chapter 5 – potentially vulnerable species: plants · mexican flannelbush fremontodendron...

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Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Potentially VulnerableSpecies: Plants

The earth never tires:The earth is rude, silent, incomprehensible at first—Nature is rude and incomprehensible at first;Be not discouraged—keep on—there are divine things, well enveloped;I swear to you there are divine things more beautiful than words can tell.

— Walt Whitman (1856)

Key Questions• Which plant species are rare or at risk

in the coastal mountains andfoothills of southern California?

• What is known about the status anddistribution of each?

• What factors threaten their continuedpersistence?

Using the fine-filter screening criteria (seedescription in the first section of chapter 4),we identified 256 plants occurring within ornear the assessment area which warrant indi-vidual consideration. Thirty of these speciesare listed as threatened or endangered (table5.1) and thus legally protected under the fed-eral Endangered Species Act. Two additionalspecies are proposed for federal listing (table5.1). Most of the other identified plants areForest Service Region 5 Sensitive Species. TheForest Service Sensitive (FSS) list is intendedas an early alert system, to institute conserva-tion measures before a species declines to levelsthat necessitate it becoming listed as threat-ened or endangered. FSS plants are protectedthrough the implementation of Forest Plansand the biological evaluation (BE) process,which considers the potential effects of ForestService activities on these species.

A few plant species considered in the as-sessment are neither federally listed nor ForestService Sensitive species. These are plantswhich currently do not warrant FSS designa-tion, but information is still gathered aboutthem because they are either locally rare, dis-

junct occurrences, or information is lackingabout their distribution and abundance. Someforests have developed a “watch list” to trackthese plants.

With few exceptions, the plants addressedin this assessment are higher vascular plantsand nomenclature follows the Jepson Manual(Hickman 1993). Virtually no evaluation wasdone of the ferns, fern allies, bryophytes, li-chens, basidiomycetes, and ascomycetes in thestudy area; however, their importance in for-est ecosystems is well recognized.

Our primary objective was to use the avail-able information on the 256 identified plantsto assess their current status and vulnerabilitywithin the assessment area, and, where pos-sible, identify their conservation needs. Thisinformation can then be used when develop-ing management priorities.

Evaluating Status andConservation Potential

The potential for conservation, and theactions needed to conserve, vary considerablydepending on the individual characteristics ofeach species. To assess those characteristics, wecompiled information on species-habitat re-lationships. As with the animals, we structuredthe evaluation process by grouping the plantsbased on primary habitat associations. Thegroupings are clearly generalizations and fewof the species fit perfectly within the described

Table 5.1. Federally listed plant species occurring within or near the assessment area and their distributionby national forest (y = occurs, p = potential to occur).

Federal Common Name Scientific Name Status

CNF

SBNF

ANF

LPNF

Cushenbury milk-vetch Astragalus albens Endangered y

Braunton’s milk-vetch Astragalus brauntonii Endangered p y

California jewelflower Caulanthus californicus Endangered p

Slender-horned spineflower Dodecahema leptoceras Endangered y y p

Kern mallow Eremalche parryi kernensis Endangered p

Santa Ana River woollystar Eriastrum densifolium sanctorum Endangered p

Cushenbury buckwheat Eriogonum ovalifolium vineum Endangered y

San Bern. Mtns. bladderpod Lesquerella kingii bernardina Endangered y

Cushenbury oxytheca Oxytheca parishii goodmaniana Endangered y

Gambel’s watercress Rorippa gambellii Endangered p p

Bird-footed checkerbloom Sidalcea pedata Endangered y

Slender-petaled thelypodium Thelypodium stenopetalum Endangered y

Encinitas baccharis Baccharis vanessae Threatened y

Santa Monica Mtns. dudleya Dudleya cymosa ovatifolia Threatened y p

Hoover’s eriastrum Eriastrum hooveri Threatened y

Parish’s daisy Erigeron parishii Threatened y

San Diego thorn-mint Acanthomintha ilicifolia Threatened y

Munz’s onion Allium munzii Endangered y

Coachella Valley milk-vetch Astragalus lentiginosus coachellae Endangered p

Triple-ribbed milk-vetch Astragalus tricarinatus Endangered p

Nevin’s barberry Berberis nevinii Endangered y p y

Mexican flannelbush Fremontodendron mexicanum Endangered p

San Bernardino blue grass Poa atropurpurea Endangered y y

California dandelion Taraxacum californicum Endangered y

Big Bear Valley sandwort Arenaria ursina Threatened y

Thread-leaved brodiaea Brodiaea filifolia Threatened y p p

Ash-gray Indian paintbrush Castilleja cinerea Threatened y

Vail Lake ceanothus Ceanothus ophiochilus Threatened y

La Graciosa thistle Cirsium loncholepis Proposd. End. y

Southern mountain buckwheat Eriogonum kennedyi austromontanum Threatened y

Camatta Canyon amole Chlorogalum purpureum reductum Proposed Th. y

Marsh sandwort Arenaria paludicola Endangered p

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Chapter 5habitat. Many of these species are extremelylimited in their distribution and thus occupyonly a small portion of the defined habitat as-sociation. Still, it is useful to organize speciesbased on general factors that help predict theiroccurrence. The groups are defined primarilyby associations with vegetation types, but soil,geology, moisture, and elevation were also usedas habitat indicators.

Many of the focal species are endemic to(i.e., only occur in) one or several mountainranges and, in some cases, are restricted toportions of a single watershed. Some speciescontinue their distributions into northern BajaCalifornia, the Mojave and Sonoran deserts,and the mountains of Arizona and Nevada.

The mapped distribution of all species revealsseveral key areas of rare plant concentrationin the assessment area: the eastern San Ber-nardino Mountains and the mountains ofsouthern San Diego County (fig. 5.1).

Figure 5.1. Concentrations of rare plant species across the assessment area (by USGS 7.5-minute quad map).

Current and historic occurrences of mostof the focal plant species were compiled andstored in a GIS database. In addition, a data-base was developed to track life-historyrequirements for many of these plants. Infor-mation was captured on (1) occurrence bymountain range, national forest, and water-shed; (2) associated soils and vegetation types;and (3) information on the effects of fire, graz-ing, ground disturbance, and exotic species.Base information was obtained from

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individuals to supply distributional informa-tion so that our maps can be updated.

Riparian Plants

General Riparian Associates

Six rare plants are typically found in ri-parian habitats, but the association is generaland the plants tend to occur across a wideelevational range. Summary information isshown in table 5.2.

Boykinia rotundifolia(round-leaved boykinia)

Boykinia rotundifolia is distributedthroughout the San Bernardino, San Gabriel,San Jacinto, Santa Ana, Elsinore, Palomar, andVolcan mountains. There are known occur-rences on the San Bernardino and Angelesnational forests. Occurrences are also reportedfor the Cuyama Valley, north of the southernLos Padres region, and there are historic oc-currences on the Los Padres National Forest(D. Wilken, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden,pers. comm.). The species is found in lowerand upper montane conifer habitats—at mesicplaces in canyons surrounded by chaparral oryellow pine, and on stream banks in riparianwoodlands. The species is predicted to be morecommon than previously thought due to theabundance of potential habitat yet to be sur-veyed.

Hemizonia mohavensis(Mojave tarplant)

Hemizonia mohavensis is state listed as en-dangered. It is known from three historicoccurrences, including one in the San JacintoMountains and another along the MojaveRiver near Deep Creek at the foot of the SanBernardino Mountains. The species wasthought to be extirpated, but several new oc-currences have recently been discovered; plantswere found along Twin Pines and Browncreeks on the northern slopes of the San JacintoMountains, including an estimated six thou-sand plants counted in the fall of 1994 in theTwin Pines Creek drainage (Sanders, Banks,and Boyd 1997). Additional populations were

CALFLORA (Dennis 1995) and PLANTS(1994). The database is an effort to track in-formation that currently exists and to helpidentify areas where more data are needed. Ingeneral, there is more information on woodyspecies and the communities they define thanon herbaceous plants.

We also placed each plant species into con-servation categories based on criteria that (1)consider their conservation needs, (2) assessthe ability to meet those needs on public landswithin the assessment area, and (3) evaluatethe type of actions needed. Determinationswere made for each species after analyzingavailable information on life-history charac-teristics, degree of rarity or endemism, regionalcontext, response to land use, extant popula-tion size and trend, and other variables asnecessary. A complete listing of all plant spe-cies and their assigned conservation categoriesis located in appendix A. The findings fromour evaluations are summarized in the follow-ing species accounts.

Species AccountsIn addition to the sources cited in chapter

1, much of the baseline information reportedin the following tables and species accountswas obtained from the California Native PlantSociety’s Inventory of Rare and Endangered Vas-cular Plants of California (Skinner and Pavlik1994) and the Jepson Manual (Hickman1993).

The acres of known habitat listed in thetables for each species are based on mappedoccurrences within national forest systemboundaries. For plants which we have nomapped information or where it was deter-mined that our information was clearlyinaccurate, a y or p is listed to denote if theplant occurs or potentially occurs within aparticular national forest. Even when acres arelisted it does not necessarily provide an accu-rate portrayal of the plants’ distribution; rather,it reflects the state of the Forest Service’smapped information. We hope that if inaccu-racies are noticed here, it will help spur

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Chapter 5

Boykinia rotundifolia p y 5 h unkn. unkn. San Bernardino, San Gabriel, San(round-leaved boykinia) Jacinto, Santa Ana, Elsinore, Palomar,

& Volcan mtns., Cuyama Valley; (low)

Hemizonia mohavensis 72 y p stable1 low San Bernardino, San Jacinto, & Pal-(Mojave tarplant) omar mtns., S Sierra Nevada; (moder state endangered ate)

Lilium humboldtii ssp. y y y y unkn. low Santa Lucia Ranges, S Los Padres &ocellatum Castaic regions, Peninsular Ranges in(ocellated Humboldt lily) SD Co., E San Gabriel, San Bernardino,

San Jacinto, Santa Ana, & SantaMonica mtns., Channel Islands;(moderate)

Muhlenbergia californica y y unkn. unkn. San Bernardino, San Gabriel, & San(California muhly) Jacinto mtns. (low)

Scutellaria bolanderi y y unkn. low on San Bernardino & San Jacinto mtns.,ssp. austromontana CNF, Peninsular Ranges in SD Co. (low)(southern skullcap) unkn. FS sensitive on SBNF

Thelypteris puberula var. y p y unkn. unkn. coastal to foothills in LA, Riverside, Sansonorensis Bernardino, & Santa Barbara cos.,(Sonoron maiden fern) Baja & Sonora, Mexico, AZ; (low)

found in the Poppet Flat area one year laterand, in 1997, in the Baldy Mountain area. In1996, occurrences were discovered in CutcaValley and adjacent areas of the Long Creekdrainage on the north side of Palomar Moun-tain in San Diego County. Other San DiegoCounty populations were discovered in thevicinity of Indian Flats and in ChihuahuaValley, north of Warner Springs. The specieswas also recently documented in the southernSierra Nevada (CNPS 1999).

Lilium humboldtii ssp. ocellatum(ocellated Humboldt lily)

Lilium humboldtii ssp. oscellatum is an un-common though wide-ranging subspecies,

distributed in the southern Santa LuciaRanges, the southern Los Padres and Castaicregions, the Peninsular Ranges in San DiegoCounty, the eastern San Gabriel, San Bernar-dino, San Jacinto, Santa Ana, and SantaMonica mountains, and the Channel Islands(McAuley 1985). Occurrences are known onall four southern California national forests.The plant is included in a conservation strat-egy for coastal sage scrub (USFS/USFWS/CDFG 1997).

Plants on the Cleveland and San Bernar-dino national forests are found inlow-elevation riparian areas and seeps of chap-arral canyons. On the Angeles National Forestthe taxon is found in riparian areas with

Table 5.2. Rare plants found in riparian habitats (general). y = the taxon occurs on the forest; p = haspotential to occur; h = is known historically. Trend, knowledge of distribution, and vulnerability informationwas determined by forest botanists/biologists and generally refers to occurrences on national forest systemlands (unkn. = unknown; decl. = declining; incr. = increasing).

1Sanders, Banks and Boyd 1997

Scientific Name(common name)

listing status

Overall Distribution(Knowledge of distribution on NFS lands)Trends

Vulner-ability

on NFSlands

Acres of Known Habitat

SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

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big-leaf maple or in mixed evergreen forest.Occurrences are known from Lucas Creek(near the Big Tujunga narrows) and Trail andWilson canyons (Bramlet and Boyd 1998).Occurrences on the Los Padres National For-est range from the Casitas Pass area to SanJulian Creek in the Santa Ynez Mountains, andinland to mountainous areas along SespeCreek and at Thorn Meadows (Smith 1976).The plant generally grows on gravelly soils, indrainages and canyon bottoms. These areas aresubject to natural flooding and erosion, andplant occurrences are vulnerable to activitiesthat affect natural water flows. Altered fire re-gimes in some areas have led to standdensification upslope of riparian areas, whichin turn has caused reduced base flows. The plantis also vulnerable to horticultural collecting.

Muhlenbergia californica(California muhly)

Muhlenbergia californica is a perennialgrass found along streams in the San Bernar-dino, San Gabriel, and San Jacinto mountains.Occurrences are known mainly from coastal-flowing drainages and canyons, but someplants have been found at the southeastern endof the San Bernardino Mountains near thedesert interface. Plants grow in perenniallymesic areas within chaparral, coastal sagescrub, and lower montane coniferous forest.Most occurrences are found in the chaparralzone between 3,000 and 4,000 feet. Five oc-currences are recorded in the CNDDB, allfrom 1951 or earlier. Other more recent oc-currences are known on the San Bernardinoand Angeles national forests, where the spe-cies is protected through management ofriparian areas and wetlands. The species is vul-nerable to flooding and erosion.

Scutellaria bolanderi ssp. austromontana(southern skullcap)

Scutellaria bolanderi ssp. austromontana isa Forest Service Sensitive Species. It is knownfrom extant occurrences in the PeninsularRanges of San Diego County and the SanJacinto Mountains. One historic occurrence

is known from near the San BernardinoMountains. The CNDDB lists sixteen occur-rences, some on the Cleveland National Forest.At least two more occurrences are known onthe San Bernardino National Forest in the SanJacinto Mountains. The plant grows in grav-elly soils (sometimes gabbro) along streams.

Thelypteris puberula var. sonorensis(Sonoran maiden fern)

Thelypteris puberula var. sonorensis is anuncommon fern distributed in Los Angeles,Riverside, San Bernardino, and Santa Barbaracounties. Occurrences are also known fromArizona and Baja and Sonora, Mexico. Theplant grows in meadows, seeps, and alongstreams, in coastal and inland valley areas, andup to around 2,000 feet in the foothills. TheCNDDB contains records for twelve occur-rences and at least one additional location isknown on the San Bernardino National For-est. The Hemlock Fire of 1997 occurred atthis same location but it is still unclear whateffects the fire and subsequent flooding anderosion had on this occurrence. Smith (1976)lists six canyons where this fern occurs on theLos Padres National Forest.

Low-Elevation Riparian Associates

Eleven rare plants are found or have po-tential to occur in low-elevation riparianhabitats within the assessment area. Summaryinformation is shown in table 5.3. Three fed-erally endangered species and one proposedendangered species are included in this group.

Artemisia palmeri(San Diego sagewort)

Artemisia palmeri occurs in moist ravinesin southwestern San Diego County (McMinn1951). The shrub is occasional along peren-nial coastal drainages and in mesic areas ofchaparral farther inland. It grows with willow,sycamore, and cottonwood in riparian areas,and chaparral whitethorn, scrub oak, and coastlive oak in areas of chaparral. Reiser (1994)lists numerous historic and extant occurrences,

Artemisia palmeri y decl.1 low coastal & cismontane San Diego Co.;(San Diego sagewort) (high)

Astragalus deanei 27 stable/ low Peninsular Ranges in San Diego Co.;(Dean’s milk-vetch) decl.

2(moderate)

FS sensitive

Cirsium loncholepis y decl. low S central coast (Monterey Coast,(La Graciosa thistle) Guadalupe Dunes); (high) proposed endangered

Dodecahema leptoceras 8 10 p unkn./ mod.4/ Peninsular Ranges of SD Co., base of(slender-horned spineflower) decl. high

5San Bernardino & San Gabriel mtns.,

federally endangered San Jacinto Mtns.; (high)

Dudleya densiflora 9 mod. along San Gabriel River in San Gabriel(San Gabriel Mtns. dudleya) Mtns. FS sensitive

Eriastrum densifolium h/p decl.3 base of San Bernardino Mtns.;ssp. sanctorum (moderate)(Santa Ana River woollystar) federally endangered

Ericameria palmeri p decl.1 coastal and foothill San Diego Co.,ssp. palmeri Baja; (low)(Palmer’s goldenbush)

Hemizonia floribunda p stable1 San Diego Co., Baja; (low)(Tecate tarplant) FS sensitive

Hemizonia pungens p decl.1 SD, LA, Orange, Riverside, Sanssp. laevis Bernardino, & Kern cos., Baja; (low)(smooth tarplant)

Pedicularis dudleyi 224 stable mod. Monterey, Santa Cruz(Dudley’s lousewort) to incr. (historically), SLO, & San Mateo cos.; FS sensitive (moderate)

Rorippa gambellii p p p unkn. W Santa Barbara & SLO cos., Baja, h(Gambel’s water cress) in San Diego and San Bernardino cos.; federally endangered (low)

Table 5.3. Rare plants found in low-elevation riparian habitats. y = the taxon occurs on the forest; p =has potential to occur; h = is known historically). Trend, knowledge of distribution, and vulnerability informationwas determined by forest botanists/biologists and generally refers to occurrences on national forest systemlands (unkn. = unknown; decl. = declining; incr. = increasing).

1 Reiser 1994 (refers to all known occurrences)2 stable on national forest system lands, declining on private lands3 White 19904 on the Cleveland National Forest5 on the San Bernardino National Forest


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

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Dodecahema leptoceras(slender-horned spineflower)

Dodecahema leptoceras is a federally endan-gered species found along sandy streamterraces. Occurrences are known from ArroyoSeco and Temescal creeks in the mountains ofSan Diego County, on the east side of the SantaAna Mountains, along the Santa Ana River atthe foot of the San Bernardino Mountains,along Lytle Creek at the foot of the San GabrielMountains, and in Bautista Canyon and alongthe San Jacinto River near the San JacintoMountains (fig. 5.3). There are close to a dozenrecorded occurrences in all, many of themsmall, and an estimated one-third to one-halfof them are located on federal or state lands.D. leptoceras occupies alluvial fan scrub habi-tat, which is declining in Los Angeles, SanBernardino, and Riverside counties due tourban and agricultural development, sand andgravel mining, and flood control measures(USFWS 1987). In some areas, off-road ve-hicle activity and trash dumping havedegraded the habitat. Plants are typically foundin areas with no exotic species or obviousground disturbance. In the San Jacinto Moun-tains, plants occur on relatively young alluvialbenches and are affected by erosion (M.Lardner, San Bernardino NF, in litt. 1999).The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uses thename Centrostegia leptoceras when referring tothis species. An interim species managementguide was developed for occurrences on theCleveland National Forest (L. Croft, Cleve-land NF, unpubl. doc. 1989) and the plant isincluded in a conservation strategy for coastalsage scrub (USFS/USFWS/CDFG 1997).

This occurrence in not noted in the proposedrule for federal listing (USFWS 1998n). Habi-tat in Monterey County consists of serpentineseeps surrounded by maritime or coastal chap-arral that receives exposure to coastal fog.Theone known occurrence on national forest sys-tem land is found near Willow Creek, justnorth of Cape San Martin.

ranging from sea level to approximately 2,000feet in elevation. A small amount is known tooccur on the Cleveland National Forest.

Astragalus deanei (Dean’s milk-vetch)Astragalus deanei is a Forest Service Sensi-

tive Species. It is distributed in the upper OtayRiver and Sweetwater River drainages in south-western San Diego County (Reiser 1994).There are close to ten recorded occurrences,some located on the Cleveland National For-est. The plant is associated with coastal sagescrub and chaparral vegetation. It grows inlow-elevation riparian habitat and sandywashes. A conservation strategy for coastal sagescrub includes this species (USFS/USFWS/CDFG 1997).

Cirsium loncholepis(La Graciosa thistle)

Cirsium loncholepis is proposed for federallisting as endangered. It is a short-lived plant(one to two years) found along the southerncentral coast. Approximately nine occurrencesare known in western and northern Santa Bar-bara and southern San Luis Obispo counties(fig. 5.2). These occurrences are found in backdunes and coastal wetlands, which are part ofthe Guadalupe Dune system located at themouth of the Santa Maria River. The habitatis described as areas where free water is avail-able along dune lakes and swales, marshes, andthe edges of willow thickets. The species growswith rush, tule, willow, poison oak, salt grass,and coyote brush. These occurrences are lo-cated on private lands and are vulnerable togroundwater pumping and development as-sociated with oil production. The historicdistribution of this species has been signifi-cantly reduced by the conversion of wetlandhabitat for agricultural use and other devel-opment (USFWS 1998n). In addition, coastaldune habitat where this species is found hasbeen invaded by non-native plants such asveldt grass, European beach grass, iceplant, andcrystalline ice plant.

One occurrence is known in MontereyCounty on the Los Padres National Forest.

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Chapter 5

Figure 5.2. Known distribution of Cirsium loncholepis, the La Graciosa thistle.

Dudleya densiflora(San Gabriel Mountains dudleya)

Dudleya densiflora is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species. It is known from approximatelyfive occurrences along the San Gabriel River:at Fish Canyon, Roberts Canyon, and themouth of San Gabriel River Canyon. Closeto 1,750 plants were counted at these threesites during surveys in 1989 (Mistretta andBrown 1989). Most of these plants occur onthe Angeles National Forest. Since the 1940sthere has been a decline in the number ofplants at San Gabriel River Canyon and FishCreek Canyon, especially at lower canyon sites.This decline is attributed mainly to rock quar-rying operations on private lands below theforest boundary (Mistretta and Brown 1989).

Eriastrum densifolium ssp . sanctorum(Santa Ana River woollystar)

Eriastrum densifolium ssp. sanctorum is fed-erally and state listed as endangered. It is foundalong gravelly riverbeds and floodplain terracesin alluvial fan scrub habitat at the base of theSan Bernardino Mountains. An estimated 90percent of its original habitat has been eliminated

Like many Dudleyas, San Gabriel Mountainsdudleya grows on granitic substrates—oncliffs, from crevices in rocks, and on steep can-yon walls. The Angeles National Forest haswritten a management guide for this species(Mistretta and Brown 1989).

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Figure 5.3. Known distribution of Dodecahema leptoceras (slender-horned spineflower) and Eriastrumdensifolium ssp. sanctorum (Santa Ana River woollystar).

by flood control projects, sand and gravel min-ing, urbanization, and farming (White 1990).Historic occurrences covered about 60 milesfrom Rancho Santa Ana in Orange Countyto near Highland in San Bernardino County;however, the subspecies is now extirpated atmany locations. Extant occurrences are re-corded at Lytle Creek and along the floodplainof the Santa Ana River (and its tributaries),between the city of Colton and the mouth ofSanta Ana Canyon (fig. 5.3). The CNPS In-ventory notes these occurrences as oneextended but fragmented population (Skin-ner and Pavlik 1994). The amount of occupiedhabitat was estimated to be 1,800 acres in 1986

(USFWS 1987). One occurrence, located onan inholding of the San Bernardino NationalForest, was extirpated in 1993 during the con-struction of Seven Oaks Dam (M. Lardner,San Bernardino NF, pers. comm.). Periodicnatural flooding appears to be a requirementfor successful regeneration of this taxon.

Ericameria palmeri ssp. palmeri(Palmer’s goldenbush)

Ericameria palmeri ssp. palmeri is an ever-green shrub distributed in the PeninsularRanges of San Diego County and Baja Cali-fornia, Mexico. The subspecies is locatedmainly at lower elevations outside of the

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Chapter 5Pedicularis dudleyi(Dudley’s lousewort)

Pedicularis dudleyi is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species. It is a riparian species of concernon the Los Padres National Forest (Los PadresNF 1994) and is listed by the state of Califor-nia as rare. The plant occupies coastal habitatsin Monterey, Santa Cruz (historically), SanLuis Obispo, and San Mateo counties. Oc-currences are found in serpentine chaparral,grasslands, and shaded areas in redwood ormixed evergreen forest. The CNPS Inventorycites fewer than fifteen known occurrences inall (Skinner and Pavlik 1994). Three occur-rences are located on the Los Padres NationalForest, another occurs within a state park, andsome are located on private land owned bythe Hearst Corporation. The species is vul-nerable to trampling and trail maintenanceactivities. There is potential for occurrencesto be affected by logging, road building, anddevelopment projects.

Rorippa gambellii(Gambel’s water cress)

Rorippa gambellii is a federally endangeredspecies known from occurrences outside theassessment area in the dune lakes of westernSanta Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties,as well as locations in Baja California, Mexico(D. Wilken, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden,pers. comm; Reiser 1994; Mason 1957). His-torically, the species was reported from abouta dozen locations in southern California, in-cluding interior wetland areas of San Diego,San Bernardino, and Los Angeles counties(USFWS 1993c). Habitat for the species is de-scribed as freshwater or brackish marshes andswamps, at the margins of lakes, or along slow-flowing streams. Extant occurrences in SanLuis Obispo County are known from a seriesof small freshwater marshes found in associa-tion with beach dune habitat. These marshesextend from Oceano south to the Oso FlacoLakes area, and inland to Black Lake Canyon(USFWS 1993c). Other plants found in thesame habitat include cattails, bulrushes, andbur-reeds.

assessment area—in coastal sage scrub, ripar-ian scrub, and chaparral communities. In SanDiego County, its known range is located ad-jacent to urban development and there ispotential for the species to be extirpated inthe United States (Reiser 1994). Reiser (1994)lists eleven occurrences, five of these either ex-tirpated or on land proposed for developmentprojects. The plant is found in significantnumbers scattered along the Otay River drain-age and appears to tolerate ground disturbancefrom local dredging operations. Subspeciesidentification needs to be confirmed at thissite as well as others because the plant is diffi-cult to identify and can be confused with othergenera.

Hemizonia floribunda (Tecate tarplant)Hemizonia floribunda is a Forest Service

Sensitive Species. It is an annual species knownfrom the Peninsular Ranges of San DiegoCounty and Baja California, Mexico. TheCNDDB contains records for seventeen oc-currences, some in the assessment area. Theplant inhabits sandy washes in desert habitats.

Hemizonia pungens ssp. laevis(smooth tarplant)

Hemizonia pungens ssp. laevis is knownfrom occurrences in San Diego, Los Angeles,Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Kerncounties. The plant is also documented in BajaCalifornia, Mexico. Reiser (1994) cites occur-rences along Temecula Creek, near Lake Perris,along the San Jacinto River, north of TucalotaCreek, and along Potrero and Lytle creeks. Theannual grows on seasonally mesic alkaline sub-strates, in grasslands or sites with minimalshrub cover. In San Diego County, occurrencesare close to being extirpated (Reiser 1994).Plants in western Riverside County are affectedby flood control measures and developmentalong drainages. Sixty-one occurrences in allare listed in the CNDDB. A conservationstrategy for coastal sage scrub includes thistaxon (USFS/USFWS/CDFG 1997).

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One historic occurrence is noted for SanDiego County, in freshwater habitat near thetown of Julian and close to the ClevelandNational Forest. Another historic occurrenceis reported for Arrowhead Hot Springs nearthe San Bernardino National Forest (S.Eliason, San Bernardino NF, pers. comm.).Other historic occurrences are reported for LosAngeles County at “Cienega” and “KurtzStreet Marsh” (G. Wallace, USFWS, pers.comm.). These occurrences are believed tohave been extirpated due to habitat alteration(USFWS 1993c), and it is unknown whetherany potential habitat occurs on national for-est system lands in the assessment area.Wetland habitats where this species is foundhave declined significantly in California dueto urbanization and agricultural conversion.

Foothill Woodland, Savanna, andGrassland Plants

Nine rare plants are found or have poten-tial to occur in foothill woodland, savanna, orgrassland habitat within the assessment area.Summary information is shown in table 5.4.One federally endangered species, one feder-ally threatened species, and one proposedthreatened species are included in this group.

Calycadenia villosa(dwarf calycadenia)

Calycadenia villosa is an annual speciesknown from occurrences in the Santa LuciaRanges of Monterey and San Luis Obispocounties. It was known historically in KernCounty but is now believed to be extirpated.The plant occurs on dry hills and ridges withrocky soils, at low elevations (below 3,600 feet)in chaparral, cismontane woodlands, drymeadows, and valley-foothill grasslands. TheCNDDB contains records for twelve occur-rences, most of them historic. The speciesappears to be declining; the CNPS Inventorynotes that it was at one time known fromtwelve USGS 7.5-minute quad maps but nowhas been extirpated from all but two. Oneunrecorded occurrence is located along withChlorogalum purpureum var. reductum at an

area near La Panza on the Santa Lucia RangerDistrict of the Los Padres National Forest (D.Wilken, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, in litt.1998). Four recent occurrences are known eastof the forest within Fort Hunter Liggett. Theseoccurrences are affected by military trainingactivities and grazing to some extent, althoughgrazing pressures have been reduced. Overgraz-ing in other areas continues to be a hazardalong with urban development projects, roaddevelopment, off-highway vehicles, and non-native invasive plants. Some occurrences werelost when the San Antonio Reservoir was con-structed. Fire suppression is also a threatbecause the species appears to be a fire fol-lower.

Chlorogalum purpureum var. reductum(Camatta Canyon amole)

Chlorogalum purpureum var. reductum isproposed for federal listing as threatened. It isnarrowly distributed on the northeast side ofthe La Panza Range in San Luis ObispoCounty (fig. 5.4). Plants occur in two discretelocations separated by approximately 3 miles.The larger of the two occurrences is found onboth private and national forest system lands(Santa Lucia Ranger District of the Los Pa-dres National Forest) and occupies between10 and 12 acres of habitat bisected by High-way 58. Several hundred thousand plants areestimated to occur at this location and, de-spite being partially fenced by the ForestService, the area is still used as an informalstaging area for off-highway vehicles and cattle.The second occurrence covers about one-quarter of an acre and is estimated to containseveral hundred plants. This site is locatedentirely on private land and has been regis-tered by the property owners with The NatureConservancy’s (TNC) private land owner pro-tection program.

At both locations, the plants grow in vari-ous size patches and are not uniformlydistributed throughout the habitat, which isdescribed as sparsely vegetated annual grass-lands surrounded by blue oak woodland andgray/foothill pines. Other native species foundin the area include Brodiaea coronaria,

Calycadenia villosa 26 decl. unkn. Santa Lucia Ranges (Monterey & SLO(dwarf calycadenia) cos.), h in Kern Co.; (low)

Chlorogalum purpureum 40 stable low La Panza Range (SLO Co.); (high)var. reductum(Camatta Canyon amole) proposed threatened

Eremalche parryi p unkn. San Joaquin Valley (W Kern Co.);ssp. kernensis (high)(Kern mallow) federally endangered

Eriastrum hoover 67 stable1 low Fresno, Kern, Kings, San Benito, SLO,(Hoover’s eriastrum) & Santa Barbara cos. (e.g., Carrizo federally threatened Plain, Elkhorn Plain, Temblor Range,

Caliente Mtns., Cuyama Valley, & SierraMadre Mtns.); (high)

Eriophyllum lanatum 13 stable low- Sierra Madre Mtns., S Tehachapivar. hallii mod. Mtns. (Santa Barbara & Kern cos.);(Ft. Tejon woolly sunflower) (moderate) FS sensitive

Holocarpha virgata y decl.2 low coastal areas of central and southernssp. elongata CA; (low)(graceful tarplant)

Lupinus ludovicianus 49 decl. low Santa Lucia Ranges (endemic to SLO(S. Luis Obispo Co. lupine) Co.); (moderate) FS sensitive

Pentachaeta exilis 48 unkn. unkn. Santa Lucia Rangesssp. aeolica (Santa Barbara, Monterey, & San(slender pentachaeta) Benito cos.); (moderate) FS sensitive

Sibaropsis hammittii y unkn. mod.3 Peninsular Ranges of S. CA (Santa(Hammitt’s clay-cress) Ana & Cuyamaca mtns.); (moderate) FS sensitive

Table 5.4. Rare plants found in foothill woodland, savanna, and/or grassland habitats. y = the taxonoccurs on the forest; p = has potential to occur. Trend, knowledge of distribution, and vulnerability informationwas determined by forest botanists/biologists and generally refers to occurrences on national forest systemlands (decl. = declining; unkn. = unknown).


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

1 stable or increasing on nation forest system lands; declining on private lands2 Reiser 1994 (refers to all known occurrences)3 based on Boyd and Ross 1997

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Eremalche parryi ssp. kernensis(Kern mallow)

Eremalche parryi ssp. kernensis is a feder-ally endangered taxon known only from theSan Joaquin Valley in western Kern County.There are no known occurrences on or adja-cent to national forest system lands (fig. 5.4).However, plants of uncertain taxonomic af-finity assumed to be E. parryis ssp. parryi arefound in and adjacent to the Los Padres Na-tional Forest (M. Foster, Los Padres NF, pers.comm.). These two subspecies together forma complex whose taxonomy is currently unre-solved. The range, distribution, abundance,habitat requirements, and taxonomy of E.parryi ssp. kernensis are described in detail in adraft recovery plan (USFWS 1998l). Thisdocument also discusses the taxonomy andphysical characteristics of the E. parryi ssp.kernensis/E. parryi ssp. parryi complex. If un-derstanding of the taxonomy of this complexshould change, it may be determined that

some of the populations on national forestsystem lands are Eremalche parryi ssp. kernensis.See the final rule for federal listing for moreinformation (USFWS 1990).

Eriastrum hooveri (Hoover’s eriastrum)Eriastrum hooveri is a federally threatened

species known from six California counties:Fresno, Kern, Kings, San Benito, San LuisObispo, and Santa Barbara. The plant wasonce wide ranging but many populations havebeen extirpated due to conversion of habitatfor agriculture. The U.S. Fish and WildlifeService has grouped all of the known occur-rences into four metapopulations plus severalsmall, scattered populations. Surveys by Lewis(1992) documented 629 occurrences cover-ing an estimated 2,239 acres of occupiedhabitat. Six occurrences are found on theMount Pinos Ranger District of the Los Pa-dres National Forest; they are part of onemetapopulation that covers the Carrizo Plain,Elkhorn Plain, Temblor Range, CalienteMountains, Cuyama Valley, and Sierra MadreMountains. The occurrences are located in thefoothills of Sierra Madre Ridge, just south ofCuyama Valley in Castro, Goode, andTennison canyons (fig. 5.4). In 1993, morethan thirteen thousand plants were estimatedto occur at these six locations. Withinmetapopulations, E. hooveri forms scatteredgroups of plants with each group typicallyoccupying less than one acre. The density ofplants within a group is variable between sitesand years, with higher densities observed inyears of higher precipitation.

Habitat for this species extends across awider range of environmental conditions thanis typical for narrow endemics. The plant hasbeen found on ridgetops, hillsides, benches,alluvial fans, flats, washes, along roadways, andin pastures, from north-facing to south-facing slopes, and from 280 to 2,770 feet inelevation (Lewis 1992). Danielsen (1993)characterized habitat on the Los Padres Na-tional Forest as juniper woodland often inassociation with California buckwheat. E.hooveri has also been found in alkali sinks,valley saltbush scrub, interior coast range

Clarkia purpurea, Crassula erecta, Dichel-lostemma capitatum, and another focal species,Calycadenia villosa (dwarf calycadenia). Plantsgrow on clay soils with substantial amountsof pebbles and gravels. The taxon appears tobe restricted to areas with rocky, nutrient-poorsoils that tend to prevent herbivory frompocket gophers. In areas with better soils, non-native annuals (e.g., red brome, filaree,Mediterranean grass, and slender wild oat) ap-pear to be outcompeting C. purpureum var.reductum for space, light, nutrients, and water.

The Los Padres National Forest has beenmonitoring the population dynamics of thistaxon by tracking the number and age-classof plants in eleven 0.5-square-meter plots. Thestudy began in 1991 and data were collecteduntil 1997. Analysis of the data has not yetbeen completed, but preliminary findings sug-gest the abundance of this taxon is relativelystatic with some variation on an annual basisdue to dormancy, mortality, and recruitment,with recruitment of seedlings generally occur-ring in years with above-average precipitation.See the proposed rule for federal listing formore information (USFWS 1998h).

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Figure 5.4. Distribution of Chlorogalum purpureum var. reductum (Camatta Canyon amole), Eriastrum hooveri(Hoover’s eriastrum), and Eremalche parryi ssp. kernensis (Kern mallow).

saltbush scrub, and in grasslands. Lewis (1992)reports that matchweed is a good indicator ofhabitat for E. hooveri throughout its range andwinged ragweed is an accurate indicator spe-cifically in the Cuyama Valley. High-qualityhabitat for E. hooveri is thought to include sta-bilized silty to sandy soils, a low cover ofcompeting vegetation, and the presence ofcryptobiotic crusts. Moderate-quality habitatis provided by loamy soils that lackcryptobiotic crusts and support fairly densestands of vegetation.

The species appears to be somewhat tol-erant of disturbance. Plants have beenobserved invading soil surfaces within one year

after disturbances cease. In areas of dense veg-etation, the species may benefit from light tomoderate soil disturbance if it reduces theabundance of competing non-native plants.On the Los Padres National Forest all of thesix known occurrences are found near lightlyused roads.

The range, distribution, abundance, andhabitat requirements of this annual species aredescribed in detail in a draft recovery plan(USFWS 1998l). This report can be referredto for more detailed information, particularlyin regards to off-forest distribution, abun-dance, and threats. Lewis (1992) also providesextensive information on E. hooveri. The final

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rule for federal listing also has additional in-formation (USFWS 1990).

Eriophyllum lanatum var. hallii(Fort Tejon woolly sunflower)

Eriophyllum lanatum var. hallii is a ForestService Sensitive Species known from thesouthern Tehachapi and Sierra Madre moun-tains (Kern and Santa Barbara countiesrespectively). The taxon occurs at Sierra MadreRidge on the Los Padres National Forest andis included in a conservation strategy (USFS/USFWS 1996). Generally the perennial oc-cupies dry sites within chaparral andcismontane woodlands, at elevations of 3,900to greater than 4,900 feet. Livestock grazingis cited as a primary threat to the plant al-though occurrences on national forest systemlands appear stable. The occurrence at SierraMadre Ridge is fenced and a second occur-rence is located in steep terrain believed to beinaccessible to cattle. Road construction andmaintenance, erosion associated with roads,and competition from non-native annuals arealso thought to adversely affect this plant.

Lupinus ludovicianus(San Luis Obispo County lupine)

Lupinus ludovicianus is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species. It is endemic to (and theofficial flower of ) San Luis Obispo County.The CNDDB contains records for sixteenoccurrences. The species is thought to be de-clining; at least four historic occurrences maynow be extirpated. One extant occurrence islocated on the Los Padres National Forest andothers are somewhat protected by occurringin remote places. The perennial has been foundin chaparral and in open grassy areas in foot-hill oak woodlands. Plants typically grow insandy soils associated with the Santa Margaritaformation, but one occurrence is found onlimestone soil. Habitat conversion for agricul-tural use and urban development, livestockgrazing and trampling, and off-highway ve-hicle activities are factors believed to benegatively affecting this species.

Pentachaeta exilis ssp. aeolica(slender pentachaeta)

Pentachaeta exilis ssp. aeolica is a Forest Ser-vice Sensitive Species. It is an annual taxonknown from locations in Santa Barbara,Monterey, and San Benito counties. Two oc-currences are located on the Los PadresNational Forest, where they are vulnerable tofire suppression and the invasion of non-native grasses. The plant is found below 2,200feet elevation in foothill grasslands or grassyopenings within foothill pine woodlands.

Sibaropsis hammittii(Hammitt’s clay-cress)

Sibaropsis hammittii is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species. It is a newly described taxondiscovered recently on three mountains in thePeninsular Ranges of southern California(Boyd and Ross 1997). The first known col-lections were made on Elsinore Peak in theSanta Ana Mountains in the spring of 1992.The following spring, collections were made75 miles to the south on Poser and Viejasmountains. All of these occurrences are locatedon the Cleveland National Forest, althoughsome spill over onto Indian reservation andprivate lands. The occurrences are vulnerableto urbanization close to the forest boundary,increased fire frequencies, non-native invasivespecies, trampling, and habitat damage by off-road vehicles (Boyd and Ross 1997). It appearsthat a constant supply of moisture and lowlevels of competition from other plants are re-quired by S. hammittii for successful growth.

At all locations the annual is found on ver-nally saturated clay soils, in purple needlegrassgrassland surrounded by chamise chaparral.Occurrences at the Elsinore Peak locale arefound on clay soils derived from basalt out-crops or marine sediments. Associated speciesinclude blue-eyed-grass, Lomatiumdssycarpum, Dichelostemma pulchellum, purplesanicle, foothill needlegrass, Alliumhaematochiton, chocolate lily, California-aster,and the federally endangered Allium munzii.On Poser and Viejas mountains, S. hammittiiis found on clay soils derived from gabbro.More occurrences of S. hammittii are expected

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Chapter 5to be found on gabbro and metavolcanic soilsin the mountains of San Diego County andnorthwestern Baja California, Mexico (e.g.,Otay, Tecate, San Miguel, Jamul, Cerro Bola,Cuyamaca, McGinty, Guatay, Iron, and AguaTibia). Basalt outcrops on the Santa Rosa Pla-teau may also harbor this species.

Scrub and Chaparral Plants

Plants of Both Scrub and Chaparral

Eleven rare plants are found or have po-tential to occur in both scrub and chaparralhabitats within the assessment area. Summaryinformation is shown in table 5.5. Two feder-ally endangered species and two federallythreatened species are included in this group.

Allium munzii (Munz’s onion)Allium munzii is a federally endangered

and state threatened species distributed withinthe Santa Ana and Elsinore mountains, andGavilan Hills of western Riverside County. Itgrows in clay soils, usually in grassy openingsbetween shrubs on mesas and slopes. It alsogrows in mesic grasslands (e.g., southernneedlegrass grassland), vernal pools, and otherwetlands. In the Gavilan Hills the perennialgrows with California juniper (R. Minnich,UC Riverside, in litt. 1998).

There are thirteen known occurrences, twolocated partly on the Cleveland National For-est in the Elsinore Mountains (fig. 5.5). Fivepopulations occur in the Gavilan Hills—threeon private lands, one at Harford SpringsCounty Park, and one on land managed bythe Riverside County Habitat ConservationAgency (RCHCA). Other populations occuron private lands in the Temescal Valley, northof Walker Canyon, and in or near the PalomaValley. Some locations in the Paloma Valleyare managed by the Reserve ManagementCommittees (Domenigoni Hills and BachelorMountain) for the Riverside Countymultispecies plans. The U.S. Fish and Wild-life Service estimates a total of twenty thousandto seventy thousand plants at all known loca-tions (USFWS 1998m).

An estimated 90 percent of the potentialhabitat for this plant has been extirpated bydevelopment projects and clay mining (K.Winter, Cleveland NF, unpubl. doc. 1992).The species is sensitive to ground-disturbingactivities in general; discing of habitat for weedabatement or dry land farming, off-road ve-hicle activity, trampling/grazing fromlivestock, and displacement by non-nativeannual grasses are cited as threats by the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS 1998m).Some occurrences are known from the slopesof Elsinore Peak on the Trabuco Ranger Dis-trict, Cleveland National Forest. They arelocated near a Forest Service road and an elec-tronic site. A species management guide waswritten by the Cleveland National Forest in1992 to address threats to the species on for-est system lands (K. Winter, Cleveland NF,unpubl. doc. 1992). Munz’s onion is also in-cluded in a conservation strategy for coastalsage scrub (USFS/USFWS/CDFG 1997).

Arctostaphylos edmundsii(Little Sur manzanita)

Arctostaphylos edmundsii is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species. It is a shrub that occurs inMonterey County, from Garrapata Creeksouth to Pfeiffer Point. There are eight knownoccurrences, two located on the MontereyRanger District of the Los Padres NationalForest. Another occurrence is found on landmanaged by the U.S. Coast Guard, and therest occur on private lands. The species occu-pies habitat described as coastal bluffs andterraces with sandstone soils. The taxon A.edmundsii var. parvifolia is state-listed rare, butrecent taxonomic work calls into question thevalidity of this variety.

Astragalus brauntonii(Braunton’s milk-vetch)

Astragalus brauntonii is a federally endan-gered species endemic to foothill habitats inthe Santa Ana, San Gabriel, and Santa Monicamountains (White 1990). The species is foundon small limestone outcrops in gaps or dis-turbed places within chaparral, coastal sage

Allium munzii 23 decl. mod. Santa Ana & Elsinore mtns., Gavilan(Munz’s onion) Hills (W Riverside Co.); (high) federally endangered

Arctostaphylos edmundsii 7 unkn. mod. Monterey Coast; (high)(Little Sur manzanita) FS sensitive

Astragalus brauntonii p p decl. foothills of Santa Ana, San Gabriel, &(Braunton’s milk-vetch) Santa Monica mtns.; (moderate) federally endangered

Baccharis vanessae 1 decl. low coastal & foothill San Diego Co.,(Encinitas baccharis) Santa Margarita Mtns.; (moderate) federally threatened

Berberis nevinii 1 h/p y decl. low foothills, San Gabriel Mtns. to Santa(Nevin’s barberry) Ana Mtns. (Los Angeles, San Bernar federally endangered dino, Riverside cos.); (moderate)

Chorizanthe parryi p unkn. valley-floor & foothills, Los Angeles,var. parryi San Bernardino, & Riverside cos.(Parry’s spineflower) FS sensitive

Chorizanthe rectispina 40 stable low Santa Lucia Ranges; (low)(straight-awned spineflower) FS sensitive

Dudleya cymosa y p decl. mod. Santa Ana & Santa Monica mtns.;ssp. ovatifolia (moderate)(S. Monica Mtns. dudleya) federally threatened

Lepidium virginicum y unkn. San Diego Co.var. robinsonii(Robinson’s pepper-grass)

Nolina cismontana y decl. low from Ventura to San Diego cos.,(chaparral beargrass) foothills of Santa Ynez Mtns., Santa FS sensitive Ana Mtns., Simi Hills, foothills W of

Palomar & Cuyamaca mtns.; (high)

Quercus dumosa y decl. mod. Orange, Santa Barbara, San Diego(Nuttall’s scrub oak) cos., Baja; (moderate) FS sensitive

Table 5.5. Rare plants which occur in both scrub and chaparral habitats. y = the taxon occurs on theforest; p = has potential to occur. Trend, knowledge of distribution, and vulnerability information was determinedby forest botanists/biologists and generally refers to occurrences on national forest system lands (decl. =declining; unkn. = unknown).


lisitng status


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Chapter 5scrub, and closed-cone conifer forest. Much ofthe potential habitat for this plant occurs on pri-vate lands with potential to be developed, andall of the protected habitat is located near ex-panding urban areas where alteration ofnatural fire regimes is likely to occur.

The total number of plants at all knownlocations was estimated in 1997 to be less thanone hundred (USFWS 1997a). Occurrencesare known from the Simi and Chino hills,Santa Ynez Canyon (Santa Monica Moun-tains), and Coal and Gypsum canyons (SantaAna Mountains). Potential habitat occurs onthe Trabuco Ranger District of the ClevelandNational Forest. Occurrences are documentedin the San Gabriel Mountains on private landsadjacent to the Angeles National Forest, andit is highly probable that the species occurs onthe forest (P. Krueger, Angeles NF, pers.comm.). Potential habitat occurs near thelower Clam Shell Truck Trail, the Van TasselTruck Trail, and near the city of Monrovia (G.Wallace, USFWS, pers. comm; P. Krueger,Angeles NF, pers. comm.). These areas are rela-tively inaccessible and the only managementactivities taking place are prescribed burns.Occurrences on private land near the ClamShell Truck Trail are vulnerable to road main-tenance and invasion of exotic species. All ofthe occurrences in the San Gabriel Mountainsare located in an urban interface area with ahistory of human-caused fires. This species isa short-lived (two to three years) fire followerand, depending on fire-return intervals, mayappear only once in twenty to fifty or moreyears (USFWS 1997a). After the GypsumCanyon Fire in 1982, several populations (ap-proximately four hundred plants) appeared onthe divide between Gypsum and Coal canyons(White 1990). This species is included in aconservation strategy for coastal sage scrub(USFS/USFWS/CDFG 1997) and the USFish and Wildlife Service has developed a draftrecovery plan (USFWS 1998o).

Baccharis vanessae(Encinitas baccharis)

Baccharis vanessae is a federally threatenedspecies found in coastal and foothill habitats

of San Diego County (fig. 5.5). The shrub isdistributed from the coast (near the city ofEncinitas) east to Iron Mountain and theMount Woodson area, where it grows in densesouthern mixed chaparral. The bulk of knownoccurrences, however, are associated withsouthern maritime chaparral, a habitat typewhich has declined between 82 and 93 per-cent due to urban development andconversion of land for agriculture (USFWS1996a). There are fourteen known extant oc-currences containing an estimated twothousand plants, most located on private landsfragmented by development. Four of these oc-currences contain fewer than six plants each.Some occurrences are protected within the SanMateo Wilderness Area (Santa MargaritaMountains) on the Cleveland National For-est. Other occurrences are protected in theElfin Forest Reserve, managed in part by theBLM, and within Oak Crest Park in Encinitas.The species is included in a conservation strat-egy for coastal sage scrub (USFS/USFWS/CDFG 1997).

Berberis nevinii (Nevin’s barberry)Berberis nevinii is a federally endangered

species known from Riverside, San Bernar-dino, and Los Angeles counties. Its currentrange extends from the foothills of the SanGabriel Mountains to near the foothills of theSanta Ana Mountains (fig. 5.6). Plants occuras discrete, localized occurrences in two typesof habitat—sandy and gravelly places alongthe margins of dry washes, and on coarse soilsin chaparral (USFWS 1995a). Extant nativeoccurrences include those at Dripping Springs(near Aguanga), Scott Canyon, and the larg-est known occurrence in the Vail Lake/OakMountain area. Other occurrences appear tobe introduced (e.g., at Arroyo Seco). Occur-rences on national forest system lands arelocated near the Agua Tibia Wilderness Areaof the Cleveland National Forest, and in SanFrancisquito and Lopez canyons on the An-geles National Forest. Surveys of potentialhabitat on the San Bernardino National For-est have found no new occurrences.

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This species is known historically fromfewer than thirty scattered occurrences(USFWS 1998g). At least seven occurrencesare known to have been extirpated, probablydue to factors associated with urban develop-ment. Currently, there are 500 to 1,000 plantsestimated to occur at all known sites (Mistrettaand Brown 1989b; USFWS 1998g). Most ofthese are found on private lands; however, afew are protected on land managed by theBLM and the Forest Service. The Vail Lake/Oak Mountain occurrence contains approxi-mately 200 plants. The San FrancisquitoCanyon occurrence is estimated to contain130 to 250 plants.

Figure 5.5. Distribution of Allium munzii (Munz’s onion), Baccharis vanessae (Encinitas baccharis), andDudleya cymosa ssp. ovatifolia (Santa Monica Mountains dudleya).

B. nevinii continues to be threatened bydevelopment projects on private lands. Thespecies is naturally restricted to areas with al-luvial or sedimentary-based substrates, inchaparral or scrub plant communities. The lossof alluvial scrub habitats is estimated to nowbe over 90 percent (USFWS 1998g). In addi-tion, the species appears to have naturally lowrates of regeneration due to sporadic viableseed production (Mistretta and Brown 1989b).Fire suppression and brush clearing activitiesare further expected to reduce abundance ofthis species by altering the natural fire regimenecessary for its long-term survival. The spe-cies is included in a conservation strategy forcoastal sage scrub (USFS/USFWS/CDFG

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Chapter 5

Figure 5.6. Distribution of Berberis nevinii (Nevin’s barberry).

Chorizanthe parryi var. parryi(Parry’s spineflower)

Chorizanthe parryi var. parryi is a ForestService Sensitive Species. It occurs in valley-floor and foothill habitats in San Bernardino,Riverside, and Los Angeles counties. There aretwenty-three recorded occurrences, all on pri-vate lands; however, some of them are locatedclose to the San Bernardino National Forestand suitable habitat exists on the forest. The plantgrows in dry, sandy soils within coastal sage scrub

and chaparral. Most occurrences are vulnerableto flooding or development projects.

Chorizanthe rectispina(straight-awned spineflower)

Chorizanthe rectispina is endemic to theSanta Lucia Ranges and has been found inMonterey, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Bar-bara counties. The CNPS Inventory cites abouttwenty known occurrences (Skinner and Pavlik1994). One occurrence is located on the LosPadres National Forest and three are found onBLM lands. Another occurrence on privateland is proposed for development. The annualhas been found in woodland habitat in addi-tion to scrub and chaparral.

1997) and the Angeles National Forest hasdeveloped a species management guide for oc-currences on the forest (Mistretta and Brown1989b).

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Dudleya cymosa ssp. ovatifolia(Santa Monica Mountains dudleya)

Dudleya cymosa ssp. ovatifolia is a feder-ally threatened and state endangered taxondistributed within the Santa Monica and SantaAna mountains. The perennial occupies habi-tat consisting of unstable talus slopes andnorth-facing cliffs in chaparral. The substrateis further defined as rock outcrops with formsspecific to sedimentary conglomerate or vol-canic breccia (USFWS 1997a). In theassessment area, plants are found in ModjeskaCanyon, on the western flank of the Santa AnaMountains (fig. 5.5). These occurrences rep-resent a range disjunction of approximately60 miles from populations in the SantaMonica Mountains, which are outside theassessment area.

Fewer than ten occurrences of this taxonare known. While the major portion of its dis-tribution occurs on private lands affected bydevelopment projects, the disjunct occurrenceslocated in the Santa Ana Mountains are notespecially threatened at this time. Like manyDudleyas however, D. cymosa ssp. ovatifolia isvulnerable to horticultural collecting. Theplant is included in a conservation strategy forcoastal sage scrub (USFS/USFWS/CDFG1997).

Lepidium virginicum var. robinsonii(Robinson’s pepper-grass)

Lepidium virginicum var. robinsonii is dis-tributed within chaparral and coastal sagescrub communities in San Diego County.Some local botanists believe this taxon to bemore widespread and common than originallythought. A number of occurrences are on theCleveland National Forest. On private landsthe taxon may be unprotected and threatenedby development projects that remove itshabitat.

Nolina cismontana (chaparral beargrass)

Nolina cismontana is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species. It is distributed in coastaldrainages below 3,000 feet from Ventura to

San Diego counties. Occurrences are knownfrom the foothills of the Santa Ynez Moun-tains, south through the Simi Hills and SantaAna Mountains to the foothills west of thePalomar and Cuyamaca mountains (Hess andDice 1995). Its habitat is described as chapar-ral vegetation with sandstone andgabbro-derived substrates.Throughout itsrange, the species is threatened by residentialand commercial land development. Protectedoccurrences of significant size exist at ViejasMountain on the Cleveland National Forest,in the Coal Canyon Ecological Reserve in theSanta Ana Mountains, and at scattered loca-tions on the Trabuco Ranger District of theCleveland National Forest (Santa Ana Moun-tains). This species appears to be a fire follower;it has been observed in greater abundance inburned Tecate cypress stands at Coal Canyonthan in unburned stands (Scott 1990). Thespecies is included in the conservation strat-egy for coastal sage scrub (USFS/USFWS/CDFG 1997).

Quercus dumosa (Nuttall’s scrub oak)Quercus dumosa is a Forest Service Senstive

Species. It is a rare evergreen shrub knownfrom occurrences in southern Santa Barbara,Orange, and San Diego counties, and north-western Baja California, Mexico (Roberts1995). Scattered occurrences are found on thesouth-facing slopes of the Santa Ynez Moun-tains. At least one occurrence is known onSanta Cruz Island. Another occurrence isfound in Torrey Pines State Reserve. One oc-currence is known on the Los Padres NationalForest and another is located on land man-aged by the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.The species grows in low-elevation habitatclose to the coast (i.e., chaparral, coastal sagescrub, maritime succulent scrub, and closed-cone conifer forest) on sandstone or clay loam.Some occurrences are vulnerable to develop-ment projects and fuels modification(mechanical thinning, spring burning, and firesuppression). The species hybridizes with Q.berberidifolia (Hickman 1993).

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Chapter 5

Dudleya multicaulis(many-stemmed dudleya)

Dudleya multicaulis is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species. It is distributed in coastal andfoothill areas of Los Angeles, Orange, west-ern Riverside, and San Diego counties.Occurrences are known from the Santa Anaand San Gabriel mountains, and San OnofreMountain in San Diego County. TheCNDDB contains records for ninety-fouroccurrences and sixteen general locations.Most are located on private lands with poten-tial for development. The species formsvegetative parts and inflorescences aboveground each year and then dies back in latespring leaving just the underground corm. Ifsurveys are done between approximately Julyand the following March, the species will prob-ably be missed (White 1990).

Occurrences are found on the ClevelandNational Forest near Lucas Canyon and OakFlat in the San Mateo Wilderness Area. Other

occurrences are known from the Angeles Na-tional Forest and Camp Pendleton. In additionto openings in scrub and chaparral vegetation,the species has been found in grasslands andoccupies the same habitat as Chorizanthestaticoides ssp. chrysacantha at some coastal lo-cations (Reiser 1994). It grows on dry, stonysoils, often with a high clay content. This spe-cies is included in a conservation strategy forcoastal sage scrub (USFS/USFWS/CDFG1997).

Dudleya viscida (sticky dudleya)Dudleya viscida is a Forest Service Sensi-

tive Species. It is a perennial species found incoastal, foothill, and mountain areas of Or-ange, Riverside, and San Diego counties. Incoastal areas, the species occupies bluffs, whilefarther inland it usually grows in steep androcky riparian canyons and is sometimes foundon a gabbro substrate. An estimated thirtyoccurrences are known, about half located onfederal or state lands. A significant occurrencecontaining an estimated ten thousand plantsis found at Devil’s Gorge, where Devil’s Can-yon and San Mateo Creek meet, in thenortheastern corner of Camp Pendleton(Reiser 1994). Other occurrences are docu-mented on the Cleveland National Forest,

Plants of Coastal Sage Scrub

Three rare plants are found or have po-tential to occur in coastal sage scrub habitatwithin the assessment area. Summary infor-mation is shown in table 5.6.

Table 5.6. Rare plants which occur in coastal sage scrub habitats. y = the taxon occurs on the forest; p =has potential to occur. Trend, knowledge of distribution, and vulnerability information was determined byforest botanists/biologists and generally refers to occurrences on national forest system lands (decl. = declining;unkn. = unknown).

Dudleya multicaulis 8 y decl. low– coastal & foothill areas of LA,(many-stemmed dudleya) mod. Orange, W Riverside, & SD cos.; FS sensitive Santa Ana & San Gabriel mtns., San

Onofre Mtn.; (high)

Dudleya viscida 202 stable/ low Orange, Riverside, and SD cos.;(sticky dudleya) decl. (high) FS sensitive

Malacothamnus davidsonii 1 p unkn. unkn. LA (W San Gabriel Mtns.), SLO, &(Davidson’s bush mallow) Monterey cos.; (low)


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

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246

most in canyons within the San Mateo Wil-derness Area and one large occurrence foundalong the Ortega Highway in San Juan Can-yon. A conservation strategy for coastal sagescrub includes this species (USDA Forest Ser-vice et al. 1997).

Malacothamnus davidsonii(Davidson’s bushmallow)

Malacothamnus davidsonii is a shrub spe-cies known to occur at low elevations in LosAngeles, San Luis Obispo, and Montereycounties. However, occurrences reported forthe mountains of northwestern San LuisObispo County and adjacent MontereyCounty may prove to be misidentifications(Bramlet and Boyd 1998). The CNPS Inven-tory reports that this species intergrades withM. fasciculatus (Skinner and Pavlik 1994). InLos Angeles County, occurrences of M.davidsonii are known from the San FernandoValley and western end of the San GabrielMountains. In the mountains, plants are re-corded for the Bear Divide area, Little TujungaCanyon, near the Tujunga District headquar-ters, at Lopez Canyon, upper Haines Canyon,Loop Canyon, Big Tujunga Wash, andPacoima Canyon (Bramlet and Boyd 1998).The species is typically found in sandy washesand in openings of coastal sage scrub or chap-arral. A fire follower, it usually appears in thefirst three to four years after a fire and thenmay not be found until the next fire event.

Plants Specific to Chaparral Habitats

Thirty-six rare plants are found or havepotential to occur in chaparral habitat withinthe assessment area. Summary information isshown in table 5.7. One federally threatenedspecies is included in this group.

Arabis johnstonii(Johnston’s rock cress)

Arabis johnstonii is a Forest Service Sensi-tive Species known mainly from the GarnerValley area of the San Jacinto Mountains inRiverside County. It was proposed for federallisting as threatened in 1985 but the proposal

was subsequently withdrawn. Eight occur-rences are distributed in two distinctpopulation centers at Garner Valley (where thespecies is affected by livestock grazing) andabout 4 miles east on the desert divide. Mostof the occurrences are located on the San Ber-nardino National Forest within two grazingallotments. The species grows between 4,400and 5,000 feet, in dry areas on clay and grav-elly soils. Plants are found in openings withinchaparral and at the edges of meadows. In oneof the grazing allotments it grows on stockdriveways. In the second allotment, the plantgrows in openings within chaparral uphillfrom the meadow, an area cattle naturallyavoid, so the plant may not be heavily dis-turbed at this location. Adverse effects to thespecies began in the late 1800s with increas-ing settlement and cattle grazing in the GarnerValley and construction of the Desert DivideTrail (Pacific Crest Trail) (USFWS 1995b).Portions of some occurrences are protectedwithin enclosures.

Arctostaphylos luciana(Santa Lucia manzanita)

Arctostaphylos luciana is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species. It is distributed within thesouthern Santa Lucia Range, southeast ofCuesta Pass. There are eight recorded occur-rences in all, five located on the Los PadresNational Forest and the rest on private lands.The distribution of this species may be linkedto disturbance as some of the occurrences arefound near roads. The shrub grows on shalesubstrates within chaparral vegetation. It hasalso been found among Coulter pines. Nineacres of occupied habitat mapped on the An-geles National Forest need to be re-examinedbecause the species is known as a San LuisObispo County endemic.

Arctostaphylos peninsularis ssp.peninsularis(Peninsular manzanita)

Arctostaphylos peninsularis ssp. peninsularisis a Forest Service Sensitive Species. This shrubis known from occurrences on the north sideof the Santa Rosa Mountains (Riverside

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Chapter 5County) and in the In-Ko-Pah Mountains(San Diego County), east of the ClevelandNational Forest (CNDDB 1997). Plants onthe Cleveland National Forest, once thoughtto be this species, have now been identified asArctostaphylos rainbowensis. Occurrences in theSanta Rosa Mountains are located on landwhich the San Bernardino National Forest mayacquire and there is other potential habitat onthe forest. Appropriate habitat is described aschaparral between 4,000 and 5,000 feet el-evation. Fire suppression and trail constructioncould affect this species.

Arctostaphylos pilosula(Santa Margarita manzanita)

Arctostaphylos pilosula is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species. This shrub is endemic to theSanta Lucia Ranges. It occurs in MontereyCounty and San Luis Obispo County nearSanta Margarita. Twelve occurrences are re-corded in the CNDDB (1997). Oneoccurrence is located on the Los Padres Na-tional Forest, one is on county land, and othersare on private land or the ownership is un-known. The taxon grows on shale substratesin chaparral and with Sargent cypress.

Arctostaphylos rainbowensis(Rainbow manzanita)

Arctostaphylos rainbowensis is a Forest Ser-vice Sensitive Species. It is a newly describedshrub found in Riverside and San Diego coun-ties. It is found in relative abundance at threelocations: on the Pala/Temecula Road, nearPala Creek (an estimated five thousand indi-viduals were identified during a 1990 survey),and on Magee Road (Reiser 1994). Smallerpopulations are distributed from Pala west tothe eastern slopes of the Santa MargaritaMountains. The species appears to be declin-ing; populations that occur within the westernAgua Tibia Mountains are protected in a wil-derness area on the Cleveland National Forest;however, other populations occur on privatelands proposed for development. The expan-sion of agriculture in the Pala and De Luzregions is also expected to remove habitat forthis species (Reiser 1994).

Arctostaphylos refugioensis(Refugio manzanita)

Arctostaphylos refugioensis is a Forest Ser-vice Sensitive Species. It is an evergreen shrubfound within the Santa Ynez Mountains ofSanta Barbara County. Known habitat occurson south-facing slopes and ridgelines in areasof sandstone soil and chaparral. Eight knownoccurrences are documented, some protectedwithin the Los Padres National Forest. Theyrange from above Canada del Cojo nearLompoc to San Pedro Canyon near SanMarcos Pass. Numerous plants occur alongCamino Cielo Road. Most occurrences on theSanta Ynez quadrangle were burned in 1916and again in the 1955 Refugio Fire; however,other populations are experiencing reducedhabitat capability due to fire suppression.

Arenaria macradenia var. kuschei(Forest Camp sandwort)

Arenaria macradenia var. kuschei is a For-est Service Sensitive Species. It was originallyknown from one historic collection at “ForestCamp, Mohave Desert,” a locality subject tointerpretation. The next recognized re-collection was in 1995 when the plant wasfound near the western summit of LiebreMountain (Ross et al. 1995). “Sunny, rockyopenings in mosaic of chaparral and oak wood-land vegetation on granitic substrate” are thehabitat parameters described at this location.A subsequent study in 1997 surveyed poten-tial habitat on Liebre Mountain and adjacentareas and located six new populations (Boyd1997). All of the recently discovered popula-tions are small, both in number of individualplants and area covered. All occur on decom-posed granite and are found in areas of gentlerelief along the summit of Liebre Mountainwithin the Angeles National Forest.

The largest populations were found at theeastern end of the mountain on the ridge di-viding the Bear Canyon and Fish Canyonwatersheds. Two smaller populations werefound along the crest of the eastern end ofLiebre Mountain: one to the east, due northof Atmore Meadow; the other to the west, near

Arabis johnstonii 83 unkn. mod. Garner Valley, San Jacinto Mtns.;(Johnston’s rock cress) (high)

Arctostaphylos luciana 9 3,179 unkn. low S Santa Lucia Mtns.; (high)(Santa Lucia manzanita)

Arctostaphylos peninsularis p unkn. Santa Rosa & In-ko-pah mtns., Baja; ssp. peninsularis (low)(Peninsular manzanita)

Arctostaphylos pilosula 10 unkn. low Santa Lucia Ranges; (moderate)(Santa Margarita manzanita)

Arctostaphylos rainbowensis 1 decl. low Riverside & SD cos., Santa Margarita(Rainbow manzanita) Mtns., W Agua Tibia Mtns. (low)

Arctostaphylos refugioensis 367 stable low Santa Ynez Mtns.; (moderate)(Refugio manzanita)

Arenaria macradenia 341 stable1 Liebre Mtn.; (moderate)var. kuschei(Forest Camp sandwort)

Aster greatae p 1 San Gabriel Mtns.; (low)(Greata’s aster)

Calochortus clavatus y unkn. San Gabriel Mtns. var. gracilis(slender mariposa lily)

Calochortus plummerae y y p unkn. mod/ San Gabriel, San Bernardino, San(Plummer’s mariposa lily) high Jacinto, Santa Ana, & Santa Monica

mtns.; (moderate)

Calochortus weedii 753 stable low Monterey Coast, Santa Lucia Ranges,var. vestus S Los Padres, Santa Ynez Mtns.(late-flowered mariposa lily) (Mont., SLO, SB, & Vent. cos.); (mod.)

Ceanothus cyaneus 82 decl./ low SD Co. (El Cajon Mtn.), Baja; (high)(Lakeside ceanothus) stable

2

Ceanothus ophiochilus 63 decl./ low Vail Lake area of S Riverside Co.;(Vail Lake ceanothus) stable (high) federally threatened

Chaenactis parishii(Parish’s chaenactis) 41 1+ stable low Riverside (Santa Rosa & San Jacinto

mtns.), & San Diego (Laguna & Cuya-maca mtns.) cos., Baja; (mod. – high)

Chorizanthe blakleyi 15 unkn. low Sierra Madre Mtns. (Santa Barbara &(Blakely’s spineflower) SLO cos.); (moderate)

Chorizanthe polygonoides y y decl. low Riverside, SD (Black Mtn.), & Santavar. longispina Barbara cos., Baja; (moderate)(long-spined spineflower)

Dudleya cymosa y San Gabriel Mtns.ssp. crebrifolia(San Gabriel River dudleya)


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

Table 5.7. Rare plants which occur in chaparral habitats. y = the taxon occurs on the forest; p = haspotential to occur. Trend, knowledge of distribution, and vulnerability information was determined by forestbotanists/biologists and generally refers to occurrences on national forest system lands (decl. = declining;unkn. = unknown).

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Erigeron breweri y y unkn. San Gabriel & San Bernardinovar. bisanctus mtns.; (low) (pious daisy)

Eriogonum butterworthianum 65 stable low n Santa Lucia Mtns. (Monterey Co.);(Butterworth’s buckwheat) (low)

Heuchera rubescens y stable low Peninsular Ranges of SD Co., N Baja,var. versicolor TX(San Diego County alumroot)

Lepechinia cardiophylla y stable low Santa Ana Mtns., San Diego Co. (Iron(heart-leaved pitcher sage) Mtn.), Baja; (high)

Lepechinia fragrans p 4 unkn. unkn. San Gabriel & Santa Monica mtns.,(fragrant pitcher sage) Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, & Santa

Catalina islands; ((low)

Lepechinia ganderi 371 low Santa Ana to Otay Mtns. (SD Co.), to(Gander’s pitcher sage) Baja; (low)

Malacothamnus aboriginum 13 p unkn. mod. SD, Fresno, Monterey, & San Benito(Indian Valley bush mallow) cos.; (high)

Malacothamnus palmeri y stable low Monterey & SLO cos. (Santa Luciavar. lucianus Mtns.); (moderate)(Arroyo Seco bush mallow)

Malacothrix saxatilis y unkn. low (moderate)var. arachnoidea(Carmel Valley cliff-aster)

Monardella viridis y y unkn. low San Gabriel Mtns.; (low) ssp. saxicola(rock monardella)

Orobanche valida 1+ 2 unkn. low San Gabriel & Topatopa mtns.; (low)ssp. valida(Rock Creek broomrape)

Oxytheca emarginata y San Jacinto & Santa Rosa mtns.,(white-margined oxytheca) Garner Valley

Oxytheca parishii 28 unkn. low San Rafael Mtns., W Transversevar. abramsii Ranges (Mt. Pinos & Topatopa Mtns.);(Abram’s oxytheca) (moderate)

Penstemon californicus p 126 unkn. mod. San Jacinto & Santa Rosa mtns.,(California beardtongue) Garner Valley, Sierra Juarez & Sierra

San Pedro Martir (Baja); (low)

Phacelia suaveolens 51 unkn. mod. Santa Ana Mtns., Peninsular Rangesssp. keckii of San Diego Co.; (low)(Santiago Peak phacelia)

Plagiobothrys uncinatus 8 unkn. low Santa Lucia & Gabilan ranges(hooked popcorn-flower) (Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, &

SLO cos.); (low)

Ribes canthariforme y stable low San Diego Co.; (moderate to high)(Moreno currant)

Sidalcea hickmanii 429 unkn. low N Santa Lucia Mtns.; (moderate)ssp. hickmanii(Hickman’s checkerbloom)

Thermopsis macrophylla 565 unkn. low Santa Ynez Mtns (Santa Barbara Co.);(Santa Ynez false lupine) (moderate)


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

1 Boyd 19972 occurrences on private land appear to be declining, those on federal land appear stable

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Bear Gulch Camp. Three other populationswere found near the head of Tent Rock Can-yon (Boyd 1997). Based on these newoccurrences, the taxon is probably stablewithin forest boundaries. Activities such aslight grading may benefit the perennial by cre-ating openings or gaps within the habitat forseedling establishment.

Aster greatae (Greata’s aster)Aster greatae is a perennial species known

from the southern slopes of the San GabrielMountains. One of the two known occur-rences is located in Gold Canyon on theAngeles National Forest. The species is foundin damp places within foothill and lower mon-tane conifer habitats. Potential habitat for thespecies also exists on the San Bernardino Na-tional Forest.

Calochortus clavatus var. gracilis(slender mariposa lily)

Calochortus clavatus var. gracilis is a peren-nial species found in the San GabrielMountains. Plants occupy shaded foothill can-yons with chaparral. RAREFIND containsrecords for nine occurrences: either historic,located on private lands, or on the AngelesNational Forest (CNDDB 1997). Occur-rences are vulnerable to landfill expansion,development projects, sand and gravel min-ing, and off-road vehicle activity.

Calochortus plummerae(Plummer’s mariposa lily)

Calochortus plummerae is found in the SanGabriel, San Bernardino, San Jacinto, SantaAna, and Santa Monica mountains. TheCNDDB lists fifty-eight occurrences, some ofthem located on the Angeles and San Bernar-dino national forests. Many, however, arelocated on private lands slated for develop-ment. In addition to chaparral, the species hasbeen found in alluvial fan sage scrub habitat,grasslands, and lower montane conifer forestsbelow 5,500 feet (S. Eliason, San BernardinoNF, in litt.). The species is vulnerable to de-velopment projects, trail construction and

maintenance, fire suppression, habitat conver-sion, grazing, trampling, and sand and gravelmining.

Calochortus weedii var. vestus(late-flowered mariposa lily)

Calochortus weedi var. vestus is a ForestService Sensitive Species. It is distributed inthe Santa Lucia Ranges and southern Los Pa-dres region. Occurrences are scattered acrossfour counties: Monterey, San Luis Obispo,Santa Barbara, and Ventura. The plant is abun-dant at some locations and uncommon atothers. Like many species of mariposa lily, itsabundance varies from year to year due to cli-matic conditions. In addition, someCalochortus species appear to be disturbanceoriented, showing up in openings in the veg-etation created by low-level grounddisturbances. This plant has been noted onroad banks and fuel breaks. In relatively un-disturbed areas it occurs on rocky substrates,which effectively reduce competition fromother plants. The taxon has been found onsandstone, siltstone, shale, and serpentine. Sur-rounding vegetation is described as chaparraland open woodlands. Occurrences are pro-tected on the Los Padres National Forest inthe Lion Den Botanical Area (Matthews1998), in the Santa Ynez Mountains, and atWheeler Springs near Ojai. Occurrences onprivate lands are known from the HollisterRanch area south to Hearst Ranch.

Ceanothus cyaneus(Lakeside ceanothus)

Ceanothus cyaneus is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species. It occurs in San Diego Countyand Baja California, Mexico. The shrub isfound in San Diego County from Crest to thefoothills of Lakeside, including significantpopulations on El Cajon Mountain (Reiser1994). The species can be common within thisnarrow range. A good portion of its knownhabitat is protected on Cleveland NationalForest and BLM lands. It appears to cross withother Ceanothus species (C. leucodermis andC. tomentosus), and plants outside of the Crest

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Chapter 5or El Cajon Mountain areas may be hybrids(Reiser 1994). Fire-return intervals that are toofrequent may type convert its habitat to grass-land. The species is included in a conservationstrategy for coastal sage scrub (USDA ForestService et al. 1997).

Ceanothus ophiochilus(Vail Lake ceanothus)

Ceanothus ophiochilus is a federally threat-ened and state endangered shrub species firstdiscovered at Oak/Vail Mountain in 1989.Occurrences are known from near Vail Lakein southern Riverside County and just southof Vail Lake in the Agua Tibia Wilderness Areaof the Cleveland National Forest (fig. 5.7).These occurrences are estimated to containbetween ten thousand and twenty thousandplants in all. The species can hybridize withC. crassifolius and at least two occurrences maybe hybrid swarms (USFWS 1995a). Occur-rences are reported in drier areas on ridgetopsand north- to northeast-facing slopes withinchamise chaparral, and also along the edgesof creeks and in dry canyons. Plants are re-stricted to nutrient-poor (phosphorusdeficient) soils such as gabbro or metavolcanics,which may allow them to maintain reproduc-tive isolation (USFWS 1998g).

Alteration of the natural fire regime is athreat to this species; it requires fire for seedgermination and does not resprout vegetativelyafter fire. Short fire-return intervals can pre-vent plants from reaching maturity andproducing seed, leading to a gradual deple-tion of the seed pool (USFWS 1995a). Whilesome occurrences are protected by their loca-tion in rugged, relatively inaccessible terrain,others are threatened by habitat destruction,alteration, fragmentation, and degradationfrom urban development. One occurrencelocated near Vail Lake is threatened by thedevelopment of a planned community and waspartly graded to create fuel breaks. A portionof the Agua Tibia Wilderness occurrences havealso been graded for fuel breaks. A conserva-tion strategy for coastal sage scrub includesthis species (USFS/USFWS/CDFG 1997).

Chaenactis parishii(Parish’s chaenactis)

Chaenactis parishii is a perennial speciesfound in Riverside and San Diego counties,and Baja California, Mexico. Occurrences areknown on the Cleveland and San Bernardinonational forests. Some of the best-protectedsites occur within the Santa Rosa WildernessArea in the Santa Rosa Mountains. Other oc-currences are known in the San JacintoMountains and in the Garnet Peak area of theLaguna Mountains. There are historic occur-rences in the Cuyamaca Mountains atStonewall and Cuyamaca peaks (Reiser 1994).The plant is known to respond positively todisturbance and has appeared along the sidesof roads.

Chorizanthe blakleyi(Blakley’s spineflower)

Chorizanthe blakleyi is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species. It is an annual species endemicto the Sierra Madre Mountains of Santa Bar-bara and San Luis Obispo counties.Occurrences are found between Bates Can-yon and Lion Canyon in openings withinchaparral or pinyon-juniper woodland (USFS/USFWS 1996). The U.S. Fish and WildlifeService reports six to ten known populationsof this plant. The Santa Barbara Botanic Gar-den has specimens that document at least ninedifferent sites for the species, with more thanhalf located on the Los Padres National For-est (D. Wilken, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden,in litt. 1998).

Chorizanthe polygonoides var. longispina(long-spined spineflower)

Chorizanthe polygonoides var. longispina isa Forest Service Sensitive Species. It is an an-nual plant found within Riverside, San Diego,and Santa Barbara counties, and Baja Califor-nia, Mexico (Reiser 1994). The CNDDBcontains records for twenty-nine occurrences,most at Lake Matthews in Riverside County.Reiser (1994) describes eleven locations in SanDiego and Riverside counties. One knownoccurrence on the San Bernardino National

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Forest is located within an active grazing al-lotment and was estimated to contain over twothousand plants in 1995. The Cleveland Na-tional Forest contains some occurrences,primarily at Black Mountain. Other occurrencesare protected in reserves in Riverside County:the Mott Reserve at UC Riverside, HarfordSprings County Park, and Lake Matthews Bio-logical Preserve. Occurrences in Santa BarbaraCounty need to be confirmed. The species growson gabbro-derived clay soil or “clay lenses” and,in addition to scrub and chaparral habitats, hasbeen found at the edges of vernal pools in grass-lands and meadows (Reiser 1994). Non-nativegrasses may be a threat to this species.

Dudleya cymosa ssp. crebrifolia(San Gabriel River dudleya)

Dudleya cymosa ssp.crebrifolia is endemicto the San Gabriel Mountains where it is knownfrom one location in Fish Canyon along the SanGabriel River. It occurs on a granitic substrate.

Erigeron breweri var. bisanctus(pious daisy)

Erigeron breweri var. bisanctus is a watch-list plant on the San Bernardino and Angelesnational forests. It occurs in the San Bernar-dino and San Gabriel mountains, and fouroccurrences are recorded in the CNDDB.Plants grow in chaparral and lower montaneconiferous forest, on dry open slopes, and in

t

Figure 5.7. Distribution of Ceanothus ophiochilus (Vail Lake ceanothus).

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Chapter 5tain population), and southward into BajaCalifornia, Mexico (White 1990; Reiser1994). It has potential to occur in the LagunaMountains. Some populations occur in theSanta Ana Mountains on the upper slopes ofCoal and Gypsum canyons among groves ofTecate cypress. The species is reportedly a firefollower; burned areas on the slopes of SierraPeak contained a significantly higher numberof L. cardiophylla plants than unburned areas(White 1990). There are about twenty-fiverecorded occurrences, mostly on the ClevelandNational Forest. The species is included in aconservation strategy for coastal sage scrub(USFS/USFWS/CDFG 1997).

Lepechinia fragrans(fragrant pitcher sage)

Lepechinia fragrans is an uncommon shrubspecies distributed within the San Gabriel andSanta Monica (near Triunfo Pass) mountainsand on the islands of Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa,and Santa Catalina. Scattered occurrences inthe San Gabriel Mountains are found on boththe Angeles and San Bernardino national for-ests. They are vulnerable to fire and habitatalteration (type conversion).

Lepechinia ganderi(Gander’s pitcher sage)

Lepechinia ganderi is a shrub speciesknown from fewer than ten occurrences in theOtay Mountains of San Diego County, in theSanta Ana Mountains, and in Baja Califor-nia, Mexico. The plant grows in variousfoothill habitats—closed-cone conifer forest,chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and valley-foothill grasslands.

Malacothamnus aboriginum (Indian Valley bush mallow)

Malacothamnus aboriginum occurs in SanDiego, Fresno, Monterey, and San Benitocounties. Reiser (1994) lists about five extantoccurrences in San Diego County, where thespecies is thought to be declining and close toextinction. The Garnet Peak population hasexperienced significant site disturbance and is

washes. One occurrence is protected withinthe Glendora Wilderness Park. Habitat for thisplant on national forest system lands may beaffected by trampling, fuel wood harvesting,and prospecting. This variety is difficult toidentify and may be confused with other morecommon taxa; therefore, we may not have anaccurate picture of its rarity.

Eriogonum butterworthianum(Butterworth’s buckwheat)

Eriogonum butterworthianum is a ForestService Sensitive Species. It is a shrub knownfrom four occurrences near Arroyo Seco in thenorthern Santa Lucia Range of MontereyCounty. These occurrences are located on theLos Padres National Forest. Abundance esti-mates for each occurrence range from fifty tofewer than one thousand individual plants.The species grows on sandstone soils withinchaparral vegetation. Castilleja foliosa andMimulus aurantiacus are common associates.

Heuchera rubescens var. versicolor(San Diego County alumroot)

Heuchera rubescens var. versicolor is a rareperennial plant known from a small numberof occurrences in the foothills and mountainsof San Diego County (i.e., Cuyamaca Peak,Hot Springs Mountain, along San Luis ReyRiver east of Barker Valley, and the east end ofHarper Valley) (Reiser 1994). The taxon is alsoreported from northern Baja and Texas. SanDiego County occurrences appear to be stable,although Reiser (1994) reports plants at theHot Springs Mountain locale are declining andneed protection from foot traffic. Other oc-currences are found on state and Indianreservation lands. Plants occupy rocky cliffsin montane chaparral vegetation above 4,900feet. These areas receive relatively low levelsof disturbance.

Lepechinia cardiophylla(heart-leaved pitcher sage)

Lepechinia cardiophylla is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species. This shrub is found in theSanta Ana Mountains, the Peninsular Rangesof San Diego County (disjunct Iron Moun-

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being shaded out by planted pines (Reiser1994). It needs to be determined if popula-tions in the San Diego ranges are disjuncts ora separate species or subspecies. The CNPSInventory (which only reports the northern popu-lations) notes that this shrub appears inabundance after fires (Skinner and Pavlik 1994).

Malacothamnus palmeri var. lucianus(Arroyo Seco bush mallow)

Malacothamnus palmeri var. lucianus is en-demic to Monterey and San Luis Obispocounties. Three occurrences are documentedfrom Monterey County—two occurrences nearBig Sur and a third on the Los Padres NationalForest near Hanging Valley in the upper ArroyoSeco watershed (D. Wilken, Santa BarbaraBotanic Garden, in litt. 1998). Plants grow inchaparral and low-elevation meadow habitat.Occurrences on national forest system lands ap-pear to be stable and in areas of low impact.

Monardella viridis ssp. saxicola(rock monardella)

Monardella viridis ssp. saxicola is a ForestService Sensitive Species distributed on thesouthern slopes of the San Gabriel Mountainsbetween 1,700 and 6,000 feet. The perennialgrows on dry rocky soils, in sunny exposedplaces, on partially shaded gravelly bencheswithin chaparral, and in open areas of yellowpine forest. Plants also occupy burned areasin chaparral (Bennett 1979a). Two or threeoccurrences are known on the San BernardinoNational Forest (eastern San Gabriel Moun-tains), all near one road. Occurrences are alsodocumented in the San Dimas ExperimentalForest on the Angeles National Forest. Theplant is vulnerable to road-maintenance ac-tivities and disturbances that lead to typeconversion of its habitat. At least one occurrenceis located on private lands and may be vulner-able to development projects.

Orobanche valida ssp. valida(Rock Creek broomrape)

Orobanche valida ssp. valida is a Forest Ser-vice Sensitive Species. It is known from at least

one locality in the Topatopa Mountains andeight localities in the central and eastern SanGabriel Mountains. An estimated sixteen hun-dred plants occur at these localities, with themajority (94 percent) occurring in the SanGabriel Mountains on both coastal and desert-side slopes (Mistretta and Boyd 1997b). Plantsoccur in the San Gabriels at Lookout Moun-tain and along the South Fork of Big RockCreek. Abundance data collected in the pasttwo decades indicate that these occurrencesare stable. Estimated population size along theSouth Fork of Big Rock Creek has increasedfrom fifty plants in 1979, to one hundredplants in 1982, and three hundred plants in1995. Estimated population size at LookoutMountain for the same three years was thirty-five, greater than forty, and two hundredplants, respectively (Mistretta 1996). In addi-tion, surveys in 1994 and 1995 found six newlocalities in the eastern San Gabriel Moun-tains. The taxon is known from a historiccollection in the Topatopa Mountains and amore recent collection from the head of SantaPaula Canyon in the same mountains. Only aportion of the potential habitat for this taxonhas been surveyed and it seems likely that ad-ditional occurrences will be found in thewestern San Gabriel Mountains and at otherlocations in the Castaic and southern Los Pa-dres regions (Mistretta 1996).

The perennial is found on granitic soils infairly open chaparral and pinyon-juniperwoodlands between 4,100 and 6,600 feet el-evation. It parasitizes various chaparral speciessuch as silk tassel, yerba santa, California buck-wheat, desert needlegrass, scrub oak, canyonlive oak, and mountain mahogany; however,it is most frequent on silk tassel and has neverbeen observed without this shrub nearby(Mistretta 1996). For the most part, O. validassp. valida inhabits remote terrain that receivesfew impacts; however, management activitiesthat affect the persistence or stability of thechaparral vegetation could adversely affect thetaxon. One occurrence near the Horse Can-yon Shooting Area is vulnerable to habitatdegradation. Another occurrence along thelower South Fork of Big Rock Creek is affected

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Chapter 5by erosion, and the population at Glendora Ridge(in the San Dimas Experimental Forest) couldbe adversely affected by desert crested wheatgrass,an introduced perennial grass.

Oxytheca emarginata(white-margined oxytheca)

Oxytheca emarginata is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species endemic to the San Jacintoand Santa Rosa mountains of RiversideCounty. Occurrences are located between3,900 and 8,200 feet elevation on gravelly soilsin openings within chaparral, lower montaneconiferous forest, and pinyon-juniper wood-lands. In at least one occurrence, O. emarginatais found with Penstemon californicus, anotherfocal species. Most occurrences are foundwithin chaparral in and around the GarnerValley, an area with two active grazingallotments. The species is vulnerable to over-grazing, trampling, development projects, andrecreational activities.

Oxytheca parishii var. abramsii(Abram’s oxytheca)

Oxytheca parishii var. abramsii is an an-nual taxon found within the San RafaelMountains and southern Los Padres region(Topatopa Mountains and Mount Pinos).Some occurrences are located on the Los Pa-dres National Forest. The CNDDB containsrecords for five occurrences, mostly historic .

Penstemon californicus(California beardtongue)

Penstemon californicus is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species distributed in the San Jacintoand Santa Rosa mountains of RiversideCounty and in the Sierra Juarez and Sierra SanPedro Martir of Baja California, Mexico.Plants generally grow on sandy soils in chap-arral, lower montane conifer forest, yellow pineforest, and pinyon-juniper woodlands. TheCNDDB contains records on twelve occur-rences, many on the San Bernardino NationalForest. One historic occurrence is recorded inthe Aguanga area near the border of Riversideand San Diego counties. Another historic

record describes an occurrence within theSanta Rosa Wilderness Area. Other occur-rences are located on private lands.

Occurrences on the forest grow in rockyor clay soils (specifically granitic soil withpleistocene nonmarine deposits of erodedclay), in openings within chaparral adjacentto meadow habitat in Garner Valley. Plantsalso grow in openings within chaparral onridgetops and in the ecotone between chapar-ral and lower montane conifer forest. At somelocales the perennial occurs with Arabisjohnstonii, another focal species. Some of theoccurrences on the forest are located in an ac-tive grazing allotment, including portions oftwo occurrences protected within exclosures.However, the main distribution of this spe-cies is in areas above those used by cattle (M.Lardner, San Bernardino NF, in litt. 1999).

Phacelia suaveolens ssp. keckii(Santiago Peak phacelia)

Phacelia suaveolens ssp. keckii is a ForestService Sensitive Species. An annual, it is en-demic to the Santa Ana Mountains and SanDiego region (Dennis 1995). The CNPS In-ventory cites occurrences near Santiago Peakand Pleasants Peak in the Santa Ana Moun-tains (Skinner and Pavlik 1994). The plant isalso reported from a drainage near Wild HorsePeak in the Agua Tibia Wilderness Area of theCleveland National Forest (Reiser 1994). Allof these occurrences are located on federallands where they are somewhat protected. Thetaxon grows on volcanic soils in chaparral andwith knobcone pine and is seen in greatestabundance following fires (White 1990).

Plagiobothrys uncinatus(hooked popcorn-flower)

Plagiobothrys uncinatus is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species. It is known from the SantaLucia and Gabilan ranges in Monterey, SanBenito, Santa Clara, and San Luis Obispocounties. Most of the documented occurrencesare historic, including those at Pinnacles Na-tional Park and the Hastings Reserve. At leastone occurrence is protected within the Cuesta

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Acanthomintha ilicifolia(San Diego thorn-mint)

Acanthomintha ilicifolia is state endan-gered and federally threatened. An annualplant, it is endemic to mesa and foothill areasof San Diego County and northern Baja Cali-fornia, Mexico. At least a third of the knownhistoric occurrences have been extirpated byurban and rural development. About thirtysmall occurrences are presently known. Thetwo largest are found on the Cleveland Na-tional Forest near Viejas and Poser mountains(fig. 5.8). These occurrences are located adja-cent to an Indian reservation and could beaffected by unauthorized cattle grazing andoff-highway vehicle activity. Other smaller oc-currences are protected in open space reservesthroughout San Diego County, including aCalifornia Department of Fish and Game re-serve at McGinty Mountain. Because muchof its original habitat has been removed inSan Diego County, A. ilicifolia is expected toremain rare. The Cleveland National Foresthas developed a species management guidefor occurrences on the forest (Winter, 1991c).See the final listing rule (USFWS 1998j) formore information on this species.

Ridge Botanical Area of the Los Padres Na-tional Forest. Two occurrences are located onFort Hunter Liggett. This annual plant hasbeen found in chaparral, woodlands, and grass-lands.

Ribes canthariforme (Moreno currant)Ribes canthariforme is a Forest Service Sen-

sitive Species. This shrub is endemic to thefoothills of San Diego County near MorenoDam. There are about twelve recorded occur-rences, many consisting of only a few plantsand protected on state or federal lands. Thespecies is included in a conservation strategyfor coastal sage scrub (USFS/USFWS/CDFG1997). In chaparral, it occurs in mesic areaswith gabbro soils and large granite boulders.

Sidalcea hickmanii ssp. hickmanii(Hickman’s checkerbloom)

Sidalcea hickmanii ssp.hickmanii is a For-est Service Sensitive Species. It is known fromthe northern Santa Lucia Range. TheCNDDB contains records for ten occurrences(some of them historic). Six of the known oc-currences are found on the Los Padres NationalForest.

Thermopsis macrophylla(Santa Ynez false lupine)

Thermopsis macrophylla is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species. It is known from fewer thanfifteen occurrences in Santa Barbara County.All of the occurrences are located on the SantaBarbara Ranger District of the Los PadresNational Forest, where they range from SantaYnez Peak east to Camino Cielo Road and LaCumbre Peak. The species grows on sandstone,granitic, and adobe soils within chaparral.Some occurrences are found in disturbed ar-eas such as fuel breaks. The plant is locallyabundant after wildfires, gradually decreasingin abundance until the next fire, and is there-fore sensitive to fire suppression. The JepsonManual refers to this taxon as T. macrophyllavar. agnina (Hickman 1993).

Gabbro is a localized soil type that sup-ports a number of rare plant species in thechaparral belt. Thirteen rare plants are foundor have potential to occur on gabbro-derivedsubstrates within the assessment area. Sum-mary information is shown in table 5.8. Twofederally threatened species and one federallyendangered species are included in this group.

Arctostaphylos otayensis(Otay manzanita)

Arctostaphylos otayensis is an evergreenshrub endemic to San Diego County. Popula-tions are recorded on six 7.5-minute quadmaps centered in the Otay Mountain area. Thehabitat is described as chaparral and wood-lands with gabbro or volcanic substrates in thefoothill, lower montane, and montane coni-fer zones. Potential habitat exists on theCleveland National Forest; however, most of

Plants Associated with Gabbro Soils

Acanthomintha ilicifolia 157 decl. mod. San Diego Co. & adjacent areas of(San Diego thorn-mint) Baja; (high) federally threatened

Arctostaphylos otayensis p unkn. San Diego Co. (Otay Mtn.); (high)(Otay manzanita)

Brodiaea filifolia y p p unkn. low LA, Orange, SW Riverside (Santa(thread-leaved brodiaea) Rosa Plateau), San Bernardino, & NW federally threatened San Diego cos.; (moderate)

Brodiaea orcuttii 719 decl. low Orange, San Bernardino, S Riverside,(Orcutt’s brodiaea) & SD cos., Baja (Santa Ana Mtns., FS sensitive Santa Rosa Plateau, Santa Margarita

Mtns., S to Peninsular Ranges of SDCo.; (moderate)

Calochortus dunni 163 decl. low Peninsular Ranges of SD Co. & Baja;(Dunn’s mariposa lily) (moderate) FS sensitive

Chorizanthe procumbens y p p stable1 low SD, Riverside, Orange, LA, San(prostrate spineflower) Bernardino, & Ventura cos., Baja;

(low)

Clarkia delicata y decl. low Peninsular Ranges of SD Co. & N(delicate clarkia) Baja; (low) FS sensitive

Fremontodendron p decl1. Peninsular Ranges of SD Co. (Sanmexicanum Ysidro Mtns., Otay Mtn.) and Baja;(Mexican flannelbush) (low) federally endangered

Horkelia truncata 338 stable low– Peninsular Ranges of SD(Ramona horkelia) mod. Co. & Baja; (high) FS sensitive

Monardella hypoleuca 159 stable low– Peninsular Ranges of SDssp. Lanata mod. Co. (Palomar & Laguna mtns.) & N(felt-leaved monardella) Baja; (moderate) FS sensitive

Nolina interrata p stable1 Peninsular Ranges of SD Co. & Baja;(Dehesa nolina) (low) state endangered

Senecio ganderi 67 stable mod. Peninsular Ranges of SD Co. (Black,(Gander’s ragwort) Laguna, & Palomar mtns.); (high) FS sensitive

Tetracoccus dioicus 97 decl. low foothills of Orange, Riverside, & SD(Parry’s tetracoccus) cos., Baja; (moderate) FS sensitive

Table 5.8. Plants found in association with gabbro soils. y = the taxon is known to occur on the forest;p = has potential to occur). Trend, knowledge of distribution, and vulnerability information was determinedby forest botanists/biologists and generally refers to occurrences on national forest system lands (decl. =declining; incr. = increasing; unkn. = unknown).

1 Reiser 1994 (refers to all known occurrences)


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

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Figure 5.8. Distribution of Acanthomintha ilicifolia (San Diego thorn-mint).

the known populations are located on BLM landsbeing considered for inclusion in a national wild-life refuge. In recent years populations at OtayMountain have been impacted by repeated fireslinked to illegal immigration through the area.Frequent fires may lead to conversion of the habi-tat to non-native grassland and eliminate nativewoody species. Despite this threat, the specieswas removed from the Forest Service Sensitivelist because no occurrences are known on na-tional forest system lands.

Brodiaea filifolia(thread-leaved brodiaea)

Brodiaea filifolia is a federally threatenedand state endangered species distributed in Los

Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino,and San Diego counties. The CNDDB (1997)lists forty-five extant occurrences in all. Mostare located on the Santa Rosa Plateau in south-western Riverside County and in the Vista-SanMarcos-Carlsbad region of northwestern SanDiego County (fig. 5.9). Other occurrencesare found along the San Jacinto River and atributary of Old Salt Creek, west of the city ofHemet. Some occurrences are protected in theSan Jacinto Wildlife Area managed by theCalifornia Department of Fish and Game, andone occurrence is known from CampPendleton. In all, this species occupies less than600 acres of habitat (USFWS 1994b). Thelargest known occurrence, on the Santa Rosa

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Chapter 5

Figure 5.9. Distribution of Brodiaea filifolia (thread-leaved brodiaea).

Plateau, is estimated to contain over thirtythousand plants and occupy about 50 acres.The majority of occurrences are located onprivate lands in San Diego County; however,three populations occur near Miller Moun-tain on the Cleveland National Forest. Thesepopulations contain an estimated twenty thou-sand plants thought to be the hybrid B. filifoliax B. orcuttii (K. Winter, Cleveland NF, pers.comm.). One occurrence is reported for theSan Bernardino Mountains (adjacent to theSan Bernardino National Forest). The specieswas thought to have been extirpated from LosAngeles County; however, a small occurrencewas discovered in 1991 in the city of Glendoraat Wildwood and Morgon canyons.

B. filifolia is found in low-elevation inlandvalley and foothill habitats such as coastal sagescrub, chaparral, cismontane woodlands, andgrasslands (e.g., southern needlegrass grasslandand alkali grassland). Plants are found on claysoils in mesic places, including vernal pools(USFWS 1998m). In western Riverside County(i.e., Perris, San Jacinto, and Menifee valleys),the plant grows in vernal wetland plains and al-kali lake playas (e.g., the Mystic Lake area).

This species is declining throughout itsrange in southern California (Reiser 1994).Its habitat has been significantly reduced byurban and agricultural development. An esti-mated 25 percent of B. filifolia populations

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have been eliminated and over 25 percent ofthe remaining populations in San Diego andRiverside counties occur in areas of proposedor approved development projects (USFWS1998m). The species is also vulnerable to tram-pling, grazing, and invasion of exotic speciessuch as perennial ryegrass in San DiegoCounty and prickle grass in Riverside County.Unless flowering, the species can easily bemissed during surveys.

Brodiaea orcuttii(Orcutt’s brodiaea)

Brodiaea orcuttii is a Forest Service Sensi-tive Species. It occurs in Orange, SanBernardino, southern Riverside, and San Di-ego counties, and Baja California, Mexico.Occurrences are known from the Santa AnaMountains, Santa Rosa Plateau, SantaMargarita Mountains, and south to SantaYsabel and Pine Hills in San Diego County(Reiser 1994). The plant grows from sea levelto about 5,300 feet, in vernally moist grass-lands (including those with mima moundtopography), at the periphery of vernal pools,on streamside embankments, within closed-cone conifer forest, chaparral, cismontanewoodland, and meadows. It typically is asso-ciated with clay soils (sometimes serpentine)on mesas, and can grow with Deschampsiadanthonioides.There are an estimated one hun-dred known populations, most of them westof national forest system lands; however, someplants are found on the Cleveland NationalForest. Populations are declining becausemuch of the appropriate habitat has beeneliminated by development in coastal areas.The species is included in a conservation strat-egy for coastal sage scrub (USDA ForestService et al. 1997). It can form hybrids withB. filifolia, another rare species. Plants growin flat terrain near spring ponds.

Calochortus dunnii(Dunn’s mariposa lily)

Calochortus dunnii is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species. A perennial plant, it is foundonly in San Diego County and Baja Califor-

nia, Mexico. About twelve populations areknown, a small number of them protected onthe Cleveland National Forest. Unconfirmed re-ports in Baja are from near Guadalupe Mountainand Laguna Hansen (Reiser 1994). Occurrenceson private lands in San Diego County are de-clining mainly due to urban and ruraldevelopment. Other factors impacting the spe-cies are horticultural collecting and too frequentfire-return intervals that degrade its habitat.

Chorizanthe procumbens(prostrate spineflower)

Chorizanthe procumbens is distributed inSan Diego, Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles,San Bernardino and Ventura counties, as wellas Baja California, Mexico. Reiser (1994) citesabout twenty-two known current locationsand several more historic ones within Califor-nia. Populations are known to occur on theCleveland National Forest but are not yet re-corded in our GIS database. Habitatconversion due to urban and rural develop-ment and competition from non-native grassesare factors negatively impacting the species. Itdoes appear to tolerate some types of grounddisturbance—it often grows alongside dirtroads and in lightly disturbed areas of chapar-ral and coastal sage scrub.

Clarkia delicata (delicate clarkia)Clarkia delicata is a Forest Service Sensi-

tive Species. An annual plant, it is foundwithin the foothill and lower montane coni-fer zones of San Diego County and northernBaja California, Mexico. It appears to be asso-ciated with gabbro soils where they occur inoak woodlands and chaparral. Some occur-rences are protected on federal and state lands;however, those on private lands lack protec-tion and are declining from increased urbanand rural development.

Fremontodendron mexicanum(Mexican flannelbush)

Fremontodendron mexicanum is a federallyendangered species. It is an evergreen shrubknown from the San Ysidro Mountains (spe-cifically Otay Mountain) in the San Diego

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Chapter 5region and Baja California, Mexico. Most ofthe confirmed populations occur in the OtayMountain area. Potential habitat occurs on theCleveland National Forest. At Otay Mountainthe species is associated with closed-cone co-nifer forest and southern mixed chaparralhabitats (Reiser 1994). Much of it grows inthe Cedar Canyon drainage along with scat-tered Tecate cypress. Ten confirmedoccurrences are recorded in CNDDB, thoughsome reported on the southern central coastappear to be misidentifications (D. Wilken,Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, pers. comm.) Seethe proposed and final rules for more informa-tion (USFWS 1995a; USFWS 1998g).

Horkelia truncata (Ramona horkelia)Horkelia truncata is a Forest Service Sensi-

tive Species. A perennial plant, it is knownfrom foothill and lower montane conifer habi-tats in the San Diego ranges and BajaCalifornia, Mexico. It grows exclusively ongabbro soils in open areas of chaparral andcismontane woodland. The species is some-times observed growing in disturbed areas andis apparently tolerant of fire and some soil dis-turbances. Approximately forty occurrences areknown, most on public lands. These occur-rences could potentially be affected by miningactivities, heavy road maintenance, chaparralmanagement, and livestock grazing.

Monardella hypoleuca ssp. lanata(felt-leaved monardella)

Monardella hypoleuca ssp. lanata is a For-est Service Sensitive Species. A perennial plant,it is endemic to the Palomar and Lagunamountains of San Diego County and north-ern Baja California, Mexico. Locationsrecorded for the Santa Ana Mountains are nowbelieved to be erroneous. The taxon growswithin foothill and lower montane conifer habi-tats, mainly on gabbro soils in chaparral andcismontane woodlands. About fifty occurrencesare located on federal, state, and private lands.Occurrences on the Cleveland National Forestappear stable and are relatively well protected.

Nolina interrata (Dehesa beargrass)

Nolina interrata is a state-listed endangeredspecies found in San Diego County and BajaCalifornia, Mexico. It was proposed for fed-eral listing as threatened but the proposal wassubsequently withdrawn (USFWS 1995a;USFWS 1998i). The species is usually foundin chaparral below 2,100 feet elevation. Ninesites are known in California (Reiser 1994).There is potential for the species to occur onthe Cleveland National Forest but all recordedpopulations are located west of the forest. TheCNPS Inventory lists residential developmentand horticultural collecting as threats to thespecies (Skinner and Pavlik 1994).

Senecio ganderi (Gander’s ragwort)Senecio ganderi is a Forest Service Sensi-

tive Species. A perennial plant, it is found onBlack, Laguna, and Palomar mountains in SanDiego County. The plant grows on gabbro soilwithin chaparral vegetation (including recentlyburned areas). The CNPS Inventory cites fewerthan fifteen known occurrences on both pub-lic and private lands. Most of the knownoccurrences are located on federal or statelands. Those occurrences on private lands havepotential to be affected by residential or com-mercial development projects. The species isstate-listed rare and included in a conserva-tion strategy for coastal sage scrub (USFS/USFWS/CDFG 1997).

Tetracoccus dioicus(Parry’s tetracoccus)

Tetracoccus dioicus is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species. It is a deciduous shrub knownfrom the foothills of Orange, Riverside andSan Diego counties, and Baja California,Mexico. It grows specifically on gabbro soilswithin chaparral and coastal sage scrub com-munities. Habitat conversion for agricultureand development projects is adversely affect-ing the species on private lands.

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Antennaria marginata(white-margined everlasting)

Disjunct occurrences of Antennariamarginata are located in the upper Santa AnaRiver watershed of the San Bernardino Moun-tains. The species also occurs in Colorado andNew Mexico. Two occurrences are recordedin the CNDDB (1997). In the San Bernar-dino Mountains, the plant grows in dry areaswithin lower and upper montane conifer for-est habitats. One occurrence is located in theSan Gorgonio Wilderness Area. This speciescan be affected by recreation activities such ascamping, hiking, horseback riding and off-road vehicle use.

Astragalus bicristatus(crested milk-vetch)

Astragalus bicristatus is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species. It is a perennial species foundin sandy or rocky places within lower andupper montane conifer forests, between 5,800and 9,000 feet elevation. Occurrences areknown in the eastern San Gabriel, San Ber-nardino, and Santa Rosa mountains. In theSan Bernardino Mountains, plants occur oncarbonate soils and rocky/pebbly slopes. Atleast seven occurrences are found in Big Bearand Holcomb valleys and in the upper SantaAna River watershed. At least one occurrenceis documented in the Santa Rosa Mountains.This species is vulnerable to mining activities,high recreation use, and construction/devel-opment projects.

Astragalus lentiginosus var. antonius(San Antonio milk-vetch)

Astragalus lentiginosus var. antonius is a For-est Service Sensitive taxon endemic to the SanGabriel Mountains (fig. 5.10). The CNDDBcontains records for four historic occurrences.Plants are found on dry, open slopes within

Montane Conifer Forest PlantsThirty rare plants are primarily associated

with montane conifer forest habitat within theassessment area. Summary information isshown in table 5.9.

Castilleja gleasonii(Mount Gleason Indian paintbrush)

Castilleja gleasonii is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species. Endemic to the western SanGabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, theperennial grows on granitic soils in coniferforest habitat above 5,000 feet. Fewer than tenoccurrences are known, all located on theAngeles National Forest—at Messenger Peak/Flat, Mount Gleason, Lightning Ridge, andeast to Chilao, Horse Flats, and the Little RockCreek area (fig. 5.10) (Mistretta and Brown1987a).

Like all Castilleja species, C. gleasonii ishemiparasitic on other plants. Associations areformed with Artemisia tridentata,wildbuckwheats, and other native species. Theplant is usually found in areas of open yellowpine woodland (e.g., ponderosa pine andCoulter pine), with a well-developed shrub orsub-shrub understory. It can also be foundgrowing with bigcone Douglas-fir, white fir,Arctostaphylos parryana, and chaparralwhitethorn. Occurrences at Mount Gleasongrow with one of the narrow-leaved bedstraws(Galium angustifolium ssp. angustifolium) andprickly phlox. The Messenger Flat occurrenceis found primarily in a mixed live oak/yellowpine habitat that grades into chaparral. Plantsat Lightning Ridge grow at the interface ofconifers and chaparral.

The primary threat to this species is itspreference for habitat that is also popular forhuman recreation activities (i.e., gentle slopesand an open understory). Occurrences are re-portedly threatened by their proximity tocampgrounds (Horse Flats, Bandido, ChilaoFlats, Messenger Flats, and Lightning Ridge).Designated trails (e.g., the Pacific Crest Trail)also occur in the vicinity of occurrences. Fuelwood gathering at Mount Gleason is cited asa threat and off-highway vehicle activity is apotential threat at Mount Gleason and Mes-senger Flat.

It is unclear how this species responds todisturbance; discing adjacent to occurrences

montane conifer/yellow pine forests (AngelesNF 1995; Hickman 1993).

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Chapter 5at Messenger Flat in 1983 did not appear toincrease recruitment into the disturbed area(Mistretta and Brown 1987a). A prescribedburn at Horse Flats in October of the sameyear did not appear to negatively affect thespecies. Transect data gathered from 1982 to1987 showed a steady decline in species abun-dance (attributed to deer browsing) at theHorse Flats area.

The Angeles National Forest has devel-oped a species management guide foroccurrences on the forest (Mistretta and Brown1987a). The Jepson Manual lists this speciesas C. pruinosa and considers related species partof a highly variable complex that needs fur-ther study (including C. affinis and C.foliolosa).

Castilleja montigena(Heckard’s Indian paintbrush)

Castilleja montigena is a watch-list specieson the San Bernardino National Forest. Theperennial is locally common and endemic tothe eastern San Bernardino Mountains, whereit grows in pinyon-juniper woodlands andmontane coniferous forests. The species is pre-sumed to be a stable hybrid of C. applegateissp. martinii and C. angustifolia. Habitat whereit occurs may be vulnerable to ski area devel-opment and high-level recreation use.

Eriophyllum lanatum var. obovatum(southern Sierra woolly sunflower)

Eriophyllum lanatum var. obovatum is aperennial taxon distributed in the San Bernar-dino Mountains and southern Sierra Nevada.Numerous occurrences were documented inthe 1980s by herbarium specimens from theSan Bernardino National Forest. These occur-rences have not been mapped and we wereunable to include them in our GIS speciescoverage. In more recent years, sightings havebeen less frequent and there is concern thatthe plant is declining in abundance (A. Sand-ers, UC Riverside, pers. comm.). It typicallyoccupies open habitat in montane conifer for-ests. Occurrences are vulnerable to high levelsof recreation and development projects.

Galium angustifolium ssp. jacinticum(San Jacinto Mountains bedstraw)

Galium anustifolium ssp. jacinticum is aForest Service Sensitive Species. It occurs inthe Black Mountain area of the San JacintoMountains. It grows in the understory of co-niferous forests. Three occurrences arerecorded in the CNDDB. Some are foundnear campgrounds on the San BernardinoNational Forest and possibly in the Hall Can-yon RNA (Keeler-Wolf 1986a). This plant isvulnerable to trampling, tree harvesting, roadmaintenance, and high levels of recreation use,particularly from off-road vehicles.

Galium californicum ssp. primum(California bedstraw)

Galium californicum ssp. primum is a For-est Service Sensitive Species. It is a perennialspecies known from one occurrence and ninegeneral locations (CNDDB 1997). One re-ported occurrence, located on private landsnorthwest of the San Jacinto Mountains, ap-pears to be declining from “genetic swamping”by the more common G. nuttallii. Most oc-currences, however, are known from a smallarea of the San Jacinto Mountains. Several ofthese occurrences burned in the 1996 Bee Fireand were observed resprouting fifteen monthslater. New plants from seed have not yet beendetected (D. Volgarino, San Bernardino NF,pers. comm.). Plants typically grow on gra-nitic and sandy soil in chaparral and in theunderstory of conifer forests between 4,400and 5,600 feet.

Galium jepsonii (Jepson’s bedstraw)Galium jepsonii is an uncommon peren-

nial species found in the upper montaneconifer zones of the San Gabriel Mountainsand potentially in the San Bernardino Moun-tains. It occupies dry, granitic, rocky, andgravelly places in open woodlands. A smallamount of occupied habitat is recorded on theAngeles National Forest.

Antennaria marginata y unkn. unkn. San Bernardino Mtns., CO, NM;(white-margined everlasting) (low)

Astragalus bicristatus y p unkn. unkn. San Gabriel, San Bernardino, &(crested milk-vetch) Santa Rosa mtns.; (low) FS sensitive

Astragalus lentiginosus p y unkn. unkn. San Gabriel Mtns.; (low)var. antonius(San Antonio milk-vetch) FS sensitive

Castilleja gleasonii 13 mod.– W San Gabriel Mtns.(Mt. Gleason Ind. paintbrush) high FS sensitive

Castilleja montigena y unkn. E San Bernardino Mtns.(Heckard’s Indian paintbrush)

Eriophyllum lanatum y unkn. unkn. San Bernardino Mtns. & S Sierravar. obovatum Nevada; (low)(S. Sierra woolly sunflower)

Galium angustifolium y mod.– San Jacinto Mtns.ssp. jacinticum high(San Jacinto Mtns. bedstraw) FS sensitive

Galium californicum 29 decl. mod. San Jacinto Mtns.; (moderate)ssp. primum(California bedstraw) FS sensitive

Galium jepsonii p 1 unkn. unkn. San Gabriel Mtns.; (low)(Jepson’s bedstraw)

Galium johnstonii p y 8 unkn. unkn. San Gabriel, San Bernardino, & Santa(Johnston’s bedstraw) Rosa mtns.; (low)

Heuchera elegans p 7 unkn. San Gabriel Mtns.; (high)(urn-flowered alumroot)

Heuchera parishii y unkn. mod. San Bernardino & San Jacinto mtns.;(Parish’s alumroot) (low) FS sensitive

Horkelia wilderae 174 unkn. mod. San Bernardino Mtns.; (high)(Barton Flats horkelia) FS sensitive

Hulsea californica 100 stable low Laguna & Cuyamaca mtns. (San(San Diego sunflower) Diego Co.); (high)

Hulsea vestita ssp. y y San Jacinto & Santa Rosa mtns.callicarpha (Riverside Co.) & Palomar Mtns. (SD(beautiful hulsea) Co.) .


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

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○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Table 5.9. Rare plants found in montane conifer forests. Numerical values indicate acres of occupiedhabitat within congressional forest boundaries (y = the taxon occurs on the forest; p = has potential tooccur). Assessments of trend, knowledge of distribution, and vulnerability were made by forest botanists/biologists and generally refer to occurrences on national forest system lands (unkn. = unknown; decl. =declining; incr. = increasing).

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Ivesia callida 12 unkn. low San Jacinto Mtns.; (moderate)(Tahquitz ivesia) FS sensitive

Linanthus concinnus p y unkn. mod.– San Gabriel Mtns.; (high)(San Gabriel linanthus) high FS sensitive

Lupinus excubitus 1 San Gabriel Mtns.; (low)var. johnstonii(interior bush lupine)

Machaeranthera canescens y unkn. low Santa Rosa Mtns.; (high)var. ziegleri(Ziegler’s aster) FS sensitive

Mimulus clevelandii 3 low (low)(Cleveland’s bushmonkeyflower)

Monardella linoides 473 stable low Ventura, Kern, & Tulare cos., Sierrassp. oblonga to incr. Nevada, Tehachapi Mtns.; (low)(flax-like monardella) FS sensitive

Monardella nana 117 26 stable/ low1/ San Jacinto Mtns., Peninsular Rangesssp. leptosiphon decl. mod.2 of SD Co.; (high)(San Felipe monardella) FS sensitive

Oxytheca caryophylloides y p p? unkn. unkn. LA, Riverside, San Bernardino, Tulare,(chickweed oxytheca) & Ventura cos.; (unknown)

Oxytheca parishii y unkn. mod. E San Bernardino Mtns.; (moderate)var. cienegensis(Cienega Seca oxytheca) FS sensitive

Phlox dolichantha 12,774 unkn. low- NE San Bernardino Mtns.; (high)(Big Bear Valley phlox) mod. FS sensitive

Piperia leptopetala y unkn. low Transverse & Peninsular ranges,Sierra Nevada, North Coast, CascadeRanges; (low)

Sedum niveum 24 unkn. low San Bernardino, Santa Rosa, & New(Davidson’s stonecrop) York mtns., Baja; (moderate) FS sensitive

Senecio ionophyllus y 2 unkn. low LA, San Bernardino, & Kern cos. (San(Tehachapi ragwort) Gabriel & San Bernardino mtns., Piute

& Tehachapi mtns.); (low)

Sidalcea hickmanii y p 397 unkn. high2/ Santa Lucia, San Rafael, & Sierravar. parishii mod.

3Madre mtns., southern Los Padres

(Parish’s checkerbloom) region, San Bernardino Mtns.; FS sensitive (moderate)

Streptanthus bernardinus 1 y p incr. low S. Gabriel, S. Bernardino, S. Jacinto,(Laguna Mtns. jewel-flower) Laguna & Cuyamaca mtns.; (high)


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

1 on the Cleveland National Forest2 on the San Bernardino National Forest3 on the Los Padres National Forest

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

266

Figure 5.10. Documented locations of Astragalus lentiginosus var. antonius (San Antonio milk-vetch) andCastilleja gleasonii (Mount Gleason Indian paintbrush).

Galium johnstonii(Johnston’s bedstraw)

Galium johnstonii is another perennialbedstraw found in the montane conifer zonesof the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, and SantaRosa mountains. The species is locally com-mon at Santa Rosa Peak (Reiser 1994). It hasbeen found on dry slopes in open mixed hard-wood and conifer forest, and in yellow pineforest. Potential habitat exists in the San Di-ego ranges but the taxon has not beendocumented on the Cleveland National For-est. Occurrences are known on the SanBernardino and Angeles national forests.

Heuchera elegans(urn-flowered alumroot)

Heuchera elegans is a watch-list speciesfound in Los Angeles and San Bernardinocounties. Occurrences are not uncommon inthe central San Gabriel Mountains (S. Boyd,Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, pers.comm.). Occupied habitat is recorded on theAngeles National Forest and potential habitatexists on the San Bernardino National Forest.The perennial grows at rocky sites in lowerand upper montane conifer forests, between4,000 and 8,500 feet (Angeles NF 1995).

267

Chapter 5Heuchera parishii (Parish’s alumroot)

Heuchera parishii is a Forest Service Sensi-tive Species. It is a perennial species knownfrom occurrences in the San Bernardino andSan Jacinto mountains. RAREFIND containsrecords for five occurrences (CNDDB 1997),but additional occurrences have been observedby resource personnel on the San BernardinoNational Forest. The plant occupies rockyplaces within montane and subalpine coniferforests, as well as alpine boulder and rockfields. Some occurrences are protected in theSan Gorgonio and San Jacinto wilderness ar-eas. One occurrence is threatened by ski areadevelopment.

Horkelia wilderae(Barton Flats horkelia)

Horkelia wilderae is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species. It is endemic to the Barton Flatsarea of the San Bernardino Mountains, whereit is locally abundant in a 12- square-mile area.The CNDDB contains records for five occur-rences. Plants are found in montane andsubalpine habitats. They grow in yellow pine/oak forest in the understory and in openingsand are not found where the canopy and othervegetation become dense. A few occurrencesidentified almost ten years ago have not beenrelocated and the vegetation in these areas hasbecome noticeably denser (M. Lardner, SanBernardino NF, in litt. 1998). Habitat in theBarton Flats area is vulnerable to high levelsof recreation use; however, the occurrencesappear stable. The perennial appears to toler-ate some disturbance and light trampling.

Hulsea californica(San Diego sunflower)

Hulsea californica is a rare, annual or bi-ennial sunflower known from the PeninsularRanges of San Diego County. Occurrences aredocumented at Hot Springs Mountain and inthe Laguna and Cuyamaca mountains(Wilken 1975). Appearing in open areas afterfires and mild ground disturbances, the spe-cies grows in chaparral and pine-oakwoodlands between 3,200 and 6,600 feet.Many of the known occurrences are located

on the Cleveland National Forest. Other oc-currences are located on state and privatelands. Increased recreation use in the LagunaMountains may affect habitat for this species.Fire suppression may also have adverse affects,as the species appears to rely on natural firecycles for regeneration (Reiser 1994). Occur-rences at Hot Springs Mountain appear tointergrade with H. vestita ssp. callicarpha.

Hulsea vestita ssp. callicarpha(beautiful hulsea)

Hulsea vestita ssp. callicarpha is knownfrom at least fifteen different occurrences inthe San Jacinto, Santa Rosa, and Palomarmountains (Wilken 1975). Plants are knownto occur on the San Bernardino and Cleve-land national forests. The perennial grows ongranitic soils, in chaparral and in open areasof montane conifer forest between 4,200 and8,200 feet. Some occurrences are found onroadcuts. Hybrids of this taxon and H.heterochroma have been collected in the SanJacinto Mountains.

Ivesia callida (Tahquitz ivesia)Ivesia callida is a Forest Service Sensitive

Species. It is a perennial species endemic tothe San Jacinto Mountains. The CNDDBcontains records for two occurrences, bothlocated in the San Jacinto Wilderness Area ofthe San Bernardino National Forest. A botani-cal investigation was completed for this speciesin 1982 (Berg 1982). The investigation foundthat one occurrence occupied five acres andcontained between 1,001 and 10,000 plants.The second occurrence covered twenty acresand was estimated to contain greater than10,000 plants. This second occurrence wasrevisited in 1994 and just over 150 plants werefound, although the entire site was not sur-veyed due to the ruggedness of the terrain.Both occurrences are located in relatively in-accessible rocky habitat within upper montaneconifer forest. Plants grow from crevices ingranitic rocks and are vulnerable to the ac-tivities of rock climbers who use the crevicesfor hand and toe holds.

268

Linanthus concinnus(San Gabriel linanthus)

Linanthus concinnus is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species. It is an annual species distributedin Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.Occurrences are found in the San GabrielMountains on dry, rocky soils in montaneconifer forests (Skinner and Pavlik 1994;Munz 1974). The CNDDB lists fifteen oc-currences, most on the Angeles National Forestgrowing with Jeffrey and ponderosa pine. Po-tential habitat exists on the San BernardinoNational Forest. The species is vulnerable tohigh levels of recreation use (i.e., tramplingand ski area development). Surveys to locatethis species in 1991 were unsuccessful.

Machaeranthera canescens var. ziegleri(Ziegler’s aster)

Machaeranthera canescens var. ziegleri is aForest Service Sensitive Species. It is foundonly in the Santa Rosa Mountains of River-side County. The CNDDB contains recordsfor two occurrences, both within the congres-sional boundaries of the San BernardinoNational Forest. These occurrences may belocated partly on private lands and partly inthe Santa Rosa Wilderness Area. Very littlepotential habitat exists outside of this area asthe Santa Rosa Mountains are surrounded bydesert and desert-influenced vegetation. TheForest Service is actively trying to acquire moreland with potential habitat for this taxon.Plants are widely scattered in the understoryof small conifer stands between 4,500 and8,200 feet elevation. Some plants are locatedalong roads and adjacent to campsites, possi-bly indicating a positive response to grounddisturbance. However, high levels of tram-pling, road grading, and livestock grazing mayput occurrences at risk. The perennial may alsobe vulnerable to repeated wildfire events dueto its very limited distribution.

Monardella linoides ssp. oblonga(flax-like monardella)

Monardella linoides ssp. oblonga is a For-est Service Sensitive Species. It is a perennial

taxon distributed in Ventura, Kern, and Tularecounties. Occurrences are known from thesouthern Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi moun-tains and the southern Los Padres region.Plants grow among rock outcrops and on de-composed granite in mixed conifer forests,yellow pine forests, pinyon-juniper woodlands,and desert scrub habitat. The CNDDB con-tains records for ten occurrences, all onnational forest system lands. Nine of the oc-currences are found on the Los Padres NationalForest and more potential habitat exists thathas yet to be surveyed. The known occurrencesappear to be stable or increasing in size. Thistaxon is known to respond positively to wild-fire events; however, some occurrences arevulnerable to road/trail maintenance and off-road vehicle activity.

Monardella nana ssp. leptosiphon(San Felipe monardella).

Monardella nana ssp. leptosiphon is a For-est Service Sensitive Species. It is found inchaparral, mixed conifer forest, and yellowpine forest in the San Jacinto Mountains andPeninsular Ranges of San Diego County (Skin-ner and Pavlik 1994; Munz 1974). TheCNDDB contains records on eleven occur-rences in the mountains of San Diego Countyand additional occurrences are known fromthe San Jacinto Mountains. Altogether, an es-timated twenty-five occurrences are reportedby forest botanists/biologists.

Studies on plants in the San Jacinto Moun-tains indicate they are intermediate to M. nanassp. tenuiflora to the north and M. nana ssp.leptosiphon to the south. Occurrences are lo-cated in an area of high recreation use (i.e.,adjacent to campsites and campgrounds) butdo not appear heavily affected. The plant hasshown some resilience to woodcutting, fire,and low-level ground disturbance. About tenpopulations are recorded for the PalomarRanger District of the Cleveland NationalForest. Occurrences reported from PalomarMountain may be another taxon or interme-diate. Plants from Hot Springs Mountain,Volcan Mountain, and Banner Grade seem to

269

Chapter 5better represent M. nana ssp. leptosiphon,rather than those from Palomar Mountain(Allen 1994).

Oxytheca caryophylloides(chickweed oxytheca)

Oxytheca caryophylloides is an annual spe-cies distributed in Los Angeles, Riverside, SanBernardino, Tulare, and Ventura counties(Skinner and Pavlik 1994). Plants grow onsandy soils in montane conifer forests betweenelevations of 3,900 and 8,500 feet. Occur-rences are known on the San BernardinoNational Forest and potential habitat occurs onthe Angeles and Los Padres national forests.

Oxytheca parishii var. cienegensis(Cienega Seca oxytheca)

Oxytheca parishii var. cienegensis is a For-est Service Sensitive plant that occurs in theeastern San Bernardino Mountains. Nineteenoccurrences have been inventoried on the SanBernardino National Forest. One occurrencenear Coon Creek contained more than onethousand plants in 1990. Another located onthe south side of Cienega Seca Creek containedapproximately twenty plants in the same year.A third occurrence found along Highway 38near Cienega Seca Creek had no plants visiblein 1990; however, basal rosettes were observedat the site ten years earlier (Ertter 1990). Oneoccurrence is known from the Tip Top Moun-tain area. The annual grows in sandy soils(carbonate or granitic) and on dry gravellybanks in upper montane coniferous forest andpinyon-juniper woodlands. Some occurrencesare found in relatively open or disturbedplaces, either from past human disturbance orseasonal natural disturbances. Plants have beenfound along roadsides, along trails, and adja-cent to campsites. Plants found in associationwith carbonate soils are vulnerable to miningactivities. The taxon blooms relatively late inthe year and is probably not well inventoried(M. Lardner, San Bernardino NF, pers.comm.).

Phlox dolichantha(Big Bear Valley phlox)

Phlox dolichantha is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species. It is a perennial species endemicto Big Bear and Holcomb valleys in the north-eastern San Bernardino Mountains. It growson clay soils in open areas of montane coniferforest (particularly on north-facing slopes andin shaded canyons). The CNDDB documentsat least eighteen occurrences, some located onprivate lands but the majority found on theSan Bernardino National Forest. One occur-rence near Aspen Glen picnic area showed a278 percent increase in abundance from 1979to 1995. Another occurrence at Sugarloaf isprotected by fencing but vandalism is a regu-lar threat. The species is adversely affected byfuelwood harvesting, unauthorized off-roadvehicle activity, and high levels of recreationuse. The large number of acres reported for thisspecies is due to areas between discrete occur-rences being included in the GIS coverage.

Piperia leptopetalaPiperia leptopetala is a watch-list plant on

the San Bernardino National Forest, where twooccurrences are known. Occurrences are alsoknown on the Eldorado National Forest. Thespecies is widespread in California, with popu-lations found in the Transverse and Peninsularranges, the Sierra Nevada, and the North Coastand Cascade ranges. Its distribution may con-tinue northward to Washington. Mostoccurrences are small, usually fewer than tenplants, with the largest containing thirty plants(Coleman 1995). The species grows at dry sitesin open mixed conifer and montane coniferforests. One occurrence on the San Bernar-dino National Forest is threatened byconstruction of a water tank. Occurrences inother areas are potentially threatened by tim-ber harvesting.

Sedum niveum (Davidson’s stonecrop)In the assessment area, Sedum niveum is

known from occurrences in the San Bernar-dino and Santa Rosa mountains. Otheroccurrences are reported in the New York

270

Mountains within the Mojave Desert. Plantsreported to be this species are documented atObservatory Peak, in the Sierra San PedroMartir (Baja California, Mexico); however,they differ in morphology, petal spot color,and chromosome number (Bennett 1979b).In the Santa Rosa Mountains, plants are foundon Toro Peak and Santa Rosa Mountain. Inthe San Bernardino Mountains, occurrencesare found at Sugarloaf and Charleston peaks,on the south side of Van Dusen Canyon, aboveDry Canyon, at Snow Canyon, and aboveDollar Lake (Krantz, Thorne, and Sanders1995). Some occurrences on the San Bernar-dino National Forest are located in wildernessareas or are otherwise protected from vehiclesand trampling by their habitat preferences;plants grow on rocky ledges and in crevicescomposed of granitic or carbonate substrates,on steep, north-facing slopes between 7,200and 9,900 feet elevation. Some occurrencesare reported from northeast- or northwest-fac-ing slopes, but in these cases are shaded byrocks. Surrounding habitat consists of uppermontane conifer forest with lodgepole pine,pinyon pine, or white fir. S. niveum appearsto thrive on the leaf mold provided by fallenpine needles (Bennett 1979b). Some occur-rences on the forest have potential to beaffected by mining claims and ski area expan-sion. Further surveys are needed to determinea more complete distribution for this speciesand any potential threats on national forestsystem lands (D. Volgarino, San BernardinoNF, in litt. 1999).

Senecio ionophyllus(Tehachapi ragwort)

Senecio ionophyllus is a watch-list specieson the San Bernardino National Forest. Oc-currences are known from Los Angeles, SanBernardino, and Kern counties. In the assess-ment area, the species occurs in the San Gabrieland San Bernardino mountains, includingpopulations on the Angeles and San Bernar-dino national forests. Other occurrences areknown in the Piute and Tehachapi mountains.Plants are found growing on dry, granitic soils

within montane conifer and subalpine forestsbetween 4,900 and 8,900 feet elevation. Oc-currences in the San Bernardino Mountainscan be confused with Senecio bernardinus, an-other focal species. Potential threats to thisplant are developed recreation sites and ski areaexpansions.

Sidalcea hickmanii var. parishii(Parish’s checkerbloom)

Sidalcea hickmanii var. parishii is a ForestService Sensitive Species. It occurs on the LosPadres and San Bernardino national forests.Occurrences are known from the Santa Lucia,San Rafael, and Sierra Madre mountains, thesouthern Los Padres ranges region, and the SanBernardino Mountains (Santa Ana River wa-tershed). The CNDDB contains records forthirteen occurrences, and at least two otheroccurrences are known. A range extension forthis taxon was discovered during post-burnsurveys in San Luis Obispo in 1997. A peren-nial plant, it grows in chaparral and montaneconifer habitat between 4,000 and 7,500 feet(Munz 1974; Skinner and Pavlik 1994). Itappears to be disturbance oriented; plants arefound after fire and reportedly on grazed andmaintained fuel breaks on the Los Padres Na-tional Forest. An occurrence on the SanBernardino National Forest is located in anarea of recent trail construction. In general,the plant is rarely found and seldom in thesame locations. On private lands the taxon isvulnerable to development projects whichdestroy its habitat. On the San Bernardino Na-tional Forest there is potential for erosion andencroachment of brush to affect occurrences.Management of this plant on the Los PadresNational Forest is guided by an existing spe-cies-specific conservation strategy (USFS/USFWS 1996).

Streptanthus bernardinus(Laguna Mountains jewel-flower)

Streptanthus bernardinus is a perennial spe-cies distributed mainly within the San Gabriel,San Bernardino, San Jacinto, and Santa Rosamountains, and to a lesser extent on LagunaMountain. The CNDDB contains records for

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Chapter 5

Arabis parishii (Parish’s rock cress)Arabis parishii is a Forest Service Sensitive

Species known from the San BernardinoMountains. Occurrences are found on the SanBernardino National Forest at Onyx Peak,Sugarloaf Ridge, Big Bear Valley, HolcombValley, and Coxey Meadows. The CNDDBcontains records for at least forty-five occur-rences. The species is a predictable occupantof pebble plains but also grows in other habi-tats that are dry, sunny, and have rocky soils(carbonate, pinyon-juniper woodlands) (Munz1974; CNDDB 1996; S. Boyd, Rancho SantaAna Botanic Garden, pers. comm.). The spe-cies is found with other rare plants such asLinanthus killipii and Echinocereus engelmanniimunzii. Some of the pebble plain occurrencesare protected by fencing. The species is notprotected where it occurs in the forest under-story or on carbonate and, at some locations,is adversely affected by habitat conversion,trampling, non-native species, mining opera-tions, off-road vehicles, woodcutting,dumping, and shooting activities.

Arenaria ursina(Big Bear Valley sandwort)

Arenaria ursina is a federally threatenedspecies known from occurrences in Big Bearand Holcomb valleys (fig. 5.11). The CNDDBcontains records for at least twenty-five occur-rences; however, the reported range (fromOnyx Peak to Cactus Flat) was recently re-duced after surveys identified some of thoseoccurrences as Arenaria macradenia var.macradenia. Some occurrences on the San Ber-nardino National Forest are fenced, althoughvandalism is a recurring problem. Other oc-currences continue to be affected by off-roaddriving—mainly to access unauthorized wood-cutting areas—and by legal forest system roadsthat bisect known sites. Several additional lo-cations will be fenced in 1999, and alloccurrences are being surveyed and monitored

nine occurrences and twenty-seven general lo-cations. Additional occurrences are known onthe San Bernardino National Forest but notyet recorded in the GIS database. Occurrenceson the San Bernardino National Forest are rela-tively large and appear to be increasing in size(e.g., at Running Springs and Green Valley).A few occurrences are protected within re-search natural areas on the San BernardinoNational Forest and at the UC James Reserve.Two small occurrences and several larger onesare found in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park (atCuyamaca Peak) adjacent to the ClevelandNational Forest. The species is rare on theCleveland National Forest; it grows with ce-dar and Jeffrey pine on the Descanso RangerDistrict (about one acre of occupied habitat).A botanical investigation was unable to locateany plants on the Angeles National Forest. Po-tential habitat exists for the species in areas ofBaja California, Mexico.

The species is found on granitic substratesin openings of chaparral, closed-cone coniferforests, mixed conifer forests, yellow pine for-ests, and at previously disturbed sites. It canalso occupy mesic and shady streamsides(CNDDB 1996). The species is often associ-ated with white fir, sugar pine, incense-cedar,and black oak. At the Cuyamaca Peak locale,the plant occurs in areas of partial shade nearseeps or springs (Reiser 1994). Prolongedground disturbance can adversely affect thespecies; however, it appears to be disturbanceoriented in general, having been found in pic-nic areas, campgrounds, abandonedorganizational camps, and along roadsides andtrails. The species is relatively abundant andtolerant of disturbance.

Pebble Plains Plants

Six rare plants are associated with highlylocalized pebble plain habitats which occurwithin montane conifer forests in the north-eastern San Bernardino Mountains. Some ofthese taxa also occur in the surrounding coni-fer forests. Summary information is shown intable 5.10. Three federally threatened speciesare included in this group. All of these species

are managed by provisions in the Pebble PlainHabitat Management Guide and Action Plan(Neel and Barrows 1990).

272

Arabis parishii y unkn. mod. NE San Bernardino Mtns.; (high)(Parish’s rock cress) FS sensitive

Arenaria ursina 780 decl. high NE San Bernardino Mtns.; (high)(Big Bear Valley sandwort) federally threatened

Castilleja cinerea 1,122 decl. high NE San Bernardino Mtns.; (high)(Ash-gray Indian paintbrush) federally threatened

Eriogonum kennedyi 910 decl. high NE San Bernardino Mtns.; (moderate)var. austromontanum(S. mountain buckwheat) federally threatened

Ivesia argyrocoma 1,158 decl. mod.– NE San Bernardino Mtns. & Baja;(silver-haired ivesia) high (high) FS sensitive

Linanthus killipii 316+ decl./ mod. NE San Bernardino Mtns.; (moderate)(Baldwin Lake linanthus) stable FS sensitive


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

Table 5.10. Rare plants found in association with pebble plains. Assessments of trend, knowledge ofdistribution, and vulnerability were made by forest botanists/biologists and generally refer to occurrences onnational forest system lands (decl. = declining; unkn. = unknown).

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Castilleja cinerea(ash-gray Indian paintbrush)

Castilleja cinerea is a federally listed threat-ened species known to occur on clay soils,pebble plains, in dry meadows, and in open-ings within conifer forest, pinyon-juniperwoodlands, and Mojavean desert scrub. Theplant is a green-root parasite on Eriogonumkennedyi var. austromontanum, Artemisiatridentata, and other Artemisias. Occurrencesrange between Snow Valley and Fish Camp,east to Onyx Peak, and from South ForkMeadows in the south to Holcomb Valley inthe north (fig. 5.11). Locally common withinthis area, occurrences are located on both pub-lic and private lands. At least thirty-three

to determine whether further recovery actionsare needed. Finally, some occurrences are lo-cated on private lands where they may beunprotected.

occurrences are recorded in the CNDDB(1997). Some are protected on the San Ber-nardino National Forest by fencing and bytheir presence within the San Gorgonio Wil-derness Area. Other occurrences on the forestmay be adversely affected by erosion controlpractices, a ski and mountain bike area, a hik-ing trailhead, and recreational residences.These effects are being reviewed and actionsto enhance the habitat will be initiated in 1999(D. Volgarino, San Bernardino NF, pers.comm.).

Eriogonum kennedyi var. austromontanum(southern mountain buckwheat)

Eriogonum kennedyi var. austromontanumis a federally threatened taxon known fromBig Bear and Holcomb valleys in the San Ber-nardino Mountains (fig. 5.11). The CNDDBcontains records for at least twenty-two oc-currences in this area. On the San Bernardino

273

Chapter 5

Figure 5.11. Documented locations of Arenaria ursina (Big Bear Valley sandwort), Castilleja cinerea (ash-gray Indian paintbrush), and Eriogonum kennedyi var. austromontanum (southern mountain buckwheat).

National Forest, the variety is one of the twomost restricted pebble plain taxa and one thatis strongly affected by activities on the forest.A few occurrences are protected by fencing,but roads bisect most of them and unautho-rized off-road driving is degrading the habitatand adversely affecting individual plants. Pa-trols have been initiated to protect habitat,additional fencing is planned for 1999, andoccurrences are being surveyed to determineadditional requirements for recovery. Thistaxon serves as the host plant for the hemi-parasitic Castilleja cinerea and one of the newlydescribed San Bernardino blue butterflies (twoof our focal species).

Ivesia argyrocoma (silver-haired ivesia)Ivesia argyrocoma is a Forest Service Sensi-

tive Species known from Big Bear andHolcomb valleys in the San Bernardino Moun-tains, where it appears to be declining fromhabitat loss. A disjunct occurrence, which maybe taxonomically distinct, is located near La-guna Hansen, Sierra Jaurez, in Baja California,Mexico. The species occurs in pebble plainsand alkaline meadows. The CNDDB containsrecords for at least twenty-four occurrences onboth public and private lands. One occurrenceis protected within a CDFG reserve north ofBaldwin Lake. On the San Bernardino Na-tional Forest some occurrences on pebble

274

Calochortus palmeri var. munzii(Munz’s mariposa lily)

Calochortus palmeri var. munzii is a ForestService Sensitive taxon known from seven oc-currences in the San Jacinto Mountains ofRiverside County. At least four of those oc-currences are located on the San BernardinoNational Forest. The perennial grows in mead-

plains are protected by fencing and severalmore will be fenced in 1999. One historic oc-currence on the forest is recorded for the RouseMeadows area. The species is noted as an earlypioneer in disturbed pebble plain habitat;plants have recently been observed recoloniz-ing water bars and old road beds within pebbleplain habitat.

Linanthus killipii(Baldwin Lake linanthus)

Linanthus killipii is a Forest Service Sensi-tive Species found in pebble plains, alkalinemeadows, and on dry slopes within pinyon-juniper woodlands, Joshua tree woodlands,and upper montane conifer forests. TheCNDDB documents at least fifteen occur-rences, the highest density of plants beingfound around Baldwin Lake. An additional100 acres of occupied habitat were mapped in1998, an El Nino wet year. These occurrencesare located on granitic and clay soils east ofBaldwin Lake on the San Bernardino NationalForest. At several locations, large areas werecompletely covered with this species. Previ-ously it appeared to be declining from habitatdegradation, mainly from dispersed campingand unauthorized vehicle activity, and severaloccurrences are fenced for protection.

Montane Meadow Plants

Plants Associated with Wet and DryMeadows

Twelve rare plants are associated with bothwet and dry meadow habitats within the as-sessment area. Summary information is shownin table 5.11. One federally endangered spe-cies is included in this group.

ows, seeps, and vernally moist places withinchaparral and conifer forest. Occurrences arevulnerable to overgrazing, trampling, fire sup-pression activities, road maintenance,development projects, and invasion of exoticspecies.

Calochortus palmeri var. palmeri(Palmer’s mariposa lily)

Calochortus palmeri var. palmeri is a For-est Service Sensitive Species. It is sparselydistributed across four national forests (Ange-les, San Bernardino, Los Padres, and Sequoia)and on BLM and private lands. At leasttwenty-two occurrences are known. Withinthe assessment area, the taxon occurs in theSan Bernardino, Santa Rosa, San Jacinto, SanGabriel, and San Rafael mountains, the SespeCreek area, and the La Panza Range. Plants inthe San Jacinto and Santa Rosa mountains,however, may prove to be C. palmeri var.munzii (another focal species). Occurrences arealso known in the Piute Mountains and atBreckenridge Mountain in Kern County. His-toric occurrences are known from theTehachapi Mountains. The plant appears tobe declining in abundance due to overgraz-ing, trampling, flooding, erosion, off-highwayvehicles, and development projects. Most ofthe impact from grazing occurs between Apriland August when the plant is flowering andsetting seed. Two occurrences are located inprotected areas—one on the San BernardinoNational Forest near Big Bear Lake, where itoccurs within a fenced meadow area, and theother in an area free of human disturbance onthe Los Padres National Forest. In addition tomeadows, the plant occurs in seeps and ver-nally moist areas within chaparral, mixedconifer forest, and yellow pine forest.

Calochortus striatus(alkali mariposa lily)

Calochortus striatus is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species. It grows in alkaline soils inmeadows, seeps, springs, and other mesicplaces within chaparral, creosote-bush scrub,chenopod scrub (saltbush/carex scrub), andriparian forest habitats between 2,600 and

Calochortus palmeri y unkn. mod.– San Jacinto Mtns.; (low)var. munzii high(Munz’s mariposa lily) FS sensitive

Calochortus palmeri y y 1 unkn./ mod.– San Bernardino, Santa Rosa, Sanvar. palmeri decl.1 high Jacinto, San Gabriel, & San Rafael(Palmer’s mariposa lily) mtns., La Panza Range, Piute Mtns. FS sensitive & Breckenridge Mtn (Kern Co.), h in

Tehachapi Mtns.; (low)

Calochortus striatus p p unkn. desert-side of San Bernardino Mtns.,(alkali mariposa lily) W Mojave Desert, NV; (low) FS sensitive

Castilleja lasiorhyncha h/p 103 stable mod.– San Bernardino Mtns., h in San (San Bernardino Mtns. high Cuyamaca mtns.; (low)owl’s-clover) FS sensitive

Downingia concolor p incr.2 Peninsular Ranges of SD Co.var. brevior (Cuyamaca Mtns.); (low) (Cuyamaca Lk. downingia) state endangered

Horkelia yadonii y Santa Lucia Ranges & southern Los(Santa Lucia horkelia) Padres region (Big Pine & Mission

Pine mtns.)

Layia ziegleri 175 unkn. low San Jacinto (Garner Valley) & Santa(Ziegler’s tidy-tips) Rosa mtns.; (high)

Machaeranthera asteroides 261 stable mod. Peninsular Ranges of San Diego Co.var. lagunensis (Laguna Mtns.), Baja (Rancho Las(Laguna Mtns. aster) Filipinas & Sierra San Pedro Martir); FS sensitive (moderate)

Mimulus exiguus y decl. mod. San Bernardino Mtns., N Baja (Sierra(San Bernardino Mtns. Juarez); (moderate)Monkeyflower) FS sensitive

Mimulus purpureus y decl. mod. San Bernardino Mtns., Baja (Sierra(purple monkeyflower) San Pedro Martir); (high) FS sensitive

Thelypodium stenopetalum 42 stable high San Bernardino Mtns.; (high)(slndr.-petaled thelypodium) federally endangered

Thermopsis californica 216 stable low Palomar, Laguna, & Cuyamacavar. semota mtns., Baja; (moderate)(velvety false lupine) FS sensitive


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Table 5.11. Rare plants found in wet and dry montane meadows. y = the taxon occurs on the forest; p =has potential to occur. Assessments of trend, knowledge of distribution, and vulnerability were made byforest botanists/biologists and generally refer to occurrences on national forest system lands (decl. = declining;unkn. = unknown; incr. = increasing).

1 Skinner and Pavlik 1994 (refers to all known occurrences)2 Reiser 1994 (refers to all known occurrences)

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

276

4,600 feet. Occurrences are known from thenorthern slopes of the San Bernardino Moun-tains (Krantz, Thorne, and Sanders 1995).These occurrences are vulnerable to overgraz-ing, invasion of exotic species, alteredhydrology (water extraction and pond devel-opment), road construction, and urbanization.Development of a mining plant in thesemountains reduced habitat on private lands,and construction of Highway 18 reduced habi-tat on the San Bernardino National Forest.One new occurrence was found in 1998 onnational forest system land along the proposedCleghorn off-highway vehicle route. Occur-rences are also reported for the desert side ofthe San Gabriel Mountains (Hickman 1993),although none are documented in theCNDDB. The CNDDB lists thirty-eight oc-currences and nine general locations in all forthis species, including the Kern River Preservein Kern County and Edward’s Air Force Basein Los Angeles County.

Castilleja lasiorhyncha(San Bernardino Mountains owl’s-clover)

Castilleja lasiorhyncha is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species. It is a hemiparasitic plantknown from at least thirty-six occurrences,primarily in the San Bernardino Mountains.The host of this plant is unknown. Two his-toric locations are recorded—in the SanJacinto Mountains and in Cuyamaca RanchoState Park in San Diego County. This annualplant typically grows at the edges of meadowsand along vernal streams in chaparral andmontane conifer forests, sometimes only in thedrying edges of the wet areas. Occurrencesappear stable, but the species is dependent onannual rainfall so fluctuations are normal.Habitat for this plant is affected by grounddisturbance that affects the hydrologic regime.The habitat is especially fragile when soils arewet in spring and early summer but less sowhen soils are dry in late summer and earlyfall. Some occurrences are located in a cattlegrazing allotment on the San Bernardino Na-tional Forest. Other occurrences on the forestare protected by fences. The species is vulner-

able to trampling, unauthorized off-road ve-hicles, development projects, roadmaintenance, erosion, and flooding.

Downingia concolor var. brevior(Cuyamaca Lake downingia)

Downingia concolor var. brevior is statelisted as endangered. It is known from sevenoccurrences in the Cuyamaca Lake area of SanDiego County. The annual is found inmeadow habitat now on the periphery ofCuyamaca Lake, a man-made reservoir. De-scribed as a montane variation of coastal vernalpools, the habitat has very moist soils in springthat dry out by late summer (Reiser 1994).The plant was in decline mainly due to over-grazing; however, after cattle were removedfrom meadows north of the lake, an estimatedseveral thousand plants flowered in 1988 (adrought year). In 1991 the same area was sub-merged under water that collected from springrainfall. Subsequent populations could be im-pacted if lake waters are allowed to remain highfor consecutive years (Reiser 1994).

The plant is included in a conservationagreement between the U.S. Fish and Wild-life Service, California Department of Fish andGame, state parks, the U.S. Forest Service, theLake Cuyamaca Recreation and Park District,and the Helix Water District (Helix Water Dis-trict et al. 1996). An estimated 80 percent ofthe known remaining populations are foundon land owned or managed by the Helix Wa-ter District and the Lake Cuyamaca Recreationand Park District. All known populations com-bined occupy less than two hundred acres;however, populations fluctuate based on an-nual rainfall, winter flooding, andtemperatures.

Horkelia yadonii (Santa Lucia horkelia)Horkelia yadonii is known from several

locations in the northern and southern SantaLucia Ranges, and in the vicinity of Big Pineand Mission Pine mountains in the southernLos Padres region (D. Wilken, Santa BarbaraBotanic Garden, in litt. 1998). Its presenceon the Los Padres National Forest is documented

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Chapter 5from herbarium specimens at Santa BarbaraBotanic Garden.

Layia ziegleri (Ziegler’s tidy-tips)Layia ziegleri is an annual plant known

from approximately fourteen occurrences inthe Garner Valley area of the San JacintoMountains. The CNPS Inventory and theJepson Manual treat it as a synonym of L.platyglossa, a common and highly variable spe-cies, and a study comparing the two taxa wasinconclusive (Baldwin 1993). L. ziegleri mayprove to be a subspecies but further researchis needed. The plant is managed under theprovisions of the National Forest ManagementAct. It occurs within active grazing allotmentsand also on private lands, some of which theForest Service is attempting to purchase. Po-tential threats at these sites include overgrazingand unauthorized off-road vehicle use, particu-larly during wet months.

Machaeranthera asteroides var. lagunensis(Laguna Mountains aster)

Machaeranthera asteroides var. lagunensis isa Forest Service Sensitive Species. A perennialplant, it is known primarily from the LagunaMountains of San Diego County, where itoccurs adjacent to meadows with black oakand Jeffrey pine. Its distribution extends south-ward into Baja California where the plantgrows in “chaparral and associated desert re-gions” and on “sandy or gravelly soils” (Turner1987). The plant has been collected at RanchoLas Filipinas and in the Sierra San PedroMartir. Five occurrences consisting of an esti-mated nine thousand to ten thousand plantsare documented on national forest system andprivate lands in the Wooded Hill/LagunaMeadow area of Laguna Mountain. Theseoccurrences occupy approximately51/2 square miles, centered near the junctionof Sunrise Highway and Morris Ranch Road.

A species management guide includingmanagement actions and guidelines wasadopted by the Cleveland National Forest in1992 because of the plant’s limited popula-tion size and threats occurring at that time toportions of its habitat (Winter and Volgarino

1992). Management activities on national for-est system lands within the range of this speciesinclude both dispersed and developed recre-ation, timber stand improvement andregeneration, grazing, and road maintenance.Based on field observations between 1980 and1996, the taxon appears stable throughout itsrange (K. Winter, Cleveland NF, pers. comm.).Livestock grazing is continuing in at least aportion of its known habitat and the long-termeffects are unclear. Monitoring to determinethe effects of grazing was proposed for theWooded Hill area and a grazing exclosure wasplaced at the site but so far results have beeninconclusive. Grazing during fall months ap-pears to be the most detrimental toregeneration of this taxon. Observations inother areas indicate the plant is somewhat dis-turbance oriented; it appears in the openingscreated by road and utility line maintenanceand the clearing of pines and diseased trees. Italso appears to respond favorably to broad-cast burning, although changes in plantdensity after fire have not been fully deter-mined. The use of salt on the Sunrise Highwayputs this taxon and other native plants at riskfrom salt accumulation in the soil. Unautho-rized vehicle use has occurred in habitat knownto harbor this taxon and one small area alongMorris Ranch Road was fenced in 1986 toprevent disturbance from recreation activities.A botanical report was completed for M.lagunensis populations on the Descanso RangerDistrict, Cleveland National Forest (Sprouland Beachamp 1979).

Mimulus exiguus(San Bernardino Mountains monkeyflower)

Mimulus exiguus is a Forest Service Sensi-tive Species. A tiny annual plant, it is knownfrom approximately thirteen occurrences inBig Bear and Holcomb valleys in the San Ber-nardino Mountains. Eight of the occurrencesare located on the San Bernardino NationalForest. One occurrence is reported from north-ern Baja California (Sierra de Juarez) but needsconfirmation. The plant grows primarily inmesic places within yellow pine forests

278

Thermopsis californica var. semota(velvety false lupine)

Thermopsis californica var. semota is a For-est Service Sensitive Species. It is known fromthe Palomar and Laguna mountains and BajaCalifornia, Mexico. About fifty occurrencesare known, some relatively well protected onstate and federal lands. Occurrences are re-corded primarily in meadows within montaneconifer forests and other areas with vernallymoist soils (e.g., at Cuyamaca Lake and La-guna Meadow). The taxon has been found inlesser abundance in grasslands and sandy scrubhabitats. Livestock reportedly find the peren-nial unpalatable and it appears tolerant of milddisturbances.

(i.e., meadows, vernal seeps, and springs) butsometimes occurs on pebble plains (Neel andBarrows 1990). Some occurrences on the SanBernardino National Forest are protected byfencing, but occurrences in unprotected areasappear to be declining. Little is known aboutthe ecological requirements of this species;however, observations indicate that it may tol-erate limited disturbance (Neel and Barrows1990). Natural disturbances brought on bystreamflows and frost heave may be an im-portant component of the habitat for thisspecies. Occurrences are vulnerable to tram-pling, unauthorized off-road vehicle activity,development projects, and mining.

Mimulus purpureus(purple monkeyflower)

Mimulus purpureus is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species. It is known from elevenoccurrences in the Big Bear and Holcomb val-leys of the San Bernardino Mountains. Thereis also one known location in the Sierra SanPedro Martir of Baja California, Mexico. Inaddition to meadows, the species occurs inmoist, sandy openings in yellow pine forestand pinyon-juniper woodland, and on theedges of pebble plains. The ecological require-ments of this species are poorly understoodbut it appears to tolerate some disturbance andconsistently occupies open areas of forest habi-tat that have low accumulations of leaf litter(Neel and Barrows 1990). One occurrence inBelleville Meadow of Holcomb Valley is pro-tected by fencing. In some areas, this speciesappears to be declining due to habitat degra-dation from development projects,unauthorized off-road vehicles, overgrazing,trampling, mining activities, and parking thatoccurs along roadways and turnouts.

Thelypodium stenopetalum(slender-petaled thelypodium)

Thelypodium stenopetalum is a federallyand state-listed endangered species endemicto the San Bernardino Mountains. Occur-rences are found in wet meadows and swalesin Big Bear and Holcomb valleys, and near

the shore of Baldwin Lake (fig. 5.12). Habitatfor the species has been reduced by an esti-mated 85 percent following construction ofthe Big Bear Lake reservoir and subsequentlakeshore development (USFWS 1984). Sixextant occurrences are known, one on the SanBernardino National Forest at BellevilleMeadow in Holcomb Valley. This occurrencehas been monitored for the last nine years andappears to be increasing in size, covering anestimated twelve acres in 1998. Prospecting,digging, dry washing, and an unauthorizedtrail through the meadow are factors affectingplants at this site; however, additional signinghas been installed and patrols have been in-creased to protect the area. A recovery planwas completed for this species by the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service (USFWS 1998b). Apopulation on the north side of Baldwin Lakeis protected by the California Department ofFish and Game. This species is a larval foodplant for another focal species, the Andrew’smarble butterfly (Euchloe hyantis andrewsi),and monitoring of their relationship has oc-curred at Baldwin Lake (Krantz 1990).

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Chapter 5

Arenaria paludicola (marsh sandwort)Arenaria paludicola is a federally and state-

listed endangered species. The perennial isthought to be nearly extinct, known from justone extant occurrence on private land in theNipomo Mesa area of San Luis ObispoCounty. This occurrence consisted of tenplants in 1988, three plants in 1992 (USFWS1993c), and fewer than twenty plants in 1993.

Figure 5.12. Documented locations of Thelypodium stenopetalum (slender-petaled thelypodium).

Appropriate habitat occurs in marshes,swamps, and possibly wet meadows, where thespecies grows up through dense cover of othermesic plants such as cattails, rushes, andsedges. Historically it was known from scat-tered collections in low-elevation habitat fromSan Bernardino County north to Washington.One historic occurrence is reported from pri-vate land adjacent to the San BernardinoNational Forest; however, there are no con-firmed occurrences on any of the four southernCalifornia forests. The species is threatened byloss of its wetland habitat, alteration of thehydrology, urban development, competitionwith alien plant species, and stochastic (random)

Plants of Wet Meadows

Fifteen rare plants are associated with wetmeadows and other vernally moist habitatswithin the assessment area. Summary infor-mation is shown in table 5.12. Four federallyendangered species are included in this group.

Arenaria paludicola p decl. h in San Bernardino Mtns. & north to(marsh sandwort) WA, extant in SLO Co. federally endangered

Botrychium crenulatum y p unkn. unkn. CA (San Bernardino & LA cos.), OR,(scalloped moonwort) ID, Montana, and UT; (low) FS sensitive

Delphinium hesperium 43 y stable mod. Peninsular Ranges of SD Co. (Lagunassp. cuyamacae & Cuyamaca mtns.) & San Jacinto(Cuyamaca larkspur) Mtns.; (low) FS sensitive

Grindelia hirsutula 61 stable low Peninsular Ranges of SD Co. (Lagunavar. hallii & Cuyamaca mtns.); (moderate)(San Diego gumplant) FS sensitive

Helianthus nuttallii h/p extinct? possibly extinct, h in San Bernardino,ssp. parishii LA, & Orange cos.; (low)(Los Angeles sunflower)

Juncus duranii y unkn. San Gabriel, San Bernardino, & San(Duran’s rush) Jacinto mtns.; (unkn.)

Lewisia brachycalyx p y San Bernardino Mtns., Peninsular(short-sepaled lewisia) Ranges of SD Co., Baja, UT, AZ, NM;

(moderate)

Lilium parryi 11 429 12 unkn./ mod.4/ San Gabriel, San Bernardino, San

(lemon lily) decl.2

high5

Jacinto, Volcan, & Palomar mtns., AZ FS sensitive (Santa Rita & Huachaca mtns.),

Sonora, Mexico; (high)

Limnanthes gracilis 159 decl./ mod. Palomar & Laguna mtns. (Peninsularssp. parishii stable Ranges of SD Co.), Santa Rosa(Parish’s meadowfoam) Plateau (sw Riverside Co.); (high) state endang./FS sensitive

Malaxis monophyllos 1 p unkn. mod. San Bernardino Mtns. & CO (Rockyssp. brachypoda Mtns.), h in San Jacinto Mtns.; (low)(adder’s-mouth) FS sensitive

Navarretia peninsularis p y y? p stable1 high from Tehachapi Mtns. S to Baja (SD,(Baja navarretia) San Bern., Sta. Barbara, & Kern cos.) FS sensitive San Bern. Mtns., Peninsular Ranges

of SD Co (Cuyamaca Mtns.); (low)

Perideridia parishii 29 decl. low San Bernardino Mtns., AZ, NM, & NV;ssp. parishii (moderate)(Parish’s yampah)

Poa atropurpurea y 63 stable/ mod.5/ San Bernardino Mtns., Palomar &(San Bernardino blue grass) decl.3 high4 Laguna mtns. (Peninsular Ranges federally endangered of SD Co.; (high)

Sidalcea pedata 1 incr./ mod. San Bernardino Mtns.; (high)(bird-footed checkerbloom) decl.6 federally endangered

Taraxacum californicum 51 decl. high NE San Bernardino Mtns.; (moderate)(California dandelion) federally endangered


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

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○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Table 5.12. Rare plants found in wet montane meadows. y = the taxon occurs on the forest; p = haspotential to occur. Assessments of trend, knowledge of distribution, and vulnerability were made by forestbotanists/biologists and generally refer to occurrences on national forest system lands (decl. = declining;unkn. = unknown; incr. = increasing).

1 Reiser 1994 (refers to all known occurrences)2 unknown in general, however declining significantly at Big Cienega Springs in the San Gabriel Mountains3 stable in southern part of range, possibly declining in northern part of range4 on the San Bernardino National Forest5 on the Cleveland National Forest6 increasing on the San Bernardino National Forest, declining on private lands

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

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Chapter 5extinction by virtue of the limited number ofindividuals that remain (USFWS 1993c).

Botrychium crenulatum(scalloped moonwort)

Botrychium crenulatum is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species found at a number of scat-tered locations throughout California and alsoin Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and Utah. TheCNDDB lists eight occurrences in California.In the assessment area, occurrences are knownfrom San Bernardino and Los Angeles coun-ties. Plants are documented on the SanBernardino National Forest and suitable habi-tat exists on the Angeles National Forest. Thespecies is uncommon despite occupying a widerange of habitats including in grassy fields,meadows and other mesic places, along streamsor in shaded areas of montane coniferous for-est, and on slopes among shrubs. The factorswhich limit its abundance and distribution arelargely unknown; however, all species ofBotrychium are known to have mycorrhizalrequirements. In addition, plants are highlyvariable and difficult to identify because spe-cies of Botrychium may occur in mixedpopulations. B. crenulatum is vulnerable totrampling, overgrazing, timber harvesting, andchanges in hydrologic regimes.

Delphinium hesperium ssp. cuyamacae(Cuyamaca larkspur)

Delphinium hesperium ssp. cuyamacae is aForest Service Sensitive Species. Approxi-mately fifty large populations occur within theLaguna and Cuyamaca mountains of San Di-ego County. Historic occurrences, as well asone more recent occurrence, are known fromthe San Jacinto Mountains of RiversideCounty. The recent occurrence was notedduring an ecological survey for the CahuillaMountain RNA (Keeler-Wolf 1986b). Thisoccurrence is located near an area that burnedin the 1996 Diego Fire and its current statusis unknown. Most of the occurrences in SanDiego County are managed under a conser-vation agreement between the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service, California Department ofFish and Game, state parks, the U.S. Forest

Service, the Lake Cuyamaca Recreation andPark District, and the Helix Water District(Helix Water District et al. 1996). However,this agreement formally expired in August1999. In addition to meadow habitat, the pe-rennial grows in open shrub lands and appearsto be associated with gabbro-derived soils.

Grindelia hirsutula var. hallii(San Diego gumplant)

Grindelia hirsutula var. hallii is a ForestService Sensitive Species. It is known fromoccurrences in wet meadow and vernal springhabitat in the Laguna and Cuyamaca moun-tains of San Diego County. Plants grow onsandy or clay soils in mesic places within chap-arral, valley-foothill grassland, and open pine/oak woodland (Skinner and Pavlik 1994).Occurrences are known on the ClevelandNational Forest, at Cuyamaca Rancho StatePark, and on private lands. They are foundwith coast live oak on Guatay Mountain, andwith Jeffrey pine and black oak in the Lagu-nas (CNDDB 1996). Changes to the surfacehydrology of meadow habitat is a potentialthreat due to road projects and off-highwayvehicles. The species appears to be tolerant ofsome ground disturbance (e.g., fire and lowlevels of grazing and grading).

Helianthus nuttallii ssp. parishii(Los Angeles sunflower)

Helianthus nuttallii ssp. parishii is a pe-rennial taxon presumed to be extinct. TheCNDDB contains historical records for sevenoccurrences in Los Angeles, Orange, and SanBernardino counties. Plants were known tooccupy freshwater and coastal salt marshes, wetmeadows, and other continuously wet places,from sea level to 5,500 feet (Niehaus 1977).One historic occurrence is known frommarshy, riparian habitat near Seven Oaks alongthe Santa Ana River on the San BernardinoNational Forest. Despite the lack of recentlyknown occurrences, the San Bernardino andAngeles national forests maintain this planton their watch lists.

282

Juncus duranii (Duran’s rush)

Juncus duranii is an uncommon perennialrush known from the Big Bear Valley and SanGorgonio Wilderness Area in the San Bernar-dino Mountains. Other occurrences are foundin the San Gabriel and San Jacinto mountains.There are no records for this species in theCNDDB and little is known about its distri-bution. Occurrences on the San BernardinoNational Forest are found in wet meadowswithin the montane conifer and subalpinezones.

Lewisia brachycalyx(short-sepaled lewisia)

Lewisia brachycalyx occurs in the San Ber-nardino Mountains, the San Diego ranges,Baja California, Utah, Arizona, and NewMexico. Occurrences are found in wet mead-ows within montane coniferous forests. Onthe San Bernardino National Forest, the spe-cies occurs in Big Bear and Holcomb valleysand the Snow Valley area and may be affectedby high levels of recreation use. Potential habi-tat exists on the Cleveland National Forest.

Lilium parryi (lemon lily)Lilium parryi is a Forest Service Sensitive

Species. It is distributed in the San Gabriel,San Bernardino, San Jacinto, Volcan, andPalomar mountains. It occurs in lesser abun-dance within the Santa Rita and Huachacamountains of Arizona and in adjacent rangesin Sonora, Mexico. Occurrences are recordedon the Cleveland, San Bernardino, and Ange-les national forests and at Palomar MountainState Park. The CNDDB lists fifty-five occur-rences in all, and generally those at higherelevations are larger (some greater than one thou-sand plants) than those at lower elevations.

Some occurrences are located within theSan Gorgonio Wilderness Area. One locationat Big Cienega Springs in the San GabrielMountains has shown substantial decline since1990 when 350 individual plants werecounted. In 1995 only 11 individuals wereseen. The plant has very showy and fragrantflowers that make it vulnerable to collection.

The Angeles National Forest has developed aspecies management guide for this plant(Mistretta and Parra-Szijj 1991a) and theCleveland National Forest includes it in theirhabitat management guide for riparian mon-tane meadows (Winter 1991b).

Limnanthes gracilis ssp. parishiiLimnanthes gracilis ssp. parishii is a Forest

Service Sensitive Species and is state listed asendangered. An annual plant, it is endemic tothe Palomar and Laguna mountains of SanDiego County. About fifteen populations arerecorded, the largest occurring in CuyamacaValley near Cuyamaca Lake and Little Stone-wall Creek. At least five smaller populationsare mapped on adjacent land within the Cleve-land National Forest. Another population,covering about five acres, is located in vernalpools on the Santa Rosa Plateau in southwest-ern Riverside County.

An estimated 70 percent of the known oc-currences are found on land owned ormanaged by the Helix Water District, LakeCuyamaca Recreation and Park District, Cali-fornia Department of Fish and Game, and theU.S. Forest Service. These parties entered intoa habitat conservation agreement to protectthe species (Helix Water District et al. 1996);however, the agreement formally expired inAugust 1999. The Cleveland National Foresthas written a habitat management guide forriparian montane meadows that includes thistaxon (Winter 1991b).

Malaxis monophyllos ssp. brachypoda(adder’s-mouth)

Malaxis monophyllos ssp. brachypoda is aForest Service Sensitive Species. It is extremelyrare in California but more common in theRocky Mountains. Two small occurrences arelocated in meadow habitat within the SanGorgonio Wilderness Area of the San Bernar-dino Mountains. The taxon was presumed tobe extinct in California until twenty-six plantswere discovered at this location in 1989. Onehistoric occurrence was noted in the SanJacinto Wilderness Area (Tahquitz Valley) in

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Chapter 5

Occurrences at the southern end of thespecies’ range appear relatively stable. Fouroccurrences were located in Laguna Meadowin 1979. Two occurrences (each containing anestimated fifty plants) were found in 1993 andmore plants were found in 1994. The specieshas also been located in Bear Valley southwestof the Lagunas, and at Mendenhall Valley inthe Palomar Mountains (D. Volgarino, SanBernardino NF, unpubl. notes 1998). Themajority of occurrences in San Diego Countyare protected on federal and state lands; how-ever, grazing is still occurring at three locations.The species is included in a habitat manage-ment guide for riparian montane meadows(Winter 1991b).

At the northern end of its range, P.atropurpurea appears to be declining. At least70 percent of the occupied habitat is privatelyowned with potential for development(USFWS 1995b). Two areas with confirmedoccurrences (Wildhorse Meadow andHolcomb Valley) are located partly on the SanBernardino National Forest. In Holcomb Val-ley, some of these occurrences are affected bygold prospecting activities (i.e., digging anddry washing), mountain biking, and unautho-rized vehicle use. Additional fencing, signing,and patrols have been implemented to increaseprotection in the area. Surveys in 1999 locatedmore occurrences on national forest systemland in Holcomb Valley. One occurrence atNorth Baldwin is managed by CDFG. Formore detailed information on this species seethe final listing rule (USFWS 1998k).

1922. The plant is generally thought to bedeclining in California; however, it can be dif-ficult to find in the lush meadows where itwould be expected to occur. The taxon is vul-nerable to trampling.

Navarretia peninsularis(Baja navarretia)

Navarretia peninsularis is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species. It is distributed from theTehachapi Mountains south to Baja Califor-nia, Mexico. The CNDDB documents sixoccurrences: in San Diego, San Bernardino,Santa Barbara and Kern counties. However,they are all from 1965 or earlier. Two of thehistoric locations, one on the north slope ofMount Pinos and one on Big Pine Mountain,occur within designated wilderness areas onthe Los Padres National Forest. A more re-cent discovery was made at Holcomb Valleyin the San Bernardino Mountains, thoughgold prospecting activities and vehicle trafficmay be negatively affecting the site. Two otheroccurrences are located within CuyamacaRancho State Park in San Diego County.Plants at this location grow in mesic openingswithin chaparral (Reiser 1994). In other areasplants are found along vernal creeks, in mead-ows, and in snowmelt seeps withinpinyon-juniper woodland and yellow pineforest.

Perideridia parishii ssp. parishii(Parish’s yampah)

Occurrences of Perideridia parishii ssp.parishii are distributed in the San BernardinoMountains of California, and also in Arizona,New Mexico, and Nevada. In the San Gabriel,San Jacinto, and Cuyamaca mountains thetaxon is replaced by P.p. ssp. latifolia(Constance 1980). On the San BernardinoNational Forest, occurrences are found on theMountaintop Ranger District. This taxongrows in moist or wet meadows, usuallyaround lakes or streams within upper mon-tane conifer forests (Krantz 1990).

Poa atropurpurea(San Bernardino blue grass)

Poa atropurpurea is a federally endangeredspecies found in the San Bernardino Moun-tains and in the Palomar and Lagunamountains of San Diego County (fig. 5.13).Between twelve and eighteen occurrences areknown. This grass occupies the edges of wetmeadows where there is less competition frommore mesic species. However, the non-nativeP. pratensis can grow at the same locations andthere is potential for genetic absorption tooccur (USFWS 1995b).

284

Taraxacum californicum(California dandelion)

Taraxacum californicum is a federally en-dangered species endemic to the northeasternSan Bernardino Mountains. Occurrencesrange from Big Bear and Holcomb valleys toSouth Fork Meadows in the Santa Ana River

Sidalcea pedata(bird-footed checkerbloom)

Sidalcea pedata is a federally and state-listed endangered species endemic to montanewet meadows in the Big Bear Valley of the SanBernardino Mountains (fig. 5.14). The plantis known from seventeen locations totalingfewer than 20 acres of occupied habitat(USFWSb 1998). The north Baldwin Lakesite, managed by CDFG, is the only occur-rence currently receiving full protection. Fiveother sites receive partial protection and theremaining eleven occurrences are unprotected,degraded, or threatened. One occurrence is lo-cated on federal lands (San Bernardino NationalForest) on the shore of Big Bear Lake. This oc-

Figure 5.13. Documented locations of Poa atropurpurea, the San Bernardino blue grass.

currence is one acre in size and appears to beincreasing. Measures to protect the site are beingimplemented with a completion date of sum-mer 1999. A recovery plan for this species hasbeen completed (USFWS 1998b). See also thefinal lisitng rule for more detailed information(USFWS 1984).

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Chapter 5

Pyrrocoma uniflora var. gossypina(Bear Valley pyrrocoma)

Pyrrocoma uniflora var. gossypina is a For-est Service Sensitive Species. It is known fromtwelve occurrences in Big Bear and Holcomb

watershed (fig. 5.14). The CNDDB liststwenty-five extant occurrences. Plants occupythe edges of meadows, and occurrences are de-clining primarily from damage to this habitattype. Though some occurrences are found onprivate lands, most are located on the San Ber-nardino National Forest where high levels ofrecreation use are believed to be a cause of thisspecies’ decline. Trampling by humans or live-stock favors the establishment of thenon-native dandelion, T. officinale (USFWS1995b). This species is invading montanemeadow habitats and hybridizing with T.californicum, creating concern about the fu-ture integrity of the species. T. californicum is

the only native dandelion in the state and is ofconsiderable interest to plant taxonomists.

Plants of Dry MeadowsTwo rare plants are restricted to dry

meadow habitat within the assessment area.Summary information is shown in table 5.13.Both of these taxa are endemic to the north-eastern San Bernardino Mountains.

Figure 5.14. Documented locations of Sidalcea pedata, the bird-footed checkerbloom, and Taraxacumcalifornicum, the California dandelion.

286

Pyrrocoma uniflora 27 decl. high San Bernardino Mtns.; (moderate)var. gossypina(Bear Valley pyrrocoma) FS sensitive

Senecio bernardinus 188 unkn./ high San Bernardino Mtns.; (moderate)(San Bernardino ragwort) decl.1

FS sensitive

valleys within the San Bernardino Mountains.Occurrences are documented at Baldwin Lake,Arrastre Flat, and Metcalf Meadow, as well asother locations. The taxon is thought to bedeclining due to loss of habitat. Factors affect-ing this plant include grazing, alteration ofmeadow hydrology, trampling by vehicles andhorses, soil compaction, high levels of recre-ation use, competition from exotic species,brush clearing, and development projects.Some occurrences on the San Bernardino Na-tional Forest are protected by fencing and oneis located within a CDFG reserve. However,the majority of occurrences are located on pri-vate lands. A botanical investigation wascompleted for this taxon and included surveysof all meadow areas in Big Bear and Holcombvalleys, in the San Bernardino National Forest(Krantz 1979).

Senecio bernardinus(San Bernardino ragwort)

Senecio bernardinus is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species. It is a perennial species knownfrom about fifteen occurrences in Big Bear andHolcomb valleys of the San Bernardino Moun-tains. Occurrences range from upper HolcombValley in the northwest to Arrastre Flat in thenortheast to Aspen Glen in the southwest andErwin Lake in the southeast (Barrows 1989).A significant occurrence is located near Cari-

bou Creek, with an estimated one thousandto fifteen hundred plants found during sur-veys in 1989. The plant typically grows in driermeadows with alkaline clay soils; however, itcan also be found in openings within basinsagebrush scrub, at the edges of pebble plains,and on dry, rocky slopes in the understory ofJeffrey pine woodlands. It has been found withCastilleja cinerea, singleleaf pinyon pine, andwestern juniper.

Common habitat parameters at all loca-tions include alkaline, loosely compacted soils;open areas with low accumulations of organicmaterial; an elevational range between 6,600and 7,400 feet; and shallow slopes of no greaterthan 30 percent (Barrows 1989). The speciesdoes not require soil disturbance but appearstolerant of it. In historic mining areas, plantshave been observed growing on overburdenpiles. Other occurrences have been found inareas disturbed by seasonal flooding, in mud-flows at the edges of roads and the base ofboulders, and along the margins of ski slopes(e.g., at Snow Forest). This species is affectedby recreation activities (foot, horse, and off-highway vehicle trampling and prospecting),cattle grazing, and residential/commercial de-velopment. Occurrences on the SanBernardino National Forest experience lowerlevels of recreation activity than surroundingareas, but additional protective fencing,


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Table 5.13. Rare plants found in dry montane meadows. y = the taxon occurs on the forest; p = haspotential to occur. Assessments of trend, knowledge of distribution, and vulnerability were made by forestbotanists/biologists and generally refer to occurrences on national forest system lands (decl. = declining;unkn. = unknown; incr. = increasing).

1 two occurrences are reportedly declining, trend for other occurrences is unknown

287

Chapter 5signing, and monitoring by patrols have beenimplemented to enhance habitat for this species.

Subalpine/Alpine PlantsFifteen rare plants are found or have po-

tential to occur in subalpine or alpine habitatwithin the assessment area. Summary infor-mation is shown in table 5.14.

Arabis breweri var. pecuniaria(San Bernardino rock cress)

Arabis breweri var. pecuniaria is a ForestService Sensitive Species. A perennial plant, itis endemic to the San Bernardino Mountains.It grows in subalpine coniferous forest onrocky substrates (e.g., cliffs, ledges, and talus).Just two occurrences are known in the SanGorgonio Wilderness Area of the San Bernar-dino National Forest. One of theseoccurrences is located near a hiking trail andcontained about twenty-five individuals in1980. In 1994 just six plants were located atthis site and the occurrence is now thought tobe declining, though the exact cause is un-known. The second occurrence is known froma cliff area near Dollar Lake and has not beenrelocated since 1980.

Claytonia lanceolata var. peirsonii(Peirson’s spring beauty)

Claytonia lanceolata var. peirsonii is a For-est Service Sensitive Species. It is a perennialtaxon endemic to the eastern San GabrielMountains. Occurrences are scattered alongthe boundary between the Angeles and SanBernardino national forests, from the easternside of Mount San Antonio east to the Kelly’sCamp area (Mistretta and Brown 1987b). Thetaxon appears briefly each year after the springthaw, growing on rocky substrates within up-per montane conifer and subalpine foresthabitat. It usually grows on north-facing slopesin protected bowls or depressions where snowspersist later in the year. Tree canopy cover is arequirement of the species; however, shrubcover or deep litter is not well tolerated. C.lanceolata var. peirsonii has been found in theunderstory of lodgepole pines, sugar pine, andwhite fir. Associated understory elements in-

clude Allium burlewii, A. monticola, Fritillariapinetorum,Oreonana vestita (another focal spe-cies), Lithophragma tenellum, Pedicularissemibarbata, and Collinsia torreyi. The sub-strate is described as granitic talus or graniticcobbles with a sandy or fine soil component.

A species management guide was adoptedby the Angeles National Forest in 1987, andsurveys during the same year located an esti-mated 1,675 plants at Ontario Ridge, TimberMountain, Telegraph Peak, Thunder Moun-tain, and Devil’s Backbone Ridge (Mistrettaand Brown 1987b). Monitoring continued atthree of these sites until 1993 and showed fluc-tuations in population sizes, though thechanges appear to have been within a normalrange of variation. The Telegraph Peak popu-lation is within the Cucamonga WildernessArea. Construction of ski runs within theMount Baldy Ski Area (at Thunder Moun-tain) significantly reduced the amount ofconifer overstory (a key habitat component)and partially eliminated the species at this lo-cale. Populations at Timber Mountain andKelly’s Camp have been adversely affected bytrampling from hiking and camping activities.Potential habitat for this plant occurs on thenorthern slopes of Cucamonga, Ontario, andEtiwanda peaks, and surveys are needed to de-termine its presence or absence.

Erigeron breweri var. jacinteus(San Jacinto Mountains daisy)

Erigeron breweri var. jacinteus is a watch-list plant on the San Bernardino and Angelesnational forests. Occurrences are known fromthe San Jacinto, San Bernardino, and SanGabriel mountains. Four occurrences are re-corded in the CNDDB. The perennial growsin upper montane and subalpine coniferousforests, in rocky areas above approximately8,800 feet. Little is known regarding occur-rences or threats to this taxon. The variety isdifficult to identify and easily confused withother more common taxa.

Arabis breweri 3 decl. high San Bernardino Mtns. (Sanvar. pecuniaria Gorgonio Wilderness Area);(San Bernardino rock cress) (moderate) FS sensitive

Claytonia lanceolata 8 11 stable high E San Gabriel Mtns.; (high)var. peirsonii(Peirson’s spring beauty) FS sensitive

Erigeron breweri y y unkn. San Gabriel, San Bernardino, & Sanvar. jacinteus Jacinto mtns.; (unknown)(San Jacinto Mtns. daisy)

Eriogonum kennedyi y y unkn. low San Bernardino Mtns.; (low)var. alpigenum(southern alpine buckwheat) FS sensitive

Eriogonum microthecum 2 2 unkn. mod. San Gabriel & E San Bernardinovar. johnstonii mtns.; (low)(Johnston’s buckwheat) FS sensitive

Eriogonum umbellatum y y unkn./ mod. San Gabriel & San Bernardino mtns.;var. minus stable1 (low)(alp. sulfur-flowrd. buckwht.)

Heuchera abramsii p y unkn. low San Gabriel Mtns.; (unknown)(Abram’s alumroot)

Heuchera hirsutissima p unkn. San Jacinto & Santa Rosa mtns.;(shaggy-haired alumroot) (low) FS sensitive

Hulsea vestita y unkn. low San Bernardino Mtns., Kern Plateaussp. pygmaea (Tulare Co.); (high)(pygmy hulsea)

Leptodactylon jaegeri 36 unkn. mod. San Jacinto Mtns.; (moderate)(San Jacinto prickly phlox) FS sensitive

Monardella cinerea p 1 unkn. San Gabriel Mtns.; (low)(gray monardella)

Oreonana vestita 1+ y unkn. low San Bernardino & San Gabriel mtns.;(woolly mountain-parsley) (low)

Podistera nevadensis h/p unkn. San Bernardino Mtns., Sierra(Sierra podistera) Nevada, WA, ID

Potentilla rimicola y unkn. low San Jacinto Mtns., Sierra San Pedro(cliff cinquefoil) Martir (Baja); (low) FS sensitive

Viola pinetorum h/p unkn. San Bernardino Mtns., Fresno,ssp. Grisea Tulare, & Kern cos.; (low)(grey-leaved violet) FS sensitive

1 Reveal 1979


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Table 5.14. Rare plants found in subalpine/alpine habitats. y = the taxon occurs on the forest; p = haspotential to occur. Assessments of trend, knowledge of distribution, and vulnerability were made by forestbotanists/biologists and generally refer to occurrences on national forest system lands (decl. = declining;unkn. = unknown).

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

289

Chapter 5Eriogonum microthecum var. johnstonii(Johnston’s buckwheat)

Eriogonum microthecum var. johnstonii isa Forest Service Sensitive Species. It is endemicto the San Gabriel and eastern San Bernar-dino mountains where it occurs generallyabove 6,000 feet (Mistretta and Brown 1997a).The shrub is associated with dry sites in up-per montane and subalpine coniferous forests,typically on steep slopes with loose rocky soils.It has been found on limestone soils (as wellas granitic) but an obligate relationship be-tween the taxon and a specific substrate is notapparent (Mistretta and Brown 1997a). Asso-ciated species include white fir, Californiajuniper, Jeffrey pine, curl-leaf mountain-mahogany, sugar pine, and lodgepole pine.

There are six confirmed occurrences: onein a remote area of the San Bernardino Moun-tains and five in the San Gabriel Mountains.The six occurrences together are estimated tocontain between 3,280 and 3,950 plants. An-other two occurrences are suspected in the SanGabriel Mountains but need confirmation andare not yet recorded in the CNDDB. Threeof the populations within the San Gabriels—one on the western slope of Mount San Anto-nio, and two in the upper Little Rock Creekdrainage—together contain between 2,100and 2,600 plants and cover an estimated 150acres. These three populations constitute about64 percent of the known extant individuals(Mistretta and Brown 1997a). Some occur-rences are protected by their remoteness orinaccessibility—the Burkhart Trail populationin the upper Little Rock Creek drainage, theMount San Antonio population located withinthe Sheep Mountain Wilderness Area, and twopopulations at Cucamonga Peak within theCucamonga Wilderness Area. Other occur-rences are experiencing disturbance; onepopulation in the upper Little Rock Creekdrainage is bisected by the Angeles Crest High-way (State Highway 2) and granitic outcropsmake the area popular with rock climbers. Otherpopulations are located adjacent to camping ar-eas and hiking trails. The Angeles National Foresthas completed a species management guide forthis plant (Mistretta and Brown 1997a).

Eriogonum umbellatum var. minus(alpine sulfur-flowered buckwheat)

Eriogonum umbellatum var. minus is dis-tributed in the San Gabriel and SanBernardino mountains where it grows on dry,sandy or stony soils within upper montane andsubalpine conifer forest habitats. One occur-rence is reported for the San JacintoMountains but is considered to be amisidentification (Reveal 1981). Several largeoccurrences are known on the Angeles and SanBernardino national forests (e.g., in theCucamonga Wilderness Area); however, theyare unrecorded in both the CNDDB and ourGIS species coverage. A CNPS Rare Plant Sta-tus Report from 1979 indicated thatpopulations are stable (Reveal 1979). How-ever, one apparently disjunct occurrence onthe north slope of the San Bernardino Moun-tains could be affected if a proposed mineexpansion occurs, and occurrences in theMount Baldy area of the Angeles National For-est could be affected by ski area expansion.The plant appears to be disturbance orientedhowever, with occurrences found near trailsand along roads.

Heuchera abramsii (Abram’s alumroot)Heuchera abramsii is an uncommon pe-

rennial species found at elevations above 9,000feet in dry, rocky areas of the San GabrielMountains. Potential habitat occurs in boththe Cucamonga and Sheep Mountain wilder-ness areas on the Angeles and San Bernardinonational forests, but the presence or absenceof the species has not been confirmed.

Heuchera hirsutissima(shaggy-haired alumroot)

Heuchera hirsutissima is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species. It occurs in the San Jacintoand Santa Rosa mountains (fig. 5.15), at el-evations above 3,500 feet in montane coniferand subalpine forest habitats. Seven occur-rences are recorded in the CNDDB. Someoccurrences are located in the San JacintoMountain Wilderness Area and in MountSan Jacinto State Park. The plant grows among

290

Hulsea vestita ssp. pygmaea(pygmy hulsea)

Hulsea vestita ssp. pygmaea is a perennialtaxon known from collections made at SanGorgonio Peak and Sugarloaf Peak in the SanBernardino Mountains (S. White, ScottWhite Biological Consulting, in litt. 1998).Habitat at these locations is described as sub-alpine forest and alpine barrens. The taxonalso occurs on subalpine volcanic barrens atthe Kern Plateau in Tulare County, outside

Figure 5.15. Documented locations of Heuchera hirsutissima, the shaggy-haired alumroot, and Leptodactylonjaegeri, the San Jacinto prickly phlox.

rocks and in crevices of granite boulders. Rockclimbing and trampling may be affecting thespecies.

of our assessment area (Wilken 1975). At leastone of the collections made at San GorgonioPeak appears to intergrade with H. vestita ssp.parryi, another of our focal subspecies.

Leptodactylon jaegeri(San Jacinto prickly phlox)

Leptodactylon jaegeri is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species. It occurs in the San JacintoMountains of Riverside County (fig. 5.15).The CNDDB contains records for fifteen oc-currences, most of them relatively small. Forexample, the largest occurrence sampled in1983 contained fewer than thirty plants. Someof the same locations were visited again in

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Chapter 51994 and the largest contained more than twohundred twenty plants. A perennial plant, itgrows on dry, granitic soils (specifically fromrock crevices in granitic outcrops) in uppermontane and subalpine conifer forests. Oc-currences are generally well protected in theSan Jacinto Wilderness Area of the San Ber-nardino National Forest; however, the level ofimpact from rock climbing and hiking activ-ity is unknown.

Monardella cinerea (gray monardella)Monardella cinerea is known from three

occurrences, all above 5,900 feet, in the SanGabriel Mountains (Horse Flats, Crystal Lake,and Mount Harwood). The species is locallycommon in these areas, growing on loose, gra-nitic talus within upper montane andsubalpine conifer forest habitat. Potential habi-tat exists in the San Jacinto Mountains.

Oreonana vestita(woolly mountain-parsley)

Oreonana vestita is distributed in the SanBernardino and San Gabriel mountains. Plantsare found at high elevations on ridgetops andon rocky soils in montane conifer and subal-pine habitat. At least four extant occurrencesand one historic occurrence are documentedon the San Bernardino National Forest, in-cluding two occurrences in the San GorgonioWilderness Area. Plants occur on the AngelesNational Forest at San Antonio Summit,Mount Lewis, and in the Mount Baldy area.Occurrences may be vulnerable to trampling.

Podistera nevadensis (Sierra podistera)Podistera nevadensis is a watch-list species

on the San Bernardino National Forest. Oc-currences are known from northern andcentral California, in the Sierra Nevada Moun-tains (in Alpine, Eldorado, Mono, Placer, andTuolomne counties), and into Washington andIdaho, with one disjunct and historic occur-rence noted in the San Bernardino Mountains.The perennial grows in alpine boulder androck fields, and on granitic scree. Plants arefairly common along the Sierran Crest, usu-

ally occurring above timberline. Threats to thisspecies are unknown.

Potentilla rimicola (cliff cinquefoil)Potentilla rimicola is a Forest Service Sen-

sitive Species known from occurrences in theSan Jacinto Mountains and Sierra San PedroMartir in Baja California, Mexico. TheCNDDB contains records for five occurrences,some historical, and one recent collectionmade in 1987. A perennial plant, it grows ingranitic crevices within upper montane andsubalpine coniferous forest. Some occurrencesare located in the San Jacinto Wilderness Areaand may be affected by rock climbing activi-ties.

Viola pinetorum ssp. grisea(grey-leaved violet)

Viola pinetorum ssp. grisea is a Forest Ser-vice Sensitive Species. It is known fromextant occurrences in Fresno, Tulare, andKern counties, and historic occurrences inSan Bernardino County. The taxon growsin upper montane conifer and subalpineconifer forests, on dry slopes and peaks form4,900 to over 11,000 feet in elevation(Hickman 1993). On the Kern Plateau,plants are “scattered and locally common”at Olancha Peak and “occasional on slopesand sand flats.” The Preliminary Check Listof the Flowering Plants of the Kern Plateaunotes occurrences bordering meadows in thehigher elevation red fir forests, through thefoxtail pine forests, to above timberline. V.pinetorum is a variable species in need offurther study. Historic occurrences are docu-mented in the San Jacinto and SanBernardino mountains, and at Mount Pinosin the southern Los Padres region. Plants atthese locations were previously referred toas V. purpurea ssp. xerophyta (Munz 1974).

292

Arabis dispar (pinyon rock cress)Arabis dispar is a relatively wide-ranging

perennial species occurring in four Californiacounties (Inyo, Mono, Tulare, and San Ber-nardino) and southwestern Nevada.Occurrences are known from the WhiteMountains, the Dome Land Wilderness, thePanamint Mountains, the Argus Range, andother mountains bordering the Mojave Desert.Within the assessment area it occurs in thenorthern San Bernardino Mountains and is as-sociated with desert montane plantcommunities (i.e., pinyon-juniper woodlands,Joshua tree woodlands, and Mojavean desertscrub). It grows in granitic soils, on gravellysubstrates (including pebble plains), and oncompact talus. The CNDDB contains recordsfor fifteen occurrences in California, presumedto be extant but not revisited since the 1920s,1930s, and 1960s. The species is rarer in theSan Bernardino Mountains than in any otherarea, and occurrences found on the San Ber-nardino National Forest grow in habitataffected by mining, shooting, off-highway ve-hicles, and other recreation activities. Thisplant is also found in Joshua Tree NationalPark.

Astragalus douglasii var. perstrictus(Jacumba milk-vetch)

Astragalus douglasii var. perstrictus is a For-est Service Sensitive Species. It occurs in SanDiego and Imperial counties, as well as BajaCalifornia, Mexico (Skinner and Pavlik 1994;Reiser 1994). A northern disjunct occurrencemay be located in Riverside County nearTemecula Creek. There are about twenty-fiveknown locations in all, found on rocky soilsin open chamise chaparral, cismontane wood-lands, valley-foothill grasslands, andpinyon-juniper woodlands. However, Reiser

Desert Montane PlantsTwenty-six rare plants are primarily asso-

ciated with desert montane habitats in theassessment area. Summary information isshown in table 5.15. One federally endangeredspecies is included in this group.

(1994) describes the habitat as primarilytransmontane, high desert chaparral. Plantsseem to favor areas with mild soil disturbance;scattered individuals have been seen on roadshoulders where there is little competitionfrom other species. Another focal species,Geraea viscida, may grow sympatrically withthis taxon. Occurrences in desert-side habi-tats appear to be stable, probably owing to thelimited development in this region (Reiser1994). This species appears to be decliningon private lands due to habitat loss from ur-banization. Occurrences on the ClevelandNational Forest (approximately ten) are con-sidered stable or increasing.

Astragalus lentiginosus var. sierrae(Big Bear Valley milk-vetch)

Astragalus lentiginosus var. sierrae is a For-est Service Sensitive Species known from theeastern San Bernardino Mountains, specificallyin Big Bear and Holcomb valleys, the BaldwinLake area, and in the upper Santa Ana Riverwatershed. The CNDDB contains records forseven occurrences in all, and other occurrencesare known but not yet recorded in the data-base. Plants grow in arid areas, on gravelly orsandy soils in meadows, in the understory ofmontane conifer forest, in pinyon-juniperwoodlands, sagebrush flats, and Mojaveandesert scrub. In the Santa Ana River water-shed the taxon occurs with rabbitbrush,sagebrush, and Jeffrey pine (M. Lardner, SanBernardino NF, in litt. 1998). This plant re-sponds positively to disturbance and is nowbelieved to be more common than previouslymapped.

Astragalus leucolobus(Big Bear Valley woollypod)

Astragalus leucolobus is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species known from twenty-fourdocumented occurrences and seventeen gen-eral locations in the mountain regions of SanBernardino, Riverside (San Jacinto Moun-tains), Los Angeles (San Gabriel Mountains),and San Benito counties (CNDDB 1997).Potential habitat exists in San Diego Countyas well. Other occurrences are known but not

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Chapter 5yet recorded in the CNDDB. The species islocally common in the Big Bear Valley of theSan Bernardino Mountains. Plants are foundon pebble plains, in openings of yellow pineforest and pinyon-juniper woodland, and indry, rocky areas with sagebrush. The speciesalso occurs in areas with disturbed soils—onfuel breaks, within residential tracts, and ad-jacent to roads.

Canbya candida (pygmy poppy)Canbya candida is a Forest Service Sensi-

tive Species. It is distributed in Los Angeles,San Bernardino, Kern, and Inyo counties. TheCNDDB contains records for twenty-nineoccurrences in all, most located on privatelands. In the assessment area, occurrences areknown from the Cajon Pass area of the SanBernardino Mountains. No occurrences aredocumented on national forest system lands;however, there is potential habitat on the SanBernardino National Forest based on the near-ness of the Cajon Pass occurrences. Otheroccurrences are known from the westernMojave Desert and adjacent areas of the Si-erra Nevada. Occurrences are documented inKern County near Lake Isabella, Walker Pass,and Kelso Peak/Valley. The annual is foundon sandy soils in Joshua tree woodlands andMojavean desert scrub habitat.

Castilleja plagiotoma(Mojave Indian paintbrush)

Castilleja plagiotoma is a watch-list specieson the San Bernardino National Forest. Oc-currences are also known on the AngelesNational Forest. Plants have not been foundon the Los Padres National Forest, although afair amount of potential habitat may exist (M.Foster, Los Padres NF, pers. comm.). In all,occurrences are documented in Los Angeles,San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, and Kerncounties. The plant grows in Great Basin al-luvial scrub and pinyon-juniper woodlands,where it is a green root parasite on other plants(Hickman 1993). Munz (1974) also notesoccurrences in Joshua tree woodlands. Theplant is “usually among shrubs . . . at CalienteMountain, Chalk Mountains to Temblor

Range” (Smith 1976). These locations are justnorth of the Los Padres National Forest. Plantsare also known from the Hamilton Preserve.In the San Bernardino Mountains, plants arefound on the ridge above Coxey Meadow, atLittle Pine Flats, Las Flores Ranch, and RoundMountain (Krantz, Thorne, and Sanders1995). When dry, the yellow-green inflores-cence of this species resembles the federallythreatened Castilleja cinerea, and microscopicobservation may be needed to differentiate thetwo. Threats on national forest system landsinclude facilities development and recreationalactivities.

Caulanthus californicus(California jewelflower)

Caulanthus californicus is a federally en-dangered species known from extantoccurrences in the Santa Barbara Canyon areaof Santa Barbara County, the Carrizo Plain inSan Luis Obispo County, and theKreyenhagen Hills of Fresno County (fig.5.16). Occurrences have declined from fifty-five to about twenty known today. An annualplant, it grows on gravelly or sandy soils ingrasslands, chenopod scrub, and pinyon-juniper woodlands between elevations of 200and 3,300 feet. The Santa Barbara Canyonoccurrences consist of nineteen different sitesalong a 6-mile stretch of terrace habitat onthe western side of the Cuyama River (M.Foster, Los Padres NF, pers. comm.). The totalarea of occupied habitat is estimated at 30acres, on both private and BLM-administeredlands.

This species has not been found on na-tional forest system lands; however, the SantaBarbara Canyon occurrences are locatedwithin 3 miles of the Los Padres National For-est. Despite suitable habitat on the forest,repeated field surveys over a period of yearshave been unsuccessful in locating the species.Magney (1988) and Danielsen et al. (1994)have conducted the most comprehensive sur-veys of national forest system lands. Resultsof these surveys and maps showing the areasvisited are on file at the Los Padres National

Arabis dispar 99 unkn. high San Bernardino, Inyo, Mono, & Tulare(pinyon rock cress) cos., SW Nevada; San Bernardino

Mtns. & mtns. bordering the MojaveDesert; (moderate)

Astragalus douglasii y stable1 low San Diego & Imperial cos., Baja;var. perstrictus (moderate)(Jacumba milk-vetch) FS sensitive

Astragalus lentiginosus 185 unkn. low E San Bernardino Mtns.; (moderate)var. sierrae(Big Bear Valley milk-vetch) FS sensitive

Astragalus leucolobus p y y p unkn. low San Gabriel, San Bernardino, & San(Big Bear Valley woollypod) Jacinto mtns., mtns. in San Benito Co.; FS sensitive (high)

Canbya candida p y unkn. LA, San Bernardino (San Bernardino(pygmy poppy) Mtns.), Kern, & Inyo cos., W Mojave FS sensitive Desert, Sierra Nevada; (low)

Castilleja plagiotoma y 1 p unkn. mod. Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Kern, &(Mojave Indian paintbrush) SLO cos.; (low)

Caulanthus californicus p decl. Santa Barbara, SLO, & Fresno cos.,(California jewelflower) (high) federally endangered

Caulanthus simulans 22 1 unkn. low Riverside & SD cos.; (low)(Payson’s jewelflower) FS sensitive

Chorizanthe xanti y unkn. unkn. E San Gabriel, San Bernardino, Sanvar. leucotheca Jacinto, & Santa Rosa mtns., also Inyo(white-bracted spineflower) & Kern cos.; (low)

Cordylanthus eremicus p unkn. N San Bernardino Mtns. & mtn. ranges ssp. eremicus of the Mojave Desert(desert bird’s-beak)

Delphinium inopinum 41 unkn. low Mt. Pinos; (low)(unexpected larkspur) FS sensitive

Dudleya abramsii y unkn. mod. San Bernardino Mtns.; (moderate)ssp. affinis(San Bern. Mtns. dudleya) FS sensitive

Ericameria cuneata y stable low Laguna Mtns. (SD Co.); (moderate)var. macrocephala(Laguna Mtns. goldenbush)


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

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○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

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Table 5.15. Rare plants found in desert montane habitats. y = the taxon occurs on the forest; p = haspotential to occur. Assessments of trend, knowledge of distribution, and vulnerability were made by forestbotanists/biologists and generally refer to occurrences on national forest system lands (unkn. = unknown;decl. = declining).

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Eriogonum foliosum p h/p decl. San Bernardino Mtns., Garner Valley,(leafy buckwheat) San Jacinto Mtns., Sierra San Pedro

Martir (Baja), SD Co.; (low)

Geraea viscida y stable1 low desert areas of San Diego & Imperial(sticky geraea) cos., Sierra Juarez & Sierra San Borja

(Baja); (moderate)

Heuchera brevistaminea 45 stable low Laguna & Cuyamaca mtns. (SD Co.),(shaggy-haired alumroot) also w Riverside Co.; (high)

Lepidium flavum p (low)var. felipense(Borrego Vly. pepper-grass)

Linanthus floribundus y Santa Rosa Mtns.; (low)ssp. hallii(Snta. Rosa Mtns. linanthus) FS sensitive

Marina orcuttii var. orcuttii y unkn. mod. Santa Rosa Mtns., Sierra Juarez &(California marina) Sierra de las Palmas (Baja); (low) FS sensitive

Muilla coronata y base of San Bernardino Mtns., Mojave(crowned muilla) Desert, also LA, Inyo, Kern, Tulare cos.,

NV

Opuntia basilaris p 219 29 unkn. mod. desert-side of San Gabriel & W Sanvar. brachyclada Bernardino mtns., Volcan Mtn. (SD Co.),(short-joint beavertail) Providence Mtns. (San Bernardino Co.); FS sensitive (high)

Streptanthus campestris y y 2 stable1 mod. Riverside, San Bernardino, SD, & Santa(southern jewel-flower) Barbara cos., N Baja, San Bernardino, FS sensitive Little San Bernardino, San Jacinto, & In-

Koh-Pah mtns.; (moderate)

Stylocline masonii y y unkn. unkn. LA, Kern, Monterey, & SLO cos., NW(Mason neststraw) Tehachapi Mtns.; (low)

Swertia neglecta y 6 y unkn. mod. Transverse Ranges; (low)(pine green-gentian) FS sensitive

Syntrichopappus lemmonii y y p unkn. low LA, San Bernardino, Riverside, Kern, &(Lemmon’s syntrichopappus) Monterey cos.; (low)

Viola aurea p y p p SD, San Bernardino, Kern, & Mono cos.;(golden violet) San Gabriel, San Bernardino, &

Tehachapi mtns. SW to Mt. Pinos; NV


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

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Caulanthus simulans(Payson’s jewelflower)

Caulanthus simulans is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species that occurs in Riverside andSan Diego counties. The CNDDB containsrecords for at least thirty-six occurrences andthirty-six general locations. Some of these lo-cations, however, may contain the speciesC. heterophyllus and are in need of further

Figure 5.16. Documented locations of Caulanthus californicus, the California jewelflower.

Forest. Essentially all areas mapped as suitablehabitat have been visited by botanists duringthe appropriate time of year. Two attemptswere made to grow the plant from seed at suit-able locations on the forest (Santa Barbara andDeer Park canyons). Germination and subse-quent production of seed was successful in1989; however, the number of individuals pro-duced each year after that gradually declineduntil 1995 when no plants were found at ei-ther site. Monitoring in 1997 and 1998 foundno plants evident at either site, despite favor-able weather conditions. The range,distribution, abundance, and habitat require-ments of this species are described in detail in

the Recovery Plan for Upland Species of the SanJoaquin Valley, California (USFWS 1998l).Occurrences are vulnerable to agriculturalpractices, urbanization, energy development,and overgrazing. See the final listing rule foradditional information (USFWS 1990).

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Chapter 5San Bernardino National Forest. Due to itspotential to occur on the forest, the specieshas been placed on a watch list. The plant is aroot parasite and grows in rocky soils withinJoshua tree woodland and Mojavean desertscrub communities.

Delphinium inopinum(unexpected larkspur)

Delphinium inopinum is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species. There are thirty-two re-ported occurrences of this perennial species.The smaller occurrences each contain from tento one hundred plants and the larger occur-rences (which are more frequent) containhundreds and thousands of individual plants.In the assessment area, a historic occurrenceis reported at Mount Pinos on the Los PadresNational Forest. The occurrence is protectedwithin the Mount Pinos Summit BotanicalArea but needs to be confirmed. Plants typi-cally grow in dry areas among rock outcropsand on open, rocky ridges in pine and red firforest habitat.

Dudleya abramsii ssp. affinis(San Bernardino Mountains dudleya)

Dudleya abramsii ssp. affinis is a Forest Ser-vice Sensitive Species found in the SanBernardino Mountains. It occurs in desert-sidemontane, upper montane conifer, and subal-pine habitats (including pebble plains andpinyon-juniper woodlands). Plants grow onsoil outcrops and talus slopes composed ofgranite, quartzite, or rarely limestone/carbon-ate. The CNDDB contains records on nineoccurrences, and additional populations in theBig Bear Valley have not yet been reported tothe database. Some occurrences are adverselyaffected by limestone mining. Many of theoccurrences associated with pebble plains areprotected by fencing on the San BernardinoNational Forest.

study. C. simulans is easily confused with C.heterophyllus var. pseudosimulans, a morecoastal taxon that, unlike C. simulans, appearsafter fires. Many historic locations in the SantaAna Mountains have proved to bemisidentifications of this variety. C. simulansis an annual species that grows in openingswithin chaparral and coastal sage scrub, in-cluding burned areas and disturbed sites. Italso is found in streambeds and on steep, rockyslopes. In San Diego County, plants are typi-cally found on the desert side of themountains. The species is vulnerable to over-grazing, trampling, and development projects.Many of the known occurrences are locatedon private lands. In addition, fires that are toofrequent may lead to type conversion of habi-tat for this species. Other potential disturbancesinclude flooding, erosion, and road mainte-nance. Other populations are found on landsmanaged by the BLM, Anza Borrego DesertState Park, and the Forest Service.

Chorizanthe xanti var. leucotheca(white-bracted spineflower)

Chorizanthe xanti var. leucotheca is knownfrom approximately four to five locations onthe San Bernardino National Forest. The oc-currences are scattered in the eastern SanGabriel, San Bernardino, San Jacinto, andSanta Rosa mountains. No occurrences arerecorded in the CNDDB; however, the draftFlora of the San Bernardino Mountains notesoccurrences in Inyo and Kern counties (Krantzet al. 1995). The species is found in Mojaveandesert scrub and pinyon-juniper woodlandcommunities.

Cordylanthus eremicus ssp. eremicus(desert bird’s-beak)

Cordylanthus eremicus ssp. eremicus is anannual taxon known mainly from occurrencesin mountain ranges of the Mojave Desert (e.g.,the Nelson Range in Inyo County) and inDeath Valley National Park. One occurrenceis located at a spring near Cushenbury in thenorthern San Bernardino Mountains. This oc-currence is close to but not actually on the

298

Ericameria cuneata var. macrocephala(Laguna Mountains goldenbush)

Ericameria cuneata var. macrocephala is ashrub species endemic to the Laguna Moun-tains of San Diego County. Although its rangeis limited, occurrences are fairly commonalong the crest and desert-side slopes of thesemountains. Reiser (1994) cites occurrences atGarnet Peak and Desert View Point. Most ofthe occurrences are located on public landswhich are relatively well protected, includingBLM and state park lands. The only knownpotential threat to the plant is developmentof electronic sites in its habitat on the tops ofsteep, rocky slopes. Occurrences on the Cleve-land National Forest currently appear stable.

Eriogonum foliosum (leafy buckwheat)Eriogonum foliosum is an annual species

known historically from Big Bear Valley in theSan Bernardino Mountains and more recentlyfrom Garner Valley in the San Jacinto Moun-tains. The species is also known to occur inthe Sierra San Pedro Martir in Baja Califor-nia, Mexico. The CNPS Inventory cites twooccurrences in the San Diego ranges (Pine Val-ley and Warner Springs) (Skinner and Pavlik1994), and potential habitat exists on theCleveland National Forest, but the plant hasnot been confirmed there. The CNDDB con-tains records for at least three occurrences butthe CNPS Inventory cites occurrences on sevenUSGS 7.5-minute quad maps. The plant in-habits sandy areas of chaparral, meadows,yellow pine forest, closed-cone conifer forest,and pinyon-juniper woodlands. It is easily con-fused with other annual buckwheats (e.g., E.davidsonii) and difficult to key.

Geraea viscida (sticky geraea)Geraea viscida is a rare, short-lived peren-

nial species known from a number of locationsin the border region and desert areas of SanDiego and Imperial counties, as well as areasof Baja California, Mexico (e.g., the SierraJuarez Mountains and Sierra San Borja) (Reiser1994). Occurrences range from approximately1,500 feet to over 5,500 feet in elevation. A

large occurrence is found in the Smuggler’sCave region east of Jacumba. Approximatelyhalf of the known occurrences are protectedon federal and state lands. Occurrences arepresumed to be stable based on limited devel-opment of the plant’s habitat. It occupies sandysoils in chamise chaparral and appears to bedisturbance oriented, appearing in sparselyvegetated areas, along roads, and after burns.

Heuchera brevistaminea(Mount Laguna alumroot)

Heuchera brevistaminea is a perennial spe-cies found primarily on the desert side of theLaguna Mountains in San Diego County.Occurrences are known from Garnet andMonument peaks, Oasis Spring, and MountLaguna. It has also been located below thesummit of Cuyamaca Peak in the CuyamacaMountains. One occurrence growing nearSanta Rosa and Toro peaks in western River-side County may represent a northern disjunctor range extension (Reiser 1994). The plantgrows in dry areas on rocky soils in desertmontane communities (e.g., montane chap-arral). About twelve occurrences are known,some of them relatively large. Most of theseoccurrences are located on the Cleveland Na-tional Forest. Other occurrences are protectedon state lands. The species is also naturallyprotected by its preference for relatively inac-cessible terrain—it grows on steep, rock facesand crevices or on exposed rock slabs (Reiser1994).

Linanthus floribundus ssp. hallii(Santa Rosa Mountains linanthus)

Linanthus floribundus ssp. hallii is a For-est Service Sensitive Species. It is a perennialtaxon known from occurrences in the SantaRosa Mountains. Plants grow in desert mon-tane habitats (e.g., canyons with Sonorandesert scrub). The CNDDB contains recordsfor at least four occurrences. One occurrenceon the San Bernardino National Forest is lo-cated in the Santa Rosa Wilderness Area.Plants grow in open areas along a wash withinpinyon-juniper woodland habitat. High

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Chapter 5levels of recreation, trail maintenance, and trailconstruction are potential impacts to thistaxon.

Marina orcuttii var. orcuttii(California marina)

Marina orcuttii var. orcuttii is a Forest Ser-vice Sensitive Species. It is a perennial plantfound in the Santa Rosa Mountains and inthe Sierra Juarez and Sierra de las Palmas ofBaja California, Mexico (Barneby 1977). Twooccurrences are known in the Santa Rosa Wil-derness Area, both along the Cactus SpringsTrail. This species occupies desert montanehabitat—gravelly hillsides in pinyon-juniperwoodland and Sonoran desert scrub. Poten-tial impacts to the plant include high levels ofrecreation use, trail maintenance, and trailconstruction.

Muilla coronata (crowned muilla)Muilla coronata is a perennial species

known from at least two occurrences along thenorthern base of the San Bernardino Moun-tains. Occurrences are also documented inInyo, Kern, Tulare, and Los Angeles counties,and in Nevada. The plant grows on heavy soilsin openings within pinyon-juniper woodland,Mojavean desert scrub, and Joshua tree wood-land. Potential threats on the forest includeoff-road vehicle activities, high levels of recre-ation use, and mining.

Opuntia basilaris var. brachyclada(short-joint beavertail)

Opuntia basilaris var. brachyclada is a For-est Service Sensitive Species found ondesert-side slopes of the San Gabriel and west-ern San Bernardino mountains, and at CajonPass between the two mountain ranges wheredesert vegetation occurs. Plants are found be-tween 3,000 and 6,000 feet elevation in loose,sandy to gravelly mineral soils. They growwithin chaparral communities (i.e., chamisechaparral, semi-desert chaparral, northernmixed chaparral, and southern mixed chapar-ral), chaparral transition zones, Joshua treewoodlands, Mojavean desert scrub, Mojaveanpinyon woodlands, pinyon-juniper wood-

lands, and southern sycamore-alder riparianwoodland (Mistretta and Parra-Szijj 1991b).

Approximately thirty occurrences areknown, twelve recorded in the CNDDB. Sur-veys in 1990 identified fifteen localities andapproximately nine hundred individual plants.Most of these occurrences are located on na-tional forest system lands, and a speciesmanagement guide was developed in 1991 forthe Angeles National Forest (Mistretta andParra-Szijj 1991b). Known populations appearto be stable and represent a variety of ageclasses. Vegetation management (e.g., chemi-cal and mechanical removal of biomass,establishment of conifer plantations, and pre-scribed burning) has had the greatest effecton occurrences on the Angeles National For-est; however, the effects of fire on itsdistribution and abundance are unknown(Mistretta and Parra-Szijj 1991b).

Streptanthus campestris(southern jewel-flower)

Streptanthus campestris is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species found in Riverside, San Ber-nardino, San Diego, and Santa Barbaracounties as well as in northern Baja Califor-nia, Mexico. Occurrences are known from theSan Bernardino, Little San Bernardino, SanJacinto, and In-Koh-Pah mountains. The spe-cies is a short-lived perennial that grows onrocky soils in chaparral (including high deserttransitional chaparral), conifer forest, and pin-yon-juniper woodlands. One occurrence islocated among large boulders in the partialshade of western junipers. At another locale,the plant grows in open chamise chaparral(Reiser 1994). The CNDDB contains recordsfor fifteen occurrences, and additional loca-tions are known but not yet entered into thedatabase. There are two historic and one con-firmed extant occurrence on the Los PadresNational Forest.

Stylocline masonii (Mason neststraw)Stylocline masonii is an annual species

known from occurrences in Los Angeles,Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Kern counties.

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The plant is found in the northwesternTehachapi Mountains, the southern SanJoaquin Valley, and the Santa Lucia Ranges.It grows on sandy soils and in washes withinchenopod scrub habitat and pinyon-juniperwoodlands. Most occurrences are reportedbetween 300 and 1,400 feet elevation(Hickman 1993). Just one collection has beendocumented since 1971.

Swertia neglecta (pine green-gentian)Swertia neglecta is a Forest Service Sensi-

tive Species known from the desert slopes ofthe San Bernardino and San Gabriel moun-tains, and the western Transverse Ranges.Small, scattered occurrences are found withinyellow pine forests, dry open woodlands, andpinyon-juniper woodlands. Five occurrencesare known on the San Bernardino NationalForest, including two discovered in 1998 oncarbonate soils growing with the federally en-dangered, Oxytheca parishii var. goodmaniana.Four occurrences are documented on the LosPadres National Forest, and the Angeles Na-tional Forest contains almost twenty locations.One occurrence on the San Bernardino Na-tional Forest is located in an area proposedfor a limestone mine overburden site. In otherareas, the species is vulnerable to mining ac-tivities, road maintenance, and recreationimpacts from hiking, camping, horsebackriding, and off-highway vehicle use. A reviewof all pre-1998 vegetation plot data sheets andmaps created for the carbonate plant conser-vation study (USDA 1996) may yield otherlocations of this taxon on the San BernardinoNational Forest.

Syntrichopappus lemmonii(Lemmon’s syntrichopappus)

Syntrichopappus lemmonii is a watch-listspecies on the San Bernardino and Angelesnational forests. At least five occurrences aredocumented on the San Bernardino NationalForest. Occurrences are known from Los An-geles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Kern, andMonterey counties. An annual plant, it growson sandy or gravelly soils within chaparral and

Joshua tree woodlands between 2,900 and4,900 feet elevation. It appears abundantlyafter fires.

Viola aurea (golden violet)Viola aurea is a perennial species known

from occurrences in San Diego, San Bernar-dino, Kern, and Mono counties as well asNevada, where it may be more common.Plants grow in sandy places within Great Ba-sin scrub and pinyon-juniper woodlandsbetween 3,200 and 5,900 feet. Five locationsare documented in California, including oneat Cajon Pass between the San Gabriel andSan Bernardino mountains and another inDoane Valley at Palomar Mountain State Park(CNDDB 1998). The occurrence at CajonPass is located on the San Bernardino NationalForest, where the species is placed on a watchlist. Potential habitat occurs on the ClevelandNational Forest. Other occurrences are re-ported from the eastern slopes of the TehachapiMountains southwest to Mount Pinos (Moeand Twisselmann 1995), and possibly at PineMountain Ridge in the southern Los Padresregion (Smith 1976). Occurrences are vulner-able to overgrazing, off-road vehicle activity,and development projects.

Carbonate Plants

Ten rare plants are specifically associatedwith carbonate (e.g., limestone, dolomite) sub-strates that occur in localized areas on thedesert side of the San Bernardino Mountains(table 5.16). Four federally endangered spe-cies and one federally threatened species areincluded in this group.

Abronia nana ssp. covillei(Coville’s dwarf abronia)

Abronia nana ssp. covillei is a Forest Ser-vice Sensitive Species that occurs on dry slopeswith carbonate soil and in sandy places withinthe San Bernardino, Inyo, New York, andWhite mountains. Occurrences are also foundin the Sheep Range in southwestern Nevada.The plant is typically found growing inpinyon-juniper and Joshua tree woodlands,


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

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Abronia nana y decl. high San Bernardino, Inyo, White, & Newssp. covillei York mtns., SW NV (Sheep Range);(Coville’s dwarf abronia) (moderate) FS sensitive

Allium parishii y unkn. high San Bernardino, Riverside, & Inyo(Parish’s onion) cos., W AZ, San Bernardino & Little

San Bernardino mtns., MojaveDesert; (low)

Arabis shockleyi 141 unkn. high San Bernardino (NE San Bernardino(Shockley’s rock cress) Mtns.) & Inyo cos., NV, Great Basin; FS sensitive (moderate)

Astragalus albens 552 decl. high San Bernardino Mtns.; (high)(Cushenbury milk-vetch) federally endangered

Erigeron parishii 489 decl. high Riverside & San Bernardino cos.,(Parish’s daisy) San Bernardino Mtns.; (high) federally threatened

Erigeron uncialis p unkn. San Bernardino & Inyo cos., centralvar. uncialis NV, San Bernardino Mtns., Mojave(limestone daisy) Desert (Clark Mtn.), White & Inyo FS sensitive mtns., Grapevine Mtns., Tin Mtn.;

(low)

Eriogonum microthecum 4 p unkn. high San Bernardino Mtns.; (high)var. corymbosoides(San Bern. buckwheat)

Eriogonum ovalifolium 839 decl. high San Bernardino Mtns.; (high)var. vineum(Cushenbury buckwheat) federally endangered

Lesquerella kingi 128 decl. high San Bernardino Mtns.; (high)ssp. bernardina(San Bern. Mtns. bladderpod) federally endangered

Oxytheca parishii 312 decl. high San Bernardino Mtns.; (high)var. goodmaniana(Cushenbury oxytheca) federally endangered

Table 5.16. Rare plants found in association with carbonate soils. y = the taxon occurs on the forest; p =has potential to occur). Assessments of trend, knowledge of distribution, and vulnerability were made byforest botanists/biologists and generally refer to occurrences on national forest system lands (unkn. = unknown;decl. = declining).

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dry conifer forests, and Great Basin scrub. Fiveoccurrences are known on the San BernardinoNational Forest. Plants are affected by lime-stone mining operations and high levels ofrecreation use, particularly from unauthorizedoff-road vehicles.

Allium parishii (Parish’s onion)Allium parishii occurs in San Bernardino,

Riverside, and Inyo counties, as well as west-ern Arizona. Occurrences are generally locatedabove 4,000 feet elevation, on the desert-sideslopes of the San Bernardino Mountains andLittle San Bernardino Mountains, and in theMojave Desert. The habitat is described asopen and rocky slopes in Joshua tree wood-lands. There appears to be an association withcarbonate soils but the species may grow inother soil types. Two occurrences are locatedin an active limestone mining area. One newoccurrence was found in 1998 in FurnaceCanyon, growing on carbonate soil with Eri-geron parishii and Astragalus albens. Miningactivities and high levels of recreation use,particularly from off-road vehicles, may beaffecting populations in the assessment area.

Arabis shockleyi(Shockley’s rock cress)

Arabis shockleyi is a Forest Service Sensi-tive Species found in Inyo and San Bernardinocounties, and also Nevada. In California theplant grows on carbonate or quartzite soil inpinyon-juniper woodlands. In 1998, this plantwas found within fifty-one 0.1-acre plots ran-domly placed in an area known to support oneof the five listed carbonate species on the SanBernardino National Forest. These occurrencesare not included in the acres of occupied habi-tat reported for this species in table 5.16.Disjunct occurrences are found in the moun-tains east and north of the Mojave Desert andin portions of the Great Basin. The CNDDBcontains records on twenty-two occurrences.

Astragalus albens(Cushenbury milk-vetch)

Astragalus albens is a federally endangeredspecies endemic to the San Bernardino Moun-tains. A draft recovery plan (USFWS 1997b)cites thirty-three known occurrences, distrib-uted from the east side of Dry Canyon, northto approximately 1/2 mile north of CushenburySprings and southeast to 1/2 mile east ofArrastre Creek. Henderson and Volgarino(1997) estimated 559 acres of A. albens onnational forest system lands and 11 acres onBLM lands. More occurrences were mappedduring 1998 surveys. Occurrences are knownto expand in years of good rainfall; during adrought year in the 1980s, the total numberof plants at all known locations was estimatedat two thousand. Favorable rainfall in 1992,combined with a more thorough survey ef-fort, increased the estimate to between fivethousand and ten thousand plants at all knownsites. The largest occurrence was located in theTop Spring-Smarts Ranch Road area and con-tained several thousand individuals (USFWS1997b; B. Henderson, San Bernardino NF,pers. comm.).

Astraglus albens is usually found on car-bonate or granitic soils between 3,600 and6,200 feet (USFWS 1997b). It occupies pin-yon and juniper woodlands, sandy or stonyflats, rocky hillsides, and canyon washes andfans. Significant differences between occupiedand unoccupied habitat are described byGonella (1994). This species is also addressedin the Conservation Study for Five CarbonatePlant Species: a study of land use conflict in theSan Bernardino National Forest (USDA For-est Service 1996). The species is vulnerable tomining operations and mineral exploration.At least 97 percent of the known occurrencesare located on public land claimed for miningor on private land (USFWS 1997b). Road andpowerline construction, utility corridors, un-authorized vehicle use, and unauthorizedgrazing from trespass cattle are other actionsthat affect this species.

303

Chapter 5Erigeron parishii (Parish’s daisy)

Erigeron parishii is a federally threatenedspecies known from at least twenty-six occur-rences in Riverside and San Bernardinocounties (CNDDB 1996). The plant is dis-tributed within a 35-mile stretch of carbonatehabitat and is the most wide-ranging of thefive listed species in this group. Occurrencesare found between 3,600 and 6,400 feet inpinyon woodlands, pinyon-juniper wood-lands, black bush scrub, Mojavean desertscrub, and Joshua tree woodlands. Plants usu-ally occupy shallow drainages, rocky slopes,and outwash plains on limestone or dolomitesoils (USFWS 1997b). Some populations oc-cur on a granite/limestone interface—usuallygranitics overlain with limestone—and onlimestone alluvium above quartz monzonitesubstrates. Approximately fifty populations arenow known, consisting of an undefined num-ber of plants. Prior to listing, the plant wasknown from fewer than twenty-five occur-rences totaling about sixteen thousandindividual plants (USFWS 1997b).Henderson and Volgarino (1997) estimated396 acres of occupied habitat on national for-est system lands and 186 acres on BLM lands.The species is addressed in the draft recoveryplan (USFWS 1997b) and the ConservationStudy for Five Carbonate Plant Species: a studyof land use conflict in the San Bernardino Na-tional Forest (USDA Forest Service 1996). Thespecies is vulnerable to the same activities af-fecting Astragalus albens: mining, mineralexploration, road and powerline construction,utility corridors, unauthorized vehicle use, andunauthorized grazing.

Erigeron uncialis var. uncialis(limestone daisy)

Erigeron uncialis var. uncialis is a ForestService Sensitive Species. It is found withinSan Bernardino and Inyo counties as well ascentral Nevada. Occurrences are known fromthe San Bernardino Mountains, the MojaveDesert, and the White and Inyo mountainseast of the Sierra Nevada. Disjunct occurrencesare located in the Schell Creek and White Pine

ranges of Nevada. Records from botanist MaryDecker indicate occurrences near Death Val-ley in the Grapevine Mountains and at TinMountain, and in the Mojave Desert at ClarkMountain. The Nevada Natural Heritage Pro-gram (NNHP) records three to fiveoccurrences of E. cavernensis which is nowlumped with E. uncialis var. uncialis(Cronquist 1994). The plant occurs within theassessment area in desert montane and subal-pine/alpine habitats. It grows from limestonecrevices within Great Basin scrub and subal-pine coniferous forest. Limestone mining andoff-road vehicle use are threats to its habitatin the San Bernardino Mountains. Habitat inNevada (carbonate rock and crevices) is rela-tively widespread and not consideredvulnerable at this time (J. Morefield, NNHP,pers. comm.).

Eriogonum microthecum var.corymbosoides(San Bernardino buckwheat)

Eriogonum microthecum var. corymbosoidesis a deciduous shrub known from the north-ern slopes of the San Bernardino Mountains.Occurrences are found in pinyon-juniperwoodlands and associated with carbonate andgranitic soils. In 1998, this taxon was foundwithin forty-nine 0.1-acre plots, randomly lo-cated in an area known to support one of thefive listed carbonate plant species on the SanBernardino National Forest. These occurrencesare not included in the acres of occupied habi-tat reported for this species in table 5.16.

Eriogonum ovalifolium var. vineum(Cushenbury buckwheat)

Eriogonum ovalifolium var. vineum is a fed-erally endangered taxon distributed from westof the White Mountain Management Unit eastto Rattlesnake Canyon (fig. 5.17). The totalnumber of individual plants is estimated atthirteen thousand, with about one-quarter ofthe known occurrences containing more thanone thousand plants (USFWS 1997b). TheCNDDB contains records for twenty-sevenoccurrences. Known locations on limestone

304

Figure 5.17. Documented locations of Eriogonum ovalifolium var. vineum (Cushenbury buckwheat), Lesquerellakingii ssp. bernardina (San Bernardino Mountains bladderpod), and Oxytheca parishii var. goodmaniana(Cushenbury oxytheca).

include the White Knob area, Arctic/BousicCanyon west to Terrace Springs, south to TopSpring, and along the north side of Lone Val-ley to Tip Top Mountain. The plant alsooccurs on dolomite in the Bertha Ridge area,in northern Holcomb Valley, in Jacoby Can-yon, and along Nelson Ridge (USFWS1997b). A population at Furnace Canyongrows on a mix of granite, limestone, anddolomite. Recent surveys done by the SanBernardino National Forest located two newpopulations, one near Jacoby Springs and onejust north of Mineral Mountain.

This plant is found between 4,800 and7,800 feet in openings of pinyon woodland,pinyon-juniper woodland, Joshua tree wood-land, black bush scrub, Mojavean desert scrub,and dry coniferous forest. Site conditions in-clude a low accumulation of organic material,usually less than 15 percent canopy cover,moderate slopes, and rock cover that exceeds50 percent in fine soils. Some occurrences onnorth-facing slopes are found with Astragalusalbens (USFWS 1997c). The taxon is ad-dressed in a draft recovery plan (USFWS1997b) and the Conservation Study for Five

305

Chapter 5

Lesquerella kingii ssp . bernardina(San Bernardino Mountains bladderpod)

Lesquerella kingii ssp. bernardina is a fed-erally endangered plant found in the Big BearValley area. It occupies the smallest area of thefive listed carbonate taxa (USFWS 1997b).Occurrences are known from two areas thatencompass an estimated 149 acres on the SanBernardino National Forest (Henderson andVolgarino 1997). All but 21 acres are mappedin our GIS database. One site is located onthe northern side of the valley near the east-ern end of Bertha Ridge and next to thecommunity of Big Bear City (fig. 5.17). Thetotal number of individuals at this locationwas estimated to be twenty-five thousand in1980, and less than ten thousand in 1988. Thedecline may reflect real change brought on byprolonged drought conditions and/or appar-ent change due to differences in samplingtechnique (USFWS 1997b). The other area iscentered on the north-facing slope ofSugarlump Ridge, south of Big Bear Valley andabout 6 miles south of the Bertha Ridge popu-lations. This area contained approximately tenthousand plants in 1991. Resource personnelfrom the San Bernardino National Forest andCDFG observed increased abundance in theyears following the drought (USFWS 1997b).

This plant is found between 6,500 and8,200 feet in elevation, on dolomite soilswithin Jeffrey pine-western juniper woodlandsand white fir forests. Plants grow in open ar-eas with little accumulation of organicmaterial. The northern-most occurrence growswith Eriogonum ovalifolium var. vineum. Al-though plants have been observed growing inold road beds, established populations can beeasily extirpated by unauthorized off-road ve-hicle use and mountain biking. Fenceconstruction, signing, and closure of non-

system roads in occupied habitat near the BigBear rifle range enhanced habitat for one oc-currence near the north shore of Big Bear Lakein 1998. Potential disturbances to theLakeview cabin tract population are being as-sessed in 1999. Generally, the plant isvulnerable to unauthorized off-road vehicleuse, woodcutting, and mining. The taxon isaddressed in a draft recovery plan (USFWS1997b) and the Conservation Study for FiveCarbonate Plant Species: a study of land use con-flict in the San Bernardino National Forest(USDA Forest Service 1996).

Oxytheca parishii var. goodmaniana(Cushenbury oxytheca)

Oxytheca parishii var. goodmaniana is afederally endangered taxon. It occupies thesecond smallest area of the listed carbonateplants. In 1990 the estimated number of plantswas fewer than three thousand in four knownpopulations (USFWS 1997b); however, abun-dance varies with rainfall. Surveys conductedby the San Bernardino National Forest from1992 to 1995 located eleven new populations.More populations were located following theEl Nino event in 1998. Occurrences rangefrom South Peak east to 1/2 mile south andeast of Terrace Springs (some plants in theTerrace Springs area have now been identifiedas O. parishii var. cienegensis). Other knownsites include Cushenbury Spring; Cushenbury,Marble, Arctic, Wild Rose and Furnace can-yons; near the abandoned Green Lead goldmine; north of Holcomb Valley; and in theWhite Mountain Management Unit (fig.5.17). In addition, three other morphologi-cally distinct populations were found at theeastern end of the known range of this plant—along the Helendale Fault near Tip Top Moun-tain, at Mineral Mountain, and at Rose Mine.Occurrences are generally found between4,200 and 7,800 feet, on limestone and dolo-mite soils within pinyon and juniperwoodland. The taxon is addressed in a draftRecovery Plan (USFWS 1997b) and in theConservation Study for Five Carbonate PlantSpecies: a study of land use conflict in the San

Carbonate Plant Species: a study of land use con-flict in the San Bernardino National Forest(USDA Forest Service 1996). Occurrences areaffected by mining, mineral exploration, roadand powerline construction, utility corridors,unauthorized vehicle use, and unauthorizedgrazing.

306

Astragalus lentiginosus var. coachellae(Coachella Valley milk-vetch)

Astragalus lentiginosus var. coachellae is afederally endangered species known from theCoachella Valley area of Riverside County.Habitat for this annual plant is found at lowelevations (below 1,200 feet) in sandy flats,outwash fans, and on dunes in Sonoran desertscrub, creosote bush scrub, or sagebrush domi-nated communities. The CNDDB containsrecords for seventeen occurrences, five locatedwithin the Coachella Valley Preserve (jointlymanaged by the BLM, CDFG, USFWS, andTNC). Occurrences in the preserve are moni-tored annually. One occurrence showed adecline in abundance from 1979 (209 plants)to 1982 (2 plants). Surveys during 1987 (adrought year) located fewer than 300 plantsat all locations (USFWS 1992a). Two other

Bernardino National Forest (USDA ForestService 1996). The primary disturbances tothis taxon come from limestone mining op-erations and exploration.

Desert Floor PlantsTwo rare plants are primarily found in

desert floor habitat at the eastern edge of theassessment area. Summary information isshown in table 5.17. Both of these taxa arefederally endangered.

occurrences are found on the Agua CalienteIndian Reservation, one occurrence is locatedon land owned by Southern California Edison,and the remaining occurrences are located onprivate lands. There are no known occurrenceson the San Bernardino National Forest; how-ever, one area at Snow Creek Canyon (1,400feet) may be low enough in elevation to pro-vide some potential habitat. The main threatto this taxon is habitat loss due to urban de-velopment (USFWS 1992a).

Astragalus tricarinatus(triple-ribbed milk-vetch)

Astragalus tricarinatus is a federally endan-gered, short-lived perennial known from areasbordering the Sonoran Desert in Riverside andSan Bernardino counties. The CNDDB con-tains records for seven occurrences and sevengeneral locations; however, the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service confirms only four sites in theCoachella Valley (USFWS 1992a). Occur-rences are reported near Whitewater Canyonand Morongo Valley (northwestern end of theCoachella Valley), and Agua Alta Canyon(southern end of the Coachella Valley). Twoof these occurrences are protected in an Areaof Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC)by the BLM, and also managed as a preserveby the BLM and TNC. Since 1987, plantshave not been found at either site or atWhitewater and Agua Alta canyons. When theproposed listing rule was published in 1992,


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Astragalus lentiginosus p Coachella Valley, potential habitat atvar. coachellae low elevation on desert side of San(Coachella Valley milk-vetch) Jacinto Mtns.; (low) federally endangered

Astragalus tricarinatus p Coachella Valley, potential habitat at(triple-ribbed milk-vetch) low elevation on desert side of San federally endangered Jacinto Mtns.; (low)

Table 5.17. Rare plants found in desert floor habitats. p = the taxon has potential to occur on the forest.Assessments of trend, knowledge of distribution, and vulnerability were made by forest botanists/biologistsand generally refer to occurrences on national forest system lands.

307

Chapter 5no live plants were known, but a viable seedpool was presumed to exist in the soil and thespecies is expected to reappear when climaticconditions are favorable (USFWS 1992a).Plants typically occupy habitat below 2,600feet, reportedly growing on canyon walls oron decomposed granite or gravelly soils at thebase of canyon slopes. Plants have also beenfound on sandy or gravelly soils along the edgesof boulder- strewn washes in Joshua tree wood-land or Sonoran desert scrub (USFWS 1992a).Occurrences have not been found on the SanBernardino National Forest; however, poten-tial habitat occurs in the San JacintoMountains.

Monterey and San Luis ObispoCoast Plants

Five rare plants are primarily associatedwith habitats along the coast of Monterey andSan Luis Obispo counties. Summary informa-tion is shown in table 5.18.


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Arctostaphylos cruzensis 1 decl. low S Monterey & NW SLO cos.,(La Cruz manzanita) Monterey Coast; (moderate) FS sensitive

Delphinium hutchinsoniae 2 decl. low Monterey Coast; (low)(Hutchinson’s larkspur) FS sensitive

Galium californicum 569 unkn. low Monterey Co., (N. Santa Lucia Rng.);ssp. luciense (low)(Cone Peak bedstraw) FS sensitive

Perideridia gairdneri p p 4 low Monterey Co. north to Del Norte Co.ssp. gairdneri (scarce south of Monterey Co.);(Gairdner’s yampah) (low)

Raillardiopsis muirii 8 stable low Monterey Coast, N Santa Lucia(Muir’s raillardella) Rng., S Sierra Nevada; (moderate) FS sensitive

Table 5.18. Rare plants found in Monterey Coast habitats. p = the taxon has potential to occur on theforest. Assessments of trend, knowledge of distribution, and vulnerability were made by forest botanists/biologists and generally refer to occurrences on national forest system lands (decl. = declining; unkn. =unknown).

Arctostaphylos cruzensis(La Cruz manzanita)

Arctostaphylos cruzensis is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species. It is an evergreen shrubknown from occurrences in southernMonterey and northwestern San Luis Obispocounties, where the species is found on sandysoils along the coast. Skinner and Pavlik (1994)report occurrences within several distinct veg-etation types: broadleaved upland forest,coastal bluff scrub, closed-cone conifer forest,chaparral, coastal scrub, and valley-foothillgrassland. Hickman (1993) describes habitatfor this species as sandy bluffs below 500 feetelevation. Fewer than twenty occurrences areknown, ranging in size from one plant to anestimated one thousand individual plants. Halfof the known occurrences are located on pri-vate lands owned by the Hearst Corporationand may be subject to development. InMonterey County, one occurrence is found atPacific Valley on the Los Padres National For-est (Matthews 1997).

308

Calochortus obispoensis(San Luis mariposa lily)

Calochortus obispoensis is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species. It is endemic to San LuisObispo County and concentrated around thecity of San Luis Obispo. Occurrences areknown from Cuesta Ridge, Reservoir Canyon,and Brizzolari Canyon (fig. 5.18). The plantsat Indian Knob grow on tar sands that may bea type of carbonate soil (McLeod 1984). Thereare eighteen recorded occurrences ranging inabundance from fewer than fifty plants to anestimated one thousand plants. One occur-rence is protected in the Cuesta RidgeBotanical Area of the Los Padres NationalForest, another occurrence is located in acounty and city biosphere reserve, and severalothers are found on land owned by CaliforniaPolytechnic San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly).Records kept by Forest Service resource per-sonnel indicate that the species respondspositively to wildfire.

Delphinium hutchinsonae(Hutchinson’s larkspur)

Delphinium hutchinsonae is a Forest Ser-vice Sensitive Species that is endemic toMonterey County. Occurrences are foundfrom sea level to 1,300 feet elevation, on moistsoils within broad-leaved upland forest, chap-arral, coastal prairie, and coastal scrub habitats.Fewer than ten occurrences are known, thelargest containing an estimated one hundredplants. Most of the known occurrences arelocated on private lands; however, one occur-rence is located on the Los Padres NationalForest and another occurs on land managedby the U.S. Coast Guard.

Galium californicum ssp. luciense(Cone Peak bedstraw)

Galium californicum ssp. luciense is a pe-rennial taxon endemic to the northern SantaLucia Range in Monterey County. Occur-rences are found growing on talus or duffwithin broad-leaved upland forest, cismontanewoodland, and conifer forest habitats. Betweenfive and ten occurrences are known, four ofthem located in designated wilderness areason the Los Padres National Forest.

Perideridia gairdneri ssp. gairdneri(Gairdner’s yampah)

Perideridia gairdneri ssp. gairdneri wasonce widely distributed in California but isnow thought to be extirpated in the southernportion of its range (i.e., Los Angeles, Orange,and San Diego counties) (Skinner and Pavlik1994). Extant occurrences are found fromMonterey County north to Del Norte County,California. The subspecies grows at sea levelto about 1,200 feet in elevation, in mesic places(including vernal pools) within coastal flats,valley-foothill grasslands, chaparral, broad-leaved upland forests, and pine stands.Occurrences are mapped on the MontereyRanger District of the Los Padres NationalForest; however, this taxon is no longer iden-tified as a sensitive species.

Raillardiopsis muirii(Muir’s raillardella)

Raillardiopsis muirii is a Forest ServiceSensitive Species known from nineteen occur-rences that range across an estimated 200-milesection of the southern Sierra Nevada, fromFresno to Kern counties. One disjunct occur-rence is found 160 miles to the west near thecoast of Monterey County. This occurrence islocated in the Ventana Wilderness Area (atVentana Double Cone) on the Los PadresNational Forest. The species grows from gran-ite ledges and crevices and on gravelly or sandyflats in openings of montane chaparral, pon-derosa pine forest, and mixed conifer forest.

Serpentine Plants

Ten rare plants are found primarily in as-sociation with serpentine soils. Within theassessment area, serpentine soils occur mainlyin Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties.Summary information for these species isshown in table 5.19.

309

Chapter 5Table 5.19. Rare plants found in association with serpentine soils. y = the taxon occurs on the forest.Assessments of trend, knowledge of distribution, and vulnerability were made by forest botanists/biologistsand generally refer to occurrences on national forest system lands (unkn. = unknown; decl. = declining; incr.= increasing).

Calochortus obispoensis 520 unkn. mod. SLO Co., Santa Lucia Rngs.; (moder(San Luis mariposa lily) ate) FS sensitive

Carex obispoensis 218 stable mod. SLO Co., Santa Lucia Rngs.; (low)(San Luis Obispo sedge) FS sensitive

Caulanthus amplexicaulis 136 unkn. low San Rafael Mtns. (Santa Barbaravar. barbarae Co.); (moderate)(Santa Barbara jewelflower) FS sensitive

Chlorogalum pomeridianum 290 low SLO, Colusa, Lake, Sonoma, &var. minus Tehama cos.(dwarf soaproot)

Chorizanthe breweri 1,081 stable low SLO Co., Santa Lucia Rngs.; (moder(Brewer’s spineflower) ate) FS sensitive

Fritillaria falcata y unkn. low Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara,(talus fritillary) Stanislaus, & Alameda cos.; (moder FS sensitive ate)

Fritillaria viridea 36 unkn. low SLO, Monterey, & San Benito cos.;(San Benito fritillary) (low) FS sensitive

Galium hardhamiae 221 stable low Monterey & SLO cos., Santa Lucia(Hardham’s bedstraw) Rngs.; (moderate) FS sensitive

Sanicula maritima 3 decl. high coastal prairies in Monterey & SLO(adobe sanicle) cos.; (moderate) FS sensitive

Sidalcea hickmanii 522 stable/ low SLO Co., Santa Lucia Rngs.; (high)ssp. anomala incr.(Cuesta Pass checkerbloom) FS sensitive

Carex obispoensis(San Luis Obispo sedge)

Carex obispoensis is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species known from San Luis ObispoCounty. Potential habitat also exists in south-ern Monterey County (fig. 5.18). The sedgeis found in ephemeral seeps with Sargent cy-press at Cuesta Ridge, Reservoir Canyon, andas far north as Arroyo de la Cruz (McLeod

1984). It also grows under drier conditions inserpentine chaparral. About seventeen occur-rences are documented. One is located onDepartment of Defense (DOD) land, threeare within the Los Padres National Forest (onelocated in the Cuesta Ridge Botanical Area),and the rest occur on private lands owned forthe most part by the Hearst Corporation.


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

310

Figure 5.18. Documented locations of Calochortus obispoensis, the San Luis mariposa lily, and Carex obispoensis,the San Luis Obispo sedge.

Caulanthus amplexicaulis var. barbarae(Santa Barbara jewelflower)

Caulanthus amplexicaulis var. barbarae isa Forest Service Sensitive Species. An annualplant, it is found within the San Rafael Moun-tains of Santa Barbara County. About sixoccurrences are documented, five locatedwithin the Los Padres National Forest. Theplant appears to respond positively to fall fires.

Chlorogalum pomeridianum var. minus(dwarf soaproot)

Chlorogalum pomeridianum var. minus isknown from Colusa, Lake, Sonoma, Tehama,and San Luis Obispo counties. The species is

no longer considered a Forest Service Sensi-tive Species.

Chorizanthe breweri(Brewer’s spineflower)

Chorizanthe breweri is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species. An annual plant, it is found onthe Santa Lucia Ranger District of the LosPadres National Forest, from Cerro Alto toLopez Mountain and at various other sites inSan Luis Obispo County. Occurrences areknown from Cuesta Ridge, Reservoir Canyonand Brizzolari Canyon. The CNPS Inventorycites about twenty occurrences. Four out ofthe thirteen occurrences recorded in the

311

Chapter 5CNDDB are located on national forest sys-tem lands. One known site on private land isthreatened by development.

Fritillaria falcata (talus fritillary)Fritillaria falcata is a Forest Service Sensi-

tive Species. It occurs in Stanislaus, San Benito,Alameda, Santa Clara and Monterey counties.The CNDDB lists eleven occurrences. Thenumber of plants recorded at each site is low,with only two having more than one hundredindividuals. The taxon appears to grow almostexclusively on talus slopes derived of serpen-tine. Two occurrences within the Los PadresNational Forest are protected in designatedwilderness areas; however, they are not mapped(M Foster, unpubl. notes, 1998). Another twooccurrences are found within the Hollister Re-source Area on BLM land.

Fritillaria viridea (San Benito fritillary)Fritillaria viridea is a Forest Service Sensi-

tive Species known from West Cuesta Ridgein San Luis Obispo County and Mount SanCarlos in San Benito County (Jenkins 1981).There are also reports from Monterey County;however, plants at this location may be an-other taxon. The CNDDB contains recordsfor just six occurrences, yet the CNPS Inven-tory mentions that the species is more commonthan previously thought in San Benito County.One occurrence is protected within the CuestaRidge Botanical Area of the Los Padres Na-tional Forest and two occurrences are foundin the Hollister Resource Area managed bythe BLM. The species occurs on slopes withinserpentine chaparral in the foothill and lowermontane conifer zones. Most sources cite anadaptation to serpentine soils, but it has alsobeen linked to calcareous shale on theMonterey Ranger District of the Los PadresNational Forest (K. Danielsen, pers. comm).Habitat for the species has been negatively im-pacted by unauthorized OHV use and miningactivities.

Galium hardhamiae(Hardham’s bedstraw)

Galium hardhamiae is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species that is endemic to Monterey andSan Luis Obispo counties. This perennial plantoccurs primarily with Sargent cypress in theSanta Lucia Ranges as far south as CypressMountain. The species occurs to a lesser de-gree in openings within serpentine chaparralwhere there are no cypress (Hardham 1962).The CNDDB lists seventeen occurrences.Nine occurrences, covering about 221 acres,are mapped within the Los Padres NationalForest.

Sanicula maritima (adobe sanicle)Sanicula maritima is a Forest Service Sen-

sitive Species known from Monterey and SanLuis Obispo counties, where it grows in coastalprairie habitat. Historic occurrences are docu-mented for Alameda and San Franciscocounties but are now believed to be extirpated.There are fewer than ten recorded occurrencesof this perennial plant. The largest occurrencecontained an estimated one thousand plantsin 1983 and is located on land owned by theHearst Corporation. One occurrence locatedon the Monterey Ranger District of the LosPadres National Forest consisted of three hun-dred plants in 1985. Two year later thisestimate dropped to fewer than one hundredplants. Another occurrence is found on statepark land and was reported in 1987 and 1990to contain fewer than one hundred plants. Thenon-native grass, Pennisetum clandestinum(kikuyu grass) appears to be outcompetingSanicula maritima in some areas.

Sidalcea hickmanii ssp. anomala(Cuesta Pass checkerbloom)

Sidalcea hickmanii ssp. anomala is a For-est Service Sensitive Species that is endemicto Cuesta Ridge in San Luis Obispo County.A perennial plant, it is known from three lo-cations, mapped over 558 acres, in clearingsamong Sargent cypress. Most of these acresfall within the Los Padres National Forest and

312

Androsace elongata ssp. acuta(California androsace)

Androsace elongata ssp. acuta is knownfrom occurrences in Garner Valley (San JacintoMountains) and along the northern slope ofthe San Bernardino Mountains. In San DiegoCounty, it reportedly occurs in the CuyamacaMountains, Montezuma Valley, and WarnerSprings (Beauchamp 1986). These last twolocations are inland desert valley grasslandswhich are privately owned. Potential habitatalso occurs on BLM land in the San FelipeHills and at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.Its presence on the Los Padres National For-est is documented from herbarium specimensstored at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden(D. Wilken, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden,in litt. 1998). More occurrences are reportedin Kern County and south to Baja California,Mexico. In addition to grasslands, the speciesis found in chaparral, coastal sage scrub, andcismontane woodlands, but occurrences arehighly localized.

Astragalus oocarpus(San Diego milk-vetch)

Astragalus oocarpus is a Forest Service Sen-sitive Species that is endemic to the mountainsof San Diego County. Populations are locatedin the Palomar and Cuyamaca mountains, andnear Volcan Mountain (Reiser 1994). Abouttwenty occurrences are recorded in all, moston private lands, and about six on nationalforest system lands. Reiser writes that popula-tions of this taxon are stable; however, ForestService resource personnel consider it to bedeclining due to limited available habitat(Reiser 1994). The plant occurs at elevations

from roughly 2,000 to 5,000 feet, in open-ings within chaparral, in oak woodland, andat the periphery of meadows. Known associ-ates include manzanita and chamise. Likeother Astragalus, A. oocarpus appears to be dis-turbance oriented; mild (but not prolonged)soil disturbance may be necessary to establishnew individuals (Reiser 1994). The species isincluded in a conservation strategy for coastalsage scrub (USFS/USFWS/CDFG 1997).

Astragalus pachypus var. jaegeri(Jaeger’s milk-vetch)

Astragalus pachypus var. jaegeri is a ForestService Sensitive Species that is endemic tonorthern San Diego and southern Riversidecounties. About seven occurrences are known,including in the Vail Lake area, south and eastof Vail Lake towards Aguanga, at the north-western edge of the Sonoran Desert, in theSan Jacinto Mountains, and in the Agua TibiaWilderness Area . One historical record is fromnear Warner Springs in San Diego County.The shrub has been located between roughly1,600 and 3,000 feet elevation in sandy orrocky soil within coastal sage scrub, chapar-ral, cismontane woodland, and valley-foothillgrasslands. California buckwheat and the fed-erally endangered species, Berberis nevinii, areassociates at the Vail Lake location (Reiser1994). In San Diego County the taxon is pre-sumed to be stable; however, those occurrencesin Riverside County are at risk of removal dueto proposed development projects near PotreroCreek and Vail Lake (Reiser 1994).

Atriplex parishii (Parish’s brittle scale)Atriplex parishii is a Forest Service Sensi-

tive Species that is typically found on dryingsoils in alkali meadows, vernal pools, playas,and in chenopod scrub at low elevations withindesert habitats (though some locations are re-ported up to 4,700 feet). The CNDDBcontains records for eleven occurrences. Mostof the recent collections are from the SanJacinto Valley in Riverside County. Historicoccurrences are noted for Los Angeles, SanBernardino, and Orange counties. One ofthese occurrences may be from Vandeventer

some populations are protected further withinthe Cuesta Ridge Botanical Area.

Habitat Generalist PlantsSeventeen rare plants either lack a strong

association with a broad habitat type or theirhabitat associations are poorly understood.Summary information for these species isshown in table 5.20.

Androsace elongata y y y unkn. unkn. Garner Vlly. (San Jacinto Mtns.), Sanssp. acuta Bern. Mtns., Peninsular Ranges &(California androsace) desert of SD Co., San Felipe Hills, S Los

Padres area, Kern Co., S to Baja; (low)

Astragalus oocarpus 123 decl. low Palomar, Cuyamaca, & Volcan mtns.(San Diego milk-vetch) (SD Co.); (moderate) FS sensitiveAstragalus pachypus y p unkn./ unkn. N San Diego & S Riverside cos. (Vailvar. jaegeri stable1 Lake area, nw edge of Sonoron(Jaeger’s milk-vetch) Desert, San Jacinto Mtns., desert FS sensitive areas of SD Co.); (low)

Atriplex parishii p San Jacinto Valley & Palm Springs(Parish’s brittle scale) (Riverside Co.), h in LA, San Bern. &

Orange cos., p in Sta. Rosa Mtns., Baja

Calystegia peirsonii 1 Los Angeles Co. (n San Gabriel Mtns.(Peirson’s morning-glory) & adjacent areas of Mojave Desert

(Antelope Valley); (low)

Fritillaria ojaiensis 40 unkn. low Ventura, Sta. Brbra, & SLO cos. (outer(Ojai fritillary) South Coast Ranges & W Transverse FS sensitive Ranges or S Los Padres region); (mod.)

Galium angustifolium p 1 unkn. E San Gabriel Mtns. (low)ssp. gabrielense(San Antonio Cyn. bedstraw)

Galium grande 1 San Gabriel Mtns.(San Gabriel bedstraw) FS sensitiveHulsea vestita p y y San Gabriel Mtns. & southern Losssp. gabrielensis Padres region (Frazier & Alamo mtns.)(San Gabriel Mtns. sunflower)

Hulsea vestita ssp. parryi y San Bernardino & Little San Bernar(Parry’s sunflower) dino mtns.

Layia heterotricha 41 decl. mod. southern Los Padres region (Santa(pale-yellow layia) Barbara & Ventura cos.), Fresno Co.; FS sensitive (moderate)

Linanthus orcuttii 197 p stable mod. Palomar and Laguna mtns. (SD Co.),(Orcutt’s linanthus) Riverside & LA cos., Baja; (moderate) FS sensitiveMonardella macrantha 115 133 y unkn./ low2/ San Gabriel, San Bernardino, Sanssp. hallii decl. mod.3 Jacinto, Santa Ana, Palomar, &(Hall’s monardella) Cuyamaca mtns.; (high) FS sensitivePhacelia exilis y San Bernardino Mtns., also LA,(Transverse Range phacelia) Ventura, Kern, & Tulare cos.

Phacelia mohavensis y San Gabriel & San Bernardino mtns.(Mojave phacelia)

Rupertia rigida y y stable2/ low San Bernardino & San Jacinto mtns.,(Parish’s rupertia) unkn.3 Peninsular Ranges of SD Co., Baja

Satureja chandleri 273 stable low Santa Ana, San Miguel, Palomar &(San Miguel savory) Laguna mtns., also foothills of SD Co., FS sensitive McGinty & Otay mtns., Jamul Mtns.,

Santa Rosa Plateau, Baja; (mod.)


listing status


Vulner-ability

on NFSlands


SBNFCNF ANF LPNF

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

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○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Table 5.20. Rare plants with general or unknown habitat parameters. y = the taxon occurs on the forest;p = has potential to occur. Assessments of trend, knowledge of distribution, and vulnerability were made byforest botanists/biologists and generally refer to occurrences on national forest system lands (decl. = declining;unkn. = unknown).

1 Reiser 1994 (refers to all known occurrences)2 on Cleveland National Forest3 on San Bernardino National Forest

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

314

Flats on the Santa Rosa Indian Reservation inthe Santa Rosa Mountains (near the San Ber-nardino National Forest). Other historicoccurrences close to the forest are reported forPalm Springs and Cushenbury Springs. Thespecies is also known to occur in Baja Califor-nia, Mexico.

Calystegia peirsonii(Peirson’s morning-glory)

Calystegia peirsonii is a perennial speciesknown from occurrences in Los AngelesCounty, in the northern San Gabriel Moun-tains and adjacent areas of the Mojave Desert(Antelope Valley). It grows on rocky slopes incoastal scrub, chaparral, chenopod scrub,cismontane woodland, and lower montaneconifer forest habitats.

Fritillaria ojaiensis (Ojai fritillary)Fritillaria ojaiensis is a Forest Service Sen-

sitive Species that is known from about fiveoccurrences in Ventura and Santa Barbaracounties. The occurrences are distributedwithin the southern Los Padres region on theLos Padres National Forest. Potential habitatexists in San Luis Obispo County as well.Plants are found between 900 and 1,700 feetin elevation, growing on rocky soils in moistareas of chaparral, in mesic broad-leaved up-land woodlands (often near drainages), andin lower montane conifer forests (Hickman1993).

Galium angustifolium ssp. gabrielense(San Antonio Canyon bedstraw)

Galium angustifolium ssp. gabrielense is anuncommon perennial species distributedwithin the eastern San Gabriel Mountains nearSan Antonio Canyon. The CNDDB has norecords for this taxon. It grows on drier slopesand ridges in chaparral and open forest and isassociated with granitic, sandy, or rocky soiltypes. Occurrences range from lower montaneconifer to subalpine habitats. The species isfound on the Angeles National Forest and po-

tential habitat also occurs on the San Bernar-dino National Forest.

Galium grande (San Gabriel bedstraw)Galium grande is a Forest Service Sensi-

tive Species. A deciduous shrub, it is knownfrom occurrences in the San Gabriel Moun-tains. The species occupies chaparral, openbroad-leaved upland forests, cismontanewoodlands, and lower montane conifer for-ests, between 1,400 and 5,000 feet inelevation.

Hulsea vestita ssp. gabrielensis(San Gabriel Mountains sunflower)

Hulsea vestita ssp. gabrielensis is knownfrom at least ten locations on national forestsystem lands in the San Gabriel Mountainsand southern Los Padres region (at Frazier andAlamo mountains) (Wilken 1975, 1977).There is potential for this plant to occur inthe western portion of the San BernardinoNational Forest as well. This perennial plantgrows on rocky soils in open areas of mon-tane coniferous forest. Some collections appearintermediate to H. vestita ssp. vestita in theSierra Nevada and H. vestita ssp. parryi in theSan Bernardino Mountains; however, a nu-merical analysis and review of morphologicalvariation have indicated that populations inthe western Transverse Ranges represent a dis-crete taxon (S. White, Scott White BiologicalConsulting, in litt. 1998; Wilken 1977).

Hulsea vestita ssp. parryi(Parry’s sunflower)

Hulsea vestita ssp. parryi is endemic to theeastern San Gabriel, San Bernardino, andLittle San Bernardino mountains (S. White,Scott White Biological Consulting, in litt.1998; Wilken 1975). At least ten occurrencesare known in the San Bernardino Mountains,including one in the San Gorgonio Wilder-ness Area. Another occurrence is known atJoshua Tree National Monument. The SanBernardino National Forest maintains thissubspecies on its watch list. A perennial plant,it typically grows on rocky soils or talus slopes

315

Chapter 5in open areas of conifer forest between 6,500and 8,900 feet. Recent collections on lime-stone soils in both conifer forest andpinyon-juniper woodland have tentativelybeen identified as this taxon; however, the spe-cies is highly variable.

Layia heterotricha (pale-yellow layia)Layia heterotricha is a Forest Service Sen-

sitive Species. It is known from extantpopulations in the southern Los Padres regionof Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, andareas of Fresno County. It appears to be de-clining; historically the species was distributedin eight counties (Fresno, Kings, Kern,Monterey, Santa Barbara, San Benito, San LuisObispo, and Ventura). The CNDDB containsrecords for twenty-nine occurrences, the ma-jority based on herbarium specimens from the1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. One occurrence, lo-cated in the Hollister Resource Area andmanaged by the BLM, contained an estimatedfive hundred plants in 1993. An occurrenceon the Mount Pinos Ranger District of theLos Padres National Forest contained twelveplants in 1994. Many occurrences are believedto be extirpated. Four occurrences have beendocumented in the last fifteen years and thespecies is included in a conservation strategy(USFS/USFWS 1996). Construction of theSan Antonio Reservoir, conversion of habitatfor agricultural use, livestock grazing, invasionof non-native annuals, and possibly altered fireregimes are factors believed to have negativelyaffected this annual species. Occurrences rangeacross foothill, lower montane, and montaneconifer forest habitat. Plants are found in grass-lands and open areas in foothill andpinyon-juniper woodlands. They grow onfragile soils variously described as sandy, cal-careous, or an alkaline clay. On the Los PadresNational Forest the species is associated withcalcareous potreros (J. O’Hare, Angeles NF,pers. comm.).

Linanthus orcuttii (Orcutt’s linanthus)Linanthus orcuttii is a Forest Service Sen-

sitive Species found in the Palomar and Lagunamountains of San Diego County, in Riverside

and Los Angeles counties, and in Baja Cali-fornia, Mexico. There are approximatelytwenty-five known occurrences, most on pub-lic lands where they are fairly well protected.The species occurs in lower montane andmontane conifer habitats, usually growing invernally moist, open sites of chaparral or pineforest (D. Wilken, Santa Barbara BotanicGarden, in litt. 1998).

Monardella macrantha ssp. hallii(Hall’s monardella)

Monardella macrantha ssp. hallii is a For-est Service Sensitive Species. It is anincreasingly rare perennial taxon that occursin the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, SanJacinto, Santa Ana, Palomar and Cuyamacamountains. The plant occupies valley-foothillgrasslands, chaparral, cismontane woodlands,broad-leaved upland forests, and lower mon-tane conifer forests. It grows in rocky placesand in openings in the vegetation. TheCNDDB contains records for thirty-one oc-currences and fourteen general locations.Graduate work done by Linda Allen at CalPoly San Luis Obispo has shown that some ofthese occurrences are really an intermediatewith M. macrantha ssp. macrantha (Allen1994). Three occurrences on the San Bernar-dino National Forest are believed to be thesubspecies hallii. One of these occurrences islocated within the Cahuilla Mountain RNAwhere a portion of the population burned inthe 1996 Diego Fire. Plants appeared to bethriving following this fire. Photographs of thearea taken in 1998 show higher densities ofthe plant than before the fire (M. Lardner,San Bernardino NF, in litt. 1998). Anotherpopulation grows partly along a flume line andan access road, indicating the plant may besomewhat disturbance oriented.

Phacelia exilis(Transverse Range phacelia)

Phacelia exilis is a watch-list plant on theSan Bernardino National Forest. Occurrencesare also known in Los Angeles, Ventura, Kern,and Tulare counties. The species is found in

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montane conifer forests, subalpine forests,meadows, and pebble plains. It can be locallycommon but is known from fewer than tenoccurrences.

Phacelia mohavensis (Mojave phacelia)Phacelia mohavensis is known from occur-

rences in the San Gabriel and San Bernardinomountains and is a watch-list plant on the SanBernardino National Forest. The species growson sandy or gravelly soils, including dry stre-ambeds, within pinyon-juniper woodlandsand dry meadows. It also is found incismontane woodlands and lower montaneconifer forests.

Rupertia rigida (Parish’s rupertia)Rupertia rigida is a watch-list species on

the San Bernardino and Cleveland nationalforests. Occurrences are known in Riverside,San Bernardino, and San Diego counties, andBaja California, Mexico. The perennial is un-common but widely scattered in the SanBernardino and San Jacinto mountains andknown from at least a dozen locations in theSan Diego ranges (Beauchamp 1986). It growswithin chaparral, cismontane woodlands, andmontane conifer forests below 8,200 feet el-evation. Cattle apparently avoid it, but thespecies is vulnerable to development projectswhich remove habitat on private lands. It hasshown tolerance to stand thinning and pre-scribed burning at Palomar Mountain on theCleveland National Forest.

Satureja chandleri (San Miguel savory)Satureja chandleri is a Forest Service Sen-

sitive Species found in the Santa AnaMountains, several San Diego County moun-tains (San Miguel, McGinty, Otay, Jamul,Palomar and Laguna mountains), also near SanVicente Reservoir, at Sandia Creek near whereit meets the Santa Margarita River, and on theSanta Rosa Plateau. It also occurs in Baja Cali-fornia, Mexico. There are an estimatedtwenty-five known occurrences, on federal,state, and private lands. The shrub grows ongabbro or volcanic soils in shaded areas of

chamise chaparral, coastal scrub, oak wood-lands, riparian woodlands, and valley-foothillgrasslands. Disjunct occurrences in the SantaAna Mountains occupy habitat that is moremesic than habitat in San Diego County andBaja (Reiser 1994). One large occurrence inthe Santa Anas is located near a proposed de-velopment project; however, other occurrencesin those mountains appear stable. Occurrencesin San Diego County also appear to be stable.The species may be vulnerable to horticulturalcollecting.

chapter 5 – potentially vulnerable species: plants · mexican flannelbush fremontodendron...

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