Flowering Plants on the Fossil Hill Trail

April 27, 2004

This walk starts at the parking lot at the Sutherland Drive entrance to Shell Ridge Open Space. Start by turning left. It includes a short tour of the quarry in Quarry Hill to the left and then proceeds down the hill towards Indian Pond. At the fence line just before the pond, turn right onto the footpath. This path takes you to the road just above Bramhall Pond and then, staying right at each intersection, returns you to the parking lot at Sutherland Drive. For more thourough directions check out the Fossil Hill Recommended Hike.

			(1) (2)
Common Name	Color	Scientific Name	Peterson Refs.	Where Seen
Blue Oak	-----	Quercas douglasii	B225	Scattered
Sagebrush	-----	Artemisia californica	K87	Quarry area
Valley Oak	-----	Quercas lobata	B225	Scattered
Bunch Grass	---------	Agrostis viridus	J1230	Back of Fossil Hill
Blue-eyed Grass	Blue	Sisyrinchium bellum	350	All over
Foothill Penstemon	Blue	Penstemon heterophyllus	336	Quarry area
Wallybasket	Blue	Triteleia laxa	352	Above Indian Pond
Storksbill, white stem	Magenta	Erodium moschatum	286	Roadsides
California Poppy	Orange	Eschscholzia californica	224	All over
Clarkia--red ribbons	Purple	Clarkia unguiculata	272	Roadsides
Clarkia--winecup	Purple	Clarkia gracilis	270	A few now starting
Geranium, Dove's Foot	Purple	Geranium molle	284	Roadsides
Vetch, Winter	Purple	Vicia villosa	326	All over
Italian Thistle	Rosy	Cirsium arvense	328	Roadsides
Rose Clover	Rosy	Trifolium hirtum	J652	Roadsides
Curly Dock	White	Rumex crispus	276	Fields
Horehound	White	Marrubium vulgare	82	All over
Milkweed	White	Asclepias ascicularis	62	Quarry area
Wavy-leaf soap plant	White	Chlorogalum pomeridianum	12	All over
Deerweed, Bush lotus	Yellow	Lotus scoparius	180	Quarry area
Fiddlenecks	Yellow	Amsinckia intermedia	226	Roadsides
Mustard, Black	Yellow	Brassica nigra	140	Quarry area
Pineapple Weed	Yellow	Matricariamatricarioides	210	Mid Road

(1) Peterson's "Pacific States Wildflowers"
(2) Keater, "Plants of the East Bay Parks
(3) Beidleman & Kozloff, "Plants of the San Francisco Bay Region"--the "BK" references.