Oriflamme Canyon 1 (2012)
Wayne's Word Index Noteworthy Plants Trivia Lemnaceae Biology 101 Botany Scenic Wildflowers Trains Spiders & Insects Search
 Favorites   Anza-Borrego   SD & Riverside   Witch Creek Fire   California   Special   Santa Rosa Plateau   Brodiaea   Joshua Tree   Marine & Carrion   Parasitic 
Mason Valley & Oriflamme Canyon
San Diego County, California   © W.P. Armstrong 30 January 2012
Mason Valley Area

Mason Valley Cholla (Cylindropuntia fosbergii)

Two species of jumping cholla. A. Cylindropuntia fosbergii. B. C. bigelovii. Cylindropuntia fosbergii is taller and more branched than C. bigelovii. It was once classified as a hybrid between C. bigelovii and C. echinocarpa. In some older references it is listed as Opuntia bigelovii var. hoffmannii. It is listed as C. x fosbergii in the Jepson Manual 2nd Edition (2012). Both species have densely spiny stem segments that are easily detached into your shoes or body appendages. The flowers have green filaments and the fruits are spineless. The stem spines of C. fosbergii have a slight pinkish tinge, hence the name "pink teddy bear cholla."

Mason Valley cholla. It is also called pink teddy-bear cholla because of the dense, pink-tinged spines.

  Images Of Cylindropuntia Species In San Diego County (1)  
Images Of Cylindropuntia Species In San Diego County (2)

Desert Mistletoe (Phoradendron californicum) on Acacia greggii

A. Female Phoradendron californicum with bright red, one-seeded berries. B. Male plant with masses of sweet-scented, yellow flowers attracting numerous honey bees. Host plant: Cat's claw acacia (Acacia greggii).

Close-up view of unisexual male flower and buds of Phoradendron californicum. The 3 dehiscent anthers in opened flower have already shed pollen. There is no evidence of an ovary in the flower.

Male flower of Phoradendron californicum with perianth lobes removed. The 3 dehiscent anthers have already shed pollen. Flower appears to be truly unisexual with only male anthers and no evidence of a female ovary.

  More Images Of Phoradendron californicum  

Entering Mouth of Oriflamme Canyon

Phoradendron serotinum ssp. macrophyllum on Western Sycamore

  More Images Of Mistletoe On Platanus racemosa  

Maxon's Silverback Fern (Pentagramma triangularis ssp. maxonii)

Liverworts (A) and rock ferns in shady, moist soil at the base of a boulder. B. Beady lip fern (Cheilanthes covillei). C. Maxon's silverback fern (Pentagramma triangularis ssp. maxonii). Sparse, widely-scattered glands on upper surface of leaf were white, rather than the characteristic yellow for this species.

A. Magnified view of upper (adaxial) surface of Maxon's silverback fern (Pentagramma triangularis ssp. maxonii) showing several stalked, yellowish glands (white arrow). The glands are minute, only 50 micrometers in diameter. An average cubical grain of table salt (NaCl) is approximately 300 micrometers on one side.

B. Underside of a pinna showing numerous, yellowish-white glands (appearing like minute granules) and many sporangia, each with a reddish, segmented annulus.

A. Magnified view of upper (adaxial) surface of Maxon's silverback fern (Pentagramma triangularis ssp. maxonii) showing minute yellowish glands and a cubical grain of ordinary table salt that is 0.3 mm (300 µm) on a side. A stack of 6 glands is approximately equal to the length of one side of the salt grain; therefore, each gland is approximately 0.05 mm (50 µm) in diameter.

  Size Of Grain Of Table Salt Used In Wayne's Word Images  

Magnified view of upper (adaxial) surface of Maxon's silverback fern (Pentagramma triangularis ssp. maxonii) showing 2 stalked glands. One average gland is 50 micrometers in diameter, roughly the size of some unicellular algae and fungal spores. It is actually similar in size to a human squamous epithelial cheek cell! See the following table of cell sizes. Image taken with a Sony W-300 digital camera mounted on an Olympus compound laboratory grade microscope. Magnification 200x.

  See Wayne's Word Table Of Cell Sizes  

Desert Prickly-Pear (Opuntia phaeacantha)

Areoles on the pinkish fruit have developed into cactus pads.

Rattlesnake Spurge (Chamaesyce melandenia)

Wooly Indian Painbrush (Castilleja foliolosa)

Return To WAYNE'S WORD Home Page
Return To NOTEWORTHY PLANTS Page
Go To Biology GEE WHIZ TRIVIA Page
Go To The LEMNACEAE ON-LINE Page