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VOL. 37, NO. 2 • APRIL 2009 FREMONTIA JOURNAL OF THE CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY

THE CEDARS: SONOMA COUNTY’S HIDDEN TREASURE PARK STEWARDSHIP IN AN URBAN LANDSCAPE A NEW BRODIAEA SPECIES “HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT”

VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 FREMONTIA CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY CNPS, 2707 K Street, Suite 1; Sacramento, CA 95816-5113 FREMONTIA Phone: (916) 447-CNPS (2677) Fax: (916) 447-2727 Web site: www.cnps.org Email: [email protected] VOL. 37, NO. 2, APRIL 2009 MEMBERSHIP Copyright © 2009 Membership form located on inside back cover; California Native Plant Society dues include subscriptions to Fremontia and the CNPS Bulletin Mariposa Lily ...... $1,500 Family or Group ...... $75 Bart O’Brien and Bob Hass, Co-Editors Benefactor ...... $600 International or Library ...... $75 Beth Hansen-Winter, Designer Patron ...... $300 Individual ...... $45 Plant Lover ...... $100 Student/Retired/Limited Income . $25 Kathryn Blassey, Editorial Assistant CORPORATE/ORGANIZATIONAL Brad Jenkins, Jake Sigg, 10+ Employees ...... $2,500 4-6 Employees ...... $500 and Carol Witham, Proofreaders 7-10 Employees ...... $1,000 1-3 Employees ...... $150 CALIFORNIA NATIVE STAFF (SACRAMENTO) CHAPTER COUNCIL Executive Director . . . . . Tara Hansen Kevin Bryant (Chair); Larry Levine PLANT SOCIETY Finance & Administration Manager . (Vice Chair); Laura Camp (Secretary); Cari Porter Board of Directors Representatives: Dedicated to the Preservation of Development Director . . . Jack Tracey Lauren Brown, Brian LeNeve the California Native Flora Membership & Sales Coordinator . . . Alta Peak (Tulare) . . . . Joan Stewart The California Native Plant Society Stacey Flowerdew Bristlecone (Inyo-Mono) ...... (CNPS) is a statewide nonprofit organi- Conservation Program Director . . . . . Steve McLaughlin zation dedicated to increasing the un- Greg Suba Channel Islands . . . . David Magney derstanding and appreciation of Califor- Rare Plant Botanist . . . . Nick Jensen Dorothy King Young (Mendocino/ nia’s native plants, and to preserving Vegetation Program Director . . . Julie Sonoma Coast) . . . . . Lori Hubbart them and their natural habitats for fu- Evens East Bay ...... Delia Taylor ture generations. Vegetation Ecologists . Jennifer Buck, El Dorado ...... Cindy Podsiadlo CNPS carries out its mission through Kendra Sikes Kern County ...... Laura Stockton science, conservation advocacy, educa- Education Program Director . . . . Josie Los Angeles/Santa Monica Mtns . . . . tion, and horticulture at the local, state, Crawford Betsey Landis and federal levels. It monitors rare and Administrative Assistant . . . . . Anna Marin County . . Carolyn Longstreth endangered plants and habitats; acts to Ostrowercha Milo Baker (Sonoma County) . . . . . save endangered areas through public- STAFF (AT LARGE) Liz Parsons Mojave Desert ...... Tim Thomas ity, persuasion, and on occasion, legal Fremontia Editor ...... Bob Hass Monterey Bay . . . . Rosemary Foster action; provides expert testimony to CNPS Bulletin Editor . . . . . Bob Hass Mount Lassen ...... Catie Bishop government bodies; supports the estab- Legislative Consultant .Vern Goehring Napa Valley ...... John Pitt lishment of native plant preserves; spon- East Bay Conservation Analyst . . . . . North Coast ...... Larry Levine sors workdays to remove invasive plants; Lech Naumovich North San Joaquin . . . . Alan Miller and offers a range of educational activi- Website Coordinator . . Mark Naftzger ties including speaker programs, field Orange County . . . . . Nancy Heuler trips, native plant sales, horticultural PROGRAM ADVISORS Redbud (Grass Valley/Auburn) . . . . workshops, and demonstration gardens. Rare Plant Program Senior Advisor . . . Brad Carter Since its founding in 1965, the tradi- Jim Andre Riverside/San Bernardino counties . . . tional strength of CNPS has been its Vegetation Program Senior Advisor . . Katie Barrows dedicated volunteers. CNPS activities Todd Keeler-Wolf Sacramento Valley . . . Hazel Gordon, are organized at the local chapter level Horticulture Committee Chair ...... Kristie Haydu where members’ varied interests influ- Vacant San Diego ...... Marty Foltyn ence what is done. Volunteers from the CNPS Press Co-Directors . . . . . Holly San Gabriel Mtns . . . . Gabi McLean 33 CNPS chapters annually contribute Forbes, Dore Brown San Luis Obispo . . . . Lauren Brown in excess of 97,000 hours (equivalent Poster Program . . . Bertha McKinley, Sanhedrin (Ukiah) ...... Geri to 46.5 full-time employees). Wilma Follette Hulse-Stephens CNPS membership is open to all. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Santa Clara Valley . . . . Kevin Bryant Members receive the quarterly journal, Brett Hall (President); Carol Witham Santa Cruz County . . . . . Brett Hall Fremontia, the quarterly statewide Bul- (Vice President); Brad Jenkins (Trea- Sequoia (Fresno) . . . . Paul Mitchell letin, and newsletters from their local surer); Lynn Houser (Secretary); At Shasta . . . . . Susan Libonati-Barnes CNPS chapter. Large: Lauren Brown, Ellen Dean, Jane Sierra Foothills (Tuolumne, Cala- Hicks, Arvind Kumar, Brian LeNeve, veras, Mariposa) . . Robert W. Brown Vince Scheidt, Alison Shilling South Coast (Palos Verdes) ...... Disclaimer: Barbara Sattler, David Sundstrom The views expressed by authors published MATERIALS FOR PUBLICATION Tahoe ...... Michael Hogan in this journal do not necessarily reflect CNPS members and others are wel- Willis L. Jepson (Solano) ...... established policy or procedure of CNPS, come to contribute materials for publi- Mary Frances Kelly Poh and their publication in this journal should cation in Fremontia. See the inside back Yerba Buena (San Francisco) ...... not be interpreted as an organizational endorsement—in part or in whole—of their cover for submission instructions. Ellen Eddleson ideas, statements, or opinions. Printed by Premier Graphics: www.premiergraphics.biz

FREMONTIA VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 CONTENTS

THE CEDARS: SONOMA COUNTY’S HIDDEN TREASURE by Roger Raiche ... 3 Roger Raiche has been fascinated by The Cedars, a little known serpentine canyon system in northwestern Sonoma County, since he first visited in 1981. Combining rare geology, an other-worldly look, and unusual and unique plants, Roger has spent several decades exploring, documenting, and attempting to secure preservation of this fragile ecosystem. He and his partner, David McCrory, bought a 520-acre parcel in the heart of the area in 1998. There they continue to promote education and scientific research, while working with several conservation organizations to further the preservation of this unique area.

NATIVE BY DESIGN: COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN THE CREATION AND STEWARDSHIP OF A NATURE PARK by Barbara Eisenstein ...... 16 Southern California’s urban landscape is noted for its dearth of parkland. Restoring land along flood control channels of what were once free-flowing and unruly rivers is being considered as a possible remedy. This article chronicles the efforts of a small community group to preserve and heal a parcel of such land along a tributary of the Los Angeles River. The author shares both the successes and dreams, and the challenges and lessons of the project for others to interpret and apply to similar situations.

THE SANTA ROSA BASALT BRODIAEA: A NEW SPECIES “HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT” by Wayne P. Armstrong, Tom Chester, and Kay Madore ...... 20 The Santa Rosa Basalt Brodiaea (Brodiaea santarosae) is a newly described species that “pulled off” two amazing masquerades for 45 years. First, its species nature was hidden because some of its flowers superficially appear as B. filifolia, other flowers as B. orcuttii, and still others as hybrids between those species. Second, even though botanists are highly sensitive to endemic plants, it managed to hide its nature as a basalt endemic even after it was recognized as a species. Armstrong, Chester, and Madore describe how this species and its endemic nature was unmasked.

BOOK REVIEW: Nature’s Operating Instructions: The True Biotechnologies. Kenny Ausubel with J.P. Harpignies (editors). Reviewed by Norden H. (Dan) Cheatham ...... 28

THE COVER: Falls Gorge. This steep multiple cascade series is in the upper Main Canyon on the BLM parcel. The presence of water is restricted to winter and spring months. Photograph by R. Raiche.

VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 FREMONTIA 1 Telos Rare Bulbs The most complete offering of bulbs native to the western USA available anywhere, our stock is propagated at the nursery, with seed and plants from legitimate sources only. Telos Rare Bulbs P.O. Box 1067 Ferndale, CA 95536 www.telosrarebulbs.com

2 FREMONTIA VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 Looking west-northwest into the Main Canyon, a rare morning fog is retreating into the Gualala River side of the divide. Cypress trees are exceptionally effective at condensing fog into rain. All photographs by the author. THE CEDARS: SONOMA COUNTY’S HIDDEN TREASURE by Roger Raiche

love of the California land- This roughly 7,500-acre block look. Though remote and obscure, scape and its plants is a of serpentine—used loosely here to The Cedars is an area of great common thread uniting refer to rocks and soil of ultramafic botanic, geologic, and scenic mag- nearly every CNPS mem- origin, i.e., high magnesium and iron nificence. Aber, and millions more. Yet each of (Coleman and Jove, 1992)—located Part of the Outer North Coast us has one place that touches us far in the northwestern section of Ranges, it is nine miles by air to more vividly than all the others, a Sonoma County is as unexpected as Timber Cove on the coast. Its place we might return to again and it is unique. Even life-long residents rounded ridges are 1,700 to 2,200 again to take in the special connec- of the county find it hard to believe feet in elevation, thus only as high tion we have established, much like it exists. Indeed it is hard to see as, or even lower than, many of the renewing a friendship. The Cedars from any public road unless you surrounding ridges in that vicinity. is the place that captured me. know precisely when and where to But within this area is a complex

VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 FREMONTIA 3 038°37'37.53"N, 123°07'21.51"W.) It is still unclear when the name, The Cedars, was applied to this dis- tinctive landscape. It was probably in the 1920s or 1930s when the area was mapped by the USGS. Earlier county maps labeled the area Red Slide. Today Red Slide is the specific name for the largest talus barren on the east side of The Cedars and a secondary drainage behind this bar- ren. The Cedars’ name is a botanical misnomer, as the “cedars” referred to are actually Sargent cypress (Cupressus sargentii). [California’s cypresses are currently the subjects of differing taxonomic innovations that may result in a change in the genus name. Ed.] In popular usage, “cedar” is applied to many needle- leafed plants (including Calocedrus, Juniperus, Thuja, and Tamarix).

FIRST CONTACT The Cedars has been an obses- sion since I first walked into what we now call the Main Canyon on a late July morning in 1981. In 1980, on a backroad trip to Salt Point with friends, I had spotted it from the upper section of King Ridge Road. I commented on its rockiness, its red- dish coloration, and the flat-topped trees that I correctly assumed were cypress. These clues indicated ser- pentine, a substrate I already found fascinating. In July, as I hiked in, I had hopes of finding something in- teresting and unusual. Yet I was un- prepared to experience a canyon so unique, beautiful, pristine, vast, and Mineral Falls, a 20-foot waterfall, is coated with multiple layers of calcium carbonate fascinating in its flora as I experi- released from ultrabasic (pH greater than 11) springs near the top. Older gray deposits enced that day. I can almost remem- visible to the left have been dated to be 5,000 years old. ber each footstep, each gasp of amazement as the landscape un- system of deeply cut canyons whose and East Austin Creek, have their folded before me. There were banks creek beds are about 1,000 feet headwaters in The Cedars but travel dripping with huge colonies of Cali- lower than the ridgetops. These can- for over 12 miles apart before join- fornia lady slipper orchid (Cypripe- yons feed two different river sys- ing again two miles up from the dium californicum), bizarre mineral- tems, the Russian River via two dis- Russian River. Cazadero, a small ized formations, stunning barrens, tinct branches of Austin Creek, and community, is the only nearby and fascinating and rarely seen the Gualala River via the Wheatfield town. (When viewed on Google plants. I had been given permission Fork. The two branches of Austin Earth, or other topographic pro- to explore the canyon by a neigh- Creek, Big (or West) Austin Creek grams, the approximate center is at boring ranch owner, Bette Campbell,

4 FREMONTIA VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 who had described it as a “moon- scape.” Indeed it was that, but it was much more. Truly massive barrens and talus slopes, hued silver, tan, and red, shimmering in the summer heat were juxtaposed with ancient Sargent cy- press woodlands, dark and thick with a rich understory of shrubs and herbs. This visual interplay was con- founding but aesthetically exhilarat- ing. After several hours exploring the canyon bottoms I climbed one of the knife-back ridges and saw can- yon after canyon branching off into the distance. I realized this place was going to take some time to get to know, and this day’s 11-hour explo- ration was merely a tease. I returned again and again during the next 15 years when I could get permission, Mineral Spring, also know as the Wedding Cake, is a calcium carbonate structure that not always a certain thing. I needed routinely gets destroyed each winter yet rebuilds in almost exactly the same form each to explore each branch of each can- summer. yon over different months and over multiple seasons to be sure I was of jewelflowers (Streptanthus) from Peter Warner of Mendocino did seeing and documenting everything. The Cedars—Morrison’s jewelflower a plant survey of the southwest cor- The Cedars did not disappoint me. (S. morrisonii) and Dorr’s Cabin ner of The Cedars in the vicinity of There were undescribed species, odd jewelflower (S. morrisonii spp. hir- the Campbell Ranch (Warner, disjunctions, and a number of spe- tiflorus) (Hoffman, 1952). These 1994). I have combined his obser- cies never collected in the county were named in honor of his good vations and Hoffman’s with mine to before. friend and Streptanthus expert, John produce a plant list of just over 200 Morrison who lived in nearby Monte taxa, at all levels, of natives growing Rio. Hoffman referred to his ex- in or marginal to The Cedars and its PREVIOUS BOTANICAL plorations as “strep-trekking.” Art contiguous serpentine extensions. EXPLORATIONS Kruckeberg, the authority on Cali- fornia serpentines—he literally wrote The Cedars have been visited by the book (Kruckeberg, 1986)—vis- GEOLOGICAL other botanists since at least the early ited in September 1966 to study the EXPLORATION 20th century, but due to its remote- Streptanthus and later included sev- ness and access issues, most of the eral pictures from The Cedars in his The Cedars has been of consid- early collecting had been spotty and book, which is dedicated to Freed erable interest to miners and geolo- incomplete. The California lady slip- Hoffman. Philip Wells, an authority gists. Back in the late 19th century per orchid specimen collected by A. on manzanitas (Arctostaphylos) vis- both chromite (FeCr2O4) and mag- L. Graff in 1928 from “the head- ited in the 1970s and later published nesite (MgCO3) were discovered in waters of Austin Creek” is certainly a new subspecies, The Cedars man- the area and a number of mines ex- from The Cedars (Best et al., 1996). zanita (A. bakeri ssp. sublaevis). ploited these deposits until after School teacher, orchardist, and Lawrence LaPre, a botanical consult- World War II. In the 1960s the area botanical artist from nearby Guerne- ant, also visited The Cedars in the was investigated by both Ivan Barnes ville, Freed W. Hoffman (Morrison, 1980s to compare the jewelflowers (USGS) and Dr. Robert Coleman 1960), had a passion for serpentine at The Cedars with those to the east (professor emeritus at Stanford Uni- areas and plants. He did the most at The Geysers area on the Sonoma/ versity and authority on the geology extensive collecting in the 1940s and Lake county line. The most com- of serpentines). Ivan Barnes’s now 1950s, collecting over 100 specimens mon interest has been with jewel- famous paper on the proof of real from The Cedars (Jepson Online, flowers and their perplexing tax- time, low temperature, and near 2008). He published two new taxa onomy. surface serpentinization utilized

VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 FREMONTIA 5 A solitary Sargent cypress (Cupressus sargentii) marks the confluence of two forks of the upper section of Azalea Creek, a local name for one of the primary branches of Big Austin Creek within The Cedars.

6 FREMONTIA VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 samples from one of the calcium car- dard to which all other peridotites PLANTS bonate springs (now named in his are compared worldwide. honor) in The Cedars (Barnes et al., A current ongoing project by The Cedars is a classic example 1964). Serpentinization is the pro- geobiology graduate researcher of a “floristic island,” where many cess where igneous ultramafic mantle Orion Johnson at the University of of the plants have no close relation- rock (peridotite) is metamorphosed Southern California (USC) is focused ship with those in the non-serpen- into secondary serpentine minerals. on determining the types of microbes tine areas that surround it. The most Calcium bicarbonate is a byproduct and how they survive in the ultra- interesting group is The Cedars’ of this process. Rock from The Ce- basic (pH greater than 11) waters endemics, plants that only occur on dars was used to create PCC1, Peri- emerging in certain spots. Low so- The Cedars’ contiguous serpentines. dotite Cedars Cazadero 1 (Fanagan, dium, ultra-high pH springs are rare I currently consider eight entities to 1986), an analysis of all the minerals on Earth, yet provide an intriguing fall into this category, but one is not and their percentages in the peridot- model of how primitive microbial currently recognized botanically. ite at The Cedars. It serves as a stan- life may evolve on planets. This is a creambush (Holodiscus) that

ENDEMIC TAXA TO THE CEDARS Common Name CNPS Rarity* Comments

Arctostaphylos bakeri ssp. sublaevis The Cedars manzanita 1B.2 Hybridizes with A. manzanita on periphery of The Cedars. Type locality. Calochortus raichei The Cedars fairy lantern 1B.2 Strict endemic. Type locality. Epipactis gigantea f. rubrifolia Purple-leaf stream orchid None Strict endemic but variable leaf color. Type locality. Erigeron serpentinus Serpentine fleabane 1B.3 Strict endemic. Type locality. Eriogonum cedrorum The Cedars buckwheat None This recently described taxon is strictly endemic to The Cedars. Restricted to three limited areas. Type locality. Holodiscus sp. nova The Cedars creambush None This undescribed taxon is strictly endemic to The Cedars, found growing only on serpentine. Distinct from nearby H. discolor; characters “hold” in cultivation. Streptanthus glandulosus ssp. hoffmanii Hoffman’s jewelflower 1B.3 A regional endemic, but The Cedars represents most known plants. Another subspecies of S. glandulosus occurs nearby with white flowers (ssp. sonomensis). Strepthanthus morrisonii ssp. hirtiflorus Dorr’s Cabin jewelflower 1B.2 This subspecies is currently not recognized but is a good segre- gate. Very limited distribution. Still tracked for rarity. Strict serpentine endemic, the rarest of all the published S. morrisonii subtaxa. Type locality for both the species and this subspecies. * (CNPS Online, 2008).

VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 FREMONTIA 7 CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Closeup of serpentine columbine (Aquilegia eximia), a serpentine seepage endemic that flowers from June into September on four-foot-tall plants. • Purple- leaf stream orchid (Epipactis gigantea f. rubrifolia), an endemic. The burgundy foliage is already showing shades of green as is typical at flowering. • Closeup of a flower head of serpentine milkweed (Asclepias solanoana), a lovely prostrate-growing plant of serpentine barrens. • Closeup of endemic Cedars’ fairy-lantern (Calochortus raichei), a late- and few- flowered bulb. Best flowering seasons depend on both early and late rains. • Unnamed Cedars’ creambush (Holodiscus sp. nova). Both larger cane leaves and much smaller secondary branchlet leaves are shown. The combination of bright ruby-red juvenile growth, glabrous upper leaf surface, and leaf margins with teeth well below the middle is unique in California.

ering for a low elevation species, purple foliage has appeared. It prob- typically blooming in early June to ably deserves a taxonomic upgrade. mid- or late July. Freed Hoffman first ‘Serpentine Night’ is a very deep col- collected it in 1947 as the Mt. Diablo ored selection I made in 1982. globe-lily (Calochortus pulchellus). Serpentine fleabane (Erigeron At that time, the name C. pulchellus serpentinus) is a low herb spreading also included the now distinct C. underground to form lacy colonies amabilis. with wiry stems less than eight I first saw the plant in flower in inches tall with thread-like foliage, 1983, though I had puzzled over the and sparse-looking daisies composed large waxy-blue strap-like foliage the of 9 to 13 pale lilac ray flowers ar- previous season. After several years ranged imperfectly around a yellow of exhausting explorations to deter- center—thus looking odd or dam- mine the range, collecting herbarium aged. It prefers shady, damp, or specimens, and comparing features richer soils, particularly in old cy- of related species, I convinced Calo- press woodland. Small marble-sized chortus experts Stan Farwig and Vic galls on the upper stems are often Gerard that this was a completely mistaken as buds. has not been named, but which is new species. I was much honored the most visually distinct shrub when they named it for me in 1987, Solitary flower of serpentine fleabane throughout The Cedars. linking my name with the amazing (Erigeron serpentinus), an endemic to The The Cedars fairy-lantern (Calo- Cedars. Cedars. The ray petals are typically irreg- ularly arranged. chortus raichei) is a perfect example The purple-leafed race of stream of a strict endemic here. It occurs orchid (Epipactis gigantea f. rubri- throughout all the interior can- folia) is another odd Cedars’ en- yons—though not everywhere—and demic. At its most extreme, the plant even to the margin of serpentine emerges with almost black-purple rock, but never beyond. In many foliage with a silvery iridescence that stretches it even avoids the margins, gradually fades to a dusky burgundy- where it might be replaced by the green by flowering. The purple leaf widespread Diogenes’ lantern (C. character is variable. This is the only amabilis), though the two never seem place in the entire extensive distri- to overlap. It is extremely late flow- bution of stream orchid where

8 FREMONTIA VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 Serpentine endemics (plants that only—or almost always—occur on serpentine, but may also exist on serpentine beyond The Cedars) form another category of plants here. Sargent cypress, Jepson musk brush (Ceanothus jepsonii), serpentine col- umbine (Aquilegia eximia), and bearded jewelflower (Streptanthus barbiger) are four good examples of this restriction. Some can also be said to be disjunct, i.e., disconnected from or beyond a plant’s normal geo- graphic range. Some are also extra- limital, i.e., are at an extreme in their range. Most of these extra- limital plants are at either their southern or western extremes. Some notable southern-limit entities are sticky manzanita (Arctostaphylos viscida ssp. pulchella), cotton grass (Eriophorum criniger), California lady slipper orchid, and showy phlox (Phlox speciosa ssp. nitida). Those significantly west of their primary range include Pringle’s bird-beak (Cordylanthus pringlei), Brewer’s wil- low (Salix breweri), green deermint (Monardella viridis), Venus maiden- hair fern (Adiantum capillis-veneris), foxtail muhly (Muhlenbergia andina), hoary coffeeberry (Rhamnus tomen- tella), and Morrison’s jewelflower. Serpentine milkweed (Asclepias sola- noana) is at both its southern and western extremes. Only the clover Looking down Laton Gulch to the creekbed about 800' below. Laton Mine, one of the few Trifolium buckwestiorum is repre- topographic names, is near the bottom above the forest of Sargent cypress. sentative of a northern disjunction. From a county perspective there ery. The contact zone—where the One plant that perfectly illus- are four plants not mentioned in A serpentine rock/soil meets other non- trates this inner/outer Cedars floral Flora of Sonoma County (Best et al., serpentine substrates, results in a mix dichotomy is the Sonoma subspe- 1996) but which occur here. of serpentine and nonserpentine spe- cies of bristly jewelflower, S. glan- Widespread species, which do cies. Ancient landslides that slid off dulosus ssp. sonomensis that has a occur in the general vicinity, often of the main block of serpentine have white flower. Outside of the main off of serpentine, also occur in The created a number of peripheral ser- Cedars the ssp. sonomensis is com- Cedars. Chamise (Adenostoma fasci- pentine meadows and chaparrals mon in sparse serpentine grasslands, culatum), mountain mahogany (Cer- which have plants that cannot be whereas the lilac-pink flowered ssp. cocarpus betuloides), wavy-leaf cea- found inside the core area. Star bro- hoffmanii occurs not far away on the nothus (Ceanothus foliosus), and diaea (Brodiaea stellaris), Sonoma rock and talus of the main block of buckbrush (C. cuneatus) fit into this jewelflower (Streptanthus glandulo- The Cedars. More than a simple category. sus ssp. sonomensis), goldfields (Las- color difference, the two perform A profound dichotomy exists thenia californica), hog fennel (Loma- differently in the same season. For between the plants within The Ce- tium dasycarpum ssp. tomentosum), example, in 2007 the ssp. hoffmanii dars (the core species) and a differ- and squirreltail (Elymus elymoides) had a very bad flowering season, but ent group that grows on the periph- are just a few examples. the ssp. sonomensis had a spectacu-

VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 FREMONTIA 9 lar flowering season. ground fires may have morning glory (Calystegia sp.; this Here are two subspe- occurred. Understory plant has affinities to both C. sub- cies that are closely re- shrubs are rare in the acaulis and C. collina ssp. oxy- lated, but which have older woodlands, but phylla), Torrey’s melic grass (Melica accumulated a capacity The Cedars creambush torreyana), Indian pink (Silene cali- to grow in different is almost always pre- fornica), narrow-petal piperia (Pi- sites and respond to dif- sent. This is the only peria leptopetala), The Cedars fairy ferent environmental habitat where poison- lantern, and green deermint. clues. This is evolution. oak (Toxicodendron Where the cypresses are more diversilobum) occurs, scattered, two manzanitas are com- HABITATS though infrequently mon along with the leather oak. and dwarfed. The un- Sticky manzanita and The Cedars A good way to derstory herbaceous manzanita may be as abundant as group the plants of The layer is perhaps the the cypress. Given enough time, the Cedars is to consider most interesting fea- manzanitas die out and the area tran- what habitat(s) they Hoffman’s jewelflower ture and is a complex sitions to cypress woodland. grow in. Natural habi- (Streptanthus glandulosus mix of sedges, grasses, Serpentine chaparral is also com- tats tend to blur one ssp. hoffmanii) is found on bulbs, annuals, bien- mon, both with and without Sargent into another, so delin- rocky areas throughout The nials, and perennials cypress. It is frequently dominated eations are not abso- Cedars, though populations growing tightly to- by the two manzanitas mentioned vary enormously from year lute. However there to year from nearly non- gether, though often above with leather oak as a shrub. are several primary existent to colorful displays utilizing different sea- Jepson’s musk brush and buck- habitats that repeat of thousands. sons of growth. Over brush are frequent constituents, as throughout this area. two dozen plants can is toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia). Sargent cypress woodland is the be found together in many sites as On mesic or north-facing chapar- most extensive habitat of The Ce- part of this forb layer. Nearly omni- rals, red berry (Rhamnus illicifolia), dars. It covers at least several thou- present in all canyons are the fol- bush monkey flower (Mimulus aur- sand acres, and is often character- lowing plants that are listed in se- antiacus) and Cedars’ creambush are ized by dense stands of small trees quence of bloom: toothwort (Car- prevalent. Several distinct chapar- growing closely together. The cy- damine californica var. sinuata), ral variants occur. One has many press also occurs as tiny, dwarfed, woodrush (Luzula comosa), Indian compact forms of coast silktassel bonsai-like specimens at the edge of warrior (Pedicularis densiflora), star (Garrya elliptica); another an un- barrens or as individuals peppered zigadene (Zigadenus fremontii), derstory of serpentine reedgrass through chaparral. Primarily it forms short-stem sedge (Carex brevicaul- (Calamagrostis ophitidis); yet an- a woodland with other trees, shrubs, is), bedstraw (Galium californicum), other only sticky manzanita. Un- and herbs. In richer sites, the cy- long-tube iris (Iris macrosiphon), derstory elements are identical but press trees can be quite old and huge, milkwort (Polygala californica), fewer than in cypress woodlands and are often mixed with Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), bay lau- rel (Umbellularia californica), and ADDITIONS TO THE FLORA OF SONOMA COUNTY leather oak (Quercus durata). In FROM THE CEDARS the richest zones, canyon oak (Q. Not in A Flora of Common Name Habitat and chrysolepis), tanoak (Lithocarpus Sonoma County Abundance densiflora) and madrone (Arbutus menziesii) may be present in limited Adiantum capillus-veneris Venus maidenhair fern Carbonate numbers. These lush zones occur seepages, rare. most commonly along the riparian corridors or on shady north-facing Eriophorum criniger Cotton grass Seepages, slopes or protected gullies. They are common. the most park-like of the habitats, Moehringia latifolia Wide-leaf moehringia Mesic woodlands, and are especially inviting to hu- uncommon. mans. Typically, a surprisingly rich soil has developed due to hundreds Muhlenbergia andina Foxtail muhly Seepages, of years of humus accumulation and uncommon. a lack of catastrophic fires, though

10 FREMONTIA VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 This cliffside grotto formed by calcium carbonate deposits provides an ideal site for many serpentine columbines (Aquilegia eximia).

VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 FREMONTIA 11 A new species of wild buckwheat (Eriogo- num cedrorum) is located in only a few sites within The Cedars, especially con- sidering the vast amount of rock and talus available. Its botanical affinities are with ternate buckwheat (E. ternatum) of the Klamath Range and Snow Mountain buckwheat (E. nervulosum) of the Inner North Coast Range. and vary considerably. Diversity de- creases toward the ridgetops. Vast serpentine barrens, talus, and acres of bare rock are another primary habitat within The Cedars. Visually quite impressive, they ac- count for the moonscape description so frequently employed by visitors. A group of scientists working with NASA who visited The Cedars found some barrens to be quite reminiscent of pictures received from Mars! The barrens are the most extreme habitat at The Cedars, yet they are not without plants. The biennial Morrison’s jewelflower might be found alone in the most extreme sites, but bearded jewelflower can also occur by the thousands in late winter/spring. Serpentine phacelia (Phacelia corymbosa) is the most fre- quent perennial plant here. Two other perennials only occur on some talus slopes. Other annual, peren- Perennial water habitats can be sites. One is a new species of buck- nial, and bulb (or corm) constitu- subdivided in various ways, but flo- wheat (Eriogonum), and the other is ents of this hostile habitat may oc- ristically there are essentially two serpentine milkweed, a startlingly cur by the tens of thousands, yet are types, creekside and seepage. In gorgeous plant in flower. The Ce- visually overwhelmed by the amount some areas the creeks pass through dars creambush is the only large of rock or talus except when these old Sargent cypress woodlands that shrub that tolerates this habitat, plants are in peak flower and they form an upper level riparian corri- where it is mostly restricted to deep may create a mist of color. dor. But, due to the enormous quan-

12 FREMONTIA VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 Red Slide, the tallest serpentine barren, is located on the southeast side of The Cedars. This barren is one of the few obvious land features visible from miles away. tity of water that flows through the levels and the powerful scouring ing order of frequency. In the East creeks in winter (Cazadero averages action of the peak flows. They are Austin Creek headwaters there is a over 65 inches of rainfall per year, Brewer’s willow, Western azalea long riparian stretch that also has often in huge storms of five inches (Rhododendron occidentale), hoary common riparian trees such as white or more), there are only four shrubs coffeeberry, and Western spicebush alder (Alnus rhombifolia), ash (Fraxi- that tolerate the fluctuating water (Calycanthus occidentalis) in decreas- nus latifolia), madrone, and canyon

VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 FREMONTIA 13 Sargent’s cypress (Cupressus sargentii) in the Azalea Creek drainage, part of the BLM lands. oak that line the margins, but the mortarbed, where the creek bottom Seepages, the other perennial first two do not occur at all within is a solid pavement of cemented water habitat, are common on the the serpentine canyon of Big Austin sand, gravel, cobbles, and rocks, creekbed margins but also can be Creek. which are far more resistant to ero- perched high on cliff faces. Some The primary creeks also produce sion than the highly fractured bed- are formed from the ambient waters two distinct secondary habitats. One rock. These are formed from the that flow from fractures and have a is alluvial gravel bars composed of calcium carbonate-rich waters that normal pH range of 7 to 9. The more gravel, rock, and boulders. For many ooze up through the alluvium dur- specialized seepages with calcium decades these are very sterile and ing the drier summer months to carbonate-saturated water have a pH have a flora paralleling the barrens, harden as cement. Brewer’s willow from 9 to 12+; these have the most but over time shrubs and cypresses is the only plant capable of seeding specialized plants. These sites rep- will move in. The other unusual into these pavements and surviving resent yet another extreme anomaly. habitat is the large stretches of the winter scouring. Surrounded by thousands of acres

14 FREMONTIA VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 of calcium-deficient serpentine here in this special place. This was long tinization. Science 156 (No. 3776): is a habitat with an overabundance before owning any of it, but owner- 830-32. of calcium. Most commonly re- ship has facilitated this outreach. Best, Katherine, John Thomas Howell, stricted to these seepages are Venus In 2006, The Sonoma Land Trust Walter & Irja Knight, and Mary maidenhair fern, with only six sites (SLT) convened a series of planning Wells. 1996. A Flora of Sonoma noted so far, and California lady’s meetings and field trips, bringing County: Manual of the Flowering Plants and Ferns of Sonoma County, slipper orchid. The lady’s slipper or- together a spectrum of agencies and CA. California Native Plant Society, chid has about four dozen popula- botanical authorities to produce— Sacramento, CA. tions; several are quite old with over with a grant from the Coastal Con- California Native Plant Society, Inven- 100 flowering stems per colony. servancy—a Conservation Plan for tory of Rare and Endangered Plants Their size and numbers have in- The Cedars (SLT, 2008) and sur- of California. (Accessed Aug. 21, creased slowly over the last 27 years. rounding areas. This document aims 2008). http://cnps.web.aplus.net/cgi- Other seepage-identified plants to guide future conservation efforts bin/inv/inventory.cgi/home. can occur in either type of seep- in this region. These conservation Coleman, Robert G. and C. Jove. Geo- age and include the four creekside efforts would further the goals and logical Origin of Serpentinites. 1992. shrubs mentioned above. These may objectives of over 11 federal, state, In The Vegetation of UltramaficSoils: be accompanied by the following regional, and local plans (SLT, Proceedings of the First International Conference on Serpentine Ecology, common associates: serpentine col- 2008). The core serpentine zone is Andover, Hampshire, UK: Intercept umbine, Mendocino sedge (Carex envisioned primarily for conserva- Ltd. Page 3. mendocinensis), foxtail muhly, grass- tion, education, and to promote sci- Fanagan, F.J. 1986. U.S. Geological of-Parnassus (Parnassia californica), entific investigation. As a first step, Survey Standards, Peridotite PCC-1, purple-leafed stream orchid, and a 40-acre parcel was acquired by the The Cedars. In: Reference Samples cotton grass. Closer to the mouth of Sonoma Land Trust at the entrance in Geology and Geochemistry. U.S. the canyons are five-finger maiden- to the primary canyon. Geological Survey Bulletin v. B 1582: hair (Adiantum aleuticum), white The Cedars is an other-worldly 70. wool hedge-nettle (Stachys albens), landscape that most visitors find as- Harrison, Susan. 2006. Personal Com- blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bel- tonishing and visually compelling. munication: Letter to Raiche in sup- lum), and leopard lily (Lilium par- It is raw and wild, a Western land- port of conservation efforts (Oct 5, 2006). dalinum). As with water, the num- scape where rocks and plants are Hoffman, Freed W. 1952. Studies in ber of species decreases as one moves positioned in an exhilarating dy- Streptanthus: A New Streptanthus upstream. namic tension, much like the high Complex in California. Madroño 11: arid mountains. The deep canyons, 221-29. CONSERVATION stark terrain, picturesque trees, wel- Jepson Online Interchange of Califor- coming pools, waterfalls, and re- nia Floristics, Consortium of Cali- The core serpentine area is cur- markable calcium formations make fornia Herbaria. May 25, 2008. (ac- rently owned by about two dozen the surrounding Sonoma County cessed Aug. 21, 2008). http://ucjeps. landowners, and most are large hold- seem quite distant. It is a treasure berkeley.edu/consortium/. ings. Over 1,500 acres in the center for the county, the state, and the Kruckeberg, Arthur R. 1984. Califor- is a land-locked Bureau of Land Man- world. nia Serpentines: Flora, Vegetation, Geology, Soils, and Management Prob- agement (BLM) parcel that cannot Dr. Susan Harrison of the UC lems. University of California Press, be accessed by the public. In 2006, Davis Natural Reserve System, who Berkeley, CA. Page 12. BLM designated this as an Area of has used The Cedars in various Morrison, John. 1960. Freed Hoffman Critical Environmental Concern studies of serpentine plant diver- 1880-1959. Madroño 15: 178-180. (ACEC), which is the strongest pro- sity, concurs. “I cannot think of Sonoma Land Trust. 2008. The Cedars tection that BLM can offer its lands. any other site I would consider more Conservation Plan. (Draft, unpub- David McCrory and I bought a essential to conserve in its present lished internal planning document, 520-acre parcel in 1999 after failing pristine state for the sake of its out- March 2008). to interest conservation groups in standing contribution to California’s Warner, Peter J. 1994. Vascular Plant acquiring the site. We removed a flora.” List for the Campbell Ranch, adja- century of trash and constructed a cent BLM including The Cedars. Un- published, California Native Plant simple trail to access various features REFERENCES Society. and remote areas. I have been advo- cating for a Cedars’ preserve since Barnes, Ivan, V.C. LaMarche, Jr., and Roger Raiche, 3485 Old Lawley Toll 1983, hosting dozens of field trips Glen Himmelberg. 1967. Geochemi- Rd., Calistoga, CA 94515. roger@planet and lecturing on the values inherent cal Evidence of Present-Day Serpen- horticulture.com

VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 FREMONTIA 15 Mature trees, including coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), western sycamore (Platanus racemosa), and California black walnut (Juglans californica), provide structure in the South Pasadena Nature Park. A retention basin, on the right side and foreground of the picture, collects urban runoff, allowing it to infiltrate the soil rather than flowing directly into the Arroyo Seco. All photographs by the author. NATIVE BY DESIGN: COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN THE CREATION AND STEWARDSHIP OF A NATURE PARK by Barbara Eisenstein

n the morning of the sec- nature park. On good days there are HISTORY ond Saturday of the as many as a dozen of us, on most month I load up my car days there are about four. Happy to The history of the park begins in with garden tools and be there, we put on gloves and start the late 1990s. Word got around Ohead to our city’s newest park, the pulling weeds, picking up litter, and that the city of South Pasadena was Arroyo Seco Woodland and Wildlife inspecting the area. We have been planning to sell for development a Park, more commonly known as the doing this for the past three years. small piece of land next to the Ar-

16 FREMONTIA VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 royo Seco. A group of interested citi- the efforts of many were rewarded FRIENDS OF THE NATURE zens mobilized to convince the city with the official opening of the park. PARK to convert the property into much But this only marked the beginning needed parkland. Through their of what can be described as a story For several years the city’s Natu- hard work and tenacity, the area of perseverance and optimism. ral Resources Commission (NRC) was preserved, continuing a regional sponsored cleanup and educational trend to maintain green space along STEWARDSHIP events in the nature park on Earth the Arroyo Seco. Day. As an NRC commissioner, I Volunteers put in countless The three-and-a-half-acre prop- discussed with others the need for hours attending meetings, making erty is adjacent to a concrete flood additional ongoing park steward- phone calls, and writing letters to control channel of what was once a ship. With help and support from prevent the sale of the property magnificent tributary to the Los An- members of the city council and the and to raise money to convert it geles River. Beyond the channel lies Natural Resources and Park Com- into a park. A letter writing cam- another corridor, the 110 Freeway, missions, the public was invited to a paign directed at the office of then- also known as the Arroyo Seco Park- special meeting to discuss ongoing Senator Adam Schiff resulted in an way. The disturbed and weedy land park maintenance. A short article in appropriation of $250,000 for the was primarily used as an encamp- the local newspaper informed the nature park. Concurrently, the city ment for the homeless, though walk- community of the meeting. It was council, yielding to public senti- ers, joggers, and equestrians tra- attended by approximately 35 people ment, approved the concept of a versed the land on the existing trails. including educators and students nature park. The money was allo- Throughout much of Southern Cali- from the high school’s environmen- cated to the Santa Monica Moun- fornia, places like this are the only tal club, individuals who had been tains Conservancy (SMMC) for park areas available for hiking, walking, active in saving and improving the improvements. The Conservancy bird watching, and generally inter- park, government representatives, granted the funds to the Mountains acting with nature. and interested citizens. We agreed and Recreation Conservation Au- Some see these forgotten areas that I would oversee community thority (MRCA) to implement the as wasteland that can only be im- stewardship activities. project. In accepting the grant, the proved through commercial devel- In March of 2006, Friends of the city agreed to assume the costs for opment. Others have a different vi- Nature Park was created through ongoing maintenance and to pre- sion. They see places within a vast the Department of Public Works serve the area as passive open space urban area that can be shared by (DPW) Adopt-A-Park program. As in perpetuity. birds, coyotes, butterflies, lizards, group leader it was my responsibil- MRCA worked with a volunteer and people. And in moments of ex- ity to notify the DPW of all upcom- citizen’s task force to design the park, treme hopefulness and optimism, ing cleanup events. Each year I continuing the public involvement they see a time when the adjacent signed an agreement form and sub- that has been a trademark of the concrete flood control park. Discussions with MRCA over channel will be re- The entry way is constructed of attractive river rock and a period of more than a year re- moved and our water- welcomes visitors to the nature park. sulted in a landscape plan that re- way can once again re- flected the community’s desire to gain some of its ear- make this a place amenable to both lier beauty and gran- people and animals. deur. When I go to MRCA graded the park, removed the park, I am re- weeds, and added some new native minded how fragile plants. They created an entryway, this vision is. Without signage, and a gathering area using continued attention, attractive river rocks. They also built the small park is in a water retention basin to prevent constant danger of re- urban runoff from the street above verting to its previous from flowing into the Arroyo Seco condition. Unless the flood control channel. A trail runs public engages with through the park, connecting it with the park, the homeless parkland along the Arroyo to the will return, graffiti will north in Pasadena, and to the south spread, and the weeds in Los Angeles. In October of 2004 will take over.

VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 FREMONTIA 17 mitted an annual schedule of cleanup Two years after the start of SATURDAY MORNING sessions. Park stewards were asked Friends of the Nature Park, I was CLEANUPS to sign participation agreements that considering discontinuing the pro- I delivered to the city. gram due to limited community par- Each month the public is in- ticipation. A city council member formed of cleanup events through and devoted park steward suggested newspaper and email announce- that we end our official Adopt-A- ments. An email list of approxi- Park status so that we would not mately 100 addresses has grown have to commit to dates a year in from the attendees of the initial or- advance. We simply agreed to meet ganizational meeting to include any- on the second Saturday of the month. one who expresses interest. A small July, August, November and De- cadre meets monthly in the park. cember are excluded, the summer The number is sometimes as high as months being too hot and the win- 40, when scouts, classes, and envi- ter months too busy. In an effort ronmental clubs participate. There to further engage the community I have also been times when I have also created a blog (www.nativeby found myself working alone. The design.blogspot.com) on which I an- group, though, is usually small, nounce upcoming workdays, and af- numbering less than ten. terwards I report on what we found Volunteers come equipped with and did. For the past year I have garden gloves, garbage bags, shov- continued to act as de facto group els, and rakes. As group leader, I leader, though I no longer have any bring extra equipment, supplies, and official city designation. bottled water. We remove litter and

TOP TO BOTTOM: Jimson weed (Datura wrightii) is one of the few nonweedy perennials to naturalize in the park. Its showy flowers provide welcome color in open, sandy areas. • California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) planted during park renovation has thrived and is reseeding itself. The white flowers that are followed by rich rusty maroon seedheads soften the urban scene across the Arroyo Seco. • Coyote brush (Baccharis pilularis), deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens), western sycamore (Platanus racemosa), and a volunteer black willow (Salix gooddingii) provide habitat, shade, and refreshing green vegetation in this previously hot and dry area.

18 FREMONTIA VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 weeds, and take note of larger prob- lems for the city to address. We walk the trails looking for interesting wild- life. Although litter degrades the park making it ugly and unpleasant, it is the return of the invasive weeds that is of greatest concern. We have approached this problem with help from the city. Following the initial weed removal, the city continues to control weeds using chemical and physical methods. Our monthly vis- its allow us to notice and easily pull unwanted seedlings before they can flower and reseed. Currently we are targeting castor bean (Ricinus com- munis) and milk thistle (Silybum marianum). We will need to be vigi- lant for many years since there is an abundance of weed seeds in the soil. But not all is bad. Walking Scouts and parents clean up glass and litter in Sycamore Circle. Local youths involved in through the park, we marvel at the scout programs, environmental clubs, and other school related projects learn about the local native trees. Huge old western urban environment while serving their community. sycamores (Platanus racemosa) and coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia) perennials and grasses. Unfortu- to meet the challenges presented by shade much of the park. Inconspicu- nately weeds got the better of this gophers and weeds. ous flowers of the California black area and within a year it was noth- walnut (Juglans californica) develop ing but a field of weeds. The city IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL into large, ornamental walnuts. deposited urban green waste in the Holly-leaved cherry (Prunus ilicifo- area to smother the weeds. Through The nature park is a reflection of lia), mulefat (Baccharis salicifolia), city and community efforts, that cen- many of our urban problems and manroot (Marah macrocarpus), vir- tral area is no longer choked with challenges. It is a target for graffiti, gin’s bower (Clematis ligusticifolia), weeds, but it now presents an unap- broken glass, and litter. Weeds are golden currant (Ribes aureum var. pealing barren look. always ready to reestablish them- gracillimum), datura (Datura wright- In the next few years, we hope selves, crowding out the local native ii), and miner’s lettuce (Claytonia to beautify the area and provide plants. Through much of the year, perfoliata) all bloom and go to seed. cover for birds and other animals by urban runoff—polluted with fertil- If we can keep the invasive weeds at introducing low-growing coastal izers, pesticides, and other toxins— bay, these plants will have a chance sage scrub plants. These will include flows through the concrete-lined to reestablish themselves, creating a black sage (Salvia mellifera), Cali- waterway. This is the reality of our friendly habitat for local animals. The fornia buckwheat (Eriogonum fasci- environment, yet each month a small flood control channel is a far cry culatum), bush sunflower (Encelia group of citizens refuses to accept it. from a natural waterway, but it does californica), arroyo lupine (Lupinus As we work, we see another possi- provide essential water, making this succulentus), and deerweed (Lotus bility, one in which nature can be a good birding spot. scoparius), among others. This fall, seen and enjoyed. Each month when with a small grant from the city, we we visit the park, we are on the look- FUTURE PLANS will purchase and transplant about out for interesting plants and wild- a hundred new plants. A volunteer life, and we are rarely disappointed. The park slopes down from a is working on a planting plan, and The seeds of improvement are here; busy street to the flood control chan- with help from local scouts, we are they just need to be nurtured. nel. The slope is well vegetated with preparing the site. Signage will edu- native plants, many mentioned cate visitors on what is being done, Barbara Eisenstein, 1852 Monterey Road, above. The central part of the park and will identify the new plants. In South Pasadena, CA 91030. barbara. is fairly flat and was intended to be this way we will slowly move across [email protected]; www.wildsuburbia. grassland with low-growing native the central mound, hopefully able blogspot.com

VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 FREMONTIA 19 Aerial view of the Santa Rosa Plateau showing three vernal pools on the Mesa de Colorado. Populations of the rare Santa Rosa Basalt Brodiaea (Brodiaea santarosae) are found almost entirely on outcrops of Santa Rosa Basalt that date back ten million years. All photographs by W.P. Armstrong. THE SANTA ROSA BASALT BRODIAEA: A NEW SPECIES “HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT” by Wayne P. Armstrong, Tom Chester, and Kay Madore

THE FASCINATING Then, about ten million years southwestern Riverside County with HISTORY OF THE SANTA ago, an oceanic spreading center was lava (Kennedy, 1977). This flood ROSA BASALT BRODIAEA subducted under the North Ameri- basalt, called the Santa Rosa Basalt, can continental crust here. This be- completely covered the nearly flat efore roughly ten million years gan the process of mountain build- landscape, killing all the plants for- ago, the landscape of South- ing in Southern California, includ- merly present, and providing a fresh ern California was as flat as ing formation of the San Andreas surface that eventually became ready eastern Kansas is today, a land Fault, migration of the Baja Califor- for colonization by pioneer plants. Bof low rolling hills. There were no nia peninsula away from mainland However, basalt soils, like those mountains, no frequent earthquakes, Mexico, the loss of our summer rain- derived from serpentine and gab- no San Andreas Fault, and fewer fall, and the diversification of spe- bro, are not well tolerated by most habitats for plant species, resulting cies for which California is famous. plant species. These soils are defi- in much less diversity. Furthermore, In a dying gasp, one of the seg- cient in some nutrients required for due to the absence of great moun- ments of the oceanic spreading cen- plant growth such as calcium and tain chains like the Sierra Nevada ter repeatedly covered what is now potassium, and they contain large and Peninsular Ranges, Southern southern Orange County, north- amounts of minerals such as mag- California received summer rainfall. western San Diego County, and nesium and iron that are toxic to

20 FREMONTIA VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 many plant species. This is a strong on the genus Brodiaea. In 1985, an- were the first to realize that this stimulus for the evolution of new other specimen of B. santarosae was population of plants was distinct species that can thrive on such soils. determined as B. filifolia. In 1992, from previously known species. In Some plant genera, such as Brodiaea, another specimen of B. santarosae their 1995 Flora of the San Mateo have genes that make them more was determined as a possible hybrid Canyon Wilderness Area, they re- adept than others in being able to between B. filifolia and B. orcuttii. In ported that most of the plants found evolve species that can tolerate diffi- all, we found a total of nine collec- there appeared to be specimens in- cult soils. Two species in northern tions of B. santarosae, from six dif- termediate between B. filifolia and California, B. pallida and B. stellaris, ferent botanists, determined as one B. orcuttii, and reported them as hy- have adapted to serpentine soils. of these three possibilities. brids, or a hybrid swarm, between The authors recently discovered The confusion here stems from those two species. a new Brodiaea species that simi- a remarkable variation in the stami- In late May 2006 at Clay Hill, a larly adapted to the Southern Cali- nodes of B. santarosae. Staminodes small hill just to the west of the fornia basalt. We named it Brodiaea are flower parts that appear some- Mesa de Burro in the Santa Rosa santarosae, the Santa Rosa Basalt what similar to stamens, hence the Plateau, Kay Madore found a Bro- Brodiaea (Chester, Armstrong, and name, but do not contain pollen. diaea population that looked differ- Madore, 2007a). Amazingly, this They are often crucial in distinguish- ent to her. When Kay showed this species had been seen by numerous ing species, such as some orchids population to Wayne and Tom, our botanists in the last half-century, and penstemons, in many plant fami- jaws dropped wide open. We had yet it had gone unrecognized be- lies. Brodiaea staminodes range from never seen a Brodiaea population cause it is superficially similar to thread-like to petal-like. From 10- like this in the four years we had two other Brodiaea species, B. filifolia 50% of the flowers of B. santarosae been studying Brodiaea species in and B. orcuttii. Even more surpris- have no staminodes at all, as do all Southern California. We were like ing is that the confinement of this flowers of B. orcuttii. The other 50- kids in a candy store, going from species to basalt soils only became 90% of the flowers of B. santarosae one flower to the next in a delighted apparent after we determined that it have thread-like or tapered stami- trance. We were shocked by the vari- was taxonomically distinct from all nodes, a property also shared by B. ability in the staminodes, and kept other Brodiaea species and were writ- filifolia. It was not surprising that calling to each other, “Look at the ing our paper. botanists mistook B. santarosae as staminodes of this flower!” In addition to the probable ori- one of these two other species; both We quickly realized that these gin of Brodiaea santarosae discussed the authors had also done so in the had to be members of the same popu- above, this species has a number of past when we had seen individual lation reported by Boyd et al. from other fascinating stories connected specimens. San Mateo Canyon, and could hardly to it. We discuss two of them be- Steve Boyd, Timothy Ross, Or- wait to begin studying samples at low. First, how this species was “hid- lando Mistretta, and Dave Bramlet home. By coincidence, Tom had den in plain sight” until its mas- querade was uncovered. Second, Santa Rosa Basalt Brodiaea (Brodiaea santarosae) on Miller Mountain. how it was finally determined that this species was a basalt endemic, and how that led to the discovery of an ancient valley that was filled with basalt and has been recently uncov- ered by erosion.

A SPECIES “HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT”

Brodiaea santarosae was first col- lected at the Santa Rosa Plateau in 1960, with the specimen determined as B. orcuttii by none other than Theodore F. Niehaus, who would 11 years later write what still re- mains as the definitive monograph

VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 FREMONTIA 21 gathered samples of B. filifolia else- contradicted our expectation from the style in B. filifolia and 40% longer where at the Santa Rosa Plateau ear- the field and from the San Mateo than the style in B. orcuttii. lier that day, in order to begin trying Canyon report that these were hy- However, a lot more work was to understand why those seemingly- brids between B. filifolia and B. necessary before we could be confi- pure plants of B. filifolia were so orcuttii. Kay’s plants seemed to be a dent that B. santarosae was a new different from the descriptions of B. new species very different from B. species. We needed to gather and filifolia and hybrids from San Mateo filifolia, B. orcuttii, or a hybrid be- analyze much more data on many Canyon. To study Brodiaea species tween those species. (See sidebar, different populations to make sure in detail, fresh flowers are required “How is a Plant Species Defined?”) we weren’t being misled by any num- since the staminodes and other im- In particular, despite our seeing ber of different possibilities. For ex- portant small flower parts are often plants in the field that we thought ample, it was possible that B. lost to study when the flowers are were B. orcuttii, no member of this santarosae and B. filifolia separated pressed. Those parts are usually ob- population came close to B. orcuttii out well only here at Clay Hill, and scured by the petals and often de- for many of the measurements. they were indeed intermixed else- stroyed by attempts to remove the By comparison, the specimens where as part of a hybrid swarm. petals in fragile, dried specimens. of B. filifolia gathered elsewhere on Also, the true range of characteris- The first step of the analysis was that same day were nearly perfect tics for both B. filifolia and B. orcuttii to split open the flowers and te- fits to the Niehaus range for that could be larger than reported by diously measure 14 characteristics, species, without any resemblance to Niehaus. most to the nearest 0.1 mm using a B. santarosae except for the shape of With the help of Steve Boyd in microscope, from each of 26 flow- the staminodes. telling us where he had found pop- ers, a total of 364 eye-straining mea- Thus B. santarosae was finally ulations of plants similar to ones surements. We also gathered the unmasked. We, like previous bota- at San Mateo Canyon, as well as range for each of those characteris- nists, had been misled by the varia- Avenaloca Mesa locations from Zach tics reported by Niehaus (1971) in tion in the staminodes and had failed Principe, we quickly collected and his monograph for B. filifolia and B. to see characteristics that in hind- measured specimens from all other orcuttii. We then took the measured sight stood out like a sore thumb. known populations of B. santarosae. characteristics two at a time and plot- For example, the style of B. santarosae We also used the Consortium of ted them against each other, along is much longer than any other South- California Herbaria online database with the Niehaus range for each. ern California species of Brodiaea; to find locations of both B. filifolia The plots stunned us, since they on average, it is twice the length of and B. orcuttii, and we measured

Foreground: Flat grassland with Santa Rosa Basalt boulders on Avenaloca Mesa. Background: Elsinore Peak (with antennae). Ten million years ago, the entire area shown in the picture was nearly flat and covered by basalt. Today, erosion has left basalt remnants in this picture only in the foreground and on Elsinore Peak. This picture shows nearly the full north-south current extent of both the Santa Rosa Basalt and Santa Rosa Basalt Brodiaea (Brodiaea santarosae), about 11 miles, with both existing only in the same small remnant patches.

22 FREMONTIA VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 specimens from many known loca- tions of both species. We also had HOW IS A PLANT SPECIES the good fortune to find two speci- DEFINED? mens that turned out to be true F1 hybrids of B. filifolia and B. orcuttii n botany, a species is a population of at the vernal pools in San Marcos, I plants whose members have at least one, the only location where those two and usually many, recognizably distinct species coexist (Armstrong, 2007). characteristics, along with a geographic We also measured samples of B. range that is generally unique. Such a terrestris ssp. kernensis, since it is population consists of members that in- the only other Brodiaea that occurs terbreed freely with each other, but not in the range of these three species. with other species, under natural condi- A sterile hybrid Brodiaea This work created a database of fresh tions, and hence forms a closed gene pool. found growing on the Santa specimens of all Brodiaea taxa found Species generally result when a popula- Rosa Plateau. The parents are presumably B. santaro- in this area that could be objectively tion acquires some trait that prevents them sae and B. terrestris ssp. ker- analyzed to determine how separate from sharing genes with other closely re- nensis which have different these species were, as well as any lated populations. Such changes are often chromosome numbers. possible relationships between those due to geographic isolation, an ancient species. hybridization event, or a sudden mutation that results in different We visited the three major flowering times or acquiring different pollinators. Southern California herbaria, located We have identified 11 characteristics of B. santarosae that distin- at the San Diego Natural History guish it from the two other species with which it has been confused, Museum, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic B. filifolia and B. orcuttii. B. santarosae has a very distinctive range Garden, and the University of Cali- that corresponds to the current locations of the Santa Rosa Basalt. B. fornia at Riverside, and measured as santarosae is completely geographically isolated from populations of many characteristics as were pos- B. orcuttii, and only a few populations of B. filifolia come within the sible on their specimens determined range of B. santarosae. B. santarosae is isolated from B. terrestris ssp. as B. filifolia, B. orcuttii, and B. filifolia kernensis by a failure to form fertile hybrids; we found only one hybrid X B. orcuttii. between those two species, and it produced no pollen. The final dataset from our field-

BELOW LEFT: Upper: The six Brodiaea species of Southern work consisted of came from 14 different locations California at roughly their correct relative sizes. Clockwise 16 characteristics spanning a distance of 50 miles from upper left: B. orcuttii, B. filifolia, B. santarosae, B. elegans measured on each of north-south and 33 miles east-west. ssp. elegans, B. kinkiensis, and B. terrestris ssp. kernensis. Lower (in circles): Magnified view of the staminodes for 132 flowers (a total these six species. Staminodes are modified sterile stamens of 2,112 measure- that appear just inward from the petals, and are useful in ments!), along with ANALYSIS OF THE separating many Brodiaea species. • BELOW RIGHT: Santa Rosa additional measure- DATASET GAVE Basalt Brodiaea (Brodiaea santarosae). Note the long stamens ments on the entire and long, thread-like staminodes. UNEQUIVOCAL RESULTS flowering stems for these samples, and 1. Four separate species existed, measurements from each virtually equally distant from herbarium speci- the other species in our analysis mens. These flowers plots. In particular, B. santarosae was no closer to B. filifolia or B. or- cuttii than it was to B. terrestris ssp. kernensis. 2. The San Marcos hybrids of B. filifolia X B. orcuttii were al- most exactly in- termediate to the

VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 FREMONTIA 23 two parent species, precisely as ex- pected of F1 hybrids in wild plants, TABLE 1. COMPARISON OF LENGTHS FOR SEVEN and were just as distant from B. san- FLOWER PARTS tarosae as were its parent species. B. filifolia B. orcuttii B. terrestris B. santarosae 3. All populations of each of the ssp. kernensis four species were consistent with each other, with no evidence of geo- # parts smaller 6 6 3 0 graphic variation. # parts larger 0 1 4 6 Details of the characteristics of # parts not smaller 1 0 0 1 these four species, and the analysis, or larger are given in our Madroño paper and online (Chester et al., 2007a, b). Here are two brief examples of the two species with which it was previ- tarosae can be up to four times uniqueness of B. santarosae: ously confused. longer than the stems of B. filifolia 1. The average value for the 2. The leaves, flowering stem, and B. orcuttii, and is also longer length of each of seven flower parts and the stalks connecting the indi- than stems of the B. filifolia X B. (flower tube, flower lobes, filament, vidual flowers to that stem are sig- orcuttii hybrid. The upper right pho- anther, style, ovary, and staminode) nificantly longer for B. santarosae tograph on page 26 shows plants of varies significantly between the spe- than for any of the other three spe- B. santarosae and B. terrestris ssp. cies. Each species has a characteris- cies. The common name of B. filifo- kernensis grown in identical condi- tic signature in how many of its parts lia is thread-leaved brodiaea for its tions in pots containing soil derived are significantly smaller or larger small very narrow leaves of typi- from San Marcos Gabbro, which than those of at least one other spe- cal length 30 cm (12 inches) with is chemically similar to basalt. The cies (see Table 1). In particular, B. widths of one to two mm. The leaves longest observed flowering stem of santarosae has six parts that are sig- of B. santarosae are so large that B. santarosae was 76 cm (30 inches). nificantly larger than at least one of they can easily be mistaken for those During a one week period in June the other species; i.e., all but its of Mariposa lilies (Calochortus), with 2007, the stem grew 18 cm. This is staminodes are larger than at least lengths of 60 cm (24 inches) and roughly one inch per day or one one other species. This demonstrates widths of up to six mm. millimeter per hour! clearly how distant it is from the The flowering stem for B. san- If B. santarosae did not have such variable staminodes, it would have Tom Chester is standing on Clay Hill in the foreground, the type locality for Brodiaea been recognized as a separate spe- santarosae, with the Mesa de Burro in the background. Basalt caps the mesa, Clay Hill, and cies long ago. also extends in a narrow finger from the left edge of the mesa down to the bottom of the road in the distance. Santa Rosa Basalt Brodiaea grows only in these basalt areas, and not in the seemingly identical surrounding areas. B. SANTAROSAE LEADS TO GEOLOGIC DISCOVERIES

Plant species often grow differ- ently on soils derived from different rock types. Sometimes the differ- ence is so marked that aerial photo- graphs can indicate geologic bound- aries due to a change in vegetation. Some species are even confined to specific soils, especially the basalt- serpentine-gabbro soils that, as men- tioned above, present challenges to plant colonization. For more infor- mation on this interesting subject, see Kruckeberg, 2006. We are botanists, not geologists, and get most of our geologic knowl- edge from detailed geologic maps. We were very aware of the Santa

24 FREMONTIA VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 Rosa Basalt, which is clearly marked as basalt in Kennedy’s map. Thus at reviewers of the scientific paper on geologic maps and could hardly the end of our field and herbarium asked us if we had done any chemi- be missed in the field since it forms work, we had found B. santarosae at cal soil analysis to understand why the flat-topped mesas that define the six locations, four of which were on one population grew on non-basalt Santa Rosa Plateau. We knew the basalt, and two of which we thought soil. As a result, we revisited Clay rest of the Santa Rosa Plateau Eco- were not. Hill and for the fourth time were logical Reserve contained mostly two One necessary detail for our pa- dumbfounded by this species: there other rock formations: granodiorite per was to give the rock type found was unmapped basalt at Clay Hill! plutonic rocks producing obvious at Elsinore Peak. By luck, instead of This meant that every vouchered exposed whitish boulders, and consulting Kennedy, 1977, we con- population was found on basalt soils, metasedimentary rocks that were sulted the Geological Map of Califor- and B. santarosae was a true basalt easily weathered and hence pro- nia: Santa Ana Sheet, 1966. We were endemic. We revised our paper ac- duced few obvious exposures. shocked; it was mapped as basalt cordingly and it was published in The first specimens we saw of with the same geologic age as the October 2007. B. santarosae were at Clay Hill, 0.3 Santa Rosa Basalt! Little did we know that B. santa- miles west of, and 100 feet below, Suddenly it became clear to us rosae had two more surprises for us. the nearest mapped basalt on the that the soil at Clay Hill either might The surprises came when we re- Mesa de Burro. That location is still be influenced by basalt—since turned to the type locality of Clay mapped as metasedimentary rock, the Santa Rosa Basalt had only re- Hill in November 2007 to map the and since there was no flat-topped cently geologically been stripped extent of the basalt in that area. Not basalt layer there and no obvious from that surface—or B. santarosae surprisingly, our mapping revealed whitish boulders nearby, that seemed had simply persisted there for a short just how faithful B. santarosae is to reasonable to us. Hence at the very geologic time after the basalt van- the basalt. There are 1.72 miles of beginning of our analysis, we had no ished. This meant that B. santarosae road surrounding Clay Hill that were inkling that this species was con- was actually a basalt endemic, or completely surveyed both for B. fined to basalt. nearly so. santarosae and for basalt. In our All subsequent specimens but We revised the draft of the pa- 2006 plant survey, made without one were found on Santa Rosa Ba- per to make the important claim any suspicion that B. santarosae was salt. The exception was at Elsinore that B. santarosae occurs only on or confined to basalt, we found two Peak, which contains no flat-topped very close to the Santa Rosa Basalt, locations of B. santarosae, at mile area, was not mentioned as being and thought we had properly ad- 0.26 and mile 0.73. In our 2007 a location of Santa Rosa Basalt dressed that issue. basalt survey, we found basalt only (Kennedy, 1977), nor was it mapped Fortunately, one of the Madroño at precisely the B. santarosae loca-

Remaining areas of Santa Rosa Basalt (black lines) and areas of Santiago Peak Volcanics (red lines), along with locations of Brodiaea santarosae (crosses). LEFT: Area map. RIGHT: Detail map of Clay Hill area.

VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 FREMONTIA 25 ABOVE: Brodiaea santarosae (left) compared with the San Marcos B. filifolia X B. orcuttii F1 hybrid. The hybrid flower is about 40% smaller, and its internal parts have distinctly different relative sizes. • RIGHT: Comparison of Brodiaea santarosae (left) with B. terrestris ssp. kernensis. Both plants were grown in San Marcos Gabbro soil. The B. santarosae plant was 76 cm tall, the tallest species of Brodiaea in Southern California. tions. Yet to the eye, there is no obvious difference at all between the habitat on and off the basalt. The first surprise came when we looked at Mesa de Burro from Clay Hill and suddenly realized we were seeing an ancient valley from 10 mil- lion years ago that was still pre- served in its west face. This ancient valley had not been noticed before because it is very broad and shal- low, about 2,000 feet wide at its top

POSSIBLE FUTURE OF B. SANTAROSAE NPS is proposing to place Brodiaea santarosae on List 1B.3; rare, threatened, or endangered, but without C current significant human threats to the population. However, the greatest threat to this species may be the natural loss of its habitat. B. santarosae is primarily associated with the Santa Rosa Basalt. At least 97% of the basalt has been eroded in the 8-11 million years since it formed, with most of that erosion probably coming in the last three million years in which the Santa Ana Mountains were uplifted. It will take much less than another 30,000 to 300,000 years (3% of the previous erosion interval, using two different estimates of the erosion interval) to erode the remaining basalt since the basalt has now been broken up into small areas and is now being eroded on all sides. Thus B. santarosae is doomed to go extinct in the wild in the near geologic future (about 100,000 years or so) unless it can adapt to non-basaltic soils, or unless viable populations are found to be present on basalt soil not derived from the Santa Rosa Basalt. With the recent discovery that B. santarosae can at least persist for some time on the basalt of the Santiago Peak Volcanics, there is hope of finding such populations in the San Mateo Canyon area, where there are extensive exposures of that formation. We plan future surveys there in order to untangle the previous confusion with B. filifolia, and to examine the geologic formations on which B. santarosae grows.

26 FREMONTIA VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 and only 100 feet deep. Our basalt geologyancient_drainages_by_ California Soils and Plants. Univer- mapping revealed about 500 hori- reconstruction.html sity of California Press, Berkeley, CA. zontal feet of the lowermost part of California Division of Mines and Ge- Niehaus, T.F. 1971. A Biosystematic that valley was still covered with the ology. 1966. Geological Map of Cali- Study of the Genus Brodiaea (Ama- first lava flows to fill that area, but fornia: Santa Ana Sheet. California ryllidaceae). University of California Division of Mines and Geology, Sac- Publications in Botany 60: 1-67. which had not been noted before ramento, CA. since the lava was heavily eroded. Kennedy, M.P. 1977. Recency and Char- Wayne P. Armstrong, Life Sciences De- We also found traces of lava flows acter of Faulting Along the Elsinore partment, Palomar College, San Marcos, that covered a portion of the sides of Fault Zone in Southern Riverside CA 92069. [email protected]; Tom that valley another 1,200 feet down- County, California. California Divi- Chester, 1802 Acacia Lane, Fallbrook, CA stream. For more information, see sion of Mines and Geology Special 92028. [email protected]; Kay Madore, Chester et al., 2007c. Report 131. 39400 Clinton Keith Road, Murrieta, CA The second surprise came when Kruckeberg, A.R. 2006. Introduction to 92562. [email protected] we were showing the rocks at Clay Hill to a geologist, Norrie Robbins. Due to her insistence on splitting open the rocks to see a fresh sur- face, we discovered that the basalt at Clay Hill itself was actually from the approximately 150 million year old Santiago Peak Volcanics! This si- multaneously mortified us, that we had misidentified the rock forma- tion, and delighted us, that this meant there was the possibility that B. santarosae could outlast the Santa Rosa Basalt. (See sidebar, “Possible Future of B. santarosae.”) Who would have thought that a plant could lead to finding previ- ously unknown areas of basalt, as well as a previously unrecognized preserved ancient valley?

REFERENCES Armstrong, W.P. 2007. Brodiaea Species in San Marcos. Accessed at http:// waynesword.palomar.edu/vernal1d. htm Chester, T., W.P. Armstrong, and K. Madore. 2007a. Brodiaea santarosae (Themidaceae), A New Rare Species From the Santa Rosa Plateau Area of the Santa Ana Mountains of South- ern California. Madroño 54(2): 187- 198. Chester, T., W.P. Armstrong, and K. Madore. 2007b. Brodiaea santarosae —The Santa Rosa Basalt Brodiaea. Accessed at http://tchester.org/plants /analysis/brodiaea/santarosae.html Chester, T., W.P. Armstrong, and K. Madore. 2007c. Ten Million Year Old Drainage at the Santa Rosa Pla- teau Reconstructed by Analysis. Ac- cessed at http://tchester.org/srp/

VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 FREMONTIA 27 BOOK REVIEW

Nature’s Operating Instructions: would Nature do here?” The answers simply doesn’t exist. That is certainly The True Biotechnologies. Kenny are often amazing and cleverly hidden the case when treating wastewater with Ausubel with J.P. Harpignies (editors). until the quest is taken on in earnest. a concept called “living technologies.” University of California Press, 2004. Would you have thought of making a So, the story goes on. 256 Pages. $16.95 soft cover. close examination of lotus leaf sur- This book is a collection of 26 I found this book interesting for faces to solve the problem of keeping firsthand essays of bioneering in ac- two reasons: one, because the subject buildings clean without the need to tion. The essays are short, easy to of “bioneering” is a new concept to me spend time, money, and energy on understand, and autobiographical in . . . but I may be behind the curve on sandblasting? The question asked was, discussing problems at hand and how this one . . . and two, because the infor- “How does Nature stay clean?” they were solved. See what can hap- mation is worth thinking about. Tell me, what human-engineered pen when you are a part of Nature I think bioneering is a term that solution has solved the problem of instead of apart from Nature. The ge- will creep into our consciousness as desalinating water using the energy of nius of Nature is worth investigating. time goes along. It refers to the prac- the sun and membranes manufactured The back of the book contains use- tice of purposely working with nature from the surrounding environment? ful references and further information as a partner in a problem-solving pro- Take a close look at Nature’s solution on bioneering. cess. This concept is not new but the in mangrove forests. Norden H. (Dan) Cheatham intentional application, as one might And what about underwater East Bay Chapter apply the principles of engineering in glues manufac- solving a problem, is not normally in tured from the the forefront of our thoughts. The term, sun’s energy and and the book, emerged as practitio- the surrounding ners began gathering in organized an- sea as a source of nual conferences starting in 1990. raw materials? In their own words, bioneers are What engineer “ . . . scientists and artists, gardeners would have come and economists, activists and public up with the idea servants, architects and ecologists, of “eco-machines” farmers and journalists, priests and powered by the shamans, policymakers and everyday notion that waste people committed to preserving and equals food? In supporting the future of life on earth.” Nature, “waste” They do this by using living systems as coworkers, thus employing nature’s technol- ogy to break down toxins and waste, to provide eco- logically sound designs for industries, buildings, and lifestyles by learning and adopting nature’s own op- erating instructions. This is a book of per- sonal stories broken down into five parts—Biomim- icry: Working with Nature to Heal Nature; Listening to the Land: Ecology as the Art of Restoring Relationships; Graffiti in the Book of Life: Genetic Engineering and the Vandalism of Nature; The Industrial Evolution: Biology Meets Business; and Natural Magic: Spirit, Mys- tery, and Wonder. A bioneer asks, “What

28 FREMONTIA VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 Join Today! CNPS member gifts allow us to promote and protect California’s native plants and their habitats. Gifts are tax-deductible minus the $12 of the total gift which goes toward publication of Fremontia. w $1,500 Mariposa Lily w $600 Benefactor w $300 Patron w $100 Plant Lover w $75 Family or Group w $75 International or Library w $45 Individual w $25 Limited Income

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Card Number TOTAL ENCLOSED: COMING AUTUMN 2009 Exp. date This comprehensive guide will w Enclosed is a matching gift form Signature be of interest to botanists, provided by my employer Phone ecologists, environmental w I would like information on planned Email giving scientists, and natural history enthusiasts—and a must-have Please make your check payable to “CNPS” and send to: for land-use managers and California Native Plant Society, 2707 K Street, Suite 1, Sacramento, CA 95816-5113 conservation planners. For Phone: (916) 447-2677 Fax: (916) 447-2727 release announcement, check Web site: www.cnps.org. Email: [email protected] www.cnps.org.

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VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009 FREMONTIA California Native Plant Society Nonprofit Org. 2707 K Street, Suite 1 Sacramento, CA 95816-5113 U.S. Postage PAID Address Service Requested A.M.S.

CONTRIBUTORS FROM THE EDITOR

Wayne Armstrong is a retired botany and biology professor ransitions are an inevitable part of life. For this issue of at Palomar College and author of a number of Fremontia Fremontia, Bart O’Brien and I are sharing editorial re- articles about little-known native plants dating back to 1977. Tsponsibilities, although he completed the lion’s share of He is author of the family Lemnaceae (Araceae) for The Jepson its contents. Beginning with the following issue, I will be Manual and the popular natural history website Wayne’s taking over as editor. Word (waynesword.palomar.edu). Bart assumed editorship of Fremontia back in the sum- mer of 2006 when he coedited the July issue with Linda Tom Chester is a retired astrophysicist who got hooked on Vorobik, who was his predecessor. During his tenure, Bart botany in 2001 and since then has studied the flora of south- maintained the journal’s high standards of excellence. It ern California full time, beginning with the plants of the continued to carry articles on a variety of botanical topics Santa Rosa Plateau. He is currently concentrating on the flora contributed by some of the best scientists in the state and of the San Jacinto Mountains and the Borrego Desert. the country. The journal also covered many of the most Barbara Eisenstein is a research associate at Rancho Santa significant conservation issues in California, as well as fea- Ana Botanic Garden. When not gardening with California tures on a host of horticultural topics. Bart was careful to native plants she is busy writing, lecturing, and sharing in- ensure that the writing—even on very complex topics— formation about them. She initiated and leads a community remained accessible to all readers. And with the skillful park stewardship program, Friends of the Nature Park, in assistance of designer Beth Hansen-Winter, the journal con- South Pasadena. She openly shares her most successful and tinued to captivate all with its stunning photography. not-so-successful gardening experiences on her blog: Wild As for Bart, he will continue on as director of special Suburbia (www.wildsuburbia.blogspot.com). programs at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (RSABG). He is currently working on two book projects. One, with coau- Kay Madore has her own business as a life and wellness thors Carol Bornstein and David Fross, is on alternatives to coach. She is a longtime docent at the Santa Rosa Plateau lawns; the other is editing a manuscript on the propagation Ecological Reserve and conducts vegetation surveys for The of California native plants at RSABG from 1950 to 1970. Nature Conservancy. Among other activities, he is leading a project to create a Roger Raiche is an extraordinary plantsman and field bota- CNPS-type inventory for the rare, endangered, and endemic nist, and is well known for his broad horticultural expertise. vascular plants of northwestern Baja, California, Mexico. He was in charge of the California Collection at the UC Bo- Both Bart and Linda will be hard acts to follow, but I tanical Garden in Berkeley for 23 years, revamping the col- intend to do everything possible to ensure that the publica- lection and displays, and adding thousands of new plants tion remains highly regarded. To that end, I will be working while exploring and documenting many remote areas of the closely with the revitalized Fremontia Editorial Committee, state. In 2003 he left UC to pursue garden design fulltime at and also welcome suggestions from CNPS members, which his business, Planet Horticulture (www.planethorticulture. can be sent to [email protected]. com). —Bob Hass

FREMONTIA VOLUME 37:2, APRIL 2009