Calochortus tiburonensis photo by Mary Aline Stevens

MARIN CHAPTER
CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY

Dedicated To The Preservation of California Native Flora


MEETINGS ~ FIELD TRIPS ~ VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES ~ NEWSLETTERS
PLANT LISTS ~ WILDFLOWER REPORTS ~ LINKS ~ January-February newsletter
Join (or renew your membership in) the California Native Plant Society
Sign up to receive Marin CNPS eNews
Email:
Email Marin CNPS
Joe Kohn Memorial Scholarships
The Marin Chapter of the California Native Plant Society is offering scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students doing research on plant systematics, plant ecology, plant physiology, plant community restoration or other related botanical studies of native plants that grow in habitats in Marin County or other local habitats in Central and Northern California. Students researching topics related to native plant and native habitat conservation are especially encouraged to apply.
One $500 undergraduate scholarship and one $1,000 graduate scholarship are available. Evaluation of student applications will focus on the stated purpose of the research, experimental design, and overall impression of the research project. Extra consideration will be given to proposals for work on one or more species that grow in Marin County, work to be carried out in Marin County, and work having special potential for improving conservation of California native plants or educating the public about them.
Applications must be postmarked by March 25, 2012.
Awards will be announced during California Native Plant Week, April 15-21, 2012.
Joe Kohn was a past president of Marin CNPS who was equally dedicated to the two main goals of the society. He took advantage of every possible opportunity to learn more about California native plants and was equally insistent that all of us should take advantage of every opportunity to defend them from all threats. These scholarships were made possible by a generous bequest from his estate.
Upcoming Marin CNPS Events
Chapter Meetings
Monday, February 13 Vernon and Doreen Smith - "Native Plants of Walker Ridge and Bear Valley, Colusa County"
Monday, March 12 Dick O'Donnell - "Modoc County"
Monday, April 9 John Baston - "Alaskan Wildflowers"
Field Trips
Sunday, February 12 Dabney Smith - "From Mount Tam to the Stagecoach"
Growing Natives
Tuesdays, February 7, 21
Thursdays, February 2, 16
Saturdays, February 11, 25
Devils' Gulch Forget-me-not eradication
Thursday, February 9
Saturday, February 18
others' events:
Marin County Open Space District Naturalist Outings with David Herlocker
Marin Plant of the month by Doreen Smith
Lomatium dasycarpum ssp. dasycarpum
hog fennel or biscuit root:
Lomatium dasycarpum ssp. dasycarpum Photo by Vernon Smith Lomatium dasycarpum ssp. dasycarpum Photo by Vernon Smith In Marin this is a very common early wildflower that we may take for granted as it seems to grow just about anywhere . It can be found mostly in rocky areas of native grassland - such as on the S. end of the Chimney Rock peninsula and on the Tiburon peninsula serpentines.
Photos by Vernon Smith click on images for full photos
This specimen was photographed Jan 11th, 2012 on the igneous dacite rocks above San Andreas Drive Open Space trailhead on Mt. Burdell, Novato.
However if you study different plants from different areas of the County there is lot of variation from the "typical" forma as pictured above that has very hairy petals and, later in the year, round hairy fruits. There are individual plants with hairless petals and only slightly hairy fruits that seem to approach Lomatium macrocarpum, or even Lomatium utriculatum, even when there are no individuals of those taxa nearby.

For more information about and photographs of California native plants,
visit Calflora, CalPhotos. or USDA PLANTS

Wildflower reports from Marin County

Trillium ovatum photo by James Sprague February 2, 2012 James Sprague reports: "Trilliums starting to bloom on the Ben Johnson Trail in Muir Woods"

Dirca occidentalis photo by Aaron Arthur February 2, 2012 Aaron Arthur reports: "Thought you may like to know that we located one blooming western leatherwood (Dirca occidentalis) on the Devils’ Gulch fire road near the border between Samuel P. Taylor SP and GGNRA on January 29, 2012. Your group doing forget-me-not removal next week may like to take a detour to see it. By the way, the forget-me-not was not in bloom, and few were near bolting, but may be up by the time y’all get out there."

Scoliopus bigelovii photo by Jane Huber February 2, 2012 Jane Huber reports: "Hiked near Phoenix Lake yesterday.
Good displays of milkmaids on many trails. Saw just one fetid adder's tongue (Scoliopus bigelovii) on Getrude Orr Trail. Some hound's tongue and shooting stars on Yolanda Trail between Phoenix Lake Fire Road and Six Points.
Buckeyes are beginning to leaf out."

Iris macrosiphon photo by Peter Denisevich Scoliopus bigelovii photo by Peter Denisevich January 31, 2012 Peter Denisevich reports: "A lone Iris macrosiphon has ventured forth on the Sunnyside Trail at Bon Tempe Lake, MMWD and the recent rain has brought out the Scoliopus bigelovii in Cascade Canyon, MCOSD."

Iris macrosiphon, Scoliopus bigelovii - click on images for full photo

Cardamine californica photo by John Conley January 13, 2012 John Conley submits the first wildflower report of the year illustrated by a photograph of Cardamine californica blooming in Steep Ravine on Mt. Tamalpais. "There were a few Milkmaids in full bloom this morning, and a few Smith's Fairy Bells, but most of the plants that are usually in bloom in Steep Ravine at this time of the year were nowhere to be seen. We really need some rain."

Report (email us) your Marin native plant sightings and photographs
Gardening with Native Plants in the San Francisco Bay Area
Native Plants that Attract Birds
Sowing Wildflowers in Your Garden
Is That Plant Really Native? Genetic Considerations for Conservation, Restoration and Horticulture by Dr. Paul G. da Silva
Growing Natives
It's time to start propagating plants for our annual spring fundraising sale, and we’re all set up to grow! Facilities have been built, including a comfortable shady work area. We’re equipped with all the necessary tools, and we have 10 cubic yards of soil at our disposal.
Here is the schedule of upcoming work days and times:
Tuesdays, 1–3 p.m. February 7 and 21
Thursdays, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. February 2 and 16
Saturdays, 10 a.m.–noon February 11 and 25
It’s not necessary to confirm. Come to Green Point Nursery, 275 Olive Ave. at the corner of Atherton Ave. in Novato.
No need to bring anything; we have gloves and tools on hand. Our work space is covered, so only a heavy rain or high winds cancel the workday. Do let me know if you have native plants that can be divided, or seedlings to pot along.
I’m looking forward to sharing in the abundant joys of plant propagation!
—Charlotte Torgovitsky torgovitsky@comcast.net, (415) 892-9148

Devils' Gulch Forget-me-not eradication
Nancy Hanson has scheduled two dates for CNPS volunteers to return to Devil's Gulch in Samuel P. Taylor State Park. We'll be pulling Forget-me-nots again this year, mostly the seedlings from last year's plants on Bill's Trail and the trail to Stairstep Falls.
Thursday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 18 Both days start at Devil's Gulch Parking area on Sir Francis Drake Blvd. at 9:45 and end around 2pm. Be prompt as we will caravan up the side gulch through a locked gate to the trail head. You will need gloves, water and lunch. This is easy work, but meticulous and there is poison oak in some spots so wear protective clothing. Be prepared to walk a magical woodland trail, fairly level, for as much as a mile and a half each way. There is an amazing variety of lovely native plants to admire and save on this trail. No need to confirm, just show up.

Third Thursday Weeders
- a collaboration of the Marin chapter of CNPS and the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin
Third Thursday Weeders removing iceplant at Pt. Reyes Next workday:
January 19, 9:30-1:30
Join the Third Thursday Weeders to spend a day at beautiful Point Reyes and help tackle invasive weeds that threaten important plant habitat in the Point Reyes National Seashore.
The group meets on the Third Thursday of each month at locations arranged with Seashore staff. In spring and summer of 2012, we hand-pulled small iceplant seedlings at a gorgeous location on the Outer Point, and dug up European beachgrass at Abbott’s Lagoon. Not only did we enjoy fun days of comraderie in the great outdoors at Point Reyes, we made a significant contribution to improving habitat for native species!
Our next work party will take place on Thursday, January 19. Send an email to Ellen Hamingson at Ellen_Hamingson@nps.gov to be notified of the time and place to meet. Tentatively, we are planning to weed around the edges of the Point Reyes Lighthouse Parking Lot, an area which supports numerous species of unusual native plants. Ehrharta grass and other invasives are trying to displace these species so the area needs our attention!
Bring plenty of water, lunch and snacks, warm and wind-stopping layers, sturdy shoes, and work clothes. No shorts or open-toed shoes. The Park provides tools and gloves.
more Volunteer Opportunities
The new edition of John Thomas Howell's classic 1949
Marin Flora is co-authored by Wilma Follette, Catherine Best and Frank Almeda, Senior Curator of Botany at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, and is a joint project of the Marin Chapter of the CNPS and the Academy of Sciences. This updated edition has added 416 line drawings to assist in keying species, new well-tested dichotomous keys, and color photos of plant communities in Marin. There are new maps along with satellite images of Marin County. As much as possible has been preserved of Howell's original plant descriptions that have long delighted botanists as well as his insights and poetic observations. Hard and soft cover books will be available for purchase at chapter meetings or you can Order Marin Flora from the Marin Chapter CNPS. Marin Chapter members have contributed many hours of volunteer labor andexpertise; work was carried out at the Academy where plant specimens are retained. Publication was made possible by Tom Howell's generous remembrance of the chapter in his will when he died in 1994.
Cover illustration: "Mt. Tamalpais from Corte Madera Creek" by Tom Killion © 2004
California's Wild Gardens showcases the splendid abundance of California's native plants in their natural settings - from foggy rain forests and rolling grasslands to high alpine meadows and parched deserts. The book offers a close-up look at more than one hundred special sites in the state, highlighting their distinctive ecology, the rare and unique plants found in them, and some of their more familiar botanical treasures. With its spectacular color photographs and lively writing by some of California's best biologists and ecologists, California's Wild Gardens is the perfect introduction to the state's remarkable botanical diversity. Like the best travel guides, it will inspire its readers to further explore California's natural heritage. In addition to illuminating California's botanical bounty, this book discusses threats facing the state's flora and describes protection efforts now under way.
Find this and more at the Pickleweed Press Website
CNPS Grass and Wildflower Posters
Plant Communities of Marin by David Shuford and Irene C. Timossi
Marin CNPS Photo Gallery
Marin State and Federally Listed Rare, Threatened, or Endangered Plants
Common Bay Area Spring Wildflowers
Common Bay Area Shrubs
Arctostaphylos species of Marin County
Orobanche species of Marin County
Some Native Orchids of Marin County
Delphinium bakeri pictures and article
Plant Communities of Marin County
Lost Plants of Marin by Doreen Smith
Invasive Alert - Lepidium latifolium - Pt. Reyes staff have been finding scattered new populations of Perennial Pepperweed in Tomales Bay and would greatly appreciate reports of any plants seen around Tomales Bay. Please contact Ecologist Lorraine Parsons at Lorraine_Parsons@nps.gov. with information as to the location (as precise as possible), size, and life stage (flowering, fruiting, etc).
Lepidium latifolium description and photos
Junior Botanists Program
E-mail questions or comments to Marin CNPS 		Calochortus tiburonensis photo by Mary Aline Stevens



Our logo is the Tiburon Mariposa Lily
(Calochortus tiburonensis). This extremely rare lily can be seen blooming from the end of May through mid-June among the serpentine rocks of Ring Mountain in Marin County, California. In fact, this is the only place in the world it has ever been found growing in the wild. It was first noticed by botanists in 1971 when the small patch of land on which it lives passed from private into public hands. The plant is now in cultivation and can be seen in botanic gardens.
Try your hand at identifying the parts of this flower:
or
View more photographs of this lily in its native habitat
or
Visit the College of Marin's "To See A World Project" to learn more about Ring Mountain

The California Native Plant Society
is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of California native plants and their natural habitats, and to increasing the understanding, appreciation, and horticultural use of native plants. It seeks to accomplish these goals in a number of ways, through: The work of the Society is carried out primarily by the volunteer efforts of the members of CNPS chapters throughout the state. Money at the State level is provided by the dues of members. Local chapters raise money through plant sales and poster and book sales. The California Native Plant Society has 9,000 members statewide. The Marin Chapter, which was founded in 1973, has approximately 500 members.

Chapter Websites:
L
I
N
K
S
 ...to
other
WEB
sites
 PHOTOGRAPHS AND WILDFLOWER IDENTIFICATION AIDS:
  • CalPhotos UC Berkeley Digital Library Photo Collection consists of 63,460 images of California plants (native and naturalized) and habitats. You can search for plants by name, location (there are 1734 plant images taken in Marin County), or type and color.
  • USDA PLANTS Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories.
  • California Academy of Sciences: California Wildflower Search
  • Ron Parson's Flowershots Photographs of Orchids and other Wildflowers as well as lots of links to orchid sites and sites of general botanical interest
  • Reny Parker's Wildflowers An image gallery of wildflower, native plant, and landscape photographs. Currently over 1,750 images identified to 78 plant families.
  • Dpn Bain's Virtual Guidebook to Marin and the North Bay Counties (and loads of other spots spanning western North America): Scroll through 360-degree panoramas, each seamlessly stitched together from 12 still photographs. They even tell you how to create your own. Definitely entertaining if you have QuickTime software already installed or want to download it.
WILDFLOWER REPORTS:
CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY:
Join (or renew your membership in) the California Native Plant Society

The Marin Chapter of the California Native Plant Society thanks Geology Professor Jim Locke and the College of Marin for hosting our Web Pages.

e-mail Marin CNPS
webster Mary Aline Stevens