Halls Monardella [Monardella macrantha Gray ssp. hallii Abrams]
Listing CNPS List 1B R-E-D Code 2-1-3
State/Federal. Status -- /C3c LAMIACEAE Jun.-Aug.
Global Rank G5T3 State Rank S3.2
Distribution: San Diego County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County
Habitat: Lower Montane Coniferous Forest and Montane Chaparral are the general habitat of this small woody perennial. Most sites examined were near rocky rubble and boulders where shrub cover was limited; canopy may either provide occasional shade or be lacking. At Mount Laguna the soil types utilized include Crouch coarse sandy loam.
Known Sites: This colorful herb grows near the Shrine Camp in the Laguna Mountains. Old reports are from the Palomar Mountains northeast of Boucher Hill; as well as from both French Creek, and west of Dyer Spring in the Cuyamaca Mountains. This entity is also reported by Roberts for the Modjeska Peak area of the Santa Ana Mountains, Orange County. M. macrantha (not delineated to subspecies level) has recorded herbarium specimens at SD from North Peak, Engineer Road in Pine Hills, South Peak, Harrison Peak, Japacha, Laguna Meadow, Middle Peak, Sunrise Highway, Inspiration Point, the Lightning Ridge Trail, Guatay, Heise County Park, west of Palomar Mountain, French Creek, Fry Creek, and Chimney Peak; if ssp. hallii is distinct, some of these specimens may be better referred to this entity than ssp. macrantha which ranges northward to the Santa Lucia Mountains. Data Base entries for San Diego County are for the Cuyamaca Mountains at 0.2 mile southeast of Junction of West Mesa Loop Fire Road and Burnt Pine Fire Road, the west Mesa Loop Fire Road 1.1 miles east southeast of Cuyamaca Peak, Japacha Peak, Fern Flat, Azalea Spring off the Azalea Spring Fire Road, northeast of Cherry Flat and northwest of the road to Cuyamaca Peak, west from the eastern boundary of Cuyamaca State Park near the East Mesa Fire Road, 0.4 mile east southeast of Oakzanita Peak along the trail to the peak, 1 mile east southeast of Oakzanita Peak, 0.3 mile up the hiking trial from trailhead near Highway 79 crossing of Sweetwater River, the West Mesa Loop Fire Road on the northwestern end of Airplane Ridge near the junction with the riding and hiking trail, the West Mesa Loop Fire Road on the southeastern end of Airplane Ridge, Middle Peak Loop Fire Road north northwest of the peak, Middle Peak Loop Fire Road midway between the peak and Camp Hual-cu-cuish, near Milk Ranch on the Middle Peak Loop Fire Road, 0.75 mile down west southwest slope of North Peak on the northeastern side of Engineers Road, 0.4 mile east northeast of Cosmit Peak 0.1 mile southeast of Engineer Road on the slope west of Azalea Creek, and near Descanso; also on Aguanga Ridge, alongside the Palomar Divide Truck Trail north and west of Highpoint Lookout, approximately 1.25 miles southeast of Highpoint Lookout, 0.25 mile south of the junction of Oak Grove and High Point Truck Trail near Lone Pine Spring, the Doane Nature Trail in Palomar State Park, both Boucher Hill and Chimney Creek in the Palomar Mountains, and in the Cutca Valley. Data Base records for Riverside County are from Sugarloaf in the Santa Ana Mountains, on the trail to San Jacinto Peak above the Marion Mountain Campground, and 12 miles north of Idyllwild; from San Bernardino County along University Creek Truck Trail and below Yucaipa Ridge 1 mile south of Highway 38, Mill Creek south of Mill Creek Public Camp, and City Creek Road in the San Bernardino Mountains.
Status: This taxon is differentiated from Monardella ssp. macrantha primarily by the latters' glabrous to sparsely hairy stem (versus hairy), elliptic to ovate and more or less glabrous and non-ciliate leaf (versus triangular-ovate and hairy/ciliate). Intermediates are common according to a note in the James Jokerst treatment of this genus in the Jepson Manual (1993). As such, a focused study to determine if subspecies hallii warrants separate status is needed. Hall's Monardella populations in San Diego County are presumed stable. This plant sometimes grows in open rocky locales where the fragile stems can be damaged by hikers resting momentarily among the boulder falls. Provisionally, it is recommended that sizeable populations be protected.
Copyright © May 1994 Craig H. Reiser.