A FLORISTIC STUDY OF POINT ARENA, MENDOCINO COUNTY, Author(s): Clare B. Hardham, Gordon H. True and Jr. Source: Madroño, Vol. 21, No. 8 (OCTOBER 1972), pp. 499-504 Published by: California Botanical Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41423847 Accessed: 23-04-2015 22:48 UTC

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This content downloaded from 169.229.32.36 on Thu, 23 Apr 2015 22:48:15 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions A FLORISTIC STUDY OF POINT ARENA, MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

Clare B. Hardham CrestónStar Route,Paso Robles,California 93446 Gordon H. True, Jr. CaliforniaAcademy of Sciences, San Francisco941 18

In 1967 the PacificGas and ElectricCompany (PG&E) decidedthat a botanicalsurvey should be made of the site of theirproposed generat- ing planton Point Arena,Mendocino Co., California.The primarypur- pose of the studywas to determinewhether any rarespecies were pres- ent.In 1967 threecollecting trips were made to PointArena and in 1968 fivemore trips. Most of ourwork was concentratedon PG&E's property, but a quicksurvey of theentire point demonstrated that PG&E property containeda nearlycomplete flora of the wholepoint except for the spe- cies of the brush-coverednorth-facing slopes on the northside of the peninsula.In additiona fewcommon natives were found on theungrazed lands nearthe lighthouse. The PG&E propertyon Point Arena containsapproximately 1000 acres. It is boundedon two sides by ocean bluffsand on the landward sidesis surroundedby adjacentareas of the pointwhere the terrainand floraare continuationsof the terrainand floraof the studysite. Aside fromthe spectacularrock formationsof the ocean bluffsthis is not, at firstglance, a biologicallyprepossessing area. The maintopographic fea- turesare two marineterraces, one withan altitudeof 40-80 feetabove sea level and the otherwith an altitudeof 200 feet.These terracesare separatedby a shortsteep slope witha fewsmall outcroppings of silice- ous shaleof theMiocene Monterey Formation. On thelower terrace there are severalvernal pools at thebase of thesteep slope, while the northeast endof theterrace has a largeswampy area witha groveof dwarfedPinus muricata.The upperterrace contains a largeswampy as well as severalsmall swampyareas near the top of the slope separatingthe twomarine terraces. Two smallstreams arise in theswamps of theupper terraceand flowtowards the north while a thirdsmall stream rises in the swampyareas of thelower terrace and flowswest into the ocean. The presencein thissmall area withits relativelyuniform topography ofmany microhabitats produced by streams,swamps, and vernalpools, as wellas ocean bluffs,siliceous shale outcrops,and variationsin the thick- nessof thesoil on themarine terraces, results in thepresence of an unex- pectedlylarge number of taxa: 205 speciesand subspecies(or varieties) distributedin 145 generaand 63 familieswere collected on thissite. Since therehas been overgrazingby sheep as well as intermittentgrazing by Madroño,Vol. 21, No. 8, pp. 499-546. November 6, 1972. 499

This content downloaded from 169.229.32.36 on Thu, 23 Apr 2015 22:48:15 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions SOO MADROÑO LVol. 21 horsesand dairycows, many of thespecies are uncommonand somewere undoubtedlymissed. It is anticipatedthat with removal of the sheepin 1970 these infrequentspecies will becomemore common.In addition thecomposition of theweedy element can be expectedto changeradically whilethe nativespecies that occur in the ungrazedareas nearbycan be expectedgradually to invadethe studyarea. The removalof the sheep will also resultin the recoveryof the severelypruned North Coastal Scrub Communitywhose remainsare commonon the upper marine terrace. The abandoned farmyard,surrounded by windbreaksof Cupressus macrocarpa,naturalized cultigens, and barnyardweeds was not included in thisstudy. Eightplant communities are recognizedon thissite : 1. Coastal bluff.This floralelement has been severelydamaged by sheepand mostof theindividuals are restrictedto inaccessibleplaces. A fewof the specieswere not collectibleand could not be identifiedand hencedo notappear on theplant list. Most of thebluff species are mem- bersof thewidespread ocean bluffflora of northernCalifornia: Eriger on glauca, Dudleya farinosa,Eriophyllum staechadifolium, Allium dichla - mydeum, and Lupinusvariicolor. 2. The overgrazedgrassland just back of the coastal bluffswas rich in depauperateindividuals of species that are not, even under ideal circumstances,very tall: Microserisbigelovii, Cicendia quadrangularis , Sagina occidentalis, and Eryngiumarmatum . 3 . The vernalpools and swampyareas of the lowermarine terrace, ex- cept for the swampsof the pygmyforest, tend to be poor in species: Ranunculusfiammula var. ovalis,Chrysanthemum leucanthemum, and Eleocharisacicularis. 4. The pygmypine forestis rich in shrubbyspecies and perennial herbs:Ledum glandulosum var. columbianum,Vaccinium ovatum, Gaul- therias ballon, Erigeron supplex,Aster chilensis,A. subspicatus,Iris douglasiana,С amassia quamash,Lilium maritimum, Gentiana sceptrum, С astilleja latif olia, and manyothers. 5. The siliceousshale outcropsof the slope are distinguishedby the presenceof speciesnot foundelsewhere: Clarkia sp., Brodiaea coronaria var. macropoda,В. laxa, В. peduncularis, Corethrogyne calif ornica var. obovata,and Lupinus bicolorssp. umbellatus.Clarkia was neverfound whilein bloom and the Corethrogynewas extremelyprostrate, except forits erectpeduncles. 6. The vernalpools on the upperterrace near Highway 1 wererich in typicalvernal pool species: Isoetes howellii,which was rare,Ly thrum hyssopifolia,Eryngium armatum, Oenanthe sarmentosa, Allocar y a brac- teata,A. reticulatavar. rossianorum,Galium trifidum ssp. subbiflorum, Centunculusminimus, Veronica scutellata , and V. americana. 7. The swampsbordering the two north-flowing streams, especially the one originatingin the vernalpools of the upper terrace,also possess

This content downloaded from 169.229.32.36 on Thu, 23 Apr 2015 22:48:15 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 1972] HARDHAM& TRUE: POINT ARENA 501 manyspecies. The latterhas a denseshrub and low treegrowth as well as manyferns and herbaceousperennials. Many of the speciesare rep- resentedby onlya fewindividuals: Lysichiton americanum , Habenaria dilatatay Botrychiummulti fidum ssp. silaifolium , Blechnum spicant, Athyriumjelix-j emina vars., calycosa, Myrica calif ornica, Ledum glandulosum, and Marah oreganus,while Lilium maritimum, Camassia quamash, Gentianasceptrum, Spiranthes romanzo ffiana, and Iris douglas- iana are commonin thegrassland on themargins of theswamps. 8. Coastal scrub. Gaultheriashallon , Vacciniumovatum, Ceanothus griseus, Rosa gymnocarpa,R. nu*kana, Rubus vitifol: us, and Iris doug- lasiana. Exceptfor the Iris thesespecies have been severelydamaged by the sheepand thiscommunity is not,at present,a prominentfeature of thestudy area. Althoughno narrowendemics were found on Point Arena,either be- cause therenever have been any or because the sheep have eliminated them,the swampcommunities to whichmany of the speciesbelong do notappear to be commonon theNorth Coastal Plain. Accordingto Hans Lescbkeat leastone of theswamp species, Car ex phyllomanica,is rarein California.It is useful,therefore, to have a recordof the species that occurhere, at the end of a long periodof land abuse fromovergrazing, in an area fromwhich nearly all theoriginal tree and shrubcommunities had beenremoved, though vestiges still exist elsewhere on PointArena to indicatewhat the original state probably was. The authorswish to thankJohn Tomas Howelland Hans Leschkefor theirassistance in identifyingdifficult taxa. Vouchersfor all the taxa have been depositedin the herbariumof the CaliforniaAcademy of Sciences.Excerpts from this botanicalstudy constitute one of the ap- pendicesto the environmentalstatement on PointArena being prepared by PG&E.

Isoetaceae. Isoetes howelliiEngelm. Equisetaceae. Equisetumtelmateia Ehrh. Ophioglossaceae. Botrychiummultifidum (Gmel.) Rupr. ssp silai- folium(Presi.) Clausen. Aspidiaceae. Athyriumfilix-f emina (L.) Roth. var. sitchenseRupr., and f. strictum(Gilbert) Butters,Poly podium scouleri H. & S., Poly- stichummunitum (Kaulf.) Presi. Blechnaceae. Blechnumspicant (L.) Smith. Pinaceae. Pinus muricataD. Don. Lilaeaceae,. Lilaea scilloides(Poir.) Haum. Poaceae. Festuceae. Briza minorL., Bromus marginatusNees, B. mollisL., B. sterilisL., Cynosurusechinatus L., Dactylis glomerataL., Festucadertonensis. (All.) A. & G., Glyceriapauciflora Presi, Poa annua L., P . compressaL., P. pratensisL., P. unilateralisScribn. Hordeae.Hordeum brachy ant her um Nevski,H. hystrixRoth, H. lepo- rinumLink, Lolium perenne L.

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Aveneae.Aira caryophylleaL., A. praecoxL., Avena sativa L., Dan - thoniacalij ornica Bol., Deschampsiacaespitosa (L.) Beauv. ssp. holci- formis(Presi) Lawr.,Holcus lanatusL., Tristetumcernuum Trin. var. canescens(Buckl.) Beai. Agrostideae.Agrostis alba L., A. pallens Trin., A,,palustris Huds., Alopecurusgeniculatus L., Calamagrostisnutkaensis (Presi) Steud., Polypogonmonspeliensis (L.) Desf.,Stipa pulchraHitchc. Phalarideae.Anthoxanthum odor atum L. Paniceae.Panicům pacificum Hitchc. & Chase. Cyperaceae. Carexgynodynama Olney, C. obnuptaBailey, С. phyllo- manicaBoott, С . salinaeformisMkze., C. subbracteataMkze., Eleocharis acicularis(L.) R. & S., Scirpuscernuus Vahl var. californicus (Torr.) Beetle,S. koilolepis(Steud.) Gleason,S. microcarpusPresi, S. setaceus L. Araceae. Lysichitonamericanum Huit. & St. John. Lemnaceae. Lemnaminor L. Juncaceae. JuncusbolandeH Engelm., /. bujoniusL., /. effususL., /. lesueriiBol., /. patens Mey., /. phaeocephalusEngelm., /. tenuis Willd. var. congestusEngelm., Luzula subsessilis(Wats.) Buch. Liliaceae. Camassia quamash (Pursh) Greene,Lilium maritimum Kell., Maianthemumdilatatum (Wood) N. & M., Zigadenusjremontii Torr. Amaryllidaceae. Alliumdichlamydeum Greene, Brodiaea coronaria (Salisb.) Engl. var. macropoda(Torr.) Hoover,В. laxa (Benth.) Wats., В. peduncularis(Lindl.) Wats. Iridaceae. Iris douglasianaHerb., Sisyrinchium bellum Wats., 5. cali- fornicum(Ker.) Dryand. Orchidaceae. Habenaria dilatata (Pursh) Hook., Spiranthesroman- zoffianaC. & S. Salicaceae. Salix lasiolepisBenth., S. sitchensisSanson. Myricaceae. Myricacalifornia С. & S. Betulaceae. Alnusoregona Nutt. Urticaceae. Urticamens L. Polygonaceae. Eriogonumlatifolium Sm., Polygonumaviculare L., Rumex acetosellaL., R. conglomeratusMurr. Aizoaceae. M esembryanthemům chítense Mol. PoRTULACACEAE.Montia perf oliata (Donn) Howell,M. sibirica(L.) Howell. Caryophyllaceae. Cerastiumviscosum L., Sagina crassicaulisWats., S. occidentalisWats., Silene gallica L., Spergulaarvensis L., Spergularia rubra(L.) J. & C. Presi,Stellaria media (L.) Cyrill.,S. sitchanaSteud. var.bongar diana (Fern.) Huit. Ranunculacece. Ranunculus californicusBenth. var. cuneatus Greene,R. flammulaL. var.ovalis (Bigel.) Benson,R. uncinatusD. Don. Papaveraceae. Eschscholziacali fornica Cham.

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Brassicaceae. Brassica campestrisL., Cardamineoligosperma Nutt., Dentariacalif ornica Nutt., Nasturtium officinale R. Br. Crassulaceae. Dudleya farinosa (Lindl.) Britt. & Rose, Tillaea aquatica L. Saxifragaceae. Ribes sanguineumPursh var. glutinosum(Benth.) Loud. Rosaceae. Alchemillaoccidentalis Nutt., Fragaria chiloensis(L.) Duchn.,Potentilla egedii Wormsk. var. grandis(Rydb.) Howell,Rosa gymnocarpaNutt., R. nutkanaPresi, Rubus parviflorusNutt., R. viti- foliusC. & S. Fabaceae. Lathyrusvestitus Nutt., Lotus aboriginumJeps., L. corni- culatusL., L. formosissimusGreene, L. micranthusBenth., L. purshi- anus (Benth.) Clem. & Clem., L. subpinnatusLag., Lupinus bicolor Lindl, ssp. umbellatus(Greene) Dunn, L. nanus Dougl., L. variicolor Steud.,Medicago hispidaL., M. lupulinaL., Trifoliumappendiculatum Loja, T. barbigerumTorr., T. macraeiH. & A., T. wormskioldiiLehm., Vicia americanaMuhl. ssp. oregana (Nutt.) Abrams,V. angustifolia Reichard. Geraniaceae. Erodiumcicutarium (L.) L'Her., Geraniumdissectum L., G. molleL. Oxalidaceae. Oxalis pilosa Nutt. Linaceae. Linumangusti folium Huds. Polygalaceae. Polygalacalifomica Nutt. Callitrichaceae. Callitricheverna L. Limnanthaceae. Limnanthesdouglasii R. Br. Rhamnaceae. Ceanothusgriseus (Trel.) McMinn, Rhamnus cali- fomicaEsch. . Malva parvifloraL., Sidalcea calycosaJones. Hypericaceae. Hypericumanagalloides C. & S. Violaceae. Viola adunca Sm. Lythraceae. Lythrumhyssopifolia L. Onagraceae. Camissoniaovata (Nutt.) Raven, Epilobiumwatsonii Barb. var. franciscanum(Barb.) Jeps. Apiaceae. Eryngiumarmatum (Wats.) Coult. & Rose, Heracleum lanatum Michx., Oenanthe sarmentosaPresi, Perideridia gairdneri (H. & A.) Math. Ericaceae. Gauitheriashallon Pursh, Ledum glandulosumNutt. var. columbianum(Piper) Hitchc.,Vaccinium ovatum Pursh. Primulaceae. Anagallisarvensis L., Centunculusminimus L. Plumbaginaceae. Armeriamaritima (Mill.) Willd. var. califomica (Boiss.) Lawr. Gentianaceae. Cicendia quadrangularis (Lam.) Griseb.,Gentiana sceptrumGriseb. PolemoniaceAE . N avarr etia mellitaGreene. Hydrophyllaceae. Nemophilamenziesii H. & A.

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В oragin ас e AE. АИосагуаbrdctedtd (Howell) Jtn.,A. reticulata(Pi- per) Jtn.var. rossianorumJtn., Myosotis versicolor (Pers.) Sm. Lamiaceae. Pogogyneserpylloides (Torr.) Grayssp. intermediaHow- ell, P. zizyphoroidesBenth., Prunella vulgarisL., Satureja douglasii (Benth.) Briq.,Stachys chamissonis Benth., S. emersomiPiper, S. rigida Nutt.ssp. quercetorum(Heller) Epl. Solanaceae. Solanumnodiflorum Jacq. Scrophulariaceae. С astilleja lati)olia H. & A. ssp. mendocinensis Eastw., Gratiola ebracteataBenth., Mimulus guttatusFisch., Ortho- carpus castillejoidesBenth., O. erianthusBenth., О. pusillus Benth., Veronicaamericana (Raf.) Schw.,V. scutellataL. Plantaginaceae. Plantago bigeloviiGray, P. hookerianaF. & M. var. californica (Greene) Poe, P. lanceolataL., P. majorL., P. juncoides Lamk. var. californica Fern. Rubiaceae. Galium trifidumL. var. subbifiorumWeig., Sherardia arvensisL. Caprifoliaceae. Lonicerainvolucraba (Richards.) Banks. Cucurbitaceae. Marah oreganus(T. & G.) Howell. Campanulaceae. Campanulacalif ornica (Kell.) Heller. . .Wyethia angustifolia (DC.) Nutt. Madiinae.Madia anomalaGreene. Helenieae. Eriophyllumstaechadifolium Lag., bolanderi Gray,Lasthenia macrantha (Gray) Greenevar. pauciaristata Gray. Astereae.Aster chilensis Nees, A. subspicatusNees, Baccharispilu - larisDC. ssp. consanguineus(DC.) Wolfe,Bellis perennisL., Corethro- gyne californica DC. var. obovata (Benth.) Kuntze,Eriger on glaucus Ker-Gawl,E. supplexGray, Solidago spathulata DC. Anthemideae.Achillea borealis Bong., Chrysanthemumleucanthe- mumL., Cotulacoronopifolia L., Solivasessilis R. & P. Senecioneae.Erechtites prenanthoides (Rich.) DC., Petasites pal- matus(Ait.) Gray. Inuleae. Anaphalis margaritacea(L.) B. & H., Evax sparsiflora (Gray) Jeps.,Gnaphalium luteo-album L., G . purpureumL. Cynareae.Cirsium breweri (Gray) Jeps.,C. quercetorum(Gray) Jeps., C. vulgare(Savi) Ten. Cichorieae.Hypochoeris radicata L., Leontodonley sseri (Wallr.) Beck, Microserisbigelovii (Gray) Sch.-Bip.,M. paludosa (Greene) Howell, Sonchusasper L., 5. oleraceusL.

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