Found by Elle in the Pigmy Forest. Fresh mushroom was not photographed.
Micrograph is gill edge 1000x in KOH
This oak was growing on the edge of a serpentine area dominated by Sargent’s Cypress, arcostaphylos and ceanothus species. Although it appeared largely deciduous, it had retained a number of green leaves spread evenly over the tree. There were no sign of any acorns in the vicinity. Presumably a hybrid?
The hair on the upper calyx is satisfyingly "appressed to spreading" (L. microcarpus var. densiflorus) but the hair on the lower calyx is dangerously close to being "shaggy" (L. microcarpus var. microcarpus).
Seen initially on roadside verge by another observer on 2/23 with a vulture near it, later had been moved further off-road, maybe by scavengers, then even further back by the time I documented it 2/27.
About 28" in length from snout to rump. With a long tail.
I thought bobcat, but it has a long tail. It's spotted, so I don't think it's a fox.
Maybe a juvenile mountain lion?
https://outdoornebraska.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/TRACKS1.jpg
Best fit, but leaves seem consistently too small for this species over many years of observing it!
Maybe a new subspecies?
Similar observations in the Dunes (starting with mine):
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/69542433
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/38499081
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/208623192
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/104551840
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/154621069
maybe:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/198456983
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/200307748
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/113593841
Young individual. Very interesting that the adaxial leaf surfaces were glaucus (as evidenced by my finger print!)
At least 3 clumps seen along this popular corridor for horses.
I'm now convinced they're a vector for noxious invasive species, which means extra monitoring and restoration effort is needed along any popular horse trails.
In an ideal world, there'd be a horse tax specifically for this sort of externality.
This Mallow was growing unplanted next to the sidewalk. Unfortunately it had no reproductive structures. I pulled it out. After pulling it out I noticed it is host to multiple galls and a leaf miner.
Host to:
Lots of Blue oaks on trail of same name. Lots of acorns and some galls.
Growing right by the western side of the road. A strong candidate for Q. garryana semota x john-tuckeri imo. (EDIT: I suppose most of the "QGS" traits could be Q. lobata as well. Tough to say. The leaf litter, indicating semi-deciduousity, and lobed leaves at the very least indicate some sort of lobed, deciduous parent.)
-QJT is the dominant oak species by far in this region with a minority of Q. agrifolia
-QGS traits: Suckering growth habit/stature, deciduousity, appearance of the leaf litter, lobed leaves and general leaf shape, new leaf shape and growth habit, filamentous bracts, yellow-green color of newer leaves
-QJT traits: spikiness of the lobes, rough/tomentose feeling of the leaves (especially the newer ones), wideness of the leaves, bluish-green color and "dustiness" of the mature leaves, dominant yellow central vein on mature leaves, dominant oak species in the area, material thickness and robustness of the twigs
I don't see any QGS in the vicinity. Since this was by the roadside, it is possible that an acorn got carried down from further up the road by water or human activity, and/or QGS from further north into the mountains pollinated some QJT in the area.
Quercus or Notholithocarpus? With disease documented next.
Only one of its type seen this day.
Only saw Q. parvula and parvula x wislizeni on this hike, this might be a 'monstrous'/transgressive hybrid?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3655218/
4/5/24 note
Compare with a more typical example nearby:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/205537404
CZU fire burnt this little red oak (Lobatae, Agrifoliae) hybrid sapling; just now root sprouting.
I think this is the most beautiful kelloggii x wislizeni hybrid I've found
No wislizeni nearby, multiple agrifolia though. Also looks more like x ganderi then x morehus
measured 30' tall. Photo of leaves is on 10x10mm grid. Vertical field of view of trichome photos is 2 mm and 0.5 mm. Hi res photo shows classic Englemanii trichome, 0.7mm diameter.
Fagaceae
Juap
Quercus spp.
Scrub oak
This plant was found on San Pasqual Reservation near Chaparral habitat.
This plant was identifiable by the leaf patterns, and there were some acorn tops found still on the tree.
This was a staple food for the Kumeyaay and could also be used for building.
Pinnacles NP
Observed near the intersection of the high peaks trail and the condor gulch trail a couple years ago, before I was aware of iNaturalist.
Initially i had hoped it might be gabilanensis. However, the leaves lack the glaucous surface gabilanensis should have.
Leaves are much more verdant and less pointed than pajaroensis, also lacking the shreddy grey bark
-somewhat clasping leaves, petioles mostly present
-no basal burl
-fruit had fused stones
-leaves are bright green with lobed bases
-new growth was glabrous, leaves were glabrous as well
Same plant as:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/148161528
probably Q. durata x Q. lobata hybrid. (Is there a name for this? If not, perhaps Q. dubata? Q. lorata? Q. dubia?)
@jhigbie Is this your Mystery Oak? On Sunset Trail. Yesterday I was there, and wondering what you were talking about (after hiking here decades), and there it is!!! Only micro acorns seen, couldn’t find any galls. Nestled among Leather Oaks with a couple small Coast Lives nearby. I’ve read that apparently one of the parents doesn’t need to be nearby. So maybe Q. durata durata with Valley Oak, which are close enough as the pollen flies. Fascinating! @sandy_b
Scraped from upper surface of Quercus agrifolia leaf, with water, colonized by blackish fuzzy growth that looks superficially like green algae or lichen.
At 100 to 400x, digital zoom by cropping on some.
Purple to orange coloration under magnification.
Presumably same organism as:
powdery white leaf disease on Baccharis pilularis
On Portuguese broom (Cytisus striatus)
Gall species?