Calochortus tiburonensis photo by Mary Aline Stevens

MARIN CHAPTER
CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY

Dedicated To The Preservation of California Native Flora
follow Marin CNPS on facebook MEETINGS ~ FIELD TRIPS ~ WILDFLOWER REPORTS
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES~ LINKS
NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE ~ Current newsletter (May 2013)
Join (or renew your membership in) the California Native Plant Society
Email Marin CNPS
Upcoming Marin CNPS Events
Chapter Meetings
  Monday, May 13 "A New Meadowfoam Subspecies" by guest speaker Eva Buxton
State CNPS Board and Chapter Council Quarterly Meeting
  June 1 and 2 Walker Creek Ranch
Nursery Work Days
  Tuesday (1–3pm) April 30
  Thursday (11am-1pm) April 25
Third Thursday Weeders
   Thursday May 16 Point Reyes National Seashore
Field Trips
  Saturday, May 18 Abbott’s Lagoon with Carolyn Longstreth
  Saturday, May 25 Worn Spring Grassland Rare Plant Treasure Hunt
  Thursday, May 30 Looking at Grasses on Mt. Tam with Ashley Ratcliffe
  Marin County Open Space District Naturalist Outings with David Herlocker
more Volunteer Opportunities in Marin County
Rare Plant Monitoring with Doreen Smith
Doreen Smith is leading an ongoing mostly week-day rare plant monitoring group for the Marin Chapter CNPS. This will be a low-key effort checking on known and new populations of sensitive species on short hikes and mapping them by GPS. Many, but not all trips will be on Pt. Reyes.
No previous knowledge of rare plants is necessary; we will usually concentrate on only one species at a time.
Prospective new participants who are members of any CNPS Chapter are welcomed but need to
contact Doreen first by e-mail (dlsmith@lvha.net) or telephone (415 479 7888).
Marin Plants of the month by Doreen Smith:
Cerastium viride,
spring snow or western field mouse-ear chickweed(!)
Cerastium viride photo by Doreen Smith
"This plant, previously known as Cerastium arvense var. maximum, has recently been recognized as an uncommon coastal species from Northern California into Oregon. It has twice the number of chromosomes and bigger flowers than the more inland native chickweed, Cerastium arvense ssp. strictum.

"Plants are perennial, with almost-succulent opposite, entire, sessile green leaves forming mats which can be covered with the showy 5-petalled white flowers looking almost like a dusting of snow on the vegetation. In Marin fine examples can be seen in spring along the cliffs south of Tomales on Highway 1 and on the Chimney Rock Peninsula, Pt. Reyes National Seashore."
Clarkia purpurea ssp. purpurea, a locally rare species.
Clarkia purpurea ssp. purpurea photo by Doreen Smith "According to Howell's Marin Flora 2 we have three subspecies of Clarkia purpurea, the most uncommon of which is the ssp. purpurea. In a good year the large Godetia-type flowers can be seen along the western part of Alexander Avenue, Sausalito, growing roadside in the cherty soil. They also grow along the fire-road to Kirby Cove near the Golden Gate Bridge overlook. Most years, however, plants are small and few and far between. There are records of this species occurring on Tomales Point, Pt. Reyes National Seashore but I've not ever seen them there."

For more information about and photographs of California native plants,
visit Calflora, CalPhotos. or USDA PLANTS
Mount Tamalpais Bioblitz
The Marin Municipal Water District is pleased to partner with the California Academy of Sciences to conduct the second in a series of bioblitzes on the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed. A “bioblitz” is a focused, citizen science survey that captures the biodiversity of plants in a defined area. Participants will visit distinctive and beautiful sites on the watershed to photograph and collect plants for the Academy’s research collections. Last year, our citizen scientists made nearly 700 written observations, recorded data on over 300 plant species, and collected about 200 specimens.
We are optimistic that 2013 will provide us with another great year of Bioblitzes, but we need your help to make our dreams become a reality. We have been working to select new sites near the Sky Oaks Ranger Station in Fairfax-sites with diverse plant assemblages, interesting weeds, and epic views. We are seeking people who have an interest in botany, photography, and/or data collection.
The following are the dates and times for all scheduled events for the Bioblitz season:
Saturday, March 9th 9:00am-4:00pm
Friday, April 12th 9:00am-4:00pm
Saturday, May 4th 9:00am-4:00pm
Saturday, June 8th 9:00am-4:00pm
For more information and details please contact Jaimie Baxter, 415.945.1169 or email
Favorite Marin Plant Walks - Mountain Home to West Point
a Native Plant Identification website under construction by Bruce Homer-Smith and Marin CNPS. Please try it out.
Doreen Smith's Rare Plant Report 2012
2012 supplement to Marin Flora 2007
Joe Kohn Memorial Scholarships 2013-2014 Academic Year
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.
At least one $500 undergraduate scholarship and one $1,000 graduate scholarship will be 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 April 1, 2013.
Awards will be announced at the May, 2013, meeting of the Marin Chapter CNPS.
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.
Marin CNPS Photo Gallery
Marin State and Federally Listed Rare, Threatened, or Endangered Plants
Common Bay Area Spring Wildflowers
Common Bay Area Shrubs
Summer Wildflowers of Abbotts Lagoon area
Spring Wildflowers of Abbotts Lagoon area
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
Wildflower reports from Marin County
Trillium ovatum photo by James Sprague February 24, 2013
James Sprague reports: "Trilliums are emerging from the soil in the shade of the redwoods, on the Bootjack Trail out of Muir Woods. Saw them first on Wednesday February 20th and again yesterday on the 23rd."

Trillium ovatum - click on image for full photo
For more information about and photographs of California native plants,
visit Calflora, CalPhotos. or USDA PLANTS
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
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.
2012 supplement to Marin Flora 2007

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
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:
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other
WEB
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 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