HARTMAN MULTIMEDIA
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HARTMAN MULTIMEDIA
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Torrey Pines State Reserve There are a number of communities in the Reserve,
several of which, located in the Los Penasquitos Lagoon, have been treated
elsewhere. (See Los Penasquitos Lagoon). The
remaining portions of the Reserve include some 7.2 kilometers (4.5 miles) of
ocean frontage with 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) of beach and, most importantly, the
mesa with stands of the rare Torrey pine, Pinus torreyana, as well as a separate
area north of the lagoon where there is an extensive cover of the pine. The Torrey pine, which had a much greater range in more
mesic Tertiary times, is now a relictual endemic known only from this site and
one on Santa Rosa Island, 280 kilometers (175 miles) northwest.
This pine has one of, if not the, most limited range of any species in
the genus. At this site the pines
show well the effect of climatic conditions on their development.
On the seaward side, above the west, ocean-facing bluffs, the tallest
pines are around 10.6 meters (35 feet) high and are spindly and stunted. Some
400 meters (0.25 mile) inland, on a more protected, moist north slope, the pines
reach 23 meters (75 feet) in height and are fuller in crown. The ground cover includes a varied assemblage of plants
representing at least four communities: coastal
strand, coastal sage, desert and chaparral.
The latter is particularly pronounced inland.
Though there are older pines in the chaparral areas, there are no young
ones; the existing pines probably established themselves when the chaparral was
less dense. The bluffs are composed of Miocene and Oligocene
sandstones, forming cliffs up to 90 meters (300 feet) high which have been cut
in places by deep gullies. Deposits up to 0.6 meter (2 feet) in depth of fossil
oysters are exposed in the greenish Delmar formation near the base of the
cliffs. Thirty-two fossils have been
identified from this formation. Above
this formation lie deposits of whitish or buffish Torrey Pines sandstone.
The Torrey sand, which is well exposed on the bluffs along the Torrey
Pines grade, reflects geological events similar to the Ione formation. Traces of a marine terrace
15 meters (50 feet) above the present sea level are visible on the southwest
side of the lagoon. Integrity: Most of the pine groves have been placed in a
Natural Preserve with access only by trail. In other portions of the area there
are camping facilities, etc. Use: Educational,
observational, research in pine area. Ref: Haller,
J. Robert. 1976.
A comparison of the Mainland and Island Populations of Torrey Pine in
Philbrick, Ralph N. (ed.) Proceedings of the Symposium on the Biology of the
California Islands. Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. October 1975
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