Some naturalized annuals

Many of the annual grasses that dominate California valley and foothill grasslands grow in the vicinity of the Preserve's Escobar Gate. At arm’s length, with practice, all should be recognizable to genus and some to species. The underlying rock is sandstone, and the grasses include slender wild oat (Avena barbata), soft chess (Bromus hordeaceus), Spanish brome (B. madritensis ssp. madritensis), ripgut (B. diandrus), farmer’s foxtail (Hordeum murinum var. leporinum), Mediterranean barley (Hordeum marinum ssp. gussoneanum), and rattail (Vulpia myuros) along with brome fescue (V. bromoides). Within a few steps, the diminutive silver hair grass (Aira caryophyllea), dog’s tail grass (Cynosurus echinatus), and little quaking grass (Briza minor) appear. The latter’s larger relative rattlesnake grass (Briza maxima) is also common throughout the Preserve. Further along Road F south of the first serpentine, the widepread weed nit grass (Gastridium ventricosum) debuts. See the posting Replacement of the Native Vegetation and wild oat.