This checklist is a project of the UC Irvine Herbarium (IRVC). Please contact Collections Manager Rebecca Crowe with questions, rcrowe@uci.edu.
The UCI Ecological Preserve is a 60 acre site on the southern edge of the campus located adjacent University Hills, the Irvine Research Park, and the San Joaquin Transportation Corridor. The reserve straddles a the ridge of a large hill, with several canyons and lower ridges radiating west from the main spine which runs north-south.
For each plant we list observed habitat, habit, and orign. Habitats include: Coastal sage scrub (CSS), wetland mitigation area (W), created
vernal pools (VP), grassland (G), and ruderal (R). Habits include: annual, biennial, and perennial. Plant origins we define as:
NATIVE: thought to occur naturally in the area, not human introduced;
NATURALIZED: not native but successfully reproducing and spreading in native habitats without human intervention;
PERSISTING FROM CULTIVATION: originally planted/cultivated, but no longer maintained; not reproducing or escaping into native habitats;
WAIF: not native to the area, having been (unintentionally) human introduced, escaped from cultivation, or naturally dispersed into a natural habitat, but currently not or sparingly reproducing/spreading past initial generation or establishment. Some potential to become naturalized.