Introduction to the Vascular Plant List, Oakmead Herbarium

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Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve Plant List

Web Version with Photo Links

Floristic diversity is fashioned out of environmental diversity (Stebbins and Major, 1965)

Native and non-native, naturalized vascular-plants known to occur—or have occurred (historical records are considered those more than 25 years ago)—in the area of the Preserve. Almost all plants (98%) are documented by one or more herbarium vouchers in the Oakmead Herbarium or, occasionally, in other herbaria; without an herbarium voucher, the identification of a taxon may remain in doubt. In a very few cases, because of small occurrence size, a taxon is represented by digital photographs and/or a partial collection, e.g., single flower displaying diagnostic characters (DOC in the "document type" field). There are even fewer plants listed based solely on reports by qualified botanists (REP in the "document type" field).

Scientific names generally follow the Jepson eFlora. We also reference plants and/or names, including some hybrids, not treated therein, e.g., Elymus x hansenii, Quercus x jolonensis. Also, following the Marin Flora, 2nd ed, 2007: “We include here as naturalized species those that are established and have a true competitive status without cultivation whether the plant is aggressively spreading or seems only passively and locally established. . . . Experience has shown that the waifs of today may become the weeds of tomorrow." Waifs, i.e., plants appearing for a season or two but not persisting, hybrids, unconfirmed reports, and those names earlier included based on misidentification are on separate lists. Documented plants that have gone missing or are in danger of doing so are also listed as disappearances and declines. Many of the identification notes are compliments of Dylan Neubauer, 2013, Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Santa Cruz County, California, 2nd ed.

Abbreviations & Symbols

Documentation Type and Plant Status:

SPEC—Specimen at the Jasper Ridge herbarium (JROH). Plant is presumed present unless otherwise noted; Calflora observations with photos also usually available.
spec—Historical specimen but no recent or current documentation (recent ~25 years of herbarium team surveys).
SPEC$—Specimen, at herbaria other than Jasper Ridge.
spec$—Historical specimen at herbaria other than Jasper Ridge, but no recent or current documentation (recent ~25 years of herbarium team surveys).
DOC—Documented, plant observed and/or photographed by herbarium team but not vouchered.
REP—Reported, usually by more than one observer with detailed location information. No known specimen; unconfirmed by herbarium team.
rep — No documentation post-1993 (recent ~25 years of herbarium team surveys).

Rare, Naturalized, Waif, Hybrid, etc.:

« officially listed rare/endangered (CNPS, State, or Federal listing) in bold italics. Names in bold italics without symbol « are Locally Rare native taxa
* non-native species naturalized in California
! California native species not native to the Preserve or surrounding area
N—persistent at JRBP and not mentioned or mentioned and not given taxonomic status in TJM2
W—persistent, sometimes reproducing at JRBP and considered a waif in our bioregion according to TJM2. Waif designates a taxon occurring as a garden escape, agricultural weed, or non-native species that does not become naturalized in our region, but may be naturalized in other parts of California
x—hybrid

Misc. Abbreviations and Acronyms:

aff. (affinis) = an indication that identification is uncertain. Abbreviation seldom used in our lists and related documents = having affinity with, closely related to: (1) differs clearly from the holotype, but may fall within the limits of variation of the species, or (2) relates a new undescribed taxon to a named taxon; see Open Nomenclatural Terms
Cal-IPC = California Invasive Plant Council
cf. = an indication that identification is uncertain. Abbreviation seldom used in our lists and related documents = (confer) probably belongs to the identified taxon, but the determination is uncertain or provisional
CNPS = California Native Plant Society
CNPS Inventory R&E Plants = California Native Plant Society Inventory of Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plants of California
Consortium = Consortium of California Herbaria
fl, fls (Fl, Fls) = flower(s), floral, flowering
FNA = Flora of North America [online]
JRBP = Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, Stanford University
RANK = California Rare Plant Rank, see below
SM = San Mateo County
ssp. = subspecies = subsp.
syn. = synonym (synonomy)
TJM1 = The Jepson Manual, Hickman et al., 1993
TJM2 = The Jepson Manual, 2nd ed., Baldwin et al., 2012

Auxiliary Plant Lists

Disappearances and declines
Hybrids not given taxonomic status in TJM2
Waifs, garden escapes, agricultural weeds, eradicated exotics
Under-documented reports and erroneous inclusions (misidentifications)

Plant Collecting Protocol

Purpose, Methods:

Plants are only collected by permission of the Assoc. Director of Research. Researchers are to use standard practices for collecting and preserving specimens.
Collection of plant material, fruit, and seeds is permitted for the purposes of identification, study, research and/or creating a voucher specimen, under conditions set by the Staff Scientist. If it is a native California species, do not collect the plant unless it is part of a larger and viable population. Generally, 1 individual among 20 plants will not cause structural or genetic harm to a population, however, only proceed if one feels that this is indeed the case.
Limited collecting of CNPS ranked Special status species or Locally rare and uncommon species for voucher specimens is permitted under conditions set by the Staff Scientist on a case by case basis.

Additional collection protocol:

Attempt to identify plant before harvest. Identification must be conducted by a competent botanist who is capable of identifying plants in the field using dichotomous keys and able to distinguish common species from the sensitive plant species of the region. When there are doubts about the species ID and therefore the plant’s status, and particularly if the occurrence is of few individuals (see 2. above), initially document only with photos, field notes and location data.
Collectors shall attempt to be discrete about collecting, but should be prepared to explain to the public the purpose of the collection and ahould mention that they have a permit.

Questions, Corrections and Changes to the Web Plant List