Huckleberry Botanic Preserve
Map SatelliteThe portion of the Huckleberry Trail which lies on the east slope of the Berkeley Hills between Round Top and Redwood Regional Parks is of great biological and geological interest. In this area the trail traverses an extraordinarily rich growth of chaparral and mixed evergreen forest, the alternation of cover being particularly noteworthy.
Among the woody plants present are canyon oak, Quercus chrysolepis, silk tassel bush, Garrya elliptica, oso berry, Oemleria cerasiformis. chaparral pea, Pickeringia montana, huckleberry, Vaccinium ovatum, and several species of Ceanothus and Arctostaphylos. The accompanying rich herbaceous cover includes hound's tongue, Cynoglossum grande, Trillium chloropetalum, star flower, Trientalis latifolia, and various ferns.
The leatherwood, Dirca occidentalis, rare throughout its range, is found in some quantity along the trail. This yellow flowering plant blooms as early as January.
Cutting through a very complex mixture of Franciscan sediments and volcanic rocks, including outcrops of the Claremont formation (marine), the trail provides excellent instructional opportunities in the variation of soil types.
The east-facing orientation of the slope brings it into bloom well before other areas flower and makes it an exceptional early morning birding area.
As the area is convenient to many of the East Bay communities, it is widely used for educational purposes at all levels of study.
Integrity: A portion of the trail is on East Bay Regional Park District land. Other portions, now privately owned, are being sought by the Park District. There has been bulldozing on portions of the area. Various trails have been proposed.
Use: Educational
Ref: Anon., 1971. Huckleberry Trail, California Native Plant Society, Newsletter Vol. VII #3 (October) p. 10-12.
January 1975
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
