not native though. I have lots of them in my woodland.

[Maggi Young]

I do love this thread - my head spins with the delights from California and Norway - international delights indeed!

[Hoy]

I do love this thread - my head spins with the delights from California and Norway - international delights indeed!

It is strange, so far apart and so different but also many similarities

[Maggi Young]

Yes, it is quite fascinating.

[Robert]

As I plan outings for the coming season, I like to research species that I wish to study in more detail, or settle discrepancies that I encounter in the field. On 17 August 2016, I explored the Smith Lake area high on the western slope of the Crystal Range near Mount Price. On the approach to a false peak above Smith Lake, I found and photographed a fern that I identified, in a cursory way, as Cryptogramma acrostichoides. A comment on my botanical diary suggested that this fern was possibly Cryptogramma cascadensis. Recently I have investigated this issue, and now believe that this fern may indeed be C. cascadensis.

Although both Cryptogramma acrostichoides and C. cascadensis have a distinct general “form” this characteristic alone is not enough to accurately distinguish between the two species. Superficially they can look quite similar, especially if they are not examined closely. After receiving pertinent information and re-examining the fern photograph from Smith Lake, my conclusion is that most likely the fern is indeed Cryptogramma cascadensis.

There are a number of details that have led me to this conclusion: Cryptogramma cascadensis is deciduous; the fronds are shed each year and replaced by new fronds each season. The previous year’s fronds are dispersed or decompose leaving more or less nothing around the crown. In the photograph it can be seen that there is no visible debris from the previous season around the crown. In contrast, with Cryptogramma acrostichoides the previous year’s fronds are retained creating a thatch around the crown. In most cases this is very apparent.

Further, Cryptogramma acrostichoides is a xeric species and is generally found growing in rock crevices on very dry slopes. This species can go completely dry during the summer and will come back into growth once rehydrated. Cryptogramma cascadensis is a mesic species, thus found growing where there is always a supply of moisture. Under drought conditions, C cascadensis has been observed to wilt, then dry, and die without moisture. Unlike Cryptogramma acrostichoides, once completely desiccated, C. cascadensis will not regrow when rehydrated.

Cryptogramma cascadensis has often been observed growing in association with Athyrium distentifolium var. americanum. On the talus slope above Smith Lake, this Lady Fern species was seen frequently in rock cervices along with the Cryptogramma fern. A presumably constant supply of water could be heard trickling through the rocks below, as both species are mesic.

I do grow Cryptogramma acrostichoides in our Sacramento garden. It is a fine compact growing fern that seems very amenable to garden conditions as long as there is excellent soil drainage and shade from the hot summer sun is provided. I have never grown Cryptogramma cascadensis; however I suspect that it would prove equally amenable to garden culture as long as a regular supply of moisture is supplied.

Fairly recently (Alverson,1989), Cryptogramma cascadensis was identified and described as a unique and separate species. Presently Cryptogramma cascadensis has a known range that is fairly well established. It is distributed throughout the Cascade Range: from southern British Columbia, through Washington and Oregon, into northern California. Its range continues in the high Sierra Nevada as far south as Fresno County. To the east, C. cascadensis is found in the northern Rocky Mountains. This summer I plan to return to the Smith Lake area. At this time a positive identification of this Cryptogramma species can be made. Favorable habitats also exist in the high elevations of the Northern Coast Range where this species might be found. I will be looking for C. cascadensis this summer as I explore the Snow Mountain region of the Northern Coastal Mountains.



Spring is advancing quickly now that the weather has cleared and warmed. In our Sacramento garden Fritillaria affinis is now in bloom. This is one of many indications that the spring blooming season has arrived in the lower elevations of our region of California. It is time to get out! My next outing is planned for this Wednesday.

Until then…..