Southern California Mountains Wildflowers presents 380 plant species of the diverse southern California Mountains, including dominant species and plants most likely noticed. With information about distinguishing less common species from those that are more widespread, this guide is sure to please botanists and more serious plant enthusiasts. Including many of the rare plants that make each mountain range unique, especially those endemic to the Big Bear region, a world-famous “biodiversity hotspot,” this is a must-have for any wildflower lover. Look inside to find: Detailed yet user-friendly descriptions and full-color photos of 380 wildflowers, trees, shrubs, and ferns Information on flowering season and interesting facts about each plant Natural history information for southern California mountains, including geography, geology, and climate Discussion of plant adaptations to higher elevations Information on conservation and threats to mountain plants Early botanical explorers of southern California mountains How native mountain plants were used by Native Americans Plants arranged by color and family A glossary of botanical terms

This volume is a guide to the flora of California's Santa Ana River, describing 900 plant species, accompanied by 3,200 images and illustrations, and serves as an introduction to basic botanical concepts.

The Santa Cruz Mountains, an area covering almost 1,400 square miles from San Francisco southward to the Monterey County line, are a part of the Coast Range of Central California. The Mountains and the adjacent lowlands have a rich vascular flora, and about 1,800 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and hybrids of ferns, conifers, and flowering plants, distributed among 168 families, have been reported from the region. This comprehensive flora, the first of the area, is designed for use by both the serious beginner and the trained botanist. The flora is illustrated by 250 line drawing and ten photographs. In addition, there is a map of the Santa Cruz Mountains area and a stratigraphic profile of the rock formations. The stratigraphic profile and a section on geology have been contributed by Dr. Earl E. Brabb of the United States Geological Survey. Distributional notes, keys to families, genera, and species, pertinent synonymy, a glossary of technical terms, an index of place names, and common0name and scientific-name indexes form the body of the text. The Introduction contains a description of the geography of the Santa Cruz Mountains and adjacent lowlands, seconds on the geology and climate, a brief discussion and analysis of the vegetation and floristic affinities of the area, and a history of past botanical collecting. A selected list of references has been appended to allow the interested individual to pursue his studies further.

Abstract: Southern California’s Santa Ana Mountains are a coastal range surrounded by a metro area of 18 million people. The vascular flora of these mountains is relatively well-studied, but gaps in our knowledge remain. Limited access to Ladd Canyon has made it a botanical black hole relative to the rest of the Santa Anas. The canyon covers 18.2 km2 in the Cleveland National Forest. It is dominated by chaparral and coastal sage scrub and includes significant knobcone pine (Pinus attenuata Lemmon) stands and riparian woodland. Features that make it an intriguing area to study include the only serpentine soil in the Santa Ana Mountains, large tracts of habitat that have no recorded fire history, steep topography that one observer has suggested funnels moist marine air through the canyon, and relatively low human impacts. To help close the gap in our knowledge of this area, I collected 692 voucher specimens over 79 field trips from 2020 to 2022 and produced a vascular plant checklist of 324 taxa, including the rare plants Lepechinia cardiophylla Epling (California Rare Plant Rank 1B.2), Calochortus weedii Alph. Wood var. intermedius Ownbey (1B.2), and Monardella hypoleuca A. Gray subsp. intermedia A.C. Sanders & Elvin (1B.3) and several watchlist taxa. To investigate the effects of abiotic and human factors on the Ladd Canyon flora, I have made use of my own recorded weather data and data from Southern California Edison, compared the occurrence of edge-of-range taxa in the area with the mountains as a whole, and compared the presence of annual and naturalized taxa with the Santa Ana Mountains as a whole and with the San Mateo Canyon Wilderness Area in the southern part of the mountain range. Weather data and edge-of-range taxa do not support increase influence of moist coastal air compared with the rest of the mountains. A relatively low proportion of annual taxa suggests an effect of long fire intervals on the canyon’s flora. A relatively low proportion of naturalized taxa suggests a difference in the flora because of lower human use and long fire intervals.