Cassandra Odulio
Date: April 11, 2019
Location: Ring Mountain,
37.910330, -122.485807
Habitats seen: serpentine grasslands
Weather: windy, cloudy
Matt and I played portable chess on the drive to this upscale neighborhood, so we weren’t paying attention and it was startling to arrive and see all the mansions around us. The hike started just past the edge of the neighborhood, where the beautiful hills of serpentine grasslands began. It was extremely windy, which agitated Matt’s allergies, and he was sneezing and sniffling the entire time. Good thing I had two packs of tissues in my backpack!
We saw a surprising amount of different plants, and the interesting natives can usually be found in rocky areas, where the grasses can’t take over. If you see an empty rocky patch of serpentine rocks, usually you can find some good flowers there.
Minuartia douglasii – Douglas’ sandwort
This herbaceous plant is in the Caryophyllaceae family. It is a small plant with thin stems. The flower has five striped white petals, and the leaves are thin and small, like needles. The stamens are long, coming out of a yellowish-green center.
Calystegia purpurata – Smooth Western morning glory
This herbaceous plant is in the Convolvulaceae family. It grows like a vine, and the leaves are spade-shaped. The flowers are funnel-shaped with five white fused petals and five stamens. Before the flower has bloomed all the way, the petals are pinkish, but when it’s bloomed and white, there are still some visible traces of pink. Interestingly, the seeds are psychedelic.
Achillea millefolium – Common yarrow
This herbaceous plant is in the Asteraceae family, although its compound inflorescences might look at first like Apiaceae. It has little white flowers and interesting lacy compound leaves that come off of the main stem and are almost cylindrical. In antiquity, yarrow was known as herbal militaris, for its use in staunching the flow of blood from wounds. Native Americans had many uses for the plant, including pain relief, fever reduction, and blood issues of all kinds.