| Fraxinus parryi | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Oleaceae |
| Genus: | Fraxinus |
| Species: | F. parryi |
| Binomial name | |
| Fraxinus parryi Moran, 2001 | |
Fraxinus parryi, known by common names chaparral ash, crucecilla, and fresnillo, is a species of ash native to southwestern North America, growing as a shrub or a small tree. [2]
Generally growing as a shrub to a tree, the plant has smooth, gray bark. The twigs are cylindric to 4-angled. The buds are glandular-puberulent. The plant bears simple or compound glabrous leaves with 1 to 3 unequal leaflets, with this unevenness especially pronounced in the terminal leaflet, which are shaped attenuate-petiolate. It bears flowers with two petals that are 4.5 to 6.5 mm long. The flowers are bisexual, cream-white. The fruits are 2.2 to 3 cm long, 7 to 9 mm wide, with a body broadly oblong to oblanceolate, flat, and broadly winged to near the base. [3]
The chaparral ash was first described by Reid Moran in a 2001 publication of Aliso. It was described as a consequence over confusion about the species of ash common to northwestern Baja California. [4]
Initially, the ash species native to northwestern B.C. was described as Fraxinus dipetala var. trifoliolata, by John Torrey. Torrey himself was uncertain if this represented a distinct species or an extreme form of F. dipetala, as he was working off of a specimen collected in 1850 by Charles C. Parry. [5]
George B. Sudworth (1908) and Paul C. Standley (1924) both listed the shrub as F. dipetala trifoliolata, [6] [7] whilst Elbert L. Little (1953) considered it variety trifoliolata, [8] and E. Murray (1985) made it subspecies trifoliolata. [9] Gertrude N. Miller (1955) and Little (1979) later called it a synonym of F. dipetala. [10] [11] Edward A. Goldman (1916) misidentified it as Fraxinus attenuata . [12]
Harlan Lewis and Carl Epling noted the significant morphological differences between F. dipetala and this plant, with Ira L. Wiggins (1964 and 1980) also treating this ash as its own species. However, Lewis and Epling, along with those who regarded this ash as a new species, like Wiggins, described it as F. trifoliata, a misspelling of trifoliolata. [13] [14] This, in turn, would make it F. trifoliolata, which is a homonym of an already existing species of Chinese ash, F. trifoliolata W. W. Smith (1916), native to Sichuan and Yunnan provinces in China. [15]
In response to the confusion over the taxonomic classification of the ash, Moran described it as Fraxinus parryi, in honor of the collector C. C. Parry. [4]
The classification of Fraxinus by Eva Wallander in 2008 regards this species as a synonym of F. dipetala, the California ash. [16] However, the Jepson treatment and regional sources like the San Diego Natural History Museum consider F. parryi to have enough qualifying morphological characteristics to be a separate species, noting that more molecular work will be needed to differentiate the two. [2] [3]
Native to southwestern North America, the chaparral ash is predominantly extant in northwestern Baja California, with a small population north of the border in the United States. In Baja California, it grows on the western side of the peninsula, from the border to the southern end of the Sierra San Pedro Martir. [2] It extends far south enough that it grows with some desert flora, like the Boojum tree, Fouquiera columnaris, and the cardon, Pachycereus pringlei. In the north, it shares habitat with redshanks, Adenostoma sparsifolium, and the California juniper, Juniperus californica. [4] The species' northern extent is in southern San Diego County, in Lyons Valley and Lawson Valley, where it is rare and threatened, with the California Native Plant Society designating it with a California Rare Plant Rank of 2B.2 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA; common elsewhere). [17]
Fraxinus, commonly called ash, is a genus of plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae, and comprises 45–65 species of usually medium-to-large trees, most of which are deciduous trees, although some subtropical species are evergreen trees. The genus is widespread throughout much of Europe, Asia, and North America.
Bergerocactus emoryi is a species of cactus, known commonly as the golden-spined cereus, golden snake cactus, velvet cactus or golden club cactus. It is a relatively small cactus, but it can form dense thickets or colonies, with the dense yellow spines giving off a velvety appearance when backlit by the sun. From April to May, yellow, green-tinged flowers emerge, which transform into reddish, globular fruit. This species is native to the California Floristic Province, and is found in northwestern Baja California and a small part of California, in San Diego County and on the southern Channel Islands. Where the Mediterranean climate of the California Floristic Province collides with the subtropical Sonoran Desert near El Rosario, hybrids with two other species of cacti are found. It is the sole member of the monotypic genus Bergerocactus, named after German botanist Alwin Berger.
Coastal sage scrub, also known as coastal scrub, CSS, or soft chaparral, is a low scrubland plant community of the California coastal sage and chaparral subecoregion, found in coastal California and northwestern coastal Baja California. It is within the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.
Fraxinus mandshurica, the Manchurian ash, is a species of Fraxinus native to northeastern Asia in northern China, Korea, Japan and southeastern Russia.
Eriodictyon crassifolium, or thickleaf yerba santa, is a shrub in the borage family. "Crassifolium" means "thick leaf." The plant has thick, wooly leaves. It is native to California and Baja California.
Fraxinus dipetala, the California ash or two-petal ash, is a species of ash native to southwestern North America in the United States in northwestern Arizona, California, southern Nevada, and Utah, and in Mexico in northern Baja California. It grows at altitudes of 100–1,300 m.
Fraxinus velutina, the velvet ash, Arizona ash or Modesto ash, is a species of Fraxinus native to southwestern North America, in the United States from southern California east to Texas, and in Mexico from northern Baja California east to Coahuila and Nuevo León.
Ornithostaphylos is a monotypic plant genus which contains the single species Ornithostaphylos oppositifolia, commonly known as the Baja California birdbush or Baja California manzanita. A large, evergreen shrub in the heather family, this species is near-endemic to northwestern Baja California, with a small population just north of the border in San Ysidro, California. It produces a much-branched inflorescence of white, urn-shaped flowers, and has leathery leaves that appear opposite or in whorls. These characteristics separate it from its close relatives in the region, which include manzanitas (Arctostaphylos), summer holly (Comarostaphylis) and mission manzanita (Xylococcus).
Cneoridium is a monotypic genus in the citrus family which contains the single species Cneoridium dumosum, commonly known as bushrue or coast spice bush. As a perennial, evergreen shrub, Cneoridium is native to the coast of southern California and Baja California, thriving in hot, dry conditions. This plant is characterized by a distinctive citrusy aroma and small, white flowers that appear from winter to spring. The flowers eventually become round berries that resemble a miniature version of the common citrus.
Jepsonia parryi is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family known by the common names coast jepsonia and Parry's jepsonia. It is a small geophytic plant that flowers briefly during fall, and often only has a single leaf that may appear above the ground after or during flowering. It is native to the coast and inland hills chaparral of southern California and Baja California.
Lepechinia cardiophylla is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names Santa Ana pitcher sage and heart-leaved pitcher sage. A broad-leaved fragrant shrub, it has distinct pitcher-shaped flowers. It is native to the Peninsular Ranges and found in the Santa Ana Mountains of Southern California, a few locations in San Diego County, and some of the coastal mountains of northern Baja California. Few populations of the plant are known and many of them are located in areas that are threatened by development and other human activity.
Pachycormus is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the cashew family commonly known as the Baja elephant tree, torote blanco, or copalquín. The single species Pachycormus discolor is endemic to the Baja California peninsula, with three varieties. This sarcocaulescent tree or shrub is characterized by its unique gnarled growth habit, skin-like exfoliating bark, and succulent nature, whose appearance has been colorfully described as "the proboscis of an elephant holding a nosegay," a "huge radish protruding from the ground," or "grotesque resemblances of the flexed limbs of a corpulent human being." This drought-deciduous species spends most of the year dormant, but following rains pinnate green leaves emerge, and in the late spring to summer the leaves yellow, fall, and give way to bright red, cream, or pink flowers that give it a striking appearance in bloom.
Salvia brandegeei is a perennial evergreen shrub in the mint family known by the common names Santa Rosa Island sage or Brandegee's sage. It is a fragrant plant characterized by lavender flowers and dark green leaves. For many years, it was thought to be native only to Santa Rosa Island, one of the Channel Islands of California, until it was discovered along the coast of Baja California. It is threatened by development and mining along the mainland portions of its range, but otherwise has a stable population on Santa Rosa Island.
Eriodictyon parryi or poodle-dog bush is a tall California mountain shrub with showy purple flowers, which is notable for secreting a severe skin irritant. It is an opportunistic species that grows mostly in areas that have been disturbed by fire. In a dry early spring in Southern California, its semi-dormant leaves can droop and curl into coils like locks of curly hair, hence the popular name based on the metaphor of a poodle's natural hair.
Salvia munzii is a semi-evergreen perennial species of sage known by the common name Munz's sage or San Miguel Mountain sage. It is native to northern Baja California, Mexico, and it can be found in a few locations just north of the border in San Diego County, California, where it is particularly rare. It is characterized by small leaves and clear blue flowers. It is a member of the coastal sage scrub and chaparral plant communities.
Ericameria parishii, or Parish's rabbitbrush, is a western North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae.
Aesculus parryi, known as the Parry buckeye or Baja California buckeye, is a species of shrub or small tree in the genus Aesculus. It is native to Mexico, specifically northwest Baja California.
Lepechinia hastata is a rare species of perennial shrub in the mint family commonly known as the Cape pitcher sage or Baja pitcher sage. Lepechinia hastata is an aromatic shrub characterized by large, arrowhead-shaped leaves and attractive purple to magenta flowers. In the wild, it is known from the forested mountains of the Sierra de la Laguna in Baja California Sur and the volcanic Socorro Island in the Pacific Ocean, both part of Mexico. The plants of Socorro Island are their own subspecies, and differ in their white flowers and wooly, grayer foliage.
Gambelia juncea is a species of flowering shrub in the plantain family commonly known as the Baja California bush snapdragon or Baja bush snapdragon. Gambelia juncea is a highly variable woody perennial to 1 m (3.3 ft) characterized by long, arching, reed-like stems and showy, bright red, two-lipped tubular flowers. Native to the Baja California peninsula and coastal Sonora, this species is widespread in the region across numerous habitats and has several varieties. It was formerly placed in the primarily South American genus Galvezia, but taxonomic studies have supported the reclassification of the two North American species into Gambelia. This species, with a number of cultivars, is widely used as an ornamental shrub for xeriscaping, erosion control, native plant gardens, and wildlife gardens.
