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[Note: Larger, higher-res images appear in the companion CalPhotos post here...click the "full size" link above the image thumbnails there, then click the image again after it loads.]

These wonderful plants are growing in a very distinctively 'fluffy', almost foam-like soil...which Ryan O'Dell characterized (in remarks under his CalPhotos posts here) as: 'Vertic clay derived from a mixed alluvium deposit containing serpentine, greywacke, and shale'.

The relatively open, smooth, uniform texture of the ground here made 'seeing' these in situ easier here than on the fine, jumbly, limestone scree in the Cushunberry Canyon area.

These plants are from the same general area as Ryan's voucher here, which he noted was significantly disjunct from other known populations of N. californicus, and is currently the northenmost among all N. californicus records on CCH2, CalFlora, or iNat.

These plants appear similar to those in the iNat observations from upper Cuyama Valley (also growing on fluffy clay), and somewhat distinct from the Cushenbury area plants...as noted by Nancy Morin and Keir Morse in the comments under James Bailey's observation 163915613. Nancy noted that corollas in the northern plants had a slight reddish-tinge, that the yellow pads at the filament bases are smaller, and that the translucent rods attached to them were longer & narrower (compare with the wider pads and stubbier rods in Matt Berger's observation 183905243 and here). And Keir noted the back sides of the corollas generally appeared more hairy in the Cushenbury area plants.

I too thought these northern plants looked different, and what struck me almost immediately in the field was:

1) the flower shape...while I remembered the Cushenbury plants I'd seen as having corollas that were nearly radially-symmetric...these plants had the two-lobed lip much more well-defined and distinct, with its lobes noticeably longer and often more distinctly falcate! Also, the flowers seemed larger overall.

2) I remembered the interiors of the corolla 'bowls' in the Cushenbury plants as being pale; whereas in these plant the 'glands' underneath the nectaries were a dark reddish-brown.

And, after reading Nancy and Keir's remarks, I saw that some of the corollas here had a reddish-tinge; that the pads here were indeed smaller & the rods longer & narrow; and, from the few shots I took that showed the backsides of the corollas, they appeared nearly glabrous (as opposed to the hairier backsides of the Cushenbury corollas seen here and here.

Overall, quite enjoyable seeing these exquisitely beautiful plants, and exploring the interesting distinctions between the 'northern' and 'southern' populations. Big Thanks to Ryan & Amelia for making a long-time dream of seeing these come true :-)

This plant had a flower with an anomalous 4-lobed corolla.

See further remarks under iNat obs 213068429.

[Note: Larger, higher-res images appear in the companion CalPhotos post here...click the "full size" link above the image thumbnails there, then click the image again after it loads.]

See remarks under iNat obs 213068429.

[Note: Larger, higher-res images appear in the companion CalPhotos post here...click the "full size" link above the image thumbnails there, then click the image again after it loads.]

See remarks under iNat obs 213068429.

[Note: Larger, higher-res images appear in the companion CalPhotos post here...click the "full size" link above the image thumbnails there, then click the image again after it loads.]