Lime Creek

I tried to visit to an old haunt yesterday, attempting to get to Lime Creek west of Horseshoe Reservoir on the Verde River. I hiked (and swam where necessary) Lime Creek with friends in the early '90's. But the forest service road (1530) to it had a deeply eroded section that I didn't feel safe crossing, even with 4WD and low gears. So I parked and walked along the area covered in this article, a limestone exposure of pure white lake deposits. I found several of the unusual species listed there, including the endangered Purshia ✕subintegra and the rare but not listed Eriogonum ripleyi. I also found a few stumpers, especially this Castilleja. Best guess is C. angustifolia var. dubia; though all leaves are linear; some of the dried leaves looked pinnatifid. It's a late-season specimen, so I took a photo of the seeds - they are fascinatingly reticulate and look like tiny loofah sponges. [Edit - Bzzz, wrong!]

Posted on May 19, 2017 02:25 PM by stevejones