Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Iron Mountain

I've been coming here to hike for the past few weeks (the 9 mile loop is really neat) and have been frustrated that my knowledge of local botany is pretty sucky. Here are some pretty pictures, some pictures of plants I've recently learned, and some pictures of plants I am currently trying to figure out... it's tough without many flowers or fruits. Most of these photos have been edited very minimally. I realize there's tons of crud on the lens or maybe- god forbid- in the camera. Haven't gotten around to figuring it out and fixing it,



I know fuck-all about the geology of the Peninsular
Ranges, but they are surprisingly lovely

Ramona from the Iron Mountain Trail



Cneoridium dumosum
Bush rue
I had thought it was a buckwheat until I saw the flowers. It is
actually in the same family as citrus


Helianthemum scoparium
Rush rose
It's everywhere

Xylococcus bicolor
Mission manzanita
Not an actual manzanita (Arctostaphylos) but probably
named because the flowers and the peeling red bark are
similar... the leaves, however, are markedly different

Ribes indecorum
White-flowering currant
Why do I always forget that Ribes exists?


Rhus ovata
Sugar bush
Very similar to lemonadeberry (R. integrifolia)
Of course I already knew this one, it's one of the usual
suspects in chaparral/sage scrub communities... but
I thought the flower buds were pretty.


Heteromeles arbutifolia
Toyon
Another usual suspect... the berries seem to
glow in the right light

Another toyon pic..




Unknown #1
Don't know what it is exactly, but I'm betting holly-leafed cherry
(Prunus ilicifolia), holly leafed redberry (Rhamnus ilicifolia...
guess what ilicifolia means?) or maybe something in the sumac family

Unknown #2
I think it's a buckwheat, but until I look at every photo of
Eriogonum, I won't know for sure


Unknown #3
I think it's a composite. The leaves are not smelly at all.
A similar brute-force approach is in order
Update: It is Eriodictyon crassifolium, the yerba santa... a borage.

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