Plant Guide to San Antonio Falls Road, Manker Flat to Baldy Notch

Plant Guide to San Antonio Falls Road, Manker Flat to Baldy Notch

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
Botanical Trip Reports
The Plant Guide
Comments On Specific Species
Introduction

This is a very incomplete plant trail guide made from a single walk in August 2004. Some of the identifications were made from dead plant specimens.
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. We had 79 trails in our database when this histogram was made; two trails are in this area of the San Gabriel Mountains, and an additional 7 trails in the Mt. Baden-Powell and Blue Ridge Summit area to the north. A number of "1" means the taxon has only been found on this trail among the trails in our database; numbers of "9" or smaller may indicate taxa found only in this area and the area to the north.

Number of Trails
Containing A Taxon Number Of Taxa
On This Trail % of Taxa
On This Trail
1 1 2%
2 3 5%
3 4 7%
4 3 5%
5 2 4%

1-5 13 24%
6-10 16 29%
11-15 9 16%
16-20 5 9%
21-25 3 5%
26-30 3 5%
31-35 2 4%
36-40 1 2%
41-45 2 4%
46-50 1 2%
Total Taxa 55 100%

We found 13 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 do not have any number given 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"
8/19/2004 1 68 11 3 3 1

On 8/19/04, only the first 2.29 miles of the road was surveyed.
We thank Michael Charters for several additions, revisions and verifications from his field work on 8/22/04.
Botanical Trip Reports

See also trip reports from Baldy Notch to Mt. Baldy
The Plant Guide

Version for printing, without lines and other text on this page (4 pages)

Mile # S id? Common Name Latin Name #here #all
0.00 Beginning of San Antonio Falls Road at junction with Mt. Baldy Road; elevation ~6160 feet (1880 m).
0.00 l 1 bigcone-spruce Pseudotsuga macrocarpa 99 / 9 5
0.00 b 2 incense-cedar Calocedrus decurrens / 12
0.00 r (chaparral yucca, Yucca whipplei; and leafy common rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus nauseosus ssp. consimilis.)
0.00 l Two porta-potties.
0.00 l 3 bigleaf maple Acer macrophyllum 1 / 1 7
0.00 l 4 ssp western vervain Verbena lasiostachys var. lasiostachys 10 / 2 3
0.00 l 5 California brickellbush Brickellia californica / 26
0.01 l 6 ? cherry sp.? Prunus sp.?⁺ 1 / 1
0.01 l 7 *white sweetclover Melilotus albus 30 / 4 7
0.01 l 8 California fuchsia Epilobium canum 99 / 9 12
0.01 l 9 leafy common rabbitbrush Chrysothamnus nauseosus ssp. consimilis 20 / 4 2
0.01 r 10 *shortpod mustard Hirschfeldia incana 5 / 2 41
0.01 r 11 canyon live oak Quercus chrysolepis / 20
0.01 r Sign: "Fire restrictions ..."
0.01 r 12 ? unk like Russian thistle x bird's beak.11
0.01 r 13 California buckwheat Eriogonum fasciculatum var. polifolium 30 / 5 14
0.01 r 14 *downy brome Bromus tectorum 99 / 9 21
0.02 l 15 giant blazing star Mentzelia laevicaulis 99 / 9 6
0.03 Gate with hiker opening on right.
0.03 r 16 naked-stem bedstraw Galium angustifolium ssp. nudicaule 1 / 1 3
0.04 r 17 arroyo willow Salix lasiolepis 10 / 2 29
0.04 r 18 chaparral yucca Yucca whipplei / 25
0.04 r (curl-leaf mountain-mahogany, Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intermontanus)
0.05 r 19 Sierra hoary coffeeberry Rhamnus tomentella ssp. cuspidata 10 / 9 1
0.05 r 20 Fremont cottonwood Populus fremontii ssp. fremontii 3 / 1 8
0.06 r 21 ? unk grass - 1101
0.06 r 22 ? unk grass - 2101
0.06 r 23 willowherb Epilobium ciliatum ssp. ciliatum 5 / 1 17
0.06 r 24 ~ California brome Bromus carinatus var. carinatus 99 / 9 15
0.06 r 25 naked buckwheat Eriogonum nudum var. pauciflorum⁺ 99 / 9 7
0.06 r 26 smoothleaf yerba santa Eriodictyon trichocalyx var. trichocalyx / 8
0.06 r 27 fragrant everlasting Gnaphalium canescens ssp. beneolens 2 / 2 4
0.07 r 28 Grinnell's beardtongue Penstemon grinnellii var. grinnellii 10 / 9 15
0.08 l Cabin with address 8294-35.
0.09 r Jct. steep path.
0.09 l 29 short-leaved squirreltail Elymus elymoides ssp. brevifolius 30 / 9 3
0.09 l 30 western wallflower Erysimum capitatum ssp. capitatum 30 / 9 16
0.10 l 31 clasping-leaved caulanthus Caulanthus amplexicaulis var. amplexicaulis 4 / 2 2
0.10 l 32 Davidson's buckwheat Eriogonum davidsonii 99 / 9 18
0.10 l 33 ? like Elymus glaucus or Leymus triticoides.
0.10 l 34 leafy daisy Erigeron foliosus var. foliosus / 34
0.14 r 35 ? southern Sierra phacelia? long-stalk phacelia? Phacelia austromontana? P. longipes? 10 / 2
0.21 l 36 *ripgut brome Bromus diandrus 1 / 1 40
0.23 l 37 California-aster Lessingia filaginifolia var. filaginifolia 20 / 9 42
0.23 r 38 bush monkeyflower Mimulus aurantiacus 20 / 4 35
0.23 l 39 ? arched elegant rock-cress? Arabis sparsiflora var. arcuata?⁺ 10 / 2
0.26 Road curves right 90°.
0.27 r 40 golden yarrow Eriophyllum confertiflorum var. confertiflorum 20 / 9 47
0.28 r 41 ? unk Asteraceae
0.28 r 42 sp Fremont's goosefoot? Chenopodium fremontii? 3 / 2
0.28 l 43 ? dead plant similar to tarragon.11
0.29 r 44 ~ *common wheat Triticum aestivum 5 / 2 3
0.37 r sp (Penstemon sp., probably P. rostriflorus or P. labrosus)
0.39 r 45 ? Bigelow's spike-moss? Selaginella bigelovii? 1 / 1
0.40 r (rock goldenbush, Ericameria cuneata var. cuneata)
0.42 r 46 chicory-leaved stephanomeria Stephanomeria cichoriacea 10 / 9 6
0.43 l Jct. driveway going downhill.
0.43 l 47 curl-leaf mountain-mahogany Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intermontanus / 10
0.48 Jct. driveway going downhill.
0.50 r 48 California coffeeberry Rhamnus californica ssp. californica / 13
0.50 l Jct. driveway.
0.51 r 49 white fir Abies concolor / 20
0.53 Road switchbacks right at viewpoint for San Antonio Falls; elevation 6424 feet (1958 m).
0.60 l (hollyleaf redberry, Rhamnus ilicifolia)
0.72 r 50 Jeffrey pine Pinus jeffreyi / 21
0.72 l 51 scarlet monkeyflower Mimulus cardinalis⁺ 10 / 2 9
0.79 Road curves left 90°.
0.88 l Jct. unmarked Ski Hut Trail.
1.05 r 52 sugar pine Pinus lambertiana / 12
1.11 Road curves left.
1.31 l 53 granite prickly phlox Leptodactylon pungens 1 / 1 5
1.34 l 54 ? small-flowered melica? Melica imperfecta? 1 / 1
1.36 l 55 Parish's needlegrass Achnatherum parishii 2 / 1 6
1.46 Road curves right at drainage; a spring is just above the road.
1.46 l 56 *Jerusalem oak Chenopodium botrys 5 / 1 4
1.47 l 57 prickly poppy Argemone munita 1 / 1 6
1.60 Cross Manker Canyon Creek; switchback right.
1.60 r 58 ~ virgin's bower Clematis ligusticifolia 1 / 1 9
1.63 l 59 Wright's buckwheat Eriogonum wrightii var. subscaposum 1 / 1 13
1.63 l 60 fir mistletoe Phoradendron pauciflorum 1 / 1 10
1.70 l Other location for the possible arched elegant rock-cress, Arabis sparsiflora var. arcuata.
1.74 Switchback left at ridge.
1.92 Switchback left at ridge.
2.03 l Concrete block cutout / slope reinforcement
2.04 l Sign: "Caution - Telephone Cable"
2.06 r 61 Nevin's bird's beak Cordylanthus nevinii 20 / 4 7
2.12 l Concrete block cutout / slope reinforcement
2.19 l 62 green-leaf manzanita Arctostaphylos patula 1 / 1 12
2.20 l 63 rock buckwheat Eriogonum saxatile 1 / 1 9
2.22 l Concrete block cutout / slope reinforcement
2.24 l 64 Johnston's monkeyflower Mimulus johnstonii 5 / 1 2
2.26 l 65 snow-plant Sarcodes sanguinea 1 / 1 4
2.28 b 66 goldenrod Solidago californica 5 / 1 27
2.29 b 67 white alder Alnus rhombifolia 3 / 1 10
2.29 l positive id for scarlet monkeyflower, Mimulus cardinalis.
2.29 l 68 sp sedge Carex sp. 2 / 1
2.29 r (Bigelow's sneezeweed, Helenium bigelovii)
2.29 Switchback right; elevation ~7220 feet (2200 m). A spring is just above the road, but its water has been stolen in the visible pipe. The alder is now left high and dry.
2.30 End plant guide; the remainder of this guide just lists landmarks.
2.39 Switchback left at ski lift.
2.50 Road curves left 90°.
2.59 Switchback right; elevation 7400 feet (2255 m).
2.75 Long switchback left at ridge.
2.83 Switchback right at drainage
2.84 Cross under ski lift.
3.01 Long switchback left just above Miner's Bowl.
3.28 End road at top of ski lift; elevation 7760 feet (2365 m).

Comments On Specific Species

Prunus sp.?. If this is a native plant, it keys to Prunus virginiana var. demissa, using the leaf and stem key in Dole and Rose. However, it is possible that this is a planted specimen, in which case the keying is not definitive. Although the leaf is very close to this taxon, the teeth are not quite right. Also, we have never found a single specimen of this taxon; it always occurs in large numbers. Hence we suspect it is planted.
Eriogonum nudum var. pauciflorum. Some plants have yellow flowers, in addition to plants with the normal white flowers. We see this behavior on other trails as well. Bright yellow flowers are a characteristic of var. westonii, which also have leaves tomentose above, and 1-4 involucres per node. However, in the San Gabriel Mountains, var. westonii is only found in the western portion of the range.
Arabis sparsiflora var. arcuata?. The first specimens on the trail had only basal leaves. It is possible that these are the same as specimens at mile 1.70, so the specimens at mile 1.70 have not been numbered as a new taxon. The fruit is consistent with this id, but we need fresh leaves and flowers to confirm it.
Mimulus cardinalis. The first occurrence of this taxon is in what seems to be a dry area, which seems a very improbable location for this species. However, the plants in fruit there look identical to the plants with flowers and fruit at mile 2.29.

Number of Trails Containing A Taxon	Number Of Taxa On This Trail	% of Taxa On This Trail
1	1	2%
2	3	5%
3	4	7%
4	3	5%
5	2	4%

1-5	13	24%
6-10	16	29%
11-15	9	16%
16-20	5	9%
21-25	3	5%
26-30	3	5%
31-35	2	4%
36-40	1	2%
41-45	2	4%
46-50	1	2%
Total Taxa	55	100%

Visit Date	Visit #	# taxa	# "?"	# "sp"	# "~"	# "ssp"
8/19/2004	1	68	11	3	3	1

Mile	#	S	id?	Common Name	Latin Name	#here	#all
0.00				Beginning of San Antonio Falls Road at junction with Mt. Baldy Road; elevation ~6160 feet (1880 m).
0.00	l	1		bigcone-spruce	Pseudotsuga macrocarpa	99 / 9	5
0.00	b	2		incense-cedar	Calocedrus decurrens	/	12
0.00	r			(chaparral yucca, Yucca whipplei; and leafy common rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus nauseosus ssp. consimilis.)
0.00	l			Two porta-potties.
0.00	l	3		bigleaf maple	Acer macrophyllum	1 / 1	7
0.00	l	4	ssp	western vervain	Verbena lasiostachys var. lasiostachys	10 / 2	3
0.00	l	5		California brickellbush	Brickellia californica	/	26
0.01	l	6	?	cherry sp.?	Prunus sp.?⁺	1 / 1
0.01	l	7		*white sweetclover	Melilotus albus	30 / 4	7
0.01	l	8		California fuchsia	Epilobium canum	99 / 9	12
0.01	l	9		leafy common rabbitbrush	Chrysothamnus nauseosus ssp. consimilis	20 / 4	2
0.01	r	10		*shortpod mustard	Hirschfeldia incana	5 / 2	41
0.01	r	11		canyon live oak	Quercus chrysolepis	/	20
0.01	r			Sign: "Fire restrictions ..."
0.01	r	12	?	unk like Russian thistle x bird's beak.11
0.01	r	13		California buckwheat	Eriogonum fasciculatum var. polifolium	30 / 5	14
0.01	r	14		*downy brome	Bromus tectorum	99 / 9	21
0.02	l	15		giant blazing star	Mentzelia laevicaulis	99 / 9	6
0.03				Gate with hiker opening on right.
0.03	r	16		naked-stem bedstraw	Galium angustifolium ssp. nudicaule	1 / 1	3
0.04	r	17		arroyo willow	Salix lasiolepis	10 / 2	29
0.04	r	18		chaparral yucca	Yucca whipplei	/	25
0.04	r			(curl-leaf mountain-mahogany, Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intermontanus)
0.05	r	19		Sierra hoary coffeeberry	Rhamnus tomentella ssp. cuspidata	10 / 9	1
0.05	r	20		Fremont cottonwood	Populus fremontii ssp. fremontii	3 / 1	8
0.06	r	21	?	unk grass - 1101
0.06	r	22	?	unk grass - 2101
0.06	r	23		willowherb	Epilobium ciliatum ssp. ciliatum	5 / 1	17
0.06	r	24	~	California brome	Bromus carinatus var. carinatus	99 / 9	15
0.06	r	25		naked buckwheat	Eriogonum nudum var. pauciflorum⁺	99 / 9	7
0.06	r	26		smoothleaf yerba santa	Eriodictyon trichocalyx var. trichocalyx	/	8
0.06	r	27		fragrant everlasting	Gnaphalium canescens ssp. beneolens	2 / 2	4
0.07	r	28		Grinnell's beardtongue	Penstemon grinnellii var. grinnellii	10 / 9	15
0.08	l			Cabin with address 8294-35.
0.09	r			Jct. steep path.
0.09	l	29		short-leaved squirreltail	Elymus elymoides ssp. brevifolius	30 / 9	3
0.09	l	30		western wallflower	Erysimum capitatum ssp. capitatum	30 / 9	16
0.10	l	31		clasping-leaved caulanthus	Caulanthus amplexicaulis var. amplexicaulis	4 / 2	2
0.10	l	32		Davidson's buckwheat	Eriogonum davidsonii	99 / 9	18
0.10	l	33	?	like Elymus glaucus or Leymus triticoides.
0.10	l	34		leafy daisy	Erigeron foliosus var. foliosus	/	34
0.14	r	35	?	southern Sierra phacelia? long-stalk phacelia?	Phacelia austromontana? P. longipes?	10 / 2
0.21	l	36		*ripgut brome	Bromus diandrus	1 / 1	40
0.23	l	37		California-aster	Lessingia filaginifolia var. filaginifolia	20 / 9	42
0.23	r	38		bush monkeyflower	Mimulus aurantiacus	20 / 4	35
0.23	l	39	?	arched elegant rock-cress?	Arabis sparsiflora var. arcuata?⁺	10 / 2
0.26				Road curves right 90°.
0.27	r	40		golden yarrow	Eriophyllum confertiflorum var. confertiflorum	20 / 9	47
0.28	r	41	?	unk Asteraceae
0.28	r	42	sp	Fremont's goosefoot?	Chenopodium fremontii?	3 / 2
0.28	l	43	?	dead plant similar to tarragon.11
0.29	r	44	~	*common wheat	Triticum aestivum	5 / 2	3
0.37	r		sp	(Penstemon sp., probably P. rostriflorus or P. labrosus)
0.39	r	45	?	Bigelow's spike-moss?	Selaginella bigelovii?	1 / 1
0.40	r			(rock goldenbush, Ericameria cuneata var. cuneata)
0.42	r	46		chicory-leaved stephanomeria	Stephanomeria cichoriacea	10 / 9	6
0.43	l			Jct. driveway going downhill.
0.43	l	47		curl-leaf mountain-mahogany	Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intermontanus	/	10
0.48				Jct. driveway going downhill.
0.50	r	48		California coffeeberry	Rhamnus californica ssp. californica	/	13
0.50	l			Jct. driveway.
0.51	r	49		white fir	Abies concolor	/	20
0.53				Road switchbacks right at viewpoint for San Antonio Falls; elevation 6424 feet (1958 m).
0.60	l			(hollyleaf redberry, Rhamnus ilicifolia)
0.72	r	50		Jeffrey pine	Pinus jeffreyi	/	21
0.72	l	51		scarlet monkeyflower	Mimulus cardinalis⁺	10 / 2	9
0.79				Road curves left 90°.
0.88	l			Jct. unmarked Ski Hut Trail.
1.05	r	52		sugar pine	Pinus lambertiana	/	12
1.11				Road curves left.
1.31	l	53		granite prickly phlox	Leptodactylon pungens	1 / 1	5
1.34	l	54	?	small-flowered melica?	Melica imperfecta?	1 / 1
1.36	l	55		Parish's needlegrass	Achnatherum parishii	2 / 1	6
1.46				Road curves right at drainage; a spring is just above the road.
1.46	l	56		*Jerusalem oak	Chenopodium botrys	5 / 1	4
1.47	l	57		prickly poppy	Argemone munita	1 / 1	6
1.60				Cross Manker Canyon Creek; switchback right.
1.60	r	58	~	virgin's bower	Clematis ligusticifolia	1 / 1	9
1.63	l	59		Wright's buckwheat	Eriogonum wrightii var. subscaposum	1 / 1	13
1.63	l	60		fir mistletoe	Phoradendron pauciflorum	1 / 1	10
1.70	l			Other location for the possible arched elegant rock-cress, Arabis sparsiflora var. arcuata.
1.74				Switchback left at ridge.
1.92				Switchback left at ridge.
2.03	l			Concrete block cutout / slope reinforcement
2.04	l			Sign: "Caution - Telephone Cable"
2.06	r	61		Nevin's bird's beak	Cordylanthus nevinii	20 / 4	7
2.12	l			Concrete block cutout / slope reinforcement
2.19	l	62		green-leaf manzanita	Arctostaphylos patula	1 / 1	12
2.20	l	63		rock buckwheat	Eriogonum saxatile	1 / 1	9
2.22	l			Concrete block cutout / slope reinforcement
2.24	l	64		Johnston's monkeyflower	Mimulus johnstonii	5 / 1	2
2.26	l	65		snow-plant	Sarcodes sanguinea	1 / 1	4
2.28	b	66		goldenrod	Solidago californica	5 / 1	27
2.29	b	67		white alder	Alnus rhombifolia	3 / 1	10
2.29	l			positive id for scarlet monkeyflower, Mimulus cardinalis.
2.29	l	68	sp	sedge	Carex sp.	2 / 1
2.29	r			(Bigelow's sneezeweed, Helenium bigelovii)
2.29				Switchback right; elevation ~7220 feet (2200 m). A spring is just above the road, but its water has been stolen in the visible pipe. The alder is now left high and dry.
2.30				End plant guide; the remainder of this guide just lists landmarks.
2.39				Switchback left at ski lift.
2.50				Road curves left 90°.
2.59				Switchback right; elevation 7400 feet (2255 m).
2.75				Long switchback left at ridge.
2.83				Switchback right at drainage
2.84				Cross under ski lift.
3.01				Long switchback left just above Miner's Bowl.
3.28				End road at top of ski lift; elevation 7760 feet (2365 m).

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Plants of Southern California: Trail Guides

Copyright © 2004 by Tom Chester and Cliff McLean.
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/saf_road.html
Comments and feedback: Tom Chester | Cliff McLean
Updated 21 August 2004.