« June 2005 | Main | August 2005 »
July 31, 2005
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew - Cacti Beds
This entry was posted while I was on vacation, hence the brief written accompaniment. -- Daniel
An archival photograph from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in Surrey, England. The date that this picture was taken is currently unknown, though its photographer was John Davidson.
In the time since this photograph was taken, most (if not all) of the cacti and succulents in Kew's collections have been moved indoors into glasshouses, I assume at least in part to protect the plants from winter-wet. At UBC Botanical Garden, we've recently received funding to modify our unused glasshouse in the Alpine Garden to create an open-air glasshouse that will protect a collection of Opuntia and other cacti from the winter-wet of our climate.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (4)
July 30, 2005
Veratrum viride
This entry was posted while I was on vacation, hence the brief written accompaniment. -- Daniel
Green false hellebore is highly poisonous according to the authors of “Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast” (note: the plant is widely distributed in North America); the book mentions that eating even a small portion of it results in loss of consciousness followed by death.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)
July 29, 2005
Lewisia cotyledon hybrid
This entry was posted while I was on vacation, hence the brief written accompaniment. -- Daniel
Submitted by Joe Keller via the UBCBG Botany Photo of the Day Submissions Forum (original photograph).
The species Lewisia cotyledon is native to southern Oregon and northern California. Three natural varieties have been described by taxonomists, and hybridization between the varieties occurs readily in the wild. Unsurprisingly, cultivated plants can also be made to hybridize, producing colourful results for the patient and skillful plant breeder.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (4)
July 28, 2005
Rosa pulverulenta
This entry was posted while I was on vacation, hence the brief written accompaniment. -- Daniel
This rose is native to eastern Turkey and the Caucasus - I admire it for its prickles (not thorns!). This photograph was taken in the Asia Minor section of the Alpine Garden.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2005
Arbutus menziesii
This entry was posted while I was on vacation, hence the brief written accompaniment. -- Daniel
The flaking bark of Arbutus menziesii in evening sun, photographed in a part of UBC Botanical Garden that will soon be renamed the “Mixed Borders”. The common name for this plant is quite regional - British Columbians often use arbutus, while Americans along the Pacific coast use Pacific madrone or madrona. For more information, check out UBC's interpretative sign for Arbutus menziesii or (for a very comprehensive reference) the Madrone Archive Project.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (6)
July 26, 2005
Phacelia sericea
This entry was posted while I was on vacation, hence the brief written accompaniment. -- Daniel
Commonly named silky phacelia or “sky-pilot”, the specific epithet for this plant (sericea) refers to the soft, dense hairs covering the leaves. Please accept my apologies that this isn't readily apparent in this photograph - next time!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (3)
July 25, 2005
Magnolia fordiana [Yuyuan ecotype]
![Magnolia fordiana [Yuyuan ecotype]](http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/potd/magnolia_fordiana_yuyuanensis-thumb.jpg)
Updated Feb. 15 at 2:45pm PST: Name changed from Magnolia fordiana var. yuyuanensis to Magnolia fordiana [Yuyuan ecotype], since the suggested varietal name has not been published and is therefore invalid. See comments below. -- Daniel
Formerly known as Manglietia yuyuanensis, this species (along with all of the others in its genus), has been moved into the genus Magnolia based on molecular evidence.
If you're interested, I've also used one of the Photoshop filters and made an artistic wallpaper (1280 x 1024) for this image.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (7)
July 24, 2005
David C. Lam Asian Garden
This entry was posted while I was on vacation, hence the brief written accompaniment. -- Daniel
The David C. Lam Asian Garden at UBC, a coastal woodland garden with Asian plants set amongst a backdrop of native flora. Since I refer to it so often in Botany Photo of the Day, I thought it'd be appropriate to give you an idea of the general “look and feel” of the garden.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (3)
July 23, 2005
Allium giganteum 'Globemaster'
This entry was posted while I was on vacation, hence the brief written accompaniment. -- Daniel
This photograph was submitted by “gillicious” via the Flickr Botany Photo of the Day Group Pool. gillicious also visited UBC Botanical Garden in February 2005, and she has a series of photos from the gardens - worth checking out, particularly to see what is probably the most-photographed trail sign in Vancouver.
Allium giganteum, or giant onion, is a popular perennial in local landscapes. David Tarrant identified this selection as the cultivar 'Globemaster'. Its stunning spherical inflorescence is almost as wide across as your hand. Most genera of the onion family are found in South America, but the genus Allium is widely distributed in temperate Eurasia and North America.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (9)
July 22, 2005
Harpochloa falx
The aptly-named caterpillar grass of South Africa, this photograph captures the inflorescence with only a few anthers emerged. For contrast, see this image revealing the inflorescence with a full row of pendulous exposed anthers.
For further reading, see Harpochloa falx via the South African National Biodiversity Institute.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)
July 21, 2005
Rubus armeniacus
It's blackberry season in the Pacific Northwest. This invasive species, Rubus armeniacus (commonly known as Himalayan blackberry) has long been incorrectly known scientifically as Rubus procerus or Rubus discolor in North America (and in fact, I'm not sure if the common name now reflects the true origin of the plant - Armenian blackberry would be better). For the story, see “Rubus armeniacus - a correct name for Himalayan blackberries” via Botanical Electronic News, Number 230.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:33 AM | Comments (13)
July 20, 2005
Kniphofia nelsonii
From today until my vacation ends in mid-August, I'm abbreviating the commentary accompanying the photographs. -- Daniel
Commonly known as “red-hot pokers” or “torch lilies”, you can read more about this African genus of plants here: Kniphofia via the South African National Biodiversity Institute.
Photograph taken in UBC's Alpine Garden.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (8)
July 19, 2005
Physalis sp.
(Eric La Fountaine of UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research has kindly guestblogged today -- Daniel)
I came across these delicate frameworks around the base of my compost pile in spring. They are the remnant husks of Physalis fruit, after enduring several months of decay. I was struck by the intricate pattern, so created this image using a flatbed scanner.
There are at least eighty species in the genus Physalis. Tomatilloes (Physalis ixocarpa), a tomato-like fruit used in Mexican cuisine, and the ornamental Chinese lantern (Physalis alkekengi) may be the most familiar. Part of the nightshade family, the plants are generally poisonous, though the ripe fruit is sometimes not.
My memories of our garden as a child include Physalis (likely Physalis pruinosa, one of the species commonly known as “ground cherry”) coming up spontaneously from seeds that dropped with the previous year's fruit. I thought it was one of the most wonderful plants for fruit harvest. When ripe, the berries fell to the ground and we gathered them with rakes. Each berry had a protective papery husk, which made for easy storage and clean fruit when popped from the shell. My mother thought that our seeds had come from Europe with the family. This is possible, but the plants are native to the Americas so it may have been added to the family garden after immigration. We always enjoyed an abundance of this fruit -- it has been described as a mix of pineapple and strawberry -- and my mother won prizes for her “ground-cherry pie”.
Not all Physalis species drop their fruit like the ground-cherries of my youth. The species in the images, purchased at a small fundraising sale, had fruit which held fast to the plant even when fully ripe; in fact I had to cut them off. I believe the plant to be one of the tropical species, perhaps Physalis peruviana or Physalis angulata. The flavour and size of the fruit of this species was superior to the fruit harvested by my family. I feel fortunate that a most welcome supply of seedlings popped up in my garden this spring, filling me with anticipation for this autumn's harvest of this sweet treat.
For different versions of this scan, see this thread in the UBC Botanical Garden Forums.
Update (July 20, 2005 11:23 AM PST): As requested by one of the commenters, here is a 1280 x 1024 version and the original 4125 x 3300 version (8MB in size!).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (12)
July 18, 2005
Monotropa uniflora
Indian-pipe, or ghost flower, is startling enough to most people who don't know it that they seek its name - see these threads on the UBC Botanical Garden forums for evidence. The reaction is understandable; the sight of a non-green plant is not an everyday occurrence.
Lacking chlorophyll, Monotropa uniflora cannot photosynthesize. It instead acquires carbon-rich photosynthates in another way: from a nearby tree, via a shared fungal root-association. The process is as follows: the tree photosynthesizes; the carbon-rich products of photosynthesis are transported from the leaves to the roots; the fungus receives a portion of the photosynthates in exchange for piping nutrients to the tree; and the Monotropa, tapped into the same fungus, snags some of those sugars for itself (the fungus also provides the Indian-pipe with most of the mineral nutrients it requires). This particular method of gaining nutrients is known as mycoheterotrophy. Steven Trudell of the University of Washington goes into more detail on this process here: “Fall Mushrooms, Ghostly Fungus-Robbers, and a Definition Revisited”. In central British Columbia at least, Young et al. (2001) found that Monotropa uniflora's fungal associations seem to be restricted to fungi in the family Russulaceae (link to PDF - some interesting microscopic photographs, as well).
Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy, named the plant (hence the “L.” after the name in the keywords section). The Linnaean Herbarium, in Stockholm, Sweden, has a digitized herbarium specimen of the plant. Worth a look, if only to see the difference in colour between the living plant and a dried specimen.
On a personal note, my vacation starts next week. On the negative side, I won't be including nearly as much written content with the photographs for several weeks. The images will have to stand on their own for most of the next month. On the flip side, though, is that I'm going to be taking plenty of plant and scenic photographs from the Rockies to the Canadian Shield and the prairie landscapes in between, many of which you will eventually see on Botany Photo of the Day.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:52 AM | Comments (15)
July 17, 2005
Santolina rosmarinifolia subsp. rosmarinifolia
Updated Aug. 1, 2006 at 2:24 PM PST: Changed name from Santolina virens to Santolina rosmarinifolia subsp. rosmarinifolia based on updated nomenclature. – Daniel.
To truly appreciate green santolina, you need to brush your hand lightly and slowly across the flowerheads. The rubber-eraser-like capitula on the upright stems will spring back from the disturbance, hitting the side of your hand.
Native to Mediterranean Europe, Santolina rosmarinifolia subsp. rosmarinifolia is used in gardens as a low-maintenance groundcover. It has a reputation for being drought-resistant, which makes it an ideal waterwise plant in areas where it is hardy.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:35 AM | Comments (5)
July 16, 2005
Adiantum aleuticum
Once thought to be a single widespread North American species, Adiantum pedatum (maidenhair fern) was recently segregated into three - the eastern Adiantum pedatum, the western Adiantum aleuticum and (known only from Vermont) Adiantum viridimontanum. Although the similarities and differences between Adiantum pedatum and Adiantum aleuticum have been recognized in the past (the western taxon sometimes being known as Adiantum pedatum subsp. aleuticum), reproductive isolation (they don't interbreed) and the number of morphological differences drove the decision to ultimately split the traditional species up.
Photographed in UBC's Native Garden, site of a good collection of Pacific Northwest ferns.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:00 AM | Comments (6)
July 15, 2005
Sarracenia purpurea
Commonly known as pitcher plants (see the leaves of the pitcher plant via Google Image Search for the reason why), the genus Sarracenia is solely distributed in eastern North America. Its family, the Sarraceniaceae, contains three genera: Sarracenia, Darlingtonia (native to California and southern Oregon), and the South American genus Heliamphora. Each of these genera have highly modified leaves that are used to entice and trap insects for food. As they are bog plants, access to nutrients is a challenge; insectivory, which gives the plants access to a fairly high amount of nitrogen, is an effective adaptation to the stress of living in a nutrient-poor environment.
This flower photograph of Sarracenia purpurea was taken at the edge of the Libau Bog Ecological Reserve in Manitoba last year.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (10)
July 14, 2005
Inula magnifica
To start off the next hundred Botany Photo of the Day entries, I'm going to share a series of black-and-white photographs. These are probably not to everyone's taste, so I'm going to also include the original or companion photographs when possible.
Today's photographs are of Inula magnifica, or elecampane. The black-and-white image reveals a different perspective on the opening “flower” (colour version for comparison). To me, it resembles a number of figures witnessing the formation of a new galaxy, but perhaps you'll see something different.
What is commonly called the “flower” in members of the family Asteraceae is botanically known as a capitulum. The capitulum is an aggregation of many florets, with each floret representing what we typically recognize as a flower (but wrought in miniature). In the case of Inula magnifica, the spidery outer “petals” are individual flowers technically known as “ray florets”. Ray florets are often sterile - I suspect that's the case for Inula, although I need to verify that. Moving inward to the centre of the capitulum, each of the small units is a ”disc floret”; disc florets can be either bisexual, containing fully-developed male and female flower parts, or male, so that only the stamens are functional. The South African National Biodiversity Institute has more on the morphology of flowers of the Asteraceae.
Interested in the plant for your garden or want specimen photographs? Texas A&M University's Horticulture web site has a detailed account of Inula magnifica, while an article entitled “Beauty Fades” in the Seattle Times laments the appearance of this plant in autumn: “the less-than-elegant look of its huge, withering carcass”.
If you are curious to know how the black-and-white image was made (no, it's not just a quick conversion to greyscale!), check out this article from Nature Photographers Online Magazine, which discusses using channels in Adobe Photoshop to convert colour images to black-and-white. If you want to know what I specifically did, post a comment and I'll share.
In garden news, the Washington Post has an article about “The Jade Garden”, entitled “The Latest Export from China - Garden Plants” (registration required). My only gripe is that the article links to nursery web sites instead of the garden's site, but otherwise Adrian Higgins is again in fine form: “Western explorers to China's remote regions form a pantheon of horticultural Indiana Joneses.” Worth a read!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (8)
July 13, 2005
Cypripedium reginae
I've chosen a plant that means something to me on a personal level for this, the 100th entry on Botany Photo of the Day. When I was a child, my parents would occasionally take my siblings and me to see natural “exclamation points”. Swarms of fireflies. Great grey owls. And, every summer, lady's slippers.
Cypripedium reginae is commonly known as the showy lady's slipper. This photograph was taken last summer in Manitoba, near the Mars Hill Wildlife Management Area. This area includes sand hills deposited from the retreat of the glacial Lake Agassiz, sadly becoming degraded due to overuse. Typical to what I've observed in other locations with showy lady's slippers, this plant was growing in soil that had a high water table and (I'm speculating) subsurface water movement.
Unfortunately, its showiness leads some people to attempt to transplant it from the wild into their gardens, thereby reducing the already declining natural populations (due to habitat loss). Showy lady's slipper is available from some nurseries, so transplanting from the wild is absolutely unnecessary for those desiring it. Unlike some of its relatives, Cypripedium reginae can be readily grown in gardens with the right conditions - cool, moist, rich soil for its roots, but with a few hours of direct sunlight a day for the aboveground part of the plant.
The Botanical Dermatology Database entry on orchids cites studies that indicate handling Cypripedium reginae can cause an allergic contact dermatitis, similar in effect to the dermatitis caused by poison ivy. While I generally wish well of others, a part of me hopes that some of the people ignorantly transplanting plants from the wild have discovered this about showy lady's slippers the hard way.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:25 AM | Comments (9)
July 12, 2005
Tricyrtis hirta 'Matzukaze'
Note: today's photograph was submitted by a Texan reader of Botany Photo of the Day, Maureen. If you would like to submit your photograph (I'm posting a user-submitted photo roughly once a week), you can submit via either the Botany POTD Flickr Group Pool or the UBCBG Discussion Forums, which is how Maureen submitted this image. Thanks Maureen for sharing!
Toad-lilies, the common name given to the genus Tricyrtis, have been the source of much consternation to people or institutions who like to have the correct name associated with the plants in their garden or nursery - including botanical gardens. As Dawn Parish of the Stephen F. Austin State University Mast Arboretum (in Texas) writes in her article “Toad Lilies - Gems of the Fall” (PDF), “Toad lilies are notoriously mixed up in the trade.”. Indeed, according to the Nomenclatural Notes in the Royal Horticultural Society's Plant Finder, at least five different species have been sold under the name Tricyrtis macropoda!
The same pattern of horticultural confusion can be seen with a number of other genera, including Hydrangea, Epimedium and some Acer species. The explanation of why delves into a curious mix of horticulture, botany and plant exploration. Despite my belief that a book would be necessary to be comprehensive about on the subject, I'll try my best to summarize.
In the case of Tricyrtis and the other species, the common thread begins with Japan, but it could also be another set of geographically-related groups of plants. When a cultural, centuries-old tradition of plant breeding is mixed with plants that either readily hybridize or show tremendous variation in physical traits, the result is a high number of cultivated varieties, occasionally found growing in semi-natural or natural settings. In the case of these Japanese plants, Western plant explorers returned to Europe with these cultivars (of human origin) that they believed to be species (of evolutionary origin). Plant taxonomists incorrectly classify and describe some of these plants as proper species. Books and articles are published describing the new plants. Eventually, it is uncovered that the species are actually cultivated varieties in Japan, and not proper species. Papers are written making the necessary corrections for the scientific record. In the meantime, however, both the plants and the misinformation associated with the plants are propagated throughout the nursery trade, the scientific community and the gardening public due to the earlier publications and “mindshare” of being the first name associated with a particular recognizable plant. Finally, a few dedicated people (or a single person) devote a massive amount of time trying to figure out the whole mess, hopefully writing a book that offers much-needed clarity through documenting the human, horticultural and botanical histories of the plants. To my knowledge, no book or similar reference work yet exists for Tricyrtis.
It's a stunning case-study of the propagation of misinformation that would likely interest an enterprising information scientist. I fear that although my summary is lengthy, it is still overly-simplistic - it neglects to mention the same cultivar being sold in the trade under both its English cultivar name and its Japanese one, for example. As I mentioned, however, it would require a book to fully illustrate the difficulties arising from the question, “What name do we use to represent this plant?”
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:02 AM | Comments (6)
July 11, 2005
Pinus thunbergii
Jeremy Cherfas, who runs the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute's Public Awareness Weblog visited Vancouver a few weeks ago. While in town, he dropped by to introduce himself and say “hello”, so I took him and his Vancouver host, Ruth, for a tour of the garden. When we walked by this Japanese black pine, Jeremy asserted that I had to take a photo of these immature female cones for the Photo of the Day, so here they are.
In North America, there is much news about pests from elsewhere causing widespread damage to North American ecosystems. Rarely is the opposite reported here, i.e., North American natives causing problems in other countries. Media coverage or not, the introduction of exotic species is a global problem, and not confined to North America. The Gymnosperm Database's excellent account of Pinus thunbergii makes reference to Busaphelenchus xylophilus, a North American nematode, decimating the native Pinus thunbergii of Japan's coasts.
Conversely, Pinus thunbergii is sometimes regarded as being an undesirable exotic itself. Brooklyn Botanic Garden classifies it as invasive in its New York Metropolitan Flora Project. The specimen records of Pinus thunbergii reveal that is a particular problem on Long Island. However, the plant does not seem to exhibit the same behaviour locally in the Pacific Northwest of North America.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:31 AM | Comments (8)
July 10, 2005
Thalictrum rochebruneanum
Updated March 29, 2007: Changed name from Thalictrum rochebrunianum to Thalictrum rochebruneanum in accordance with GRIN.
Some plant common names baffle me, making little sense no matter how I try to understand them. The majority are yeoman-like, duly performing a necessary duty, but often requiring a passing familiarity with the plant to make some sense. A few, however, are transcendent, representing the plant in a way that describes it so perfectly that it could not be improved upon. Sunflower and bleeding heart are two well-known examples of the last category, and I would argue that this plant's common name be added: “lavender mist”.
Thalictrum rochebrunianum is a native of Japan. In the Asian Garden, it grows to a height of 2.5m or 7 feet, and is best grown as a mass of plants to get the full effect of the flowers, as shown here.
As a genus, Thalictrum is commonly known as the meadow-rues. One of the characteristics of the genus that differs it from many others in its family, the Ranunculaceae (buttercup family), is that the flowers lack nectar-producing structures (nectaries). Other members of the family without nectaries include Anemone and Clematis, but they remain insect-pollinated, while Thalictrum relies on the wind.
Mentioning Japan as the extent of this plant's distribution reminded me to pass along this link sent to me by Brent Hine: Haiku Times - Issue No. 99, which features a series of haiku inspired by Denver Botanic Gardens. Haiku Times is a web site that “...celebrates life, nature and culture through the prism of hand-produced artwork plus haiku and photography...Inspiration for the haikutimes is based on the centuries-old Japanese tradition of a kukai, or focused gathering, where poetry relating to a specific time and place is shared.” Well-worth a visit.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:34 AM | Comments (17)
July 9, 2005
Raoulia australis
Here is an update on the mat of Raoulia australis that was featured a month ago - it's starting to flower! Unlike the previous photograph, I've included some gravel for scale. I estimate two thousand flowers in an area not much larger than the two of my hands placed side by side.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:55 AM | Comments (4)
July 8, 2005
Vaccinium 'Northland'
It's blueberry season locally, and the bushes in the Food Garden are laden with these blue gems. Though tempting to a hungry photographer, these organically-grown berries will be harvested by garden volunteers for those in need.
This particular variety of blueberry, 'Northland', is the result of hybridizing work by Stanley Johnston and J. E. Moulton in the mid-20th century. It was introduced (i.e., made available to the public and industry) in 1967. The cultivar name also suggests one of its qualities: suitability for cold climates (source: accession record for Vaccinium 'Northland' from the USDA's Germplasm Resources Information Network). One quality that the GRIN database fails to mention is ornamental value - see this photograph of its autumn foliage.
I'd be remiss if I didn't supply you with a link to blueberry recipes for this important local crop. I'm eyeing this recipe for West Coast blueberry salad, myself.
One thing that I've long neglected to point out regarding Botany Photo of the Day is that it is only possible because of the dedicated and amazing work of the garden's horticulturists and labourers. It all starts with the folks who brave the elements to care for these plants. If you encounter them while visiting UBC Botanical Garden (or encounter similar people at other gardens that you enjoy for that matter!), be sure to pass along a word of thanks.
I promised a couple days ago to keep you informed about the status of our investment funding application regarding John Davidson. Since the Canadian Heritage Information Network has released some information in its July newsletter (see VMC News), I imagine that it's safe to let you know that our application has been accepted. We still have to sign the contract before we make a splashy announcement, but that is mostly a formality at this stage. I'm really looking forward to helping tell the story of the garden's first director.
I'm also eagerly anticipating this.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:54 AM | Comments (7)
July 7, 2005
Romneya coulteri
In 1890, Romneya coulteri was nominated along with two other flowers to be the state flower of California. When the votes were counted, it lost rather handily.
I suppose I wouldn't have voted for something that some people call the “fried-egg flower”, either. Most people, though, refer to it as Matilija poppy. I prefer this latter name, because I think it's a beauty; I'd rather not think of a breakfast diner when I admire it.
Romneya coulteri has the largest flower of any plant native to California, according to Calflora.net. Considering that the California floristic province is a biodiversity hotspot, that's an impressive little factoid.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:17 AM | Comments (21)
July 6, 2005
Crocus sativus
“Though naturalized in several parts of Europe and Western Asia, the type form, or the Saffron of cultivation is not known to occur in a wild state...I group as varieties of Crocus sativus several Crocuses which previous writers deal with as separate species...Var. I. Orsinii. Of the wild forms, Crocus Orsinii of Parlatore, most nearly resembles the cultivated Saffron; indeed there is nothing to distinguish it from the type except that the pistil is shorter and the stigmata are more erect...”
So wrote George Maw in his “A Monograph of the Genus Crocus”, published in London, 1886 (What is a Monograph?). Despite his assertion that this particular variety of Crocus sativus from Italy be recognized separately as Crocus sativus var. olsinii, modern taxonomic treatments of this species lump it in with all the rest, so it is simply Crocus sativus (you can read more about crocuses here: The Pleasure of Crocus from The New Zealand Garden Journal).
This image is a photograph I took yesterday of the illustration in the book that accompanies the quoted text. There are eighty more illustrations, each a hand-coloured lithographed plate from the personal drawings of the author. Frankly, the book is a bibliophile's dream, made even moreso by the fact that our particular copy at UBC Botanical Garden contains this inscription: “To George Hornby Maw. From his affectionate father. Benthall, Kenley, Surrey. Oct 13, 1886.”
We were very fortunate to have this treasure donated to us a few years ago. Along with the time I spend on Botany Photo of the Day, my other duties include managing the garden's online databases. I would dearly love to make this book available online as part of the information we provide, but it's an expensive proposition. I'd appreciate hearing from you if you have suggestions of funding agencies that would support such a venture (in Canada).
Since I'm on the topic of funding: in the next few weeks, I hope to be able to share with you the results of our investment funding application that I mentioned in this BPOTD entry on John Davidson.
If you tried to access the site yesterday and had difficulties, I apologize. We had some server issues, which I've summarized here, if you're interested.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (20)
July 5, 2005
Paris polyphylla
Secrets are inevitable in a woodland garden as large as the David C. Lam Asian Garden: hidden paths; subtle jokes with design and placement of plants; and, of course, secret plants. Sometimes, plants are initially kept secret because of “security by obscurity”, since plant theft is an ongoing issue. When the plants are of a sufficient size that the theft risk is reduced, they are then replanted in a more prominent location. Other times, plants just happen to be sited in an out of the way place as Peter Wharton experiments horticulturally to discover the best micro-climate for success with the plant. This out-of-the-way Paris polyphylla is an example of the latter.
I don't think a common name exists for this plant, and a literal translation of the Latin, “many-leaved paris”, doesn't do it justice, so apologies if you prefer common names - the scientific name will have to do. Paris polyphylla is in the same family as the more-familiar Trillium, the Melanthiaceae. If you're familiar with this genus or Trillium, you will note that the traditional family for these genera, Trilliaceae, has now been subsumed into Melanthiaceae (I've updated the BPOTD entries for Trillium) - for references, see the Melianthaceae account on the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group web site.
Paris polyphylla can be quite variable in physical appearance. Despite my not being horticulturally familiar with the range of variation in the species or my lack of experience in Paris taxonomy, I can say this with some confidence after glancing at the account of Paris polyphylla in the Flora of China. Why? The first clue is that there are a number of varieties - this suggests a fair amount of genetic variability within the species. Secondly, a huge hint is the high number of “occasionally to” and “sometimes” characteristics in the plant description, like so: “Leaves 5--10(--22)”, meaning leaves typically 5 to 10, but occasionally to 22. Or, “Outer tepals (3 or)4--6(or 7)”, meaning typically 4 to 6 outer tepals, but sometimes 3 or 7. I count twelve numbers in parentheses in total; hence, there are lot of exceptions to the typical characteristics with this species!
If you're interested in other photographs of this plant, check out this thread on the garden's discussion forums, with some images taken last year. Depending on your taste, you might find some of them superior to today's photo.
Speaking of secrets: a mythical beast is soon to make an appearance on the grounds of UBC Botanical Garden. Its arrival will be announced here in the near future.
Today marks the beginning of the fourth month of Botany Photo of the Day, which seemed like an opportune time for me to do a bit of renovation. The most significant thing is that I've finally created a Flickr group for Botany Photo of the Day submissions, and added mention of it to pages throughout the site. I've also updated the page about Botany Photo of the Day, highlighting some of the mentions and kudos received from various web sites.
One of the renovations I still need to do with this site is add a list of links to other sci- and/or photo- and/or edu-weblogs. In the meantime, I'd like to point out Deep-Sea News, a scientific / public education weblog about the world's largest environment. On the topic of the sea, it is conspicuous that Botany Photo of the Day has yet to feature any algae. I'm in discussions with someone to highlight an alga once a month, as they are as deserving of note as flowers.
Lastly, I want to thank you for visiting and reading Botany Photo of the Day. The site is perhaps a small thing in this big world, but I and the other occasional writers appreciate the opportunity to share our passion for plants with you.
Update (July 6, 2005 9:10 PM PST): I had my families mixed up (Melanthiaceae instead of Melianthaceae) - that's what I get for doing this too late at night sometimes! Thanks to Fred for pointing this out - I appreciate any corrections anyone else spots, too!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:59 AM | Comments (7)
July 4, 2005
Populus tremuloides
I'm a fan of trembling aspen. Few plants can be said to make a memorable noise or movement, but the flutter of aspen leaves in a breeze is oft a subject of prose, including Shakespeare.
The culprit behind the designs on these leaves is another matter. I believe no one has yet written “An Ode to Phyllocnistis populiella”, the aspen serpentine leafminer. The larva of this moth will tunnel and eat its way through both the spongy mesophyll and the chlorophyll-dense palisade mesophyll of a leaf, leaving behind a whitened snake-like pattern bisected by a brown trail of excreta.
When there is a mass infestation of aspen serpentine leafminers, whole stands of trembling aspen will change from green to silver in appearance. This is what I observed in the area surrounding Merritt, British Columbia, a couple weekends ago, and I regret not getting a landscape shot of these “silver ghosts”. It was a phenomenon I'd never seen before.
However, it seems like I'll have more opportunities in the future. It has been anecdotally reported that mass infestations are on the increase, speculatively due to a rise in winter mean temperature (source: “Leafminer Impacts on Photosynthetic Ability of Populus tremuloides” (PDF), a research paper by Kaarle Strailey as part of coursework at Berkeley).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:07 AM | Comments (13)
July 3, 2005
Pinus ponderosa
As promised in this entry on Pinus ponderosa, here is the bark of Ponderosa pine up close. David Tarrant, the garden's public relations and programs coordinator, describes the bark as being “like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle”. Pretty apt description in my opinion.
Sorry, only a brief write-up today - it is a holiday weekend in North America, after all.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:41 AM | Comments (4)
July 2, 2005
Carnegiea gigantea
Note: This photograph is used with the permission of Joe Pleggenkuhle. The Creative Commons License used for most Botany Photo of the Day images does not apply to this particular image and its larger linked version.
Christopher Keller, a reader of Botany Photo of the Day, asked me if we could honour this particular saguaro cactus, “The Grand One” with an entry (for an idea of its height, note the person standing near the trunk). “The Grand One”, sad to say, may not survive recent fires north of Phoenix, Arizona.
Seekers of champion saguaro cacti, including Joe Pleggenkuhle (note: Angelfire site, so it has pop-ups), believe that the combination of height (46 feet / 14m), girth (94 inches / 2.4m) and crown width (12 feet x 12 feet / 3.7m x 3.7m) make this the largest saguaro in Arizona, if not the world (larger version of the image).
To read more about Carnegiea gigantea, see: the life cycle of the saguaro cactus or a guide to the saguaro (PDF), both from the US National Park Service. The Wikipedia entry on saguaro also features a decent set of images.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:57 AM | Comments (4)
July 1, 2005
Acer grandidentatum var. grandidentatum
For Canadian readers, Happy Canada Day!
It is perhaps coincidental that the Canadian icon, the maple leaf, represents a genus of plants with members from nearly every part of the world -- a fitting symbol for a nation of diversity and multiculturalism. As I alluded to last month, UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research is one of the best places in Canada to see maples, with one hundred different species and cultivars.
Snapped in October 2003, this photograph shows the autumn colours of a fallen leaf of bigtooth maple in the alpine garden. Maple taxonomists have sometimes disagreed about the relationship of this southwestern North American maple to the well-known Acer saccharum (sugar maple) of eastern North America. In fact, UBC currently has this plant accessioned and labelled as Acer saccharum subsp. grandidentatum, reflecting a closer relationship between bigtooth maple and sugar maple than is currently accepted by places such as the USDA, so we're going to have to review the literature and the science behind the names (and either change the label or change the title of this Photo of the Day entry!).
You can read more about making sugar from sugar maples from either “The Sap is Running” via the Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden at UCLA or delve into the industrial processes via the Cornell Sugar Maple Research and Extension Program.
Lastly, in Botany Photo of the Day news, the journal Science has written a small feature about the site in its “NetWatch” section (see it as it appears in print via PDF). By happy coincidence, it is in Science's well-publicized 125th anniversary issue!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 4:03 AM | Comments (7)
XML Feeds: Atom | RSS 2.0 | RSS 1.0 | What is RSS? | RSS Tools
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.