Flora of Harper Canyon
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

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Introduction
Procedure For Compiling The Checklist
Interesting Species
Checklist

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Introduction

(This is a placeholder page for now, just to give the checklist.)

Procedure For Compiling The Checklist

The checklist was compiled from three surveys, as follows:

19 January 2011, a six hour survey of 2.33 miles beginning at mile 0.85 south of Old Kane Springs Road, by Tom Chester, Mike Crouse, and Jim Adams.

23 January 2011, a six hour survey of 3.33 miles beginning at mile 1.35 south of Old Kane Springs Road, by Tom Chester, Mike Crouse, RT Hawke, and Tim Chumley, with Shaun Hawke assisting with the first half of the survey.

18 March 2011, a 7.5 hour survey of 1.96 miles beginning at mile 0.85 south of Old Kane Springs Road, by Tom Chester and Kate Harper, with Anthony Ferrari assisting with a portion of the survey.

See Pictures from Anthony from this survey.

Total Checklist

The total checklist contains 138 species. There are only three vouchers from this Canyon, which do not contribute any additional species.

Of the 138 species in the checklist, 89 have vouchers in the Northeast Vallecito Mountains and Adjacent Lower Borrego Valley. Thus 49 of these 139 species are new records for the flora of this area.

Of those 49 species, 46 have vouchers in the Borrego Valley area that encompasses this region, area #16 in the Duffie Clemons Flora.

The three species not vouchered from this area are the native species Eriogonum plumatella and Porophyllum gracile, and the non-native species Vulpia bromoides. The first two species have very nearby vouchers just outside area #16, and Tom Chester has a number of vouchers of Vulpia bromoides not yet placed in the San Diego Herbarium.

Interesting Species

The species found here that are found in few other areas of the Borrego Desert (as narrowly defined in the link as roughly the northern half of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park) in our surveys are:

• Eriogonum plumatella. This is the only area in which we have found this taxon in the Borrego Desert.

• Draba cuneifolia. This species has been found in only one other survey we have done in the Borrego Desert.

• Caulanthus cooperi. This species has been found in only two other surveys we have done in the Borrego Desert.

• Camissonia refracta. This species has been found in only two other surveys we have done in the Borrego Desert.

To put these numbers in perspective, the median number of survey occurrences is 24 for the plants in this Checklist, and creosote, Larrea tridentata, has been recorded on 67 of our Borrego Desert surveys, and is the most frequently-occurring species on those surveys.

Harper Canyon is also notable for its large populations of:

• Lyrocarpa coulteri var. palmeri, Coulter's lyrepod, found nearly everywhere along the trail. We saw a minimum of 99 plants, and probably many more. We've only seen it so abundant in one other location, Glorietta Canyon. In all other locations, we have never seen more than a handful of plants in other areas, and those plants were almost always straggling through another plant. Here many of the plants were out in the open as bushes!

• Boerhavia coccinea

Checklist for Harper Canyon

The Checklist is sorted first by category - ferns, dicots and monocots - and then by family and scientific name. The Family and Scientific Name are from the 1993 First Edition Jepson Manual. An asterisk before the Common Name indicates a non-native taxon.

The column #Plants gives a rough estimate of the minimum number of plants that we saw, with a maximum value of 99 plants. The main intent of this column is to indicate the species for which we found very few plants.

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

#	Family	Scientific Name	(*)Common Name	# Pls	#BD
1	Pteridaceae	Cheilanthes parryi	woolly lipfern	70	37
2	Selaginellaceae	Selaginella eremophila	desert spike-moss	1	20
3	Ephedraceae	Ephedra sp. (2 lv'd)	2 lv'd ephedra	99	10
4	Asclepiadaceae	Sarcostemma hirtellum	rambling milkweed	99	18
5	Asteraceae	Adenophyllum porophylloides	San Felipe dogweed	40	36
6	Asteraceae	Ambrosia dumosa	burroweed	50	60
7	Asteraceae	Baccharis brachyphylla	short-leaved baccharis	3	7
8	Asteraceae	Bebbia juncea var. aspera	sweetbush	99	57
9	Asteraceae	Brickellia arguta var. arguta	California spear-leaved brickellia	1	4
10	Asteraceae	Brickellia desertorum	desert brickellia	3	18
11	Asteraceae	Calycoseris wrightii	white tackstem	2	15
12	Asteraceae	Chaenactis carphoclinia var. carphoclinia	pebble pincushion	99	27
13	Asteraceae	Chaenactis fremontii	Fremont pincushion	99	17
14	Asteraceae	Chaenactis stevioides	desert pincushion	99	16
15	Asteraceae	Encelia farinosa	brittlebush	99	62
16	Asteraceae	Filago californica	California filago	40	18
17	Asteraceae	Filago depressa	dwarf filago	5	8
18	Asteraceae	Gutierrezia californica	California matchweed	10	13
19	Asteraceae	Hymenoclea salsola var. salsola	cheesebush	99	53
20	Asteraceae	Malacothrix glabrata	desert dandelion	40	35
21	Asteraceae	Monoptilon bellioides	desert star	99	23
22	Asteraceae	Perityle emoryi	Emory's rock-daisy	99	41
23	Asteraceae	Pleurocoronis pluriseta	arrow-leaf	99	31
24	Asteraceae	Porophyllum gracile	odora	2	9
25	Asteraceae	Rafinesquia neomexicana	desert chicory	5	42
26	Asteraceae	Senecio mohavensis	Mojave ragwort	99	29
27	Asteraceae	Stephanomeria exigua ssp. exigua	slender wreathplant	10	13
28	Asteraceae	Stephanomeria pauciflora var. pauciflora	wire-lettuce	99	55
29	Asteraceae	Trixis californica var. californica	California trixis	20	38
30	Asteraceae	Uropappus lindleyi	silver puffs	1	9
31	Asteraceae	Viguiera parishii	Parish's viguiera	30	32
32	Bignoniaceae	Chilopsis linearis ssp. arcuata	desert-willow	2	19
33	Boraginaceae	Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia	common fiddleneck	2	14
34	Boraginaceae	Cryptantha angustifolia	narrow-leaved cryptantha	30	33
35	Boraginaceae	Cryptantha barbigera	bearded cryptantha	99	33
36	Boraginaceae	Cryptantha decipiens	gravel cryptantha	5	7
37	Boraginaceae	Cryptantha maritima	Guadalupe cryptantha	99	32
38	Boraginaceae	Cryptantha pterocarya	wing-nut cryptantha	20	11
39	Boraginaceae	Cryptantha racemosa	bushy cryptantha	6	8
40	Boraginaceae	Pectocarya platycarpa	broad-fruited combseed	10	9
41	Boraginaceae	Pectocarya recurvata	curvenut combseed	50	24
42	Brassicaceae	Brassica tournefortii	*Asian mustard	99	61
43	Brassicaceae	Caulanthus cooperi	Cooper's jewel-flower	15	3
44	Brassicaceae	Descurainia pinnata ssp. glabra	smooth western tansy-mustard	99	16
45	Brassicaceae	Dithyrea californica	spectacle-pod	3	14
46	Brassicaceae	Draba cuneifolia	wedge-leaved draba	10	2
47	Brassicaceae	Guillenia lasiophylla	California mustard	5	11
48	Brassicaceae	Lepidium lasiocarpum var. lasiocarpum	hairy-podded pepper-grass	99	45
49	Brassicaceae	Lyrocarpa coulteri var. palmeri	Coulter's lyrepod	99	12
50	Brassicaceae	Sisymbrium irio	*London rocket	15	18
51	Cactaceae	Echinocereus engelmannii	Engelmann's hedgehog cactus	10	25
52	Cactaceae	Ferocactus cylindraceus	California barrel cactus	99	48
53	Cactaceae	Mammillaria dioica	California fish-hook cactus	30	31
54	Cactaceae	Opuntia basilaris var. basilaris	beavertail cactus	50	50
55	Cactaceae	Opuntia bigelovii	teddy-bear cholla	99	38
56	Cactaceae	Opuntia ganderi	Gander's cholla	99	51
57	Cactaceae	Opuntia ramosissima	pencil cholla	20	17
58	Campanulaceae	Nemacladus glanduliferus var. glanduliferus	glandular nemacladus	99	13
59	Crassulaceae	Dudleya pulverulenta ssp. pulverulenta	California chalk lettuce	15	11
60	Euphorbiaceae	Chamaesyce micromera	Sonoran spurge	20	7
61	Euphorbiaceae	Chamaesyce polycarpa	small-seeded spurge	99	51
62	Euphorbiaceae	Chamaesyce setiloba	starfish (Yuma) spurge	10	11
63	Euphorbiaceae	Ditaxis lanceolata	narrowleaf ditaxis	99	44
64	Euphorbiaceae	Euphorbia eriantha	beetle spurge	7	14
65	Euphorbiaceae	Stillingia linearifolia	linear-leaved stillingia	3	14
66	Fabaceae	Acacia greggii	catclaw	99	56
67	Fabaceae	Lotus rigidus	desert lotus	1	23
68	Fabaceae	Lotus salsuginosus var. brevivexillus	short-bannered coastal lotus	1	16
69	Fabaceae	Lotus strigosus	strigose lotus	25	26
70	Fabaceae	Lupinus arizonicus	Arizona lupine	99	35
71	Fabaceae	Lupinus concinnus	bajada lupine	1	31
72	Fabaceae	Marina parryi	Parry's marina	2	4
73	Fabaceae	Olneya tesota	ironwood	99	8
74	Fabaceae	Psorothamnus schottii	indigo bush	99	52
75	Fabaceae	Psorothamnus spinosus	smoke tree	50	28
76	Fouquieriaceae	Fouquieria splendens ssp. splendens	ocotillo	99	62
77	Geraniaceae	Erodium cicutarium	*redstem filaree	99	35
78	Geraniaceae	Erodium texanum	Texas filaree	35	19
79	Hydrophyllaceae	Emmenanthe penduliflora var. penduliflora	whispering bells	99	27
80	Hydrophyllaceae	Phacelia crenulata var. minutiflora	little-flowered heliotrope phacelia	5	16
81	Hydrophyllaceae	Phacelia distans	common phacelia	99	40
82	Hydrophyllaceae	Phacelia pedicellata	pedicellate phacelia	15	9
83	Krameriaceae	Krameria grayi	white rhatany	20	51
84	Lamiaceae	Hyptis emoryi	desert-lavender	99	54
85	Lamiaceae	Salvia columbariae	chia	50	34
86	Lamiaceae	Salvia vaseyi	Vasey's sage	20	27
87	Loasaceae	Mentzelia affinis	yellow blazing star	1	6
88	Loasaceae	Mentzelia involucrata	bracted blazing star	1	28
89	Loasaceae	Petalonyx thurberi ssp. thurberi	Thurber's sandpaper-plant	1	25
90	Malvaceae	Eremalche rotundifolia	desert five-spot	1	15
91	Malvaceae	Hibiscus denudatus	rock hibiscus	20	37
92	Malvaceae	Sphaeralcea ambigua var. ambigua	apricot mallow	30	27
93	Nyctaginaceae	Allionia incarnata	trailing four o'clock	1	20
94	Nyctaginaceae	Boerhavia coccinea	scarlet spiderling	50	4
95	Nyctaginaceae	Mirabilis bigelovii var. retrorsa	Bigelow's desert four-o'clock	99	44
96	Onagraceae	Camissonia californica	California suncup	30	58
97	Onagraceae	Camissonia cardiophylla ssp. cardiophylla	heartleaf sun-cup	15	16
98	Onagraceae	Camissonia claviformis ssp. peirsonii	brown-eyed primrose	99	40
99	Onagraceae	Camissonia refracta	narrow-leaf sun-cup	99	3
100	Orobanchaceae	Orobanche cooperi	Cooper's broom-rape	1	6
101	Papaveraceae	Eschscholzia minutiflora ssp. minutiflora	small-flowered poppy	99	31
102	Papaveraceae	Eschscholzia parishii	Parish's poppy	99	25
103	Plantaginaceae	Plantago ovata	desert plantain	30	46
104	Polemoniaceae	Eriastrum eremicum ssp. eremicum	desert woolly-star	10	25
105	Polemoniaceae	Gilia latifolia	broad-leaf gilia	10	14
106	Polemoniaceae	Gilia stellata	star gilia	20	17
107	Polygonaceae	Chorizanthe brevicornu var. brevicornu	brittle spineflower	20	42
108	Polygonaceae	Eriogonum fasciculatum var. polifolium	California buckwheat	20	33
109	Polygonaceae	Eriogonum inflatum	desert trumpet	50	49
110	Polygonaceae	Eriogonum plumatella	yucca buckwheat	10	1
111	Polygonaceae	Eriogonum thomasii	Thomas' buckwheat	99	33
112	Polygonaceae	Eriogonum wrightii var. nodosum	Wright's buckwheat	50	24
113	Polygonaceae	Pterostegia drymarioides	threadstem	5	25
114	Rosaceae	Prunus fremontii	desert apricot	10	15
115	Rubiaceae	Galium stellatum var. eremicum	star-flowered bedstraw	20	24
116	Rutaceae	Thamnosma montana	turpentine broom	4	8
117	Scrophulariaceae	Mimulus bigelovii var. bigelovii	Bigelow's monkeyflower	99	16
118	Scrophulariaceae	Mohavea confertiflora	ghost flower	99	12
119	Scrophulariaceae	Penstemon clevelandii var. clevelandii	Cleveland's beardtongue	1	5
120	Simmondsiaceae	Simmondsia chinensis	jojoba	20	32
121	Solanaceae	Lycium andersonii	Anderson's desert-thorn	35	17
122	Solanaceae	Nicotiana obtusifolia	desert tobacco	5	29
123	Solanaceae	Physalis crassifolia	thick-leaved ground cherry	5	27
124	Sterculiaceae	Ayenia compacta	ayenia	3	14
125	Urticaceae	Parietaria hespera var. hespera	pellitory	99	16
126	Viscaceae	Phoradendron californicum	desert mistletoe	99	48
127	Zygophyllaceae	Fagonia laevis	California fagonia	1	30
128	Zygophyllaceae	Larrea tridentata	creosote bush	99	67
129	Liliaceae	Agave deserti	desert agave	99	39
130	Liliaceae	Yucca schidigera	Mohave yucca	5	10
131	Poaceae	Aristida adscensionis	six-weeks three-awn	20	21
132	Poaceae	Aristida purpurea	purple three-awn	15	18
133	Poaceae	Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens	*red brome	99	34
134	Poaceae	Melica frutescens	tall melica	3	10
135	Poaceae	Muhlenbergia microsperma	littleseed muhly	10	4
136	Poaceae	Pleuraphis rigida	big galleta	20	56
137	Poaceae	Schismus barbatus	*Mediterranean schismus	99	45
138	Poaceae	Vulpia bromoides	*brome fescue	50	12

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We thank Shaun Hawke for help with part of the 23 January 2011 survey, and Anthony Ferrari for help with the 18 March 2011 survey.

Voucher data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria (ucjeps.berkeley.edu/consortium/)

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• Plants of Southern California: Regional Floras