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Field Guide

Floristic List for Black Mountain, Imperial County

This is a preliminary floristic list for the Black Mountian area (33° 06' 39"N, 114° 50' 50"W; elev. approx. 200 m) of east-central Imperial County, California, northeast of Ogliby Road and east of Hwy 78. The area is composed mostly of steep slopes, rolling hills, and rocky flats, all with volcanic substrates like rhyolite and basalt that are broken up by sandy arroyos. The rocky slopes are dominated by Opuntia bigelovii, O. acanthocarpa, Encelia farinosa, and Fouquieria splendens; while the flats are mostly Larrea tridentata, Opuntia basilaris, Krameria grayi, and Tiquilia canescens. The arroyos are dominated by Olneya tesota, Cercidium floridum, and Hyptis emoryi, but Calliandra eriophylla, Trixis californica, and Pleuraphis rigida are also frequent. The area was visited on 21 April 2000 during a very dry year and no annuals were seen flowering, plus most of the perennials were without foliage or flower and barely recognizable. There is no question that many other plant species will be added to this preliminary list during a year with more rain.

The only plant with flowers was Cercidium floridum ssp. floridum.