Mule Fat
When we visited Steelhead Park, I started noticing that about 70% of the trees I was seeing were of one type. With the help of Professor Di Fiori we were able to identify the trees as Mule Fat (Baccharis salicifolia). I soon learned that the Mule Fat was a flowering shrub native to California and usually found in deserts or dry areas. I also learned that as part of a clean up effort, these shrubs had been cut down. They were in the process of growing back again. This shrub is “fairly drought-tolerant, and exhibits rapid growth to 8-10′ tall,” which explains why I saw so many of them (Watershed Nursery). After doing some research on this plant I discovered that environment plays a significant role in plant health. For example, research conducted by Pepperdine University students found that Baccharis silicifolia was abundant because it was found in a riparian environment. These students found that plants in riparian environments "would experience little water stress" (Rangel). It was interesting to find that trees I had never seen before were one of the most common native plants in California. Learning about the importance of plant health and environment I soon realized that there were many factors that played a role in plant abundance.
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