I tried to visit to an old haunt yesterday, attempting to get to Lime Creek west of Horseshoe Reservoir on the Verde River. I hiked (and swam where necessary) Lime Creek with friends in the early '90's. But the forest service road (1530) to it had a deeply eroded section that I didn't feel safe crossing, even with 4WD and low gears. So I parked and walked along the area covered in this article, a limestone exposure of pure white lake deposits. I found several of the unusual species listed there, including the endangered Purshia ✕subintegra and the rare but not listed Eriogonum ripleyi. I also found a few stumpers, especially this Castilleja. Best guess is C. angustifolia var. dubia; though all leaves are linear; some of the dried leaves looked pinnatifid. It's a late-season specimen, so I took a photo of the seeds - they are fascinatingly reticulate and look like tiny loofah sponges. [Edit - Bzzz, wrong!]
Host: Calliandra eriophylla
Host: Eriogonum inflatum
Sterile; E. pediculifera?
Tangled in webbing, but alive and eventually escaped.
Curious late-season specimen. Of living leaves, all are linear. But some dried leaves are pinnately divided. Not densely hairy enough to be C. lanata (reported from the area, as is C. angustifolia var. dubia).
Comments
Wow! This place doesn't seem far at all! I wanna go! :D Wonderful photos. That's so exciting you also saw E. ripleyi. It's a really interesting looking plant. Could we maybe use one of those for the plant guide I mentioned? I could really only find one photo of E. ripleyi. Actually same with Purshia x subintegra.
Anyways, sounds like an amazing day!
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