These seedlings were observed in the morning along Hwy S-2 on the way to Mine Canyon. E. botrys is on the right (I think)
Kangaroo rat cache, cotyledons of Brassica tournefortii
Drainage aside Little Blair Valley Road 1.6 mi. in from S2 turnoff, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, San Diego County, California, USA
Voucher taken with permit.
High 50 cm.
Leaf, long 15 cm, wide 4 mm, rolled in.
Ligule 4 mm, with long hairs up to 12 mm.
Infl. 21 cm.
Glumes 18 and 16 mm, incl awn, purple striped, keeled.
1 Floret.
Awn 10 - 13 cm.
Lemma body smooth.
Lemma / palea 4,4 mm / 1,5 mm.
Palea 2-veined.
Comparison of Stipellula capensis (labeled SC in the first pix) with Bromus rubens (BR). B. rubens has much shorter awns. S. capensis is distinctive even as a small plant, more slender and elongated.
These plants were among the 60 Stipa capensis removed from the same area that we weeded exactly a week ago. We were astounded at how quickly those plants had grown. We definitely would have seen most of these 60 plants a week ago if they were anything near the size they were on this trip.
We knew, from weeding out very small plants a week ago, that there would be more plants visible a week later. But we were shocked at how many there were. Given how much space these plants took up in my bag, I have revised my estimate of how many plants we weeded out last time, from ~300 to "500 to 1,000 plants". It could in fact have been more. These 60 plants had to be only a small fraction of what we weeded out last time, way less than 10%.
See:
Plant Species of the Borrego Desert: Poaceae:
Stipa capensis (= Stipellula capensis), spear needlegrass
Only one plant seen at this location, which was 70 m (240 feet) due south of the main population. See:
Plant Species of the Borrego Desert: Poaceae:
Stipa capensis (= Stipellula capensis), spear needlegrass
Note how much more robust the Stipa is compared to the surrounding Bromus rubens plants in the first pix.
See:
Plant Species of the Borrego Desert: Poaceae:
Stipa capensis (= Stipellula capensis), spear needlegrass
Desert Floor Area NE of Borrego Palm Canyon Campground, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, San Diego County, California, USA
2.5 miles up Morris Ranch Road off SR74, San Jacinto Mountains, Riverside County, California, USA
Desert floor east of Hoberg Trailhead, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, San Diego County, California, USA
Steele/Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center (area near the building), Borrego Springs, San Diego County, California, USA
Steele/Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center (area near the building), Borrego Springs, San Diego County, California, USA
We were able to find these plants only because @efmer had found them previously. This was a major discovery in a difficult location, and it is amazing that they found them at all.
we followed up this ID https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/71670482
but actually the exudate looks more yellow
PCT North of Warner Springs. There were hundreds of plants of M. clevelandii in the four miles north of Warner Springs, with just four total plants of M. covillei.