The local jewel flowers are quite small, but very beautiful little flowers, and are pretty rare. They favor south west facing serpentine outcrops on the peaks around the bay area, and are often found with other small white flowers (that I have not identified yet) with the same habits. Each peak seems to have its own version of Strepanthus.
Henry Coe has a serpentine outcrop that I went to investigate this spring. I sat cross-legged amidst some small flowers on the out crop, and this guy was right at my feet. Note how the flowers are smooth.
A couple weeks later on Mt Diablo, I came across this version. It is quite furry and was growing in something other than serpentine, but with the same characteristics.
This one was on Mt Tam, not quite as hairy as the one from Henry Coe, but in the same habitat coincident with the same white flowers. The coincident plant is much easier to see, so if looking for jewel flowers on serpentine, look for it first.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.