Introduction Flora of Lower Eaton Canyon
The Flora
Comments On Some TaxaIntroduction
This page gives the most recent list of taxa found in Lower Eaton Canyon, from Eaton Canyon Park north to Eaton Falls. Eaton Falls is at an elevation of ~1550 feet, and the top of the Horse Trail at the Mt. Wilson Toll Road is at ~1600 feet. The lowest elevation north of New York Drive is ~920 feet.
Eaton Canyon is an unusual and interesting place botanically. It is naturally rich in plants due to the usually-abundant water and wide wash. The drainage area for Eaton Canyon is very large, 22.8 sq. miles.
In the Wash, the stream channel is usually narrow, with a series of old terraces at progressively higher elevations. The terraces end abruptly on the west at a high canyon wall. On the east, a series of side canyons provide even more niches for plants, including even what is called a "meadow".
What is perhaps most interesting for botanists here is that to a first approximation, the flooding regime in the canyon is still natural. No dams exist in any of the drainages to impede the scouring of flash floods. Hence periodic floods like in 1969 wipe the entire Wash clean of plants, a very natural occurrence, and something that is absolutely necessary for some species to thrive.
However, Eaton Canyon unfortunately does suffer the effect of humans. Today and in the past, humans use the canyon extensively. The list goes on and on:
- The surface and ground water is tapped by the City of Pasadena. Some surface water is taken just above the mouth of Eaton Canyon, and at least one well lowers the ground water table. While this loss does not affect the high water flows, it definitely impacts vegetation that depends on the low water flows and groundwater.
- A portion of the wash was actually farmed beginning in 1877, the very year that John Muir visited Eaton Canyon. Carlos Cruz lived in a cabin in the meadow with his family and grew grapes, fruit and olive trees, and a field of barley.
- The Mt. Wilson Toll Road begins at the canyon, popular with hikers and bicyclists, and a bridge across the canyon was built for it;
- There are horse stables at the base of the canyon, and two trails (Altadena and the "horse trail" to the Mt. Wilson Toll Road) were explicitly constructed for horse usage;
- There is a Nature Center building, complete with picnic tables and planted areas;
- There is a police shooting range is at the base of the canyon; and
- Zillions of homes have been built right on the wall of the canyon, complete with a metal drainage ditch carrying water and weeds into the Wash.
As a result of the human activity, the Wash had become choked with non-native plants such as arundo and castor bean. As part of the mitigation for the La Vina development in Altadena, the worst of these weeds have been almost completely removed from a large area of the Wash, a very good thing. Unfortunately, a significant part of the Wash has been planted with native plants procured from outside the Wash, which is not necessarily a good thing. It was possibly necessary to do this to help prevent the exotics from reclaiming that area, but it has introduced species not formerly present in the Wash, and brought in exotic genes even for species present in the Wash.
The Canyon was nearly completely burned in the 1993 fire. Afterward, the Canyon was seeded, a very dumb thing to do. It is one of the peculiar aspects of the human character that we often feel the need to "do something", even in cases where the best action is "no action". In this case, many studies have shown that seeding after a fire impedes the recovery of the native vegetation, and does nothing to prevent erosion. The native vegetation has been primed by thousands of years of experience to recover on its own after a fire.
For more information about Eaton Canyon, see:
- Field Guide to the San Gabriel Mountains: Eaton Canyon
- Eaton Canyon Natural Area, especially Plant Communities Of Eaton Canyon
For over 700 photos of 124 species found here, with descriptions, see Common Plants of Eaton Canyon and the San Gabriel Foothills, a Field Guide on CD.
Plant Trail Guides: West Bank Trail.
The Flora
This flora reports only the taxa found outside the planted areas of Eaton Canyon, which includes the area around the Nature Center and the fenced mitigation area.
Most of the taxa come from the Checklist from Bob Muns. Many people have contributed additions and changes to Bob's checklist. Only a small number of the taxa come from our work; we are primarily simply making available the work of many different people.
We are in the process of vouchering these taxa. Future updates for this page will contain the voucher status of each taxon.
A quick reference to the changes is given in the column Source below, coded as follows: the rightmost digit gives the original source for that taxa, which may be only a genera without a species. The next digit to the left gives the next source which either further refined the taxa or verified the taxa with a herbarium voucher, and so on.
The code for different observers is:
Code Observer 1 Bob Muns 2 Rick Fisher, Mickey Long et al printed flora, ~2000, a compilation from several different people 3 Mickey Long's List, a compilation from several different people 4 Jane Strong 5 Jane Strong and Tom Chester 6 Vouchers reported in Calflora 7 Rick Fisher, Mickey Long et al printed flora, 2002, a compilation from several different people 8 Jason Hollinger An example will make this clear. Consider the most complicated case of Lotus argophyllus var. argophyllus, with a code of 421. The rightmost digit is 1, meaning it came originally from Bob's list, where, in this case, it was Lotus sp.. The next digit to the left is 2, meaning that Rick Fisher added more information. In this case, Rick added the species name of Lotus argophyllus. The next digit to the left is 4, meaning that Jane Strong added more information. In this case, Jane identified the subspecies.
A voucher source record is given even if it contributed no refinement of the taxa.
The column Our # gives the number of trails anyplace in Southern California on which we have found a given taxon. The column Total # gives the number of trails plus the number of floras in our database in which a given taxon appears. Thus these numbers are guides to how unique a taxon is to Lower Eaton Canyon.
The column id? gives the further work that needs to be done for some taxa. The codes there are as follows: sp indicates that although the genera has been identified, there is uncertainty about the identification for the species (15 taxa are in this category); ssp indicates that the subspecies remains to be identified (40 taxa are in this category).
An asterisk before the common name indicates a taxon not-native to California.
Comments on some of the taxa follow the table, each of which is linked to the common name of the taxa.
# id? Latin Name (*)Common Name Source Our # Total # Ferns and Fern Allies
Dryopteridaceae Woodfern Family 1 Dryopteris arguta California wood fern 1 2 13 Equisetaceae Horsetail Family 2 Equisetum hyemale ssp. affine horsetail 1 2 5 Polypodiaceae Polypody Family 3 Polypodium californicum California polypody 1 2 13 Pteridaceae Fern Family 4 Adiantum capillus-veneris southern maiden-hair 1 0 5 5 Aspidotis californica California lace fern 1 1 6 6 Pellaea andromedifolia coffee fern 1 5 16 7 Pellaea mucronata var. mucronata bird's-foot fern 61 11 16 8 Pentagramma triangularis ssp. triangularis goldback fern 74 4 8 9 Pteris vittata *ladder brake 61 0 1 Selaginellaceae Spike Moss Family 10 Selaginella bigelovii Bigelow's spike-moss 1 7 18 Conifers
Pinaceae Pine Family 11 Pinus canariensis *Canary Island pine 7 0 1 12 Pinus jeffreyi Jeffrey pine 4 11 16 13 sp Pinus sp. pine+ 4 0 2 14 sp Pinus sp. pine+ 7 0 2 15 Pseudotsuga macrocarpa bigcone spruce 1 3 7 Dicots
Aceraceae Maple Family 16 Acer macrophyllum bigleaf maple 1 3 9 Aizoaceae Carpet-Weed Family 17 Carpobrotus edulis *yellow ice plant 1 0 5 Amaranthaceae Amaranth Family 18 Amaranthus albus *tumble pigweed 1 1 9 Anacardiaceae Sumac Family 19 Malosma laurina laurel sumac 1 14 24 20 Rhus integrifolia lemonade berry 1 4 10 21 Rhus ovata sugar bush 1 12 21 22 Rhus trilobata squawbush 1 7 14 23 Schinus molle *Peruvian pepper tree 1 2 6 24 Toxicodendron diversilobum poison oak 1 13 25 Apiaceae Carrot Family 25 Anthriscus caucalis *bur chervil 1 2 4 26 Conium maculatum *poison hemlock 3 1 9 27 Daucus pusillus rattlesnake weed 1 1 8 28 Foeniculum vulgare *fennel 1 5 14 29 Tauschia arguta southern tauschia 61 1 7 Apocynaceae Dogbane Family 30 Nerium oleander *oleander 4 2 5 31 Vinca major *greater periwinkle 1 3 9 Asclepiadaceae Milkweed Family 32 Asclepias eriocarpa Indian milkweed 1 4 9 Asteraceae Sunflower Family 33 Achillea millefolium yarrow 1 2 9 34 Ageratina adenophora *eupatory 1 2 4 35 Ambrosia acanthicarpa bur-ragweed 1 3 9 36 Artemisia californica California sagebrush 1 18 29 37 Artemisia douglasiana mugwort 1 11 21 38 Artemisia dracunculus wild tarragon 1 13 24 39 ssp Artemisia tridentata big sagebrushnp? 1 1 4 40 Aster greatae Greata's aster 6 0 1 41 Baccharis pilularis coyote bush 1 10 20 42 Baccharis salicifolia mule fat 1 14 26 43 Bidens pilosa var. pilosa *common beggar-ticks 1 1 6 44 Brickellia californica California brickellbush 1 13 23 45 Brickellia nevinii Nevin's brickellia 61 1 6 46 Centaurea melitensis *tocalote 1 15 27 47 Chaenactis artemisiifolia meally white pincushion 7 2 11 48 ssp Chaenactis glabriuscula yellow pincushion 1 0 5 49 Chrysanthemum coronarium *crown daisy 4 2 11 50 Cirsium occidentale var. californicum California thistle 1 3 12 51 Cirsium occidentale var. occidentale cobwebby thistle 1 2 8 52 Cirsium vulgare *bull thistle 1 2 8 53 Conyza bonariensis *little horseweed 1 4 13 54 Conyza canadensis horseweed 1 10 21 55 Coreopsis bigelovii Bigelow's coreopsis 5 1 4 56 Cotula australis *Australian brass-buttons 1 1 8 57 Eclipta prostrata false daisy 1 0 4 58 Encelia actoni Acton's encelia 4 1 3 59 Encelia californica California encelia* 5 6 14 60 Ericameria parishii var. parishii Parish's goldenbush 1 0 4 61 Ericameria pinifolia pine goldenbush 1 1 6 62 ssp Erigeron foliosus leafy daisy 1 2 10 63 Erigeron karvinskianus *Latin American fleabane 4 0 1 64 Eriophyllum confertiflorum var. confertiflorum golden yarrow 51 21 40 65 Filago californica California filago 1 2 11 66 Filago gallica *narrowleaf filago 2 7 14 67 Gnaphalium bicolor bicolored everlasting 1 8 18 68 Gnaphalium californicum California everlasting 61 12 24 69 Gnaphalium canescens ssp. microcephalum white everlasting 1 14 25 70 Gnaphalium luteo-album *common cudweed 41 1 7 71 sp Gnaphalium sp. everlasting 1 0 2 72 ssp Hazardia squarrosa saw-toothed goldenbush 1 1 7 73 Hedypnois cretica *Crete weed 1 3 10 74 Helianthus annuus annual sunflower 1 3 11 75 Hemizonia kelloggii Kellogg's tarweed+ 6 0 2 76 Heterotheca grandiflora telegraph weed 1 13 25 77 Heterotheca sessiliflora ssp. echioides bristly goldenaster 5 5 9 78 Heterotheca sessiliflora ssp. fastigiata erect goldenaster 51 3 4 79 Hypochaeris glabra *smooth cat's ear 1 5 16 80 ssp Isocoma menziesii coastal goldenbush 7 0 5 81 Lactuca serriola *prickly lettuce 1 7 18 82 sp Lasthenia sp. goldfields 4 0 1 83 Lepidospartum squamatum scale-broom 61 2 9 84 Lessingia filaginifolia var. filaginifolia California-aster 61 18 25 85 Malacothrix glabrata desert dandelion 3 0 1 86 ssp Malacothrix saxatilis cliff-aster 1 0 7 87 Osteospermum fruticosum *African daisy 1 0 3 88 Rafinesquia californica California chicory 4 9 29 89 Senecio flaccidus var. douglasii creek senecio 1 5 11 90 Senecio vulgaris *common groundsel 1 2 11 91 Silybum marianum *milk thistle 1 2 8 92 Sonchus asper ssp. asper *prickly sow thistle 1 2 9 93 Sonchus oleraceus *sow thistle 1 8 20 94 Stephanomeria cichoriacea chicory-leaved stephanomeria 1 2 7 95 ssp Stephanomeria virgata twiggy wreath plant 1 4 13 96 Stylocline gnaphaloides everlasting nest-straw 4 1 6 97 Xanthium strumarium cocklebur 1 3 15 Betulaceae Birch Family 98 Alnus rhombifolia white alder 1 3 10 Boraginaceae Borage Family 99 Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia yellow fiddleneck 7 0 8 100 Amsinckia menziesii var. menziesii Menzies fiddleneck 4 1 8 101 Cryptantha muricata prickly cryptantha 1 6 12 102 sp Cryptantha sp. 1 0 4 103 Pectocarya penicillata winged pectocarya 1 1 5 Brassicaceae Mustard Family 104 Brassica nigra *black mustard 1 3 13 105 Brassica rapa *field mustard 1 0 6 106 Capsella bursa-pastoris *shepherd's purse 1 1 9 107 Cardamine oligosperma bittercress 1 2 3 108 Coronopus didymus *lesser swine cress 1 0 5 109 ssp Descurainia pinnata western tansy-mustard 61 0 2 110 ssp Erysimum capitatum western wallflower 1 2 8 111 Hirschfeldia incana *shortpod mustard 1 15 27 112 Lepidium lasiocarpum var. lasiocarpum hairy-podded pepper-grass 1 0 2 113 ssp Lepidium oblongum veiny pepper-grass 4 0 1 114 Lepidium virginicum var. pubescens wild pepper-grass 41 1 4 115 Lepidium virginicum var. robinsonii Robinson's pepper-grass 1 0 3 116 Lepidium virginicum var. virginicum *wild pepper-grass 4 0 2 117 Lobularia maritima *sweet alyssum 1 1 10 118 Raphanus sativus *wild radish 1 2 13 119 Rorippa curvisiliqua curvepod yellow-cress 3 0 2 120 Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum water cress 1 2 9 121 Sisymbrium altissimum *tumble-mustard 1 0 5 122 Sisymbrium irio *London rocket 1 0 8 123 Sisymbrium officinale *hedge mustard 1 1 9 124 Sisymbrium orientale *Oriental mustard 1 2 11 125 Thysanocarpus laciniatus lace-pod 41 2 10 Cactaceae Cactus Family 126 Opuntia ficus-indica *mission cactus 1 2 7 127 Opuntia littoralis coast prickly-pear 1 5 10 128 Opuntia Xvaseyi Vasey's prickly pear 5 9 12 Cannabaceae Hemp Family 129 Cannabis sativa *marijuana 1 0 1 Caprifoliaceae Honeysuckle Family 130 Lonicera subspicata var. denudata southern honeysuckle 51 14 19 131 Sambucus mexicana blue elderberry 1 17 30 132 Symphoricarpos mollis creeping snowberry 1 3 12 Caryophyllaceae Pink Family 133 Cerastium glomeratum *mouse-ear chickweed 1 3 10 134 ssp Loeflingia squarrosa spreading loeflingia 3 0 1 135 Polycarpon tetraphyllum *four-leaf polycarp 41 2 8 136 Sagina apetala dwarf pearlwort 1 0 2 137 Silene antirrhina snapdragon campion 1 0 3 138 Silene gallica *windmill pink 1 5 16 139 Silene laciniata ssp. major southern Indian pink 1 1 11 140 Spergularia bocconei *sand spurrey 4 2 12 141 Stellaria media *common chickweed 1 3 13 Chenopodiaceae Goosefoot Family 142 Atriplex semibaccata *creeping Australian saltbush 1 7 16 143 Chenopodium album *white goosefoot 1 6 16 144 Chenopodium ambrosioides *Mexican tea 1 3 13 145 Chenopodium botrys *Jerusalem oak 1 1 5 146 Salsola tragus *Russian thistle 1 14 25 Cistaceae Rock-Rose Family 147 Helianthemum scoparium rockrose 1 3 11 Convolvulaceae Morning Glory Family 148 Calystegia macrostegia ssp. intermedia south coast morning-glory 41 6 13 149 Convolvulus arvensis *field bindweed 1 1 8 Crassulaceae Stonecrop Family 150 Aeonium sp. *hybrid aeonium 4 0 1 151 Crassula connata pygmy-weed 1 3 15 152 Crassula ovata *jade plant 5 1 2 153 Crassula tillaea *Mediterranean pygmy-weed 4 2 4 154 ssp Dudleya cymosa ssp. pumila low canyon dudleya+ 21 0 1 155 Dudleya lanceolata lanceleaf dudleya 21 8 18 Cucurbitaceae Gourd Family 156 Cucurbita foetidissima stinking gourd 1 2 10 157 Marah macrocarpus var. macrocarpus wild-cucumber 51 11 14 Cuscutaceae Dodder Family 158 Cuscuta californica var. californica California dodder 51 7 12 Ericaceae Heath Family 159 Arctostaphylos glauca bigberry manzanita 1 7 14 Euphorbiaceae Spurge Family 160 Chamaesyce albomarginata rattlesnake weed 21 2 5 161 Chamaesyce melanadenia red-gland spurge 8 3 14 162 Croton californicus California croton 1 2 8 163 Eremocarpus setigerus dove weed 1 4 13 164 Euphorbia peplus *petty spurge 1 2 7 165 Ricinus communis *castor bean 1 5 14 Fabaceae Pea Family 166 Lathyrus vestitus var. vestitus wild sweetpea 61 3 8 167 Lotus argophyllus var. argophyllus southern California silver-lotus 421 0 4 168 Lotus corniculatus *bird's-foot lotus 1 0 5 169 Lotus scoparius var. brevialatus short-winged deerweed 51 8 15 170 Lotus strigosus Bishop's lotus 1 5 14 171 Lotus wrangelianus Chilean lotus 1 0 4 172 Lupinus bicolor dwarf lupine 1 3 13 173 Lupinus hirsutissimus stinging lupine 1 3 14 174 ssp Lupinus sparsiflorus Coulter's lupine 1 1 6 175 Lupinus succulentus arroyo lupine 1 0 8 176 Lupinus truncatus collar lupine 1 4 15 177 Medicago polymorpha *California burclover 4 19 41 178 Melilotus indica *sourclover 1 3 15 179 sp Robinia sp. *black locustnp? 1 0 1 180 Spartium junceum *Spanish broom 1 3 9 181 Trifolium hirtum *rose clover 21 1 2 182 Vicia villosa ssp. varia *winter vetch 1 3 8 Fagaceae Oak Family 183 Quercus agrifolia var. agrifolia coast live oak 51 14 17 184 Quercus berberidifolia scrub oak 1 7 19 185 Quercus berberidifolia X Q. engelmannii scrub oak X Engelmann oak 1 6 9 186 Quercus chrysolepis canyon live oak 1 11 17 187 Quercus durata var. gabrielensis San Gabriel Mtns. leather oak 4 1 2 188 Quercus durata var. gabrielensis X Q. engelmannii San Gabriel Mtns. leather oak hybrid 7 0 1 189 Quercus engelmannii Engelmann oak 1 8 12 Gentianaceae Gentian Family 190 Centaurium venustum canchalagua 1 0 7 Geraniaceae Geranium Family 191 Erodium botrys *long-beaked filaree 1 1 11 192 Erodium brachycarpum *short-fruited filaree 1 2 4 193 Erodium cicutarium *redstem filaree 1 11 23 194 Erodium moschatum *white-stemmed filaree 1 4 14 Grossulariaceae Gooseberry Family 195 Ribes aureum var. gracillimum golden currant 21 0 1 196 Ribes californicum var. hesperium hillside gooseberry 61 2 3 197 ssp Ribes malvaceum chaparral currant 1 0 7 Hydrophyllaceae Phacelia Family 198 ssp Emmenanthe penduliflora whispering bells 1 0 6 199 ssp Eriodictyon crassifolium thick-leaved yerba santa 1 1 6 200 Eucrypta chrysanthemifolia var. chrysanthemifolia eucrypta 51 7 21 201 ssp Nemophila menziesii baby blue eyes 1 0 3 202 Phacelia brachyloba short-lobed phacelia 1 0 3 203 ssp Phacelia cicutaria caterpillar phacelia 1 0 7 204 Phacelia distans common phacelia 1 2 11 205 Phacelia grandiflora giant-flowered phacelia 3 0 5 206 Phacelia longipes long-stalk phacelia 1 1 2 207 Phacelia minor wild canterbury bells 61 3 7 208 Phacelia ramosissima var. latifolia branching phacelia 51 11 16 209 Phacelia tanacetifolia tansy-leafed phacelia 1 0 1 Juglandaceae Walnut Family 210 ssp Juglans californica Southern California black walnut 1 0 5 Lamiaceae Mint Family 211 Lamium amplexicaule *henbit 1 2 6 212 Marrubium vulgare *horehound 1 11 22 213 Salvia apiana white sage 61 15 25 214 Salvia columbariae chia 1 5 15 215 Salvia leucophylla purple sagenp? 1 0 5 216 Salvia mellifera black sage 1 16 27 217 Scutellaria tuberosa common skullcap 1 1 7 218 Stachys albens cobwebby hedge-nettle 1 1 7 219 Trichostema lanatum woolly bluecurls 4 1 9 Lauraceae Laurel Family 220 Umbellularia californica California bay 1 3 9 Loasaceae Stick-Leaf Family 221 sp Mentzelia sp. blazing star 1 0 1 Malvaceae Mallow Family 222 Malva parviflora *cheeseweed 7 2 14 Myrtaceae Myrtle Family 223 sp Callistemon sp. *bottlebrush 4 0 2 224 Eucalyptus camaldulensis *Red River gum 21 0 4 225 Eucalyptus globulus *blue gum 4 2 11 Nyctaginaceae Four-O'Clock Family 226 Mirabilis californica California four o'clock 7 4 16 Oleaceae Olive Family 227 Fraxinus velutina velvet ash 1 1 5 228 Olea europaea *olive 1 2 6 Onagraceae Evening Primrose Family 229 Camissonia bistorta California suncup 1 1 9 230 Camissonia californica California suncup 1 4 14 231 Camissonia confusa San Bernardino sun-cup 5 1 3 232 Camissonia micrantha small-flowered evening-primrose 1 1 9 233 Clarkia dudleyana Dudley's clarkia 1 1 2 234 Clarkia epilobioides canyon clarkia 6 0 4 235 Clarkia purpurea purple clarkia 1 0 5 236 Clarkia unguiculata elegant clarkia 1 0 7 237 Epilobium angustifolium ssp. circumvagum fireweed 1 1 3 238 Epilobium canum ssp. canum California fuchsia 71 5 13 239 ssp Epilobium ciliatum willowherb 1 1 6 240 ssp Oenothera elata evening-primrose 1 0 5 Oxalidaceae Oxalis Family 241 Oxalis corniculata *creeping woodsorrel 1 1 4 242 Oxalis pes-caprae *Bermuda buttercup 1 1 9 Paeoniaceae Peony Family 243 Paeonia californica California peony 63 4 12 Papaveraceae Poppy Family 244 Argemone munita prickly poppy 3 1 3 245 Eschscholzia californica California poppy 1 8 18 246 Romneya coulteri Coulter's matilija poppy* 1 0 2 Passifloraceae Passion-Flower Family 247 Passiflora caerulea *passion flower 1 0 1 Plantaginaceae Plantain Family 248 Plantago erecta California plantain 7 0 10 249 Plantago lanceolata *English plantain 1 3 10 Platanaceae Sycamore Family 250 Platanus racemosa western sycamore 1 8 17 Polemoniaceae Phlox Family 251 Allophyllum divaricatum purple false-gilia 1 0 1 252 Eriastrum sapphirinum sapphire woolly-star 1 0 3 253 Gilia angelensis angel's gilia 1 1 8 254 ssp Gilia capitata globe gilia 1 0 5 255 ssp Gilia tricolor bird's eyes* 1 0 1 256 Leptodactylon californicum prickly phlox 1 2 8 257 Linanthus dianthiflorus ground pink 1 1 8 258 sp Navarretia sp. navarretia 1 1 2 Polygonaceae Buckwheat Family 259 Chorizanthe staticoides Turkish rugging 1 0 7 260 Eriogonum elegans elegant buckwheat 71 0 1 261 Eriogonum elongatum var. elongatum long-stemmed buckwheat 1 6 15 262 Eriogonum fasciculatum var. foliolosum California buckwheat 51 18 21 263 Lastarriaea coriacea leather spineflower 1 1 5 264 Polygonum arenastrum *knotweed 41 2 23 265 Polygonum capitatum *knotweed 1 0 1 266 Pterostegia drymarioides threadstem 1 1 12 267 Rumex crispus *curly dock 1 6 16 Portulacaceae Purslane Family 268 Calandrinia ciliata red maids 1 1 10 269 Claytonia parviflora ssp. parviflora narrow-leaved miner's lettuce 4 4 11 270 Claytonia perfoliata ssp. mexicana southern miner's lettuce 41 6 12 271 Claytonia perfoliata ssp. perfoliata miner's lettuce 5 4 17 272 Portulaca oleracea *common purslane 1 0 4 Primulaceae Primrose Family 273 Anagallis arvensis *scarlet pimpernel 1 4 15 Ranunculaceae Buttercup Family 274 Clematis lasiantha virgin's bower 21 2 8 275 Delphinium cardinale scarlet larkspur 61 1 7 276 ssp Delphinium parryi blue larkspur 1 0 2 Rhamnaceae Buckthorn Family 277 Ceanothus crassifolius hoaryleaf ceanothus 1 7 11 278 Ceanothus leucodermis chaparral whitethorn 1 9 13 279 Ceanothus megacarpus big-pod ceanothusnp? 1 0 4 280 Ceanothus oliganthus hairy ceanothus 1 0 5 281 Rhamnus californica ssp. californica California coffeeberry 51 7 15 282 Rhamnus crocea redberry 1 4 12 283 Rhamnus ilicifolia hollyleaf redberry 1 15 26 Rosaceae Rose Family 284 Adenostoma fasciculatum chamise 1 14 24 285 ssp Cercocarpus betuloides birch-leaf mountain-mahogany 1 0 7 286 Heteromeles arbutifolia toyon 1 18 29 287 Horkelia cuneata ssp. puberula coast horkelia 6 0 2 288 ssp Potentilla glandulosa sticky cinquefoil 1 1 6 289 Prunus ilicifolia ssp. ilicifolia hollyleaf cherry 51 4 7 290 Rosa californica California wild rose 1 3 11 291 Rubus ursinus California blackberry 1 5 14 Rubiaceae Bedstraw Family 292 ssp Galium andrewsii phlox-leaved bedstraw 7 0 2 293 ssp Galium angustifolium narrow-leaved bedstraw 1 2 8 294 Galium aparine common bedstraw 1 4 16 295 Galium porrigens var. porrigens graceful bedstraw 4 1 4 Salicaceae Willow Family 296 Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa black cottonwood 1 5 11 297 Populus fremontii ssp. fremontii Fremont cottonwood 4 7 19 298 Salix exigua narrowleaf willow 1 4 11 299 Salix gooddingii black willow 1 4 10 300 Salix laevigata red willow 1 6 13 301 Salix lasiolepis arroyo willow 1 14 26 Saxifragaceae Saxifrage Family 302 Boykinia rotundifolia round-leaved boykinia 621 1 5 Scrophulariaceae Snapdragon Family 303 ssp Castilleja exserta purple owl's clover 1 0 8 304 Castilleja foliolosa woolly Indian paintbrush 4 0 7 305 Castilleja minor ssp. spiralis lesser paintbrush 1 0 4 306 ssp Collinsia heterophylla Chinese houses 1 2 10 307 Keckiella cordifolia heartleaf penstemon 1 9 20 308 Keckiella ternata var. ternata whorledleaf penstemon 4 2 4 309 ssp Linaria canadensis blue toad-flax 1 0 7 310 Mimulus aurantiacus bush monkeyflower 1 17 27 311 Mimulus brevipes wide-throated yellow monkeyflower 2 1 11 312 Mimulus cardinalis scarlet monkeyflower 1 4 12 313 Mimulus floribundus floriferous monkeyflower 1 1 8 314 Mimulus guttatus common monkeyflower 1 1 9 315 Penstemon centranthifolius scarlet bugler 1 4 9 316 Penstemon grinnellii var. grinnellii Grinnell's beardtongue 21 8 10 317 Penstemon spectabilis var. spectabilis showy penstemon 71 3 7 318 ssp Scrophularia californica California bee plant 1 2 8 319 Verbascum blattaria *moth mullein 1 1 5 320 Verbascum thapsus *common mullein 1 1 5 321 Verbascum virgatum *wand mullein 1 2 3 322 Veronica arvensis *corn speedwell 4 0 1 323 Veronica persica *bird's-eye speedwell 4 0 4 Simaroubaceae Quassia Family 324 Ailanthus altissima *tree-of-heaven 1 2 6 Solanaceae Nightshade Family 325 Datura stramonium *Jimson weed 3 0 1 326 Datura wrightii sacred datura 1 6 16 327 Nicotiana glauca *tree tobacco 1 7 19 328 Solanum douglasii white nightshade 1 3 13 329 Solanum xanti purple nightshade 1 5 14 Tamaricaceae Tamarisk Family 330 sp Tamarix sp. *tamarisk 1 0 3 Urticaceae Nettle Family 331 ssp Parietaria hespera pellitory 1 0 5 332 Urtica dioica ssp. holosericea hoary nettle 1 3 12 333 Urtica urens *dwarf nettle 1 0 6 Valerianaceae Valerian Family 334 Centranthus ruber *Jupiter's beard 1 0 1 Verbenaceae Vervain Family 335 Verbena lasiostachys var. scabrida western vervain 3 2 4 336 Verbena tenuisecta *South American mock vervain 1 0 1 Zygophyllaceae Caltrop Family 337 Tribulus terrestris *puncture-vine 1 0 7 Monocots
Arecaceae Palm Family 338 Washingtonia robusta *Mexican Fan Palm 5 1 4 Commelinaceae Spiderwort Family 339 sp Commelina benghalensis *dayflower 21 0 1 Cyperaceae Sedge Family 340 sp Carex sp. Sedge 1 1 7 341 Cyperus eragrostis umbrella sedge 41 2 11 Iridaceae Iris Family 342 Chasmanthe floribunda *chasmanthe 4 1 2 343 Sisyrinchium bellum blue-eyed grass 1 1 13 Juncaceae Rush Family 344 Juncus balticus wire rush 7 2 7 345 Juncus macrophyllus long-leaved rush 7 1 6 346 Juncus sp. rush 1 0 2 Liliaceae Lily Family 347 Agave americana * 1 0 3 348 Bloomeria crocea goldenstar 1 1 11 349 Calochortus plummerae Plummer's mariposa lily 1 0 2 350 Dichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum blue dicks 51 17 35 351 Lilium humboldtii ssp. ocellatum ocellated Humboldt lily 61 0 2 352 Muilla maritima muilla 1 4 8 353 Yucca whipplei ssp. parishii chaparral yucca 51 7 8 Orchidaceae Orchid Family 354 Piperia cooperi rein orchid 6 0 3 Poaceae Grass Family 355 Achnatherum coronatum giant needlegrass 21 11 18 356 Andropogon glomeratus var. scabriglumis southwestern bushy bluestem 6 0 1 357 Arundo donax *giant reed 1 3 13 358 Avena barbata *slender wild oats 1 9 21 359 Avena fatua *wild oats 1 4 15 360 Bromus diandrus *ripgut brome 1 16 28 361 Bromus hordeaceus *soft chess 1 10 22 362 Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens *red brome 1 15 25 363 Bromus tectorum *downy brome 1 15 20 364 Cynodon dactylon *bermuda grass 1 6 17 365 Digitaria sanguinalis *crabgrass 1 1 5 366 Ehrharta erecta *upright veldt grass 4 1 3 367 Hordeum murinum ssp. leporinum *foxtail barley 51 12 22 368 Lamarckia aurea *goldentop 1 4 15 369 Leymus condensatus giant wild rye 1 10 20 370 sp Lolium sp. * 1 0 4 371 Melica imperfecta small-flowered melica 1 11 22 372 Nassella lepida foothill needlegrass 1 3 11 373 Pennisetum clandestinum *kikuyu grass 1 1 4 374 Pennisetum setaceum *fountain grass 1 3 9 375 Phalaris paradoxa *hood canarygrass 1 0 2 376 Piptatherum miliaceum *smilo grass 1 8 15 377 Poa annua *annual blue grass 1 1 11 378 Polypogon monspeliensis *rabbits-foot grass 1 6 16 379 Schismus barbatus *Mediterranean schismus 1 3 12 380 sp Setaria sp. *bristlegrass 1 0 1 381 Vulpia myuros var. hirsuta *hairy rattail fescue 5 7 21 382 Vulpia myuros var. myuros *rattail fescue 421 5 13 Comments On Some Taxa
* Although Encelia californica, Gilia tricolor, Romneya coulteri, and Rosa californica are plants native to Southern California, they are non-native to Eaton Canyon. (The asterisks in front of the common name above only denote taxa non-native to California).
np? Artemisia tridentata, Salvia leucophylla, Robinia sp. and Ceanothus megacarpus. These species were originally observed by Bob Muns prior to the 1993 fire, and have not been seen since that time. Thus these may have been species planted in Eaton Canyon that were not native there.
+ Dudleya cymosa ssp. pumila. The subspecies given above is the one from a vouchered observation at somewhat higher altitude. Therefore the ssp in the lower Canyon still needs to be identified.
+ Hemizonia kelloggii. This species has so far only been found below New York Drive, so its existence above New York Drive has not been verified.
+ Pinus sp. There are at least two different unidentified species: 1. A single tree located in the upper canyon above the Toll Road Bridge. 2. A single tree at the junction of the "Horse Trail" and the Toll Road [not the two large pines next to the park service road]. This tree has 2 needles per bunch, each 1 1/2 inches [4 cm] long, yellow-green; with a symmetric, persistent, solitary, oval seed cone, 2 1/4 inches [6 cm]. It does not match P. halepensis, since the needles are too short and the cone is not asymmetrical.
We thank Rick Fisher for providing his latest plant list for Eaton Canyon, and for valuable comments to improve this page and the additions page.
Go to: