SCA Trail: 37.832143, -122.482281
On Thursday, we hiked part of the SCA Trail. This area was significant because it contained many of the plants we had seen over the course of the semester. This area seemed to be Central CA Coastal/Montane Chapparal, as it had many shrubs and small trees. It was found at a fairly low elevation, and the canopy was intermittent with some oak species scattered throughout. Although this outing was quite stressful due to the field quiz, I really enjoyed it. It was a gorgeous day!
Lupinus bicolor (Lupine)
L. bicolor is a small annual or perennial herb. It is native to California, and its distribution is confined to western North America. It has tends to have 5 to 7 leaflets, which are linear and more or less glabrous. Its flowers are 4 to 10 millimeters in length and are deeply lobed. They can be blue, pink, or white, with white age spots and pointed ends.
This particular specimen was light blue. It was found at the top of a large hill adjacent to the Golden Gate Bridge with serpentine rock nearby.
Nemophila menziesii (Baby blue eyes)
N. menziesii is an annual herb (and a dicot) that is native to California. This species was very photogenic, with opposite, ovate leaves. The flowers are lobed and tend to be 6 to 40 millimeters wide. They can be bright blue (with white centers) to white, and blue-veined along the length of each petal. The filaments within the flower are tubed-shaped and the black anthers can be seen in stark contrast to the light-colored flower. We did not observe any seeds, however, when they are present, they are wrinkled and brown to black in color. This particular specimen was found on a hillside in full sunlight.
Drymocallis glandulosa (Sticky cinquefoil)
D. glandulosa is also a perennial herb native to California. Its stems are lined with hairs (especially at the base). The flowers are in parts of five, with 5 white petals surrounding a cluster of yellow anthers. This particular specimen was missing 2 of its five petals (for some reason I did not take pictures of intact specimens). It was found on a hillside in full sunlight.