The name game 2010

Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden

Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants
Project SOUND - 2010
© Project SOUND

The Name Game:
Taxonomy, Local
& Island Endemic Plants

C.M. Vadheim and T. Drake
CSUDH & Madrona Marsh Preserve

Madrona Marsh Preserve
March 6th & 9th, 2010

© Project SOUND

What’s in a name?
 Common names
 Are the names that most
gardener’s (and others) use

 Developed from common use,
over time

 Often describe some
distinctive feature of the
plant - or where it came from

 Problems with common names:
 The same name may be used to
describe several, very
different plants

 Do not imply any relationship
between plants – loss of
Catalina Snapdragon important information
Gambelia (Galvezia) speciosa © Project SOUND

 Scientific names were developed to
get around some of the limitations of
Scientific names common names
 Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778)
 Swedish botanist and physician
 Considered the “father” of modern
taxonomy
 Was a keen observer of plants
 Described nature as a Divinely-inspired
harmonious system in which every
organism fulfills a specific role to
maintain the general balance
 Named approximately 4,400 species of
animals and 7,700 species of plants.
 Was the first to consistently use a
binomial system of classification,
giving organisms a one-word general
name (called the genus) associated
http://www.library.otago.ac.nz/exhibitions/linnaeus/walls/wall_linnaeus.jpg with a one-word specific epithet.

His many publications encouraged the standardization of binomial nomenclature
© Project SOUND

 Taxonomy: the systematic
What’s in a name? study and classification of
plants and animals
 ‘Artificial’ (for convenient ‘pigeon-
hole’ing)
 ‘Natural’ (reflecting underlying
biologic/evolutionary connections)
 Linnaean taxonomy was actually an
‘artificial’ system – but he was an
excellent observer, so it did
reflect natural connections (ie,
things that are genetically related
often tend to share physical
(morphologic) traits)
 True ‘Natural’ systematics
required 1) better microscopes;
2) increasing interest in plant
morphology; 3) an understanding
of the concept of species &
evolution – e.g., Charles Darwin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species_Plantarum
© Project SOUND

Charles Darwin and ‘The
Origin of Species’
 Insights:
 The environment shapes
which individuals survive &
pass on their genetic
material (genes)
 Given enough time, new
species can arise from
ancestral ones
 There are true biologic
relationships – in the past –
between some species.
 You can determine these
relationships through
studying similarities and
differences
© Project SOUND

Plant Systematics: the interrelationship
between ‘natural’ taxonomy, evolution and
phylogeny

http://www.alonnissos.org/page9/files/taxonomy%20tree.jpg

© Project SOUND
http://www.anbg.gov.au/asbs/newsletter/book-review-74a-a.gif

The scientific name
 Ideally, a new species is given a
formal, scientific name
 The generic name is listed first
(with its first letter capitalized),
followed by a second term, the
specific name (or specific
epithet)
 International Code of Botanical
Nomenclature – specifies the
format and conventions
 U.S. Integrated Taxonomic
Information System (ITIS) -
facilitates sharing biologic info.
by providing a common framework
for taxonomic data
Catalina Snapdragon  Sometimes regional experts don’t
Gambelia speciosa Nutt. agree with ITIS
© Project SOUND

Kingdom Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass Asteridae
Order Scrophulariales
Family Scrophulariaceae – Figwort family
Genus Gambelia Nutt. – greenbright
Species Gambelia speciosa Nutt. – showy greenbright
© Project SOUND

What is a species?
 Some definitions of species
 Biological Species Concept - they cannot
interbreed & produce viable offspring;
interbreeding studies
 Morphospecies Concept - they are
Lyonothamnus floribundus different morphologically and do not
ssp. aspleniifolius come in contact for interbreeding
 Genetic Species Concept – still working on
this – how similar must they be to
constitute a species?
 Practical definition - Practically,
biologists define species as populations of
organisms that have a high level of
genetic similarity.

 The field of taxonomy is changing with
our increasingly sophisticated tools
Lyonothamnus floribundus
ssp. floribundus © Project SOUND

How do species arise/develop? How
does this relate to island species?

 Speciation: The evolutionary
formation of new biological
species, usually by the division of a
single species into two or more
genetically distinct ones.

 Allopatric Speciation -- speciation
occurs in geographic isolation

 Founder Effect Speciation -- a
special kind of allopatric speciation
in a small isolated population on
the edge of a species range

© Project SOUND

The Channel Islands of California are
unique places
 The four Southern
Channel Islands are
San Nicolas, Santa
Barbara, Santa
Catalina, and San
Clemente.

 Catalina - 26 miles &
in many ways our
closest neighbor

 San Clemente – 49
miles – a bit more
http://www.channelislandsrestoration.com/sci/endemics.htm
distant in several
ways

© Project SOUND

Channel Islands – magical places that some people
never want to leave
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jensenl/visuals/album/2006/catalina/IMG_1349.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www-
personal.umich.edu/~jensenl/visuals/album/2006/catalina/&usg=__z0Gzu8ecXJHx5dzfWJdpegGFwQM=&h=500&w=800&sz=158&hl=en&start=280&itbs=1&tbnid=NQDkmxmRitZD3M:&tbnh=89&tbnw=143&prev=
© Project SOUND
/images%3Fq%3Dcatalina%2Bisland%2Bcalifornia%26start%3D270%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D18%26tbs%3Disch:1

Traveling by ti-at

http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/catalina/ http://www.laurelcanyon.org/Images
/EarlyPhotos/TongvaCanoeEtching.j
pg

 The Tongva people lived on Catalina Island for
over 7,000 years.
© Project SOUND

What is unique about islands?
 Separated from
the mainland by
water
 Sometimes for
great distances
 Sometimes for
long periods

 May have
different climate
http://www.catalinachamber.com/images/Photos/High/CatalinaIslandWest.jpg  Moister – more
fog and rain
 Warmer –
insulated by ocean

http://www.uptake.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/channelislandsca1.jpg © Project SOUND


http://www.synergygis.com/geog/rs/images/Catalina_CA_USGS_DEM_Overview.jpg

 May have unusual/steep terrain – are really mountain peaks
 May have different rocks & soils from mainland
 May have limited area
 Limits the number of species & individuals
 Increases the effects of human interventions
© Project SOUND


 Often have unique flora and fauna – and fauna may effect flora.
Example: plants may not be subject to certain diseases or to large
herbivores (sheep) © Project SOUND

Some species are endemic to Catalina

© 2006 BonTerra Consulting

 Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. floribundus
20,000 years ago, this unique sub-species of ironwood tree grew
abundantly on the mainland. Now, this tree exists nowhere else in the
world but Catalina.
 Cercocarpus traskiae
The rarest of the Catalina endemics. Only seven of these small shrubs or
trees occur naturally in a single canyon.
 Eriogonum giganteum var. giganteum
Grows on dry, rocky slopes throughout Catalina's interior. Changes with
the seasons - from white in the spring, to beige, light brown, then deep
russet in the fall
 .
© Project SOUND

Also endemic to Catalina

http://www.uncledougs.com/Dudleya_hassei.jpg

 Dudleya hassei
The only Catalina endemic which is a succulent. Look for it on the slope at
the foot of the Wrigley Memorial.
 Arctostaphylos catalinae
When the manzanita fruit ripens, its color resembles the brilliant wine-red
bark - and the ground squirrels love it.
 Galium catalinense ssp. catalinense
A perennial herb found mostly on rocky outcroppings on the lee side of
Catalina.
© Project SOUND

Other common Catalina plants are more widely
distributed…including on the mainland
 Heteromeles arbutifolia - Toyon
 Rhus integrifolia – Lemonadeberry
 Prunus ilicifolia ssp. lyonii
This sub-species is a Catalina endemic.
 Ribes viburnifolium
Used in landscaping as a native ground cover for
shady areas. Extremely fragrant. Grows in San
Diego Co. as well as on Catalina
 Eriodictyon traskiae
This evergreen shrub has a pungent fragrance
and sprawling growth habit. Yerba Santa occurs
on Catalina and in coastal Ventura and San Luis
Obispo Counties.
 Solanum wallacei
A member of the deadly nightshade family, the
Wild Tomato also occurs on other Channel
Islands and Guadalupe, off the coast of Mexico.
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/prunus-lyonii

© Project SOUND

Catalina Ceanothus - Ceanothus arboreus
 Native to Catalina. Santa Rosa,
Santa Cruz & Guadalupe Islands

 Source of many commercial
cultivars – ‘Ray Hartmen’ is C.
arboreus X C. griseus hybrid


© Project SOUND

Big-pod Ceanothus – Ceanothus megacarpus

© Project SOUND


http://www.calflora.net/recentfieldtrips/upperzumacanyon09.html

© Project SOUND

 Coast of S. CA from
Santa Barbara to San
var. insularis Diego Co. – CA
endemic
 var. insularis – Channel
Isl. (Catalina & San
Clemente in south)
 var. megacarpus –
mainland (Santa Monica
Mtns our nearest)

var. megacarpus  Dry, chaparral slopes
below 2000 ft.

© Project SOUND

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Ceanothus+megacarpus+var.+insularis

var. insularis
 Sometimes a bit shorter
 Leaves opposite and slightly
larger
 Grows on most of the
Channel Islands


Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences
© Project SOUND

var. megacarpus
 May be slightly larger
 Leaves, generally alternate and
slightly smaller
 Grows on the mainland
 ??? Other, as yet unknown
differences (chemicals;
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adenostoma_sprsifolium_and_Ceanothus_megacarpus.jpg disease resistance; heat
resistance; etc)
In Santa Monica Mountains

© 2001 CDFA

© Project SOUND

Characteristics of Big-pod Ceanothus
 Size:
 4-16 ft tall
 8-10 ft wide

 Growth form:
 Upright (more common) or
sprawling woody shrub
 Compact & dense
 Young bark reddish

 Foliage:
 Simple leaves – rounded to
wedge-like – typical Ceanothus
leaves
 Leaves are upright on branches

J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database  Roots: shallow; not basal burl, so no
re-sprouting after fire
© Project SOUND

‘Covered with snow-like flowers’
 Blooms:
 In winter to early spring; usually
Jan.-March
 Bloom period - weeks

 Flowers:
 Clusters of small flowers
 Petals white to slightly pink or
purple
 Dark purple center

 Fruits:
 Lumpy spherical capsule
 Red-green & sticky
 In three parts; each part holds a
seed

© Project SOUND
© 2009 Gary A. Monroe

Why the ‘soapy’  Ceanothus flowers (& sometimes
leaves) were used to make a mild
flowers? soap or shampoo – preferred soap
for washing babies
 Rub the flowers in warm water –
get a soapy, nice-smelling froth

 Why? saponins - plants that
contain quite high concentrations
of saponins have often been used
as an alternative soap.
 Other examples – CA natives:
 Soap Lily (Chlorogalum
pomeridianum) roots
 Yucca roots
 Mock Orange (Philadelphus
http://www.fotolog.com/treebeard/56541746

lewisii) flowers & leaves

© Project SOUND

Big-pod Ceanothus
reproduces by stored seeds
 Cannot reproduce by re-sprouting
after a fire – relies on seeds
stored in the ‘natural mulch’
(duff) - ~ 2 million seeds/acre
http://www.hazmac.biz/seedphotoslistgenus.html  Seed pods burst open, flinging
the heavy seeds

 Seeds have thick, tough seed
coat – can lie in waiting for years
(probably hundreds of years)

 Ceanothus seeds only germinate
in response to range fires and
forest fires in the wild.

© Project SOUND

Big-pod Ceanothus
 Soils:
is a chaparral shrub  Texture: rocky or sandy best
– needs well-drained soil
 pH: any local

 Light:
 Full sun to light shade
 Benefits from afternoon
shade in hot inland gardens

 Water:
 Winter: needs good winter
rains
 Summer: low needs – Zone 1-
2 (water very infrequently, if
at all, once established)

 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils;
likes an organic mulch

© Project SOUND
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3373/3275037528_782b3c6c8f.jpg?v=0

Big-pod Ceanothus – spectacular
in bloom, pretty the rest of the
year
 Nice as an informal hedge – or
include it in a hedgerow
http://www.ssseeds.com/database/db_testvv.php3?uid=103
 Can prune to shape into a
small tree

 In a chaparral-themed garden

 Anywhere you need a large,
water-wise shrub

 As a habitat plant - CA
Hairstreak, Green Hairstreak
larval food

J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
© Project SOUND

Big-pod Ceanothus teaches us 5
things about S. CA island
species
http://www.calliebowdish.com/SBPlaces.htm

1. Sometimes the same species is found on both the islands and on
the mainland
2. Variants are similar enough to be grouped in the same species –
yet different enough to be considered the different variants.
3. Differences between variants can reflect the fact that the
variants have not interbred for some time (have ‘drifted’ apart);
alternatively the ‘founder’ plants could have differed from the
original (usually mainland) population in significant ways
4. Taxonomy based on morphologic (physical) traits can be difficult
– what’s important?
5. Sometimes it makes sense to preserve variants – particularly
those from unusual sites. They may have important differences
that we don’t even know about
© Project SOUND

Blair's Wire-lettuce – Stephanomeria (Munzothamnus) blairii

Donald Myrick © California Academy of Sciences

© Project SOUND

Blair's Wire-lettuce – Stephanomeria (Munzothamnus) blairii

 Endemic to San
Clemente Island
 Rocky canyon walls in
island bluff scrub
 The only problem is,
what genus does it
belong in?

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?609,1868,1869

© Project SOUND

Stephanomeria/Munzothamnus blairii

 When a species is named,
it is placed within a
genus. From a scientific
point of view this can be
regarded as a hypothesis
that the species is more
closely related to other
species within its genus –
may change with new
information

© Project SOUND

What is the appropriate genus?
 Has been placed in several taxonomic homes.
 Initially placed in Stephanomeria;
 Transferred to Malacothrix (P. Munz 1935).
 P. H. Raven (1963) considered it "clearly a
relictual and highly isolated genus," based on
leaf shape & vegetative architecture, which
are significantly distinct from those found in
any species of Stephanomeria or
Malacothrix. He erected Munzothamnus for
it. Recent genetic studies suggest he may
Stephanomeria – Wire-lettuce be correct – not similar to Stephanomeria
 Others emphasized similarities to
Stephanomeria - concluded that the species
belongs in Stephanomeria (G. L. Stebbins et
al. 1953). :
 similar number/appearance of chromosomes
 certain similarities between their pappi
(number and "coarseness")
 pollen size and sculpturing
Malacothrix – Cliff Aster © Project SOUND

Blair’s wire-lettuce/Munzothamnus - attractive sub-shrub
 Size:
 2-4 ft tall
 3-4 ft wide

 Growth form:
 Sub-shrub with woody base and
herbaceous new growth
 Semi-evergreen (stress
deciduous)
 Stems thick & fleshy

 Foliage:
 Bright to medium-green leaves
– medium size
 Mostly clustered at the base or
at ends of branches
 Quite attractive, even when not
blooming
© Rick York and CNPS
© Project SOUND

Flowers are lovely
 Blooms:
 In summer - usually July-Aug,
but possible into Sept.
 Flowers open over several weeks

 Flowers:
Robert Potts © California Academy of Sciences
 Aster-like (or Wire-lettuce-like)
heads
 Lovely pale pink or purple – nice,
old-fashioned color
 Nectar attracts hummingbirds,
bees, butterflies and other
insects

 Seeds:
 Small, sunflower-type
 Seed-eating birds love them
© 2005 Dieter Wilken
© Project SOUND

Likes a coastal climate  Soils:
 Texture: sandy or rocky,
well-drained soils
 pH: any local

 Light:
 Full sun to part-sun; suggest
some afternoon shade in hot
gardens

 Water:
 Winter: needs good winter
rains – starts to grow with
the rains
 Summer: wide tolerance:
quite dry (Zone 1-2) to Zone
2 (possibly even 2-3 in sandy
soils)

 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
http://www.theodorepayne.org/gallery/pages/S/stephanomeria_blairii.htm
© Project SOUND

Blair’s Munzothamnus is a
nice flowering perennial
 Has not been used much in gardens
due to rarity.

 Lovely in an old-fashioned mixed
native perennial bed. Looks like an
English garden plant.

 Try with Cirsium occidentale,
Delphinium cardinale, Mimulus
aurantiacus, Eriophyllum nevinii
(another island endemic)

 Does fine in a large pot (at least
for several years)

 Flowers make nice cut flowers
Also a good habitat plant © Project SOUND

Why do names keep changing?
 Traditionally, researchers
relied on observations of
anatomical differences and
interbreeding studies to
distinguish species. This
information is still used in
helping to define species.

 Thanks to advances in research
techniques, including DNA
analysis, a great deal of
additional knowledge about the
differences and similarities
between species has become
available in the last few
decades.

© Project SOUND
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Ehret-Methodus_Plantarum_Sexualis.jpg

Why do names keep changing?
 Many populations which were
formerly regarded as separate
species are now considered to be a
single taxon, and many formerly
grouped populations have been split.

 Any taxonomic level (species, genus,
Lump with Stephanomeria or family, etc.) can be synonymized or
does it deserve its own split, and at higher taxonomic
genus? levels, these revisions have been
still more profound.

© Project SOUND

Lessons from Stephanomeria/Munzothamnus blairii
1. Island species can be very different from
local mainland species
2. Taxonomists can disagree – and often do
so over time
3. New scientific tools can change the
classification of a plant
a. Scanning electron microscope – seed &
pollen details
b. Molecular genetics (DNA analysis) – can
look for similarities in actual genetic code;
allows construction of genetic trees that
may be closer to the actual course of
evolution
4. Taxonomic classifications are becoming
more ‘natural’ over time (reflect
underlying biology/evolution). This can be
frustrating for the gardener, but
invaluable for our understanding of
© Rick York and CNPS
plants.
© Project SOUND

Catalina Island Mountain Mahogony –
Cercocarpus traskiae

http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/collection/CPC_ProfileImage.asp?FN=872b
© Project SOUND

Catalina Island Mountain Mahogony –
Cercocarpus traskiae

 A single population in an
arroyo on Santa Catalina
Island
 Slopes of a steep-sided,
narrow, dry arroyo in a
coastal sage scrub community
 Named in honor of Blanch
Trask naturalist – 1865-1916
 On both U.S. and CA
Endangered Species lists

© Project SOUND

Catalina Mountain Mahogany
 Size:
 10-15 ft tall
 8-12+ ft wide

 Growth form:
 Large evergreen shrub or
small tree
 Branches erect to spreading
 Long-lived

 Foliage:
 Leaves leathery, shiny above
and wooly beneath
 Very prominent lateral veins
beneath – very different
from Island Mountain
Mahogany C. betuloides
© 1993 Dean Wm. Taylor
© Project SOUND
http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/collection/CPC_ProfileImage.asp?FN=872b

Threats to endemic ‘Island’ plant species

 Large introduced herbivores have historically altered the
flora and the landscape of Santa Catalina, San Clemente &
other Channel Islands.
 Goats, pigs, bison, and deer were noted at the time of listing of
C. traskiae as a threatened species. The small size of the
current C. traskiae population is attributed to the historical
presence of goats, deer, and pigs
 Invasive non-native plants pose as increasing threat now &
in the future – increase fire threat
 Threat of hybridization – ‘genetic assimilation’
 Threat of limited genetic diversity – sometimes a small
population becomes too inbred to be able to survive

© Project SOUND

The problem of hybridization:
can be insidious.
 Cercocarpus traskiae has hybridized
locally with C. betuloides var.
blancheae, which also occurs
naturally on the island.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cercocarpustraskiae.JPG
 The hybrids have been
characterized morphologically as well
as by enzyme (allozyme) and DNA
differences.
 Morphological assessments of
hybridization have not always agreed
with the genetic results
 Bottom line: only six genetically
“pure” Cercocarpus traskiae trees in
existance
http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplan
ts/islandmountainmahogany.html © Project SOUND

What makes a species susceptible to genetic
assimilation? Cercocarpus traskiae is a case study

 Small number of individuals
compared to other local species
 Ability to hybridize with local
species – and close geographic
proximity to those
 Low genetic diversity – may limit
reproduction within the species
 Low geographic diversity/lack of
space – common problem for
Channel Island species
 Invasion by species with
hybridization potential
© Project SOUND

Management strategies for
endangered plant species

 Remove species that may hybridize with the desired species
 Remove other pressures to reproduction – e.g. herbivores
that eat seedlings, other stressors – protect the remaining
individuals as source plants
 +/- Remove hybrid plants/seedlings
 Save seeds – long-term storage
 Vegetative propagation to create more individuals
 Plant out in appropriate sites:
 Local area
 Otherwise appropriate conditions
 No potential hybridizing species

© Project SOUND

What genetic resources should we conserve
(and why)?
 For aesthetic/moral reasons
 Because we don’t know all the ‘services’
provided by individual species (medicines;
habitat value; etc)
 Because more diversity means more likely
that species will survive changing
http://www.hazmac.biz/090218/090218Cercocarp
usTraskiae.html
conditions – in the near future
 Loss of species uniquely adapted to certain
conditions – we may need those genes
sometime
 Outbreeding/hybridization depression
 Probably other reasons – need to study
more

© Project SOUND
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eastbaywilds/sets/72157604510160123/

Nevin’s Gilia – Gilia nevinii

© Project SOUND

Nevin’s Gilia – Gilia nevinii

 Endemic to the Channel Islands –
specifically Catalina & San
Clemente Islands and Isla
Guadalupe (Baja)

 Uncommon in nature

 Grows on rocky, grassy slopes,
coastal canyons in coastal
shrublands & CSS

 Named after the Reverand Joseph
Cook Nevin (1835-1913), of Los
Angeles, a brilliant linguist and
botanical collector, one of the
first to collect on Catalina Island
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Gilia+nevinii

© Project SOUND

San Clemente Island

© Project SOUND

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072402466/student_view0/chapter18/virtual_vista.html

49 miles from the mainland

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.tierradata.com/photocorecapweb1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.tierradata.com/corecapweboutreach.htm&usg=_
_am3z-EUbQKb3KDDSYghnFbRg9ww=&h=400&w=294&sz=22&hl=en&start=27&itbs=1&tbnid=cjb-
xVNWpVZ78M:&tbnh=124&tbnw=91&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsan%2Bclemente%2Bisland%2Bcalifornia%26start%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26gbv%3D2
%26ndsp%3D18%26tbs%3Disch:1 © Project SOUND

Sheep, goats and
naval artillery

 Since 1934 the U.S. Navy has
administered San Clemente
Island.
 Their objective in the 1970's
was to re-establish the
native ecosystem as much as
possible.
 This included the removal of
feral goats - the last goat
was exterminated in April
1991.

© Project SOUND

Many plants endemic to San Clemente Island
 Brodiase kinkiensis
 Triteleia clementina
 Erigonum giganteum formosum
 Delphiniam kinkiense
 Delphinum variedatum thornei
 Lithophragma maximum
 Astragalus nevinii
 Lotus argophyllus adsurgens
 Lotus dendroideus traskiae
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/earth/usa/clemente-cliff-browse.jpg

 Malcothammus clementinus
 Camissonia guagalupoensis
clementina
 Castilleja grisea
 Galium catalinense acrispum
 Munzothammus blairii
 Probabaly others
© Project SOUND
http://abdulazeem.files.wordpress.com/2006/11/WindowsLiveWriter/ConsequencesOfPola
riceMeltingRisingSeale_E394/clip_image006%5B1%5D%5B3%5D.jpg

Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

 Nevin’s Gilia - pretty little plant that’s tougher
than it looks © Project SOUND

The genus Gilia
 ~ 25-50 species of flowering plants - family
Polemoniaceae
 Temperate/tropical regions of the
Americas, from the western U.S. to
northern Chile
 Occur mainly in desert/dry areas.
Globe Gilia – G. capitata
 Herbaceous annual, rarely perennial
 The leaves are spirally arranged, usually
pinnate (rarely simple), forming a basal
rosette in most species.
 The flowers are produced in a panicle, with
a five-lobed corolla, which can be blue,
white, pink or yellow.
 Gilia species are larval food plant for some
species of moths
Bird’s-eye Gilia – G. tricolor © Project SOUND

Nevin’s Gilia reminds one of Bird’s-eye Gilia
 Size:
 6-20+ inches tall & about
as wide; size depends on
water

 Growth form:
 Herbaceous annual
 May be upright or
sprawling – depends on
conditions
 Delicate-looking

 Foliage:
 Leaves lacy, fern-like,
somewhat basal – similar
to Bird’s-eye Gilia

 Easy to grow from seed
© Project SOUND

Gilias are all easy-to-grow  Soils:
annual wildflowers  Texture: any
 pH: any local

 Light:
 Sun; perfectly fine with ½
day of sun

 Water:
 Winter: needs good
winter/spring water –
delicate when young
 Summer: none after
flowering ceases


 Other: will reseed- not as
abundantly as Globe Gilia
© Project SOUND

Flowers are sweetly
old-fashioned
 Blooms:
 In spring - usually Mar-May here
 Long bloom period – at least a
month

 Flowers:
 Loads of lavender trumpets with
Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
blue anthers – no yellow or white
on throat

 Just lovely

Bird’s-eye Gila
for comparison

© Project SOUND

http://www.answers.com/topic/dudleya

Garden uses for
native Gilias

 As a cute little pot
plant – place it near
where you sit so you can
enjoy it
 Massed in the front of
a flower bed
 Mixed with other native
grasses & wildflowers
 Nevin’s Gila - in an
‘Island-themed’ garden;

© Project SOUND

The connection between the Channel Islands,
mainland mountains and the Palos Verdes peninsula

 Some rocks (Catalina
schist) found in only 2
places – Catalina & PV
 Some rocks (Poway
Conglomerate – derived
from ancient Poway
River rocks) are found
in neither place – but
are on other Channel
Islands
 So, what’s going on
here?

© Project SOUND

The earth’s crust is made up of giant plates

 New molten rock is constantly being added in deep
oceanic trenches – as a result, the plates collide
and ride over one another.
© Project SOUND

The connection between S. Channel
Islands and mainland mountains

 The North American West
Coast illustrates some of the
complex geology that develops
along a plate boundary.
 The original source of rocks in
our mountain ranges (and
Channel Islands) were probably
ancient island arcs, similar to
perhaps Japan or the
Philippines.
 These original island arcs were
http://www.urbanedpartnership.org/target/fragile_habitats/geo_of_Ca.html

the high points (‘mountains’) of
the Pacific Plate

© Project SOUND

Coastal mountains were formed as the Pacific
Plate moved under the N. Amer. Plate

 The high areas (original islands) were compressed and ‘scraped
off’ as the Pacific Plate moved under the N. American Plate
 The whole area, was extensively faulted, folded, uplifted and
eroded to form the current S. CA coastal topography.
© Project SOUND

Why the connection between S. Channel
Island and Baja Island species?

http://www.geol.ucsb.edu/faculty/atwater/Research/SOCAL.pdf

 About 20 million years ago, the Pacific plate (which is slipping
under the N. American Plate) began moving NW compared to
the N. American Plate
 This resulted in the formation of the San Andreas fault, among
other things © Project SOUND

Geologically, there are likely 3 ‘Island
Clusters’ off the coast of S. CA
 Northern Channel
Islands/Santa Monica
Mountains
 Catalina/PV/?? Santa Ana
Mountains
 San Clemente/San
Nicolas/Isla Guadalupe
(Baja)
 Move 120-160 km to the NW
– or even more.
 So San Clemente Island was
probably really was once off
the coast of Baja – shared
geology at the very least!
 Of course other factors
have also played a role in the
intervening time

© Project SOUND

Giant Coreopsis – Coreopsis gigantea
 South-Central Coast, north & central
parts of South Coast, Channel
Islands (all)

 On mainland, limited to a few
peninsulas right on the coast


Alice Eastwood - May 12 1896 - Pt.
Sal Pt. Sal (near the boundary
between Santa Barbara and San
Luis Obispo Counties)

© Project SOUND

Like something dreamed up by Dr. Seuss…

 Size:
 2-6 ft tall; rarely 8-10 ft in wild
 2-3 ft wide

 Growth form:
 Perennial sub-shrub; base is woody
 Trunk is succulent; secondary
woodiness
 drought deciduous – drops all
leaves in summer. Looks like a
weird sculpture

 Foliage:
 Bright green in spring
 Typical, lacy leaves of coreopsis

http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/potd/2008/04/coreopsis_gigantea.php © Project SOUND

? Is Giant Coreopsis ‘giant’ because of
mild island climates?
 Islands have milder climates – less likely to
experience frosts – surrounded by water
 Herbaceous plants which typically die back from
cold on mainland areas are released from
seasonality when they become island colonizers.
 In Mediterranean climates (hot dry summers)
plants that store water (succulents) have a
http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/giantcoreo survival advantage – but they are limited in size
by winter frosts.
psis.html

 Plants which are normally succulent may develop
secondary woodiness in areas with little frost.
This is seen on islands in dry regions throughout
the world.
 Is Coreopsis gigantea, a much larger plant than
other native species of Coreopsis, ‘giant’ because
© 2006 Steve Matson it grows in ‘frost-free zones’ (Channel Islands
and a few restricted sites on the mainland)?

© Project SOUND

Flowers are a bright
spot in spring
 Blooms:
 Late winter to mid-spring - usually
March-April in local gardens

 Flowers:
 Typical yellow Coreopsis heads –
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Coreopsis_gigantea intense gold-yellow, 3” across
 Held on thin flower stalks above
the bright green foliage – really
striking
 Bee pollinated

 Seeds:
 Sunflower seeds; loved by birds

 Vegetative reproduction: can start
from pieces of broken stems

© Project SOUND

 Soils:
Plant Requirements  Texture: well-drained, sandy
soils are best
 pH: any local
 Fine with salt/maritime
exposure

 Light: full sun

 Water:
 Winter: be careful not to
over-water in winter
 Summer: quite drought-
tolerant, but in nature gets
summer mists; Zone 1-2

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Coreopsis_gigantea  Fertilizer: fine in garden soils

 Other: not frost-hardy; best
along coast where danger of
frost is minimal.
© Project SOUND

Giant Coreopsis adds and unusual
note to the coastal garden

 As an unusual pot plant
 As a specimen plant (most
common use)

http://www.anniesannuals.com/special_pgs/pom/0610/default.asp?account=none  In a border
 In a Channel Island
themed garden
 On sunny coastal hillsides/
slopes
 Along pathways
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/451543125_a1f4bb7a09.jpg

© Project SOUND

Mission Manzanita – Xylococcus bicolor

 Local endemic: S. CA coastal
region from L.A. to San Diego
counties, Catalina Island

 Hot, dry slopes, chaparral < 2000
ft. elevation


Grows on the slopes above Sunland

© Project SOUND

What is this plant, anyway?
 ‘At first, I couldn't figure out what
it was - it had the beautiful reddish-
brown twisted bark reminiscent of a
Manzanita, but it also had these odd,
leathery, elliptical-shaped leaves
that were sort of curled or rolled
under, and a profusion of little black
berries. I was stumped - was this
some kind of manzanita-ceanothus-
oak-elderberry experiment gone
wrong?’

 Originally called Arctostaphylos
clevelandii, part of the manzanita
and bearberry genus. Name was
changed to Arctostaphylos bicolor in
1923, then to Xylococcus bicolor in
1974.
© 2008 Thomas Stoughton

© Project SOUND

Mission Manzanita: ‘Manzanita in hot/dry mode’
 Size:
 6-10+ ft tall (usually 6-8)
 6-10 ft wide

 Growth form:
 Woody shrub
 Single or multi-trunk;
rounded shape
 Red-brown, shreddy bark

 Foliage:
 Similar to Coffeeberry:
leathery/waxy above, wooly
beneath
 Leaf edges roll in drought

 Roots: re-sprouting ability –
typical of chaparral plants
© Project SOUND
© 2003 Michael Charters
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/plants/sdpls/plants/Xylococcus_bicolor.html

Flowers are like their
Manzanita cousins

 Blooms:
 In winter, after rains begin
usually Dec. to Feb.
 Flower buds form previous
summer – assures quick-
http://www.kenbowles.net/sdwildflowers/FamilyIndexes/Ericaceae/EricaceaeK
ey.htm flowering

 Flowers:
 Shaped like Manzanita (and
other Heaths);
 Flower color may be white,
pink to darker pink
 Showy in bloom
 Excellent hummingbird plant

© Project SOUND

Fruits are also showy
 Fruits ripen in spring/early
summer
 Color varies from dark red to
almost black
 Look like a cross between
Manzanita & Coffeeberry fruits

 Loved by birds (esp. Thrashers
& Jays) and humans alike
 Can be used to make ‘cider’ type
drink
 Make a fine jelly, sauce, syrup –
need a lot as fruits is thin-
fleshed

 Seeds: hard coat – usually sprout
after trip through alimentary canal
(coyote; Grizzlies) & some heat
© 2003 Michael Charters © Project SOUND

 Soils:
Easy to grow & maintain  Texture: any well-drained; sandy
& rocky are best, well-drained
clays possible (water judiciously)
 pH: any local

 Light: full sun

 Water:
 Young plants: water regularly
(Zone 2-3) for first 1-2 years
 Mature plants: very drought
tolerant, but looks best with
some summer water (Zone 1-2 to
2 works well)

 Fertilizer: none needed; likes a layer
of organic mulch

 Other: prune as needed or to shape;
can prune severely to rejuvenate old
plants
© Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary's College © Project SOUND

Mission Manzanita thrives on
hot, dry conditions
 Nice choice for evergreen
shrub – looks good all year
with a little summer water

 Good choice for informal
hedge or included in a water-
wise mixed hedgerow

 Stars on hot, dry slopes –
consider for hot, sunny
gardens

 Excellent habitat plant

 Edible – and showy - berries

© Project SOUND

S. California’s Scrub Oaks
 Scrub Oak is a general name for
several species of small, shrubby,
evergreen oaks, including the
following species:
 California Scrub Oak (Quercus
berberidifolia)
 Leather Oak (Quercus durata)
 Coastal Scrub Oak (Quercus dumosa)
 Tucker Oak (Quercus john-tuckeri)
 Channel Island Scrub Oak (Quercus
pacifica)
 Santa Cruz Island Oak (Quercus
parvula)
 Sonoran Scrub Oak (Quercus
turbinella)
© Project SOUND

Channel Island Scrub Oak – Quercus pacifica
 Endemic on three of the California
Channel Islands: Santa Cruz, Santa
Catalina, and Santa Rosa.

 Island Chaparral, woodlands,
margins of grasslands

 Is a species of concern
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233501070

© Project SOUND
http://www.channelislandsrestoration.com/sci/endemics.htm http://www.channelislandsrestoration.com/sci/Quercus-pacifica1.htm

Channel Isl Scrub Oak: in many ways a typical scrub oak
 Size:
 6-15 ft tall
 10-15 ft wide

 Growth form:
 Large shrub or small tree
 Gray, furrowed bark at maturity
 Rather dense – heavily branched

 Foliage:
 Medium-sized leathery leaves
 Surfaces glandular & waxy
 Have star-shaped hairs
(trichomes)
 larval food for Hairstreaks,
Duskywings, CA Sister butterflies

 Roots: Both shallow & deep roots
© Project SOUND

http://128.253.177.182/taxpage/0/0/79/binomial/Quercus%20pacifica.html

Flowers are understated

 Blooms: in winter to early spring
– usually Jan-Mar

 Flowers:
 Separate male & female
flowers on the same tree
 Male flowers on long trailing
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Quercus_pacifica
catkins
 Mostly wind pollinated

 Seeds:
 Are acorns
 Shorter & lighter than Q.
agrifolia; thinner than Q.
berberidifolia

© Project SOUND

Island Oak: not picky  Soils:
 Texture: well-drained soils
 pH: any local

 Light: full sun

 Water:
 Winter: need adequate
winter/spring rain,
particularly for good seed
crop
 Summer: none or very little;
Zone 1 or 1-2 once
http://128.253.177.182/taxpage/0/0/79/binomial/Quercus%20pacifica.html
established

Don’t over-water; susceptible to oak
root rot fungus in the genus Armillaria  Other: leave the leaf litter in
place; important for plant health
& for ground-dwellers
© Project SOUND

Scrub Oaks – so
versatile
 Excellent on dry slopes,
for erosion control

 May be appropriate for
parking strips

 Can bonsai – or trim as a
hedge/screen

 Superb habitat plant
 Butterflies
 Other insects
 Wide range of birds
 Provides food, perches,
nesting sites (CA Towhee)

© Project SOUND

So where did this oak come from?

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233501070

 Closely resembles Q. berberidifolia, but differs in having
consistently spatulate leaves with a narrowed leaf base, and acute-
tapered fruit, with thinner cups. Leaf vestiture otherwise is similar
to berberidifolia, but that species has typically square or rounded-
attenuate leaf bases and blunter, heavier fruit.
 Quercus pacifica also appears to be closely related to Q . Douglasii,
a tree-oak, whether by direct descent or by hybridization with
another species no longer extant on the islands.
© Project SOUND

Those promiscuous white oaks – difficult
to classify & understand

 It is likely that Q. pacifica is
phylogenetically close to Q.
berberidifolia or possibly
represents a hybrid between Q.
berberidifolia and Q. douglasii.

 Other stable hybrids suggest
that widespread hybridization has
occurred on the islands between
the scrub oaks and either Q.
lobata or Q.douglasii, neither of
which occur in abundance, but are
found in isolated pockets. Both
of these are larges trees.
© Project SOUND

The hand of man on local islands

http://www.hotel-metropole.com/events
http://www.catalinachamber.com/mediafilming/whats-new/bison

http://laist.com/2009/03/31/new_37-mile_trail_to_open_on_catali.php http://i.ehow.com/images/a04/qt/gg/plant-acorns-pot-800X800.jpg
© Project SOUND

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