Plant Guide to Mt. Lewis Trail

Plant Guide to Mt. Lewis Trail

This is a working list, about which we make no guarantees at all until we 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 is a very steep use trail leading directly up the south-southeast ridge of Mt. Lewis. A portion of the trail near the top is obscure, but it is easy to find your way to the peak. The reward for all this work is the view from the top, and the journey itself through a climax forest providing deep shade.
Warning: do not take this route if you are not good about finding your way when the trail becomes obscure!

Highlights of This Trail

The main botanical highlight of this trail is to see the characteristics of the climax forest in the San Gabriel Mountains in this area:

The landscape is heavily dominated by mature trees, producing a ground litter that prevents most species from growing over most of the area. The distribution of the few shrubs and perennials is interesting to observe.
There are no non-native species on this trail at all.
The species diversity is very low, the lowest of the 23 trails we have so far surveyed. This is due both to the presence of a climax forest and the absence of any change in habitat - no springs, no clearings, little change in slope steepness or aspect (which direction the slope faces), etc. It therefore makes you appreciate what is meant by a forest fire rejuvenating the area.

See also Jane's 80-2 Mt. Lewis from Dawson Saddle, which describes the views from the top and other species near the trail.
Number of Unique Taxa On This Trail

The following histogram gives the number of trails in our database that contain each taxon on this trail. We had 66 trails in our database when this histogram was made. A number of "1" means the taxon has only been found on this trail among the trails in our database.

Number of Trails
Containing A Taxon Number Of Taxa
On This Trail % of Taxa
On This Trail
1 1 5%
2 4 19%
3 1 5%
4 1 5%
5 1 5%

1-5 8 38%
6-10 7 33%
11-15 6 29%
Total Taxa 21 100%

We found 5 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.
Every taxon is a native species.
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"
8/26/2002 1 13 0 2 0 0
9/17/2003 2 25 5 4 1 0

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 Trailhead between Maintenance Shed and propane tank. Trail is very steep uphill. The following taxon is found on the roadside just east of the Shed:
0.00 (Parish's oxytheca) (Oxytheca parishii var. parishii) 20 / 1 1
0.00 l 1 Jeffrey pine Pinus jeffreyi 99 / 9 15
0.01 l 2 mountain whitethorn Ceanothus cordulatus 20 / 5 11
0.01 r (curl-leaf mountain-mahogany, Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intermontanus)
0.01 r 3 ? unk baby plant, with just a few largish leaves almost in a rosette
0.02 r 4 white fir Abies concolor 99 / 9 15
0.03 r 5 curl-leaf mountain-mahogany Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intermontanus 10 / 3 6
0.04 r (San Bernardino rubber rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus nauseosus ssp. bernardinus)
0.04 r Weird metal structure at bottom of slope to right. It looks like a frisbee gamepost.
0.04 r 6 ? unk Brassica annual, fr dehiscent, pedicel 9 mm, silique 63 x 1 mm.
0.05 b 7 California fuchsia Epilobium canum⁺ 20 / 2 8
0.05 l 8 ~ Davidson's phacelia Phacelia davidsonii 1 / 1 6
0.06 l 9 Grinnell's beardtongue Penstemon grinnellii var. grinnellii 99 / 9 11
0.09 Trail splits, with old trail to left. Go right.
0.10 l 10 sp beaked penstemon Penstemon rostriflorus / 9
0.10 b 11 rock buckwheat Eriogonum saxatile 30 / 9 5
0.15 Trail jags left due to downed tree.
0.15 l 12 santolina pincushion Chaenactis santolinoides 1 / 1 7
0.17 r 13 San Bernardino rubber rabbitbrush Chrysothamnus nauseosus ssp. bernardinus 3 / 2 11
0.19 r 14 California squirreltail Elymus elymoides ssp. californicus 5 / 2 4
0.20 r 15 sugar pine Pinus lambertiana / 8
0.21 Switchback left.
0.22 Switchback right.
0.22 l 16 woolly mountain-parsley Oreonana vestita 20 / 5 2
0.23 Trail jags left due to downed tree.
0.24 l 17 sp groundsmoke Gayophytum diffusum ssp. parviflorum 5 / 1 13
0.25 Trail begins to parallel lip of broad shallow drainage to right
0.28 l 18 Wright's buckwheat Eriogonum wrightii var. subscaposum 99 / 9 10
0.28 Cross drainage.
0.28 c 19 unk small plant like knotweed.
0.28 Jct. with the no-longer-blocked-off old trail coming in from left. Turn right 90 degrees.
0.31 b 20 alpine sulfur-flowered buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum var. minus 5 / 2 2
0.31 r 21 southern alpine buckwheat Eriogonum kennedyi var. alpigenum 10 / 2 2
0.31 l 22 ? unk Carex or Juncus. Juncus orthophyllus? 10 / 2
0.31 b 23 sp Burlew's onion? Allium burlewii? 20 / 1 3
0.32 Trail becomes indistinct; continue travelling in a straight direction and you'll pick up the trail again.
0.39 l 24 sp Parish's needlegrass Achnatherum parishii 5 / 1 2
0.43 l 25 ? white catch-fly? Silene verecunda ssp. platyota? 5 / 1
0.43 Trail ends at Mt. Lewis summit, marked no longer with some piled rocks.

Comments On Specific Species

Epilobium canum. We have found that determining a subspecies for specimens of this species is problematic in the San Gabriel Mountains at higher elevations. This is probably because the two ssp. intergrade in Southern California, as reported in the JM, or because the leaf widths reflect moisture conditions. See Comments on the Jepson Manual and A Flora of Southern California by Munz: Epilobium canum ssp. canum.
The plants here have leaves up to 28 mm long x 11 mm wide in 2003.

Number of Trails Containing A Taxon	Number Of Taxa On This Trail	% of Taxa On This Trail
1	1	5%
2	4	19%
3	1	5%
4	1	5%
5	1	5%

1-5	8	38%
6-10	7	33%
11-15	6	29%
Total Taxa	21	100%

Visit Date	Visit #	# taxa	# "?"	# "sp"	# "~"	# "ssp"
8/26/2002	1	13	0	2	0	0
9/17/2003	2	25	5	4	1	0

Mile	S	#	id?	Common Name	Latin Name	#here	#all
0.00				Trailhead between Maintenance Shed and propane tank. Trail is very steep uphill. The following taxon is found on the roadside just east of the Shed:
0.00				(Parish's oxytheca)	(Oxytheca parishii var. parishii)	20 / 1	1
0.00	l	1		Jeffrey pine	Pinus jeffreyi	99 / 9	15
0.01	l	2		mountain whitethorn	Ceanothus cordulatus	20 / 5	11
0.01	r			(curl-leaf mountain-mahogany, Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intermontanus)
0.01	r	3	?	unk baby plant, with just a few largish leaves almost in a rosette
0.02	r	4		white fir	Abies concolor	99 / 9	15
0.03	r	5		curl-leaf mountain-mahogany	Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intermontanus	10 / 3	6
0.04	r			(San Bernardino rubber rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus nauseosus ssp. bernardinus)
0.04	r			Weird metal structure at bottom of slope to right. It looks like a frisbee gamepost.
0.04	r	6	?	unk Brassica annual, fr dehiscent, pedicel 9 mm, silique 63 x 1 mm.
0.05	b	7		California fuchsia	Epilobium canum⁺	20 / 2	8
0.05	l	8	~	Davidson's phacelia	Phacelia davidsonii	1 / 1	6
0.06	l	9		Grinnell's beardtongue	Penstemon grinnellii var. grinnellii	99 / 9	11
0.09				Trail splits, with old trail to left. Go right.
0.10	l	10	sp	beaked penstemon	Penstemon rostriflorus	/	9
0.10	b	11		rock buckwheat	Eriogonum saxatile	30 / 9	5
0.15				Trail jags left due to downed tree.
0.15	l	12		santolina pincushion	Chaenactis santolinoides	1 / 1	7
0.17	r	13		San Bernardino rubber rabbitbrush	Chrysothamnus nauseosus ssp. bernardinus	3 / 2	11
0.19	r	14		California squirreltail	Elymus elymoides ssp. californicus	5 / 2	4
0.20	r	15		sugar pine	Pinus lambertiana	/	8
0.21				Switchback left.
0.22				Switchback right.
0.22	l	16		woolly mountain-parsley	Oreonana vestita	20 / 5	2
0.23				Trail jags left due to downed tree.
0.24	l	17	sp	groundsmoke	Gayophytum diffusum ssp. parviflorum	5 / 1	13
0.25				Trail begins to parallel lip of broad shallow drainage to right
0.28	l	18		Wright's buckwheat	Eriogonum wrightii var. subscaposum	99 / 9	10
0.28				Cross drainage.
0.28	c	19		unk small plant like knotweed.
0.28				Jct. with the no-longer-blocked-off old trail coming in from left. Turn right 90 degrees.
0.31	b	20		alpine sulfur-flowered buckwheat	Eriogonum umbellatum var. minus	5 / 2	2
0.31	r	21		southern alpine buckwheat	Eriogonum kennedyi var. alpigenum	10 / 2	2
0.31	l	22	?	unk Carex or Juncus.	Juncus orthophyllus?	10 / 2
0.31	b	23	sp	Burlew's onion?	Allium burlewii?	20 / 1	3
0.32				Trail becomes indistinct; continue travelling in a straight direction and you'll pick up the trail again.
0.39	l	24	sp	Parish's needlegrass	Achnatherum parishii	5 / 1	2
0.43	l	25	?	white catch-fly?	Silene verecunda ssp. platyota?	5 / 1
0.43				Trail ends at Mt. Lewis summit, marked no longer with some piled rocks.

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Plants of Southern California: Trail Guides

Copyright © 2002-2003 by Tom Chester and Jane Strong.
Permission is freely granted to reproduce any or all of this page as long as credit is given to us at this source:
http://tchester.org/sgm/plants/guides/mt_lewis_trail.html
Comments and feedback: Tom Chester | Jane Strong
Updated 20 September 2003.