Fish Canyon Falls Plants - May 28, 2011

See Fish Canyon Falls Hike Description at Dan's Hiking Pages

See Fish Canyon Trail Plant Guide (April 2011) (PDF)

See Plants and Wildflowers in the San Gabriel Mountains at Dan's Hiking Pages

This year I’ve had a strong focus on plants and helping others learn about plants. I find that knowing about the flora that graces my hiking environs greatly enhances my outdoor experience.

Fish Canyon has served me well over the years as a convenient venue for learning about plants. Its two miles of trail hosts a wide variety of plants in its riparian (streamside) and chaparral plants communities. And since it is so close to home, I have been able to hike it a lot over the years and observe the behavior of plants throughout the seasons of the year.

Last September 25, I observed Fish Canyon at the beginning of fall. This year I experienced it in the dead of winter (Jan. 29), the first of spring (March 19), and mid (April 16) and later spring (May 28). It’s been fun to watch the cycle of life.

A primary goal for this hike is to photograph every plant species in bloom along the trail. I think I was pretty close to accomplishing the task, although it is likely that I missed some. Since I was the first hiker on the trail, my pace was pretty fast to stay ahead of the crowd. I did not attempt to capture gallery-quality photos but to simply record the blooms. I was able to give more time to photographing plants on the way back.

Here are some select plants, and except for the buckwheat, none of these duplicate any of the plants from the Fish Canyon Trial Plant Guide (April 2011).


Indian pink (Silene laciniata) Carnation (or Pink) family (Caryophyllaceae)
Native / Perennial herb / Blooms May to August.


Scarlet larkspur (Delphinium cardinale) / Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae)
Native / Perennial herb / Blooms May to July.


Castor bean (Ricinus communis) / Spurg family (Euphorbiaceane)
Non-Native / Shrub / Blooms most of year.


Canyon dudleya or Liveforever (Dudleya cymosa) / Stonecrop family (Crassulaceae)
Native / Perennial herb / Blooms May to July.


Canyon dudleya or Liveforever (Dudleya cymosa) / Stonecrop family (Crassulaceae)
Native / Perennial herb / Blooms May to July. Note that the primary difference between canyon dudleya and lanceleaf dudleya is the shape of the leaves.


Lanceleaf dudleya or Liveforever (Dudleya lanceolata) / Stonecrop Family (Crassulaceae)
Native / Perennial herb / Blooms May-July.


Lanceleaf dudleya (Dudleya lanceolata) leaves.


Prickly-pear cactus (Opuntia littoralis) / Cactus family (Cactaceae)
Native / Shrubby, succulent / Blooms May to July.


Western thistle (Cirsium occidentale) / Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Native / Biennial herb / Blooms April to July


Globe gilia (Gilia capitata) / Phlox family (Polemoniaceae)
Native / Annual herb / Blooms April-July.


Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) / Rose Family (Rosaceae)
Native / Shrub / Blooms May-July.


Narrowleaf Bedstraw (Galium angustifolium) / Madder Family (Rubiaceae)
Native / Perennial herb / Blooms March-September.


Narrowleaf Bedstraw (Galium angustifolium) / Madder Family (Rubiaceae)
Native / Perennial herb / Blooms March-September.


California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) / Polygonaceae (Buckwheat family)
Native / Perennial shrub / Blooms March to November.


Himalayan blackberry (Rubus discolor) / Rose family (Rosaceae)
Non-native (invasive) / Perennial herb / Blooms May to August.


Himalayan blackberry (Rubus discolor) is an invasive non-native, not to be confused with California blackberry (Rubus ursinus), which is native with rounded stems, and small, straight prickles, in contrast to the Himalayan, which has five-angled stems and heavier, angled prickles.


Fairy lantern or Globe lily (Calochortus albus) / Lily family (Liliaceae)
Native / Perennial herb / Blooms April to June.


White sage (Salvia apiana) / Mint family (Lamiaceae)
Native / Shrub / Blooms March to July.


Southern honeysuckle (Lonicera subspicata) / Honeysuckle Family (Caprifoliaceae)
Native, vining shrub / Blooms April to June.

Other plants I saw blooming in Fish Canyon are listed below in the approximate order in which I photographed them. The asterisk (*) indicates that the plant is featured in my Fish Canyon Trial Plant Guide (April 2011).

Spanish broom* Golden yarrow* Elegant clarkia* Mustard* Milkweed* Common sunflower* Deerweed Botta’s clarkia* Tree tobacco* Cliff aster Western wallflower*

Everlasting Golden stars* Vinca* Oleander Yucca Eupatory Matilija poppy* Purple nightshade Common yarrow* Bush monkeyflower*

See Fish Canyon Falls Hike Description at Dan's Hiking Pages

See Fish Canyon Trail Plant Guide (April 2011) (PDF)

See Plants and Wildflowers in the San Gabriel Mountains at Dan's Hiking Pages

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