@ SOUTH EST

FOREST SERVICE U.S.DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE P. O. BOX 245. BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 94701

MORE CAL A-POPPY N STUBBLE F

Raymond D. Ratliff Stanley E. Westfall Richard W.Robarts

The cup-of-gold or Gdifornia-poppy (Eschscbzolzl;t& ealifornl'ca Cham,), has long held special interest-not only because of its status as California's State flower, but also because of its natural beauty. A result of this USDA Forest Service hteres"cs fiat today much. is known about the Research Note PSW-271 taxonomy, genetics, reproduction, seed characteris- tics, and garden culture of California-poppy. How- N972 ever, information about the impact of man's actidties on this species is scarce. Four major forms of California-poppy are com- monly recognized. The "Qpica19' plan& are shongly rooted perennials from bluffs and dunes along the coast. Another perendd form has prostrate stems, and is found on the coast-mos"cy among sand dunes. h hland perennial differs from the 6'"l;pical" by showhg seasonal variation in flower color and size. This hland peren~alhas now largely been replaced by an annual form (var. peninsuluris Green)-and this is the variety referred to in this note (fig. I). Ml of these forms prefer warm sunny exposures with good drainage. The species, in general, is found on a wide range of sod types, under diverse surface conditions, and from sea level to 6,500 feet elevation. Several aufiors' have written that fields of Cali- poppy (Eschscholzia californica var. peninsularis fornia-poppy were lost to various land-use treatments, Green), amount of bare ground, and occurrence of other plants were studied in an old field and a stubble but their statements are based solely on observations. field near Madera, California. The stubble field had Some of these observations contradict ecological more poppy plants per unitof area, more plants theory, and specific hypo"cheses will have to be tested. flowerhg, and more bare ground than the old field. Eackhg also are on-fie-ground studies of "ce relation- The two fields differed in how often other plants were ships between California-poppy and vakous en~ron- found. The reslalts suggest that a site disturbance that produces a harsh microcbate or redues competition mentd factors. or both will favor Cafifornia-poppy and that this To help fill the need for such studies, we com- variety tends to associate more readily with certain pzed the density and flowering of California-poppy , plants than others. amount of bare ground, and occurrence of other Oxford: 18 1: 176. 1 Eschscholzia calimnica var. plants in an old field and a stubble field near Madera, peninsu Earis 7 94. in central Cafifornia. We found more poppies and R e trie va E Terms: Eschscktolzia califii-rzica var. peninsularis; site pprhctivity; plant sociology; more bare ground in the stubble Geld "can in the old field. And the two fields differed in how often other plants were found. holding capacity, and reaction is neutral. Soil of the bordering slopes is a Cometa sandy loam. This soil is sii&dy acid and well drained, bu"cas a dense claypm in the subsofi. In both tlle old field and the stubble field, poppies were nearly nonexistent on the slopes. Therefore, smpling was restricted to the area of the old river bed. The lack of poppies on the slopes may have been due to -the claypm.

METHODS

We selected 10 random starting points in both the old field and the stubble field, and randomly located 10 plots dong predetermhed courses from each starting point. Each plot was 1 square foot. Hence, our sample of each area consisted of 100-square-foot Figore I-The variety of California- poppy studied in two fields in Madera, plots. California is Eschsckolzia californica war. The number of poppy plants rooted wit&n each peninsularis (Green). plot was counkd. An ocular estimate of the per- centage of ~siblebare ground was made, and the STUDY AREAS presence or absence of selected species and species groups was noted. Percentage estimates of bare The old field had been used for grain production ground were converted to square centime"crs for until 1962. Since then it has been neitller cultivated analysis nor grazed and has reverted to annual-plant grassland. In addition, the number of poppy plants flowering The stubble field has been used for grain produc- was recorded. This information was considered a tion for many years. It was last planked to grain relative measure of stand vigor. It is the large, deep October 1969. The harvest afiermath was grazed by orange flowers present at the time of our study, cattle from mid-June to mid-July 1970. In October ra"cer than the smaller yellow ones produced later, 1970, the area was broadcast with crimson clover vvfich give California-poppy its esthetic appeal. (Trifolium iacaruakzam E.). No additiond treatment - had been applied to the time of this study-March 3 1, RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 1971. The two fields are on opposite sides of Road 145, DensiQ of poppy plants, the proportion of poppy about 3 miles east of the city of Madera in open planh with flowers, and the amount of bare ground rolling country. The roadway crosses an old river bed were dl greater in the stubble field than in the old at that point.'Soil of the river bed (Tujunga loamy fidd (table 2; fig. 2). The old Geld, but not the sand2) is noncalcareous, coarse-textured, excessively stubble, had a heavy mulch layer. hternally dr~ned,and derived Gom gratlitic sedi- Apparently California-poppy does not favor com- ments. It is low in organic mauer, has a low mois"cure petition; md site &sturbance, wkch produces a harsher microclimate, appears to favor the species. Therefore a mmagement program wEch reduces Table 1-Poppy &nsl;ly and Jlowering and bme pound on an competing vegetation or mulch or both may favor old field and a stubble .field, Madera, CaE1;Sonk @&fornia-poppy. Itern 1 old field I Stubble field Except for the group of "other broadleaf' species, other species difired in frequency of occurrence able 2). Ground lupine (Lupinus bicolor Lindl.), foxtail fescue (d;estue@ megakum Nutit.), common owl-clover (Orthoearpri~spuvpumseeas Benfi,), and "Differs significanlly from value for old field at 1 percent cl.overs (Trz'folium Spp.) all had significantly bi&er level of probabdity by Student's 4 test. in ""Differs significantly from value for old field at 1 percent frequencies the stubble Geld. The difference levd of probabaity by c&-square test. between the seas for clovers was ob~oudyrelated to Figure 2-Density and flowering of California-poppy in an old field (upper) and a stubble field (lower) near Madera, California were commred on March 3% 1971. the sowing of crimson clover. Both ripgut brome and that enviromental requirements of Cdifornia- (Bromus diandnrs Roth. formerly Bromus rigidus poppy and its associates are similar. If this is Roth.) and broadleaf filaree (Erodium borrys Bertol.) so-where poppies are rare or do not appear-manage- were apgarendy reduced by cul"civation. ment "techniques could be used to encourage the These data hint that California-poppy associates associated species and perhaps increase poppy with certdn species more readily than with others, occurrence. Table 2-nequency of occumence of plant species or pups NOTES in sqwre foot plots on an old field and a stubble field, Madem, LIzl@ornia '~lements,Edith S. F20wers of coast and Sierra. New York: N. W. Wilson Co., p. 16-17, 1928. Saunders, Charles F. With the flowers and trees in Glifornia. New York: R. M. McBride & Co. 286 p., illus., 1930. Smith, Emory E. The golden Ground lupine poppy. San Francisco: Murdock Press. 231 p., illus., 1902. Foxtail fescue White, Keith L. Old-field succession on Hastings Reservation, Common odelover CaEifovnia. Ecology 47(5): 865-868, 1966. mpgut brome Broadleaf filaree '~lrich, Rudolph, and Leslie K. Stromberg. Soil survey. Qovers Madera mea California. U.S. Soil Cons. Sew. and Calif. Agric. Other broadleaf species Exp. Stn. Ser. 1951, No. 11, p. 23, 57; sheet 67, 1962. "Differs si@Bcantly from value for old field at 1 percent level of probab~tyby cK-quare test. 3~ixon,Wilfrid J., md Prank J. Massey, Jr. Infroduction to sl"atistica2 analysis. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co. 488 p., Our results suggesr that site disturbance-in this 195 7. case, past cultivation-benefits California-poppy. We how from other studjes4 &at timing and intensity 4~entley,J. R., and M. W. Talbot. Efficief~tuse of annual of grazhg disturbance affecb abundmce of other plants on cattle ranges in the California fooLhills. USD A Circ. annual-planbpecies. We suspect that grazing manage- 8'70. 5 2 p., 195 1. Biswell, Harold El(. Ecology of c;izlifornia ment may be a useful tool for influencing poppy gasslands. J. Range Manage. 9(1): 19-24, 1956. Heady, abundance, but further study will be necessary to test Harold F. Changes in a Calqornia annual plant community induced by manipula~onof natural mulch. Ecology 37(4): this hypofiesis. The need of such studies depends on 798-812, 1956. Talbot, M. W.,and A. W. Sampson. The range what importance society places on the culture of in 'California. In, U,S.D.A. Yearbook. Washingtoh, D. C.: U.S. Govt. Printing Office. p. 575-582, 1948.

The Au&ors

are assigned to the Station's range-wndlife environmental research unit, headquartered in Fresno, Calif. RAYMOND D. WATLIFF, a range ecollogist, earned degrees in range management at the University of California (B.S., 1959; M.S., 1961). Re joined the Station research staff in 1961. STANLEY E. WSTPALL, a range technician, earned a B.S. degree (1960) at Fresno State College, and has been with the Station staff since 1960. IRICHAW W. ROBARTS, also a range technician, joined the Forest Service in 1952, and the Station staff in 1966.

The Station's rmge-wnclbge eaavkonmentd resach unit, headquartered at Fresno, Cdifornia, is dmeloging the xien- tific base for mulGpl@us mmagement sf central CaEforaak ecosystems. This report adds a facet sf howledge for the ecosystem of the Sierra Nevab foothills.