48 POINT LOBOS RESERVE 



land. Chamisso, naturalist with the expedition, named the species for Dr. 

 Esehscholtz, a companion naturalist. 



As one wanders the meadows of Point Lobos in spring, one is likely to 

 think that no state has chosen its representative flower more appropriately 

 than California. The gold of this poppy seems to have the very essence of 

 California sunshine woven into its brightness. During the spring it covers 

 field and mountainside with a cloth of gold. In the past, when it was more 

 prevalent, men and women and children made a festival of gathering the 

 poppy, as the Japanese do with their cherry blossoms. And tradition has 

 it that many a vast field of these poppies used to serve as a landmark, 

 almost as a beacon, to coasting ships offshore ; that in old Spanish times 

 the coast often was called The Land of Fire, and that on occasion thanks 

 were given "to sacred San Pascual who had spread a golden ^ altarcloth 

 upon the hills." 



Including trees and shrubs, close to three hundred species of flowering 

 plants have been counted on the varied terrain of Point Lobos. There are 

 other plants, too, such as the marine algae, or seaweeds, and lichens and 

 mosses, all of which have interest for botanists. To such, the list of flower- 

 ing plants at the end of this chapter will especially appeal. 



To many people, however, the main impression in most of the months is 

 that a great wealth of bloom, in color masses, adds embellishment to the 

 striking vistas of sea and headland. 



Not only in the number of separate species is Point Lobos notable, but 

 also found here within small compass is an unusual variety of groups or 

 associations of plants. 



These are the general divisions of the flora of the Reserve: (1) The 

 cypress groves of the headlands along Carmel Bay, (2) the pine forests 

 of the areas back from the ocean, (3) the meadow flora, (4) the sea- 

 bluff flora, (5) the shifting sand flora, (6) the ruderal flora, on the for- 

 merely tilled lands, (7) a soft chaparral flora on the northwest face of 

 Whalers Knoll and in the quarry back of Carmelo Cove, (8) the marine 

 flora in the surf. A large proportion of the Pacific Coast seaweeds was 

 first discovered in the vicinity of Point Lobos, making this region the type 

 locality for these species and the source of authentic material for the 

 future. 



The more one explores Point Lobos, the more there are revealed, in its 

 varied plant life, forms both beautiful and curious. The "rock gardens" 

 along the inaccessible bluffs above the surf are teeming with succulents 

 tinted in pastel shades of green and buff and rose. 



The mosses and lichens are features of great interest to many. The 

 almost weird "atmosphere" on portions of Cypress Headland can be in 

 part attributed to lichens, which are rather conspicuous elements of the 

 vegetation. 



Both the Monterey cypress and the Montere.y pine are often heavily 

 festooned with a light gray-green "moss." This is the lace lichen, which 

 is quite abundant. Look closely and you can see that it is made up of lacy 

 nets with meshes from pinpoint fineness to the size of a pencil, when full 

 grown. On the points near the sea, this lace lichen is matted by the winds, 

 frequently torn and shredded. Yet back in the sheltered pine groves of the 

 Reserve, better specimens are found. Here the lace is luxuriant, hanging 

 from the branches like the folds of a Spanish lace shawl; near the War- 



