Pioneertown Preserve Plants

FAMILY: Ruscaceae
SPECIES: Nolina parryi

Associated species: Found Coastal Sage Scrub, Chaparral, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland, Joshua Tree Woodland communities.

Range: Grows in the upper elevations of the Peninsular Range, the Mojave Desert and the southern Sierra Nevada up to 2100 meters.
Tolerates cold to 25° F

Soil: Requires coarse, fast draining soil such as decomposed granite. . Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.5

Other Notes: Home to moths, possibly butterflies. Native people eaves were woven into baskets or mats, and the young stems were prepared as food.

Observations: Remarkably similar to a Chaparral Yucca but leaves are different (not as stiff/spiky... more grasslike). Green narrow, pointed gasslike leaves in a rosette-like formation with a tall, thicker flowering stem emerging from the center.

FAMILY: Fagaceae

SPECIES: Quercus cornelius-mulleri

Associated species: Grows in chaparral, oak woodlands, and other habitat in foothills and mountains.

Range: Typically found at higher elevations up to 6,000 ft. Most easily be observed in Joshua Tree National Park and in the woodlands along the western margins of the Colorado Desert in San Diego County, California

Soil: Slopes, granitic soils. Fast-draining soils.

Other Notes: Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.

Observations: A shrubby oak. Sharp-pointed lobed, green leaves are smaller than what you think of when you think of oak trees, but the shape is oak reminiscent. No signs of acorns but fruit "buds" present in the center of leaves at the end of the stem. Dark green shiny leaves with a light green, fuzzy underside.

FAMILY: Cactaceae
SPECIES: Opuntia phaeacantha

Associated species: Found in Pinyon-Juniper Woodland and Joshua Tree Woodland communities.

Range: Found across the southwestern United States, lower Great Plains, and northern Mexico. Up to 7,000 ft.

Soil: Dry, rocky slopes and canyon walls.

Other Notes: Insects are attracted to its flowers, including butterflies and moths.

Juicy edible paddles, especially in Mexican cuisine.

Observations: Round, flat green paddles with long, thicker spines (thicker and longer especially when compared to the Beaver Tail Prickly Pear). Spines more sparse than a silver cholla. Plant was about 1.5 feet tall.

FAMILY: Boraginaceae
SPECIES: Eriodictyon trichocalyx

Associated species: Yellow Pine Forest, Chaparral, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland, and Joshua Tree Woodland communities.

Range: Tolerates cold to 0° F. Native to southern California and Baja California where it grows in several habitat types, including chaparral and grassland.

Soil: Typically sandy or decomposed granite. Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.2. Fast draining. Slopes, mesas, ravines, grassy places in dry mountain and desert transition zone.

Other Notes: Locally Cahuilla used it to treat coughs, colds, sore throats, asthma, tuberculosis, and catarrh. It was also used as a liniment and a poultice.

Observations: Smooth looking dark green leaves that appears to be like flower. Leaves were at the end of the stem like a flower. Stem was woody looking. Shorter plant but widespread. About 1 ft tall but sometimes shorter.

FAMILY: Rosaceae
SPECIES: Prunus ilicifolia

Associated species: Grows in Foothill Woodland and Chaparral communities.

Range: Native to coastal California and northern Baja California. Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil: Tolerant of a variety of soils but will grow largest and fastest in coarse, fast draining, relatively fertile garden soil. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Other Notes: Attracts hummingbirds, birds, bees and butterflies. Great for birds. Not a true cherry tree. Native Americans fermented the fruit into an intoxicating drink. Some also cracked the dried cherries and made meal from the seeds after grinding and leaching them. It has also been made into jam

Observations: Smooth/veiny looking bright green leaf that is maybe a little bigger than a lot of desert shrubs and trees. Looks shrubby. Bush was probably about 12 ft wide and 8 ft tall. Growing on a hillside.

FAMILY: Asteraceae
SPECIES: Ericameria linearifolia

Associated species: Creosote Bush Scrub, Chaparral, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland, and Joshua Tree Woodland communities.

Range: Native to the drier areas of California from the Central Valley south and Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. Found up to 6,000 feet.

Soil: Dry slopes and valleys. Rocky hillsides, sandy flats. Clay, Loam, Sand, Rocky soils.

Other Notes: Hosts bees, birds, butterflies and moths.

Observations: Whiteish/brownish flower heads that seem to either not have fully bloomed or already bloomed. Daisy looking flowers. Long stems with skinny, dark green leaves.