Habitats/Plants Quiz

Questions

1. Approximately how many different species of vascular plants are found at Edgewood?
2. What fraction of the total plant species are native?
3. California’s Mediterranean climate is characterized by ______________, _____________ winters and ______________, ______________ summers.
4. Name the five basic locations in the world with a Mediterranean climate.
5. What are the five basic vegetation types in Edgewood?
6. Name two characteristic plants found in Edgewood’s chaparral environment
7. Name two characteristic plants found in Edgewood’s coastal scrub.
8. Name the five species of oak found in the park.
9. What is the dominant oak at Edgewood?
10. Which oak is usually found in serpentine soil?
11. How many Edgewood plant species are listed as either threatened or endangered?
12. Name at least four rare plants that can be seen from Edgewood trails.
13. What rare plant is found only at Edgewood and one nearby location?
14. What are the 6 different fern species found at Edgewood?
15. What fungi form a mutualistic relationship with the roots of most plant species?
16. A lichen is a composite organism made up of at least one_____________________ partner and a _____________________ partner.
17. The female structure of a flower, called the ___________________, consists of what three parts?
18. The male structures of a flower, called __________________, consist of what two main parts?
19. What are the three general types of flower heads found in plants of the Asteraceae (Sunflower) family?
20. What characterizes a monoecious species versus a dioecious species?
21. Name one monoecious plant and one dioecious plant found at Edgewood.
22. Name 3 methods, each with an example plant, by which plants disperse seed:
    method: _______________________________ example plant: _____________________________.
    method: _______________________________ example plant: _____________________________.
    method: _______________________________ example plant: _____________________________.
23. Name 3 leaf adaptations of chaparral plants to prevent water loss.
24. Name 2 methods, each with an example plant, by which plants avoid being eaten (herbivory):
    method: _______________________________ example plant: _____________________________.
    method: _______________________________ example plant: _____________________________.
25. Poison oak provides both ____________________ and _________________ for birds and mammals.
26. What Bay Area city was originally named Yerba Buena, after the small, aromatic member of the mint family (Laminaceae)?
27. As a survival strategy, the California buckeye tree loses its leaves in the summer. What is this adaptation called?
28. The sun cup (Camissonia ovata) is an unusual plant in that the ovary is ____________________.
29. Name five uses Native people had for the bulb of the soap plant (Chlorogalum pomeridianum):
30. What is special about members of the Orobanchaceae (Broomrape) family?
31. Name 3 species in the family Orobanchaceae (Broomrape) that are found at Edgewood.
32. What does the term non-native mean when discussing Edgewood’s species?
33. Most of Edgewood’s _______________ (native / non-native) grasses are perennial bunch grasses, and most of the _______________ (native / non-native) grasses are annuals.
34. What are three impacts non-native grasses have on native wildflowers?
35. What are the two methods most commonly used at Edgewood for habitat restoration? What is the new method being tested as part of Project 467? What is the purpose of Edgewood Farms?
36. What are the three non-native thistles that are commonly removed by hand weeding in the park?
37. Give a very brief explanation of an insect gall.
38. Galls that hang like apples from valley oaks are made by what creature? What creature makes the galls on the stem ends of coyote brush?
39. Can you use the leaves of a California bay in cooking?
40. What is the relationship between the California poppy and the opium poppy?

Answers

1. Approximately how many different species of vascular plants are found at Edgewood?

   Over 570 species

2. What fraction of the total plant species are native?

   two-thirds

3. California’s Mediterranean climate is characterized by ______________, _____________ winters and ______________, ______________ summers.

   cool, wet winters; warm, dry summers

4. Name the five basic locations in the world with a Mediterranean climate.

   California, Mediterranean, South Africa, Chile, Australia

5. What are the five basic vegetation types in Edgewood?

   grassland, woodland, chaparral, coastal scrub, seasonal wetlands

6. Name two characteristic plants found in Edgewood’s chaparral environment

   chamise, buckbrush, etc.

7. Name two characteristic plants found in Edgewood’s coastal scrub.

   California sagebrush, coyote brush, California coffeeberry, etc.

8. Name the five species of oak found in the park.

   leather, valley, blue, coast live, scrub

9. What is the dominant oak at Edgewood?

   coast live oak

10. Which oak is usually found in serpentine soil?

    leather oak

11. How many Edgewood plant species are listed as either threatened or endangered?

    12 species (13 species if woolly-headed lessingia (Lessingia hololeuca), a CRPR 3 (under review), is counted)

12. Name at least four rare plants that can be seen from Edgewood trails.

    San Francisco collinsia, Franciscan onion, Western leatherwood (Dirca), Marin dwarf flax, fragrant fritillary, woodland monolopia, and Kings Mountain manzanita

13. What rare plant is found only at Edgewood and one nearby location?

    San Mateo thornmint (also now seeded on SF Public Utilities Commission property on Pulgas Ridge)

14. What are the 6 different fern species found at Edgewood?

    coffee fern, goldback fern, California maidenhair fern, California polypody, coastal wood fern, and Western sword fern (the latter is not commonly seen on trail)

15. What fungi form a mutualistic relationship with the roots of most plant species?

    mycorrhizal

16. A lichen is a composite organism made up of at least one_____________________ partner and a _____________________ partner.

    fungal partner; photo partner (green algae or cyanobacteria)

17. The female structure of a flower, called the ___________________, consists of what three parts?

    pistil: stigma, style, and ovary

18. The male structures of a flower, called __________________, consist of what two main parts?

    Stamens: anthers and filaments

19. What are the three general types of flower heads found in plants of the Asteraceae (Sunflower) family?

    ray flowers only (ligulate), disk flowers only (discoid), ray and disk flowers (radiate).

20. What characterizes a monoecious species versus a dioecious species?

    monoecious = one dwelling; male and female separate but on same plant; dioecious = 2 dwellings; male and female on different plants.

21. Name one monoecious plant and one dioecious plant found at Edgewood.

    Monoecious = CA manroot, oak trees. Dioecious = coast silk tassel, meadow-rue, coyote brush, coyote brush, poison oak, osoberry

22. Name 3 methods, each with an example plant, by which plants disperse seed:
    method: _______________________________ example plant: _____________________________.
    method: _______________________________ example plant: _____________________________.
    method: _______________________________ example plant: _____________________________.
    
    1. wind = sunflower family; grasses; oaks
    2. ingestion by birds/mammals (fleshy fruits) = toyon, California blackberry, pink honeysuckle, Pacific madrone, poison oak
    3. burs/barbs = hound’s tongue, hedge parsley;
    4. force (explosion) = lupines, California manroot
23. Name 3 leaf adaptations of chaparral plants to prevent water loss.

    Leaves may be small, hard, convex, and waxy or hairy

24. Name 2 methods, each with an example plant, by which plants avoid being eaten (herbivory):
    method: _______________________________ example plant: _____________________________.
    method: _______________________________ example plant: _____________________________.
    
    1. mechanical (spines/stickers): blackberry, CA manroot;
    2. chemical (bitter/poisonous): Fremont’s star lily, tarweed, toyon
25. Poison oak provides both ____________________ and _________________ for birds and mammals.

    food and habitat

26. What Bay Area city was originally named Yerba Buena, after the small, aromatic member of the mint family (Laminaceae)?

    San Francisco

27. As a survival strategy, the California buckeye tree loses its leaves in the summer. What is this adaptation called?

    drought deciduous

28. The sun cup (Camissonia ovata) is an unusual plant in that the ovary is ____________________.

    underground

29. Name five uses Native people had for the bulb of the soap plant (Chlorogalum pomeridianum):

    for soap; to stupefy fish; for glue; for food, for a brush (bulb fibers)

30. What is special about members of the Orobanchaceae (Broomrape) family?

    They are parasitic or hemi-parasite.

31. Name 3 species in the family Orobanchaceae (Broomrape) that are found at Edgewood.

    warrior’s plume, paintbrush, owl’s clovers, cream sacs, valley tassels, etc.

32. What does the term non-native mean when discussing Edgewood’s species?

    An organism transferred outside its native range by human activity; at Edgewood, usually a European species.

33. Most of Edgewood’s _______________ (native / non-native) grasses are perennial bunch grasses, and most of the _______________ (native / non-native) grasses are annuals.

    Native; non-native

34. What are three impacts non-native grasses have on native wildflowers?

    take water and nutrients; create shade; create thatch

35. What are the two methods most commonly used at Edgewood for habitat restoration? What is the new methods being tested as part of Project 467? What is the purpose of Edgewood Farms?

    hand removal of target species and timed mowing; hydro-mechanical pulverization with seeding to restore fertile (non-serpentine) grasslands and dethatching; EW Farms produces seeds from EW plants for restoration work

36. What are the three non-native thistles that are commonly removed by hand weeding in the park?

    Italian thistle; tocalote; yellow-star thistle

37. Give a very brief explanation of an insect gall.

    Insect hijacks the DNA of the plant to create a habitat providing food and shelter for its larvae.

38. Galls that hang like apples from valley oaks are made by what creature? What creature makes the galls on the stem ends of coyote brush?

    wasps; midges

39. Can you use the leaves of a California bay in cooking?

    Yes, but they are about 3 times as strong as a Mediterranean bay leaf.

40. What is the relationship between the California poppy and the opium poppy?

    The California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) is in the same family (the Poppy family) but a different genus than the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum).