Plant Guide to Sturtevant Trail, Chantry Flat to Spruce Grove Trail Camp, San Gabriel Mountains

Plant Guide to Sturtevant Trail, Chantry Flat to Spruce Grove Trail Camp, San Gabriel Mountains

This is a working list, about which we make no guarantees at all until we officially release it. Use at your own risk!

Introduction and Explanation of Plant Trail Guides
Introduction
Highlights of This Trail
Fieldwork Dates and Summary of List Changes With Time
The Plant Guide
Comments On Specific Species
Introduction

This is a beautiful trail that stays very close to the streambed in Santa Anita Canyon for almost the entire trail. As a result, the trail is essentially shaded all the way, with flowing water either nearby or within constant hearing.
Highlights of This Trail

Although the trail contains a large number of non-native weeds, forest service-planted species, and species planted by the many cabin owners in the Canyon, there are a large number of native species present as well. And some of the planted species are quite interesting.
The trail is fantastic for having a number of species close together from a number of different genera:

It has almost all the everlasting, Gnaphalium, species on it. Just in the first few tenths of the mile, there are four species, sometimes right next to each other, with other species found later.
Purple and white nightshade, Solanum douglasii and S. xanti, are right next to each other.
There are at least three species of oaks.
The trail contains all of the larger ferns except bracken. In particular, it has many giant chain fern, Woodwardia) that you can touch as you're walking along the trail.

In addition, the trail has some very large specimens of California fuchsia, Epilobium canum ssp. canum.
Number of Unique Taxa On This Trail

The following histogram gives the number of trails in our database that contain each taxon on this trail. We had 63 trails in our database when this histogram was made. A number of "1" means the taxon has only been found on this trail among the trails in our database.

Number of Trails
Containing A Taxon Number Of Taxa
On This Trail % of Taxa
On This Trail
1 4 5%
2 8 10%
3 2 2%
4 2 2%
5 7 8%
6 3 4%
7 5 6%
8 4 5%
9 0 0%
10 4 5%
11 5 6%
12 3 4%
13 1 1%
14 2 2%
15 1 1%
16 6 7%
17 0 0%
18 3 4%
19 0 0%
20 1 1%
21 2 2%
22 0 0%
23 0 0%
24 1 1%
25 2 2%
26 2 2%
27 5 6%
28 0 0%
29 4 5%
30 1 1%
31 3 4%
32 2 2%
33 0 0%
34 0 0%
35 1 1%
Total Taxa 84 100%

We found 9 additional species not in the above table, since they have not been identified yet. The unidentified ones are marked with ? or sp in the id? column in the guide.
Fieldwork Dates and Summary of List Changes With Time

The following table gives the dates the trail was walked and taxa recorded. After each visit, the table gives the total number of taxa on the list and the breakdown of the taxa without positive identification. See Explanation of Plant Trail Guides to understand the symbols below.

Visit Date Visit # # taxa # "?" # "sp" # "~" # "ssp"
7/23/2003 1 93 4 12 9 4

The Plant Guide

Version for printing, without lines and other text on this page (4 pages)

Mile # S id? Common Name Latin Name #here #all
0.00 Begin trail guide at gate across road, at the southeast end of the lower parking lot.
0.00 1 l ? tree with pinnate leaf, 12 leaflets
0.00 2 r sp pine with 3 needles / bunch
0.00 3 r ~ *four-leaf polycarp Polycarpon tetraphyllum / 6
0.00 4 l sp Acacia
0.00 5 l *giant reed Arundo donax / 6
0.00 6 b *tree tobacco Nicotiana glauca / 12
0.00 7 l ~ *red brome Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens / 31
0.00 8 l ssp *foxtail barley Hordeum murinum / 2
0.00 9 r sp *knotweed Polygonum arenastrum / 5
0.00 10 l California bay Umbellularia californica / 7
0.00 11 l canyon live oak Quercus chrysolepis / 16
0.00 12 l poison oak Toxicodendron diversilobum / 29
0.00 13 l ssp branching phacelia Phacelia ramosissima var. latifolia / 18
0.00 14 l *Spanish broom Spartium junceum / 5
0.00 15 l coast live oak Quercus agrifolia var. agrifolia / 29
0.00 r Sign: "Sturtevant Falls 2 mi; etc."
0.00 16 r wild-cucumber Marah macrocarpus var. macrocarpus / 29
0.00 17 r *prickly lettuce Lactuca serriola / 18
18 r *castor bean Ricinus communis / 11
19 l laurel sumac Malosma laurina / 25
20 l sp virgin's bower Clematis sp. / 1
21 l white nightshade Solanum douglasii / 10
22 l ? tree with 17 pinnate leaf
23 l purple nightshade Solanum xanti / 8
24 r blue elderberry Sambucus mexicana / 32
25 l golden yarrow Eriophyllum confertiflorum var. confertiflorum / 31
26 l squawbush Rhus trilobata / 13
27 l California buckwheat Eriogonum fasciculatum var. foliolosum / 35
l (chaparral yucca, Yucca whipplei and bush monkeyflower, Mimulus aurantiacus)
28 r hollyleaf redberry Rhamnus ilicifolia / 29
29 l deerweed Lotus scoparius var. scoparius / 16
30 l short-leaved cliff-aster Malacothrix saxatilis var. tenuifolia / 7
31 l California sagebrush Artemisia californica / 30
32 r sp interior live oak Quercus wislizeni var. frutescens / 7
33 l black sage Salvia mellifera / 27
34 l bush monkeyflower Mimulus aurantiacus / 27
35 l *smilo grass Piptatherum miliaceum / 14
36 l sp bush lupine Lupinus excubitus or longifolius? /
37 r ssp imbricate phacelia Phacelia imbricata ssp. imbricata / 1
38 l California everlasting Gnaphalium californicum / 21
39 l ssp Jepson's blue wildrye Elymus glaucus ssp. jepsonii / 4
40 r toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia / 31
41 l ~ wild sweetpea Lathyrus vestitus var. vestitus / 5
42 r *horehound Marrubium vulgare / 16
43 r white everlasting Gnaphalium canescens ssp. microcephalum / 27
44 l sp *prickly sow thistle Sonchus asper ssp. asper / 11
45 l ? much-branched shrub with lvs like clover, dehiscent pods
46 l heartleaf penstemon Keckiella cordifolia / 18
l ? (Euphorbia sp.?, similar to gopher spurge)
47 l sp Pine with 2 needles / bunch, cones persistent, sessile, like knobcone pine.
0.18 Road curves to right.
48 r sp planted Cypress?
49 r ~ *orchid rockrose Cistus Xpurpureus / 2
50 l ~ *Arizona cypress Cupressus arizonica ssp. glabra / 3
51 r southern honeysuckle Lonicera subspicata var. denudata / 26
52 r ~ *Italian rye-grass Lolium multiflorum / 8
53 r *common groundsel Senecio vulgaris / 11
54 l ~ *narrowleaf filago Filago gallica / 27
55 r chamise Adenostoma fasciculatum / 24
56 r sp telegraph weed Heterotheca grandiflora / 20
57 r California fuchsia Epilobium canum ssp. canum / 11
58 r ~ *crimson-spot rockrose Cistus ladanifer / 2
0.21 r Jct. trail to First Water Trail and Hermit Falls.
59 l sp wild oats Avena sp. /
60 r sp cotton-batting plant Gnaphalium stramineum / 8
61 r long-stemmed buckwheat Eriogonum elongatum var. elongatum / 14
62 r *little horseweed Conyza bonariensis / 10
63 r narrowleaf bedstraw Galium angustifolium ssp. angustifolium / 32
64 r mule fat Baccharis salicifolia / 26
65 l ~ *white poplar Populus alba / 1
66 r *bladder senna Colutea arborescens / 2
67 l bicolored everlasting Gnaphalium bicolor / 16
68 r *fennel Foeniculum vulgare / 11
69 l southern Indian pink Silene laciniata ssp. major / 10
70 r sugar bush Rhus ovata / 16
71 l leafy daisy Erigeron foliosus var. foliosus / 27
72 r creek senecio Senecio flaccidus var. douglasii / 8
73 l yarrow Achillea millefolium / 6
74 l bigleaf maple Acer macrophyllum / 5
75 l lanceleaf dudleya Dudleya lanceolata / 15
76 l mugwort Artemisia douglasiana / 21
Plant guide incomplete beyond this point; guide contains only a few plants noted from memory several days later that occur between here and Spruce Grove Trail Camp.
77 white sage Salvia apiana / 25
78 chicory-leaved stephanomeria Stephanomeria cichoriacea / 5
79 *eupatory Ageratina adenophora / 5
80 l white alder Alnus rhombifolia / 7
81 coffee fern Pellaea andromedifolia / 16
82 l *Himalaya blackberry Rubus discolor / 2
83 chaparral yucca Yucca whipplei / 12
84 r scarlet larkspur Delphinium cardinale / 3
85 r wide-throated yellow monkeyflower Mimulus brevipes / 5
86 r common monkeyflower Mimulus guttatus / 4
87 giant chain fern Woodwardia fimbriata / 2
88 California wood fern Dryopteris arguta / 7
89 California polypody Polypodium californicum / 10
90 Bigelow's spike-moss Selaginella bigelovii / 12
91 r dense false-gilia Allophyllum gilioides ssp. gilioides / 2
92 r round-leaved boykinia Boykinia rotundifolia / 2
93 r *annual moonwort Lunaria annua / 1

Comments On Specific Species

We thank an anonymous person for helping with the field work on 7/23/03.

Number of Trails Containing A Taxon	Number Of Taxa On This Trail	% of Taxa On This Trail
1	4	5%
2	8	10%
3	2	2%
4	2	2%
5	7	8%
6	3	4%
7	5	6%
8	4	5%
9	0	0%
10	4	5%
11	5	6%
12	3	4%
13	1	1%
14	2	2%
15	1	1%
16	6	7%
17	0	0%
18	3	4%
19	0	0%
20	1	1%
21	2	2%
22	0	0%
23	0	0%
24	1	1%
25	2	2%
26	2	2%
27	5	6%
28	0	0%
29	4	5%
30	1	1%
31	3	4%
32	2	2%
33	0	0%
34	0	0%
35	1	1%
Total Taxa	84	100%

Visit Date	Visit #	# taxa	# "?"	# "sp"	# "~"	# "ssp"
7/23/2003	1	93	4	12	9	4

Mile	#	S	id?	Common Name	Latin Name	#here	#all
0.00				Begin trail guide at gate across road, at the southeast end of the lower parking lot.
0.00	1	l	?	tree with pinnate leaf, 12 leaflets
0.00	2	r	sp	pine with 3 needles / bunch
0.00	3	r	~	*four-leaf polycarp	Polycarpon tetraphyllum	/	6
0.00	4	l	sp	Acacia
0.00	5	l		*giant reed	Arundo donax	/	6
0.00	6	b		*tree tobacco	Nicotiana glauca	/	12
0.00	7	l	~	*red brome	Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens	/	31
0.00	8	l	ssp	*foxtail barley	Hordeum murinum	/	2
0.00	9	r	sp	*knotweed	Polygonum arenastrum	/	5
0.00	10	l		California bay	Umbellularia californica	/	7
0.00	11	l		canyon live oak	Quercus chrysolepis	/	16
0.00	12	l		poison oak	Toxicodendron diversilobum	/	29
0.00	13	l	ssp	branching phacelia	Phacelia ramosissima var. latifolia	/	18
0.00	14	l		*Spanish broom	Spartium junceum	/	5
0.00	15	l		coast live oak	Quercus agrifolia var. agrifolia	/	29
0.00		r		Sign: "Sturtevant Falls 2 mi; etc."
0.00	16	r		wild-cucumber	Marah macrocarpus var. macrocarpus	/	29
0.00	17	r		*prickly lettuce	Lactuca serriola	/	18
	18	r		*castor bean	Ricinus communis	/	11
	19	l		laurel sumac	Malosma laurina	/	25
	20	l	sp	virgin's bower	Clematis sp.	/	1
	21	l		white nightshade	Solanum douglasii	/	10
	22	l	?	tree with 17 pinnate leaf
	23	l		purple nightshade	Solanum xanti	/	8
	24	r		blue elderberry	Sambucus mexicana	/	32
	25	l		golden yarrow	Eriophyllum confertiflorum var. confertiflorum	/	31
	26	l		squawbush	Rhus trilobata	/	13
	27	l		California buckwheat	Eriogonum fasciculatum var. foliolosum	/	35
		l		(chaparral yucca, Yucca whipplei and bush monkeyflower, Mimulus aurantiacus)
	28	r		hollyleaf redberry	Rhamnus ilicifolia	/	29
	29	l		deerweed	Lotus scoparius var. scoparius	/	16
	30	l		short-leaved cliff-aster	Malacothrix saxatilis var. tenuifolia	/	7
	31	l		California sagebrush	Artemisia californica	/	30
	32	r	sp	interior live oak	Quercus wislizeni var. frutescens	/	7
	33	l		black sage	Salvia mellifera	/	27
	34	l		bush monkeyflower	Mimulus aurantiacus	/	27
	35	l		*smilo grass	Piptatherum miliaceum	/	14
	36	l	sp	bush lupine	Lupinus excubitus or longifolius?	/
	37	r	ssp	imbricate phacelia	Phacelia imbricata ssp. imbricata	/	1
	38	l		California everlasting	Gnaphalium californicum	/	21
	39	l	ssp	Jepson's blue wildrye	Elymus glaucus ssp. jepsonii	/	4
	40	r		toyon	Heteromeles arbutifolia	/	31
	41	l	~	wild sweetpea	Lathyrus vestitus var. vestitus	/	5
	42	r		*horehound	Marrubium vulgare	/	16
	43	r		white everlasting	Gnaphalium canescens ssp. microcephalum	/	27
	44	l	sp	*prickly sow thistle	Sonchus asper ssp. asper	/	11
	45	l	?	much-branched shrub with lvs like clover, dehiscent pods
	46	l		heartleaf penstemon	Keckiella cordifolia	/	18
		l	?	(Euphorbia sp.?, similar to gopher spurge)
	47	l	sp	Pine with 2 needles / bunch, cones persistent, sessile, like knobcone pine.
0.18				Road curves to right.
	48	r	sp	planted Cypress?
	49	r	~	*orchid rockrose	Cistus Xpurpureus	/	2
	50	l	~	*Arizona cypress	Cupressus arizonica ssp. glabra	/	3
	51	r		southern honeysuckle	Lonicera subspicata var. denudata	/	26
	52	r	~	*Italian rye-grass	Lolium multiflorum	/	8
	53	r		*common groundsel	Senecio vulgaris	/	11
	54	l	~	*narrowleaf filago	Filago gallica	/	27
	55	r		chamise	Adenostoma fasciculatum	/	24
	56	r	sp	telegraph weed	Heterotheca grandiflora	/	20
	57	r		California fuchsia	Epilobium canum ssp. canum	/	11
	58	r	~	*crimson-spot rockrose	Cistus ladanifer	/	2
0.21		r		Jct. trail to First Water Trail and Hermit Falls.
	59	l	sp	wild oats	Avena sp.	/
	60	r	sp	cotton-batting plant	Gnaphalium stramineum	/	8
	61	r		long-stemmed buckwheat	Eriogonum elongatum var. elongatum	/	14
	62	r		*little horseweed	Conyza bonariensis	/	10
	63	r		narrowleaf bedstraw	Galium angustifolium ssp. angustifolium	/	32
	64	r		mule fat	Baccharis salicifolia	/	26
	65	l	~	*white poplar	Populus alba	/	1
	66	r		*bladder senna	Colutea arborescens	/	2
	67	l		bicolored everlasting	Gnaphalium bicolor	/	16
	68	r		*fennel	Foeniculum vulgare	/	11
	69	l		southern Indian pink	Silene laciniata ssp. major	/	10
	70	r		sugar bush	Rhus ovata	/	16
	71	l		leafy daisy	Erigeron foliosus var. foliosus	/	27
	72	r		creek senecio	Senecio flaccidus var. douglasii	/	8
	73	l		yarrow	Achillea millefolium	/	6
	74	l		bigleaf maple	Acer macrophyllum	/	5
	75	l		lanceleaf dudleya	Dudleya lanceolata	/	15
	76	l		mugwort	Artemisia douglasiana	/	21
				Plant guide incomplete beyond this point; guide contains only a few plants noted from memory several days later that occur between here and Spruce Grove Trail Camp.
	77			white sage	Salvia apiana	/	25
	78			chicory-leaved stephanomeria	Stephanomeria cichoriacea	/	5
	79			*eupatory	Ageratina adenophora	/	5
	80	l		white alder	Alnus rhombifolia	/	7
	81			coffee fern	Pellaea andromedifolia	/	16
	82	l		*Himalaya blackberry	Rubus discolor	/	2
	83			chaparral yucca	Yucca whipplei	/	12
	84	r		scarlet larkspur	Delphinium cardinale	/	3
	85	r		wide-throated yellow monkeyflower	Mimulus brevipes	/	5
	86	r		common monkeyflower	Mimulus guttatus	/	4
	87			giant chain fern	Woodwardia fimbriata	/	2
	88			California wood fern	Dryopteris arguta	/	7
	89			California polypody	Polypodium californicum	/	10
	90			Bigelow's spike-moss	Selaginella bigelovii	/	12
	91	r		dense false-gilia	Allophyllum gilioides ssp. gilioides	/	2
	92	r		round-leaved boykinia	Boykinia rotundifolia	/	2
	93	r		*annual moonwort	Lunaria annua	/	1

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Plants of Southern California: Trail Guides

Copyright © 2003 by Tom Chester and Jane Strong.
Permission is freely granted to reproduce any or all of this page as long as credit is given to us at this source:
http://tchester.org/sgm/plants/guides/sturtevant.html
Comments and feedback: Tom Chester | Jane Strong
Updated 25 July 2003.