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BLAKLEY'S SPINEFLOWER
Chorizanthe blakleyi
in memory of
E.R. "Jim" Blakley, 1924-2008
Photo by Donald Myrick ©
California Academy of Sciences
The story of
Blakley’s spineflower is as much about the plant as it is about
the man whose name precedes it.
That’s how Clare
Hardham, a Paso Robles botanist, concluded her report of a new
plant species found on the north slope of the Sierra Madre
Mountains in Santa Barbara County in 1963. The plant was found
by Jim Blakley, the noted historian, author, backcountry
explorer, and – most of all – dear friend of the Santa Barbara
backcountry and the Los Padres National Forest. Jim passed away
in November 2008 at the age of 84. The many footsteps he took
throughout the Los Padres National Forest – and the spineflowers
that sprout each year bearing his name – will serve as a lasting
tribute to his life’s adventures.
 It
was June 29, 1963 when Jim first stumbled upon this distinct
member of the buckwheat family while exploring a sandy opening
in the chaparral near McPherson Peak. He gathered some
specimens, brought them back to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
where he lived and worked as a botanist, and soon found that the
shape of its flowers were different than any other spineflower
on record. The following year, Jim’s discovery was formally
announced in Leaflets of Western Botany under the headline “A
NEW CALIFORNIA CHORIZANTHE.”
Blakley's Adventures
Jim’s discovery of
a new species of plant should come as no surprise – it was one
of many secrets he uncovered while exploring every trail,
waterfall, rock outcrop, and swimming hole in the southern Los
Padres, from the Piru to the Sisquoc. His thirst for adventure
began as a child, on camping trips with his father in the
mountains of Arizona. Later, after earning his B.S. in Botany at
Arizona State University, Jim found his way to Santa Barbara,
working as a botanist and caretaker at the town’s botanic garden
and living in the garden’s cottage for thirty years. During that
time, he became known as one of the foremost naturalists and
historians of the southern Los Padres, hiking in the mountains
with friends and family and working alongside legends of local
natural history like Tom Diblee, Dick Smith, Campbell Grant, and
Clifton Smith. Spanning nearly a half-centry of hiking
expeditions, he served as a scoutmaster, a leader of the Los
Padres Interpretive Association, a guide on the annual Coastal
Beachwalk, and a member of several trail organizations. Over the
years he collected thousands of documents, photos, articles,
memorabilia, and oral histories from local old-timers
chronicling the natural history of the Los Padres. Jim was a
founding member of the Santa Barbara County Archaeological
Society and a supporter of Los Padres ForestWatch.
Always eager to
share his knowledge of the backcountry with others, he wrote
A Traveler’s Guide
to Highway 33 in 2004. “His love for the backcountry
shines through his writing,” remarked a forest archaeologist in
introducing Jim's Historical Overview of the Los Padres
National Forest in 1985, which today remains as the only
modern historical account of the entire southern Los Padres National
Forest.
Blakley's Spineflower
Blakley’s
spineflower occurs on flats and north-facing slopes in sandy,
sometimes rocky, open areas in chaparral or pinyon-juniper
woodland. It’s fitting that the spineflower that bears his name
is found only on the Los Padres National Forest and adjacent
lands along the Sierra Madre Ridge, where Jim spent much of his
time. Chorizanthe blakleyi is found only near the White
Oaks Guard Station, Aliso Canyon, Montgomery Potrero, and
McPherson Peak.
Blakley’s spineflower is an annual, sprouting anew every year
and displaying small white flowers in April and June. The hairy
stem is yellow-green and grows from 2 to 6 inches tall. Nobody
knows for sure how many plants remain, but Blakley’s spineflower
is considered quite rare, disappearing altogether in years of
low rainfall and becoming more abundant in wetter years.
According to Forest Service data, possibly less than one
thousand of these plants remain.
Preserving a Legacy
Chorizanthe
blakleyi is threatened by vehicles, recreation activities,
road maintenance, and nonnative plants. On the Los Padres
National Forest, the primary threat is from road and trail
maintenance - all four populations on the Los Padres are found
along roads, trails, and other high-use areas. In addition, the Forest Service has determined that livestock
can trample spineflower plants, which is of particular concern during the
plant’s growing season. Spineflower habitat has also been
fragmented by oil development in the Cuyama Valley foothills.
Because of these threats and the plant’s limited distribution,
the Forest Service has placed Blakley’s spineflower on its
Sensitive Species list, and the California Native Plant Society
classifies the plant as “rare.”
ForestWatch is working to protect Blakley’s spineflower and
other rare plants and animals on the Los Padres National Forest
by demanding stringent protections for its habitat. As a
critical component of the rich diversity of life in the Los
Padres and an enduring tribute to our friend Jim Blakley, a true
forest legend, Chorizanthe blakleyi deserves nothing
less.
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