Cooper Ecological Monitoring, Inc. EIN 72-1598095 Daniel S. Cooper, President 5850 W. 3rd St. #167 Los Angeles, CA 90036 (323) 397-3562
[email protected] Griffith Park Rare Plant Survey Plummer's mariposa-lily Calochortus plummerae (CNPS 1B.2) blooms near Skyline Trail in the northeastern corner of Griffith Park, 26 May 2010 (ph. DSC). Prepared by: Daniel S. Cooper Cooper Ecological Monitoring, Inc. October 2010 1 Part I. Summary of Findings Part II (species accounts) begins after p. 26. We present information on extant occurrences of 15 special-status species, subspecies and/or varieties of vascular plants in Griffith Park and contiguous open space, including three for which no known local specimen existed prior to this study: slender mariposa-lily (Calochortus clavatus var. gracilis; CNPS 1B.2), Humboldt lily (Lilium humboldtii var. ocellatum; CNPS 4.2), and Hubby's phacelia (Phacelia hubbyi; CNPS 4.2). Using lists developed by local botanists, we document - from specimens or digital photographs - extant occurrences of nearly 40 additional plant taxa felt to be of conservation concern in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains, including 16 for which no prior specimen existed for the park or surrounding open space. We also identify several dozen taxa known from the specimen record but unconfirmed in the park in recent years. From this information, we discuss patterns of occurrence of rare plants in the park, drawing attention to "hotspots" for rare species diversity, such as Spring Canyon and Royce Canyon, and identify areas, particularly in the northeastern corner of the park and along the southeastern border, where rare plants are relatively poorly represented in the landscape.