The ability of roots to differentiate into full plants is pretty common too. Same trick: expose the root, see if it sprouts leaves, wait and sever. Rhizomatous plants, such as iris, do it for you. If they seem to do OK after severing, the plants are then ready for relocation. In the case described above, because I was grading, I wasn't so gentle.
That can actually help. There are apparently some species that require a slight nick or cut in the cambium for the technique to work. It will take a couple of more experiments with these plants to see if that was the case here.
This technique is very attractive for plants that are difficult to propagate by seed, though it does little to genetically differentiate the species. Many California natives are very tough to propagate without fire and careful temperature treatments. This is in part because of the weather where we get months of rain followed by seven months of drought. The seeds must not sprout simply because of a freak storm in the summer. The same can be said of sprouting without adequate light or space, which is why so many are dependent upon fire for germination. When I get the weeds on this place more under control, I may give it a shot.
If you are interested in developing propagation techniques, here are a couple of references:
Hartmann, Hudson T., Dale E. Kester, and Fred T. Davies, Jr.; Plant Propagation: Principles and Practices, Fifth Edition; Prentice Hall, 1990.
Emery, Dara E.; Seed Propagation of California Native Plants; Santa Barbara Botanical Garden, 1988. This book represents a lifetime of research.
I realize all of this is off-subject...sorry.