Plant Guide to Willow Creek Trail, San Jacinto Mountains

Plant Guide to Willow Creek 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

The Willow Creek Trail begins at Saddle Junction, which is at the top of the Devils Slide Trail in the San Jacinto Mountains. It heads E-NE from Saddle Junction, crosses Willow Creek at mile 2.0, and ends at Long Valley near the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.
Interestingly, there seems to be no formal name for this trail. Robinson, in his 1986 San Bernardino Mountain Trails, simply says At Saddle Junction take the trail fork leading northeast, marked "Willow Creek" and "Long Valley".
Highlights of This Trail

The botanical highlights of this trail are:

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 66 trails in my database when this histogram was made. A number of "1" means the taxon has only been found on this trail among the trails in my database.

Number of Trails
Containing A Taxon Number Of Taxa
On This Trail % of Taxa
On This Trail
1 4 12%
2 2 6%
3 4 12%
4 3 9%
5 1 3%

1-5 14 42%
6-10 10 30%
11-15 7 21%
16-20 1 3%
21-25 1 3%
Total Taxa 33 100%

I found 10 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 entry 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"
6/13/2002 1 12 4
6/20/2002 2 32 7 10 0 0
8/28/2003 3 43 4 9 3 1

The fieldwork on 6/13/02 was only cursory, noting just a few species from memory. On both 6/20/02 and 8/28/03, the trail was surveyed only up to mile 0.58, Skunk Cabbage Junction.
The Plant Guide

Version for printing, without lines and other text on this page (2 pages)

Mile S # id? Common Name Latin Name #here #all
0.00 Begin trail at Saddle Junction
0.00 r 1 Jeffrey pine Pinus jeffreyi 50 / 9 15
0.00 r 2 white fir Abies concolor 50 / 9 15
0.00 l Sign: "Skunk Cabbage; Willow Creek; Long Valley" with an arrow pointing ahead.
0.01 l 3 ~ pinegrove gayophytum Gayophytum oligospermum / 5
0.01 l 4 ~ Sierra Nevada lotus Lotus nevadensis var. nevadensis 20 / 1 3
0.02 5 fir mistletoe Phoradendron pauciflorum / 7
0.03 l 6 sp Parish's snowberry Symphoricarpos rotundifolius var. parishii / 7
0.03 7 ? leafy daisy? Erigeron sp.? /
0.03 l 8 one-seeded pussypaws Calyptridium monospermum 3 / 1 3
0.08 r (willow, Salix sp.)
0.08 r 9 fragile sheath sedge Carex fracta / 4
0.08 Cross dry drainage.
0.08 l 10 bracken Pteridium aquilinum var. pubescens / 7
0.09 r 11 sp mountain pink currant Ribes nevadense / 6
0.12 l 12 sp false-gilia Allophyllum sp. 1 / 1
0.13 r 13 San Jacinto lupine Lupinus hyacinthinus 50 / 9 2
0.17 l 14 Elmer's needlegrass Achnatherum occidentale ssp. pubescens 1 / 1 1
0.17 l 15 sp horkelia Horkelia sp. 5 / 1
0.21 l (mountain mugwort, Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. incompta)
0.25 16 santolina pincushion Chaenactis santolinoides 5 / 3 6
0.26 l 17 mountain mugwort Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. incompta 50 / 3 4
0.29 r 18 spotted coralroot Corallorhiza maculata 2 / 2 1
0.30 l 19 white catch-fly Silene verecunda ssp. platyota 5 / 1 7
0.31 l 20 ? unk grass - 1
0.35 l 21 sp penstemon Penstemon sp. /
0.39 r 22 little false-solomon's-seal Smilacina stellata 10 / 1 3
0.40 l 23 ? unk grass - 2
0.41 l 24 blue wildrye Elymus glaucus ssp. glaucus 5 / 5 14
0.44 r 25 ranger's buttons Sphenosciadium capitellatum 20 / 2 3
0.44 l 26 yarrow Achillea millefolium 20 / 2 9
0.44 l 27 ~ Kentucky blue grass Poa pratensis ssp. agassizensis / 2
0.45 l 28 ssp Parish's yampah Perideridia parishii ssp. parishii 5 / 1 1
0.45 l 29 ~ cows clover Trifolium wormskioldii 10 / 1 4
0.45 l 30 ? horseweed Conyza canadensis 1 / 1 18
0.46 31 vari-nerved sedge Carex heteroneura var. heteroneura / 1
0.47 l 32 lemon lily? Lilium parryi? /
0.52 r 33 sp willowherb? Epilobium ciliatum ssp. ciliatum? /
0.52 Cross drainage with a low depression to the left.
0.52 r 34 sp sticky cinquefoil Potentilla glandulosa ssp. reflexa / 8
0.52 35 sp flat leaf carex Carex sp. /
0.52 36 sp Nebraska sedge? Carex nebrascensis? /
0.52 r (hedge nettle, Stachys sp.)
0.55 r 37 goldenrod Solidago californica / 22
0.55 38 imbricate phacelia Phacelia imbricata ssp. patula / 13
0.56 39 California brome Bromus carinatus var. carinatus / 10
0.58 Skunk Cabbage Jct.: jct. trail to Tahquitz Valley; guide very incomplete past this point
40 western wallflower Erysimum capitatum ssp. capitatum / 12
41 California buckwheat Eriogonum fasciculatum var. polifolium / 10
1.21 42 Martin's paintbrush Castilleja applegatei ssp. martinii / 13
1.61 Willow Creek
43 bush chinquapin Chrysolepis sempervirens / 5
2.09 Jct trail to Laws

Comments On Specific Species

Number of Trails Containing A Taxon	Number Of Taxa On This Trail	% of Taxa On This Trail
1	4	12%
2	2	6%
3	4	12%
4	3	9%
5	1	3%

1-5	14	42%
6-10	10	30%
11-15	7	21%
16-20	1	3%
21-25	1	3%
Total Taxa	33	100%

Visit Date	Visit #	# taxa	# "?"	# "sp"	# "~"	# "ssp"
6/13/2002	1	12	4
6/20/2002	2	32	7	10	0	0
8/28/2003	3	43	4	9	3	1

Mile	S	#	id?	Common Name	Latin Name	#here	#all
0.00				Begin trail at Saddle Junction
0.00	r	1		Jeffrey pine	Pinus jeffreyi	50 / 9	15
0.00	r	2		white fir	Abies concolor	50 / 9	15
0.00	l			Sign: "Skunk Cabbage; Willow Creek; Long Valley" with an arrow pointing ahead.
0.01	l	3	~	pinegrove gayophytum	Gayophytum oligospermum	/	5
0.01	l	4	~	Sierra Nevada lotus	Lotus nevadensis var. nevadensis	20 / 1	3
0.02		5		fir mistletoe	Phoradendron pauciflorum	/	7
0.03	l	6	sp	Parish's snowberry	Symphoricarpos rotundifolius var. parishii	/	7
0.03		7	?	leafy daisy?	Erigeron sp.?	/
0.03	l	8		one-seeded pussypaws	Calyptridium monospermum	3 / 1	3
0.08	r			(willow, Salix sp.)
0.08	r	9		fragile sheath sedge	Carex fracta	/	4
0.08				Cross dry drainage.
0.08	l	10		bracken	Pteridium aquilinum var. pubescens	/	7
0.09	r	11	sp	mountain pink currant	Ribes nevadense	/	6
0.12	l	12	sp	false-gilia	Allophyllum sp.	1 / 1
0.13	r	13		San Jacinto lupine	Lupinus hyacinthinus	50 / 9	2
0.17	l	14		Elmer's needlegrass	Achnatherum occidentale ssp. pubescens	1 / 1	1
0.17	l	15	sp	horkelia	Horkelia sp.	5 / 1
0.21	l			(mountain mugwort, Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. incompta)
0.25		16		santolina pincushion	Chaenactis santolinoides	5 / 3	6
0.26	l	17		mountain mugwort	Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. incompta	50 / 3	4
0.29	r	18		spotted coralroot	Corallorhiza maculata	2 / 2	1
0.30	l	19		white catch-fly	Silene verecunda ssp. platyota	5 / 1	7
0.31	l	20	?	unk grass - 1
0.35	l	21	sp	penstemon	Penstemon sp.	/
0.39	r	22		little false-solomon's-seal	Smilacina stellata	10 / 1	3
0.40	l	23	?	unk grass - 2
0.41	l	24		blue wildrye	Elymus glaucus ssp. glaucus	5 / 5	14
0.44	r	25		ranger's buttons	Sphenosciadium capitellatum	20 / 2	3
0.44	l	26		yarrow	Achillea millefolium	20 / 2	9
0.44	l	27	~	Kentucky blue grass	Poa pratensis ssp. agassizensis	/	2
0.45	l	28	ssp	Parish's yampah	Perideridia parishii ssp. parishii	5 / 1	1
0.45	l	29	~	cows clover	Trifolium wormskioldii	10 / 1	4
0.45	l	30	?	horseweed	Conyza canadensis	1 / 1	18
0.46		31		vari-nerved sedge	Carex heteroneura var. heteroneura	/	1
0.47	l	32		lemon lily?	Lilium parryi?	/
0.52	r	33	sp	willowherb?	Epilobium ciliatum ssp. ciliatum?	/
0.52				Cross drainage with a low depression to the left.
0.52	r	34	sp	sticky cinquefoil	Potentilla glandulosa ssp. reflexa	/	8
0.52		35	sp	flat leaf carex	Carex sp.	/
0.52		36	sp	Nebraska sedge?	Carex nebrascensis?	/
0.52	r			(hedge nettle, Stachys sp.)
0.55	r	37		goldenrod	Solidago californica	/	22
0.55		38		imbricate phacelia	Phacelia imbricata ssp. patula	/	13
0.56		39		California brome	Bromus carinatus var. carinatus	/	10
0.58				Skunk Cabbage Jct.: jct. trail to Tahquitz Valley; guide very incomplete past this point
		40		western wallflower	Erysimum capitatum ssp. capitatum	/	12
		41		California buckwheat	Eriogonum fasciculatum var. polifolium	/	10
1.21		42		Martin's paintbrush	Castilleja applegatei ssp. martinii	/	13
1.61				Willow Creek
		43		bush chinquapin	Chrysolepis sempervirens	/	5
2.09				Jct trail to Laws

Go to:

Plants With Voucher Records for San Jacinto Mountain in Calflora
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/sb/plants/guides/willow_creek.html
Comments and feedback: Tom Chester
Updated 12 April 2004.