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Map Satellite This area is of interest both botanically and geologically. The main plant community is the foothill woodland, with gray pine, Pinus sabiniana, blue oak, Quercus douglasii, and canyon live oak, Quercus chrysolepis, prominent. Along the Merced River there is some riparian association.
Of particular note is the occurrence here of the widespread Clarkia biloba and the rare Clarkia lingulata, known from only two sites, both in this immediate area. The latter is an example of catastrophic sympatric speciation.
The rock in the area is of the Paleozoic Calaveras formation and includes some limestone. There is a geological marker along the highway which draws attention to the tightly, complexly and steeply-plunging folded metachert and black phyllite.
Integrity: An abandoned quarry and a few buildings are found in the area. Highway 140 follows the Merced River here. Much of the area is virtually undisturbed.
Use: Research, educational, observational. Some private.
Ref: Lewis, H. and P. H. Raven, 1966. Rapid Evolution in Clarkia. Evolution 12, pp. 319-336.
July 1976
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2008 Steven Louis Hartman
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