Plants of the Highest Santa Lucia and Diablo Range Peaks, California
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CONTENTS Page Summary .............................................. 1 Junipero Serra Peak ................................... 5 ChewsRidge ......................................... 6 PineRidge .......................................... 6 San Benito Mountain .................................. 6 Sampling Methods ....................................... 8 Flora of the Study Peaks .................................. 8 References ............................................ 10 Appendix ............................................13 Distribution of Plants ................................. 13 Plants of the Study Peaks ..............................23 THE AUTHOR JAMES R. GRIFFIN was formerly a plant ecologist on the Station's silvicultural research staff headquartered at Redding, California. He earned bachelor's (1952) and master's degrees (1958) in forestry and a doctorate (1962) in botany at the University of California, Berkeley. He joined the Forest Service in 1962. He assumed his present position in 1967 as associate research ecologist, Hastings Natural History Reser- vation, University of California, Carmel Valley. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Help in identifying problem plants was generously provided by Loran C. Anderson (Kansas State University), Lincoln Constance, Lauramay T. Dempster, and Pamela Yorks (University of California, Berkeley), Frank G. Hawksworth (Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station), Marion Ownbey (Washington State University), Peter H. Raven (Missouri Botanical Garden) and James L. Reveal (University of Maryland). John Thomas Howell (California Academy of Sciences) and Lawrence R. Heckard (University of California, Berkeley) helped with several plant groups and provided much encouragement. Voucher specimens of the interesting or difficult plants were deposited in the Jepson Herbarium, University of California, Berkeley, or with the specialists listed above. Margaret Campbell supplied historical material from the California Academy of Sciences archives. SUMMARY Griffin, James R. 1975. Plants of the highest Santa Lucia and Diablo Range peaks, California. USDA Forest Sew. Res. Paper PSW-110, 50 p., illus. Pacific Soutl~westForest and Range Exp. Stn., Berkeley, Calif. Oxford: 188x455.[-(794) (23)] Rehieval Terms: plant communities; montane disjuncts; elevational distributions; Ventana Wilderness Area; Santa Lucia Range (California); Diablo Range (California); California. As the first phase of a broader vegetational study, on each peak ranged from 3 to 9 percent, witl~very a search for vascular plants was made on six of the few introduced species in the dense forest stands. highest ridges in the south Coast Ranges of California. Most species had broad elevational ranges, and only 5 The survey covered five prominent peaks in the Santa of 13 montane forest disjuncts seemed to be confined Lucia Range, Monterey County, and the tallest moun- to areas above 1200 m: Chimaphila menziesii, Cycla- tain unit in the Diablo Range, San Benito and Fresno denia humilis, Holodiscus microphyllus, Raillardella Counties. These peaks, which support depauperate (muirii ?) and Sanicula graveolens. scraps of conifer forest are distant from montane Chews Ridge had the most plants. Of the 267 regions with well-developed mixed conifer forest. A native species above 1200 m noted there, 26 were not major purpose of the survey was to document the seen on any of the other peaks. Forty-three species distribution of montane disjuncts on these lower ele- which were absent from the Santa Lucia Range peaks vation coastal peaks. grew on San Benito Mountain. This more interior No detailed vegetational studies have been made mountain has the driest climate of the study peaks on these summits, but the history of plant collecting and much highly serpentinized soil lacking on the and the relevant floristic literature were reviewed. other peaks. Six Santa Lucia Range endemics grew on This collection emphasized the disjunct conifer the Santa Lucia peaks, and four Diablo Range endem- forests, but all types of habitats above tl~e1200- i ics were in the San Benito Mountain region. meter (3937-foot) level were searched. Only vascular plants growing above this elevation on at least one of Eight species of limited distribution are recognized the six peaks are included in this report. The relative by the California Native Plant Society as rare and abundance of evely species is tabulated within three endangered plants: Cnmissonia benitensis, Fritillaria elevational zones for each peak. Notes provide infor- falcata, Galium californicum ssp. luciense, Galium mation about each species (including important varie- clementis, Layia discoidea, Lupinus cervinus, Monar- ties and subspecies) on life form, plant community della benitensis, and Raillardella (muirii?.) The Fritil- preferences, ecological characteristics, and taxonomic laria has not been reported from its type locality on problems. San Benito Mountain since its original discovery. This A total of 449 species were noticed above 1200 m. plant may be extinct on San Benito Mountain but The relatively low proportion of introduced species surviving in one other Diablo Range locality. i i--------- 119" Figure l-Distribution of montane areasabove 1200 m (3937ft) elevation in central California, and the relative locality of the six study peaks. lants on the Santa Lucia and Diablo Ranges of cies extensions below 1200 m are less complete. central California have received much taxonom- The elevational orientation of the survey was P ic attention. Professional botanists started col- prompted by the vegetation study. For a careful lecting along the primitive roads in 1830, and the analysis of how the montane disjuncts fit into the more accessible spots have remained popular with local vegetation, it was desirable to have as much data plant collectors ever since. In recent decades, mono- as possible on elevational distributions. Although ar- graphic studies on many genera have included a host bitrarily chosen, the 1200-m limit has some ecological of specimens from these mountains. The fund of merit. In practical terms, this lower limit eliminated geographic and ecological information, however, is much of the grassland, foothill woodland, and red- still limited. Except for the most conspicuous trees, wood forest floras-reducing the survey to a manage- even general distributions for particular plants on able size. specific peaks are poorly known. This paper reports the presence-or probable ab- sence-of vascular plants on each of the study peaks. This floristic survey is the initial step in a vegeta- Plants listed in the literature, but which I could not tion study that emphasizes the role of "montane find in the field, are also included. Elevational distri- disjunctsm-plants that are widely distributed in dis- butions for all species are suggested. To make the tant mountain regions, but have only isolated popula- report more helpful to a diversity of users, individual tions on these Coast Range peaks. species notes provide information on size, life form, The summary of field observations and review of plant community preferences, and other ecological the literature and herbarium records is limited to features. Obvious taxonomic problems are summa- higher elevations. Six geographically isolated and eco- rized. logically important peaks were selected. I confined The scientific names follow Munz (1959,1968) or the intensive search for plants to levels above the later monographs. These are essentially the same 1200-in (3937-ft) elevation. Separate records were names used by Howitt and Howell (1964, 1973). kept on species growing between 1200 m and 1400 m Common names were adapted from central California (4593 ft) and tl~osecontinuing above 1400 m. When references: Little (1953) for all trees; Howitt and plants present above 1200 m were noticed at lower Howell (1964, 1973), Thomas (1961), and Twissel- elevations, they were also recorded. But data on spe- mann (1967) for most herbs and shrubs. STUDY PEAKS The northwestern Santa Lucia Range and the Sierra Madre in Santa Barbara County. Forested southeastern Diablo Range contain the most signifi- slopes of the Sierra Nevada are about 130 km (80 cant ridges above 1200-m elevation in the south Coast miles) east of tile Diablo Range across the San Joa- Ranges OTig. I). These two mountain units, with quin Valley. The Santa Lucia Range in Monterey scraps of coniferous forest on tllem , are far removed County has a number of peaks exceeding 1200m. from the montane regions that support well-devel- Five of the most prominent ridges were selected for oped mixed conifer forest. The Santa Lucia and study fig. 2, table I). All these study peaks are Diablo areas lie more than 320 km (200 miles) south within the Monterey Ranger District, Los PaGres Na- of the sizable high ridges in the north Coast Ranges of tional Forest. Geographic isolation between the peaks Lake County. Botl~areas are more than 150 km is minor; yet there are distinct climatic, floristic, and (90 miles) north of the 1200 m high ridges of the vegetational differences between them. cone Peak Coulter's notes seemed to have disan~earedA. in Great Britain. No direct record of their work on Cone Peak An outstanding characteristic of Cone Peak is its is available except for several letters and their herbari- dramatic proximity to the Pacific Ocean (fig. I, table um specimens. I). Few spots in North America can boast of a moun- tain this tall so close to the coast. The geology in- Alice Eastwood was probably the first "Califor- cludes