Notes from South of the Border

Sierra Guadalupe and Sierra Zacatecas — Plants

Here are photos of some of the plants seen on our trip to the Sierra Zacatecas and Sierra Guadalupe west of Mulege, BCS on Nov. 2, 2018. More scenery photos of the region can be found here. The account of our trip is on this page.


Plants are listed A-Z by family, then A-Z by species.
Common names in English and Spanish are noted if available.


Acanthaceae (Acanthus Family)

Chloracantha spinosus

Ruellia californica subsp. californica. Wild Petunia, Rama Parda, Flor de Campo. The leaves and calyces of this shrub are covered in sticky, glandular hairs that give the plant a distinctive, pungent odor. Plant size: about 1 m H x D.

Chloracantha spinosus

The flower is showy with many color variations. It ranges from this paler version to the very intense purple of the previous photo. The corolla is about 2.5-3 cm D, the tube 2-3 cm L. It may flower anytime. In dry times, it often may be the only plant in bloom.


Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

Chloracantha spinosus

Chloracantha spinosus var. spinosissima. Southern Spiny Aster. Buena mujer. Despite the common Mexican name, this plant is not so "good" because of the firm, sharply pointed stems.

Chloracantha spinosus

Chloracantha spinosus var. spinosissima. Buena mujer. Heads are 2-2.5 cm D. Great for butterflies and bees. This variety is endemic to wet areas, from s BC southward through most of BCS.


Convolvulaceae (Morning Glory Family)

Evolvulus alsinoides plants

Mouse Ears, Oreja de Ratón (Evolvulus alsinoides). A native annual found throughout most of BCS.

Evolvulus alsinoides plants

Mouse Ears (Evolvulus alsinoides). Flowers are about 1 cm D.


Cyperaceae (Sedge Family)

Bent Flatsedge

Bent Flatsedge, Junquillo (Eleocharis geniculata).

 


Fabaceae (Pea Family)

Mimosa flowers

Mexican mimosa, Gatuña (Mimosa distachya var. distachya). This species occurs throughout most of BCS. However, around Mulegé it appears to occur mainly at, or above, 150 m in the sierra foothills.

Mimosa fruit and leaves

Leaves are bipinnate. The fruit is a loment and has a firm margin around a number of individual single-seeded segments. When mature, these release from the margin and fall off, leaving clusters of the fibrous margins in place. Two are visible above the dark fruit.


Gratioliaceae (formerly Plantaginaceae)

Bacopa plant

Water-Hyssop (Bacopa monnieri). A native creeping perennial that is found in many of the wetlands of BCS.

Blue streamwort plant

Blue Streamwort (Stemodia durantifolia var. durantifolia). Herbage is glandular. Below is Cyperus laevigatus (Smooth Flatsedge), a species new to me.

Bacopa flowers

Water-Hyssop. Flowers are small, about 7-10 mm D and can be white, pink or bluish.

Blue streamwort flowers

Blue Streamwort (Stemodia durantifolia var. durantifolia) from Mulegé Ojo, Dec. 2017. Corollas are about 8 mm D and 8-10 mm L.


Phyrmaceae (previously Scrophulariaceae)

Monkeyflower

Showy Monkeyflower, Mímulo (Erythranthe floribunda). The small plants are usually prostrate to decumbent.

Monkeyflower

Showy Monkeyflower, Mímulo. This hairy annual has tiny flowers 5-12 mm L with a 3-4 mm D limb.


Polygonaceae (Buckwheat Family)

San Miguelito vine

San Miguelito (Antigonon leptopus). A shrubby, native vine.

San Miguelito vine flowers

San Miguelito (Antigonon leptopus).


Mosses (ID to be determined)

moss on bank of stream

Moss 1 found in dirt along the stream bank.


moss

Moss 3 possibly includes several species at this site, the vertical seep. In this section of the seep, the dirt was "cemented" by minerals from the water and formed a crust.

micro of moss

Moss 4 is the browner lump to the left of Moss 5. Here wetted under the scope at 10-14x

moss

Moss 2 found in crevices in the volcanic bedrock forming part of the stream.

moss and ferns

Moss 4 & 5 found in dry dirt below the dry, rocky outcrop. At least two moss species are on the left side and edge of the rock near the bottom of the image, with a dry leaf between them.









micro of moss

Moss 5 from the dry site. This is from the greener mound in the previous photo, and is next to the rock edge. Here wetted under the scope at 10-14x.


Pteridaceae

fern

Pringle Lip Fern (Myriopteris pringlei var. pringlei). This is a rare fern, known on the peninsula only from the Sierra Guadalupe area (Rebman et. al 2016). It is also found in Sonora, Chihuahua and Arizona.

fern leaf

Myriopteris pringlei var. pringlei leaf.

fern

I had to hydrate my specimen for a few days in order to to reviveit so I could photograph, examine it under a scope and identify it before pressing it.


fern closeup of spores

The inferior side of the leaf, seen at about 10-14 x in scope and camera. The black spots are spores rolled slightly under the leaf margins.

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References:

Rebman, J. P., J. Gibson, and K. Rich, 2016. Annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Baja California, Mexico. Proceedings of the San Diego Society of Natural History, No. 45, 15 November 2016. San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego, CA.


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