Plants

Plants

Dual Ecosystems

The plants of Cabrillo National Monument inhabit two ecosystems: the coastal Mediterranean ecosystem on the peninsula and the marine ecosystem off the coast.

The Mediterranean ecosystem at Cabrillo is dominated by coastal sage scrub plants which have adapted to warm, dry summers with cool winters with a few storms lasting a few days at a time. To survive through the dry season, some plants found in the habitats have large roots, or bodies, where they store water to use when needed. Other plants have leaf adaptations that prevent the loss of water. These adaptations include leaves that fall off during dry seasons, leaves that curl up and make a small moisture chamber within the leaf, leaves with a waxy coating that protects them from evaporation, leaves with hairs that reflect light penetrating the plant, or leaves that are small in size so there is not a lot of area for evaporation.

The coastal sage scrub habitat is not known for having strong winds, so plants are pollinated by animals. The seeds of some plants are easily caught in animals' fur so a fox, coyote, rabbit, or mouse carries them to a new germination spot. The plants are also highly aromatic, but not visually vivid, so they can attract moths in the dark of night through the moth's sense of smell rather than their vision. Not only does the aroma of the plant attract pollinators, but it also deters foragers. Animals that would otherwise eat some of these plants are averted by the strong odors they emit. The animals are further discouraged by some plants' tough leaves and branches and other plants' spines.

The marine habitat also contains numerous species of plants. These are non-vascular plants called algae, more commonly called seaweed. The seaweeds in the intertidal zone at CabrilloNational Monument are very important to the sea life. They provide food for most of the sea slugs, snails, and crabs, but - equally important - the plants also provide shelter for the animals. Most often the seaweeds are homes for juvenile animals. In the seaweeds, the young are protected from strong currents, crashing waves, and foraging predators. All this protection and plenty of food surround them.

Seaweeds have also adapted to their environment. These plants are exposed to the dry air during low tide and are submerged under the water during high tide. To adapt to this condition, different plants have developed different adaptations. To keep from being eaten, some plants have developed tough branches that are hard to bite into - some have adapted so well that they have a calcareous shell that cannot be bitten into by small snails and crabs, not to mention the unpleasant taste of calcium carbonate. Some plants are very dense and spongy keeping in the moisture, others are succulent and sometimes woody preventing moisture loss, and some are so small and grow close to one another that they all keep each other moist by storing the water in their "colony."

Common Native Plants

Meeting the Natives: A Guide to Selected Native Plants of the Coastal Sage Scrub

Black Sage (Salvia mellifera)

This aromatic shrub is commonly found on dry slopes in southern California below 2,000 feet. Black sage grows to about six feet tall. The small, button-like flower clusters are usually pale blue to white and bloom from April to June. Black sage became a common name because the whorls of blooms that remain after they set seed form dark spheres along the dry stalks. Black sage is too strong to put into turkey stuffing, but the highly nutritious seed have a rich nutty flavor and were ground into a meal by the Indians.

Bladderpod (Isomeris arborea)

Bladderpod is the most common member of this tropical family found in southern California. This is the only shrub-member found in this area. The dull yellow, showy flowers may appear at any time of the year, but are most numerous in spring. The large leathery, much-inflated seed vessels, like fat pea pods, droop on long stalks, rattle when dry, and are a prominent feature, hence the name. The fruit is reported to taste like radish. Bladderpod has a wide distribution, growing on the hills, bluffs, and stabilized dunes of the sea coast and ranging into the desert edges.

Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma pulchellum)

This unusual looking herb is seen growing in between and rising above small shrubs. Blue dicks is a perennial, meaning it grows year round. The naked flower stalks appear in early spring and grow to about two feet. At the end of the stalk is a large compound purple flower that is rounded like an inflated ball. This little herb is common on flats and hillsides below 5,000 feet. The little corms (root bulbs) are tasty and were enjoyed by the Indians. English-speaking people who moved to the area in the 19th century called them grass nuts.

California Buckwheat (Erigonium fasciculatum )

California Buckwheat is the most common member of this large family of herbs in the area. It occurs in areas below 3,000 feet. The leaves are small, leathery, and rose-pink, appear during much of the year but are most noticeable in spring. They dry on the plant, turning a rusty-red color, persist through the summer, and add color to the drying landscape. California buckwheat is cherished by bees and makes a fine honey. Even though this plant is closely related to the buckwheat plants of flour fame, the seeds are too small to use efficiently as food.

California Encelia (Encelia californica)

The California encelia is a bushy year-round plant (perennial) up to five feet high. The flower heads are showy with golden-yellow rays and brownish-purple disks. California encelia blooms from March to June. This ragged plant has a strong odor and is rough to the touch, but it is very colorful and attractive. The woody stems were chewed and used by the Indian to treat a variety of pains.

Chamise, Greasewood (Adenostoma fasciculatum)

This evergreen shrub covers wide areas below 5,000 feet on dry ridges and steep slopes. Chamise grows up to fifteen feet and is also known as "greasewood" because of the violent way it burns. Chamise is from the Spanish word "chamisa," meaning brush or firewood. Indians, and later settlers, made chamise tea, and drank it in large quantities to cure tetanus, rabies, and syphilis. A bath in chamise water was a treatment for paralysis and skin infections.

Coastal Deer Weed (Lotus dendroideus )

Coastal deer weed is a common year-round plant below 5,000 feet. The flowers found in clusters have a pea flower shape and vary in color from yellow to orange to reddish as the season progresses.

California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica)

California Sagebrush is a dominant plant in coastal sage and occurs usually below 2,000 feet. It is a much-branched shrub two to five feet tall with numerous grayish-green leaves parted into thread-like divisions. The leaves have a clean but bitter fragrance. Spanish Californians used the plant as a flea repellant in San Diego, which was famous in colonial times for the little insects.

Coastal Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia littoralis)

Coastal prickly pear is found at low elevations along the coast, blooming from May to June. It is a sprawling plant with broad, flat joints (spiny, thick "cactus" leaves). The showy flowers are pale yellow with many overlapping, waxy petals up to 2 inches long. The fruits are pear-shaped, dark reddish-purple, and covered with bristles. Known as a tuna in Spanish, the fruit is edible and quite tasty; something like kiwis without the skin, but with many seeds.

Laurel Sumac (Malosma laurina)

This large, evergreen shrub or small tree has smooth, reddish-brown bark, grows up to fifteen feet tall, and is common on dry slopes below 3,000 feet. The highest leaves on the plant partly fold up to protect themselves from the hot sun. Down in the shady part of the plant, the leaves stay flat. Early farmers in Southern California used the plant as a guide to planting citrus orchards. The shrub has little tolerance for cold, so where it grows so too will the citrus trees.