Plant News Articles

Two new species of wildflower discovered in Mt Diablo foothills

David Gowen, a retired carpenter and amateur botanist from Oakland, has discovered two new species of wildflowers in Lime Ridge Open Space in the Mt Diablo Foothills outside Walnut Creek, CA. Gowen took up the call to find rare plant species after attending a lecture by Barbara Ertter, then the curator of western Northern American flora at UC Berkeley's Jepson Herbarium, who encouraged the audience to scour the Mt Diablo area for Mt Diablo buckwheat, a plant that had not been seen in 60 years. Gowen, a former triathlete, took to the hills in search of rare plants. One day he came across a plant with small, white flowers that he couldn't identify, so he wrapped up a petal in a dollar bill and took it to botanists to identify. This led to the eventual classification by BYU botanist Leigh Johnson of the flower as a new species, the Lime Ridge Navarretia. Johnson included Gowen's name in the scientific name, Navarretia gowenii. While researching the Lime Ridge Navarretia, Gowen came across a second unidentified wildflower that was also determined to be a new species. Gowen himself is writing the journal article to announce the existence of this flower, the Lime Ridge Woollystar. Gowan says, "Sometimes, you can find new things in your back yard if you pay attention to what's around you. It's like traveling for me. You get in the natural world and look for birds, rocks, plants and animals. When I see things I don't recognize, I ask "This is unfamiliar. What is it?'"