Plant Guide to Tahquitz Valley Loop via PCT, San Jacinto Mountains

Mile	S	#	id?	Common Name	Latin Name	#here	#all
0.00				Begin at Saddle Junction, elevation 8075 feet (2460 m), head south on the rightmost trail.
0.00	l	1		Jeffrey pine	Pinus jeffreyi	50 / 9	21
0.00	l			Jct. trail to Tahquitz Valley, Reed Meadow, Laws Camp, Caramba
0.00	b	2		white fir	Abies concolor	99 / 9	20
0.00	l			PCT post
0.01	l	3		Sierra Nevada lotus	Lotus nevadensis var. nevadensis	20 / 1	5
0.02	l	4		San Jacinto Mts. keckiella	Keckiella rothrockii var. jacintensis	30 / 9	4
0.02	l	5		pinegrove groundsmoke	Gayophytum oligospermum	50 / 3	8
0.02	l	6		San Gabriel beardtongue	Penstemon labrosus	10 / 3	6
0.02	l			(Parish's snowberry, Symphoricarpos rotundifolius var. parishii)
0.03	b	7		pussy paws	Calyptridium monospermum	10 / 3	6
0.03	l	8		Parish's snowberry	Symphoricarpos rotundifolius var. parishii	30 / 9	10
0.06	r			PCT post at shallow drainage (gone in 2004)
0.06	r	9		pine lousewort	Pedicularis semibarbata	10 / 2	12
0.08	b	10		changeable phacelia	Phacelia mutabilis	30 / 1	5
0.08	r	11	ssp	California squirreltail	Elymus elymoides ssp. californicus	2 / 1	15
0.08	r	12		beautiful hulsea	Hulsea vestita ssp. callicarpha	3 / 1	1
0.09	l	13		pinedrops	Pterospora andromedea	1 / 1	6
0.10	l	14		San Jacinto lupine	Lupinus hyacinthinus	30 / 2	2
0.10	r			(plain mariposa lily, Calochortus invenustus)
0.11	r	15		naked buckwheat	Eriogonum nudum var. pauciflorum	10 / 2	2
0.11	b	16		San Bernardino rubber rabbitbrush	Chrysothamnus nauseosus ssp. bernardinus	5 / 5	14
0.15	l	17		green-leaf manzanita	Arctostaphylos patula	3 / 3	12
0.17	r			(spotted coralroot, Corallorhiza maculata)
0.19	r	18		lodgepole pine	Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana	1 / 1	7
0.19	b	19	sp	fragile sheath sedge?	Carex fracta?	5 / 1
0.20	b	20		wild tarragon	Artemisia dracunculus	10 / 1	21
0.20	l	21		western wallflower	Erysimum capitatum ssp. capitatum	10 / 2	18
0.21	r			Jct. path to campground unit, formerly lined with rocks and logs at its start, now apparently closed in 2004.
0.23				Trail curves right
0.24	l	22		meadow goosefoot	Chenopodium pratericola	5 / 1	1
0.25				Trail turns left 90° and then curves right
0.32	b	23		sugar pine	Pinus lambertiana	50 / 9	12
0.33				Switchback left.
0.34	r			Jct. footpath to ridgeline
0.34	r			(bush chinquapin, Chrysolepis sempervirens)
0.38				Trail curves right 90°.
0.39	r			(snow-plant, Sarcodes sanguinea)
0.40				Cross small drainage to west
0.41	b	24		bush chinquapin	Chrysolepis sempervirens	50 / 9	9
0.47				Cross small drainage to east
0.49				Cross bigger drainage to east
0.50	l	25		San Jacinto buckwheat	Eriogonum apiculatum	20 / 1	3
0.53	r	26		limber pine	Pinus flexilis	30 / 9	7
0.54				Cross small drainage to east
0.54	r	27		Parish's bedstraw	Galium parishii	1 / 1	7
0.58				Cross small drainage to east
0.59	l	28		mountain whitethorn	Ceanothus cordulatus	2 / 2	14
0.60				Cross small drainage to east
0.61				Cross very minor drainage to east
0.63				Check these plants to see if they are also Chenopodium pratericola
0.63				Cross small drainage to east
0.64				Cross small drainage to east
0.66				Cross minor drainage
0.66	l			(~wax currant, Ribes cereum var. cereum)
0.66	l			(Martin's paintbrush, Castilleja applegatei ssp. martinii)
0.67	r	29	~	wax currant	Ribes cereum var. cereum	3 / 1	11
0.73				Cross minor drainage to east.
0.78				Cross drainage to east.
0.82				Cross minor drainage to east.
0.84				Trail bends 90° to right.
0.88				Trail bends gradually to left.
0.88	b	30	sp	sedge or rush	Carex or Juncus sp.	5 / 1
0.88	r	31		Watson's spike-moss	Selaginella watsonii	3 / 1	4
0.88	r			(southern mountain-monardella, Monardella australis)
0.88	b			(backward-splitting Holboell's rock-cress, Arabis holboellii var. retrofracta)
0.88				Cross drainage to east.
0.93				Trail bends to right.
0.99				Good view of Red Tahquitz. Note pretty black (green if it has rained recently) moss in drainage ahead.
1.00	l			(Check for Penstemon rostriflorus)
1.00	l	32		rock buckwheat	Eriogonum saxatile	2 / 1	10
1.00	l			(California fuchsia, Epilobium canum)
1.01	l			(prickly hawkweed, Hieracium horridum)
1.01	b			(Parish's campion, Silene parishii)
1.01	l			(granite prickly phlox, Leptodactylon pungens)11
1.01	r			(mountain spray, Holodiscus microphyllus var. microphyllus)
1.01				Cross drainage to east.
1.03	l			Sugar pine, Pinus lambertiana, (l) growing next to limber pine, Pinus flexilis, (r)
1.03				Cross minor drainage to east; view of little San Bernardino Mountains along drainage.
1.11				Cross minor drainage.
1.11	r	33		Parish's campion	Silene parishii	1 / 1	6
1.15	r			Jct. path to viewpoint of Tahquitz Peak Lookout Tower
1.22				Trail curves right 90°; view of Salton Sea and Imperial Valley ahead left; view of Tahquitz Peak dead ahead.
1.31	r			Chinquapin Flat; Jct. South Ridge Trail at elevation 8570 feet (2610 m); this guide continues along the PCT by switchbacking left, downhill
1.53	l			(pink-bracted manzanita?, Arctostaphylos pringlei ssp. drupacea?)
1.73	r	34		white catch-fly	Silene verecunda ssp. platyota	/	11
1.73	r	35	ssp	rosy everlasting, pussytoes	Antennaria rosea	10 / 1	1
1.74	b	36		Douglas' knotweed	Polygonum douglasii ssp. douglasii	20 / 1	1
1.77				Switchback right.
1.80				Trail turns left 90°
1.82				Switchback right.
1.89	r	37	~	forest goosefoot	Chenopodium atrovirens	/	5
1.93	r			(blue elderberry, Sambucus mexicana)
1.94				Trail turns left 90°
2.01	l	38		Scouler's willow	Salix scouleriana	1 / 1	6
2.06				Jct. Little Tahquitz Trail; go left on it
2.08				Switchback left.
2.20	l	39	ssp	mountain mugwort	Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. incompta	/	6
2.21	l			(musk monkeyflower, Mimulus moschatus)
2.22	l	40		ranger's buttons	Sphenosciadium capitellatum	1 / 1	5
2.60	b	41		yarrow	Achillea millefolium	10 / 1	13
2.61	b	42		larger mountain monkeyflower	Mimulus tilingii	/	5
2.61	l	43		willowherb	Epilobium ciliatum ssp. ciliatum	/	21
2.61				Cross Tahquitz Creek
2.61	r	44	ssp	Jepson's blue wildrye	Elymus glaucus ssp. jepsonii	/	13
2.61	l	45	?	rhizomed bent grass?	Agrostis sp.?	10 / 1
2.62	b	46		bracken	Pteridium aquilinum var. pubescens	/	10
2.63	l	47		goldenrod	Solidago californica	/	36
2.67	r			(lemon lily, Lilium parryi, ~200 feet away)
2.70	l	48		bitter cherry	Prunus emarginata	/	6
2.72	l	49		Richardson's geranium	Geranium richardsonii	/	5
2.78				Four-way trail jct.; go left on Caramba Trail to Saddle Jct.
3.29				Saddle Jct.; end Guide

http://tchester.org/sb/plants/guides/pct_sj_srt.html
Updated 6 August 2006.