EISPIRATEN

Flowers seen on a hike up to Monrovia Peak on the Ides of March (03-15-2008). I have no idea what they are so I'd appreciate a little help in identifying them. Thanks!

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#11 'silly string' plant that seemed to be a parasitic growth on other plants

Photo 1: Don't know
Photo 2: Indian Paintbrush
Photo 3: Don't Know
Photo 4: Lewis' Monkeyflower
Photo 5: Don't know
Photo 6: Don't know
Photo 7: Wild cucumber
Photo 8: Lupine
Photo 9: Ceonothis (sp?)
Photo 10: Don't know
Photo 11: That is a "rust" and you are correct it is a parasite.

Thanks HJ. Using those names as a start, I found a couple of sites that seem to have tons of info on plants and flowers.

USDA site.

CalPhotos.

It's apparent this flower identification gig can get complicated rather quickly.

As an example, here's the results of a search for 'monkeyflower' - 125 items, not one of which is Lewis' Monkeyflower. But there is a "Mimulus lewisii Pursh" which looks like a purple version of photo #4 in my original post.

The mind is boggled.

Yeah, pretty mind-boggling. Personally, I think automotive identification is far easier than flower identification.

The problem with common names for plants is that they vary from guide to guide and region to region. If you were to travel about the country, you'd probably find at least three oaks that have the common name "white oak."

Albeit nerdy, the Latin names are the only way to really ID a plant. There are two genuses that are associated with the common name "monkey flower," Mimulus and Diplacus. I am not a botanist, but it seems pretty evident from the photos that the flower you took a picture of is in the Diplacus genus and not the Mimulus genus. As to the exact species, just making a somewhat educated guess, I would say that the flower in your photo is Diplacus aurantiacus, which the USDA guide refers to as "Orange Bush Monkeyflower." See: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=DIAU. Of course, you could play it safe, and simply say "monkeyflower."

Dude, nicely done. Thanks.

#11 is known as "Dodder", and is a parasite that will eventually kill it's host plant. It dies back in winter, but flourishes in the springtime.

Thanks for the input. Here's another batch from a hike from Lake Ave. to Mt. Lowe on 2008-03-29. Didn't see hardly any flowers above 3500'.

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#14 is Spanish Broom, which is a non-native and smells wonderful when blooming. After the seeds have set, there is a small worm that swarms over the plant and eats all the leaves. You can observe this during the month of May, especially along the Josephine Peak fire road. The smell can be intoxicating as it is so strong.

Thanks Terry. I'd like to get up to Josephine again soon. It sounds like May might be an interesting time to do so!

Here's another flower seen on the Heaton Flat Trail on 2008-04-19.

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Smoke trails, not flowers. 8)

#1 I wanna say it is some sort of "indian paintbrush"
#3 is buckwheat brush
#6 phacilia of some sort
#10 Douglas wall flower
#11 Dodder AKA Witches Hair (Cuscuta californica)
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#13 Purple Nightshade
#14 yep - Spanish broom (where's the weed killer!)
#15 another phacilia
#16 difficult to say without more info
#17 Canterbury Bells
#18 California poppy?
#19 Phlox of some sort (Southern Mtn? Prickly?)

Hikin_Jim wrote: Photo 8: Lupine

Looks like Bush Lupine

Thanks Matt!

#12 Pink Rockrose

Cistus incanus L. ssp. creticus (L.) Heywood

Pink Rock Rose

I was wondering about that stuff. WTF?

I was told by Terrance Franklin when I was 13 in the boy scouts that if you are good enough your wish could come true with this stuff! I knew all my knots so this really bugged me. I was such a sucker for all those tricks they pulled on me back then. Take one strand of this Witches Hair and attempt to tie a simple overhand knot. If you can pull it just tight enough without it breaking so that the hole disappears then your wish will come true! (It's impossible, I tried it a billion times back then and it broke every time! when ever I see it I still try! ) But I also went from campsite to campsite looking for a bacon stretcher and a smoke shifter too. And I never could get close enough to put salt on those stupid road runners.

Crazy bastards. They should have to pay.