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| Linanthus killipii |
Botanists should really love all groups of plants, but
sometimes, like many things in life, you cant help but love certain groups more
than others. For me, Linanthus has
always been a plant group that I have loved. The majority of Linanthus species are small annuals,
sometimes referred to as “belly plants” because you have to lay down flat on
your belly to observe them as they are so small. I’ve also always loved the genus
Linanthus because many of them are
very ephemeral, meaning they are only around and in flower for a very short
time per year, sometime just a few weeks, and the conditions have to be just
right or they may not appear at all, so when you do come across them in the
wild the experience can be very special.
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| Linanthus killipii, the magenta colored variety. |
The first Linanthus
species I was introduced to was Linanthus
killipii. I was a Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
intern at the time and I was out with Naomi Fraga doing plant surveys along the
Pacific Crest Trail in the San Bernardino Mountains
when we came across this species. It was so small that it took me a few moments
to see what Naomi had found. Standing at only a few centimeters tall they can
be quite easy to miss! Linanthus killipii
is commonly known as the “Baldwin Lake linanthus” as the majority of populations are
found around Baldwin Lake in the San Bernardino
Mountains. While the flowers are almost always white, there have
been a few populations found that are rose/magenta color, which we are still
unsure of what is happening there. A common garden study will hopefully be done
here at RSABG in the future to try and determine why they sometimes appear as a
different color. This was the first Linanthus
species I saw in the field and to date is still one of my favorites. In fact if
I had to give a top five favorites list of all plant species Linanthus killipii would be on the list.
It still brings a large smile to my face everytime I come across this species
in the field.
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| Linanthus bernardinus |
In the Spring of 2010 I was given permission by the
Wildlands Conservancy to enter and document plants in the Sawtooth Mountains
just outside of Pioneertown, a mountain range I had wanted to explore for some
time because it looked so rugged and unique, but had been closed to the public
for many years for restoration purposes due to a large fire that had occurred
across the area. On my first trip into the Sawtooth Mountains
I came across a curious little Linanthus
species that I did not recognize. Later that day while wraching my brain on which one it could be I
would remember that Naomi Fraga had mentioned that there was a potentially
undescribed Linanthus species on the
east side of the San Bernardino Mountains, but I had assumed she had meant
somewhere higher up in elevation, but sure enough, after I sent Naomi a few
photos, she confirmed that I had found the undescribed Linanthus that she had found in the herbarium under an incorrect
identification. Over the next few years I explored the entire area and assisted
in the description of this Linanthus
species which we named Linanthus
bernardinus, common name Pioneertown linanthus as it is only found around
Pioneertown. Linanthus bernardinus is
actually a very narrow endemic, meaning that it is only found geographically
over a very small area, in this case only in the Sawtooth Mountains which are
only around 10 square miles in area. I always make sure to do at least one hike
in the Sawtooth Mountains every spring just to visit
this little guy.
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| Linanthus bellus |
In southeastern San
Diego county there is a cute little Linanthus species appropriately named
“desert beauty”, or Linanthus bellus
that I got to work with one season while doing a CNPS project. Its stems are
narrow and wiry so the flowers often look like brightly colored little floating
cups. When found, it usually grows in small localized population in open flat
areas among the desert chaparral in the greater McCain Valley
area. Unfortunately the majority of habitat where it occurs in McCain Valley
is being developed into a large scale wind farm so if you would like to see
this showy little belly plant you should do so soon.
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| Linanthus maculatus subsp. "emaculatus" |
One of the most recent Linanthus species I’ve had a chance to make an acquaintance with is
an undescibed, or soon to be described, Linanthus
that will be called Linanthus maculatus
subsp. “emaculatus”, its common name
will be the "immaculate linanthus" as it is spotless, and also may
possibly be known as the Dos Cabezas linanthus as it is only found in a single wash
beside a geographic location called Dos Cabezas. Doing field work on this plant
was rather hard as it is so small and difficult to find. During most field
surveys one can look around and take in the scenery, but this plant is very
tiny and blends in with its environment so when I did field work on this one I
had to walk around for days staring straight at the ground in front of me so I
would not walk past them. Literally a pain in the neck, but well worth it to
find such an amazing little plant. This is another narrow endemic, only found
in a single wash on the east side of the Jacumba Mountains,
its entire habitat occurrence area is just 1 or 2 square miles. That’s a narrow
endemic! At first we were worried as the only known occurrence was from a
section of this wash that was being developed into a large scale wind farm, but
after I conducted field surveys I found that they occurred across the county
line as well in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, which conservation wise is
a relief, as they will have at least some form of protection within the State
Park. Being such a narrow endemic we will have to keep our eyes on this one in
the coming years to make sure that its habitat is not heavily altered, because
it would be sad to see such a tiny unique plant erased from the world.
At the beginning of every field season I look forward
to my first encounters with species in the Genus Linanthus in the wild as I never know if it will be a species I
have not seen before, an old friend, or potentially one that could be new to
science. They are a unique and special group, and one most enjoyed by laying
out flat on your belly while exploring their tiny little world.
