Plant Guide to Guy Fleming Trail, Torrey Pines State Reserve

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

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

See Introduction to Torrey Pines Trails in the Beach Trail Plant Guide.

Highlights of This Trail

The botanical highlights of this trail are:

Plant Communities and Floristics

This section is not updated every time the guide is updated. Last update for this section: 27 February 2004. (Only the histogram in the Number of Unique Taxa On This Trail is always updated each time the guide is updated.)

See Plant Communities and Floristics for the Beach Trail.

The Trail plant list contains 96 taxa, of which 90 have so far been identified, in 0.87 unique miles of trail. One additional taxon has not been identified to species, but it is a non-native iceplant. Of these 91 taxa, 14 (15%) are non-native.

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

Summary statistics:

By Number

LifeformNativeNon-nativeTotal Taxa
Trees101
Shrubs29231
Pteridophytes202
Perennial Herbs25227
Perennial Grasses404
Annual Grasses055
Annual Herbs16521
Total771491

By Percent

LifeformNativeNon-nativeTotal Taxa
Trees1%0%1%
Shrubs38%14%34%
Pteridophytes3%0%2%
Perennial Herbs32%14%30%
Perennial Grasses5%0%4%
Annual Grasses0%36%5%
Annual Herbs21%36%23%
Total100%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 my database when this histogram was made; 2 of those trails, including this one, are at Torrey Pines. A number of "1" means the taxon has only been found on this trail among the trails in my database; numbers of "2" or smaller may indicate taxa found only at Torrey Pines.

Number of Trails
Containing A Taxon
Number Of Taxa
On This Trail
% of Taxa
On This Trail
122%
21513%
343%
454%
576%
 
1-53329%
6-101614%
11-151816%
16-201110%
21-251110%
26-3054%
31-3533%
36-4087%
41-4565%
46-5043%
Total Taxa115100%

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 7 February 2004, are:

#allLatin NameCommon NameDistribution in Southern California / Distribution in Trail Guides
1Ehrharta longiflora*annual veldt grassNon-native taxon (from Africa) only found here. Claire Brey first collected it from a site south of the Preserve in 1992. It had spread throughout the Preserve by 1996. Eradication attempts began in 2004 or earlier.
1Mucronea californicaCalifornia spineflowerSW.
1Sarcostemma cynanchoides ssp. hartwegiiclimbing milkweedD!
1Lasthenia coronariasouthern goldfieldsUNCOMMON. SCo, PR, w D; nw Baja CA, Guadalupe Island, Mex.
1Senecio californicusCalifornia groundselSW.
2Pinus torreyanaTorrey pineRARE. Only found here and on Santa Rosa Island.
2Ferocactus viridescensSan Diego barrel cactusUNCOMMON. SCo (San Diego County); Baja CA.
2Chaenactis glabriuscula var. orcuttianaOrcutt's yellow pincushionCoastal dunes, bluffs; < 100 m. SCo; nw Baja CA.
2Cardionema ramosissimumsandmatSandy beaches and hills, dunes, bluffs; < 150 m. SCo to WA, Mex, also in Chile.
2Quercus dumosacoast scrub oakRARE. SCo; Baja CA.
2Abronia umbellata ssp. umbellatapink sand verbenaSCo; Baja CA.
2Chorizanthe procumbensprostrate spineflowerCommon. c&s SCo, s TR, w PR; Baja CA.
2Camissonia cheiranthifolia ssp. suffruticosashrubby beach-primroseSCo; Baja CA.
2Opuntia proliferacoast chollaOcean bluffs, inland coastal scrub; < 300 m. SCo, ChI; Baja CA, Guadalupe Island.
2Opuntia occidentaliswestern prickly pearSCo, w edge PR.
2Phacelia ramosissima var. austrolitoralissouth coast branching phaceliaSand dunes, salt marshes, coastal bluffs; < 300 m. SCo, n ChI.
2Agave shawiiShaw's agaveRARE in CA. s SCO (San Diego County); Baja CA. Found here and at Cabrillo National Monument.
3Cneoridium dumosumbushrues SCo, San Clemente Island; Baja CA. Found here and at Cabrillo National Monument.
3Ceanothus verrucosuswartystem ceanothusRARE in CA. s SCO (San Diego County); n Baja CA. Found here and at Cabrillo National Monument.
3Coreopsis maritimasea dahliaRARE in CA. s SCo (San Diego County); Baja CA. Found here and at San Elijo Lagoon.

The following taxon is listed as being found only on this trail, but was planted here:

#allLatin NameCommon NameComment
1Agave americana*American agaveA handful of specimens have been planted along the main road

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 DateVisit ## taxa# "?"# "sp"# "~"# "ssp"
6/18/20031814732
11/29/20032873711
2/5/20043962631
3/18/200441112440
1/13/200551212490

I thank James Dillane for help with the 11/29/03 fieldwork, especially for correcting one error in the guide and for supplying the names of other species found on this trail that were not visible in June or November.

I thank Jane Strong for help with the 2/5/04 fieldwork, for helping to find and identify new species on the trail, as well as verifying the species in the guide.

I thank a docent at Torrey Pines, who wishes to remain anonymous, for her help with the 1/13/05 fieldwork for the first 0.2 miles.

Botanical Trip Reports

5 February 2004
18 February 2004

The Plant Guide

Version for printing, without lines and other text on this page (6 pages)

MileS#id?Common NameLatin Name#here#all
0.00   Beginning of trail, at the first Torrey Pine; elevation ~245 feet (75 m).
0.00b1 Torrey pinePinus torreyana20 / 92
0.00r2 *American agaveAgave americana5 / 11
0.00l3 *purple false-bromeBrachypodium distachyon / 5
0.00l4 wild-cucumberMarah macrocarpus var. macrocarpus5 / 540
0.00l5 narrowleaf bedstrawGalium angustifolium ssp. angustifolium20 / 441
0.00l6 *smooth cat's earHypochaeris glabra / 27
0.00b7 coast prickly-pearOpuntia littoralis2 / 27
0.00r8 climbing bedstrawGalium nuttallii ssp. nuttallii10 / 928
0.00r9 deerweedLotus scoparius var. scoparius30 / 922
0.00l10 black sageSalvia mellifera10 / 937
0.00l11 purple snapdragonAntirrhinum nuttallianum ssp. nuttallianum99 / 912
0.00l12 California-asterLessingia filaginifolia var. filaginifolia+30 / 950
0.00l13 saw-toothed goldenbushHazardia squarrosa var. grindelioides20 / 932
0.00b14 California buckwheatEriogonum fasciculatum var. foliolosum30 / 946
0.00r  Sign: "Stay on designated trail. Reserve hours 7 a.m. to sunset."
0.00r15 California sagebrushArtemisia californica10 / 542
0.00l16 giant needlegrassAchnatherum coronatum20 / 921
0.00l17 lanceleaf dudleyaDudleya lanceolata50 / 919
0.00l18?grass similar to poa secunda?10 / 1 
0.00l19 pygmy-weedCrassula connata+50 / 314
0.00r20 foothill needlegrassNassella lepida20 / 918
0.00r21 San Diego wreathplantStephanomeria diegensis40 / 918
0.00b22 bush monkeyflowerMimulus aurantiacus1 / 139
0.01l23 toyonHeteromeles arbutifolia2 / 242
0.01l24 *Mediterranean pygmy-weedCrassula tillaea+30 / 15
0.01l25 *Australian brass-buttonsCotula australis50 / 314
0.01b26 milk maidsCardamine californica+40 / 98
0.01r27 *redstem filareeErodium cicutarium99 / 948
0.01b28 lemonade berryRhus integrifolia40 / 912
0.01l29 southern honeysuckleLonicera subspicata var. denudata1 / 138
0.01r30 popcorn flowerCryptantha intermedia99 / 922
0.01r  (laurel sumac, Malosma laurina)
0.01l31 bushrueCneoridium dumosum40 / 93
0.01r32 *red bromeBromus madritensis ssp. rubens20 / 244
0.01r33?annual everlasting?Gnaphalium stramineum?20 / 3 
0.01r  Check for California chicory, Rafinesquia californica
0.02r34 wartystem ceanothusCeanothus verrucosus50 / 93
0.02r35 San Diego morning-gloryCalystegia macrostegia ssp. tenuifolia10 / 517
0.02l36 sea dahliaCoreopsis maritima50 / 94
0.02l37 redberryRhamnus crocea20 / 515
0.02l  Bench.
0.02l  Display board.
0.02   Y-jct. Go right.
0.02l38spsuncupCamissonia sp.99 / 9 
0.02b39 Mohave yuccaYucca schidigera20 / 96
0.02l40 threadstemPterostegia drymarioides50 / 420
0.03l41 San Diego barrel cactusFerocactus viridescens3 / 32
0.03r  (western prickly pear, Opuntia occidentalis)
0.03r42 (can't read my writing....)
0.03r43~everlasting nest-strawStylocline gnaphaloides99 / 97
0.03r44~*Mediterranean schismusSchismus barbatus20 / 216
0.03r45 chamiseAdenostoma fasciculatum10 / 935
0.04r46 shiny lomatiumLomatium lucidum10 / 36
0.04   Begin fence posts on right side of trail.
0.04r  (Parish's purple nightshade, Solanum parishii)
0.05r47 mission manzanitaXylococcus bicolor3 / 312
0.06l48 *annual veldt grassEhrharta longiflora+99 / 92
0.06l49 leafy daisyErigeron foliosus var. foliosus5 / 334
0.06l50 *common groundselSenecio vulgaris10 / 214
0.06l  Sign: "Toyon, Heteromeles arbutifolia".
0.06l51 yellow mariposa lilyCalochortus weedii var. weedii30 / 97
0.06l52~seashore bentgrassAgrostis pallens99 / 45
0.06l53 southern Indian pinkSilene laciniata ssp. major / 15
0.06l54 California polypodyPolypodium californicum99 / 515
0.06l55 ladies fingersDudleya edulis50 / 97
0.06l56 small-flowered soap plantChlorogalum parviflorum10 / 25
0.06   Four steps up.
0.07b57 golden yarrowEriophyllum confertiflorum var. confertiflorum20 / 950
0.07l  (coast scrub oak, Quercus dumosa)
0.07   Four steps down.
0.08l58 woolly Indian paintbrushCastilleja foliolosa3 / 24
0.08b59 blue-eyed grassSisyrinchium bellum10 / 118
0.08l60 shooting starDodecatheon clevelandii ssp. clevelandii10 / 110
0.08l  Sign: "chamise, Adenostoma fasciculatum"
0.08r61 Orcutt's yellow pincushionChaenactis glabriuscula var. orcuttiana+ / 2
0.08b62 coastal goldenbushIsocoma menziesii+3 / 213
0.09r63 bicolored everlastingGnaphalium bicolor3 / 227
0.09r64~*narrowleaf filagoFilago gallica / 41
0.10r  Sign: "Birdbath is filled several times per week."
0.10r65~pink sand verbenaAbronia umbellata ssp. umbellata+30 / 92
0.10l  Drinking fountain.
0.11l  Low bench.
0.11r66 *creeping Australian saltbushAtriplex semibaccata3 / 210
0.13l67 Parish's purple nightshadeSolanum parishii20 / 916
0.13l68 blue dicksDichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum20 / 240
0.13b69 western dichondraDichondra occidentalis20 / 22
0.14r  (mission cactus, spineless form, Opuntia ficus-indica)
0.15l70 California poppyEschscholzia californica20 / 724
0.15l71 sandmatCardionema ramosissimum20 / 92
0.15l72 silverback fernPentagramma triangularis ssp. viscosa10 / 14
0.15l  (wide-throated yellow monkeyflower, Mimulus brevipes)
0.17l  (white sage, Salvia apiana)
0.17r73 south coast morning-gloryCalystegia macrostegia ssp. intermedia5 / 515
0.18r74 bristly bird's beakCordylanthus rigidus ssp. setigerus30 / 925
0.18l75~California filagoFilago californica / 15
0.18l  Sign: "black sage, Salvia mellifera".
0.19b76~*scarlet pimpernelAnagallis arvensis20 / 223
0.20l77 miner's lettuceClaytonia perfoliata ssp. perfoliata5 / 221
0.21l78 wild celeryApiastrum angustifolium20 / 210
0.22l79 *rattail fescueVulpia myuros var. myuros5 / 111
0.22l80spwestern wallflower?Erysimum capitatum ssp. capitatum?+10 / 3 
0.22l81 California plantainPlantago erecta50 / 310
0.23l82 narrow-leaved miner's lettuceClaytonia parviflora ssp. parviflora / 15
0.27l83~coast-range melicMelica imperfecta / 37
0.28l84 common bedstrawGalium aparine20 / 237
0.28l85 *common chickweedStellaria media20 / 121
0.28l86 San Diego fiesta flowerPholistoma racemosum50 / 32
0.28l  Sign: "scrub oak, Quercus dumosa".
0.28b87 coast scrub oakQuercus dumosa2 / 22
0.28l88 graceful bedstrawGalium porrigens var. porrigens5 / 14
0.28r89 *mission cactus (spiny form)Opuntia ficus-indica1 / 15
0.29b90 saltgrassDistichlis spicata50 / 414
0.30   Low bridge under a tree branch
0.30r91spannual goosefootChenopodium sp.5 / 1 
0.31l92 three spotOsmadenia tenella30 / 27
0.32l93 dwarf lupineLupinus bicolor1 / 126
0.32r  Jct. ocean overlook trail. Go right and take it. Due to the width of the trail, look only the plants on the right, both going to the overlook and coming back.
0.33r94 California crotonCroton californicus10 / 56
0.33   Turn around at end of overlook trail; elevation ~230 feet (70 m).
0.34r95 California enceliaEncelia californica20 / 512
0.35r96 *Crete weedHedypnois cretica / 16
0.35r97 shrubby beach-primroseCamissonia cheiranthifolia ssp. suffruticosa20 / 52
0.35r  (johnny jump-up, Viola pedunculata)
0.35r  (common tidy-tips, Layia platyglossa)
0.35r98 prostrate spineflowerChorizanthe procumbens / 3
0.35r99 California spineflowerMucronea californica5 / 21
0.35r100~meally white pincushionChaenactis artemisiifolia1 / 113
0.36   Jct. main trail, go right.
0.37   Sign: "California buckwheat, Eriogonum fasciculatum".
0.37l101 strigose lotusLotus strigosus1 / 125
0.38   Trail curves left 90°
0.39r102 Robinson's pepper-grassLepidium virginicum var. robinsonii20 / 35
0.39r  (coast cholla, Opuntia prolifera)
0.39r103 climbing milkweedSarcostemma cynanchoides ssp. hartwegii50 / 52
0.39b104 bladderpodIsomeris arborea20 / 57
0.39l105 *Russian thistleSalsola tragus20 / 325
0.40l106 collar lupineLupinus truncatus2 / 120
0.40l107 *ripgut bromeBromus diandrus / 44
0.40l108 ground pinkLinanthus dianthiflorus20 / 28
0.40   Trail curves right 90°
0.41l109 western prickly-pearOpuntia occidentalis2 / 22
0.41l110 *slender wild oatsAvena barbata / 25
0.42r  Sign: "Bush sunflower, Encelia californica".
0.42r  (blue larkspur, Delphinium parryi ssp. maritimum)
0.43l  Bench without a back.
0.44r  Sign: "Torrey Pine, Pinus torreyana".
0.44r111 south coast branching phaceliaPhacelia ramosissima var. austrolitoralis10 / 33
0.44   Trail curves left.
0.44l112 California groundselSenecio californicus20 / 22
0.46r113 *crystalline ice plantMesembryanthemum crystallinum50 / 35
0.46r  Sign: "Mojave Yucca, Yucca schidigera".
0.48l  Blank sign
0.50l  (Shaw's agave, Agave shawii)
0.50l  Bench without a back.
0.50l  Sign: "sea-cliff buckwheat, Eriogonum parvifolium".
0.50l114 sea-cliff buckwheatEriogonum parvifolium3 / 34
0.51l115 *sea figCarpobrotus chilensis+1 / 12
0.57l  Bench without a back.
0.57   Y-jct. Go right.
0.61   Observation Point; elevation ~220 feet (65 m). Turn around.
0.65   Jct. main trail, go right.
0.65l  Sign: "Dead pines. The tree skeletons are all that remain from severe drought and bark beetle outbreak in the mid 1960s."
0.66l116 laurel sumacMalosma laurina1 / 138
0.67l  Sign: "Mojave Yucca, Yucca schidigera".
0.68l117spCalifornia dodderCuscuta californica var. californica2 / 214
0.71l  Sign: "redberry, Rhamnus crocea".
0.72l118 Shaw's agaveAgave shawii3 / 12
0.72l  Bench without a back
0.74   Trail turns left 90°
0.74r119 California four o'clockMirabilis californica3 / 118
0.74r120 chaparral yuccaYucca whipplei1 / 127
0.76   Trail turns left 90°
0.77   Trail curves right 90°
0.78l  Bench without a back.
0.80   "Low bridge" under a dead pine.
0.83   Trail makes a long curve left.
0.85   End loop trail.
0.87   Trailhead.
    
    Present on trail, but unknown location:
  121 goldfieldsLasthenia californica / 7

Comments On Specific Species

Lessingia filaginifolia var. filaginifolia. The Jepson Manual combined two taxa that are found at Torrey Pines, Corethrogyne filaginifolia varieties linifolia and virgata. The editors at the Jepson Online Interchange have restored the Corethrogyne treatment, but have still dispensed with the varieties.

Because the var. linifolia is strikingly different from the usual var. seen in Southern California, var. virgata, I attempted to note which of the varieties is found on the nearby Beach Trail. However, when I attempted to use the key in Munz to key a plant to variety, it turned out to have characteristics of both varieties. Perhaps this is why the Jepson Manual dispensed with the varieties!

Crassula connata and C. tillaea. In the same location, Jane Strong found C. connata on 2/5/04 and I found C. tillaea 6 weeks later on 3/18/04! I verified C. connata on 1/13/05 and will try to verify C. tillaea in the future.

Cardamine californica. I studied the plants on this trail intensively on 1/13/05, and they do not fit either subspecies. Using the characteristics in the Jepson Manual, I found roughly as many plants that could be called var. californica as could be called var. integrifolia, with most plants not fitting either variety.

At the first location on this trail, I counted 23 oblong, ~entire to 2-toothed leaflets (var. integrifolia); and 26 ovate, mostly-toothed leaflets var. californica. In many cases, an individual plant had both kinds of leaves on it. Typically, the lowermost 1-2 cauline leaves would be ovate and toothed; the uppermost 1-2 cauline leaves would be oblong and ~entire, usually only with a terminal tooth. The leaves were intermediate between thin and thick. If one felt the blade as a whole, they were thickish, primarily due to the midvein. If one felt only the parts of the blade away from the midvein, they were thinnish. I surveyed leaves through the trail, finding the same results.

Note that var. integrifolia in the Jepson Manual is much changed from what it was in Munz. Using the Munz key, all these plants are var. californica, as were all Southern California plants in Munz. In the JM, integrifolia is now supposedly in Southern California, and there are vouchers determined as var. integrifolia in San Diego County.

I'll pay attention to milkmaids in other areas of Southern California, to see if any differ from these plants.

Chaenactis glabriuscula var. orcuttiana. The identification is from plants at mile 0.48 in 2002.

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.

Abronia umbellata ssp. umbellata. The first occurrence on the trail was a baby plant on 1/13/05; a definite identification was at mile 0.32.

Erysimum capitatum ssp. capitatum?. These plants are definitely wallflowers. The identification is uncertain because E. ammophilum also is supposed to occur here. I haven't yet checked the immature fruit for the id.

Carpobrotus chilensis. This specimen was weeded out on 3/l8/04.


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Copyright © 2003-2005 by Tom Chester.
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Comments and feedback: Tom Chester
Updated 15 January 2005.