Catherine Coe performed an inventory of rare and endangered plant species on Swanton Pacific Ranch in 1990. Ms. Coe used information from the California Natural Diversity Database (NDDB) and the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) to inform her inventory and her work helped to document additional rare species:

• 2 manzanitas that are endemic to the vicinity of the Ranch, one of which has extremely low numbers of individuals- Arctostaphylos ohloneana
• 2 species of clovers also endemic to the watershed 

These discoveries were made by Swanton botanist, Jim West. Mr. West has published this essay reviewing the botanical resources of the Scott Creek watershed. And, you can access a 'weblet' that is a simplified version of that essay here.

Cal Poly Masters student Reed Kenny did his thesis work on the flora of Swanton Pacific Ranch and you can download his list here; you'll want to read the accompanying file: this 'Read Me.'  

The majority of rare and endangered plant species identified are located on the northwest corner of the ranch. This is the area northeast of the schoolhouse and on the northern boundary to the west of Swanton Road. The largest distribution of any one species is the Monterey pine (Pinus radiata). Swanton Pacific Ranch includes a portion of the northernmost stand of this species, which continues north and east, centered on point Año Neuvo. Monterey Pines have a range of only about 130 miles south and usually within 7 miles of the ocean; the Año Neuvo stand is one of 4 native stands.

The most diverse communities of native plant species exist within the grass rangelands. Careful livestock management and rotational grazing practices promotes plant's healthy regeneration. Some exotic species found on the ranch, such as periwinkle and pampas grass, are invasive, thus affecting native species.

For those of you who are more broadly interested in the areas' flora, you can also download a copy  of Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Santa Cruz County, California, Second Edition, by Dylan Neubauer (2013). An extensively annotated checklist of the vascular flora of Santa Cruz County. Includes county map, Floristic Regions Map and 8 appendices: Listed Taxa, Endemic Taxa, Taxa Extirpated in County, Taxa Not Currently Recognized, Undescribed Taxa, Most Invasive Non-native Taxa, Rejected Taxa, and Notes. The Notes include taxonomic information, relevant key characters, and information on rare and locally rare taxa. Click here for download.