Bald Mountain Summit Ridge
Map SatelliteOn the north slope of the mountain there is a Jeffrey pine, Pinus jeffreyi, forest with an interesting occurrence of limber pine, Pinus flexilis, and other subalpine Sierran species. Some 52 species have been identified in a 2.5-hectare (6-acre) section on the ridge. This is the only known site of the rare Horkelia tularensis. The rare Astragalus subvestitus also occurs here.
The soils are on pre-Cretaceous metamorphics.
Integrity: There is a fire lookout on the exposed summit ridge, with a service road. The rare species have not been harmed.
Use: Research, educational, observational.
Ref: Twisselmann, Ernest C. 1971. A Botanical Scanning of the Kern Plateau. Kern Plateau Assn., Bakersfield, 9 pp.
January 1976
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
