PlantWorld: San Benito County Geophytes

Allium crispum

In mid-May I set off for a day of wildflowering south of San Francisco. My destination was Panoche Road, a few miles to the northeast of Pinnacles National Monument, in San Benito County. It was prime geophyte season and I was looking forward to seeing what species were in bloom.

Panoche Road is about 2.5 hours south of San Francisco, reached via Hollister, a sleepy agricultural town south of San Jose. The day started off with threatening clouds and scattered light rain. Funny thing that rain. We had rain almost every weekend in May, which is a little unusual compared to the recent 3-4 years. The road runs through large ranches with the greatest diversity of flowers found all along the roadsides in the hilly sections.

Bloomeria crocea

My first stop yielded Allium crispum, Delphinium spp., Collinsia heterophylla by the thousands, Lupinus microcarpus var. densiflorus in heavy patches right up against the road, Castilleja subinclausa, the stupendous Clarkia breweri, Triteleia laxa, Dichelostemma capitatum, and Lomatium spp.

The local land use was mainly ranching but the road was nestled in hills so the flora diversity remained high. I honestly didn't see many cattle. There were stupendous displays of Calochortus luteus and C. venustus going up rocky Quercus-studded hillsides, out of reach behind a fence and No Trespassing sign.

Clarkia breweri

As I continued south on Panoche Rd I continued seeing Calochortus luteus, heavy in some places, along with large populations of Eriogonum fasciculatum. There was a small area where scattered plants of Castilleja exserta grew, exhibiting a robustness and size of growth I'd never seen before in this species. Brodiaea were out and I even encountered the uncommon Bloomeria crocea, growing at the base of a single-lane roadcut. Around this point Clarkia unguiculata really started making a robust showing right alongside the road. For many miles there were scattered colonies of Calochortus venustus, some with many flowering individuals close togther. Other species encountered were Cirsium occidentale, Penstemon heterophyllus, Ephedra sp., Castilleja spp., Lupinus spp., Delphinium spp.

The rain ended my day a few hours earlier than I'd wanted. The drive back always seems to take less time than the drive down and before I realized it, 2.5 hours was past and I was back navigating city streets in San Francisco.