April 1984 FREMONTIA A Journal of the California Native Plant Society *S¥. •"¦ -^£---r .?*<. -SSV** - .** -^ v -;-**> * ^Ai -*££•• - i' .'Jtfe V 1 >ti * - *.; ifc Ky ./¦>¦,. kV&" ,';\' v. ttv. W FREMONTIA Vol. 11 No. 5 April 1984 Copyright © 1984 California Native Plant Society Phyllis M. Faber, Editor Laurence J. Hyman, Art Director Michael Zipkin, Designer MATERIALS FOR PUBLICATION Members and others are invited to submit material for publication in Fremontia and the Bulletin. All time-value material should be addressed to theBulletin. Fremontia is ajournal for laymen about California plants. It hopes to be both readable and scientifically accurate. Technical botanical articles should be directed to other more scholarly journals. Please double-space copy, using wide margins and fresh typewriter ribbon, on S'A-by-ll paper, and include name, address, and phone number on the MS. As a general rule, in the interest of consistency, botanical nomenclature will conform to Munz, A California Flora. Please identify each plant referred to by its botanical name and, if there is one, by its common name. Photographs should be black-and-white glossy prints, preferably 8-by-10 size or accompanied by negatives. Please submit two copies with MS. THE COVER: Serpentine rock provides an endless variety of colors and shapes as shown in the cover photograph by Joan Rosen. The flora grow- ing on serpentine soils is the subject of this special issue, devoted entirely to the serpentine syndrome. California Native Plant Society Dedicated to the Preservation of the California Native Flora The California Native Plant Society is an organization of laymen and professionals united by an interest in the plants of California. It is open to all. Its principal aims are to preserve the native flora and to add to the knowledge of members and the public at large. It seeks to accomplish the former goal in a number of ways; by monitoring rare and endangered plants throughout the State; by act- ing to save endangered areas through publicity, persuasion, and, on occasion, legal action; by providing expert testimony to govern- mental bodies; and by supporting financially and otherwise the establishment of native plant preserves. Much of this work is done through CNPS Chapters throughout the State. The Society's educa- tional work includes: publication of a quarterly journal, Fremon- tia, and a quarterly Bulletin which gives news and announcements of Society events and conservation issues. Chapters hold meetings, field trips, and plant and poster sales. Non-members are welcome to attend. The work of the Society is done by volunteers. Money is provided by the dues of members and by funds raised by chapter plant and poster sales. Additional donations, bequests, and memorial gifts form friends of the Society can assist greatly in carrying forward the work of the Society. Dues and donations are tax-deductible. MEMBERSHIP Dues include subscriptions to Fremontia and the Bulletin. Individual $ 12 Groups $ 18 Couple 18 Supporting 30 Retired Person 8 Life Member: Individual 350 Student 8 Life Member: Couple 400 ADDRESSES Memberships; Address Changes; Officers; General Society In- quiries; Conservation Trust Fund: CNPS, Suite D, 2380 Ellsworth St., Berkeley, CA 94704. (415) 841-5575 Fremontia (Editorial): Phyllis M. Faber, Editor, 212 Del Casa Drive, Mill Valley, CA 94941. (415) 388-6002 Fremontia (Advertising): Nancy Dale, Rancho Santa Paula #7, 500 W. Santa Maria, Santa Paula, CA 93060. (805) 525-6319 Bulletin: Jeanne Hawkins, Editor, 712 Santa Victoria, Solana Beach, CA 92075. (714) 436-2805 CNPS Botanist, Data Base: Rick York, 1416 9th St., Rm. 1225, Sacramento, CA 95814. (916) 324-3816 EXECUTIVE COUNCIL President.....................................Robert Will Vice President, Administration..........Mary Ann Matthews Vice President, Finance.....................Mary Merryman Vice President, Conservation................Adrienne Libby Vice President, Legislation...........Jo Smith, Kay Antunez Vice President, Rare Plants..............James P. Smith, Jr. Vice President, Publications...................Harlan Kessel Legal Advisor...............................Scott Fleming Recorder.................................Joanne Kerbavaz Corresponding Secretary.........................John Lane Past-President.............................Jonathan Libby DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE Jenny Fleming, Roman Gankin, Joseph Medeiros, Jeffrey Prouty, Virginia Rumble, Suzanne Schettler CHAPTER PRESIDENTS (AND DIRECTORS) Bristlecone (Inyo-Mono)..................... Vincent Yoder Channel Islands........................... Richard Burgess Dorothy King Young (Gualala) .............. Aileen Howden Kern County.................................... Lori Key Marin....................................... Sue Hossfeld Milo Baker (Sonoma County)___............ Elaine Weinreb Monterey Bay................................ Alice Mehdy Mount Lassen................................ F. Jay Fuller Napa......................................... Joe Callizo North Coast............................... Dwain Goforth Northern San Joaquin Valley (Modesto)......... Roy Schmidt Orange County..............................R. John Little Riverside/San Bernardino Counties..............Judy Harpel Sacramento Valley............................ Betty Matyas San Diego................................ Jeanne Hawkins San Francisco Bay........................... Marian Reeve Sanhedrin (Ukiah)........................ Lucille McKinney San Luis Obispo........................... Eileen Pritchard Santa Clara Valley............................ John Gamon Santa Cruz........................ Adrienne Harrold Libby Santa Monica Mountains........................... Jo Kitz Sequoia (Fresno)............................ Jeanne Larson Shasta......................................... Don Burk South Coast (Palos Verdes)................ Virginia Gardner Tahoe............................... Julie Stauffer-Carville COMMITTEES AND SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS AWNPS Representative.............. R. Mitchel Beauchamp CNACC Representative........................ Leslie Hood Conservation Representatives: Coastal................................... Phyllis Faber Eastern Sierra........................... Mary DeDecker Northern California...................... Dwain Goforth Public Lands................................Jean Jenny BLM/Desert Liaison........................June Latting Conservation Trust Fund....................... Alice Meyer Escaped Exotics Committee............ Elizabeth McClintock Fellows Committee......... Lawrence Heckard/Marian Reeve Member Records/Archives Committee............ Joyce Burr Mini-Grants Committee.................... Virginia Rumble Personnel Management Committee.......... Charli Danielsen Poster Committee...........................Wilma Follette The Nature Conservancy Liaison............Barbara Malloch Sr*'- fiJCSJj "*lM*>S?r-.-c x. *' — .¦*^-"S3;'¦"'?'>" -. ~ iT ..>*'" Cory Peak, serpentine habitat of Siskiyou willow-herb. Photograph by Diane Reed ,. . .... -*fcaf;^"" Ear* /" m*:M ^x^- M ^ ^ il^k^ £ >3*-jk. Ni- '4il. THE FLORA ON CALIFORNIA'S SERPENTINE by Art Kruckeberg This is the second of a two-part series on Califor- nia serpentines. Part I in the January 1984 issue of Fremontia discusses serpentine rock, the soil that serpentine rock produces, and the distinctive flora growing on serpentine. For many, the most spectacular attribute of Califor- nia serpentines is the variety of unique plant life they support. One would anticipate that such a remarkable component of the California flora would have been captured in print by illustrious botanists of the 19th and early 20th centuries. To be sure, pioneer Califor- nia botanists like E.L. Greene, W.L. Jepson, Kate Brandegee and Alice Eastwood named and described many of the early "finds" on serpentine. But I have found hardly any recognition in print by these botanists that their new species grew on serpentine. The one exception is in the writings of William H. Brewer, botanist on the Whitney Geological Survey of California during the mid 19th century. In Brewer's contribution to the Botany volume of the Survey (Asa Gray was the principal author, 1880), he comments on one serpentine endemic (Streptanthus polygaloides), as follows: "A rare and remarkable species ... on dry barren magnesian soil near Jacksonville on the Tuolumne." Brewer's delightful account of his experiences on the survey are in his book, Up and Down California, reprinted in 1949. He visited the classic serpentine bar- rens at New Idria in San Benito County where the historic quicksilver mines are located. Brewer described the New Idria area and the stark country beyond in vivid language: "The view from the summit is exten- sive and peculiar . . . chain after chain of mountains, most barren and desolate. No words can describe one 3 Chaparral woodland on serpentine, Complexion Creek area, Lake County. Photographs by the author unless otherwise noted. chain, at the foot of which we had passed on our way—gray and dry rocks of soil, furrowed by ancient streams into innumerable canyons, now perfectly dry, without a tree, scarcely a shrub or other vegetation— none, absolutely, could be seen. It was a scene of un- mixed desolation, more terrible for a stranger to be lost in than even the snows and glaciers of the alps." I find it hard to believe that Jepson overlooked the serpentine phenomenon. He makes no mention of it in print, even though he described and named one of its most characteristic woody species, Quercus durata Dr. James Griffin (1975) found in Jepson's unpub- lished field notes his impressions of the New Idria bar- rens: "Great areas on the summits and ridge slopes are as barren as one's hand, not even herbaceous vegeta- tion. These characteristic spots are rotting sliding shale rock . ..." If Jepson had only known a little more geology, he would have recognized that "shale" for what it was—highly fractured and friable serpentinite rock. Both contemporary floras of California, Abrams and Munz and Keck, are fairly systematic in their iden- tification of serpentine as the home of native plants. My provisional listing (Kruckeberg in press) comes in part from a thorough combing of these two floras, together with corroboration at various herbaria. Local floras of this century have a spotty record for identi- fying substrates for their plants. John Thomas Howell's Flora of Marin County and Helen Shar- 4 smith's Flora of Mount Hamilton are good in this respect, while Hoover's Flora of San Luis Obispo County and Ferlatte's Flora of the Trinity Alps are rather uninformative on plant substrate preferences. Full recognition of serpentines as a habitat for some of California's more unusual plant life really dates from the landmark papers by Professor Herbert L. Mason (1946), then of the University of California at Berkeley. Mason used case-histories from the Califor- nia serpentines to illustrate the point that soils are highly significant in the development of narrow endemism in many places of the world. Mason's in- fluence was felt by several young botanists in the Bay Area of that time; papers by Cal McMillan, Richard B. Walker and the present author in the late 1940s added new understanding of the "serpentine syn- drome." More recent recognition of serpentine endemism comes from studies by Stebbins and Major (1965), several citations in the book on Terrestrial Vegetation of California (Barbour and Major, 1977) and the superb account of the Origin and Relation- ships of the Calif ornia Flora by Peter Raven and Dan Axelrod (1978). Of new species described yearly for the California flora, one or more are likely to be recently discovered serpentine endemics, especially from northwestern California. The botanists at Humboldt State Univer- sity have been combing that section of the state with rewarding thoroughness. Serpentine Endemics An endemic plant is one that is restricted in its distribution. So elastic is that definition that the endemics of our serpentine flora need a more par- ticular statement. A serpentine endemic is a species variety or subspecies that is wholly or largely confined to serpentine or other ultramafic rock throughout its range. Some serpentine endemics may occur over a fairly wide geographic range, yet like Streptanthus breweri are wholly confined to serpentine. Ceanothus jepsonii and Quercus durata are also widespread and nearly always on serpentine. Other serpentine endemics can be very local: Layia discoidea only at New Idria, Streptanthus batrachopus only on Mt. Tamalpais, Eriogonum siskiyouense only in the mountains along the Siskiyou-Trinity county line, and Lupinus spec- tabilis only in Mariposa and Tuolumne counties. Of the many serpentine exposures on our planet, the widespread California ones must support the greatest number of species endemic to the rock. Other con- tenders for first prize in endemics might be the serpen- tines of the island of New Caledonia or perhaps the Great Dyke in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia). I estimate that around two hundred kinds of vascular plants, species as well as subspecies and varieties, are largely or wholly confined to ultramafic rocks in California. This state- ment has to be considered somewhat provisional since no one has confirmed the strict endemic status of many of the candidate plants of my unpublished inventory and undoubtedly a number, as yet unrecognized as serpentine endemics, or even as yet undiscovered new species, will be added. The endemics now recognized are all vascular plants; ferns, conifers and flowering plants. I suspect that there are endemics in lower plant groups where serpen- tine substrates should foster endemics too: soil algae and fungi, lichens and bryophytes. Mushroom hunters will probably be disappointed in any search for unique macrofungi on serpentine; they seem to be more responsive to differences in vascular plant (mycorhizal) associates and to organic matter rather than to mineral soil. Occurrences of serpentine endemism among the major flowering plant families seems not to be wholly random. Families like the Compositae, Umbelliferae and Cruciferae have a substantial number of serpen- tine endemics. Three genera of monocots, Allium, Calochortus and Fritillaria are leading contenders for numbers of serpentine endemics in that major group. It is curious that there are only a very few known serpentine endemic species of grasses (Gramineae) and sedges (Carex). Although closer scrutiny may disclose a few more, it is possible that grasses and grass-like plants may more often be broadly tolerant to substrate, the so-called indifferent or bodenvag ("soil- wandering") species. Three genera of monocots, Fritillaria, Allium and Calochortus are the leading contenders for numbers of serpentine endemics. Fragrant fritillary, a rare but not endangered species, is shown in this photograph by Sheldon C. Woodward. Outstanding dicot genera where a significant number of species are endemic to ultramafics include Eriogonum, Lomatium, Phacelia, Navarretia, Arcto- staphylos, Ceanothus, Hesperolinon (Linutri) and Streptanthus. Serpentine Endemics by Geographic Area The great latitudinal spread of serpentine outcrops in the Californian floral province (from 35°N to 43°N) offers a wide ecological opportunity for the display of addiction to serpentine. Since outcrops can occur from coastal areas to the Sierra Nevada foothills, a further dimension of climate (temperature and rain- fall) can add to the variety of habitats. The dry Inner Coast Ranges and the Sierra foothill occurrences con- trast with the more coastal sites from San Luis Obispo to the Oregon border. Highly xeric conditions prevail around New Idria, while serpentine "islands" in the high rainfall areas of the redwood belt are more mesic. It must be noted, though, that serpentine outcrops often are only deceptively "dry"; underground water, often emerging as moist seeps locally, is more prevalent in ultramafic outcrops than in other rock types. Plants respond to the statewide physiographic and climatic diversity of serpentine occurrences in a number of ways. Serpentine vegetation in northwest- ern California is dominated by its own type of mixed conifer-hardwood forest (Jeffrey pine-Incense cedar- dwarf tanbark oak) while chaparral and grassland are the rule on serpentines in the south. Total plant cover, and hence biomass, per unit area appear to be higher in the north. These ecological differences, however, do not easily explain the increase of serpentine endemics in the Coast Ranges from south to north. The North Coast Ranges including the Klamath- Siskiyou country has the highest number of serpen- tine endemics (North Coast Ranges—14, Klamath- Siskiyou— 19, northwestern California and southwest- ern Oregon—30). Why this is so is not at all clear. Some northern serpentine outcrops are undoubtedly older than the ones in the south; the Trinity-Siskiyou County ophiolites are known to be Paleozoic. Further, this mountainous terrain has the largest series of ultramafics in the state; many are discontinuous, an ideal setting for the evolution of the species. South Coast Ranges. The coastal serpentines first occur in Santa Barbara County (Figueroa Mountain area of the San Raphael Range). Here one finds the southernmost colony of Sargent cypress (Cupressus sargentii). Streptanthus amplexicaulis var. barbarae appears to be endemic to these serpentine exposures, though its typical variety is on granite in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains. The next 5 major coastal display is around San Luis Obispo with examples of serpentine species in the genera Arcto- staphylos, Calochortus and Carex—all named as species obispoensis. Serpentine areas in the northern Santa Lucia Mountains seem not to have many endemics, possibly only Calochortus weedii. The best known serpentine localities in the inner South Coast Ranges are at the southern end of San Benito valley, especially at New Idria. Layia discoidea, a curious, rayless tarweed, the striking crucifer, Streptanthus insignis, with its colorful terminal "colorspot" of sterile flowers, and Monardella benitensis exemplify the serpentine plants of this area. Bay Area Serpentine Endemics. Of the 19 or so serpentine endemics around the San Francisco Bay Area counties, we must mention some of the most well- known, some notorious for their near martyrdom to development and other human disturbance. Clarkia franciscana and Arctostaphylos franciscana are at the Presidio in San Francisco, while Streptanthus niger, Castilleja neglecta and Calochortus tiburonensis occur only on Tiburon Peninsula (Marin County). On Mt. Tamalpais, notable serpentine endemics include Cir- sium vaseyi, Sidalcea hickmanii ssp. viridis, Streptan- thus batrachopus, andS. glandulosus ssp. pulchellus. At Crystal Springs Reservoir area in San Mateo Coun- ty Acanthomintha obovata ssp. duttonii, Cirsiumfon- tinale var. fontinale and Eriophyllum latilobum are found only here —on serpentine. North Coast Ranges. Every county from Sonoma County north to the Oregon border has its share of ultramafic outcrops; the number and size of the out- crops drastically increase northward, with Trinity, Siskiyou and Del Norte counties having the most massive displays of serpentine and peridotite. A very tentative figure of around ninety serpentine endemics tells of the rich response of plant life to these rocks. The three southernmost counties of the North Coast Range province—Napa, Sonoma and Lake counties — sustain some striking endemics, often quite local: Arctostaphylos stanfordiana ssp. bakeri (Occidental area), Erythronium helenae (Mt. St. Helena), Senecio clevelandii (Lake County), and several species of Strep- tanthus, S. brachiatus (Mayacamas Mts.), S. hesperidis (Napa and Lake counties), and S. morrisonii (Sonoma County). Serpentine endemics from northern Lake County to the Oregon border are plentiful; it is a vast area where new finds will surely surface. The complex and diverse geology of the northwest sector of California includes Castilleja neglecta. On serpentine at Old St. Hilary's Church, Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County. CNPS photograph by William Follette. Darlingtonia bogs provide habitat for a host of rare and endangered plants. Photograph by M. Denton. the Yolla Bolly Mountains, the Marble Mountains, and the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains, all with generous helpings of ultramafics. A selection of the many serpentine endemics must be somewhat arbitrary; out- standing among them would be Allium hoffmannii, Antennaria suffrutescens, Arabis serpentinicola, Asclepias solanoana, Ceanothus pumilus, Epilobium rigidum, Dicentra oregona, Eriogonum libertinii, Fritillaria purdyi, Haplopappus ophitidis, Lewisia stebbinsii, Lupinus lapidicola, Phacelia dalesiana, Rhamnus californica ssp. crassifolius, Sanicula tracyi, Senecio greenei, Silene campanulata ssp. glandulosa, Streptanthus barbatus, S. drepanoides, and Van- couveria chrysantha. Sierra Nevada endemics. Serpentine outcrops lie in an elongate pattern, trending northwesterly in the western Sierra foothills from Tulare to Plumas coun- ties. Clear contrasts in vegetation can be seen wherever serpentine intrudes into other rock: serpentine chapar- ral replaces blue oak-Digger pine woodland or sparse grassland replaces chaparral or a more lush grassland on non-serpentine soils. Plants restricted to serpentine in the Sierra Nevada province are not plentiful; the number of endemics here (sixteen) is much lower than that for a comparable latitudinal extent in the Coast Ranges. The causes of this difference are as yet obscure. Good examples of endemics include Allium sanbornii, Chlorogalum grandiflorum, Lupinus spec- tabilis and two species of Streptanthus (S. polygaloides and S. tortuosus var. optatus). Some serpentine species do not fit this "packaging" by region. Their distributions overlap the boundaries of the floral provinces. Thus Streptanthus breweri is endemic to serpentine in both the south and north Coast Ranges; Quercus durata, though more widespread in the Coast Ranges is also on serpentine in the Sierras; Lithocarpus densiflorus var. echinoides is in the North Ranges and the northern Sierra; and Ceanothus jepsonii is in the Bay Area and the North Coast Ranges. Indicator and Indifferent Species on Serpentine Besides the highly faithful —the serpentine endemics—there are those species that in varying degree tolerate or even luxuriate on serpentine soils. The notion of an indicator species is a time-honored one in plant ecology. It serves to identify those plants that are outstanding recognition "signals" for a par- ticular habitat. There are indicators for swamps, alkali sinks, limestone outcrops and nearly every degree of habitat selectivity or specialization. Indeed, many serpentine endemics can be used as indicators in this sense: Cupressus sargentii, Quercus durata, and Ceanothus jepsonii fit this characterization of the indi- cator, telling us at a glance that one is on serpentine. Eriogonum alpinum. On peridotite, Mt. Eddy, Siskiyou County. Photograph by M. Denton. But there is another use of the term: species that may range widely over a variety of habitats, but in some part of their ranges, they become faithful and exclusive to a particular habitat. This designation, local or regional indicator, works well for California serpen- tine flora. Several woody plants illustrate this kind of indicator status. Ceanothus cuneatus may be a domi- nant member of serpentine chaparral, miles away from its nearest locality on non-serpentine soils. In the North Coast Ranges, incense-cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) and Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) are quite faithful indi- cators of serpentine, yet elsewhere, as in the Sierra Nevada, they can appear on many other rock types. Knobcone pine (P. attenuata), so widespread in California and southern Oregon in a variety of habitats, is a regular inhabitant of serpentine in the North Coast ranges. Partial or local restriction to serpentine, here called the local indicator, is not just confined to woody plants. A substantial number of annuals and herba- ceous perennials do it. A sampling of these herbaceous indicators for the Coast Ranges would include Cirsium breweri, a form of Eriogonum umbellatum ssp. bahiaeforme, Festuca tracyi, members of the Phacelia "magellanica-complex," Streptanthus glandulosus ssp. glandulosus and Zigadenus fontanus. The classic studies of Carnegie Institution botanists at Stanford firmly established the notion that many species are taxonomically indifferent to habitat. That is, one and the same species can be found at sea level and at timberline. Such wide altitudinal tolerance was found to be the result of a finely tuned hereditary ad- justment to each segment of the plant's range. The same "indifference" applies to soil type. A number of indifferent (or bodenvag) plants are associated with serpentine, mostly natives like Adenostoma, Allium hoffmanii, on serpentine, Mt. Lassie, Trinity-Humboldt county line. Photograph by T. Nelson. Umbellularia, Achillea, Gilia capitata, Salvia colum- bariae, and others. Probably some introduced species should be similarly cataloged as indifferent: wild oats {Avena), Bromus mollis and B. rubens, and perhaps other European weeds. For some indifferent species, soil preference within the species is genetically en- dowed; racial difference in tolerance to habitat has been detected by experiment. But for the vast majori- ty of untested bodenvag species, we can only assume that similar racial preference may exist. Preservation of Serpentine Plant Life With so many serpentine endemics in the Califor- nia flora, it is expected that some may be quite local or have become reduced in numbers, and therefore are candidates for the Inventory of Rare and Endangered Vascular Plants of California (Smith et al 1980). Indeed a good number of the endangered or threat- ened plants on the official state list are serpentine endemics. I tally about ninety that appeared in the 1974 Inventory, twenty of which are removed from the 1980 listing. They include some outstanding examples of rarity, beauty and endangerment: Allium hoffmanii, Arctostaphylos bakeri, A. hookeri, three Calochortus species, Ceanothus ferrisiae, Dicentra oregona, five Eriogonum species, two Fritillaria (F. falcata and F. viridea), five Hesperolinon species Lilium vollmeri, Phacelia dalesiana, Sedum albomarginatum, six taxa in Streptanthus, and Sidalcea hickmanii. Seeing a serpentine barren for the first time, one would conclude that they would be free from human impact, just by avoidance or neglect. But serpentines in the state have suffered their share of human intru- sion ever since the Franciscan Spanish days. Some of the first mines were on or near serpentine, for every- where the quicksilver (mercury) mines are, serpentine is sure to be, in California. The historic New Idria and New Almaden mines are. associated with serpentine. Mining activity of all sorts —roads, spoil heaps, har- vesting of trees for mine timbers, and diversion of water, all have had their impact, mostly adverse, on what were pristine examples of serpentine vegetation and flora. Besides quicksilver extraction, serpentine has been the center of mining for magnesite, asbestos, chromium and nickel. Three contemporary threats to serpentine flora are associated with the mineral resource potential of serpentine. The geothermal area of the Mayacamas Mountains (Sonoma and Lake counties), a prime target for steam generation, is in the heartland of fine serpentine vegetation and sup- ports at least one endangered species, Streptanthus brachiatus. Up in Del Norte County, the latest threat to serpentine flora is the projected extraction of nickel on a vast scale. A massive gold mining venture has started near Knoxville in the Napa and Lake counties serpentine. Serpentine plant life has felt other human intrusions over the years. Though marginal in yield, open-range grazing of livestock and timber harvest continues on upland serpentine areas. Where serpentine soil gathers as alluvium in valleys and meadows from nearby out- crops, some have tried farming the land; the soil may look fertile in texture, but it invariably fails to yield good crops. Serpentines in urban areas get built on, excavated or simply "polluted" with alien materials. Some Bay Area residents know well the challenges of gardening on serpentine soils. A most unnecessary assault on serpentine has oc- curred in the Sierra and in the New Idria area. The barrens are prime targets for off-road vehicles. At New Idria, the Bureau of Land Management has posted the area, reminding motor bikers and the like that the dust from the terrain may be—like cigarettes—injurious to the health. The asbestos in serpentine is the culprit — or, who knows, it may be the savior? The protection of serpentine flora is mostly by benign neglect. Massive human intrusions have not yet made their way onto many of the more remote or "useless" outcrops. Some areas are under state and federal protection, either for their serpentine flora or for some other reason. Wilderness areas of the North Coast Ranges provide this latter type of protection; state parks like the one at Mt. Tamalpais afford a similar, incidental protection. Some outcrops are under deliberate protection as preserves for scientific and educational purposes. Stanford University's Jasper Ridge Preserve, Nature Conservancy's Ring Mountain Preserve on Tiburon Peninsula serpentine and the U.S. Forest Service's Frenzel Creek Research Natural Area are examples of intentional preservation of samples of the serpentine syndrome. It remains to be seen how effective will be preservation of serpentine outcrops that support threatened or endangered endemic plants. In their state-wide inventory of soil types, the Soil Con- servation Service recognized wildlife and watershed values as the least disturbing uses for serpentine areas. Little damage to the remarkable plant life of serpen- tine would result if this sort of use were more faithfully observed. How such a demanding habitat as serpentine has managed to foster the evolution of a rich and diverse flora is still a bit of a mystery. But its mystery has not lacked for imaginative attempts at solution. G. Led- yard Stebbins, Peter Raven and Daniel Axelrod and I have spun out some plausible hypotheses. First off, we can recognize two types of restriction to serpen- tine, as with other types of narrow endemism. Some serpentine endemics are undoubtedly relictual, per- sisting ancient remnants of a wider distribution in the past. Two woody serpentine species, Cupressus sargen- Serpentine chaparral, Beegum Creek area, Trinity County. tii and Quercus durata may well be endemics of an- cient origin. Herbaceous species in Hesperolinon, Navarretia and Streptanthus seem more likely to be of recent origin, possibly in late Pleistocene or in Recent time. Fixing an approximate age on an endemic does not explain how it evolved from some ancestor to its present state: a unique entity in taxonomic, genetic and ecological senses. Though we may never be able to reconstruct the steps leading to the stage of narrow endemism, two models can give us some in- sights into possible evolutionary pathways. Genetically fixed tolerance to serpentine of a widespread species may be a first step. Once isolated on serpentine, the "race" may further diverge to become a good species. This seems to be a "gradual" route to serpentine endemism. Peter Raven proposed a more rapid nativity for serpentine endemics, in his use of Harlan Lewis's "catastrophic selection" model. In times and in habitats of extreme stress, all but a few individuals of a species may be eliminated; the very survivors can have a singular genetic makeup that both isolates them from nearest relatives and makes them successful survivors on serpentine. Unlike musical appreciation, serpentine appreciation may not be the most popular of avocations. Yet as more Californians get to know these deceptively bar- ren places, they can begin to appreciate their excep- tional biological attributes. An intricate blend of rock, soil and plant life, the serpentine syndrome is one of California's natural treasures that deserves to endure. 9 References Barbour, M.G. and J. Major. 1977. Terrestrial Vegetation of California. John Wiley and Sons, New York. 1002 pp. Brewer, W.H. 1949. Up and Down California in 1860-1864. Univ. of California Press, Berkeley. 2nd Edition. 583 pp. Griffin, J.R. 1975. Plants of the highest Santa Lucia and Diablo Range Peaks, California. USDA Forest Ser- vice Research Paper PSW-110/1975. Gray, A., W.H. Brewer, and S. Watson. 1880. Botany. Vols. 1 and 2. In Whitney, J.D., Geological Survey of California. Boston, Little, Brown and Company. Kruckeberg, A.R. (in press). The Serpentine Flora of Califor- nia. University of California Publication in Botany. Mason, H.L. 1946. The edaphic factor in narrow endemism. Madrono 8: 209-226; 241-257. Raven, P.H. and D.I. Axelrod. 1978. Origin and relation- ships of the California flora. Univ. of Calif. Pubis, in Botany 72: 1-34. Smith, J.P., Jr., R.J. Cole and J.O. Sawyer, Jr. (in collab. with W.R. Powell). 1980. Inventory of Rare and En- dangered Vascular Plants of California. Special Publ. No. 1 (2nd Ed.) Calif. Native Plant Society. Berkeley, 115 pp. Stebbins, G.L., and J. Major. 1965. Endemism and specia- tion in the California flora. Ecological Monogr. 35: 1-35. EXAMPLES OF SERPENTINE ENDEMICS BY GEOGRAPHIC PROVINCE SOUTH COAST RANGES (Santa Barbara to Santa Clara Counties) - forty taxa. Acanthomintha lanceolata Delphinium parryi var. eastwoodii Navarretia mitracarpa ssp. jaredii Allium howellii var. sanbenitensis Dudleya bettinae Phacelia breweri Arctostaphylos obispoensis Eriogonum argillosum Streptanthus amplexicaulis var. Calochortus clavatus Fritillaria falcata barbarae Camissonia benitensis Galium hardhamiae S. insignis Ceanothus ferrisae Layia discoidea Sidalcea hickmanii var. anomala Cirsium campylon Monardella benitensis BAY AREA (San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo, Contra Costa and Alameda counties) — nineteen taxa. Acanthomintha obovata ssp. Cirsium vaseyi Lessingia ramulosa var. micradensis duttonii Clarkia franciscana Montia spathulata var. rosulata Arctostaphylos hookeri ssp. Eriogonum caninum Streptanthus batrachopus franciscana Eriophyllum latilobum S. niger Calochortus tiburonensis Hesperolinon congestum NORTH BAY AREA (Napa, Sonoma and Lake counties) — twenty-seven taxa. Allium fimbriatum var. purdyi Cryptantha hispidula Monardella viridis Arctostaphylos bakeri Delphinium uliginosum Navarettia jepsonii Calycadenia pauciflora Erythronium heleniae Senecio clevelandii Ceanothus jepsonii Hesperolinon drymarioides Streptanthus hesperidis Cordylanthus pringlei Madia hallii S. morrisonii and subspecies NORTH COAST AND KLAMATH-SISKIYOU RANGES (N. Lake and Colusa counties north to Oregon border) — sixty-three taxa. Allium hoffmanii Eriogonum alpinum Rudbeckia californica var. glauca Antennaria suffrutescens Erythronium californicum Salix delnortensis Arabis aculeolata Fritillaria glauca Sanicula tracyi Arenaria howellii Hieracium bolanderi Sedum laxum ssp. eastwoodiae Arnica cernua Lomatium howellii Senecio greenei Asclepias solanoana Perideridia leptocarpa Silene hookeri ssp. bolanderi Astragalus breweri Phacelia corymbosa Streptanthus howellii Calochortus vestae Poa piperi Thlaspi montanum var. californicum Ceanothus pumilus Polystichum lemmonii Veronica copelandii Epilobium rigidum Raillardella pringelei Viola cuneata SIERRA NEVADA-thirteen taxa. Allium sanbornii Githopsis pulchella var. Sedum albomarginatum Arabis constancei serpentinicola Senecio lewisrosei Chlorogalum grandiflorum Lomatium congdonii Streptanthus polygaloides Cryptantha mariposae Lupinus spectabilis 10 SERPENTINE FLORA: NOTES ON PROMINENT SITES IN CALIFORNIA The following series of notes on prominent sites of serpentine in California are intended to provide additional information on the location of specific serpentine sites in California, the flora of these sites, and a consideration of the protection status of the flora, particularly the rare and endangered species. Readers may wish to refer to the map accompanying Part I of this series on serpentine in the January, 1984 issue of Fremontia. GASQUET MOUNTAIN by Dwain Goforth In the far northwestern corner of California, where one expects dense forests with a lush undergrowth of ferns and mosses, is an area where even the most casual botanist is startled by the lack of vegetation on a serpentine landscape. Prominent in this area is Gas- quet Mountain, a 2620-foot tall mountain rising above the wild and scenic Smith River and coveted by both Gasquet Mountain as viewed from Wimar Road is subject to some of the heaviest rainfall in the state. Photograph by James Smith. botanists and strip-miners. Here, the unique environ- mental factors of climate and substrate have led to an unusual mixture of serpentine endemics with contribu- tions from many other floristic provinces. Located six miles northeast of Redwood National Park and eight miles south of the Oregon border, Gas- quet Mountain represents the southwesternmost area of the Josephine ultramafic belt, one of the largest serpentine outcrops in the western hemisphere. While the flora of Gasquet Mountain contains many of the unusual serpentine endemics found in the Josephine ultramafic belt, it is also unique in its own right because of the combination of maritime climate, laterite soils and intense rainfall. In fact, the moun- tain is subject to some of the heaviest precipitation in California and the West Coast—the average rainfall is 130 inches per year, and during the 1982-83 season the mountain experienced a whopping 240 inches. One might expect a forest of redwoods {Sequoia semper- virens); yet under these conditions of climate and substrate, the major tree species of the area are pines: Jeffrey (Pinus Jeffrey!), western white (P. monticola), sugar (P. lambertiana), knobcone (P. attenuata), and lodgepole (P. contorta). The botanical value of Gasquet Mountain and vicinity includes both the distribution of unlikely taxa for its climate (such as Jeffrey pine) and the fact that the area is a bastion for a great number of rare and endemic species. No less than forty taxa considered rare or rare and endangered by CNPS occur on Gas- quet Mountain. The area is not only a refuge for relict species but it is also a hotbed of recent speciation. In the transition area between non-serpentine and serpentine soils is a dense brushland characterized by scrawny Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and abundant shrubs three to six feet in height. Nowhere Arabis macdonaldiana, a federally listed Endangered species, was recently rediscovered in the Gasquet Mountain area. Photograph by Dwain Goforth. else in California is there such an abundance of Cali- fornia rose-bay {Rhododendron macrophyllum), a most beautiful sight in May and June. Other members of the community include silk-tassel (Garreya buxi- folia), whiteleaf manzanita (Arctostaphylos viscida), Stanford manzanita {A. stanfordiana spp. hispidula), dwarf tanbark oak (Lithocarpus densiflorus var. echi- noides), California bay (Umbellularia californica), Bolander's lily (Lilium bolanderi) and Vancouveria crysantha. Semi-open to dense stands of lodgepole pine and knobcone pine grow in areas where the deepest laterite soils occur. The lodgepole pines are dwarfed and their cones stay closed for many years, possibly indicating that this population is an undescribed taxon. These laterite soils stress plants because they contain heavy metals, nickel, cobalt and chrome, in spite of being deep and well drained. They support the least diverse flora in the area. Two very rare plants occur in this community, Howell's jewel flower (Streptanthus howellii) and Hooker's campion (Silene hookeri ssp. pulverulenta). Howell's jewel flower is unique in the genus because it has spatulate leaves on long petioles while other species of streptanthus have auriculate to cordate clasping leaves. Presently, great uncertainty exists about the taxonomic status of Hooker's campion. The Jeffrey pine woodland is the most diverse com- munity in the area, and in many respects the most beautiful because of the wide spacing and gnarled character of the trees. In some areas native bunch- grasses (Festuca idahoensis and Poapiperi) are abun- dant under the trees, while in other areas the woodland grades into serpentine barrens. A large number of rare plants grow in this habitat, most notably Antennaria suffrutescens, Castilleja brevilobata, Epilobium rigidum, Dicentra formosa spp. oregana, Eriogonum ternatum and Trillium rivale. Other plants such as Ceanothus pumilus, Calystegia polymorpha, Quercus vaccinifolia, Arctostaphylos nevadensis, Cerastium arvense, Viola cuneata and a variety of umbels round out the picturesque diversity of this community. Serpentine barrens, where bare rock can cover over ninety percent of the surface, are created where the physiological stress of serpentinite limits plant growth. This is the special world of "belly plants." Notable are Cardamine gemmata, Phlox diffusa, Lewisia oppositi- folia, Fritillaria glauca, Minuartia howellii, Collinsia linearis, Allium falcifolium, Calochortus tolmei, Sedum laxum, Thlaspi glaucum and Arabis macdon- aldiana, a federally listed Endangered species. The latter plant was first described by Alice Eastwood in 1903, collected by her in Del Norte County in 1906 and apparently then disappeared. It wasn't until seventy- six years later that it was rediscovered in the area. Though not a belly plant, the erect, semi-woody buck- wheat, Eriogonum pendulum, is an official candidate for federal listing as Threatened or Endangered. No botanical description of Gasquet Mountain would be complete without mentioning the wet areas. At least twenty-eight bogs and seeps occur on the mountain, most of them containing the famous California pitcher plant (Darlingtonia calif ornica), an insectivorous cobra lily. Some bogs are exceedingly large—two acres or more—and contain thousands of pitcher plants. A host of other rare and unusual plants occur in the wet areas as well, including an insec- tivorous butterwort (Pinguicula macroceras), Aster paludicola, Castilleja elata, Viola lanceolata ssp. occi- dentalis, Cypripedium californicum, Lilium vollmeri, Gentiana setigera and Sanguisorba microcephala. Another plant of note is the rare Del Norte willow (Salix delnortensis). This medium tall willow grows along streambanks and has leaves that are almost perfectly round. While the Gasquet Mountain area is truly a botani- cal wonderland, it is also slated for large-scale strip- mining. Presently, the California Nickel Corporation is proposing to mine and/or disturb over 3000 acres of Gasquet Mountain, resulting in the loss of rare plant populations and the drying-up of many bogs. In addi- tion the Cal-Nickel processing plant would emit over ten tons per day of the air pollutants sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides and pure sulfuric acid; causing widespread acid rain in the Josephine ultramafic belt as well as in Redwood National Park. If the Cal-Nickel mine is successful, other strip mining in the region is likely. So far, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has taken a hands-off attitude toward the Cal-Nickel pro- ject. The Service has not proposed listing as Threaten- ed or Endangered any of the five Candidate species that occur on the mountain; and, in fact, there remains an unresolved question regarding the taxonomy of Arabis macdonaldiana. 12 SCOTT MOUNTAIN-CHINA MOUNTAIN CREST ZONE by Linda M. Barker The Scott Mountain-China Mountain crest area is on the eastern border of the Klamath Mountains in northwestern California. The peaks, including Scott Mountain, Cory Peak, South China Mountain and China Mountain, range in elevation from 6829 feet to 8542 feet and form a northeast to southwest-trending crest approximately twenty miles west of Mount Shasta and forty-five miles south of the Oregon border. The crest in this area forms the boundary between Siskiyou and Trinity counties and the Klamath and Shasta- Trinity national forests. Mount Eddy occurs to the southeast along the same crest system. The area lies within the Klamath River drainage, feeding into the Scott, Shasta and Trinity rivers. The Scott Mountain Crest area forms the northern portion of the massive Trinity sheet of ultrabasic rock composed predominantly of serpentinized peridotite. This sheet extends to the southeast to the Sacramento River, encompassing Mount Eddy, and southwest to the northern portion of the Salmon-Trinity Alps Primitive Area. The Scott Mountain Crest area itself includes outcrops of other rock types: marine deposits at the lower elevations, granitic outcrops throughout the area, basic intrusives and Quarternary glacial deposits primarily around China Mountain. Plant communities on ultrabasics in this area are quite varied. Jeffrey pine-incense-cedar woodlands and montane chaparral occur at the lower elevations. Chaparral shrub species include greenleaf manzanita {Arctostaphylos patula), buck brush (Ceanothus cuneatus), and huckleberry oak (Quercus vaccinifolia). An uncommon chaparral community includes curl-leaf mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius) and scat- tered western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis). Mixed conifer forests at mid-elevations contain Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), sugar pine (P. lambertiana), white fir (Abies concolof) and incense-cedar (Calocedrus decurrens). Moving to higher elevations, true fir and sub-alpine forests are found. Members of the sub- alpine forests include Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi), lodgepole pine (P. contorta), western white pine (P. monticola), huckleberry oak (Quercus vaccinifolia) and greenleaf manzanita (Arctostaphylos patula). Conifers at the highest elevations include Shasta red fir (Abies magnifica var. shastensis), mountain hem- lock (Tsuga mertensiand), and foxtail pine (Pinus bal- fouriana). Throughout these areas are numerous wet to dry meadows and seeps with serpentine indicators such as California pitcher plant (Darlingtonia californica), Pickering's ivesia (Ivesia pickeringii), Siskiyou sedge (Carex gigas) and western azalea (Rhododendron occi- dental). Riparian areas, such as Rock Fence Creek, are very rich floristically. The highest elevations of the crest zone are rocky, non-forested "alpine fell-fields" which support a number of endemic plants such as Copeland's speed- well (Veronica copelandii), Mt. Eddy draba (Draba carnosula), and Trinity buckwheat (Eriogonum alpinum). The ultrabasic soils of this area support a number of herbaceous species endemic to the Scott Mountain- Mount Eddy-Trinity Alps area which include: Mt. Eddy draba, Trinity buckwheat, Congdon's buckwheat (Eriogonum congdonii), Siskiyou buckwheat (Eriogonum siskiyouense), Mt. Eddy buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum var. humistratum), Scott Mountain bedstraw (Galium serpenticum ssp. scot- ticum), Pickering's ivesia, Scott mountain phacelia (Phacelia dalesiana), Scott Valley phacelia (Phacelia greenei), showy raillardella (Raillardella pringlei), bearded streptanthus (Streptanthus barbatus) and Copeland's speedwell. Two additional species are found in the same area, but extend to ultrabasic areas in southern Oregon. These are Siskiyou onion (Allium siskiyouense) and Siskiyou willow-herb (Epilobium siskiyouense). Several species occurring on serpentine here are also Scott Mountain phacelia growing on Scott Mountain. Photo- graph by C.A. Ground. 13 found in the Sierra Nevada and the Coast Range fur- ther north and south. These are scythe-leaved onion (Allium falcifolium), Siskiyou locoweed {Astragalus whitneyi var. siskiyouensis), NuttalFs sandwort (Arenaria nuttallii ssp. gregaria), bird's-beak (Cor- dylanthus viscidus), serpentine sunflower (Helianthus exilis) and Siskiyou phacelia (Phacelia corymbosa). Several species found on serpentine in this Siskiyou- Trinity County crest area have quite an unusual distribution; they are found on peaks of the Cascades in Oregon and Washington as well. These are golden draba (Draba aureola), rough harebell {Campanula scabrella) and Mt. Eddy cryptantha, a member of the Cryptantha subretusa-nubigena complex. Of all these species located on serpentine in the area, only three have been reported only from serpentine: Pickering's ivesia, Scott Valley phacelia and Copeland's speedwell. The ownership of this botanically and scenically rich area is shared through alternating sections between the U.S. Forest Service and large corporate land com- panies. The higher elevation crest zone area above the commercial forest zone is used principally by wildlife and recreationists. The Pacific Crest Trail runs on the south side of the crest in this area. The lower eleva- tions are under multiple-use management. Several botanical areas have been proposed on Forest Service land. These include China Mountain, Cory Peak, Rock Fence Creek, Little Carmen Lake, Kangaroo Lake and an area containing Ivesia pickeringii. In addi- tion, a research natural area has been proposed for the mountain mahogany community. MT. EDDY by Jennifer Whipple At the eastern edge of the Klamath Mountains, Mt. Eddy, at 9025 feet, is the tallest mountain in the entire Klamath Region, though dwarfed by Mt. Shasta ris- ing to 14,161 feet sixteen and one-half miles to the east. Notably, the entire summit region of Mt. Eddy above 8000 feet is entirely composed of serpentine soils, unlike many of the other high peaks in the Klamath Mountains. There is not a high degree of local endemism, though, since Mt. Eddy is not an isolated island of serpentine surrounded by other rock types. Instead, this summit is only one small bastion of a large expanse of exposed rock, the Trinity ultramafic sheet, which is one of the largest continuous serpen- tine bodies in all of North America. Therefore, many taxa associated with this serpentine area are relatively widespread in the eastern Klamath Region. Unlike most of the Klamath Mountains, Mt. Eddy received attention during early botanical explorations of the region, because of the looming presence of Mt. Shasta to the east in the Cascade Range. This southern giant of the Cascades acted as a magnet to many of the nineteenth century scientists who ventured on to the west beyond the settlements at the base of Mt. Shasta to Mt. Eddy and the eastern part of the Klamath Range. The inadequate records of these early collectors make it extremely difficult to unravel the actual type localities for many taxa in the region. Evidence suggests that the Trinity buckwheat (Eriogonum alpinum), rough harebell {Campanula scabrella), Lemmon's swordfern (Polystichum lem- monnii), Lomatium engelmannii, and Draba carnosula may actually have Mt. Eddy as their type locality when 14 labels referred to "on" or "near" Mt. Shasta. Mt. Eddy is the type locality of numerous taxa first collected in the twentieth century including Copeland's speedwell (Veronica copelandii), Siskiyou sedge (Carex gigas), Mt. Eddy lupine (Lupinus lapidicola), Orthocarpus copelandii, Astragalus whitneyi ssp. siskiyouensis, Helianthella californica var. shastensis, Mimulus primuloidesvar. linearifolius, Lupinus sellulus var. ur- sinus, and Rudbeckia californica var. intermedia. An interesting phenomenon in the Deadfall drainage on the western face of Mt. Eddy are high elevation bogs containing California pitcher plant (Darlingtonia californica). These populations which reach elevations Mt. Eddy cryptantha growing near the summit of Mt. Eddy. Photograph by Jennifer Whipple. of 7500 feet are possibly the highest in existence. The bogs and wet meadows also contain such interesting species as Copeland's speedwell (Veronica copelandii) and Siskiyou sedge (Carex gigas). The drier slopes under the open white pine woodland harbor the Mt. Eddy buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum var. humistratum Reveal, ined.), Siskiyou fireweed (Epilobium siskiyouense), Draba carnosula, Lomatium engelmannii, and Thelypodium brachycarpum. Fox- tail pine (Pinus balfouriana ssp. balfouriana) is especially conspicuous on the southern slopes at eleva- tions from approximately 8000 to 8400 feet where it forms one of the most extensive stands of this taxa in the Klamath region. The upper reaches of the mountain consist common- ly of steep loose slopes, talus, and boulder fields with relatively sparse vegetation. Occasionally in this loose soil is the Trinity buckwheat, which seems to be endemic to the Mt. Eddy-China Mountain area. Wherever one treads near the summit, there is a likelihood of squashing an interesting plant. Within just a few hundred yards of the peak is the golden draba (Draba aureola), for many years only known from Mt. Lassen in California. Also nearby is the Siskiyou buckwheat (Eriogonum siskiyouense), Mason's sky pilot (Polemonium chartaceum), rough harebell (Campanula scabrella), and Mt. Eddy cryp- tantha (Cryptantha subretusa). Though Mt. Eddy has been proposed as a research natural area by the United States Forest Service, no final decision has yet been made to protect this unique area. THE LASSICS by John Sawyer When traveling down U.S. 101 in the vicinity of Humboldt Redwoods State Park you may notice an isolated mountain mass in the generally low Coast Ranges of southern Humboldt and western Trinity counties. This is the Lassies—Black Lassie (5889 feet), Mt. Lassie (5866 feet), and Red Lassie (5885 feet)- high enough to include a montane environment com- parable to that of the Yolla Bolly Mountains and other ranges of the Klamath Mountains to the east. The Lassies, 70 miles southwest of Eureka, can be visited by taking State Route 36 east from U.S. 101 at Alton to the neighborhood of Ruth Lake. From here Forest Service roads run throughout the area. The Lassies is not only isolated by elevation, but also by geology, as the regionally extensive greywackes and shales of the Franciscan formation are replaced here by ultramafic rocks, mainly altered peridotites. This island of special substrate is separated from lithologi- cally similar areas by at least 30 miles. The vegetation is characterized by Jeffrey pine woodland, white fir forest, montane chaparral, oak woodland and grassland. The flora, studied by Tom Nelson at California State University-Humboldt, in- cludes some 426 taxa in 211 genera representing 62 families. Two rare and endangered plants, Beegum onion (Allium hoffmanii) and Tracy's sanicle (Sanicula tracyi) grow here. The Lassies is the type locality for the Beegum onion. Tom has recognized four new plants. Three have been published, the Lassies' sweetpea (Lathyrus biflorus), the Lassies' lupine (Lupinus constancei), and the Lassies' sandwort (Minuartia decumbens). The fourth is a variant Fritillary glauca is one of the "belly plants" that survives the stress of growing on serpentine soil. Photograph by Dwain Goforth. ceanothus. In addition his work also extended the range of twenty plants to the Lassies. Tom divided the flora into three regimes. They have rather different floras, vegetation, and environments with many plants preferring, or even being restricted to one regime. When Tom analysed the flora in this way, he found rather different explanations for the makeups of each one. First, a Dichelostemma con- gestum regime includes plants at lower elevations with greywackes and associated rocks supporting oak 15 woodland and grassland. Second, a Hieracium cyno- glossoides regime includes plants at upper elevations dominated by white fir and montane chaparral. Third, an Allium hoffmanii regime includes plants of the Jef- frey pine woodland growing on ultramafic rocks. The plants of the third regime show a different pat- tern. Unlike some serpentine floras in California, this one is very low in endemic taxa. Common plants in- clude Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi), incense-cedar (Calocedrus decurrens), a coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica ssp. occidentalis), the serpentine barberry (Berberis pumila), pussy-ears (Calochortus tolmiei), fritillary (Fritillaria glauca), sandwort (Minuartia nut- tallii ssp. gregaria), lupine (Lupinus sellulus var. ursinus), and cliff brake (Cheilanthes siliquosa). Miss- ing are common northwest serpentine plants as dwarf tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus var. echinoides), knobcone pine (Pinus attenuata), Ceanothuspumilus, Yolo County is not known for its serpentine nor for its abundance of rare plant species. Yet, a recent plant survey that was done for Homestake Mining Com- pany, in the extreme northwest corner of this county, located an area of serpentine several square miles in extent with a number of rare plant species. This area includes Little Blue Ridge and much of the Davis Creek drainage, and appears as an extension of the serpentine found in adjoining parts of Napa and Lake counties. Serpentine chaparral is the plant community that occurs over much of the Yolo County serpentine. Small areas of Cismontane Introduced Grassland, however, cover the alluvial floor of one small valley and places where an unusual form of serpentine occurs which is sedimentary in nature. The rock found here is known as serpentine mudstone and is associated with sedimentary deposits of the Great Valley and Knox- ville Formations. These last two are extensive sub- marine deposits found over much of the central coast counties of California. A number of noteworthy plant species grow in areas of serpentine mudstone: dwarf peppergrass (Lepidium latipes), Cleveland's butter weed (Senecio clevelandii), Cleveland's milk-vetch (Astragalus clevelandii), Hall's mountain tarweed (Madia hallii), and Jepson's milk- vetch (Astragalus rattani var. jepsonianus). The first three named of these species appear on List Three, Smith et al., 1980, Inventory of Rare and Endangered Vascular Plants of California. The dwarf peppergrass the silktassel (Garrya buxifolia), and Arabis macdonal- diana. Also missing are common Trinity County serpentine species such as Rose's sandwort (Arenaria rosei), prostrate milkweed (Asclepias solanoana), and the orange flowered Senecio greenii. Yet other ones are here as the Beegum onion, the buckwheat (Eriogonum strictum spp. proliferum), and jewel flower (Streptanthus breweri). The Lassies contains elements from nearby areas to the north, east, and south, but only parts of their floras. Geography sug- gests that the flora at the Lassies is a collection of serpentine tolerant plants which have accumulated here in recent times as ultramafic rocks become exposed through erosion. The Lassies is a proposed botanical area in the management plans being developed by the Six Rivers National Forest. We look forward to the permanent classification of the area. appears to be a plant of disturbed places. It is a low, spreading, almost prostrate species. The wings of the fruit are non-divergent and almost as long as the body. Both Cleveland's butterweed and milkvetch are summer-blooming perennials that may grow in wet places in Yolo County in any area of serpentine. The flowers of the former are bright yellow; the foliage, a waxy, bluish green. The milkvetch has white flowers that are not particularly showy. Hall's mountain tarweed is interesting for its whorled leaves and its occurrence in only a few, small populations. Here in Yolo County only one of these is known. Brewer's milkvetch (Astragalus breweri) and Jep- son's navarretia (Navarretia jepsonii) grow on the alluvial floor of the little valley southeast of the great bend in Davis Creek. The latter species also grows in dry, grassy openings of slopes and flats. Brewer's milk- vetch blooms in the early spring. Its flowers are white except for the tips of their keels which are purplish. The navarretia is easy to identify by its purplish leaves and the five, dark blue dots just inside the throat of each flower. The following, additional, rare plant species were found in the serpentine chaparral of Yolo County: Napa popcorn flower (Cryptantha hispidula), serpen- tine collomia (Collomia diversifolia), Hoover's wild parsnip (Lomatium ciliolatum var. hooveri), Purdy's dwarf fritillary (Fritillaria purdyi), and adobe lily (F. pluriflora). Additional noteworthy species, though not listed as YOLO COUNTY by Joe Callizo and Glen Clifton 16 A flower of Purdy's dwarf fritillary. Photograph by Alice Ackley. rare, growing on the Yolo County serpentine include Greene's blue eyed mary {Collinsia greenei), mountain nemacladus {Nemacladus montanus), lilac mariposa {Calochortus splendens), yellow-flowered caulanthus {Caulanthus flavescens). Yellow-flowered caulanthus is an annual of the mustard family hitherto known only from Santa Clara to San Benito County. In addi- tion, a white-flowered, wild onion grows that appears to be a subspecies of fringed onion {Allium fim- briatum). It does not key, however, to any of the subspecies described in Munz and Keek's text, A California Flora. Some of the Yolo County serpentine is public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management, and some is under private ownership. A significant por- tion of the latter is now property of Homestake Min- ing Company. According to present plans, their min- ing activities will destroy all or part of three of thirty- six populations of the species listed above (one each of Cleveland's butterweed, Brewer's milkvetch, and Jepson's navarretia). CEDAR ROUGHS by Joe Callizo and Jake Ruygt Cedar Roughs, a seven thousand acre area located directly west of Lake Berryessa in Napa County, is a mountainous ridge about seven miles long and one to three miles wide, which reaches an elevation of 2,368 feet. All but 160 acres is publicly owned and adminis- tered by the Bureau of Land Management. The entire ridge-top and western slope of Cedar Roughs consist of serpentine rock and associated soils. Part of its surface supports a serpentine chaparral plant community; however, a special feature is a cap of northern interior cypress forest of about 5,000 acres. Here in this plant community the dominant species is Sargent cypress {Cupressus sargentii). Elsewhere in Napa County MacNab cypress (C macnabiana) grows on dry slopes and ridges and Sargent cypress is restricted to moist places like seeps and drainages. Typically, patches of cypress forest occur in a mosaic pattern within larger areas of serpentine chaparral. Not so at Cedar Roughs. Here, much of the top of the mountain is covered by a dense, pure stand of Sargent cypress. In places the trees are of such density as to be all but impenetrable and they approach the form of a pygmy forest. Within this forest of Sargent cypress few other vascular plant species grow; other trees and shrubs are excluded entirely. Among the very few species that are found in the sparsely populated herb layer are Califor- nia milkwort (Polygala californica), dwarf willow-herb {Epilobium minutum), and phlox-leaved bedstraw {Galium andrewsii). In addition, the cypress trees sup- port a parasitic plant, the mistletoe Phoradendron bolleanum var. densum. A number of plant species listed as rare in Smith The interior of a cypress forest showing a paucity of other vegetation. Photograph by Jake Ruygt. 17 et al., 1980, Inventory of Rare and Endangered Vascular Plants of California, are known to occur in the serpentine chaparral of Cedar Roughs. Two species of dwarf flax (Hesperolinon bicarpellatum and H. breweri) grow on the ridge-tops and slopes. Both have small, bright yellow flowers. H. breweri is the scarcer of the two species and is state listed as Endangered. Serpentine collomia (Collomia diversifolia), a member of the Phlox family with tiny, pink flowers, also grows on the slopes and ridges. In a few places where springs have created wet glades, two additional rare plant species can be found. Cleveland's butterweed (Senecio clevelandii), with attractive, waxy, blue-green foliage the year-round and bright yellow flowers all during the summer, grows right in the seeps. Small-flowered pogogyne (Pogogyne douglasii ssp. parviflora), on the other hand, occurs in dense populations in rain pools and on low flats that become dry by late spring. A strong but pleasant scent and pale pink flowers are features of this plant that are long remembered. Cedar Roughs is remote and nearly pristine. No roads cross it; few enter it. There is little potential for either grazing or timber harvesting. Although a small amount of mining activity took place in the distant past, it is generally believed at present that there are few minerals of commercial value. Neither are there any prospects for geothermal use. Public access is limited to one trail. In 1980 Cedar Roughs was desig- nated a Wilderness Study Area by the Bureau of Land Management. The ultimate recommendation, how- ever, is to make Cedar Roughs a Research Natural Area which will preserve its scientific value and assure that it be given protection from man-made distur- bances. Access will be limited to research purposes. In addition, Cedar Roughs is to be designated an "Area of Critical Environmental Concern," which means that it will be given additional special protective status. RING MOUNTAIN by Steve McCormick Ring Mountain, a remarkably undisturbed island of nature in a sea of residential development, is a splen- did example of serpentine endemism. In this compact spot, roughly four hundred acres straddling the north end of the Tiburon Peninsula in Marin County, occur thirteen species associated with serpentine soil. One species, the Tiburon calochortus (Calochortus tiburon- ensis) is found only here and another, Tiburon paint- brush (Castilleja neglectd) is restricted to serpentine outcrops on the Tiburon Peninsula. Still another, Marin dwarf flax {Hesperolinon congestum) has been so severely diminished in its range that it is listed as Endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This unique and rare flora is a product of the site's unusual geological complex. In fact, the rocks and minerals of the Tiburon Peninsula are of such extraor- dinary composition and abundance that the area has attracted worldwide attention. One metamorphic rock, lawsonite, has been discovered only on Ring Moun- tain, and it is suspected that further research may reveal similarly unique "species" of rock. Not all of Ring Mountain is of serpentine origin. The lower flanks of the ridge are composed of sand- stone grassland and scattered clumps of oak and bay forest. Near the ridgeline, however, a serpentine "cap" is clearly evident. Here the vegetation changes dramatically. Introduced annual grasses are replaced by almost pure expanses of native perennials, domi- nated by purple needlegrass (Stipa pulchra) and scat- 18 tered occurrences of serpentine reedgrass (Calamagros- tis ophitidis). Winter rains produce a brilliant display of wildflowers: goldfields (Lasthenia chrysostoma), owl's clover (Orthocarpus densiflorus), tidytips (Layia platyglossa), California buttercup (Eschscholzia cali- fornica) and tarweed (Hemizonia multicaulis ssp. ver- nalis). As spring turns to summer the site's vegetation undergoes a complete change. The grassland displays are replaced by blooms of endemics in the serpentine Calochortus tiburonensis, endemic to the serpentine on Ring Mountain, was only recently discovered by Dr. Robert West. Photograph by William Follette. The rocks and minerals on the top of Ring Mountain on the Tiburon Peninsula attract worldwide attention. Photograph courtesy of The Nature Conservancy. "scalds"—areas of such concentrated serpentine soil that survival is difficult for species not adapted to this harsh condition. The serpentine plants are often incon- spicuous. In fact, Ring Mountain's most notable species, Calochortus tiburonensis, was overlooked Until 1972. Its discovery by Dr. Robert West, in such a carefully studied area close to major scientific insti- tutions, came as a stunning surprise to botanists. Blooming in late May through early June, the calochortus can be found with such other rare endemics as pitted onion {Allium lacunosum), Tiburon buckwheat (Eriogonum caninum), and Marin dwarf flax (Hesperolinon congestum). Because of its importance as an area of botanic endemism, conservationists and scientists have long sought protection of the privately-owned site, which, with its gently rolling slopes and stunning panoramas, is very attractive for residential development. Increas- ing use by off-road vehicles has also threatened the rare plant populations. Fortunately, in the fall of 1982, The Nature Conservancy was able to acquire title to 117 acres and a management agreement on most of the remaining property. This urban preserve will assure permanent protection of the site's natural elements, providing an unparalleled opportunity for education and research. EDGEWOOD PARK by Susan Sommers A California native bunchgrass prairie and serpen- tine grassland are the largest of the plant communities in San Mateo County's Edgewood Park and occupy approximately a quarter of the park's four hundred and sixty-five acres. Centrally located on the Penin- sula, Edgewood Park is twenty miles equidistant from San Francisco on the north and San Jose on the south along Interstate Highway 280. The location of the serpentine formations combined with the climatic conditions in the San Francisco area are largely responsible for the diversity of plants found in the serpentine grasslands. Rising to the west of near- by San Andreas Fault, the Santa Cruz Mountains create a rain shadow effect influencing the climate of the Peninsula serpentine grasslands. In the general vicinity of the San Francisco Bay, the serpentine for- mations primarily support woody vegetation such as Sargent cypress, leather oak, and a number of man- zanitas. These woody communities, cypress or chapar- ral, do not have as much species diversity as the serpen- tine grassland. The restrictive influence of the serpen- tine soils against invading exotics is clearly displayed by the grassland vegetation. From mid-February to mid-June, spectacular carpets of wildflowers provide a splendid display, visible from distant miles. One life form, the Bay Checkerspot Butterfly (Euphydryas editha bayensis) is entirely dependent upon a few serpentine plant species during its larval stage, and other plant species as adults. The proximi- ty of plants to one another is a significant factor for 19 The rare and endangered Bay Checkerspot butterfly, shown here on Allium falcifolium, is entirely dependent on a few serpentine plants during its larval stages. Photograph by the author. this small insect. Research by Dr. Paul Ehrlich of Stan- ford University, monitored the colonies of this local butterfly over the last two decades and only a hand- ful of colonies remain: a small colony of questionable stability on San Bruno Mountain, Jasper Ridge Bio- logical Preserve, and Edgewood Park. The extensive serpentine grasslands, the varied terrain and the presence of water are the principal factors for the most viable Bay Checkerspot colony to be in Edgewood Park. The majority of the park's known rare and endangered species grow in the serpentine grasslands. Here are located colonies of the San Mateo thornmint (Acanthomintha obovata subsp. duttonii), ruddy clarkia (Clarkia rubicunda subsp. rubicunda), Marin dwarf flax (Hesperolinon congestum), and fragrant fritillaria (Fritillaria liliacea). Four other rare plants have been observed or collected on the park in the past few years. These are: San Francisco collinsia (Collin- sia franciscana), Dolores campion (Silene franciscana subsp. franciscana), western leatherwood (Dirca occi- dentalis), and Dudley's lousewort (Pedicularis dudleyi). Colonizing the same serpentine formation but separated from Edgewood Park by Interstate Highway 280, the white-rayed pentachaeta {Pentachaeta belli- diflora) is well established. The presence of rare and endangered species of Edgewood Park stimulates much discussion, even debate. San Mateo County is planning park facilities on the site which include an 18-hole golf course to be installed over the native prairie and serpentine grass- lands. In the midst of this planning process, the Coun- ty is faced with a multiplicity of agencies with which to deal including: the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District which provided part of the funds for purchase of the site; San Francisco Water Department which holds title to portions of the land; San Fran- cisco Public Utilities Commission and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (National Park Service), which have easements; United States Fish and Wildlife Service to whom there has been proposed listings for the bay checkerspot butterfly, the San Mateo thorn- mint, the Marin dwarf flax, the Dolores campion and the white-rayed pentachaeta; and the California Department of Fish and Game which has listed the San Mateo thornmint as an endangered species. JASPER RIDGE by Mabel Crittenden and Alan Grundmann The Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, operated by Stanford University, is one of the oldest academic natural areas in the United States, and is best known for 100 acres of serpentine soils exposed across the top of a ridge in San Mateo County. A remnant communi- ty of native California grassland, long adapted to the inherent stress of serpentine minerals, produces a short but spectacular springtime wildflower display that draws many visitors each year. The plants, and their associated checkerspot butterfly, have provided the starting point for much scientific work in physiological ecology and population biology. Although about seventy-five grass species can be found in the Preserve, only sixteen have been reported on the serpentine and all but four of those are natives. Here one can see the perennial purple needle grass (Stipapulchra), pine bluegrass (Poa scabrella), and big squirreltail (Sitanion jubatum) while thousands of annual wildflowers create sheets of color during a six to eight week period each spring. Shooting stars (Dodecatheon clevelandii), typical- ly, appear early on the southern Jasper Ridge serpen- tine. Other species then arrive in accelerating waves. One day you'll see just a few goldfields (Last/tenia californica), then a few days later a whole area sud- denly becomes yellow, studded with white linanthus 20 (Linanthus androsaceus). A dwarf plantain (Plantago erecta) provides background, both in mass and soft neutral color; it also provides food for larva of the checkerspot butterfly. Soon, dusky pink-purple swatches of color appear from the flowering heads of owl's clover (Orthocarpus densiflorus), another checkerspot butterfly food source. Then punctuating the display with tightly packed blue flowers on tall leafless stems come blue dicks (Brodiaea pulchelld), followed a week or so later by Ithuriel's spear (Brodiaea laxa). Serpentine areas further north on Jasper Ridge seem to reach peak bloom a bit later in the season, with prodigious displays of pink linanthus (Linanthus bicolor), swaths of goldfields, tidy tips (Layia platyglossa), and owl's clover. Also growing here, close to the ground, is the light blue earth, or dwarf brodiaea (Brodiaea terrestris). California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) are prominent throughout the serpentine and, although prolific on nonserpentine soils, they show up better in the serpentine because the perennial bunch grasses don't crowd them out. While no rare or endangered species of plants have been found on Jasper Ridge serpentine, several rare species grow on the serpentine soils just five miles north at Edgewood Park, also in San Mateo County. Dwarf plantain provides food for the larva of the endangered checkerspot butterfly. Photograph by Sheldon C. Woodward. RED MOUNTAINS IN THE MOUNT HAMILTON RANGE by Leonora P. Main The Red Mountains are a rugged mass of decom- posed serpentine rising to more than 3600 feet along the east crest of the Mount Hamilton Range in the Inner South Coast Ranges. The name describes the color of soils resulting from physical and chemical weathering of highly fractured, heavily iron- impregnated serpentine which is exposed on ridgetops, particularly in the summit area along the Santa Clara- Stanislaus County line. The interior of the range has a continental climate with little maritime influence and reduced rainfall due to the shadow of the western crest. Its Mediterranean climate is characterized as a hot-summer type with ex- tremes of diurnal and seasonal temperatures. In the eastern foothills of the Red Mountains an arid steppe borders the hot dry desert climate of the San Joaquin Valley. What little rain falls on the eastern crest drains into the Valley creating several sizable east-west canyons. Arroyo del Puerto's steep walls of unstable, almost barren talus, rising more than 2000 feet in places from canyon floor to ridgetop, are characteristic of the topography of the Red Mountains. A true soil does not exist except on gentler slopes and canyon floors. The climate coupled and the infertile serpentine soils account for the Red Mountains' sparse vegetation cover. Plant growth is limited in both the number of species and individuals. Along the eastern crest of the Red Mountains chaparral is the most extensive plant community. The predominant component is chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) with scattered serpentinophiles such as leather oak (Quercus durata) and silk tassel (Garrya congdoni). More stable talus deposits have a thin chaparral cover with herbaceous elements widely spaced. These species often have poorly developed sur- face parts and highly developed root systems, more than twelve inches long in Psoralea californica, as an adaptation to the unstable substratum. Grassland is poorly represented. There are a number of species that reach the north- ern or southern limit of their distribution in the Mount Hamilton Range including: Allium fimbriatum var. diabolense, Fritillaria falcata, Hesperolinum clevelan- 21 dii, Collomia diversifolia, and Emmenanthe rosea. Several species are endemic to the Mount Hamilton Range such as: Allium fimbriatum var. sharsmithiae, Arenaria douglasii var. emarginata, Cirsium cam- pylon, and Campanula sharsmithiae, for which the Red Mountains are the type locality. There are also several species common to the serpen- tine talus in the North Coast Ranges and the Red Mountains but not occurring in between. These in- clude: Salix breweri, Streptanthus breweri (its type locality is the Red Mountains), Hesperolinum clevelan- dii, Garrya congdoni, and Collomia diversifolia. Lake County Franciscan rocks are similar to those of the Mount Hamilton Range and the disjunct species reap- pearing there are also limited to areas of hot-summer climate. Many serpentine obligates which occur in both localities are not present in the small and comparatively insignificant intervening areas of Franciscan rock on Mt. Diablo and vicinity. It is interesting to note that two of the most narrow endemics in the Mount Hamilton Range, Lotus rubriflorus and Streptanthus callistus, (both H.K. Sharsm.) known only from or very close to their type localities, do not occur on serpentine at all, although the latter ekes out an existence on barren shale talus. Helen Sharsmith (1945) suggested that many of the highly restricted and discontinuously distributed Cen- tral Coast Range endemics have an insular origin cor- related with geologic history and consequent edaphic and climatic conditions. It is presumed that the distribution of these insular species has always been limited to the emergent island areas of Franciscan rock occupied during periods of coastal inundation, par- ticularly during the Pliocene-Pleistocene when the Coast Ranges were an archipelago. Once established, continued isolation led to genetic uniformity and dif- Leather oak, an indicator of serpentine soils, is widely distributed in a variety of habitats. Photograph by William Follette. ferentiation from northern and southern continental ancestral stocks. Adaptation to acquired narrow ranges of climatic tolerance and specific edaphic re- quirements imposed upon these species a limitation which prevented any significant migration beyond the island boundaries when the seas withdrew. A drive west from Interstate 5 along Del Puerto Canyon Road or south from Livermore on Mines Road to San Antonio Junction affords an overview of the Red Mountains which lie tantalizingly out of reach on private lands so that permission must be secured before entry. It is suggested that interested botanists join one of the seasonal field trips periodical- ly offered by the Santa Clara Valley and Northern San Joaquin Valley CNPS chapters. SAN BENITO MOUNTAIN by James Griffin The largest serpentine outcrop in the south Coast Ranges extends around San Benito Mountain as a four by thirteen mile oval along the main Diablo Range divide in San Benito and Fresno counties. Elevations range from 2,650 to 5,241 feet. The unpaved Clear Creek Road, which fords the creek eleven times, pro- vides access from Hernandez Valley on the west and New Idria on the east. Near the Clear Creek summit the Mexican Lake Road leads south along the main ridge via upper San Carlos Creek ending in the Fresno County portion of the serpentine. The entire outcrop is within the 43,000-acre Clear Creek Recreation Area which is administered by the Bureau of Land Manage- ment (BLM). Chaparral forms a mosaic with conifer woodland and bare slopes that extends through the entire eleva- tional range. Chamise (Adensotoma fasciculatum) and buck brush (Ceanothus cuneatus) dominate the chaparral on the driest slopes. Leather oak (Quercus durata), bigberry manzanita (Arctostaphylos glauca), and Mexican manzanita (A. pungens) are important where conditions are less dry. Digger pine (Pinus sabi- niand) trees occur at low density throughout the chaparral. Interesting herbs scattered in chaparral 22 openings include: chaparral harebell (Campanula ex- igua), one-armed spine flower (Chorizanthe uniaristata), and serpentine linanthus (Linanthus ambiguus). A small colony of Palmer oak (Quercus dunnii) shrubs grows near Clear Creek — far removed from the main California distribution on the edge of the Mojave Desert. Coulter pine (Pinus coulteri) dominates much of the woodland, or very open "forest," along with variable amounts of Jeffrey pine (P. jeffreyi), Digger pine, and incense-cedar (Calocedrus decurrens). Jeffrey pine may have been more common prior to logging for New Idria mine timbers. Due to the extensive early logging, old conifers are not common in the woodland. Local- ly there has been significant hybridization between Coulter and Jeffrey pines. In places clumps of chapar- ral shrubs may be present between the pines, but much of the woodland has no shrub understory. The herb understory is sparse and includes: Viola purpurea ssp. mohavensis, western blue flax (Linum lewisii), phlox- leaved bedstraw (Galium andrewsii), and Eriogonum umbellatum var. bahiaeforme. In poor seasons there may be virtually no living plants on the bare serpentine slopes. In good years widely spaced individuals of Eriogonum covilleanum and other annual buckwheats might be scattered in the same areas along with such extremely hardy plants as Brewer's jewel flower (Streptanthus breweri). Although these barren patches may have been expanded and altered by disturbances such as mining and motor- cyclists, the barrens seem to be a natural part of this landscape. Talus fritillary is a San Benito Mountain endemic. There are no trees along the creeks except conifers. The only riparian shrub is Brewer's willow (Salix breweri). Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), so widespread off serpentine, is confined to the creeks here. Other herbs scattered in the creeks include: Van Houtes columbine (Aquilegia eximia), great red paint brush (Castilleja miniata), coast hedge-nettle (Stachys pycnantha), and grass-of-parnassus (Parnassus palustris var. californica). Alkaline tolerant species such as salt grass (Distichlis spicata) and scratch grass (Muhlenbergia asperifolia) are common. Although there are many outcrops — particularly in the chaparral — few vascular plants grow on these rocks. Some ferns are present: Aspidotis carlotta- halliae (Cheilanthes in Munz' supplement), Coville's lip fern (Cheilanthes covillei), and birds-foot fern (Pellaea micronata). In addition cliff malacothrix (Malacothrix saxatilis var. commutatal), California chicory (Rafinesquia californica), and a live-forever (Dudleya abramsii!) grow on some rocks. Spanish bayonet (Yucca whipplei) is common in rocky spots. Four plants on San Benito Mountain serpentine are on the 1980 CNPS "Rare and Endangered" list: San Benito evening primrose (Camissonia benitensis, not in Munz), talus fritillary (Fritillaria falcata), San Benito fritillary (E. viridia, in Munz E. lanceolata), and rayless layia (Layia discoidea). Camissonia benitensis grows only on Clear Creek terraces with one outpost on a San Carlos Creek terrace. This species has recently been placed on the federal Endangered species list. The San Carlos Creek population is within the natural area. Most of the Clear Creek populations have been fenced by BLM, but the fences are some- times vandalized. Layia discoidea is more widely distributed on rocky areas and talus around San Benito Mountain. Although Fritillaria falcata has only one tiny popula- tion here, it does have small populations elsewhere in the south Coast Ranges. Fritillaria viridia is widespread but seldom common on the San Benito Mountain ser- pentine. It has two small populations in the Santa Lucia Range. San Benito monardella (Monardella benitensis) is locally common around San Benito Mountain and occurs on other outcrops in the Diablo Range. Since the late 1960's the predominant public use of the Clear Creek Recreation Area has been by off-road motorcyclists. This motorcycle traffic with its associated camping along Clear Creek has generated controversy with rock-hounds, hunters, botanists, and other minority users. Such activity also poses a threat to the sensitive plant species in the area. With strong support from the California Native Plant Society, BLM established a natural area on San Benito Moun- tain in 1971. The natural area now covers 2000 acres and is closed to all off-road vehicles. 23 CUESTA RIDGE WEST by Malcolm McLeod While there are numerous serpentine areas in coastal San Luis Obispo County, the area with which San Luis Obispo residents are the most familiar is called Cuesta Ridge West. This ridge is about five miles northwest of San Luis Obispo. It is accessible from Highway 101 at Cuesta Pass. The ridge extends in a northwesterly direction from the pass to Morro Creek. The average elevation is about 1700 feet. Cerro Alto toward the western end of the ridge is 2600 feet high. Cuesta Ridge West constitutes the main axis of the Santa Lucia Range near its southern terminus. Serpentine outcrops are found within a mile of the highway. These continue along the crest for several miles. Below the crest are other outcrops with typical serpentine seeps. Still more serpentine is found at the base of the ridge near the Chorro Valley. The most interesting serpentine vegetation begins about two miles northwest of Cuesta Pass. A Sargent cypress forest extends from this point about two miles The San Luis sedge, a rare serpentine endemic plant, is found growing in ephemeral seeps under Sargent cypress. Photograph by the author. and for varying distances below the crest. There area areas where Sargent cypress (Cupressus sargentii) is found in pure, very closely spaced, even-aged stands. In other places leather oak (Quercus durata), serpen- tine manzanita (Arctostaphylos obispoensis), Coulter pine (Pinus coulteri) and wavy leaf ceanothus (Ceano- thus foliosus) are found in varying combinations with the Sargent cypress. Also found in and around the forest is a series of narrow endemic plant taxa. These were placed by Hoover (The Vascular Plants of San Luis Obispo County, California) in the Obispoan Pocket of endemism. They are also placed in List 2 of Smith et al., 1980, Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants of California. These taxa and their distributions are as follows: Cuesta Pass checkermallow (Sidalcea hickmannii ssp. anomala), is found only in cleared areas around the Sargent cypress on the ridge; San Luis mariposa (Calochortus obispoensis) is found on ser- pentine in Reservoir Canyon, Brizzolari Canyon and on the ridge. Interestingly enough it is also found on tar sand at Indian Knob; Brewer's chorizanthe (Chori- zanthe brewerf) has a very similar distribution to that of San Luis mariposa lily with the exception of the Indian Knob site; San Luis sedge (Carex obispoensis) is found in ephemeral seeps under the Sargent cypress. It is also known from Reservoir Canyon, though it generally has a more northerly distribution with populations as far north as Arroyo de la Cruz. Chorro Creek bog-thistle (Cirsium fontinale \m. obispoense) is found bordering serpentine seeps along the south- facing slopes of Cuesta Ridge West. It is also found in serpentine seeps around the San Luis Range. Hoover reported it at San Simeon Creek. San Luis serpentine dudleya (Dudleya bettinae) was named by Dr. Hoover honoring his wife. It is found at the base of the ridge and on westward toward Cayucos. Easy access to the ridge does create problems. Motorcyclists drive past barricades and cause erosion. Target practice has left bottles and other debris in various places. The Sargent cypress forest has been set aside as a botanical area by the U.S. Forest Service, but they lack the personnel to police it adequately. The road and a fuel break extend along the crest through the forest. In the fuel break every fifth woody stem was left. We were told that the fuel break was necessary because of the close proximity of houses in Tassajara Canyon. Local chapters of CNPS and the Sierra Club monitor activities along the ridge, and have cooperated with the Forest Service in keeping the area as pristine as possible. 24 MAGALIA IN BUTTE COUNTY by R.A. Schlising Serpentine rocks in Butte County are very accessi- ble just above the village of Magalia along the Skyway, a major highway which reaches this site, through Paradise, from Highway 99 near Chico. The major Magalia serpentine outcrop, at nearly 2400 feet eleva- tion near the road, extends eastward, down to about 1600 feet at the West Branch of the Feather River. Here, an area of open and sparse vegetation with scattered Digger pine (Pinus sabiniana) may seem out of place in the middle of Sierran yellow pine forest, but it demonstrates how outcrops can serve as xeric "islands" within other plant communities. Along with the common Digger pine and a few unhealthy-looking forest trees like incense cedar {Calocedrus decurrens) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), woody plants include the whiteleaf manzanita (Arctostaphylos viscida) and buckbrush {Ceanothus cuneatus). A shrubby form of the California bay {Umbellularia cali- fornica) is also common here. Two woody serpentine endemics occur here with these widespread plants. A fine grove of McNab cypress {Cupressus macnabiana) and scattered shrubs of the leather oak (Quercus durata) attest to the underlying serpentine soils at this site. Some of Butte County's best displays of bush pop- py {Dendromecon rigida) occur here, along with a cismontane version of the Great Basin rabbitbrush {Chrysothamnus nauseosus subsp. albicaulis). Repre- sentative serpentine specialists among the herbaceous species are serpentine ragwort (Senecio lewisrosei), serpentine toothwort {Dentaria pachystigma var. dissectifolia), serpentine phacelia (Phacelia corym- bosd), Douglas' sandwort {Minuartia douglasii), and milkwort jewelflower {Streptanthuspolygaloides), now known to be a heavy metal-accumulating species. Of special interest here are three kinds of onions. Two are subspecies of A Ilium sanbornii: the variety jepsonii is known here and southeast of Paradise on serpentine, but variety sanbornii is not the serpentine endemic it is "supposed to be" (it occurs on granite and on volcanic mudflow rocks in addition to serpentine in Butte County). The third onion, often called "wild garlic" {Allium cratericola) has one small population here that is dwarfed by the extensive regions covered with this species on the Lovejoy basalt of Table Moun- tain 15 miles to the south. Lowland savanna and grassland species accompa- nying Digger pine are California brodiaea {Brodiaea californica), shield-bracted monkey flower {Mimulus glaucescens) and a white-flowered composite, Calyca- denia oppositifolia. Four perennials—all monocots — probably provide the showiest flowering on the Masses of trout-lily flower in the early spring on the Northern Sierran foothill serpentine soils. Photographs by the author. Magalia serpentine, and this comes early in the season (April or early May). These include masses of a trout- lily widespread in the Northern Sierra foothills {Ery- thronium multiscapoideum), scattered but striking pussy ears {Calochortus tolmiei), and dense clumps of Iris macrosiphon. These whitish or cream-colored flowers are sometimes set off by a few red bells of the less common Butte fritiUary {Fritillaria phaeanthera ssp. eastwoodiae). The proportion of annual species in the Magalia's serpentine flora tops the list of Butte County outcrop floras with forty-seven percent of the taxa being annuals (the lowest, but still a high proportion, is thirty-four percent at the Carpenter Ridge volcanic mudflow). Magalia's annuals include ten introduced and weedy grasses (again highest among the outcrops studied). These common grasses include the hair grasses {Aira), wild oats {Avena), bromes {Bromus) and beardgrass {Polypogori) that are widespread in California. At Magalia they occur mostly near the pit where serpentine was removed and in other areas of heavy disturbance. It these ten annual grasses are ex- cluded, there are still an impressive forty-six native species of annuals on this serpentine outcrop. Representative annuals in this "island" that are often found on serpentine, in addition to the sandwort and jewel flower already mentioned, are a snapdragon 25 The red flowers of Butte fritillary, another serpentine endemic in the genus Fritillaria, provide spots of color in the early spring flower show. (Antirrhinum breweri), Chaenactis glabriuscula var. megacephala, Centaurium venustum subsp. abramsii, a popcorn flower (Cryptantha intermedia), globe gilia (Gilia capitata), bluecup (Githopsis specularioides), and California knotweed (Polygonum californicum). None of these seems to make much of a showy display while flowering. Instead, two species of very widespread, lavender-pink monkey flowers (Mimulus layneae and M. torreyi) produce small, local sheets of color here. While the Magalia serpentine outcrop does not offer the spectacular spring displays known for some Coast Range outcrops, it will continue to be of extreme in- terest to the botanist for both esthetic and scientific reasons. The major portion of this steep outcrop is in- cluded within the Plumas National Forest. THE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA by G. Ledyard Stebbins In the Sierra Nevada from Amador County north- ward, occur two parallel bands of serpentine. Both of them are interrupted in places, and may in other places consist of still narrower parallel bands close to each other. The lower band, a continuation of the serpen- tine areas that extend southward to Fresno County, is in the foothills at 500 to about 3000 feet in altitude, from the Pardee Reservoir in Amador County, through Eldorado County, where it is particularly well developed north of Coloma. This band includes areas on the east shore of Lake Folsom, then, with a brief interruption in Placer County, includes extensive areas near Grass Valley and northward to the Yuba River. Serpentine appears again near Woodleaf in Yuba County, is highly developed along the Feather River near Pulga in Butte County, ending about six miles west of there near Magalia. A middle altitude band of serpentine, at altitudes chiefly between 2000 and 6000 feet, begins along Traverse Creek southeast of Georgetown, continues northward to cross the Middle Fork of the American River, southwest of Forest Hill, and, after an interruption, reappears north of Forest Hill. Farther northward, this band is frequently inter- rupted, but it can be seen along the North Fork of the American River south of Alta and Towle, south of the North Fork of the Yuba about three miles west of Downieville. It becomes particularly broad and massive in the mountains near the Middle Fork of the Feather River, south of Quincy, and from there north- westward across the North Fork of the Feather River, where it is seen for some distance along State Highway 70, and Highway 147 to Lake Almanor and West- wood. Much of this latter area, particularly along the Middle Fork of the Feather River, is steep, rugged, lacks roads and is traversed by few trails; consequently it is very poorly explored. Additional isolated patches of serpentine are near River Pines, Amador County, and elsewhere. As Dr. Kruckeberg has remarked, the vegetation on all of these serpentine areas is highly distinctive. It has the expected sparse, open character, xeric in nature. Most characteristic among the woody plants are McNab cypress (Cupressus macnabiand), abundant near Grass Valley and reaching its southern limit on a small patch of serpentine on the south bank of the South Fork, Cosumnes River near River Pines, Amador County; and leather oak (Quercus durata), that is particularly abundant in the Feather River area. Dominant on many of the areas, and extending to higher altitudes than on other types of soil is Ceanothus cuneatus, the shrubs of which are often low and have distinctly arching branches. Chaparral pea (Pickeringia montana), common in the Coast Ranges on many kinds of substrate, is localized in the Sierra Nevada from Butte to Amador County, where its localities are chiefly on serpentine. Among the perennial herbs, three forms are local- ized and distinctive. One is a small, delicate blue grass (Poa tenerrima), related to the ubiquitous P. scabrella. It is probably a primitive species of its complex, since its chromosome number is 2n = 42 as compared to 2n = 84 for P. scabrella and most of its relatives. It is abundant on most of the lower altitude serpentines in Eldorado County, and reappears on Black Mountain, 26 Ventura County. This unusual distribution pattern needs to be investigated further. A second is a ragwort having finely dissected, lacy foliage, described as a species, Senecio lewisrosei, but probably only an ex- treme variant of 5. eurycephalus, which grows in the same general area, often on serpentine, but also on other substrates, in both the Sierra and the northern- most Coast Ranges. The third is a striking form of coyote mint, growing on a few steep slopes near the upper reaches of the North Fork, Feather River, that is being described as Monardella stebbinsii. Three other species, Aquilegia eximia, Balsamorhiza macrolepis and Eriogonum tripodum, occur locally in the serpentines of the northern Sierra, but more com- monly in the North Coast Ranges. Among the more attractive flowers are small brodiaea {Brodiaea minor), a morning glory (Calystegia fulcrata) and bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva), that are not endemic to the area and can also grow on other substrates. The most striking difference between these serpen- tines and those of the Coast Ranges, across the Sacramento Valley, is the complete absence of groups of related species in genera such as Hesperolinon, Navarretia, Phacelia and Streptanthus. Among the brilliant displays of annuals found on many of the areas are species belonging to these genera, but with one exception they are not restricted to serpentine. Moreover, restricted endemics and groups of related species that include narrow endemics belonging to the same genera are found in the Sierra, but they grow chiefly or entirely on substrates other than serpentine. The only annual serpentine endemic known to me in the northern Sierra Nevada in California is Streptan- thus polygaloides. This species is so distinctive in the form of its flowers that E.L. Greene erected a special genus for it. It is scattered all the way from Butte to Fresno counties, and appears to vary little over this area. As Dr. Kruckeberg has commented, the relative scar- city of serpentine endemics in the northern Sierra, in comparison not only to the serpentines of the Coast Ranges, but also to other specialized areas in the Sierra and its foothills, such as the lone sediments and various gorges and canyon walls, is a vexing puzzle. I have two speculations as possible explanations. One is the absence of striking differences in climate over short distances. In the Coast Ranges, the difference between the fog-bathed slopes near the coast and the hot, dry interior makes many of the localized serpen- tine areas subject to highly divergent selection pressures. In addition, the higher ridges of the Coast Ranges are "cloud-catchers" in winter, so that, par- ticularly in Lake County and the surrounding area great differences of precipitation occur in adjacent areas. Secondly, the lithology of the Sierran serpen- tines varies little from one area to another. Mostly, they are hard and rocky. The extensive slopes of soft, dusty serpentine that are so characteristic of San Benito County, and occur locally in the North Coast Ranges are not found at all in the Sierra Nevada. Most of the narrow endemics of the Sierra serpentines occur south of Amador County. One of the most interesting features to the evolu- tionist studying the serpentine problem is that endemism is not an inevitable consequence of the presence of serpentine. The secondary factors that pro- mote endemism and give rise to narrowly restricted species in some serpentine areas are as interesting as the adaptation to serpentine itself. Nevertheless, ser- pentine areas are remarkable outdoor laboratories for research on the origin of plant species. The annual Streptanthus polygaloides is the most widespread serpentine endemic in the Sierra Nevada. Photograph by William Follette. 27 Representative Areas in the Northern Sierra Nevada Amador County. South of River Pines, altitude 2000-2300 feet. A dry, rocky hill, dominated by Pinus sabiniana and Cupressus macnabiana, the most south- erly station in the Sierra Nevada. Other woody species: Arctostaphylos viscida, Ceanothus cuneatus, Heteromeles arbutifolia, Pickeringia montana. Distinctive herbs: Calystegia fulcrata, Eriogonum tripodum, Lomatium marginatum. Eldorado County. East side of Lake Folsom, at mouth of Granite Ravine (Chrome Creek), altitude 500 feet. Dominated by Pinus sabiniana and Arcto- staphylos viscida. Noteworthy herbs: Aquilegia eximia, Allium cratericola, Helianthus californicus, Senecio layneae, Trichostema simulatum. Eldorado County. Traverse Creek, 3.5 miles southeast of Georgetown, altitude 2200-2300 feet. Open stand of Pinus sabiniana. Representative shrubs: Alnus rhombifolia, Umbellularia californica, Arcto- staphylos viscida, Quercus durata, Ceanothus The Red Hills of Tuolumne County lie south and east of Chinese Camp, a small historic town within ten miles of Sonora. The hills are red, of course, from the weathering of surface soils of stony loams and clays. A large portion of the soils are underlain by frac- tured serpentine rocks. The Red Hills are within a 7,200 acre unit managed by the Folsom Resource Area of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This unit runs northwest and southeast approximately from Highways 108 and 120 to Don Pedro Reservoir on the Tuolumne River. The Red Hills is a mosaic of habitats determined by a patchiness of surface soils. Nearby, blue oaks pro- vide a foothill woodland with its attendant annual grassland. But in the Red Hills, the oaks are exclud- ed, leaving only Digger pine standing tall over a shrub- by carpet where buckbrush {Ceanothus cuneatus) and holly-leaved redberry (Rhamnus crocea ssp. ilicifolia) grow. Where soils are shallow and stony, open spots occur. Here, native and introduced grasses spring up along with interspersed wildflowers like popcorn flower (Plagiobothrys spp.), bird's-eye gilia (Gilia tri- color) and bicolored linanthus (Linanthus bicolor). These open spots also provide space for blue dicks (Di- chelostemma pulchella), foothill plantain (Plantago cuneatus, Rhamnus californica ssp. tomentella, Ptelea crenulata. Most distinctive herbs: Allium sanbornii, A. membranaceum, Brodiaea minor, Cryptantha inter- media, Githopsis pulchella, Arenaria californica, Helianthus bolanderi, Senecio layneae, Calystegia fulcrata, Parvisedum congdonii, Phacelia purpusii, Streptanthus polygaloides, Trichostema simulatum, Calochortus superbus, Sidalcea hirsuta, Eriogonum tripodum, Lewisia rediviva, Lomatium marginatum, Viola douglasii. Placer County. 7-9 miles northeast of Forest Hill, altitude 3500-4000 feet. An extensive area, dominated by Pinus Jeffreyi, the only stand known to me on the west side of the Sierra below 6000 ft. I have only been through it, and do not know of any serious botaniz- ing there. Butte County. One mile south of Pulga Station, at crossing by Highway 70 of North Fork Feather River, altitude 1370 feet. Dominated by Pinus sabiniana, Ceanothus cuneatus etc. Distinctive herbs: Erythronium multiscapoideum (luxuriant form resembling E. californicum), Senecio "lewisrosei" (= S. eurycephalus), Calamagrostis koelerioides. erecta), goldfields (Lasthenia californica), and Stillman's coreopsis (Coreopsis stillmanii). Much of the charm of the Red Hills comes from its creeks, springs and meadows. Along the creeks grow many of the spring wildflowers common to the Sier- ran foothills. Five-spot (Nemophila maculata), com- mon monkey-flower (Mimulus guttatus), cream-cups (Platystemon californicus), lupine and poppy line the watercourses. Four plants are endemic to the Red Hills or nearby serpentine outcrops. These include the Red Hill soap- root (Chlorogalum grandiflorum), Congdon's loma- tium (Lomatium congdonii), Rawhide Hill onion (Allium sanbornii var. tuolumnense) and Red Hills ver- vain (Verbena californica). These four plants have been listed by the California Native Plant Society as rare and narrowly distributed within the state. Their abili- ty to survive directly depends upon appropriate management by the BLM. Other rare plants have ap- peared nearby and suggest their possible distribution within the Red Hills. These include shaggy-hair lupine (Lupinus spectabilis), Chinese Camp brodiaea (Brodiaea pallida) and stink lily (Fritillaria agrestis). Not so rare, but certainly noteworthy in the Red Hills are bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva), a serpentine onion, THE RED HILLS by Joe Medeiros 28 Allium cratericola, and milkwort streptanthus (Strep- tanthus polygaloides). While most of us would agree that the Red Hills and their rare and endangered plant species deserve stringent protection, there are many others who have alternative plans for this area. Thousands come each year to shoot pistols and rifles, to pan for gold or to One of the lesser known serpentine areas in Califor- nia occurs in eastern Fresno County. This outcrop stretches for eight miles, from just east of Humphreys Station on Highway 168 south to the shores of Pine Flat Reservoir and the Kings River. It is most easily observed on the steep slopes and ridges north of Piedra on the Kings River and on the south-facing slope of Hog Mountain five miles to the east. There are also several small separate outcrops, giving a total area of approximately thirty-five square miles. Elevations ride motorcycles, jeeps, and other off-road vehicles. Others come to watch birds, see spectacular wildflower displays and picnic alongside the creeks in the Spring. Without a doubt, the Red Hills qualify as lands of na- tional significance. Rare plant species found here have been proposed for federal listing and supported by countless letters and documents, filed with the BLM urging protection of this sensitive area. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed preserve status for the southern half of the Red Hills. Currently the Red Hills are being "managed" without a management plan. Pressure has been brought to the BLM to designate areas of the Red Hills for ORV usage. Additionally the National Rifle Association (NRA) has plans to develop an enormous rifle range in the same area proposed for preserve status by the U.S.F.W.S. The "Smokepolers," a muzzle-loading gun club has been granted the Taylor Hill area for exclusive usage. The BLM Folsom Resource Area staff is develop- ing a Coordinated Resource Activity Plan for the Red Hills. At the time of this writing, this plan was not available. It is anticipated that approximately 2,000 acres will be proposed for intensive-use designation (ORV activity) and that approximately 4500 acres will be nominated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). The ACEC will be entirely south of Red Hills Road and will not include many rare plant sites north of this road. Curiously, the BLM has issued a Request for Pro- posals to study density, distribution and habitat preference for the rare plants in the Red Hills. It is difficult to assume that formal designations for use of the Red Hills can occur before the completion of such a study. Additionally, one must be cautious with the ACEC designation. Use proposals (including rifle ranges) can conceivably comply with ACEC con- straints if designed carefully. range from 525 feet at the river to 3362 feet at the sum- mit of Hog Mountain. The topography is rugged, par- ticularly the south and west aspects where slopes of 35° to 80° occur. The site is surrounded principally by soils of granitic origin; however, the serpentine soils are bright red and shallow, typically less than twelve inches and seldom more than thirty inches in depth and have a high clay content. Although the serpen- tine soils have a high water-holding capacity, poor infiltration resulting from steep slopes and a high clay EASTERN FRESNO COUNTY by Howard Latimer 29 content creates xeric conditions especially for deep- rooted, woody vegetation. While most of the serpentine area is within the general range of the foothill woodland community, on- ly on the more gentle north and east facing slopes do we find woody vegetation. Although somewhat sparse, the woodland that does develop in the serpentine is similar in composition to that found on adjoining granitic soils. Dominant trees are blue oak (Quercus douglasii) and Pinus sabiniana with an intermittent undergrowth of Ceanothus cuneatus and Arcto- staphylos mariposa. On south and west facing slopes where the serpentine can support only a sparse grass- land, the contrasts can be striking. Typically the only woody plants that are found on these exposed serpen- tine slopes are small colonies of bush lupine (Lupinus albifrons). The grassland on serpentine is only one-fourth to one-third as productive as adjoining grassland areas growing on other substrates. Of the introduced annuals that dominate adjacent grasslands, only soft chess (Bromus mollis) and wild oat (Avena barbata) are com- mon on the serpentine soils. Colonies of the native perennial bunchgrasses (Aristida hamulosa) and pur- ple needlegrass (Stipa pulchra) are a conspicuous feature on the serpentine but are rare on other soil types. Perhaps the most distinctive features of the herbaceous vegetation are the extensive colonies of the spike-moss Selaginella hanseni which form con- spicuous terraces wherever the underlying rock is exposed and help to stabilize the steep slopes. Selaginella decays very slowly and builds a thick five to ten inch organic mat which serves as an ideal growth medium for corm and bulb forming plants, such as Allium hyalinum, which sometimes carpets large areas, Brodiaea pulchella and Brodiaea lutea var. scabra. In contrast to the austere barren nature of many serpen- tine areas, this site often has a more striking display of spring wildflowers than adjacent grasslands where the native wildflowers are suppressed by the introduced annual vegetation. Excellent displays of Eschscholtzia caespitosa, E. californica, Gilia capitata, Navarettia pubescens, Lupinus bicolor, and other common annual wildflowers are often in evidence. Of the thirteen serpentine endemics that Kruckeberg lists for the Sierra Nevada region, only one, Streptan- thus polygaloides, has been recorded from this site and that only from a single collection in 1943. Lewisia rediviva which occurs on serpentine to the north has been collected here once in 1940. Recent efforts to relocate the population have failed. Fritillaria phaean- thera also occurs here far south of its recorded distribution. The lack of reported endemics from this area is probably the result of two factors: first, as previously noted, these soils are perhaps less extreme in their mineralogy than most serpentines; second, and Fritillaria phaeanthera grows in eastern Fresno County, far south of its recorded distribution. Photograph by William Follette. probably more important, the area has received com- paratively little attention from taxonomists. A thorough taxonomic survey is long overdue. Most of the Fresno area serpentine is in private ownership except for several hundred acres on the south and east slopes of Hog Mountain that fall within the boundaries of the Sierra National Forest. At present much of the area is subject to light cattle graz- ing, however, numerous abandoned test pits show evidence of past interest in the minerals present in the serpentine, though there has been no mining activity in the last thirty to forty years. The rugged barren nature of the serpentine has always seemed sufficient defense against development; however, within the last several months a long tortuous road and two building sites have been bulldozed out of one of the more bar- ren ridges. In spite of this glaring evidence that no area is totally safe from development, most of the site remains relatively undisturbed. Although there are more spectacular serpentine areas in California, this site represents a distinctive and significant botanical resource that deserves more attention than it has received in the past. 30 GROWING NATIVES: PLANTS OF SERPENTINE by Nevin Smith Common sense would suggest that plants adapted to serpentine soils, impoverished in nearly every plant nutrient except magnesium and sometimes iron, would be poor candidates for the garden. A number of horti- cultural enthusiasts, myself included, have been either ignorant or reckless enough to spirit away seeds and cuttings of their favorite serpentine plants and give them a try. Our results —with a few glaring exceptions—have been positive enough to lead us to wonder whether any plant is obligated to a serpentine existence. There certainly are specific problems in- volved in the culture of many serpentine plants; how- ever, most of these can be solved through simple horti- cultural techniques, suggesting something other than physiological dependence on a serpentine medium. The following are some observations from my own and others' experience. I have long been impressed by the relative absence of common diseases among plants on serpentine, and by the frequent susceptibility of the same plants to these diseases under cultivation. A typical serpentine shrub is exposed to unimpeded sunlight from above, reflected light from below, and often considerable con- vective air movement. Foliage and surface growing crowns are kept dry most of the time, a setting un- favorable to most fungous and bacterial pathogens. Large seasonal and day/night temperature differen- tials may enhance this deterrent effect. Finally, the low nutrient levels of serpentine soils, and presumably of plant tissues, may provide a medium as poor for the growth of most pathogens as it is for "normal" green plants. None of these is an intrinsic feature of serpen- tine-dwelling plants themselves, and in fact many ex- hibit very little resistance to various root rots, twig blights, leaf spots and other assorted diseases on non- serpentine soils. The variety of pathogens involved can be chemically controlled by a whole battery of fungicides and bacteriocides; however, the home gardener is likely to find good cultural practices, as outlined below, a more sensible alternative. Most of the shrubs and few trees which make up the overstory in a typical serpentine community thrive in full sun and seem virtually to require it for good growth; this is also true of herbaceous (non-woody) perennials of serpentine meadows and rock outcrops. Though plants may appear lusher and greener in par- tial shade, stems will be longer and weaker. Amount of sunlight also directly affects the size and strength of root systems. Many larger shrubs and trees will be prone to blowing over, or sometimes fall from their own weight, if shaded from above or crowded among other plants. Further, plants with less than full ex- posure may fail to bloom at all, exhibiting only leafy growth. Exposure also affects air circulation and the length of time it takes stems and foliage to dry after each wetting. It is particularly important for hairy- leaved species to keep plant tops as dry as possible to avoid leaf and stem diseases. Thus to grow serpentine plants shading and overcrowding is to be avoided and congested twigs may need to be thinned out. Gardeners near the coast, where evening fog is frequent, may have to resign themselves to more active measures than inland gardeners. All this said, a number of desirable species grow under shrubs or in the partial shade of rocks in almost any serpentine community; favorite examples are Senecio greenei and some choice forms of Iris macrosiphon and /. fernaldii. I have found that these usually thrive with full exposure near the coast; however, inland gardeners probably should afford them some summer shade. It remains still essential to avoid crowding, however. I have already mentioned that the peculiar chemical composition of serpentine seems to be tolerated, rather than required, by most serpentine plants. Thus, there is no point in mixing quantities of serpentine into garden soil in which these plants are to be grown, though it may be valuable as a top dressing, to keep the foliage of prostrate or reclining plants drier and provide a physical barrier against soil pathogens. What seems particularly odd, given the dense "gumbo" formed by finer serpentine soils when wet, is that we must give these plants exceptionally good soil drainage. This can be provided with perlite or other porous rock, various barks, peat moss, etc. Drainage appears to be far more important than the exact composition of the soil mix. The more enclosed the growing space —pots are frequently used for smaller bulbs and other peren- nials, for example—the more porous the mix must be. Rapid flushing of water and good air circulation evidently serve as the equivalents of low organic and nutrient content in serpentine to create an unfavorable site for root-rotting fungi. Soil acidity is a surprisingly negotiable matter; in fact, many species seem healthier in a relatively acid UC-type mix than in their native serpentine soil. Soil fertility is more problematic. Like plants inhabiting other impoverished soils in California, such as shallow sandstone or decomposed granite-based soils, many 31 >i i«*Jif%-"' W**L *"^rt^ Tl '"* *ii& ' *""""s$* fit __ '. T' t v« 3ft * 3.4& A ¦'. Its* Sargent cypress can be grown off of serpentine soil using careful horticultural techniques. Photograph by William Follette. serpentine dwellers respond dramatically to the nutrient levels we consider "normal" for common garden plants. Plants may grow rapidly to a large size and bloom profusely. Some, however, are excessively prone to falling over on insufficiently sturdy root plat- forms and to sudden and premature death from soil pathogens. Some can be restrained through regular pruning; for others this quickly results in congested, disease-prone growth and accumulation of dead "brush." The obvious remedy is to proceed cautiously with supplemental fertilization and dilute exceedingly fertile soils with non-nutritive amendments. In general, plants of serpentine are exceptionally drought-tolerant, even among California natives. This varies according to location; coast or interior, ridgetop or canyon, and so forth. The extent of their need for enforced summer drought is much less predictable, varying not only with species but even with individuals. Some serpentine-growing bulbs and summer-dormant perennials and the seeds of some annuals are likely to rot under summer irrigation. On the other hand, some trees and shrubs, notably Mahonia and Ribes spp., are improved by occasional, deep irrigation. Many species need this regime for their first season or two after planting-out. Few serpentine dwellers are likely to tolerate "regular" garden watering for long. The list which follows, though by no means com- prehensive, provides a sampling of the more ornamen- 32 tal plants of serpentine soils and rock outcrops which have been cultivated successfully. We will examine some of them in detail in future issues. You may notice that some are plants which occur on soils other than serpentine. The point of their inclusion is that material, often superior to that encountered in other settings, has been selected from serpentine sites, has thrived under cultivation, and has retained its desirable features in the new setting. My special thanks go to Wayne Roderick, who has contributed from his own experience with the serpentine dwellers, experience far more extensive than my own. CULTIVATED ORNAMENTAL PLANTS OF SERPENTINE SOIL Trees Calocedrus decurrens, Incense-Cedar (low-elevation forms) Cupressus macnabiana, MacNab Cypress Cupressus sargentii, Sargent Cypress Fraxinus dipetala, Flowering Ash Pinus attenuata, Knobcone Pine (compact forms) Pinus sabiniana, Digger Pine Quercus chrysolepis, Canyon Live Oak Shrubs and Vines Arctostaphylos canescens and c. var. sonomensis Arctostaphylos elegans, Konocti Manzanita Arctostaphylos manzanita, Parry Manzanita Arctostaphylos viscida, Whiteleaf Manzanita Ceanothus divergens var. confusus, Rincon Ceanothus Ceanothus foliosus, Wavyleaf Ceanothus Ceanothus integerrimus, Deer Brush (blue-flowered form) Ceanothus prostratus var. occidentalis, Squaw Carpet Ceanothus pumilus, Ceanothus Clematis lasiantha, Pipe-stem Garrya fremontii, Fremont Silktassel Heteromeles arbutifolia, Toyon Mahonia dictyota, Mountain Grape Pickeringia montana, Chaparral Pea Quercus durata, Scrub Oak Rhamnus californica, c. ssp. crassifolia, c. ssp. tomentella, Coffeeberry Rhamnus crocea, c. ssp. ilicifolia, Redberry Ribes malvaceum, Chaparral Currant Styrax officinalis var. californica, Snowdrop Bush Flowering Perennials Arabis breweri, Rock-cress Argemone munita, Prickly Poppy Delphinium nudicaule, Red Larkspur Delphinium variegatum, Purple Larkspur Dicentra chrysantha, Golden Ear-Drops Eriogonum latifolium ssp. nudum, ssp. sulphureum Eriophyllum lanatum Eschscholzia caespitosa Iris fernaldii Iris macrosiphon (dwarf forms) Lewisia rediviva, Bitterroot Lomatium spp. Lupinus albifrons, a. collinus, Bush Lupine Penstemon azureus Penstemon heterophyllus Ranunculus californicus, California Buttercup (compact forms) Ranunculus occidentalis, Buttercup Senecio greenei, Groundsel Silene californica, Indian Pink Bulbous and Cormous Plants Allium crispum, Wild Onion Allium falcifolium, Sickle-leaved Onion Calochortus amabilis, Golden Fairy Lantern Calochortus uniflorus, Star Tulip Calochortus vestae, White Mariposa Dichelostemma (Brodiaea) pulchella, Blue Dicks Dichelostemma (Brodiaea) volubilis, Twining Brodiaea Erythronium helenae, Trout Lily Fritillaria glauca Fritillaria lanceolata, Mission Bells Fritillaria purdyi, Purdy's Fritillary Triteleia (Brodiaea) laxa, Ithuriel's Spear Triteleia (Brodiaea) peduncularis Grasses Festuca californica, California Fescue Koeleria cristata, Junegrass Sitanion hystrix, Squirreltail Sitanion jubatum, Squirreltail Ferns Aspidotus californica, Lip Fern Pellaea mucronata, Bird's Foot Fern Annuals and Biennials Clarkia amoena, a. ssp. huntiana, Farewell-to-Spring Clarkia breweri Collinsia spp. Chinese Houses Erysimum capitatum, Wallflower Lasthenia californica, Goldfields Lasthenia glabrata, Goldfields Lupinus bicolor, Lupine Lupinus densiflorus, Lupine Lupinus succulentus, Lupine Linanthus dichotomus Linanthus grandiflorus Mentzelia laevicaulis, Blazing Star Mentzelia lindleyi, Blazing Star Mimulus spp., Monkey Flower Montia gypsophiloides Orthocarpus purpurascens, Owl's Clover Plagiobothrys nothofulvus, Popcorn Flower 33 OBITUARY: DOC BURR 1913-1983 Doc Burr, a founding member and major contributor to CNPS. Doc Burr, as he was officially known to us in CNPS, or Horace Kelsey Burr, as he was identified in scien- tific circles, died on 23 October 1983 as peacefully as he had lived his life, as quietly as he moved among people. His life in science, his livelihood as a chemist, was spent primarily at the United States Department of Agriculture Western Research Laboratory in Albany, where he was recognized as an authority on vegetable processing, especially on the quality of dehydrated vegetables, important to the welfare of the world. He also taught students in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, with a special interest in oenology, and was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Doc, as a charter member, was a consistent, unerr- ing, and valued supporter of CNPS from its inception. He served as recording secretary, by-laws reviser, pro- cedure adviser, advertising director for Fremontia, general researcher, ameliorist in conflicts. Throughout his long period as recording secretary, by meticulous attention to word and content, he saved the CNPS board from many erroneous recollections of previous actions. He allowed us to proceed in sureness and safety. Doc took great enjoyment in our CNPS field trips, especially in the earlier and smaller trips — from high mountains to dry creek beds to desert wildflower areas, in all parts of the state. Once when several of us had got separated from the main group and were isolated by a two-mile-long train coming into the Kelso Dunes Station, I lay prone peering under the cars for signs of the human life we were to have met. None of those in sight were familiar. A man turned sideways, his pipe held at a distinctive angle. Doc! Saved by Doc and his pipe! Our campfire stories were enlivened by Doc's unflag- ging memory and quiet humor. Campsites were made humorous by his acceptance of all that occurred — his tent turned inside out, wine blown away in the desert wind, salted sherry, sandy hamburgers, wet sleeping bags, diving birds, voracious mosquitoes, and always the recollection of known or rare, simple or magnifi- cent, many or few, wildflowers and shrubs and trees. To Doc all had its own beauty, all its own place. Doc worked in concert with his wife Joyce, both founding members of CNPS. Together they were made fellows in 1982. Joyce, with the CNPS board, has created the Doc Burr Graduate Research Fund to aid graduate students toward the goals by which he lived. CNPS has lost an ally in the environmental world and we have lost a gentle friend. August and Susan Fruge STATE BOARD ESTABLISHES DOC BURR FUND At its December 3, 1983, meeting the State Board of CNPS established a fund honoring the late Dr. Horace K. Burr. CNPS has designated $2000 toward the Doc Burr fund, and additional contributions have been made by CNPS members in Doc's honor. Fund income will be used to support California graduate level research on native plants. Additional contributions to the fund are welcomed. Checks should be made payable to CNPS, marked "for Doc Burr Fund," and sent to CNPS at 2380 Ellsworth Street, Suite D, Berkeley, California, 94704. All fund contributions are tax deductible. Note also that Federal law now allows non-itemizing taxpayers a limited deduction (1984 limit is 25% of gift, not to exceed $300) for charitable contributions. 34 BOOKS RECEIVED Bromeliaceae Andreanae by Edouard Francois Andre. 1983. 211 pages. First published in 1889, this monograph has been the definitive work on bromeliads. 200 numbered copies available at $175.00 from Shelldance, 200 Cabrillo Hwy., Pacifica, CA 94044. Ethnobotanical Mitigation — Warm Springs Dam, Lake Sonoma, California by David W. Peri, Scott M. Patterson, Jennie L. Goodrich. Available from Anthropologist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 211 Main Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. $7.00 plus $1.50 postage. CLASSIFIED ADS Classified ad rate: 50$ per word, minimum $12; payment in advance. Address advertising inquiries and copy to: Nancy Dale, 500 W. Santa Maria #7, Santa Paula, CA 93060. Nurseries and Seeds CALIFORNIA NATIVE BULBS-Mail order list available in July. Shipments in October. C.H. Baccus, 900 Boynton Ave., San Jose, CA 95117. (408) 244-2923. G & N NATIVE PLANT NURSERY (near Walnut Creek). Ground covers, shrubs, trees. 1-5-15 gallon sizes. Discounts to landscapers & CNPS members. Appt. only. (415) 934-5471. YERBA BUENA NURSERY, 19500 Skyline, Woodside, Califor- nia 94062. (415) 851-1668. Specializes in California native plants and native and exotic ferns. Open every day except holidays, 9-5. Owner Gerda Isenberg. CALIFORNIA FLORA NURSERY-wholesale and retail. Native plant nursery offering a wide selection of herbaceous perennials, ground covers, shrubs and trees. Delivery San Francisco Bay Area, send for list. P.O. Box 3, Fulton (nr. Santa Rosa), CA 95439. (707) 528-8813. CALIFORNIA NATIVES SEED-Many unusual annuals, peren- nials from desert, mountains, coast. Send SASE for list. Earthside, c/o V.M. Connelly, 138 El Dorado, Arcadia, CA 91006. WILDFLOWER SEEDS are available in packets or bulk from a selection of 30 species plus 10 mixtures. For a full color chart with cultivation notes send a legal SASE (20 n etu n E. ** ^ 5" n ^» 3 n o "« 75" O 3 2 52. "* KJ fi» age nw7 O c O m < &< ¦* = fO ^ &* 3 inte S'?2 ,. O Si n VO -t 3 a. it Soc th Str 4704 2 S* ** -< PS ^ -¦ 3JT (/> 3 ¦o ' "o Z. n > -o 3 z^= — or: ° ~ 2 ON ~ 0° rS ^ r> n V