Plant Guide to
Bayside Trail, Cabrillo National Monument, San Diego

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

Some of the identifications below were based on dead plant remnants from the previous year, due to the drought in 2002 and 2004. Unfortunately, I didn't make it here in 2003 to see how the trail looks in a normal rainfall year.

The intro needs to be updated from the 2004 fieldwork.

Introduction and Explanation of Plant Trail Guides

Introduction
Highlights of This Trail
Plant Communities and Floristics
Fieldwork Dates and Summary of List Changes With Time
Botanical Trip Reports
The Plant Guide
Comments On Specific Species

Introduction

Cabrillo National Monument is a stunningly beautiful spot, with great views of the city of San Diego, the harbor, and the mountains. You can see the Coronado Islands in Mexico, 15-20 miles south, and north all the way to Mount San Gorgonio, ~110 miles away.

Cabrillo National Monument has a number of attractions. Of course, the star of the show is Juan Cabrillo and his "discovery" of Point Loma in 1542. The old lighthouse, built in 1854 but abandoned in 1891 for a better location under the fog layer, is in great shape and can be toured. Searchlight bunkers, control stations to direct gunfire, and gun batteries, part of the Army's defense system for San Diego Harbor, are in evidence everywhere. Tidepools are the main attraction of the eastern side of the peninsula.

For botanists, the Bayside Trail, on the east side of the peninsula, is the main attraction. This is a short, easy, beautiful trail that winds from near the Point Loma Lighthouse down the east side of Point Loma, overlooking San Diego Bay, Coronado Island, and downtown San Diego. These sights, and activity in the harbor such as the coming and going of military aircraft, cruise ships, and submarines, sometimes provide stiff competition for the plants! The trail has a remarkable number of informative signs along the way, with many illustrations identifying the plants and animals of the area.

This trail also covers some of the Point Loma Ecological Reserve, which surrounds and includes the Monument.

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Directions to Cabrillo National Monument:

From southbound I-5 or westbound I-8: Take the Rosecrans Street exit. Follow Rosecrans for ~3 miles and turn right at Canon Street (there is a sign at that intersection pointing the way to Cabrillo National Monument). Follow Canon for ~a half mile west and another half mile after it curves south. Turn left onto Catalina Blvd, and take it for ~2.5 miles to the entrance station to Cabrillo National Monument. Pay your $5 at the entrance kiosk, receive the Monument Brochure with a map, and continue straight to the parking lot at the Visitor Center. The Bayside Trail begins on the east of the old Lighthouse.

From northbound I-5: take Pacific Highway to Barnett, then turn left on Rosecrans Street and follow the rest of the directions above.

Highlights of This Trail

This trail may be the best representation of what coastal California used to look like before human disturbance and the introduction of non-native plants. It is surprisingly free of non-native plants. This trail, along with the trails of Torrey Pines (see Beach Trail), have the lowest percentage of non-native plants of any of the lower-elevation trails for which Jane Strong and I have done plant guides. Moreover, this trail has fewer non-native specimens than any of the Torrey Pines trails.

Although this low percentage of non-native plants may be due to the severe drought of 2002 and 2004, I have seen many remnants of non-native grasses, as well as creeping Australian saltbush, Atriplex semibaccata, in abundance in other places at similar times. Indeed, on the ocean side of Point Loma, Atriplex semibaccata is in abundance, whereas there wasn't a single plant to be found along this trail.

I speculate that this may be due to three factors:

1. the trail's location at the end of a peninsula, in an area dissected by canyons that has mostly escaped human contact.

2. the control by the military of nearly all the land between this area and the mainland. The area was designated as a military reserve in 1852. This prevented that area from being used for agriculture, grazing, or, for the most part, houses with gardens, which tremendously decreased the opportunity for invasive weeds to come into this area.

   Indeed, the Bayside Trail follows an old U.S. Army roadway.

3. an intensive effort by the U.S. Park Service to eliminate non-native plants. This is undoubtedly a large factor, and they are to be commended for actually taking action to remove non-native plants, instead of just talking about it.

   For example, here are two of their goals, under Goal Category I: Preserve Park Resources, from their fiscal year 2003 Annual Performance Plan:

   By September 30, 2005, 7.5 (50%) of 15 acres of Cabrillo NM's land impacted by exotic vegetation targeted by September 30, 1999 is contained through the removal of Carpobrotus (ice plant), acacia, eucalyptus, yellow star thistle, Russian thistle and other non-native plants.

   Ia01B1 Exotic Vegetation Species: Point Loma Ecological Reserve - By September 30, 2005, 66 (10%) of 660 acres of the Point Loma Ecological Reserve's targeted lands impacted by exotic vegetation as of FY99 are contained through the removal of acacia, Carpobrotus, eucalyptus, tree tobacco and other non-native plants.

Plant Communities and Floristics

This trail is entirely in Coastal Sage Scrub, and is so mapped in the San Diego County Vegetation Map from Tom Oberbauer, in Beauchamp (1986). Beauchamp calls it Maritime Succulent Shrub. The plants he gives as examples for its members are almost exactly the species found here.

The Trail plant list contains 50 taxa, of which 44 have so far been identified, in 1.06 unique miles of trail. Two additional taxa were confidently identified as native. Of these 46 taxa, only 6 (13%) are non-native.

I have plotted these numbers against the other trails in my database. The plots show:

• For its elevation, the percentage of native taxa is surprisingly high compared to the other trails in our database. See above for a discussion as to the possible reasons for this.

• The number of native taxa is well below that expected from our other trails. This is most likely due to my lack of surveying the trail during a normal rainfall year.

Summary statistics:

By Number

Lifeform	Native	Non-native	Total Taxa
Trees	0	0	0
Shrubs	20	0	20
Pteridophytes	1	0	1
Perennial Herbs	11	1	12
Perennial Grasses	3	0	3
Annual Grasses	0	2	2
Annual Herbs	3	3	6
Total	38	6	44

By Percent

Lifeform	Native	Non-native	Total Taxa
Trees	0%	0%	0%
Shrubs	53%	0%	45%
Pteridophytes	3%	0%	2%
Perennial Herbs	29%	17%	27%
Perennial Grasses	8%	0%	7%
Annual Grasses	0%	33%	5%
Annual Herbs	8%	50%	14%
Total	100%	100%	100%

Number of Unique Taxa On This Trail

The following histogram gives the number of trails in my database that contain each taxon on this trail. I had 73 trails in our database when this histogram was made; this is the only trail from Cabrillo National Monument in my database. Two other trails are at Torrey Pines, which is nearby. A number of "1" means the taxon has only been found on this trail among the trails in my database; numbers of "3" or smaller may indicate taxa found only here and at Torrey Pines.

Number of Trails Containing A Taxon	Number Of Taxa On This Trail	% of Taxa On This Trail
1	3	7%
2	3	7%
3	2	5%
4	2	5%
5	3	7%
1-5	13	30%
6-10	7	16%
11-15	6	14%
16-20	3	7%
21-25	3	7%
26-30	2	5%
31-35	5	11%
36-40	5	11%
Total Taxa	44	100%

I found 6 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, and have no entries in the #all column.

The taxa that are truly unique, or almost unique, to this trail or area, out of the 73 trails in my database on 12 February 2004, are:

#all	Latin Name	Common Name	Distribution in Southern California / Distribution in Trail Guides
1	Euphorbia misera	cliff spurge	RARE in CA. Rocky slopes, coatsal bluffs; < 500 m. SCo, s ChI, w Dson; Baja CA.
1	Atriplex canescens ssp. canescens	four-wing saltbush	SCo, n TR, PR, GB, D. Note that this identification is not 100% positive yet. There is also one observation of ssp. linearis in the San Gabriel Mountains on the Brown Mountain Fireroad; and one observation at Crystal Cove on the Reef Point trail that has not been identified to subspecies yet.
2	Opuntia oricola	tall coast prickly pear	SCo, ChI, WTR, w PR; Baja CA. Found here and at Torrey Pines.
2	Agave shawii	Shaw's agave	RARE in CA. s SCO (San Diego County); Baja CA. Found here and at Torrey Pines.
3	Astragalus trichopodus var. lonchus	coast locoweed	Coastal bluffs, fields; < 300 m. SCo, n ChI; Baja CA. Found here and at Torrey Pines.
3	Cneoridium dumosum	bushrue	s SCo, San Clemente Island; Baja CA. Found here and at Torrey Pines.

The following taxon is listed as being found only on this trail, but is not unique because it is on other trails where it has not yet been resolved to a species:

#all	Latin Name	Common Name
1	Carpobrotus edulis	*yellow ice plant

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"
10/19/2002	1	35	2	3	8	2
2/9/2004	2	50	4	3	8	1

Botanical Trip Reports

9 February 2004

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				Beginning of road to Bayside Trail immediately east of Lighthouse, elevation ~400 feet.
0.00	r			Sign: "Bayside Trail".
0.00	r	1		giant wild rye	Leymus condensatus	10 / 3	22
0.00	r	2		California buckwheat	Eriogonum fasciculatum var. foliolosum	20 / 9	37
0.00	r	3		California encelia	Encelia californica	99 / 9	12
0.00	r	4		California sagebrush	Artemisia californica	99 / 9	32
0.01	l			(Scrub oak, Quercus dumosa)
0.01	r	5	sp	tall coast prickly pear	Opuntia oricola+	10 / 9	2
0.01	r			(black sage, Salvia mellifera)
0.01	r	6		broom baccharis	Baccharis sarothroides	99 / 9	7
0.01	r	7		lemonade berry	Rhus integrifolia	99 / 9	11
0.01	r	8	~	saltgrass	Distichlis spicata	20 / 3	10
0.02	r	9	~	San Diego wreathplant	Stephanomeria diegensis	99 / 5	11
0.02	r	10		*red brome	Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens	5 / 1	36
0.06	r	11		chaparral bush mallow	Malacothamnus fasciculatus	3 / 2	10
0.06	r			High Voltage boxes
0.07	r	12		cliff spurge	Euphorbia misera	10 / 5	1
0.09	r	13	~	slender tarweed	Hemizonia fasciculata	40 / 4	10
0.09	r	14		toyon	Heteromeles arbutifolia	6 / 6	35
0.10	r	15		black sage	Salvia mellifera	50 / 9	30
0.10	r	16		deerweed	Lotus scoparius var. scoparius	20 / 9	19
0.12	r	17	~	seashore bentgrass	Agrostis pallens	20 / 5	4
0.12	r	18		ladies fingers	Dudleya edulis	40 / 9	7
0.12	r	19		lanceleaf dudleya	Dudleya lanceolata	40 / 9	16
0.13	r	20		California-aster	Lessingia filaginifolia var. filaginifolia+	2 / 2	38
0.14	r	21		golden yarrow	Eriophyllum confertiflorum var. confertiflorum	20 / 9	40
0.15	r	22		coastal goldenbush	Isocoma menziesii+	5 / 3	8
0.15	r	23	?	needlegrass?	Nassella sp.?	5 / 2
0.16	r	24		*Russian thistle	Salsola tragus	20 / 3	22
0.17	l	25		bicolored everlasting	Gnaphalium bicolor	2 / 2	22
0.18	r			(Mohave yucca, Yucca schidigera)
0.18	r	26	sp	cholla	Opuntia sp.	3 / 3
0.18	l	27	~	four-wing saltbush	Atriplex canescens ssp. canescens	1 / 1	1
0.21	r	28		*redstem filaree	Erodium cicutarium	3 / 1	34
0.22	l	29		laurel sumac	Malosma laurina	1 / 1	29
0.23	r	30	~	coast locoweed	Astragalus trichopodus var. lonchus	50 / 9	3
0.24	r	31		*Mediterranean schismus	Schismus barbatus	5 / 1	11
0.24	r	32		*crystalline ice plant	Mesembryanthemum crystallinum	5 / 1	5
0.24	r	33	~	*yellow ice plant	Carpobrotus edulis	1 / 1	1
0.24	r	34	sp	popcorn flower	Cryptantha sp.	1 / 1
0.24	r	35	?	unk fleshy rosette of oblanceolate lvs.	?	5 / 1
0.24	r	36	?	unk- baby slender-leaved ice plant?	M. nodiflorum?	1 / 1
0.26	r	37		big saltbush	Atriplex lentiformis ssp. lentiformis	6 / 6	2
0.27	l	38		bladderpod	Isomeris arborea	2 / 2	7
0.27	r			Jct. Bayside Trail itself; elevation ~315 feet. Turn left and take it. Sign: Bayside Trail, 1.2 miles". (Perhaps the 1.2 miles is the roundtrip distance, since it is ~0.7 mile to the "Trail ends" sign.)
0.29	l	39		Mohave yucca	Yucca schidigera	1 / 1	5
0.30	r			Sign: "Dryland Pioneers" with illustrations of prickly pear, cholla, Shaw's agave, and Mohave yucca.
0.33	r			Sign: "Communities", with illustrations of black sage, coastal sagebrush, cliff spurge, and chamise.
0.33	r	40		climbing bedstraw	Galium nuttallii ssp. nuttallii	3 / 3	16
0.37	r			Sign: "Spring colors", with illustrations of morning glory vine, blue dicks, Indian paintbrush, and California encelia.
0.39	r			Sign: "Weather", discussing the different communities of north- and south-facing slopes.
0.41				Trail curves left; elevation ~260 feet.
0.41	r	41	?	unk like wallflower	Erysimum capitatum ssp. capitatum?	1 / 1
0.42	l			Concrete and metal drain; begin posts along trail on right
0.44	r			Jct. use trail.
0.46	l			Concrete drain.
0.47	r			Sign: "Something in the Air", with illustrations of salt bush, bladderpod, and California buckwheat.
0.48	r			A very old bladderpod (Isomeris arborea).
0.50	r			A green cement box; trail curves left.
0.52	r			Sign: "Aliens and Natives", with illustrations of acacia, iceplant, sea dahlia and myoporum.
0.52	l	42		sea dahlia	Coreopsis maritima	5 / 1	4
0.52	l			Building with huge doors and very wide-spaced railroad tracks (~4.5 feet apart).
0.52	r	43	ssp	purple snapdragon	Antirrhinum nuttallianum ssp. nuttallianum	10 / 1	11
0.52	r	44		virgin's bower	Clematis lasiantha	10 / 2	5
0.54	l	45		narrowleaf bedstraw	Galium angustifolium ssp. angustifolium	1 / 1	39
0.54	l	46		wild-cucumber	Marah macrocarpus var. macrocarpus	1 / 1	35
0.54	r			Sign: "Uneasy Neighbors" discussing lichens.
0.56	l			Green building with 1 door, 3 windows and 2 "storage" doors. Bench without back on right.
0.57	l			Working drinking fountain. Sign on right: "Waves of Wings", with illustrations of Anna's hummingbird, wrentit, Townsend's warbler, and bushtit. Switchback right; elevation ~210 feet.
0.63	r			Sign: "On the Sunny Side", with illustrations of western fence lizard, California striped racer, opossum, California whiptail, and Southern Pacific rattlesnake. Trail curves left 90°.
0.66	r			Sign: "Ecology of Fire".
0.69	r			Sign: "Community Service", discussing the need to preserve entire communities.
0.74	r			Sign: "Local Birds", with illustrations of California quail, Bewick's wren, Rufous-sided towhee, and American kestrel.
0.75	l	47		bush monkeyflower	Mimulus aurantiacus	3 / 1	31
0.76	l	48		California polypody	Polypodium californicum	20 / 2	14
0.78	r			Sign: "Precious Water", with illustrations of toyon, scrub oak, and lemonade berry. Switchback right.
0.84	r			Sign: "Nightlife", with illustrations of deer mouse, gray fox, and woodrat.
0.85	r			View of Shaw's agave (Agave shawii) below the trail, with a steep use trail leading down to it. Please stay on the trail and see the one only 0.12 miles farther on the trail.
0.86	r			Sign: "Small and Specialized", with illustrations of funnel-web spider, Harlequin bug, and yucca moth.
0.93	l			Bench without back at a drainage; elevation ~155 feet.
0.96	r			Sign: "Point Loma", discussing the history of the point, and giving the age of the sandstone as 65-75 million years.
0.97	r	49		Shaw's agave	Agave shawii	1 / 1	2
0.99	l		~	(wartystem ceanothus, Ceanothus verrucosus)
1.00	r			Sign: "Trail ends - Return by same route"; and "The Point Loma Ecological Reserve", containing 640 acres of the 1500 acres on the Point.
1.02	r	50		bushrue	Cneoridium dumosum	1 / 1	3
1.06				Trail really ends at a big gate, signed "No Tresspassing"; elevation ~80 feet. Guide ends here; return the same way.

Comments On Specific Species

Opuntia oricola. Many of the cactus along this trail have been planted, and are young plants that are difficult to identify. All the prickly pears seem consistent with an Opuntia oricola identification, and there are many definite Opuntia oricola along the trail. I cannot rule out the presence of other prickly pear species, including a different identification for the first specimen along the trail.

Lessingia filaginifolia var. filaginifolia. This is the sensitive species San Diego sand aster, Corethrogyne filaginifolia var. incana, that was lumped into Lessingia filaginifolia var. filaginifolia in the Jepson Manual.

Isocoma menziesii. In my experience, the subspecies are not separable in Southern California. See Comments on the Jepson Manual and A Flora of Southern California by Munz: Isocoma menziesii.

Go to:

• Plants of Southern California: Trail Guides

Copyright © 2002-2004 by Tom Chester.
Permission is freely granted to reproduce any or all of this page as long as credit is given to me at this source:
http://tchester.org/sd/plants/guides/cabrillo_nm/bayside_trail.html
Comments and feedback: Tom Chester
Updated 27 February 2004.