| TORREY PINES STATE NATURAL RESERVE APRIL AND NOVEMBER 2004 PAGE ONE |
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Torrey Pines is not a place that I have botanized extensively or frequently and my visits there were many years ago when I was less familiar with flora in general and I wasn't doing photo galleries. At this late date of November 2021 I have decided to do a photo gallery for those visits anyway. I intend to make several trips there in the coming year because there are a lot of species that I haven't seen. Although the Reserve is located within the limits of the city of San Diego, the 2,000 acres of its maritime chaparral, coastal sage scrub, coastal strand, and salt marsh comprise one of the wildest stretches of land on the coast of Southern California, and include unspoiled beaches and a lagoon that is vital to migrating seabirds. The Reserve website includes this information: "A natural reserve status is assigned to an area of importance, and typically is one that contains threatened plants, animals, habitats, or unique geological formations. As such, a reserve is a protected area targeted for conservation and carries with it restrictions that are not found in parks. Of the 279 units in the California State Park system, only 14 have reserve status and Torrey Pines is one of them." Over the years since 1899 the Reserve has grown from a small protected area to its current expanse, and has become a favored destination for many. The photographs displayed in this gallery were taken on several visits in April/May and November of 2004 and a few from the previous fall. What I found very useful when I was there were the Torrey Pines State Reserve plant list which was compiled by the Torrey Pines Docent Council and the Department of Parks and Recreation, and Bob Muns' Flora of Torrey Pines. |
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Climbing milkweed Funastrum cynanchoides var. hartwegii Apocynaceae [Named for Karl Theodor Hartweg, 1812-1871] |
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| Picture on right shows what has been referred to as witch's broom or gorilla's nest, an affliction which sometimes affects Torrey pines and other trees, and is an unusually dense cluster of needles. Wikipedia says: "Witch's broom or gorilla's nest is a deformity in a woody plant, typically a tree, where the natural structure of the plant is changed. A dense mass of shoots grows from a single point, with the resulting structure resembling a broom or a bird's nest. It is sometimes caused by pathogens." |
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Blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium bellum Iridaceae |
Onionweed * Asphodelus fistulosus Asphodelaceae |
Golden stars Bloomeria crocea var. crocea Themidaceae [Named for Hiram Green Bloomer, 1819-1874] |
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Violet snapdragon Antirrhinum nuttallianum ssp. nuttallianum Plantaginaceae [Named for Thomas Nuttall, 1786-1859] |
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| Yarrow Achillea millefolium Asteraceae |
Stinging lupine Lupinus hirsutissimus Fabaceae |
| PHOTO GALLERIES INDEX |
CALFLORA.NET | PAGE TWO OF FIVE |
| CALIFORNIA PLANT NAMES: LATIN AND GREEK MEANINGS AND DERIVATIONS | ||
| VIRGINIA PLANT NAMES: LATIN AND GREEK MEANINGS AND DERIVATIONS | ||
Copyright @ 2021 by Michael L. Charters
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