Plant Guide to Saddle Junction to Wellman Divide via PCT and Wellman Cienega Trail, San Jacinto Mountains

Plant Guide to Saddle Junction to Wellman Divide via PCT and Wellman Cienega Trail, San Jacinto Mountains

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
Fieldwork Dates and Summary of List Changes With Time
The Plant Guide
Comments On Specific Species
Introduction

This segment of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) begins at Saddle Junction, which is at the top of the Devils Slide Trail in the San Jacinto Mountains. It heads north from Saddle Junction to a junction with the Wellman Cienega Trail, and continues through Wellman Cienega to Wellman Divide.
If you have arrived at Saddle Junction via the Devils Slide Trail, take the leftmost trail, leading north and marked by a sign indicating "San Jacinto Peak (ahead)".
Highlights of This Trail

The botanical highlights of this trail are:

Number of Unique Taxa On This Trail

(not updated for 8/21/06 fieldwork) The following histogram gives the number of trails in my database that contain each taxon on this trail. I had 93 trails in my database when this histogram was made; 5 of those trails, including this one, are in this same area of the San Jacinto Mountains. A number of "1" means the taxon has only been found on this trail among the trails in my database; numbers of "5" or smaller may indicate taxa found only in this area.

Number of Trails
Containing A Taxon Number Of Taxa
On This Trail % of Taxa
On This Trail
1 0 0%
2 4 11%
3 2 5%
4 2 5%
5 1 3%

1-5 9 24%
6-10 14 38%
11-15 8 22%
16-20 3 8%
21-25 2 5%
26-30 0 0%
31-35 0 0%
36-40 1 3%
Total Taxa 37 100%

I found 1 additional species not in the above table, since it has 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.
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"
10/21/2003 1 27 0 3 1 0
10/1/2004 2 30 0 4 1 0
10/16/2004 3 30 0 4 1 0
8/16/2006 4 38 0 1 2 0
8/21/2006 5 40 0 0 3 0
8/21/2006 5 67 1 6 7 3

The first 0.19 miles was also covered on 10/03/03. The fieldwork on 8/16/06 was only to mile 1.24.
There are two entries for 8/21/06. The first gives the numbers to mile 1.90, Strawberry Jct., where the guide previously ended. The second gives the numbers to mile 2.33, the end of the first portion of Wellman Cienega.
The Plant Guide

Version for printing, without lines and other text on this page: html (4 pages) or pdf Clickbook booklet (1 double-sided pages). (See printing instructions for an explanation of these options)

Mile S # id? Common Name Latin Name #here #all
0.00 Begin trail heading north at Saddle Junction, elevation 8075 feet (2460 m); trail is in deep sand for 0.07 mile
0.00 b 1 Jeffrey pine Pinus jeffreyi 99 / 9 21
0.01 b 2 white fir Abies concolor 99 / 9 20
0.01 r Sign on tree: "Round Valley; San Jacinto Peak (both straight ahead)"
0.01 l PCT post
0.02 b 3 Parish's snowberry Symphoricarpos rotundifolius var. parishii 99 / 9 10
0.02 r 4 pussy paws Calyptridium monospermum 2 / 1 7
0.02 r 5 San Gabriel beardtongue Penstemon labrosus 5 / 1 7
0.03 l 6 wax currant Ribes cereum var. cereum 10 / 5 11
0.03 b 7 green-leaf manzanita Arctostaphylos patula 99 / 9 12
0.05 b 8 bitter cherry Prunus emarginata 99 / 9 6
0.06 b 9 mountain whitethorn Ceanothus cordulatus 99 / 9 15
0.08 r 10 changeable phacelia Phacelia mutabilis 20 / 4 5
0.08 b 11 bracken Pteridium aquilinum var. pubescens 99 / 9 11
0.08 Trails turns left 90°.
0.08 l (slender wheatgrass, Elymus trachycaulus⁺)
0.08 l 12 pinegrove groundsmoke Gayophytum oligospermum 20 / 3 8
0.13 l 13 Grinnell's beardtongue Penstemon grinnellii var. grinnellii 3 / 2 16
0.13 r 14 California groundcone Boschniakia strobilacea 20 / 4 4
0.14 b 15 bush chinquapin Chrysolepis sempervirens 99 / 9 9
0.14 l PCT post
0.14 Trails turns right 90°.
0.14 Trail covered with deep sand for 0.05 mi.
0.16 r 16 pinedrops Pterospora andromedea 3 / 2 7
0.20 r (sugar pine, Pinus lambertiana)
0.23 Switchback left.
0.27 Switchback right.
0.30 r 17 sugar pine Pinus lambertiana 99 / 9 12
0.30 Trail curves left 90° at ridge.
0.31 r 18 canyon live oak Quercus chrysolepis 3 / 3 22
0.32 Switchback left.
0.33 r 19 San Bernardino rubber rabbitbrush Chrysothamnus nauseosus ssp. bernardinus 50 / 9 15
0.36 Switchback right.
0.42 Switchback left.
0.45 Switchback right.
0.46 r 20 Fremont silk tassel Garrya fremontii 20 / 9 2
0.53 l 21 short-flowered monardella Monardella nana ssp. tenuiflora 10 / 1 2
0.54 l 22 Sierra gooseberry Ribes roezlii var. roezlii 1 / 1 9
0.56 Trail curves left 45°
0.63 Switchback left.
0.64 Switchback right.
0.67 r 23 San Jacinto Mts. keckiella Keckiella rothrockii var. jacintensis 99 / 9 4
0.67 r 24 Martin's paintbrush Castilleja applegatei ssp. martinii 1 / 1 16
0.69 Switchback left.
0.82 r 25 California fuchsia Epilobium canum⁺ 50 / 5 14
0.82 Switchback right.
0.85 Switchback left.
0.88 Switchback right.
0.88 r 26 goldenrod Solidago californica 10 / 1 37
0.89 Switchback left.
0.94 Switchback right.
0.99 Switchback left.
1.02 Switchback right.
1.04 l Dead tree "holding up" a boulder with a chin.
1.06 Trail makes a small jag to right and back
1.07 Switchback left.
1.11 b 27 fragile sheath sedge Carex fracta 30 / 5 7
1.11 r 28 spreading brown-headed rush Juncus phaeocephalus var. paniculatus 40 / 4 2
1.11 r 29 ~ Idaho bentgrass Agrostis idahoensis 99 / 3 3
1.11 l 30 meadow goosefoot Chenopodium pratericola 20 / 2 2
1.12 Switchback right.
1.14 Switchback left.
1.16 r 31 ~ prickly hawkweed Hieracium horridum 2 / 1 3
1.16 r 32 mountain spray Holodiscus microphyllus var. microphyllus 2 / 1 9
1.17 r 33 granite prickly phlox Leptodactylon pungens 2 / 1 7
1.18 Trail begins zigzags
1.18 Switchback right
1.18 l 34 Parish's campion Silene parishii 1 / 1 6
1.22 l 35 limber pine Pinus flexilis 50 / 9 7
1.22 r 36 little-leaf mock orange Philadelphus microphyllus 1 / 1 2
1.22 Switchback left.
1.23 l 37 lodgepole pine Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana 50 / 9 7
1.24 l Trail turns right 90° then left 90°
1.26 Trail turns right 90°, then left 90°.
1.28 l PCT post; then trail zig-zags.
1.32 Cross near top of drainage to right and trail turns right 90°
1.44 Switchback left.
1.46 Trail curves right; local high point on trail at elevation ~8960 feet (2730 m); trail now descends.
1.49 r ~ (little prince's pine, Chimaphila menziesii)
1.50 Cross near top of drainage to right; local low point.
1.54 Local high point on trail; then small up and down quickly.
1.60 Trail makes broad curve left at ridgeline.
1.62 l (pine lousewort, Pedicularis semibarbata)
1.64 b 38 San Jacinto lupine Lupinus hyacinthinus 20 / 5 3
1.71 Local low point on trail at elevation ~8880 feet (2705 m); trail resumes its ascent.
1.74 l 39 western wallflower Erysimum capitatum ssp. capitatum 20 / 2 19
1.75 l 40 pine lousewort Pedicularis semibarbata 3 / 2 12
1.82 r PCT post.
1.84 r (spotted coralroot, Corallorhiza maculata)
1.87 Cross very small drainage to right
1.89 r PCT post.
1.90 l Jct. trail to Strawberry Junction at elevation ~8970 feet (2735 m). Sign: "(left) 1 mi Strawberry Cienega; (left) 2.3 mi Deer Springs Trail; (right) Wellmans Jct 1.3 mi; (right) Round Valley 2.3 mi; (right) San Jacinto Peak 3.5 mi; (back) 1.8 mi Saddle Junction; (back) 4.3 mi Humber Park; (back) 7.3 mi Idyllwild". Stay right and continue to Wellmans Jct.
1.91 l Sign: "Entering Mt. San Jacinto State Park Wilderness..."
2.11 Leave dense shade; enter chinquapin-dominated area with scattered trees
2.13 b 41 ~ southern mountain-monardella Monardella australis 20 / 3 9
2.19 Enter Wellman Cienega
2.19 b 42 ranger's buttons Sphenosciadium capitellatum 10 / 2 6
2.19 b 43 Nevada cinquefoil Potentilla glandulosa ssp. nevadensis / 1
2.19 l 44 sp mystery sedge Carex sp. /
2.19 b 45 California corn lily Veratrum californicum var. californicum / 3
2.19 l 46 larger mountain monkeyflower Mimulus tilingii / 6
2.19 l 47 sp small clover Trifolium sp. /
2.19 r 48 yarrow Achillea millefolium / 14
2.19 l 49 ssp willowherb Epilobium ciliatum ssp. ciliatum / 22
2.19 r 50 sp sedge Carex sp. /
2.21 l 51 sp bluegrass Poa sp. /
2.21 l 52 groundsmoke Gayophytum diffusum ssp. parviflorum / 10
2.21 l 53 ssp rush blue grass Poa secunda ssp. juncifolia / 2
2.21 l 54 sp lupine Lupinus sp. /
2.21 l 55 ~ slender hairgrass Deschampsia elongata / 2
2.21 b 56 Cleveland's horkelia Horkelia clevelandii / 5
2.23 b 57 ? knotweed? with dense cylindric terminal and axillary infl Polygonum? /
2.24 r 58 California brome Bromus carinatus var. carinatus / 25
2.24 c 59 ~ mat muhly Muhlenbergia richardsonis / 3
2.25 r 60 sp elymus or elytrigia
2.29 l 61 Fremont's goosefoot Chenopodium fremontii / 12
2.29 r 62 ~ swamp sedge Carex senta / 6
2.30 r (mountain timothy, Phleum alpinum)
2.30 l 63 few-flowered clover Trifolium monanthum var. grantianum / 2
2.30 r 64 Anderson's oreastrum-aster Aster alpigenus var. andersonii / 1
2.30 r 65 wide-leaved Parish's yampah Perideridia parishii ssp. latifolia / 2
2.30 b 66 Richardson's geranium Geranium richardsonii / 6
2.30 r 67 ssp Idaho blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium idahoense /
2.33 Leave first portion of meadow

Comments On Specific Species

Elymus trachycaulus. This plant has a lemma awn of 13.5 mm and a lemma body of 10.2 mm, which would clearly key to ssp. subsecundus, supposedly found only SN, MP. All eight vouchers for this area are just given to the species, which seems eminently reasonable given the clear problems in the subspecies here. It is possible that the subspecies are spurious.
Epilobium canum. These plants, like many of the ones we see at high elevations of the San Gabriel Mountains, seem to be hybrids between the two subspecies. See Comments on the Jepson Manual and A Flora of Southern California by Munz: Epilobium canum.

Number of Trails Containing A Taxon	Number Of Taxa On This Trail	% of Taxa On This Trail
1	0	0%
2	4	11%
3	2	5%
4	2	5%
5	1	3%

1-5	9	24%
6-10	14	38%
11-15	8	22%
16-20	3	8%
21-25	2	5%
26-30	0	0%
31-35	0	0%
36-40	1	3%
Total Taxa	37	100%

Visit Date	Visit #	# taxa	# "?"	# "sp"	# "~"	# "ssp"
10/21/2003	1	27	0	3	1	0
10/1/2004	2	30	0	4	1	0
10/16/2004	3	30	0	4	1	0
8/16/2006	4	38	0	1	2	0
8/21/2006	5	40	0	0	3	0
8/21/2006	5	67	1	6	7	3

Mile	S	#	id?	Common Name	Latin Name	#here	#all
0.00				Begin trail heading north at Saddle Junction, elevation 8075 feet (2460 m); trail is in deep sand for 0.07 mile
0.00	b	1		Jeffrey pine	Pinus jeffreyi	99 / 9	21
0.01	b	2		white fir	Abies concolor	99 / 9	20
0.01	r			Sign on tree: "Round Valley; San Jacinto Peak (both straight ahead)"
0.01	l			PCT post
0.02	b	3		Parish's snowberry	Symphoricarpos rotundifolius var. parishii	99 / 9	10
0.02	r	4		pussy paws	Calyptridium monospermum	2 / 1	7
0.02	r	5		San Gabriel beardtongue	Penstemon labrosus	5 / 1	7
0.03	l	6		wax currant	Ribes cereum var. cereum	10 / 5	11
0.03	b	7		green-leaf manzanita	Arctostaphylos patula	99 / 9	12
0.05	b	8		bitter cherry	Prunus emarginata	99 / 9	6
0.06	b	9		mountain whitethorn	Ceanothus cordulatus	99 / 9	15
0.08	r	10		changeable phacelia	Phacelia mutabilis	20 / 4	5
0.08	b	11		bracken	Pteridium aquilinum var. pubescens	99 / 9	11
0.08				Trails turns left 90°.
0.08	l			(slender wheatgrass, Elymus trachycaulus⁺)
0.08	l	12		pinegrove groundsmoke	Gayophytum oligospermum	20 / 3	8
0.13	l	13		Grinnell's beardtongue	Penstemon grinnellii var. grinnellii	3 / 2	16
0.13	r	14		California groundcone	Boschniakia strobilacea	20 / 4	4
0.14	b	15		bush chinquapin	Chrysolepis sempervirens	99 / 9	9
0.14	l			PCT post
0.14				Trails turns right 90°.
0.14				Trail covered with deep sand for 0.05 mi.
0.16	r	16		pinedrops	Pterospora andromedea	3 / 2	7
0.20	r			(sugar pine, Pinus lambertiana)
0.23				Switchback left.
0.27				Switchback right.
0.30	r	17		sugar pine	Pinus lambertiana	99 / 9	12
0.30				Trail curves left 90° at ridge.
0.31	r	18		canyon live oak	Quercus chrysolepis	3 / 3	22
0.32				Switchback left.
0.33	r	19		San Bernardino rubber rabbitbrush	Chrysothamnus nauseosus ssp. bernardinus	50 / 9	15
0.36				Switchback right.
0.42				Switchback left.
0.45				Switchback right.
0.46	r	20		Fremont silk tassel	Garrya fremontii	20 / 9	2
0.53	l	21		short-flowered monardella	Monardella nana ssp. tenuiflora	10 / 1	2
0.54	l	22		Sierra gooseberry	Ribes roezlii var. roezlii	1 / 1	9
0.56				Trail curves left 45°
0.63				Switchback left.
0.64				Switchback right.
0.67	r	23		San Jacinto Mts. keckiella	Keckiella rothrockii var. jacintensis	99 / 9	4
0.67	r	24		Martin's paintbrush	Castilleja applegatei ssp. martinii	1 / 1	16
0.69				Switchback left.
0.82	r	25		California fuchsia	Epilobium canum⁺	50 / 5	14
0.82				Switchback right.
0.85				Switchback left.
0.88				Switchback right.
0.88	r	26		goldenrod	Solidago californica	10 / 1	37
0.89				Switchback left.
0.94				Switchback right.
0.99				Switchback left.
1.02				Switchback right.
1.04	l			Dead tree "holding up" a boulder with a chin.
1.06				Trail makes a small jag to right and back
1.07				Switchback left.
1.11	b	27		fragile sheath sedge	Carex fracta	30 / 5	7
1.11	r	28		spreading brown-headed rush	Juncus phaeocephalus var. paniculatus	40 / 4	2
1.11	r	29	~	Idaho bentgrass	Agrostis idahoensis	99 / 3	3
1.11	l	30		meadow goosefoot	Chenopodium pratericola	20 / 2	2
1.12				Switchback right.
1.14				Switchback left.
1.16	r	31	~	prickly hawkweed	Hieracium horridum	2 / 1	3
1.16	r	32		mountain spray	Holodiscus microphyllus var. microphyllus	2 / 1	9
1.17	r	33		granite prickly phlox	Leptodactylon pungens	2 / 1	7
1.18				Trail begins zigzags
1.18				Switchback right
1.18	l	34		Parish's campion	Silene parishii	1 / 1	6
1.22	l	35		limber pine	Pinus flexilis	50 / 9	7
1.22	r	36		little-leaf mock orange	Philadelphus microphyllus	1 / 1	2
1.22				Switchback left.
1.23	l	37		lodgepole pine	Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana	50 / 9	7
1.24	l			Trail turns right 90° then left 90°
1.26				Trail turns right 90°, then left 90°.
1.28	l			PCT post; then trail zig-zags.
1.32				Cross near top of drainage to right and trail turns right 90°
1.44				Switchback left.
1.46				Trail curves right; local high point on trail at elevation ~8960 feet (2730 m); trail now descends.
1.49	r		~	(little prince's pine, Chimaphila menziesii)
1.50				Cross near top of drainage to right; local low point.
1.54				Local high point on trail; then small up and down quickly.
1.60				Trail makes broad curve left at ridgeline.
1.62	l			(pine lousewort, Pedicularis semibarbata)
1.64	b	38		San Jacinto lupine	Lupinus hyacinthinus	20 / 5	3
1.71				Local low point on trail at elevation ~8880 feet (2705 m); trail resumes its ascent.
1.74	l	39		western wallflower	Erysimum capitatum ssp. capitatum	20 / 2	19
1.75	l	40		pine lousewort	Pedicularis semibarbata	3 / 2	12
1.82	r			PCT post.
1.84	r			(spotted coralroot, Corallorhiza maculata)
1.87				Cross very small drainage to right
1.89	r			PCT post.
1.90	l			Jct. trail to Strawberry Junction at elevation ~8970 feet (2735 m). Sign: "(left) 1 mi Strawberry Cienega; (left) 2.3 mi Deer Springs Trail; (right) Wellmans Jct 1.3 mi; (right) Round Valley 2.3 mi; (right) San Jacinto Peak 3.5 mi; (back) 1.8 mi Saddle Junction; (back) 4.3 mi Humber Park; (back) 7.3 mi Idyllwild". Stay right and continue to Wellmans Jct.
1.91	l			Sign: "Entering Mt. San Jacinto State Park Wilderness..."
2.11				Leave dense shade; enter chinquapin-dominated area with scattered trees
2.13	b	41	~	southern mountain-monardella	Monardella australis	20 / 3	9
2.19				Enter Wellman Cienega
2.19	b	42		ranger's buttons	Sphenosciadium capitellatum	10 / 2	6
2.19	b	43		Nevada cinquefoil	Potentilla glandulosa ssp. nevadensis	/	1
2.19	l	44	sp	mystery sedge	Carex sp.	/
2.19	b	45		California corn lily	Veratrum californicum var. californicum	/	3
2.19	l	46		larger mountain monkeyflower	Mimulus tilingii	/	6
2.19	l	47	sp	small clover	Trifolium sp.	/
2.19	r	48		yarrow	Achillea millefolium	/	14
2.19	l	49	ssp	willowherb	Epilobium ciliatum ssp. ciliatum	/	22
2.19	r	50	sp	sedge	Carex sp.	/
2.21	l	51	sp	bluegrass	Poa sp.	/
2.21	l	52		groundsmoke	Gayophytum diffusum ssp. parviflorum	/	10
2.21	l	53	ssp	rush blue grass	Poa secunda ssp. juncifolia	/	2
2.21	l	54	sp	lupine	Lupinus sp.	/
2.21	l	55	~	slender hairgrass	Deschampsia elongata	/	2
2.21	b	56		Cleveland's horkelia	Horkelia clevelandii	/	5
2.23	b	57	?	knotweed? with dense cylindric terminal and axillary infl	Polygonum?	/
2.24	r	58		California brome	Bromus carinatus var. carinatus	/	25
2.24	c	59	~	mat muhly	Muhlenbergia richardsonis	/	3
2.25	r	60	sp	elymus or elytrigia
2.29	l	61		Fremont's goosefoot	Chenopodium fremontii	/	12
2.29	r	62	~	swamp sedge	Carex senta	/	6
2.30	r			(mountain timothy, Phleum alpinum)
2.30	l	63		few-flowered clover	Trifolium monanthum var. grantianum	/	2
2.30	r	64		Anderson's oreastrum-aster	Aster alpigenus var. andersonii	/	1
2.30	r	65		wide-leaved Parish's yampah	Perideridia parishii ssp. latifolia	/	2
2.30	b	66		Richardson's geranium	Geranium richardsonii	/	6
2.30	r	67	ssp	Idaho blue-eyed grass	Sisyrinchium idahoense	/
2.33				Leave first portion of meadow

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Plants With Voucher Records for San Jacinto Mountain in Calflora
Plants of Southern California: Trail Guides

Copyright © 2003-2006 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/sb/plants/guides/pct_sj_wc.html
Comments and feedback: Tom Chester
Updated 31 August 2006.