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Well, Brian, that Pepper tree, means maybe 6 Bushels of Peppercorns--enough to stock a big grocery store's spice shelves for maybe 9 months running, if everyone gets a Pepper Jones for seasoning their foods! Just wild guesses, but a whole lotta peppercorns at any rate, that I like coarse ground.

Lovely scenery my friend, this looks really nice!

Love that someone is hitting and botanizing these small peaks. Still would like to get together for a hike sometime! I remember you mentioned being in east central San Diego. Should I drop my Instagram here? I think we have a lot of fun spots we could share lol

It's beautiful that you caught them flowering! And the baby seed pods! Those wicked thorns look like the could be used as nails or sewing needles. The bipinately compound leaves are so pretty. Honey Mesquite beans ground into flour are delicious. I mixed the sweet flour with spices to stuff my artichokes. I want to use the flour to bake more. Have you observed them create rain? My tree was receiving so much water during the superbloom that it was dropping beads of dew. And it wasn't just Honeydew from the many insects they host. It shocked me something fierce! It seemed to be sweating off the excess liquid, if you will. I would prep my trimmings by removing the thorns for BBQ.

There is black sage growing all over the Peninsular and Transverse mountain ranges. I live near the mouth of the San Jacinto River (Hemet) and have seen black sage over four-foot tall growing in the wash.

Was literally out there yesterday! Pretty nice blooms going on! Real aster disaster there 😂

large scars can often end up becoming tree hollows in longer living hardwood trees

other willow species tend to grow wide instead of tall since their wood isn't too robust and they self propagate by shedding branches on to wetlands

Gee, Brian, towards the beginning, throughout the ravines complex, aside from the novel appearance of Incenses, I was really hoping, praying that you'd get all gobsmacked, by some other big and pleasant surprises of not only Sugars, but BC Douggies, White Firs, and more frequency of Coulters . . . "NO WAY!! REALLY RIPPIN'!! HOW COOL IS THAT?!" That stuff's lotsa fun!! Does that huge meadow seen before one gets to the Laguna [crest] Plateau have a name? About that early onset of Autumn color . . . not even the end of Astronomical/Calendar Summer, yet--that is, in respect to Equinoxes and Solstices--and I likewise have also noticed that deciduous domesticated ornamentals (for example, Crepe Myrtles, some Sycamores, and Liquidambars) in my community's landscaping (NorCal S.F. Bay Area) has been going through EARLY colors, too. Besides night coolness, lowering sun angle and duration, there is some trigger unbeknownst to me, that the plants use, to get themselves through an especially sharp and prolonged winter, and, perhaps we may be having another doozy upcoming, as we did two winters ago. Meteorological Summer just closed, with the month of August; it starts at the close of May. I was pleasantly surprised to see all of that verdure at ground level, when this province is so danged close to Anza Borrego. Foolproof Ponderosa ID: Ponderosa bark scales are very flimsy; you can easily flick them off the trunk with the slightest pressure of your pinkie. For Jeffrey, you'd really need to jam in a knife blade and pry like the dickens to get those scales off the trunk.

So much great hiking near San Diego

Epipactus gigantea is whats growing with the woodwardia and lupine! Edit: you got it 😅 I also didnt find the maple when i was out, its a bit sketch but not as bad as some of the other ridges of laguna. The umbellularia is super rad in there.

Wow, Brian, you just hit ANTHOER one, out of the park with your magisterial Laguna Series and Sagas! Sadly, no Maria Muldaur to be found at this oasis. Sigh, oh well(Laughs!!). Isn't amazing, how the seeds and spores of Riparian species, found their way to this spring? In addition, I'd have expected Alders, Sycamores, Poplars/Cottonwoods to have found their way here, too. A strong lush fortress right at the threshold of the harsh desert! Springs are nearly always the genesis of brooks and creeks, and, ultimately rivers. Is there a stream issuing from this spring? Does Storm Canyon proper have a reliable creek, or does it have only a flash flood Wash? All of the Eastern Sierra has creeks and rivers that start out gangbusters, only to eventually disappear into the Sinks of the Great Basin or Mojave. Geographically speaking, could the Lagunas be considered to run all the way to the Eastside of Cuyamaca Basin, even Julian's Eastside, where they turn into the Volcons at the North Bank of Banner Canyon? All an impressive rampart, palisade, to be viewed from Anza Borrego. Could there also be an uncharted frontier--for you, at any rate--to explore in the WESTERN branch of the Laguna Range--for example, West of Laguna Meadows & Big Lake, a little Northeast of Pine Valley? Your Series is overwhelmingly comprehensive, for what you've currently explored thus far for us. Who would have used that old pumphouse? This abandoned roadbed looks too modern--the culvert's construction details--for old time stagecoach & freight wagon use--more suitable for motor vehicles. Might it have been part of the initial alignment for Sunrise Highway, say, 110-115 years ago? Or a Forest Service Road for FS workers to canvass The Forest? We should be learning history as well as botany, geology, geography, and being knocked out by your stunning views. I would like to call you a Video Docent--bar none--among the topmost presenters of this format on YT. For being an extremely astute and disciplined layman, it's HIGH TIME that you receive some sort of official recognition of your work here, from Academia, the Scientific Community, Environmentalists, and Natural Resources Managers. You can channel that inner John Miur like no one else, Brian. Open a PayPal PayPoint, and I'll chip in. In a thumbnail picture above, is this waterfall really in the Lagunas, the Cuyamacas?

Wow timely video! We just hiked that upper PCT trail today and were super curious about that Oasis trail. Thanks for posting! It looks like it would absolutely be worth the bushwhacking to see those native orchids in bloom in the spring.

Well, Brian, I'm glad that "Bossie" and "Bessie" didn't get TOO bossy with you!

Those cattle have me thinking . . . first thing that comes to mind is, is the scuffed, barren, cratered patch in the middle of the meadow. That has to be a dust wallow. they probably roll about as do Bison, to get rid of lice, mites, and ticks. Next thing, they weren't too far from the vernal pool(s). Those typically are special ecological preserves; the reason for the boardwalks. And the paucity of cattle--my guess is that this could be a cooperative tract of range, this expanse would likely be impractical for commercial ranchers out for profit. Forest Service employees and local residents graze their personal beasts together until it's time for given individual beasts to meet slaughter, to fill smokehouses, freezers, and people's bellies, so they don't have to be at the mercy of butchers and grocers. One steer(?) could last 'em many weeks, if not months. Perhaps, horses could be grazed out there, too. And. it's probably just a matter of time, before there's cougar/coyote/wolf conflicts. That already may now be happening.

Graffiti?? Back '59, '60 or so, Yosemite's Tenaya Lake had campgrounds, and our family had a tradition, a few years running, of always going there over Labor Day. A couple of camp spots over, Dad espied a young punk attempting to chop down a Lodgie with his hatchet. His sluttish girlfriend, scantily dressed, as my Father tells it, was splattering her nail polish everywhere. This could have been the first time my tender 4-, 5-year-old ears had heard profanity, coming from the punk, plus the inane, "adoring" giggling from the bimbo. He told Dad that it was HIS tree to cut for firewood, if he wanted it. Evidently, no Rangers around--if THEY had caught him, he and his moll would at least have spent a few nights in The Valley Village's "Greybar Manor", on a DISORDERLY. Yet, with my Dad's WW II Army training, he must have done or said something to those kids, putting THEM in order, 'cause they vamoosed! Dad told it to me later, as they were also menacing my Mother and us kids, too. Back in the day, you could at least scrounge amongst deadfall, for your campfires, which are now all against the law. No more s'mores, I guess.

Oh, that WIND!!!! Simply TERRIBLE, the absolute LIMIT!!

Hmm, an old roadbed; has me thinking, it's possible that in the 19th Century, that there may have been regular stagecoach service, between Julian, and say, Descanso, Pine Valley, Alpine, etc., with an intermediate stop at Laguna? Possibly that would have been a freighter's and logger's highway. Nearly any road back then of consequence, those were toll roads, unless you paid your stage ticket. Ultimate ends-of-the-line, would have been San Diego, Coronado, La Jolla. Sunrise could be following in part, those old rights-of-way.

With that silly song stuck in your head, I'd get some other hopefully less silly ones stuck in mine. For "sugar"--Sugar Pines, anyone(?)--I'd get 1963's "Sugar Shack", or, more preferably, Cream's "Spoonful"--another even still yet better than the Archies, would be "A Spoonful of Sugar", from Mary Poppins. If we'd seen Bison in Big Laguna Meadow, it would be that heavenly soundtrack from "Dances with Wolves"! But . . . since we are discussing here, an OASIS, why not Maria Muldaur's "Midnight at The Oasis"? Dang, she was so cute, that chirping voice with the dusky looks!! I sorta had a crush on her, but so did a bazillion other guys--sigh, oh well--take a number, Swithin, and stand in line.

Nice hike! 🥾🥾

Wow, Brian!! These are DEFINITELY like "my" Sierran "bully boys" that you may recall me rhapsodizing to you about! I would guess that this tree's leader was lost, oh, say 1890-1920 or so. Maybe this meadow is in large part sheltered from regular scouring from prevailing strong winds, but there's always exceptions to rules. When conifers grow as "lone wolves" away from competition, they do tend to wear their limbage all the way to the ground, as with these two you'd pointed out for us. No competition from forest mates, no hand of man--nor the natural attacks of wind, lightning, nor snow loadings--with great water tables in meadows. Even Giant Sequoias could grow like this! The legendary TV series, "Bonanza", was NEVER, ever shot in the Sierra. It was invariably shot in SoCal's mountains, with the Pacific Ocean once "standing in", for Tahoe (above Big Sur). This meadow reminds me, of the show's opening sequence, when Ben and his lads come charging in on horseback across the meadow, out of the burning map, though I've been told that this particular sequence was actually done in Lockwood Valley under the shadows of Frazier Mountain and Mt. Pinos (The rest was done at Republic/Paramount Studios). Michael Landon did a lot of his "Little House" in that same locale, too, a VERY poor "stand-in" for relatively flat and heavily forested and prairied Minnesota. Shirley Temple movies ("Heidi", "Now and Forever", & "The Blue Bird"), "J.A.G." (Siberian/Russian forests), "Star Trek", "Dr. Quinn" (Colorado?! NOT!!), and "Combat!" (to double for far-Eastern France, near the Swiss & German borders in WW II), were all shot in the SoCal mountains.

I go there every once in a while, my first time going there was when I was 12, I'm now 40 and still make my way over there every other month atleast, I've caught a nice 2.5lb largemouth there recently

Love me a Jeffrey... love how their branches twist and gnarl, they are beasts!, have those gentle unprickly cones, and course smell of vanilla nature goodness. Thx for the Jeffrey tribute B

They are quite delishous. Similar to blueberries but a softer texture.

It smells so good when I went past it

Be careful with the migra😂😂😂

Ive seen Brachychitons planted in central London as well

Beautiful presentation my friend, such a cheerful atmosphere!

Thank you again for sharing

Very good video, I have my own Chalk Dudleya I am growing in a container!

Fascinating!

Brian, this setting looks so "authentically" Australian, that CAMPS of Pteropus Poliocehpalus could fit RIGHT in. Now, if those naturalized here, you'd have a very hard time prying me away from this place!! Such sweet-looking faces on these.

Do you know if there are any nurseries in SD where these can be sourced?

July 20, 2024 Mr. Powell have you heard the lastest focus on the Palmer Oaks in the Jurpura Valley area of Riverside? It's the oldest plant in California. Looking forward to your reply.

Thank you for sharing this informative video. At age 73 I learn something new watching TH-cam videos.

Thanks for more Dudleya Brian! I’m forever looking for Dudleya plants in my travels around Southern California and your spotlights are helping me become better informed what I’m looking at. Keep ‘em coming! Ladyfinger next?

Your hikes remind me of my college botany class. Really amazing how much we pass by out there. Thanks!

Brian, now, I shall not take those large vacant lots for granted, but one's got to be cautious, with private property rights--ALWAYS. Is this a naturally occurring, estuarine island, or did the Navy/Marine Corps construct this as landfill, perhaps commencing as early as 155 years ago? San Diego, as we know, is one of our Navy's/Marine Corps' long-time crown jewels. And Camp Pendleton's a colossal, vast piece of real estate. The International Airport in SD is a major curiosity, noted for the extremely low landings and takeoffs--usually right over Balboa Park and the zoo--so low, you might just see the passenger's faces inside the airplane's windows! If, you were NOT using your field guides, your memory completely blows me away, how you casually rattle of scientific names, and the lore surrounding particular species. "Tuckerroo" . . . I just love those cute Aussie names. Would kangaroos be known to eat these in their native settings? Hence the cute Aussie term, "tucker". How have you been coping with the widespread, intense, long-lived, monster heat wave? It's so bad, that at Yosemite's Tuolumne Meadows, at 8,500', +or-, it's regularly been hitting around 90F. Wildfires in the Sierra have now been slopping over The Crest, burning through heretofore "unburnable" subalpine/alpine vegetation, above timberline, right over into the Eastern deserts! It's a shame that the "authorities" are now starting the practice of shutting down public swimming during heat waves, a combination of liability issues, and the AMA's harping that people's health is unable to withstand the "severe" shock/contrast of temperatures, of jumping into swimming venues--they even recommend against drawing cold-tap-water baths to soak in, during these "sunstorms"--better, they say, to start out with a lukewarm SHOWER--NOT A TUB BATH-- for 2 minutes, gradually increasing to tap-water-cold. Complete Immersion, they now say, can trigger cerebral strokes, respiratory arrest, cardiac events, and, disorientation leading to drownings, even with experienced swimmers. Avoid ice cubes in your cold drinks too, that's silly! They say to avoid seashores, as the "fog machine" that suppresses higher swells and waves is absent, during heat events--that will NOT stop the surfboard fanatics--the higher the waves, the better--more power to 'em!! Just too much Nanny-ism these days. Sigh, oh well.

Oh gosh! I love chalk Dudleya. One of these days I will have to buy one and add it to my garden. Thanks for this video.

My Neighborhood Canyon. Nice Video

Hey Brian - Just finished watching your video. Lots of great information that I’d like to commit to memory. I’m going to scroll through it again and take notes this time. Thanks for sharing your encyclopedic knowledge of the plants and topology! I’ll try to pay it forward and share all this with future visitors to Tahquitz Tower. Thanks again and happy trails to you! (Bruce - San Bernardino Forest Service volunteer lookout)

Keep up the brilliant work Bryan

I really do wonder, where the name, "Airplane", derives from? Summit register on Cuyamaca Peak? I should be very sure there WAS one at one time, but some DOOFUS mistook it for trash! SHAME on them! Poison Oak here?? You're growing way too high here, GO AWAY!! Poodle Dog?? It's probably been 5 or so years since it's burned here. YOU should be on the wane, yourself!! If, Brian, you had that supernatural inclination to summit Half Dome, some of THIS hike's parameters are not too far outside of those of YNP's Half Dome. Thirteen and a Half Miles for this hike total? HD's at 18, +or-. CP's 2.6K' upwards elevation (the height of NorCal's Mt. Tamalpais from ocean to top), from your trailhead this day . . . HD's almost a mile from Valley floor to the summit. Yet, that most INFERNAL thing about HD, is that LOTTERY Permit. Even planning that out at least a year in advance, is no guarantee, probably 55% positivity at best. And, who knows how farther yet to go, to what lengths may PS go, to allow simple entrance into The Park, by anyone, for whatever reason imaginable?? It's already a felony to enter, by foot, vast tracts of The Park, that possess some of its most spectacular features. "Look, but do not touch; do not comment."

These Jeffreys . . . are simply . . . fat, Sassy, and BRASSY!! So many of these that you show us in SoCal's mountains--and they are grand, indeed--are a mite on the lanky side, as compared to those that you will find upon the Sierra's centra/Western slopes. These Sierran Jeffreys are true "WOLF" trees!! Their crown spreads may approach and sometimes surpass their heights. Sometimes, even if the first significant limb may occur at 20-40' above ground level, their crown may droop and graze the ground. Those lower limbs can be colossal, up to a YARD/METRE in diameter. Sierran Jeffreys can grow up to 200' sometimes, yet rarely exceeding that. Trunks of 9' DBH, maybe a few inches more. And often prominent buttressing like Sequoias! I think their crown personality shows the pagoda tiering of primary limbs, just a little more prominently than the "average" Ponderosa might. Rarely do all of these dimensional factors coincide together, but the Sierra IS where you'll find all of the Jeffrey CHAMPIONS, one in Yosemite NP along the 120, a little West of Siesta Lake, and another along the South Rim of the Eureka Valley--as much as a facsimile of Yosemite Valley, as is Kings Canyon. This is along the 108, which takes you up to the Sonora Pass. Give Sugars and Ponderosas a run for their money, sizewise?? I think so!! You'll find Jeffrey Wolf-Bulls galore, throughout the Central Sierra, including the East Slope. Ponderosas are famous for forming vast savanna flattish forests, throughout Oregon and Arizona. Well, Jeffreys do, too. The best and vastest one, is along the U.S. 395, between the interchange that takes you to Mammoth City and the turnoffs for the June Lake/Grant Lake Loops. There is another splendid savanna that lines the volcanic cinder cones, lining the East 120, off of the 395, lasting until Sagehen Summit. Past there, for potential hiking pleasure, the scene flashes over almost immediately to SL Pinon/Juniper Woodland, with tons of rimrock and slickrock, just like what's most familiar to Utah and Arizona

It seems, Brian, that you devoted more helpful time here than usual, the overlaps of Ecological Communities, to be found, starting with the Northernmost Transverse Range of the Tehachapis, running all the way down to the Peninsulars. Those separate, distinct ranges, are big islands set for the most part, in the middle of deserts, as opposed to the far vaster feature of the Sierra Nevada, so, that to my reckoning, not one of these Communities, that you show us, of your SoCal stomping grounds, is entirely "pure". That's okay, for the result is far more Species DIVERSITY, than you can find in nearly any other place in California, and perhaps Arizona. These overlaps are very broad and deep. Onyx is only a shade lower than Tuolumne Meadows, yet TM's more "purely" subalpine setting, that gets plenty of summertime t-storms--NorCal's famous maritime fog flows, orographically/adiabatically transformed by the very broad Western Sierra Slope, plus some Monsoonal additions, later on. Onyx still possesses a bit of a little desert component, to my reckoning, from what you'd shown us. Even along the "Tahquitz Headwall" & its peaks, in spite of nominally being "subalpine"--as shown in your previous Video--displays just a smidgen of desert to it. And, the Southernmost Sierra exhibits some of this selfsame Ecological behavior/display, throughout the Southeast Kern River country. Where else can you find Jeffreys and some Sugars/Red Fir, mingling with SL Pinons, Yuccas, Joshuas, and . . . high-elevation Mourning Greys?? I ought to know; I've been there . . . and so have you, in perhaps a slightly different area of that province. I would suggest that you, and-or you and Brett, ought to show us, feature for us, the Domelands Wilderness, in one of your Videos. There is a little bit of lack of Ponderosa action, in this general province except at the Sherman Pass/Great Western Divide Highway Wye (a stringer of Ponderosas amongst the general prevalence of Mourning Greys, in the mainstem Kern River Canyon), where the Ponderosas increasingly represent the lower Yellow Pine constituent, going towards Camp Nelson. There's been a little bee in my bonnet, lately, that's growing, and that's the increased reliance upon many Internet venues, to use AI, for the "writing" of prose--if you can call THAT, true writing--and for its use of arguably faulty algorithms, in making various compilations and photos sets. Photos are often reversed, mis-cropped, automatically photoshopped, and there's "facts" that obviously are not true. On the Microsoft Edge Homepage, I saw a piece about the Rim of The World Highway. They said that you can find THE GENERAL SHERMAN TREE, not far from The Lake, at Bluff Meadows! They're OBVIOUSLY mixed-up, concerning the VERY CHAMPION LODGEPOLE, which you'll REALLY find there. And, these same nitwits sometimes place HALF DOME, in Sequoia/Kings Canyon NP's! Sigh, oh well; nobody checks their facts anymore. They honestly believe that they're honestly addressing adults, but grade-schoolers, from back in my day, would be gravely insulted, believing themselves profoundly patronized! Part of the decline of a once-great civilization. Probably too much LSD in the '60's, to begin with.

I was there last week on fathers day, before going there watched your old video and how this area is a Jeffery Pine central. Thank you for making another video. Visitor center was open on Sunday, they have added some campsites near the visitor center. Also, now we need to buy big pine / mountain high pass to park in that general area.

Such a beautiful hike my friend, 👏👏

TWO SONOFAGUNS: 1) Would have been something else, had you discovered a coffee can with a Register inside atop 8640. 2) At 2:33:08, I can make out the faint scrim of trail near the top slopeside across the gorge, that you were on, a half-hour more, before. I sensed that maybe Vertigo was beginning to annoy you, as you peered down The Scarp; I was almost screaming at my monitor, "Get away, Brian!!" Say, that's a GREAT name . . . "Scarp Peak"!! Or, "Tahquitz Ramparts", "Tahquitz Palisades". Finishing up, I'd be heading to the nearest Mexican Restaurant in Idyllwild, to scarf up the HUGEST Wet Burrito that I could find . . . or . . . an Old-Fashioned Creamery/Soda Fountain that serves Magnum Malts straight out of the Cannister, caked with a 1/4" of Malt Powder on the bottom, for a couple more refills of my glass! Hands down, Brian, this Piece just has to be the most PROFOUND adventure for me, that you've shared with us, my gratitude is PRICELESS!!

Some more stuff, Brian, commenting as I watch, pausing playback to write. I do believe that human lookouts, in well-placed towers, remain SUPERIOR to all the digital/satellite whiz-bangs and aerial patrols. What if all that digital/computer software/hardware goes kaput, or is HACKED (more likely than ever, these days, sadly)?? To operate any aircraft and to pay pilots, is far more expensive than what our "simple" human lookout can provide her/his first responder partners, in as timely a manner, as good, if not BETTER, than all of those silly whiz-bangs. A National Forest employee compliment, all united under a strong "woods ethic" can work wonders, in knocking down those incipient smokes. It looks like Bruce has his groceries, new clothes, and assorted sundries, all brought in by equestrian pack trains, and if his structure requires new appliances, furniture, maintenance, that's all done by pack train, too. The same trains will carry him and his gear out, too, when fire season's finished. No place for standard propane tanks, as with lookouts that are serviced by standard roads, so he has to plan his cooking and hot water consumption in advance, so he doesn't run out of flasks. Sponge baths, rather than showers or tub baths. Unless there's a cistern, he has to ration his cold water, too. Watch his natural bodily functions, so that he does not overwhelm the small septic facility. If, God Forbid, he suffers a Medical Emergency, I'm sure he's supplied a Panic Alarm, then somehow has to stumble to a clear spot, where a helicopter crew can then retrieve him. Aside from all of these basic logistics, I should think that mastering the use of his main tool, the Adalaide fire-finder, shouldn't be all that difficult. Being able to describe the color and thickness of the incipient smoke is a plus, too--and what direction the plume is pointing. At 2:24:52, you TRULY ARE peering down into merciless infinity--almost like peering off of Half Dome's Visor, which I've done twice. For my adventures, I was VERY careful to select a BACK-SLOPING slab, 50 yards from the edge, and SLOWLY belly crawl, until I could hang no more than my chin over the edge. Believe you me, you'll get Vertigo so BAD, that just the Vertigo's effects alone, are enough to suck you over, to your death!! Just how in this bloody, barmy world, could the likes of Royal Robbins, do what they do?? Enough of that DEADLY nonsense, I more sanely explored what I call "West Mound" of the summit--the ACTUAL highest point of The Dome. You obviously cannot see them, from the usual viewpoints of HD, but there are extremely prostrate Krummholzed Jeffies, Lodgies, and Whiteys (Whitebarks) up there, at least 7 distinct individuals, last I checked, 50 years ago. There used to be far more, but people overnighting on The Dome, used those for firewood. If you do attempt to overnight nowadays, you WILL be arrested by Park Rangers and charged a severe Felony. It's quite easy for them now, to keep tabs on The Dome's activity, now that the Quota System's in place, and they do destroy any clandestine use-trails used to dodge the permit-checking. If they catch you at that, that's quite enough for an EXPENSIVE Citation, and, a probable "Command Performance" in front of The Park Magistrate.

My God!! Lily Rock, from perspective at 06:30, thereabouts, looks STRAIGHT out of Yosemite or Hetch-Hetchy Valleys! Tahquitz, did you say, Brian, "Kahweah", as in the region/river of Southern Sequoia NP? Oh, MY SILLY(!!) . . . you said, "Cahuilla", NOT "Kahweah"; they DO sound similar. So far, at 11:41, this trail has all of the trademark features of the highly-engineered trails put in 90 +or- years ago, by the CCC, and believe you me, these trails LAST, with only the barest minimum of ongoing maintenance. Thank you, lads; thank you FDR! Yes, SOME similarities to the Sierra, almost the smooth wavy influence of glaciers, though we very much doubt that, so, how DO we have such streamlined domes and fins? Those TERRIBLE Botanists(Laughs!!) , , , now I hear that California Red Fir (*** "Magnifica") is now relegated lower, as a VARIETY, NOT a true species, but a variety, of Lowland Fir!