A local Ecologist with the Inland Empire Resource Conservation District, Aaron Echols, has documented the first California occurrence of a plant not previously known to exist in California. Echols noticed the small, unusual plant, which is no taller than an inch, during a restoration-site visit at the request of the property’s volunteer Land Manager, Martin Lemon. The plant, Lasiopogon glomerulatus, was first discovered by Echols in the Spring of 2022 here, at the Alessandro Road entrance to the San Timoteo Nature Sanctuary. This diminutive plant is native to southern Africa. In its native environment, it is found growing on gravelly or sandy soils. While many plants that arrive to California from other parts of the world do not readily establish in our natural landscapes, Lasiopogon and other introduced non-native and invasive species do; and the impacts to native plants, usually through competition, can range from minor to severe.
Echols, Lemon, and Dr. Chris McDonald with the UC Cooperative Extension have been monitoring the population in 2023 and are continuing to perform removals.
