This October 22 field trip at Nur Pon Open Space in Redding brought about 20 plant lovers out to a pleasant cool morning once the wind died down.
This area has been highly disturbed by man over the last 130 years, and it has a very high concentration of non-native or exotic plants. For this field trip walk leader David Ledger identified both types and for some their uses and unique features.
One that was still in bloom is Chicory (Cichorium intybus), a common weed in the sunflower family and native to Europe. The flowers are blue and all the “petals” are ray flowers. The stems and leaves are green and it grows to about 4 feet tall. In colonial times the roots were roasted and used as a substitute for coffee although it does not have caffeine. The flowers have a unique behavior, they can open up for a few hours in day and then all close and appear to disappear, only to open another few hours later.
Another common exotic invasive plant we found was Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana). This plant is most noticeable by its bright red stem and drooping deep purple fruits. The plant grow up to 10 feet tall and dies back to its perennial roots each year. This plant is native to the Midwest, the eastern United States and the South. It is not native to Shasta County and is a recent arrival here, perhaps within the last 30 years old-timers tell me. All parts of the plant are quite poisonous ranging from the roots being most toxic to the fruit being the least. Like poison oak, best to avoid.
If you would like a list of the plants we found, it is available below.
Photos are by Jose Hernandez.