Black Canyon Lake
Map SatelliteThe canyon is cut through stabilized sand dunes and supports excellent examples of three virtually undisturbed plant communities, the coastal sage scrub, riparian woodland and freshwater marsh.
An important element of the coastal sage scrub, which occurs on the canyon sides and is here of the old dune type, is the Ericameria ericoides. The dominant species of the riparian association is the arroyo willow, Salix lasiolepis, which forms a dense forest along the canyon bottom.
A slow-moving stream forms several freshwater marshes, with Typha spp. dominant. In the marshes the yellow water-lily, Nymphaea luteum ssp. polysepalum reaches, by many miles, its southernmost extension. Two rare plants are found in the area, Cirsium loncholepis and Monardella frutescens.
The area supports an abundance of wildlife and is used by some migratory waterfowl.
The full range of ecological transition from the xeric coastal sage scrub to the hydric freshwater marsh is illustrated at this site.
Integrity: Highway 1 crosses the western end, and residential development is beginning to encroach on the edges. Use: Private
Ref: Hoover, Robert, 1970. The Vascular Plants of San Luis Obispo County, California. Berkeley: University of California Press.
July 1975
San Luis Obispo
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2005 Steven Louis Hartman
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