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Abundant, collected from clonal patch of Quercus palmeri on FONM.

Stored galls in an unsealed cup at 40F for 14 days until dissection 2/24/24.

2 adults found in 1 gall, stored in 95% ethanol at 40F.

5 other galls were found to be empty.

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1 more organism found in dissection of 2 last galls. Collected same day, from same clonal colony of Q. palmeri as this one:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/200353736

Empty galls here:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/200820223

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Maybe "Heteroecus q-palmeri-kernel-gall (agamic)" https://gallformers.org/gall/2010

Closest alternate might be R. spithamea
Fruit appears to keep sepal so not R gymnocarpa (sorry bad fruit specimen)

Note that R pinetorum and R spithamea ranges do not overlap but maybe hybridizes??
http://www.elkhornsloughctp.org/factsheet/factsheet.php?SPECIES_ID=97

COMPARISON of 3 Roses (genus Rosa) found in Monterey County, CA: California Wild Rose (Rosa californica), Pine Rose (Rosa Pintorum), and Ground Rose (Rosa spithamea)
(There a 8 confirmed species of Rosa genus on INaturalist as of 5/13/24: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=118063&quality_grade=research&taxon_id=53438&view=species)

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California Wild Rose (Rosa californica) Native, perennial, thicket-forming shrub in the Rose (Rosaceae) family that grows 8--25 dm (up to 8 ft) tall in generally +- moist areas, especially along streambanks.
Stem: prickles are relatively sparse (few to many), paired or not, 3--15 mm long, thick-based and compressed, and generally (re)curved. Single, older thorns at nodes along stem have a thick base and are recurved (unlike local Rosa woodsii and Rosa pinetorum that have spines that are not recurved, but are dense, straight, thin, with no thickness at the base.) Leaflets are pinnate, 5-7, +- hairy, sometimes glandular, and finely toothed along the margins. Flowers are often in clusters, each flower with 20–40 pistils. Sepals are "persistent" meaning they remain on the rose hip (fruit) after the pale pink petals have fallen off. Peak bloom time: May-August.

Jepson eFlora https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=41631

Flora of North America http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Rosa_californica and http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Main_Page

Plants of Monterey County: an Illustrated Field Key, 2nd edition, Matthews and Mitchell, 2015, pp. 286-287.

Flora of Fort Ord: Monterey County, California, David Styer, 2019, p. 191.

Monterey County Wildflowers: a Field Guide, Yeager and Mitchell, p. 138.

Monterey County Wildflowers, Trees & Ferns https://montereywildflowers.com/rosaceae-rose/

Comparison of Rosa pinetorum with diagrams: http://www.elkhornsloughctp.org/factsheet/factsheet.php?SPECIES_ID=97

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COMPARED TO

Pine Rose (Rosa Pintorum) is an Endemic, rare, petite plant in the Rose (Rosaceae) family that grows less than 39 inches tall. It is endemic to the closed-cone pine forests of the Central Coast ranges around Monterey Bay. It is a non-thicket forming, dwarf shrub in the Rose (Rosaceae) family that grows less than 10dm (less than 39 inches) tall in shaded Monterey Pine woodland. Spines on stem are dense and many, both slender and +- thick-based, and straight (not recurved). Peak bloom time: May-June.
Conservation Status: 1B.2 in California, US (CNPS) (Rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere).

Illustration of the differences in Rosa foliage (including R. pinetorum) from Flora of North America (FNA): http://floranorthamerica.org/w/images/f/ff/FNA9_P12_Rosa_acicularis_subsp_sayi.jpeg

Flora of North America--detailed Rosa pinetorum description:
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250100422 and
http://floranorthamerica.org/Rosa_pinetorum

Endangered Species Fact Sheets: Global Distribution of Pine Rose (Rosa Pintorum) "Restricted to the central California coast. Known from coastal terraces on the Monterey Peninsula to Carmel Highlands (Monterey County), the mouth of Waddell Creek at Big Basin Redwoods State Park (Santa Cruz County), and possibly Cambria (San Luis Obispo County)"
Endangered Species Fact Sheets: http://www.elkhornsloughctp.org/factsheet/factsheet.php?SPECIES_ID=97

Native California Roses, by Barbara Ertter, 2001, Pine Rose (Rosa Pintorum): https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/ina/roses/rosa_pinetorum.html

There are 43 records of this species listed in Monterey County (as of 5/12/24) on CalFlora by local botany legends like Vern Yadon, Dean Taylor, and David Styer.
Calflora https://www.calflora.org/entry/observ.html?track=m#srch=t&lpcli=t&taxon=Rosa+pinetorum&chk=t&cch=t&cnabh=t&inat=r&cc=MNT

Jepson eFlora: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=41684
Pine Rose (Rosa Pintorum): Native, “dwarf shrub, openly rhizomed, generally < 10 dm. Stem: prickles many, not paired, 3--10 mm long, both slender and +- thick-based, and straight (not recurved). Leaf: axis glabrous or finely hairy, glandular; leaflets 5--7, glabrous to hairy; terminal leaflet 10--30 mm, generally +- elliptic, widest near middle, tip +- obtuse, margins +- single- or double-toothed, +- glandular. Inflorescence: generally 1--5-flowered; pedicels generally 10--30 mm, glabrous, glandular or not. Flower: hypanthium generally +- 4 mm wide at flower, glabrous, glandless, neck +- 3 mm wide; sepals generally +- glandular, entire, tip generally +- = body, entire or toothed; petals +- 15--20 mm, pink; pistils +- 10--20. Fruit: +- 12 mm wide, spheric; sepals +- erect, persistent; achenes 3--4 mm. Ecology: Pine woodland; Elevation: generally < 300 m. Flowering Time: May--June" https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=41684

Monterey County Wildflowers https://montereywildflowers.com/rosaceae-rose/
"This is a small, rare rose. Like Wood Rose (Rosa gymnocarpa), it has smaller flowers than California Rose (Rosa californica), and prickles that are straight and slender. The flowers are a little larger than Wood Rose (petals 15–20 mm long), usually pink to red, and with more numerous (10–20) pistils. The hypanthium is also broader, 4 mm wide at the base of the petals. Leaflets are generally no more than 7 in number. Its sepals are persistent, meaning they remain on the hip as it matures. "
Monterey County Wildflowers https://montereywildflowers.com/rosaceae-rose/

"Stems with straight, slender prickles, some thick-based. . . sepals persistent in fruit"
Plants of Monterey County: an Illustrated Field Key, 2nd edition, Matthews and Mitchell, 2015, pp. 286-287.

Monterey County Wildflowers: a Field Guide, Yeager and Mitchell, 2016, p. 139.

Coastal California's Living Legacy: The Monterey Pine Forest, 2nd. ed, Nikki Nedeff, et. al. The Monterey Pine Forest Watch, 2018

Flora of Fort Ord: Monterey County, California, David Styer, 2019
(species not listed--no pine forests)

Endangered Species Fact Sheets (85+ species in Monterey County) http://www.elkhornsloughctp.org/factsheet/

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Ground Rose (Rosa spithamea) A.k.a. Coast Ground Rose. Endemic in California. Peak bloom time: April-August.

Illustration of the differences in Rosa foliage (including R. spithamea) from Flora of North America (FNA): http://floranorthamerica.org/w/images/f/ff/FNA9_P12_Rosa_acicularis_subsp_sayi.jpeg

Plants of Monterey County: an Illustrated Field Key, 2nd edition, Matthews and Mitchell,2015, pp. 286-287.

Calflora (includes species distribution in CA): https://www.calflora.org/app/taxon?crn=7187

Jepson eFlora (with botanical illustration): https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=41696
Rosa spithamea: "Habit: Dwarf shrub, openly rhizomed, generally < 5 dm. Ecology: Open forest, chaparral, especially after fire. Stem: prickles few to many, generally not paired, 3--8(12) mm, generally slender (thick-based), +- straight. Leaf: axis generally glabrous (finely hairy), glandular; leaflets 5--7(9), 2--4 per side, (+-) glabrous; terminal leaflet +- 10--30 mm, +- widely elliptic (obovate), widest near middle, tip obtuse to truncate, margins +- double-toothed, glandular. Inflorescence: 1--10-flowered; pedicels generally 5--15 mm, glabrous, +- stalked-glandular. Flower: hypanthium generally 4--5 mm wide at flower, stalked-glandular, neck 3--4 mm wide; sepals generally glandular, entire, tip generally +- = body, entire; petals 10--15 mm, pink to red; pistils 10--20. Fruit: 7--12(15) mm wide, +- spheric; sepals +- erect, persistent; achenes 3.5--5 mm.
Synonyms: Rosa spithamea var. sonomensis "

Monterey County Wildflowers (photographic guide of wildflowers, shrubs and trees) https://montereywildflowers.com/index/ (species not listed)

This oak was growing on the edge of a serpentine area dominated by Sargent’s Cypress, arcostaphylos and ceanothus species. Although it appeared largely deciduous, it had retained a number of green leaves spread evenly over the tree. There were no sign of any acorns in the vicinity. Presumably a hybrid?

Best fit, but leaves seem consistently too small for this species over many years of observing it!

Maybe a new subspecies?

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Similar observations in the Dunes (starting with mine):
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/69542433
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/38499081
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/208623192
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/104551840
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/154621069

maybe:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/198456983
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/200307748
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/113593841

At least 3 clumps seen along this popular corridor for horses.

I'm now convinced they're a vector for noxious invasive species, which means extra monitoring and restoration effort is needed along any popular horse trails.

In an ideal world, there'd be a horse tax specifically for this sort of externality.

Growing right by the western side of the road. A strong candidate for Q. garryana semota x john-tuckeri imo. (EDIT: I suppose most of the "QGS" traits could be Q. lobata as well. Tough to say. The leaf litter, indicating semi-deciduousity, and lobed leaves at the very least indicate some sort of lobed, deciduous parent.)

-QJT is the dominant oak species by far in this region with a minority of Q. agrifolia
-QGS traits: Suckering growth habit/stature, deciduousity, appearance of the leaf litter, lobed leaves and general leaf shape, new leaf shape and growth habit, filamentous bracts, yellow-green color of newer leaves
-QJT traits: spikiness of the lobes, rough/tomentose feeling of the leaves (especially the newer ones), wideness of the leaves, bluish-green color and "dustiness" of the mature leaves, dominant yellow central vein on mature leaves, dominant oak species in the area, material thickness and robustness of the twigs

I don't see any QGS in the vicinity. Since this was by the roadside, it is possible that an acorn got carried down from further up the road by water or human activity, and/or QGS from further north into the mountains pollinated some QJT in the area.