Plant Guide to S. Lomas Trail / Monument Road to Trans Preserve Trail, Santa Rosa Plateau

Plant Guide to S. Lomas Trail / Monument Road to Trans Preserve Trail, Santa Rosa Plateau

This is a working list, about which I make no guarantees at all until we officially release it. Use at your own risk!

This trail has not yet been studied in the Spring, and hence is especially incomplete, with many identifications made from dead annuals or new growth with only a few leaves.
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 guide covers:

the south Lomas Trail from near the Adobes to its end at Monument Hill Road (the Lomas Trail is in two sections, connected by a short stretch of Monument Hill Road);
Monument Hill Road west to its junction with Ranch Road; and
The cutoff from Ranch Road to the Trans Preserve Trail.

To reach the trailhead, hike to the Adobes, then head north from the west end of the barn. In order to avoid the highly-disturbed area near the barn, this trail guide begins 0.15 mile north of Ranch Road, at the junction with the Adobe Loop Trail.
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. There were 90 trails in my database when this histogram was made; 16 of those trails, including this one, are at the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve. A number of "1" means the taxon has only been found only on this list, among all the trails in my database; numbers of "16" or smaller may indicate taxa found only in this area.

Number of Trails
Containing A Taxon Number Of Taxa
On This Trail % of Taxa
On This Trail
1-5 0 0%
6-10 3 4%
11-15 6 9%
16-20 11 16%
21-25 9 13%
26-30 9 13%
31-35 5 7%
36-40 7 10%
41-45 10 15%
46-50 2 3%
51-55 5 7%
Total Taxa 67 100%

I found no additional species not in the above table, since it has not been fully identified yet. The unidentified ones are marked with ?, sp or ssp in the id? column in the guide, and have no entries 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"
1/4/2003 1 33 0 1 8 1
7/9/2005 2 59 0 1 6 1
9/12/2005 3 57 0 1 3 1
9/12/2005 3 62 0 1 4 1
2/23/2006 4 64 0 0 3 1
4/21/2006 5 67 0 0 1 0

This route was first extended to include Monument Hill Road on 9/12/05, and hence two sets of numbers are given for that date. The first corresponds to the old route and just includes the S. Lomas Trail.
Kay Madore helped with the fieldwork on 9/12/05.
The Plant Guide

Version for printing, without lines and other text on this page: html (4 pages), pdf Clickbook booklet (1 double-sided page), or Large Type pdf Clickbook booklet (2 double-sided pages). (See printing instructions for an explanation of these options)
The mileages for the Lomas Trail portion are all within 0.03 miles of a GPS measurement of the trail, which is close enough that no adjustment has been made. Typical errors should be 0.01-0.03 miles. The GPS length of this portion of the trail was 0.47 miles.
The mileages for the Monument Hill Road portion have not yet been rectified.

Mile S # id? Common Name Latin Name #here #all
0.00 Begin S. Lomas Trail at jct with north end of Adobe Loop Trail, heading north; elevation 1840 feet (560 m)
0.00 r 1 coast live oak Quercus agrifolia var. agrifolia 3 / 2 42
0.00 r (Jepson's blue wildrye, Elymus glaucus ssp. jepsonii)
0.00 b 2 *wild oats Avena fatua 99 / 9 26
0.00 b 3 *Italian rye-grass Lolium multiflorum 10 / 1 18
0.00 r 4 *foxtail barley Hordeum murinum ssp. leporinum 10 / 1 16
0.00 b 5 *ripgut brome Bromus diandrus 99 / 9 52
0.00 l 6 *nit grass Gastridium ventricosum 99 / 9 26
0.00 b 7 *shortpod mustard Hirschfeldia incana 99 / 9 51
0.00 b 8 California everlasting Gnaphalium californicum 20 / 9 43
0.00 r 9 *prickly sow thistle Sonchus asper ssp. asper 5 / 5 30
0.00 r 10 *sow thistle Sonchus oleraceus 20 / 4 42
0.00 b 11 *smooth cat's ear Hypochaeris glabra 99 / 9 35
0.00 b 12 *soft chess Bromus hordeaceus 99 / 9 40
0.00 r 13 *red brome Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens 30 / 3 53
0.00 b 14 *prickly lettuce Lactuca serriola 10 / 3 42
0.00 l 15 purple needlegrass Nassella pulchra 99 / 9 20
0.00 b 16 *short-fruited filaree Erodium brachycarpum 99 / 9 14
0.00 l 17 ~ *windmill pink Silene gallica 50 / 5 33
0.00 r 18 *bull thistle Cirsium vulgare 2 / 2 20
0.00 l 19 purple clarkia Clarkia purpurea ssp. quadrivulnera 99 / 9 26
0.00 b 20 horseweed Conyza canadensis 10 / 4 37
0.00 b 21 Spanish clover Lotus purshianus var. purshianus 99 / 9 31
0.00 l 22 vinegar weed Trichostema lanceolatum 50 / 9 15
0.00 l 23 western ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya 20 / 3 37
0.00 Sign: "Trail (ahead)"
0.00 l (blue elderberry, Sambucus mexicana)
0.00 Trail curves left
0.00 r (laurel sumac, Malosma laurina)
0.01 r 24 white everlasting Gnaphalium canescens ssp. microcephalum 20 / 3 36
0.01 b 25 *olive Olea europaea 1 / 1 10
0.01 r 26 Vasey's prickly-pear Opuntia vaseyi 2 / 2 24
0.01 l 27 common bedstraw Galium aparine 20 / 3 38
0.01 l 28 California poppy Eschscholzia californica 1 / 1 29
0.01 b 29 fragrant everlasting Gnaphalium canescens ssp. beneolens 10 / 3 23
0.01 r 30 hollyleaf redberry Rhamnus ilicifolia 1 / 1 43
0.01 r 31 toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia 1 / 1 44
0.02 Trail jogs right and heads uphill over Bedford Canyon Formation.
0.03 b 32 California buckwheat Eriogonum fasciculatum var. foliolosum 5 / 1 51
0.03 Trail turns left 90°
0.03 r 33 graceful tarplant Holocarpha virgata ssp. elongata 99 / 9 15
0.03 b 34 *narrowleaf filago Filago gallica 99 / 9 45
0.03 r 35 *scarlet pimpernel Anagallis arvensis 20 / 3 33
0.04 b 36 *little horseweed Conyza bonariensis 1 / 1 16
0.05 r 37 *goldentop Lamarckia aurea 20 / 1 22
0.05 r 38 *tocalote Centaurea melitensis 20 / 2 45
0.05 r 39 dove weed Eremocarpus setigerus 99 / 9 25
0.05 r 40 California sagebrush Artemisia californica 2 / 2 47
0.06 b 41 California-aster Lessingia filaginifolia var. filaginifolia 5 / 2 51
0.06 b 42 *California burclover Medicago polymorpha 99 / 9 40
0.06 (California bee plant, Scrophularia californica ssp. floribunda)
0.06 r Metal fence post.
0.06 43 *white-stemmed filaree Erodium moschatum / 20
0.07 b 44 *long-beaked filaree Erodium botrys 99 / 9 12
0.07 r (bush monkeyflower, Mimulus aurantiacus)
0.07 r 45 long-stemmed buckwheat Eriogonum elongatum var. elongatum 4 / 2 28
0.07 l Jct. alt trail from Adobes; stay right.
0.08 l 46 western vervain Verbena lasiostachys var. lasiostachys 1 / 1 10
0.08 r Metal fence post.
0.08 r 47 California brickellbush Brickellia californica 1 / 1 28
0.08 r 48 bush monkeyflower Mimulus aurantiacus 1 / 1 42
0.10 b 49 nodding needlegrass Nassella cernua 99 / 9 17
0.10 r 50 Indian milkweed Asclepias eriocarpa 5 / 3 18
0.10 r (blue dicks, Dichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum)
0.12 l Metal fence post.
0.14 r (San Diego wreathplant, Stephanomeria diegensis; bicolored everlasting, Gnaphalium bicolor; Engelmann oak, Quercus engelmannii; poison oak, Toxicodendron diversilobum; coast-range melic, Melica imperfecta; California four o'clock, Mirabilis californica)
0.15 r Jct. use trail
0.16 r Check for sharp-toothed sanicle, Sanicula arguta
0.16 r 51 checkerbloom Sidalcea malviflora ssp. sparsifolia 20 / 9 25
0.16 b 52 johnny jump-up Viola pedunculata 10 / 9 16
0.16 r 53 blue dicks Dichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum 3 / 3 46
0.16 l Metal fence post.
0.18 r Sign: "Area Closed"
0.19 r 54 dwarf lupine Lupinus bicolor 5 / 1 30
0.21 c 55 *weak blue grass Poa infirma 99 / 9 7
0.21 l 56 *curly dock Rumex crispus 1 / 1 23
0.21 Cross saddle between two hills
0.22 b 57 *rattail fescue Vulpia myuros var. myuros 99 / 2 20
0.23 r Rolled up barbed wire
0.25 l Metal fence post; view of 200 inch telescope dome on Palomar Mountain at 3 o'clock
0.28 r Metal fence post (gone in 2006)
0.31 r 58 southern California morning-glory Calystegia macrostegia ssp. arida⁺ 1 / 1 11
0.31 l Metal fence post.
0.32 Local high point on trail
0.35 Minor local low point on trail
0.38 Local high point on trail
0.39 Minor local low point on trail
0.40 r 59 telegraph weed Heterotheca grandiflora 2 / 2 37
0.44 r 60 laurel sumac Malosma laurina 1 / 1 42
0.44 Jct. Monument Hill Road; elevation ~1955 feet (595 m); turn left on it
0.46 l 61 white-flowering currant Ribes indecorum 1 / 1 23
0.46 l 62 southern miner's lettuce Claytonia perfoliata ssp. mexicana 10 / 2 29
0.46 l 63 Engelmann oak Quercus engelmannii 1 / 1 23
0.49 l 64 blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium bellum 1 / 1 20
0.51 Road curves left
0.56 Poppy Hill dead ahead; road curves right
0.63 l 65 *knotweed Polygonum arenastrum 5 / 1 21
0.64 b Enter first fairly pristine area, dominated by native needlegrass, Nassella sp., not wild oats, Avena sp.
0.67 c 66 *Bermuda grass Cynodon dactylon 5 / 1 32
0.69 Jct. Ranch Road; jog left on it and take trail to Trans Preserve Trail
0.70 r Sign: "To Trans Preserve Trail 0.3 mi (ahead)"
0.73 r 67 elk thistle Cirsium scariosum 1 / 1 12
0.79 Jct. Trans Preserve Trail; end this guide

Comments On Specific Species

Calystegia macrostegia ssp. arida. About half the plants at the SRP appear to be ssp. arida, with the other half split between sspp. "intermedia" and "tenuifolia". It has long troubled me to be finding three subspecies in the small area of the SRP. Worse, the classification of a given plant has changed with time, which was extremely puzzling.
These difficulties were resolved when I found clear evidence that subspecies "intermedia" and "tenuifolia" are bogus. Hence I assign all the SRP plants to ssp. arida.

Number of Trails Containing A Taxon	Number Of Taxa On This Trail	% of Taxa On This Trail
1-5	0	0%
6-10	3	4%
11-15	6	9%
16-20	11	16%
21-25	9	13%
26-30	9	13%
31-35	5	7%
36-40	7	10%
41-45	10	15%
46-50	2	3%
51-55	5	7%
Total Taxa	67	100%

Visit Date	Visit #	# taxa	# "sp"	# "~"	# "ssp"
1/4/2003	1	33	1	8	1
7/9/2005	2	59	1	6	1
9/12/2005	3	57	1	3	1
9/12/2005	3	62	1	4	1
2/23/2006	4	64	0	3	1
4/21/2006	5	67	0	1	0

Mile	S	#	id?	Common Name	Latin Name	#here	#all
0.00				Begin S. Lomas Trail at jct with north end of Adobe Loop Trail, heading north; elevation 1840 feet (560 m)
0.00	r	1		coast live oak	Quercus agrifolia var. agrifolia	3 / 2	42
0.00	r			(Jepson's blue wildrye, Elymus glaucus ssp. jepsonii)
0.00	b	2		*wild oats	Avena fatua	99 / 9	26
0.00	b	3		*Italian rye-grass	Lolium multiflorum	10 / 1	18
0.00	r	4		*foxtail barley	Hordeum murinum ssp. leporinum	10 / 1	16
0.00	b	5		*ripgut brome	Bromus diandrus	99 / 9	52
0.00	l	6		*nit grass	Gastridium ventricosum	99 / 9	26
0.00	b	7		*shortpod mustard	Hirschfeldia incana	99 / 9	51
0.00	b	8		California everlasting	Gnaphalium californicum	20 / 9	43
0.00	r	9		*prickly sow thistle	Sonchus asper ssp. asper	5 / 5	30
0.00	r	10		*sow thistle	Sonchus oleraceus	20 / 4	42
0.00	b	11		*smooth cat's ear	Hypochaeris glabra	99 / 9	35
0.00	b	12		*soft chess	Bromus hordeaceus	99 / 9	40
0.00	r	13		*red brome	Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens	30 / 3	53
0.00	b	14		*prickly lettuce	Lactuca serriola	10 / 3	42
0.00	l	15		purple needlegrass	Nassella pulchra	99 / 9	20
0.00	b	16		*short-fruited filaree	Erodium brachycarpum	99 / 9	14
0.00	l	17	~	*windmill pink	Silene gallica	50 / 5	33
0.00	r	18		*bull thistle	Cirsium vulgare	2 / 2	20
0.00	l	19		purple clarkia	Clarkia purpurea ssp. quadrivulnera	99 / 9	26
0.00	b	20		horseweed	Conyza canadensis	10 / 4	37
0.00	b	21		Spanish clover	Lotus purshianus var. purshianus	99 / 9	31
0.00	l	22		vinegar weed	Trichostema lanceolatum	50 / 9	15
0.00	l	23		western ragweed	Ambrosia psilostachya	20 / 3	37
0.00				Sign: "Trail (ahead)"
0.00	l			(blue elderberry, Sambucus mexicana)
0.00				Trail curves left
0.00	r			(laurel sumac, Malosma laurina)
0.01	r	24		white everlasting	Gnaphalium canescens ssp. microcephalum	20 / 3	36
0.01	b	25		*olive	Olea europaea	1 / 1	10
0.01	r	26		Vasey's prickly-pear	Opuntia vaseyi	2 / 2	24
0.01	l	27		common bedstraw	Galium aparine	20 / 3	38
0.01	l	28		California poppy	Eschscholzia californica	1 / 1	29
0.01	b	29		fragrant everlasting	Gnaphalium canescens ssp. beneolens	10 / 3	23
0.01	r	30		hollyleaf redberry	Rhamnus ilicifolia	1 / 1	43
0.01	r	31		toyon	Heteromeles arbutifolia	1 / 1	44
0.02				Trail jogs right and heads uphill over Bedford Canyon Formation.
0.03	b	32		California buckwheat	Eriogonum fasciculatum var. foliolosum	5 / 1	51
0.03				Trail turns left 90°
0.03	r	33		graceful tarplant	Holocarpha virgata ssp. elongata	99 / 9	15
0.03	b	34		*narrowleaf filago	Filago gallica	99 / 9	45
0.03	r	35		*scarlet pimpernel	Anagallis arvensis	20 / 3	33
0.04	b	36		*little horseweed	Conyza bonariensis	1 / 1	16
0.05	r	37		*goldentop	Lamarckia aurea	20 / 1	22
0.05	r	38		*tocalote	Centaurea melitensis	20 / 2	45
0.05	r	39		dove weed	Eremocarpus setigerus	99 / 9	25
0.05	r	40		California sagebrush	Artemisia californica	2 / 2	47
0.06	b	41		California-aster	Lessingia filaginifolia var. filaginifolia	5 / 2	51
0.06	b	42		*California burclover	Medicago polymorpha	99 / 9	40
0.06				(California bee plant, Scrophularia californica ssp. floribunda)
0.06	r			Metal fence post.
0.06		43		*white-stemmed filaree	Erodium moschatum	/	20
0.07	b	44		*long-beaked filaree	Erodium botrys	99 / 9	12
0.07	r			(bush monkeyflower, Mimulus aurantiacus)
0.07	r	45		long-stemmed buckwheat	Eriogonum elongatum var. elongatum	4 / 2	28
0.07	l			Jct. alt trail from Adobes; stay right.
0.08	l	46		western vervain	Verbena lasiostachys var. lasiostachys	1 / 1	10
0.08	r			Metal fence post.
0.08	r	47		California brickellbush	Brickellia californica	1 / 1	28
0.08	r	48		bush monkeyflower	Mimulus aurantiacus	1 / 1	42
0.10	b	49		nodding needlegrass	Nassella cernua	99 / 9	17
0.10	r	50		Indian milkweed	Asclepias eriocarpa	5 / 3	18
0.10	r			(blue dicks, Dichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum)
0.12	l			Metal fence post.
0.14	r			(San Diego wreathplant, Stephanomeria diegensis; bicolored everlasting, Gnaphalium bicolor; Engelmann oak, Quercus engelmannii; poison oak, Toxicodendron diversilobum; coast-range melic, Melica imperfecta; California four o'clock, Mirabilis californica)
0.15	r			Jct. use trail
0.16	r			Check for sharp-toothed sanicle, Sanicula arguta
0.16	r	51		checkerbloom	Sidalcea malviflora ssp. sparsifolia	20 / 9	25
0.16	b	52		johnny jump-up	Viola pedunculata	10 / 9	16
0.16	r	53		blue dicks	Dichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum	3 / 3	46
0.16	l			Metal fence post.
0.18	r			Sign: "Area Closed"
0.19	r	54		dwarf lupine	Lupinus bicolor	5 / 1	30
0.21	c	55		*weak blue grass	Poa infirma	99 / 9	7
0.21	l	56		*curly dock	Rumex crispus	1 / 1	23
0.21				Cross saddle between two hills
0.22	b	57		*rattail fescue	Vulpia myuros var. myuros	99 / 2	20
0.23	r			Rolled up barbed wire
0.25	l			Metal fence post; view of 200 inch telescope dome on Palomar Mountain at 3 o'clock
0.28	r			Metal fence post (gone in 2006)
0.31	r	58		southern California morning-glory	Calystegia macrostegia ssp. arida⁺	1 / 1	11
0.31	l			Metal fence post.
0.32				Local high point on trail
0.35				Minor local low point on trail
0.38				Local high point on trail
0.39				Minor local low point on trail
0.40	r	59		telegraph weed	Heterotheca grandiflora	2 / 2	37
0.44	r	60		laurel sumac	Malosma laurina	1 / 1	42
0.44				Jct. Monument Hill Road; elevation ~1955 feet (595 m); turn left on it
0.46	l	61		white-flowering currant	Ribes indecorum	1 / 1	23
0.46	l	62		southern miner's lettuce	Claytonia perfoliata ssp. mexicana	10 / 2	29
0.46	l	63		Engelmann oak	Quercus engelmannii	1 / 1	23
0.49	l	64		blue-eyed grass	Sisyrinchium bellum	1 / 1	20
0.51				Road curves left
0.56				Poppy Hill dead ahead; road curves right
0.63	l	65		*knotweed	Polygonum arenastrum	5 / 1	21
0.64	b			Enter first fairly pristine area, dominated by native needlegrass, Nassella sp., not wild oats, Avena sp.
0.67	c	66		*Bermuda grass	Cynodon dactylon	5 / 1	32
0.69				Jct. Ranch Road; jog left on it and take trail to Trans Preserve Trail
0.70	r			Sign: "To Trans Preserve Trail 0.3 mi (ahead)"
0.73	r	67		elk thistle	Cirsium scariosum	1 / 1	12
0.79				Jct. Trans Preserve Trail; end this guide

Go to:

Plant Trail Guides For The Santa Rosa Plateau
Field Guide to the Santa Rosa Plateau: Plants

Copyright © 2004-2006 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/srp/plants/guides/s_lomas.html
Comments and feedback: Tom Chester
Updated 23 April 2006.