FRIENDS OF EDGEWOOD NATURAL PRESERVE
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FRIENDS OF EDGEWOOD NATURAL PRESERVE
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WHAT’S NEW AT EDGEWOOD By Toni Corelli Since the second edition of the Flowering Plants of Edgewood Natural Preserve came out, there have been some new plant discoveries and other interesting observations at Edgewood. This is the reason for a flora since it represents information at a given time and as Willis Linn Jepson said in the Manual of the Flowering Plants of California (1925), a flora is “never perfect, complete or final.” The docents and others active at Edgewood will continue to discover and contribute information about Edgewood. Three New Plants to Add to the Flora
Cicendia quadrangularis, timwort in the Gentianaceae - Gentian Family. It was seen by several people along the Edgewood Trail just north of the Serpentine Loop Trail and subsequently identified. The closest nearby location is at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve (JRBP) where it is found in wet areas along trails. It is described in John Hunter Thomas’ Flora of the Santa Cruz Mountains of California, where he says it occurs in “grassy slopes, mainly on the eastern side of the Santa Cruz Mountains.” The area where it was found at Edgewood is a moist area in grassland. The flowers open in full, warm sun and are closed in the early morning. The other member of this family at Edgewood is the June centaury (Centaurium muehlenbergii1), which blooms in late May through July. Two other new plants were found by Bill and Kathy Korbholz in their “adopt-a-site” weeding area near the Sunset entrance. These plants do not occur along trails so you will not be seeing them when you lead walks, but keep a look out just in case.
Triodanis biflora, small Venus’ looking-glass in the Campanulaceae - Bellflower Family. This is also a new family for the Edgewood flora. The closest known occurrences are at JRBP and, per the Natural Resources DataBase (www.nrdb.org), Palo Alto Foothills Park. Thomas’ flora says it is “occasional in brush area, chaparral or grassy flats, often overlooked by collectors.” The Jepson Manual says it occurs in “disturbed areas” and the area where it was found is an open, somewhat disturbed area in serpentine chaparral.
Polycarpon tetraphyllum, four-leaved allseed in the Caryophyllaceae - Pink Family. This is a non-native plant from Europe. Thomas’ flora says it is “occasional as a weed in clay and sandy soils and in pavement cracks.” The Jepson Manual says it can occur in disturbed areas, roadsides and shaded waste areas. It was found in the same area as small Venus’ looking-glass. Other Observations This Season The “white poppy” is probably a color variant of the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica). Seeds are sold for various colors including orange, deep orange, white, yellow, scarlet and purple. These color variations are either naturally occurring genetic variations or horticultural experiments. This is similar to what is done in the ornamental roses to select new color forms. Since the plants are so close to the urban boundary, they could have come in via seeds purchased and planted in the landscape. Carolyn Strange first observed the plants near the gate at the Sunset entrance. Craig Cummings noticed three other wildflowers near the urban boundary along the south Sylvan Trail. These are Nemophila maculata, fivespot; Nemophila menziesii, baby blue eyes; and Gilia tricolor, bird's eye gilia. These too were probably introduced from seeds from wildflower packages. The fivespot and the baby blue eyes had previously been introduced into Edgewood for erosion control on the western and southern flanks below inspiration heights. They were not successful in establishing permanent populations, probably because they were not in their favored habit or environment.
The “mutant buttercup” was found along the Serpentine Loop between the Service Road and the “view point”. We call it “funnycup” at JRBP. This buttercup, which is actually a genetic variant of the California buttercup, Ranunculus californicus, was found throughout San Mateo and Santa Clara County this season. The reason it may have been so abundant this year is a result of climatic conditions, especially the rain timing and quantity. This anomaly was first documented in 1889 in the Bay Area and described in Lyman Benson's monograph of Ranunculus in North America (American Midland Naturalist vol. 40, 1948) and occurs in San Mateo, Santa Clara, Contra Costa, and Alameda Counties. Therefore, it evidently has maintained itself in the Bay Area for well over a century. However, this year it put on quite a show in our area. Other plants to add to the garden plants section on page 2 of the Edgewood Flora are: Bellis perennis, English daisy - Day Camp Diospyros sp., persimmon - Day Camp Taraxacum officinale, dandelion - Day Camp Viburnum sp., viburnum - Sylvan Trail. What a great season, keep your eyes open for new additions and observations and I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes by Willis Linn Jepson: “There is something lost behind the ranges over yonder. Go you there.” 1The current accepted name is Zeltnera muehlenbergii. |
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