FOREST ROAD 2N15 FROM SR39 TO CHAMISAL MESA AND BEYOND
SAN GABRIEL MOUNTAINS

APRIL 2013
PAGE ONE
Photographs by Michael Charters




Just before leaving for Paris, I was informed about a field trip in the San Gabriels which sounded interesting, and I joined a small group to check out a location I had never been to before. It was Forest Road 2N15 off the 39 highway north of Azusa, leading to a small grassy area called Chamisal Mesa. This road is also called Pigeon Ridge and is about 4 miles north of where the West Fork road goes off to Cogswell Dam. The elevation there is approximately 3000'-3500', and there was a surprising number of species in bloom along the road. I didn't have my Jepson Manual with me, so wasn't able to work out what some of the things were, but as has been my custom in the past, when I returned from Paris I went back twice on my own to do some follow-up photography and try to pin down some uncertain identifications. I have decided to concentrate almost exclusively on the San Gabriels for the next several years, and try to develop a better knowledge of the flora there since it is in a manner of speaking my back yard. Identifications shown here are in a few cases based on what taxa have been collected at this elevation in this area. The symbol ^ is for a species I had never seen before, and an asterisk is for a non-native taxon. Thanks to Tom Chester, Tommy Stoughton, and Hartmut Wisch for help with some identifications.


   
Clustered broomrape
Orobanche fasciculata
Orobanchaceae


 
Small-flowered meconella, Smallflower fairypoppy
Meconella denticulata
Papaveraceae


 
Common phacelia
Phacelia distans
Boraginaceae

 
 
 
Purple nightshade
Solanum xanti
Solanaceae


   
Silver senna *^
Senna artemisioides
Fabaceae
[Native to Australia]
 



 
 
 
Fringe-pod
Thysanocarpus curvipes
Brassicaceae
 
 
 
 



 
 
 
Martin's paintbrush
Castilleja applegatei ssp. martinii
Orobanchaceae




 
Oriental mustard *
Sisymbrium orientale
Brassicaceae
   
California polypody
Polypodium californicum
Polypodiaceae
     


 
Prickly phlox
Linanthus californicus
Polemoniaceae


 
 
Baby blue eyes
Nemophila menziesii var. menziesii
Boraginaceae
 
Canyon sweet pea, Pacific pea
Lathyrus vestitus
Fabaceae
Wild cucumber, Chilicothe
Marah macrocarpa
Cucurbitaceae
   


PHOTO GALLERIES
INDEX
CALFLORA.NET PAGE TWO
OF SIX
CALIFORNIA PLANT NAMES: LATIN AND GREEK MEANINGS AND DERIVATIONS

Copyright © 2013 by Michael L. Charters.
The photographs contained on these web pages may not be reproduced without the express consent of the author.

Comments and/or questions may be addressed to: mmlcharters[at]gmail.com.