April 30, 2005
Babiana ringens
The Alpine Garden is good for surprises. Occasionally, plants emerge from the ground which were thought long-dead, and so it was with this Babiana ringens that we were amazed to see in 2003 in the African bed. It originally had been planted in 1979 and not visible for at least a few years.
Brent Hine, the curator of the Alpine Garden, has since transplanted it into the bulb frame, where the warmth and shelter is more conducive to growth and flowering. This photograph was from Thursday (April 28), while the one in the link was taken at the beginning of June - a full four weeks later.
Update (May 5, 2005 8:38 AM PST): Quentin Cronk, director of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, just emailed me this summary from the journal Nature:
Brief Communication
Nature 435, 41-42 (5 May 2005) | 10.1038/435041a
Botany: Specialized bird perch aids cross-pollination
Bruce Anderson, William W. Cole and Spencer C. H. Barrett
Birds may hover over or perch on flowers when feeding on nectar, and this assists cross-pollination if they then visit other plants. Here we investigate the curious sterile inflorescence axis of the South African Cape endemic 'rat's tail' plant (Babiana ringens, Iridaceae), whose function – unlike in other bird-pollinated plants – is exclusively to provide a perch for foraging birds. We find that this structure promotes the plant's mating success by causing the malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa), its main pollinator, to adopt a position ideal for the cross-pollination of its unusual ground-level flowers.
So, welcome to all readers of Nature journal! I've added a habit photograph of the plant so that you can check out the sterile inflorescence axis. While you're here, feel free to browse around the rest of the UBC site.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)
April 29, 2005
Cornus 'Eddie's White Wonder'
Updated Oct. 1 2007 at 1:35pm: repaired 1 link, altered text and second link (previous linked-to site abandoned). - Daniel
Selected as Vancouver's centennial tree in 1986, Cornus 'Eddie's White Wonder' was chosen for good reason. If you live in or have ever had occasion to visit Vancouver in early May, you cannot help but notice these trees covered in a mass of white showy bracts. The bracts (modified leaves - not petals!) on this particular plant are still a bit green, so the plant will be at its peak in a few days.
For a brief blurb on this hybrid and the local nurseryman who developed it (Henry M. Eddie), read this short article: 'Eddie's White Wonder'.
The Chilliwack Museum provides more information on Henry M. Eddie.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (7)
April 28, 2005
Helwingia chinensis
I went into detail on the epiphyllous flowers of Helwingia in the entry on Helwingia japonica, so I won't repeat myself here. This is another male plant, so like the Helwingia japonica, no chance of seeing the fruit which is also (of course) borne on the leaves. Wild collected in the Sichuan province of China by Dan Hinkley.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (2)
April 27, 2005
Osmanthus suavis
Osmanthus are known for their very pleasant fragrance; when you encounter one whose latin name means “sweet”, you know you've found one that is quite special. So it is with this particular plant, which can be discovered within the confines of the Asian Garden along the Cox Trail. Highly recommended.
We received this plant from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, collected in the wild via RBGE's 1991 Makalu Expedition in Nepal.
Update: I should have noted that Peter Cox visited UBC Botanical Garden yesterday. Peter is the son of Euan Cox, for whom the Cox Trail is named after (for more information, read the History of Glendoick Gardens).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (2)
April 26, 2005
Lupinus bicolor
Another flower from the field trip to Ebey's Bluff on Whidbey Island - the diminutive bicoloured lupine, a native of western North America. In British Columbia and Washington, only the type species can be found (Lupinus bicolor subsp. bicolor), while Oregon, Arizona and (in particular) California have a few different subspecies (see the USDA PLANTS Database for Lupinus bicolor for names and distribution maps of the subspecies.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
April 25, 2005
Camassia quamash
I missed out on my opportunity to go on the Friends of Ecological Reserves annual field trip to Trial Island on Sunday. One of the rare plants that can be seen there is Castilleja levisecta, the golden paintbrush, which I'm keenly interested in photographing (have a look at the photo in the linked page to see why!).
After doing a little bit of research, I thought I might be able to find one of the populations of golden paintbrush that occur on Whidbey Island in Washington. This led to a Sunday jaunt to Ebey's Bluff (The Robert Y. Pratt Preserve) on the west side of the island. Somewhere in its 224 hectares (554 acres) is apparently a 10-20m wide by 100-150m long strip of land where the golden paintbrush can be found. Did I find the paintbrush? Not this time. Was the trip worth it? Most definitely. Plenty of scenic vistas and interesting plants, including what appeared to be an escapee Iris with the broadest leaves I've ever seen for an Iris (about 20cm at its widest and 80cm tall), Fritillaria lanceolata and Camassia quamash (ethnobotany of common camas).
I'm filled with anticipation every time I see Camassia, because of a project that we're fundraising for at the garden. The idea is a simple one; a camas meadow that begins from the Garry oaks and heads southeastwards, replacing some of the current perennial borders. About this time of year, there will be a swath of blue for garden visitors to enjoy (we don't have very many swaths of colour at UBC - we're not a display garden). The colour will be one thing, but, oh, the stories we'll be able to tell!
The area is envisioned as a sustainable, low-maintenance, drought-tolerant landscape, so it will be of interest to property-owners seeking an alternative to water-consuming lawns. We'll be able to talk about the little-known fact that there was once a camas meadow on Point Grey - contrary to the typically-believed notion that camas meadows were only maintained by First Nations on the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island. In so doing, we'll be able to establish a link to the local history of the area. With some of the main plant elements of the Garry oak ecosystem, we'll be able to tell the story of this threatened ecosystem and promote the efforts of the Garry Oak Ecosystem Recovery Team. All of those, plus the ethnobotany of these plants makes for an exciting project! And who knows, maybe I'll be able to successfully lobby to help with the recovery of the golden paintbrush...
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
April 24, 2005
Rhododendron augustinii 'Peter Kerr'
It's perhaps the best time of year to see rhododendrons flowering en masse at the garden. I'll have to check the books in the garden's reading room, but I presume this rhodo is named in honour of Peter Kerr, who owned an estate garden in Portland, Oregon. The garden is still open to the public today, The Elk Rock Gardens of the Bishop's Close.
To see this specific rhododendron, take a few steps to the left after viewing the Helwingia japonica featured yesterday.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
April 23, 2005
Helwingia japonica
The male flowers of Helwingia japonica. Small and not showy, they are still quite special; note that the flowers are emerging from the leaf, instead of the stem. This is a phenomenon called epiphylly. We've written an interpretative sign about Helwingia japonica, but I'm going to add a bit more detail since I'm not encumbered by the ca. one hundred word limit we have for signage.
Dr. Tom Dickinson of the University of Toronto has written a concise description of the developmental biology of epiphyllous growth in Helwingia, accompanied by images.
As mentioned on the interpretative sign, epiphylly is a rare phenomenon - a quick search suggested the condition occurs on some genera in perhaps a half dozen plant families, almost all of which are tropical. It's very likely that UBC Botanical Garden is one of the few places in Canada you can see this phenomenon, although I note one nursery in Ontario is selling the plants (do a search for “Helwingia japonica” +Canada). If you're visiting the garden, the most obvious place to find it is by the bench on the small meadow off of Lower Asian Way.
The family Helwingiaceae is monotypic - it only has the one genus, Helwingia, of which there are three species. The garden has two of the species in its collection, H. japonica and Helwingia chinensis. There's a good distribution map for the family on the web page for Aquifoliales at the Missouri Botanical Garden. While visiting that link, be sure to click on the link that says “photo-fruit” immediately to the left of the map. Unfortunately, you can't see the fruit at UBC - our plants are all male. One of our identified collection priorities for both research and education is to obtain a documented wild origin female plant of the species, as that is currently a gap in both the story that we can tell about this plant and what we can learn from it.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (9)
April 22, 2005
Epimedium acuminatum
This barrenwort was collected by the famed plant hunter, Roy Lancaster, on one of his trips to China. It's planted among roughly a dozen other Epimedium species and cultivars in one section of the Asian Garden, along the accessibility path. That's handy if you want to see many of these interesting flowers in one small locale, but it's turned into a bit of a management nightmare; the plantings are spreading into one another, and we suspect that there might be some hybridization occurring.
The curator of the Asian Garden, Peter Wharton, is taking action to tidy up the mess. “Divide and conquer” is the strategy, I believe - splitting up the assemblage and moving the plants to new (and separate) homes in the garden.
One last item: Roy Lancaster is going to be in the Pacific Northwest to speak at the Vancouver Hardy Plant Group's 2005 Study Weekend. It looks like the study weekend has a long waiting list, and it's fairly likely that Lancaster is one of the reasons why. However, I don't doubt he'll be visiting UBC - he's a good friend of many members of staff, and I hope to meet him.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (3)
April 21, 2005
Tulipa bakeri
I've been antsy to photograph a bit the past few days, knowing that there is so much in bloom right now in the garden. However, the sunny weather in Vancouver hasn't been conducive. Harsh sun causes too much contrast and shadow for flower photography, according to the “rules”.
This shot is from a couple weekends ago, a species tulip. Most of the tulips you commonly see planted in landscapes are hybrids (with an interesting history - see Tulipomania). At the garden, our focus is on wild species of documented origin, so the flowers tend to be smaller and not as flashy, since hybrid tulips are bred for size, pattern and colour. Still, there's much to appreciate with species tulips (and early hybrids), not the least of which is knowing that they are the cause of one of the greatest economic bubbles of all time.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
April 20, 2005
Dacrymyces palmatus (tentative)
This photograph is a lesson on ensuring that you have adequate notes written to accompany your nature photographs if you plan on actually identifying the species. In this instance, I didn't, so I can only be tentative at best with the identification of the orange-coloured fungus on the fallen tree.
Assuming that the fallen tree is a conifer, then I think my identification is correct. On the other hand, if it is an alder (which I'm doubting because of the angle of the branches to the tree), it is perhaps Tremella mesenterica, which superficially resembles Dacrymyces palmatus, but differs quite a bit at the microscopic level. The inescapable fact, though, is this: to identify fungi, lichens and mosses, know thy substrate!
Read more about Dacrymyces palmatus and Tremella mesenterica on Mykoweb.
This is another photograph taken in MacMillan Provincial Park (Cathedral Grove) last October.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)
April 19, 2005
Akebia quinata
Female flower of the species. You can see the male flowers of a white-flowered / white-fruited cultivar here (Douglas has eloquently described these particular flowers in the comments for that photo, so I do recommend a visit to that page for more detail).
You can also see a photo of the fruit of Akebia quinata from a couple winters ago.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)
April 18, 2005
Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex 'Plena'
One of my favourite spots in the garden right now is under the Acer saccharum in the North American bed of the Alpine Garden. Brent Hine, the curator of the garden, has assembled and tended a fine collection of spring-flowering plants, including this one and the Trillium albidum that I posted a few days ago. The name “Plena” is oft-used in horticultural circles to denote a double-flowered selection (one that has twice the number of petals and perhaps other floral parts).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (2)
April 17, 2005
Hemerocallis thunbergii
These are the seeds and skeletal remnants of the seed capsules of a species daylily in the Asian Garden. The image is a touch soft, but it's another one of those that I cannot throw away - at least until next year when I try again!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (2)
April 16, 2005
Fritillaria acmopetala
Another image from the Alpine Garden Club of BC's annual show last Sunday. I neglected to write down the grower of this plant, so if anyone knows whose plant it was, please comment.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)
April 15, 2005
Acer palmatum 'Katsura'
Autumn colour in spring. From the Alpine Garden.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
April 14, 2005
Hericium abietis
You might note the resemblance of this fungus to coral, and that's reflected in the common name assigned to the group, the coral fungi. I took this photograph at the end of October last year in the stunning MacMillan Provincial Park (often known as Cathedral Grove) on Vancouver Island. I don't have a lens that lets me take photos of tall trees that I'm happy with, so despite being surrounded by giants, I took many photos of the small things.
You can read more about yellow pitted rot on the Natural Resources Canada site (that'd be the common name used by those who see this fungus as a disease), or get a slightly different perspective on fungi in the genus Hericium from Tom Vogt's Mushroom of the Month at the University of Wisconsin. Selected quote from the latter site: “As a bonus, it's quite delicious, with a taste reminiscent of lobster if it's properly prepared.”
P.S. If I'm wrong about the identification, please post a comment! Fungal ID is not a strength of mine!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (2)
April 13, 2005
Androsace pyrenaica
Only a few comments today, as I'm very busy at a conference for the rest of the week. Taken at the Alpine Garden Club of BC's annual show last Sunday. The plant was grown by Joe Keller.
The Alpine Garden Club's Spring Sale takes place at the end of the month. My advice? Well, if the plants at the show were any indication of what's available, do not hesitate. Go to the sale for some extraordinary plants.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (2)
April 12, 2005
Akebia quinata 'Shirobana'
The male flowers of the “chocolate vine”. I suppose that since this particular cultivar is bleached of most of its colour, one could call it the white chocolate vine...
Akebia flowers are another macro challenge, and this is yet another photograph I've been attempting for three years in a row. The plants are located along the fence at the upper end of the Alpine Garden, which is fairly exposed to both breeze and sun.
The black and white version of this photo and an image of the fruit for this plant are available here: Akebia quinata 'Shirobana'.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (24)
April 11, 2005
Trillium albidum
The trilliums in the Alpine Garden and Native Garden are in full glory this week.
I took this photo yesterday using “guerilla” photography. It started to shower, which prevented me from doing my usual macros on the tripod. Instead, I decided to tuck my camera in my jacket and pull it out for quick handheld snaps of subjects. Take the picture, write down the name and accession number, and hustle off to the next (it was cold and wet - movement was a must). I'm pretty happy with this.
Also, have a look at the black and white version of this photograph.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
April 10, 2005
Narcissus bulbocodium
One of my favourite techniques for taking photographs of the low-growing plants in the alpine garden is getting on my hands and knees and propping the camera on the ground to take a photo from a small animal's perspective. “Specialized” equipment is required: kneepads, because the gravel on the paths bites into the knees pretty harshly; and a home-made “beanbag tripod”, to rest and position the camera and lens (thanks Lisa!).
You might prefer the non-cropped version of this photo - I like it better, but I want to try and keep the images on Botany Photo of the Day to a particular width:height ratio.
Speaking of alpine plants, I'm attending the Alpine Garden Club of BC's Spring Show at VanDusen today, camera in hand.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
April 9, 2005
Salix acutifolia 'Blue Streak'
Keeping with the theme of subtle flowers, here's a photo of a catkin from a male willow in the garden. Thanks to Andy Hill, one of UBC Botanical Garden's horticulturists, for pointing out that I needed to take a photo of these catkins.
Willows are often difficult to identify, for a number of reasons: individual plants can be either male or female, the morphological features of the plants can vary with the environment it is growing in (phenotypic variation), the genetics of the plant or the growing stage, and species readily hybridize.
The label for this particular willow has been lost. We'll now have to reidentify the plant. If we could be certain that this species is from British Columbia, a reidentification would be difficult, but not impossible. The diversity of willow species in British Columbia is high - 55 to 60 species in British Columbia, or 15% of the world's different species (source: Classification of Salix in the New World).
However, at a botanical garden, our pool of potential suspects starts at the very beginning - with all of the species in the world. We can often narrow the field considerably by cross-referencing the plant's location in the garden against our database, but if this doesn't work for whatever reason, we've a challenge on our hands.
More interested in willow flowers than in willow taxonomy? Check out this article on the biology of willow flowers from NatureNorth in Manitoba.
You can view my black and white version of this photo on the garden's discussion forums.
Update (May 12, 2005 11:42 PM PST): During the course of our annual inventory week, we were able to determine the name of this plant, so I've changed the name of the plant from Salix sp.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (2)
April 8, 2005
Decaisnea insignis
This is the kind of photo that keeps me taking pictures. A sharp eye will note that the image is just a touch out-of-focus. It's acceptable for the web, but not useful for a print, as it is clearly out-of-focus at its original size (roughly 15x the area of this one). I'm going to have to try again next year.
Usually, if there's no compelling reason to keep an out-of-focus photograph, I toss it. I had to make an exception for this one, because I think it is one of those uncommon photos that keeps the eye constantly in motion; my eye is initially drawn to the buds, then to the left and up following the flow of the leaflets; then back to the buds, and the cycle begins anew.
A few more Decaisnea insignis photographs can be seen on the forums, and you can learn more about the plant from the text of the interpretative sign.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)
April 7, 2005
John Davidson
This is a digitized scan of a hand-painted lantern slide, one of 1600 slides held by UBC Botanical Garden. All of the slides were once in the possession of the man in the photograph, “Botany John” Davidson.
If you've never seen a lantern slide, apparently they are not (and never were) that common. The North American Lantern Slide Survey results suggest that a collection of 1600 lantern slides is near the median.
On John Davidson: Among his many firsts, John Davidson was the first director of UBC Botanical Garden, the first provincial botanist of British Columbia and the first appointment to the newly-formed University of British Columbia. This slide is likely taken in the first decade of the 1900s, at his home in Scotland.
Many of his lantern slides feature plants or landscapes, and from time to time I'll feature one as photo of the day. The assembled collection is amazing, considering that many of the slides were originally taken in black-and-white and then hand-painted. We've applied for funding from the Virtual Museum of Canada to digitize the entire collection, along with other historical documents and objects, to create a virtual exhibit dedicated to John Davidson. To see a similar exhibition with lantern slides, check out An Illustrated History of Missouri Botanical Garden (choose “Magic Lantern Slide” from the Source drop-down menu).
As a final note, I'd like to point out that hand-painting of black-and-white lantern slides allowed the image-maker to highlight special items of interest; in this instance, John Davidson coloured the green plants, the handle of the rake, and (what always brings a smile to my face when I see this image) the blue and pink bloomers on the clothesline.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (5)
April 6, 2005
Acer mono subsp. okamotoanum
Maple flowers. The buds measure just under five centimetres. One of the reasons I love macro photography is it forces me to examine plants for the beauty or subtleties that are often very easy to overlook.
This is the third year in a row I've attempted to take a photo of these, and the first time I've been happy with the image. However, I did “cheat” - I used the Wimberley Plamp that I received as a gift for Christmas. It makes a world of difference for macro photography, particularly so at the garden at UBC. It is a rare day when there is no breeze off the Georgia Strait, and wind is the bane of macro photography.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (5)
April 5, 2005
Melliodendron xylocarpum
Welcome to the first entry in UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research's Botany Photo of the Day!
The story: A few weeks ago, Quentin invited Tim Bray and Lauren Wood to visit the garden. Tim and Lauren have visited UBC Botanical Garden in the past (as evidenced by photos on Tim's site), but there's never been any interaction with researchers or staff. We thought it time to change that!
We gave them a rainy day tour followed by a technology chat and lunch. Needless to say, Lauren and Tim are brilliant, and I'm going to incorporate at least some (if not all) of their suggestions in the garden site and elsewhere.
Botany Photo of the Day is the first manifestation of their ideas. Tim and Lauren were particularly enamoured of Melliodendron xylocarpum, so it seemed like a great choice for the first photograph!
Be sure to check out what Tim Bray wrote about the day in his weblog entry, Melliodendron.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:36 AM | Comments (4)
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Botany Photo of the Day and all associated images are licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Botany Photo of the Day is a project of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, located in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. UBC BGCPR is a department of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems within The University of British Columbia.