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September 30, 2005
Acer pectinatum subsp. laxiflorum
Today is the start of the Second International Maple Society Symposium. UBC Botanical Garden is hosting the event, so it seemed fitting to feature one of the maples from the garden to mark the occasion.
Acer pectinatum subsp. laxiflorum is a snakebark maple found only in the Sichuan and Yunnan provinces of China. Depending on the taxonomist, it is one of at least five subspecies of Acer pectinatum. Other taxonomists do not agree that this is a subspecies of Acer pectinatum, and instead suggest that it is its own separate species, Acer laxiflorum.
What is the origin of these disagreements? In the case of these five entities, the origin is “evolution in action”. One difficulty with plant names is that they are subject to the notion that the names must somehow represent evolutionary relationships, and when they don't, the names must change. This system is a great aid to understanding plants because of its organizational structure. Unfortunately, the system can break down a little bit when attempting to impose it on biological reality.
Unlike a structured hierarchy of names, biological reality is fuzzy. Here's an analogy that pertains to the situation with Acer pectinatum. Imagine that a species is represented by a piece of soft gum. Pulling the gum apart into two separate pieces represents the formation of a new species from a parent species. But what would happen if it took tens or hundreds or thousands of thousands of years to pull apart that soft gum into the two separate pieces. At what point, as an observer, would you recognize that a new piece is being separated from the parent? At what point do you say that the thin stretch of gum between the two pieces is small enough to be insignificant, and that for all practical purposes, you have two pieces of gum? What happens if somewhere around midway between the gum being pulled apart, you were asked to decide whether you currently have two pieces of gum, or simply one piece of gum that is being pulled apart into two?
That's the challenge of Acer pectinatum and its subspecies. Some taxonomists say they see two pieces of gum, even if the break is not yet a clean one. Others say they see one piece of gum that is splitting, but it's still one piece of gum. There's a good reason why these very-closely-related-for-now-in-evolutionary-time taxa are called “species complexes”!
Nature resource link: Hummingbirds and Torpor (via Living the Scientific Life) shares a fascinating account of the energy conservation adaptations of these crucial pollinators.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:43 AM | Comments (6)
September 29, 2005
Colchicum speciosum 'Album'
Whenever you see the words alba or album as part of a plant name, you can expect to see something white, most often flower colour. This plant is no exception. The species Colchicum speciosum has a bright pink flower with a white throat. The cultivar 'Album', however, has lost the pink pigmentation. It is likely that the reason for the loss of pigmentation is a small mutation that prevents production of pigment, but that's speculation on my part (and I'm quite open to seeing any evidence on the matter).
In Botany Photo of the Day news, I've added an “email to friend” form at the bottom of each entry page, after a commenter requested it.
If you're a gardener, you might like to visit Horticultural, an organic gardening weblog by Jane Perrone of London, England. Jane's been visiting Vancouver recently, and I had the pleasure of giving her a bit of a tour of UBC Botanical Garden yesterday. We paid particular attention to the Food Garden, as Jane is keenly interested in allotment gardening (read more about that on her weblog). Jane also told the tale that whenever she brings Swiss chard 'Bright Lights' into the office to share, her coworkers don't believe the colours are real. It's certainly a conversation-starter!
Photography resource link: Darwin Wiggett's The Art of Communicating with Light (via Nature Photographers Online) delves into the importance of understanding light in photography.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:22 AM | Comments (4)
September 28, 2005
Flower Mandalas Project
I would like to share a story today. It concludes with a request.
Over two years ago, David Bookbinder registered on the UBC Botanical Garden forums and began to ask plant identification questions, so that he could label some artwork he was creating. He titled his first post, “Ignorant of plant names, need help learning”. Over the next few months and dozens of questions, it became apparent that David really was “starting from the beginning”. Despite discovering that he was asking about common garden plants, David persisted, and revealed some admirable qualities that are often shared by both artists and scientists: tenacity, dedication, and humility. (Kudos to the participants on the forums who helped David with generosity and kindness - you know who you are!)
At some point, I don't recall exactly when, David shared what he was doing with the plants that were being identified. Two of his eighty or so flower mandalas are today's Botany Photo(s) of the Day, Dying Pansy III and White Lily I-a.
In late 2004, David approached me with a request to support his artwork by creating a distinct area on the forums for him to display his botanical art. Critical to his art is commentary by people with their thoughts or feelings of what his art invokes, so he needed a way to receive and display public feedback. In December 2004, we set up the Flower Mandalas Project forum as one way of doing this. David also set up a weblog in April 2005 as another way for people to comment: Flower Mandalas Project Weblog.
That concluding request? Well, in David's own words:
“For the past two years, I've been taking pictures of flowers and manipulating the images to form mandalas. I'd like to begin to assemble these images into a book, and I'd like your help. Suggestions for a word that these mandala images evoke, a complementary quote, or some history or other information about the flower itself are most welcome.
When I began this project, I knew virtually nothing about flowers. Though I've been getting an education from folks here in terms of flower identification, I'm still pretty ignorant. What I have in mind is a book, probably of 52 images, with one page containing a flower mandala and the opposite page a quotation that complements the image. What I imagine is a collection of quotations, some of which relate to the flowers and their importance in literature, culture, art, and so on, while other quotations are simply thoughts or feelings the images evoke. I'm figuring that people who enjoy and understand flowers as well as the folks at this site would be of great help with either sort of quote.
I will include, in the book's foreword, how I came to the quotes I eventually end up using.
Thanks in advance -- David”
I personally would appreciate if you were able to take the time and comment on some of David's work. My advice is to set aside an hour or so some quiet weekend morning, with a hot beverage nearby.
Commenting is easy. On the Flower Mandalas Project forum, it's as simple as browsing through the threads and posting a reply - you don't have to register for the forums to post a reply, but we do moderate unregistered replies (so it might take a few hours to appear). Please note that there are four pages of threads - you can access the older ones by clicking on the page numbers in the upper right above the thread listings.
For the Flower Mandalas Project Weblog, click on Comments with the associated image, and post anonymously if need be.
Despite being on the Internet for ten years now, I still find it amazing that a relationship between an artist from Massachusetts and a small garden in Vancouver developed a few years ago because we opened ourselves up to conversation, and that the conversation continues to this day as you add your thoughts from wherever in the world you may be. Very Cluetrain.
Lastly, a small bit of legal. Today's images are not licensed via the Creative Commons License, so standard copyright stuff applies.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:57 AM | Comments (9)
September 27, 2005
Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla var. flavescens 'Bright Lights'
'Bright Lights' swiss chard was chosen as an All-America Selection Winner in 1998 and is also the recipient of the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Grown as an “edible ornamental”, you can see why it is an attractive plant for food gardens. The colours are due to plant pigments called betalains. Betalains are found only in plants belonging to the order Caryophyllales (an order is a taxonomic unit that contains a number of related families), and curiously, the fungal genus Amanita, according to Stephen Nottingham's “Beetroot”.
Botany resource link: Chenopodium quinoa via Purdue University's Center for New Crops and Plant Products. In the same family as Swiss chard, quinoa deserves to be better known. With a cultivated history extending at least five millenia, quinoa was long a staple food in South America, second only in importance to maize. Displaced in recent modern times by less labour-intensive grain crops, such as wheat or barley, quinoa is experiencing a small resurgence due to its high nutritional value and oils.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:17 AM | Comments (13)
September 26, 2005
Musa velutina
Many thanks to Ken McCown of California, who shared this photograph via the Botany Photo of the Day Flickr Group Pool. Ken took this image at El Nispero Zoo and Plant Nursery, in El Valle, Panama. Despite the location of this photograph, this species of banana is native to Assam, in northeast India.
Commonly named “hairy banana” in the USDA Plants Database, nearly every other site I found discussing this plant used a common name involving “pink banana”. The specific epithet velutina means “velvety”, so I find myself in agreement with the common name used by the University of Connecticut EEB Conservatory: velvet pink banana.
Speaking of names, it is unclear whether Musa velutina will retain its current name, or whether evidence will be gathered to support that this plant was first published as Musa dasycarpa Kurz. If the latter occurs, the notion of “priority” in botanical nomenclature kicks in, and the name may change. Simply put, the first validly published name is the name that is to be used in scientific discourse, despite Musa velutina being the name in use for over a century.
For an extensive account of bananas, see Morton, J. 1987. Banana. p. 29–46. In: Fruits of warm climates. Miami, FL.
Photography resource link: For inspiration, images of Missouri Botanical Garden taken by Shelley Powers, aka Burningbird.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:10 AM | Comments (3)
September 25, 2005
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides has a number of common names: blue leadwood, dwarf plumbago, leadwort and plumbago, to name four. Whatever the vernacular name you choose to use, at this time of year this plant deserves much appreciation for its bronzy-red foliage and blue flowers (I should note that this photograph was taken in evening sunlight, hence the warm tones). For a horticultural perspective of the plant, see the Kemper Center for Home Gardening account.
On occasion, I like to make a photograph available as a desktop wallpaper, so here's the full-size version of the image for your use (warning: roughly 4 MB in size). Please remember that your use is subject to the Creative Commons License.
If you're a local, don't forget to peruse the Alpine Garden Club of BC's fall plant sale at VanDusen Garden this afternoon.
Botany resource link: Economic Botany Links, from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in Surrey, UK. A top-notch compilation of links to sites illustrating how humans use plants along with the attendant issues.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 4:33 AM | Comments (2)
September 24, 2005
David C. Lam Asian Garden
This scene from the David C. Lam Asian Garden was originally taken as an unremarkable colour photograph. It was then transformed into black-and-white using Photoshop's Calculations command via a 100% overlay of the green and blue channels. I've said it before, but it bears repeating - if you like playing around with black-and-white, the Calculations command is a far better path of action than simply transforming a photograph directly into greyscale.
The main plant in this scenic shot, Petasites japonicus var. giganteus, will be featured in an upcoming Botany Photo of the Day entry; I'll write more about it in accompaniment to that photograph.
Photography resource link: Polarizers via The Luminous Landscape. Concluding quote from the article: “A polarizing filter is the most productive accessory that a [nature] photographer can have in his kit, second only to a decent tripod and head.”
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:15 AM | Comments (4)
September 23, 2005
Epilobium canum subsp. latifolium
Previously named scientifically as Zauschneria californica subsp. latifolia, this “hummingbird trumpet” and all of its relatives are now placed in the genus Epilobium, the willowherbs. As you can tell from the epithet of its old name, californica, this plant grows natively in California, as well as north to Oregon and east to New Mexico.
The brown-black fruits are capsules, which will split open to reveal a mass of silky-white hairs. The hairs are attached to diminutive seeds, and aid in wind dispersal.
Botany resource link: A few commenters have expressed a desire to learn more about botany. To get a broad overview of the discipline, a good place to start on the web is the Wikipedia entry on botany. In the physical world, I recommend checking used bookstores that sell technical books as an inexpensive way to find a botany textbook; it may not have the most up-to-date science, but (theoretically) it should be a more structured way to learn than what is generally delivered over the web (though Wayne Armstrong's botany courses stands out as one exception). Also, don't forget to check your public library!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 4:20 AM | Comments (3)
September 22, 2005
Akebia quinata
Updated Sept. 22, 2005 at 8:50am: see comments re: seedling establishment in recent years.
Long-time readers of Botany Photo of the Day will recall a previous photograph of the female flower of this plant. Here is an image of the fruit taken five months later, from the Alpine Garden at UBC.
Five-leaf akebia, or chocolate vine, is native to southeast Asia. Introduced in 1845 to the eastern United States as an ornamental, Akebia quinata has revealed a tendency to be invasive in that region (all of the groundcover in that photograph). The individual plants at UBC are prolific growers (though almost 20 years old), but seedlings have never been noted and seedlings have now been noted in recent years (see comments) despite favourable conditions nearby.
I've disturbed the fruit in the lower mid-left to show the black seeds. The gelatinous substance surrounding the seeds is edible, and tastes mildly sweet.
In BPotD news, I think the email notification is fixed regarding yesterday's future-dated postings problem. I'll confirm that it's working sometime in the next few days. If you're an email subscriber, you missed yesterday's posting on Hordeum jubatum, so please be sure to read it (the first comment also has an explanation of the future-dated postings problem).
Also, during correspondence with Apple, I learned that they felt that the Botany Photo of the Day Widget is best categorized under “webcam” (and they've moved the Astronomy Picture of the Day Widget there), so here's the direct link: Botany Photo of the Day Widget. If you're a Macintosh Tiger user, download and install it to get BPotD on your Dashboard daily!
Photography resource link: For inspiration, the photography of Ross Wordhouse, self-proclaimed “panoscape” photographer.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:04 AM | Comments (13)
September 21, 2005
Hordeum jubatum
These are scanned seeds of Hordeum jubatum, commonly known as foxtail barley or squirreltail barley. Lauren Brown, in “Grasses - An Identification Guide”, writes “Considered beautiful by botanists and a noxious weed by ranchers because the bristles pierce animals' tongues and can cause serious injury”. As you might surmise, this grass is listed as a noxious weed in many states and provinces with ranchland.
The long swirling parts are variously awns (bristle-like growths extending from the lemma) or long glumes. The family Poaceae has its own set of inflorescence terminology, illustrated succinctly on this page, though a bit on the small side. A larger, but more diagrammatic version, can be seen here (scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on “spikelets” under Poaceae).
I should mention two other things: 1) the scale at the bottom of the photograph is in millimetres; and 2) this scan was done by Eric La Fountaine, and yes, the seeds were carefully placed.
Botany resource link: In case you missed it in yesterday's comments, Dr. Tom Volk (University of Wisconsin - Lacrosse) has compiled a huge online resource for fungi, including the Fungus of the Month.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)
September 20, 2005
Amanita muscaria
Poisonous, hallucinogenic and attractive to maggots - what's not to love about fly agaric mushroom? Related to the deadly “liver-transplant-required-if-you-ingest-it” Amanita phalloides (or deathcap mushroom), Amanita muscaria is not as fatal, though still very unpleasant for anyone consuming it.
Native to north temperate regions, Amanita muscaria has spread to countries like Australia and Argentina via soil imported with plants.
Photography / Botany resource link: CalPhotos contains over 95 000 images from California, almost all with a natural history theme (over half of the images are of plants).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:16 AM | Comments (10)
September 19, 2005
Hedychium coccineum 'Tara'
A big thank you to “Weekend Gardener” of Coquitlam, British Columbia, who submitted this photograph via the Botany Photo of the Day Submissions on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. Much appreciated!
'Tara' ginger lily has been the subject of debate among Hedychium taxonomists: Hedychium coccineum 'Tara' or Hedychium gardnerianum 'Tara' or a hybrid? I won't go into a discussion of the topic, because it is covered in detail here, but I will mention that this photograph was submitted as H. gardnerianum 'Tara', while I've chosen to use what we've settled on at UBC with the plants in our collection, H. coccineum 'Tara'.
The long-exserted stamens and stigmas of the flowers of this genus hint at an interesting pollination mechanism. In most flowers, pollen attaches itself to the main body of the insect. In Hedychium, however, pollen transfer occurs via the wings of moths and butterflies. The lepidopterans brush their wings against the floral parts as they move from flower to flower seeking nectar, spreading and pollinating as they go. (source: Zomlefer's “Guide to Flowering Plant Families”, 1994).
For a gardening perspective on Hedychium coccineum 'Tara', check out RHS Rosemoor Garden's Plant of the Month for October 2004, complete with cultivation and propagation information.
Botany resource link: Scott's Botanical Links. If you're the sort of person who likes daily botanical offerings, you will likely enjoy Dr. Scott Russell's Botanical Links. Since 1996(!), Dr. Russell of the University of Oklahoma has shared a link to a botanical resource, with accompanying commentary and a rating. Email and RSS feeds available!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:30 AM | Comments (5)
September 18, 2005
Ulmus parvifolia 'Seiju'
The species Ulmus parvifolia grows to 20m in its native southeast Asia, but this dwarf cultivar, 'Seiju' Chinese elm or 'Seiju' lacebark elm, will only reach 2-3m under the best of conditions. In this case, though, the physical restrictions on growth caused by being planted in a trough likely means this tree will not grow much beyond its current size. 'Seiju' is a sport selection of Ulmus parvifolia 'Hokkaido'; 'Seiju' is differentiated by its larger leaves and faster rate of growth.
Trough gardening has long been associated with growing alpine plants, including dwarf trees and shrubs. If you're interested to learn more about troughs, check out this article on trough gardening for tips on how to build a trough and selecting appropriate plants. On the topic of alpine plants, the Alpine Garden Club of British Columbia is holding its Fall Plant Sale on September 25 - always plenty of interesting plants available!
Photography resource link: Understanding Histograms via The Luminous Landscape's Tutorial Series. Nine times out of ten, I look at the histogram after taking a photograph and decide from that whether I need to take another photograph with a different exposure. How important is this? Well, the article concludes with: “It's the greatest invention since the built-in light meter”.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:13 AM | Comments (3)
September 17, 2005
Agastache aurantiaca
I would call this orange hyssop, but this plant is generally sold as orange hummingbird mint (you can guess which name would likely sell more plants). It's native to Mexico, but grows on mountains, so it performs well as a perennial in more temperate climes. Like most members of the genus Agastache, its foliage is aromatic when crushed, but I wasn't able to identify a related scent to be able to describe it to you. I've read “anise” and “licorice” used to identify the scent, but that wasn't my experience.
Botany resource link: Illustrations of Carex spp. (sedges) from Mackenzie's “North American Cariceae”. UBC Botanical Garden received Mackenzie's two-volume set as a donation yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised to find the illustrations from this magnificent work available online.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:37 AM | Comments (2)
September 16, 2005
Oenothera macrocarpa subsp. fremontii 'Lemon Silver'
As you can tell from this photograph taken in the Alpine Garden a couple days ago, autumn is arriving. There are, however, many flowers still in bloom locally, including this cheery 'Lemon Silver' Fremont evening-primrose.
Pollinated by hawk-moths at night, flowers of the species Oenothera macrocarpa open in the evening and begin to close the following morning, lasting only the one day (see Reproductive biology in Onagraceae (Raven, 1979) for a comprehensive examination of how plants in this family reproduce, including mechanisms that they employ to ensure outcrossing). I've added a close-up photograph of the flower, so that you can see the cross-shaped stigma, typical of many plants in the family Onagraceae (see more examples in the Oenothera Image Gallery).
I promised a BPotD announcement for users of the Macintosh Tiger Operating System (10.4). Here it is:
I'm grateful to Steve Milano (aka Do-Boy Software) and BJ Heinley (aka Built By Robots) for teaming up and producing a very slick Botany Photo of the Day Widget! (BPotD widget mirror on the Do-Boy Software site). If you are wondering what a widget is, visit Apple's site for a demo.
If you are a Macintosh Tiger user, you can download the Botany Photo of the Day Widget directly from here (UBC site - no worries about bandwidth) or here (Do-Boy Software site). The BPotD widget has been accepted by Apple in its catalogue of widgets, but right now it's listed in the “webcam” category, so the link to it is likely going to change. Still, you can download it from Apple's site by following Widget Browser -> Just Added -> Botany Photo of the Day Widget. The advantage of downloading from Apple is that the widget might find its way into the Top Ten, giving the widget a much higher profile (and frankly, it deserves to be in the Top Ten - Steve and BJ did top-notch work!). Thanks Steve and BJ!
In other news, one of the small joys of running a weblog is discovering who is linking to you. I was pleasantly surprised to see a weblog in Andorra (a country of 70500 people) linking to BPotD: La imatge del dia, where, if my translation of Catalan is correct, the poster states, “and the newest [of daily image sites], but incredible, Botany Photo of the Day”. Thanks for the compliment!
And in yet more BPotD news, I've installed a “Commenter Email Whitelist”, which is good news for frequent commenters. I have always considered comment moderation a necessary evil; although most of the over ten thousand spam comments I've received over the past five months have been blocked by the various tools I use, a few still slip through that are only caught by comment moderation. The whitelist allows me to flag known commenters as “trusted” and in no need of moderation. So, I've started to do that for some people who have commented frequently. The best way to find out if you are on the whitelist is to comment. If you're not on it and you're a frequent commenter, please don't be offended - I've certainly missed some people in the first round. If you're not on it and don't comment often, the only way to get on is to comment frequently enough that I begin to recognize your name and email address and I will eventually add you.
Photography resource link: Petteri Sulonen's Mastering Wide-Angle tutorial illustrates the different techniques required for the challenges and complications of wide-angle photography. Wide-angle photography is very alluring to me, but disheartening so far - my ratio of “keepers” to junkers is very low.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:46 AM | Comments (5)
September 15, 2005
Mammillaria elongata 'Crest'
Much to the chagrin of zombies everywhere, this is not —and I quote— “BR-R-R-RAIN-NSss”, but rather a “brain cactus”. This is a morphological variant of the species Mammillaria elongata DC., or golden star cactus. The distinct morphology of this and other brain cacti, known as cristate or crested growth, is caused by an apical meristem gone awry.
The shoot apical meristem is the site of growth that elongates the plant. It's located at the growing tip (apex). In the case of this cristate variant, the apical meristem no longer performs cell division from a single point. Instead, the formation of new tissue occurs as cells divide laterally from an elongated meristem. For another example of cristation, see this photograph of a cristate saguaro cactus (you can also read some speculation on the whys of cristation in saguaros: Crested Saguaros - What is the Rhyme or Reason? in PDF format).
As you can tell, this is a “studio shot”. This cactus is one of roughly one hundred different kinds of plants for sale at this year's Indoor Plant Sale (more information). UBC's Friends of the Garden have been enthusiastically running this event for twenty-eight years. As far as I'm concerned, it's the best selection of plants I've seen yet (I've seen six sales), and the selection includes some particularly striking carnivorous plants. Please consider attending today or tomorrow, if you're a local reader. All funds raised support research and education at the garden.
In BPotD news, there'll be an announcement tomorrow for Macintosh Tiger users.
Botany resource link: Linked above, Cal's Plant of the Week (by Cal Lemke of the University of Oklahoma). Cal is the botany greenhouse grower, so the plants he features tend to be tropicals; the site is a good complement to BPotD for that reason, since it is rarely convenient for me to feature such plants.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:43 AM | Comments (10)
September 14, 2005
Ericameria nauseosa
Updated February 24, 2006 at 2:17pm PST: Changed name from Chrysothamnus nauseosus to Ericameria nauseosa after reviewing Nesom, G and Baird, G. 1993. Completion of Ericameria (Asteraceae: Astereae), Diminution of Chrysothamnus. Phytologia. 75(1): 74-93. – Daniel
First of all, welcome to new readers who are discovering Botany Photo of the Day via their local public library! One of the providers of “information portals” to public libraries has selected Botany Photo of the Day as a “hot link”, so there's been a boost in new visitors from libraries across North America.
On to the plant: common rabbit-brush is distributed throughout western North America. It's a shrubby, wood-forming member of the aster (or sunflower) family, yet another display of the diversity of form and structure within this family (for more on that topic, see the entry on Raoulia australis). Perhaps not surprising, considering that the Asteraceae contain over 10% of the dicotyledonous plant species in the world.
Ethnobotanically, I note that it has been used to treat sore throats, colds and coughs. Also mentioned in that link is that it was used as chewing gum, which I'll try next time I encounter it. I have already tried another historic chewing gum, pine resin - I doubt that this could be worse.
I should mention for the sake of being complete that some taxonomists have placed this species in the genus Ericameria instead of Chrysothamnus, so after I review some of the literature, I may have to change the name of this entry.
Astute observers will note that tonal differences between the two photographs. The colour difference is attributable to one photograph being taken in direct sunlight, the other when a cloud passed by overhead.
Lastly, there will be a couple BPotD announcements in the next two weeks, at least one of which will be a “goodie” that some readers will be able to take advantage of.
Nature / Photography resource link: Photographs tagged with “Burns Bog” via Flickr seems an appropriate link given that I mentioned the fire two days ago. The still-burning fires are front page news locally and have made the national news.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:47 AM | Comments (9)
September 13, 2005
Aeonium arboreum 'Atropurpureum' (tentative)
This image is courtesy of Michael from Washington, DC, a frequent (and appreciated) commenter on BPotD images. He submitted this photograph via the BPotD Submissions on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. Readers of the thread where Michael submitted his photo will note that this is a tentative identification.
The genus Aeonium is distributed throughout the Canary Islands, Madeira, Morocco and eastern Africa. This photograph of “'Atropurpureum' shrubby aenium” was taken in San Jose, California, where it is obviously growing very successfully in a climate similar to its native one. Each of the succulent stems will flower and fruit only once and then die back; in a single word, the plant is monocarpic.
Botany / Photography resource link: Photo Gallery for The Ruth Bancroft Garden of Walnut Creek, California. Oodles of images of succulents, particularly from Africa.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:33 AM | Comments (4)
September 12, 2005
Pinus contorta var. contorta
The high water table and acidic environment of a bog can stunt growth such that a shore pine may only reach a meter in height after a decade (or more) of growth, as displayed by this photograph taken in Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy Area two years ago. I had planned to return to the area this autumn with the camera and equipment I now use, but I may have to adjust my expectations. From the room at home where I'm writing this entry, I can see the orange glow of flames and billowing smoke as Burns Bog burns.
The Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy Area measures roughly 2000 hectares (5000 acres). From what I can gather from current news reports, estimates vary widely regarding the extent of the current fire, with one report suggesting a high “one mile by two miles in size”, or approx. 500 hectares. I'll report in a future entry the verified extent of the blaze, but it does seem apparent that a lofty amount of the southeastern section of the bog has burned.
Photography resource link: A Google Image Search for Blossfeldt presents a handy survey of the work of Karl Blossfeldt, at the time “a relatively unknown art school professor”.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:57 AM | Comments (16)
September 11, 2005
Ribes sanguineum
The fruits of red-flowered currant are edible, but not particularly palatable - it's best to leave them for the birds. Other gooseberries and currants are better choices for those with an appetite.
The family for Ribes, the Grossulariaceae, is an “exception to a rule” of botanical nomenclature. In most instances, the name of a plant family is based off the name of a valid genus within the family, e.g., Rosaceae and Rosa or Salicaceae and Salix. However, even though the genus Grossularia is no longer recognized as a separate taxonomic entity, the Grossulariaceae as a family name has been nomenclaturally “conserved” due to (I'm assuming with these) long-standing use of the name and the anticipated disruption a change in the name would cause.
Botany resource links: The online Atlas of Canada has several ecological maps of interest to Canadian botanists, including maps of Endemic Plant Diversity and Rare Plant Diversity.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 4:45 AM | Comments (2)
September 10, 2005
Allium turcomanicum
When onions are permitted to seed, this is the result. This species is native to Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, and is rare in cultivation (the UBC Alpine Garden is one of the few places it can be seen). The genus Allium contains approximately 1250 different species, including the wild progenitors of culinary requisites such as garlic, leeks and chives.
Photography resource links: Although I didn't use them for this photograph, nearly half of the images I take for Botany Photo of the Day utilize reflectors. What difference does it make? View the articles Using Reflectors and Diffusers for Macro Photography and All Day Macro Photography to see comparisons of photographs with and without reflectors. Both articles are written by Jim Erhardt of Nature Photographers Online Magazine.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 5:17 AM | Comments (1)
September 9, 2005
Picea sitchensis
A photograph from the John Davidson lantern slide collection (more about the collection in this entry) that lacks any associated information. Who is the man in the photograph? Where is this stand of Sitka spruce? Or, more likely, “where was this stand of Sitka spruce?”, as this photograph seems to be taken from the edge of a clearcut. When was this photograph taken?
For more information about these largest of spruces, though, there are thankfully some resources at hand via the Virginia Tech Forestry Department and Tree Species of the World's Boreal Forests.
Botany resource link: Taxonomic Botany and Floristics in North America, North of Mexico: A Review by James Reveal and James Pringle, details a history of taxonomic botany that spans five centuries. It was written for the Flora of North America project.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:55 AM | Comments (1)
September 8, 2005
Xanthoceras sorbifolia
Xanthoceras sorbifolia is native to China. This species has been noted by others as a good garden plant, an assessment which I'd say we provisionally agree with at UBC (via informal conversations about the plant with horticulturists and curators).
Commonly known as yellowhorn, it is a member of the soapberry family, and hence closely related to maples, horse-chestnuts and lychee. For a photographic overview of a traditional taxonomic understanding of the family (i.e., without maples and horse-chestnuts), see the Sapindaceae by Dr. Gerald Carr of the University of Hawaii.
Photography / Marine Life resource link: Marine Life of the Northeast Pacific showcases underwater photography by two divers, Jon Gross and Keith Clements. There are a few algae (fulfilling this weblog's botanical mandate), but the majority of images are of animal life. On the oceanic theme, here's another plug for the weblog Deep-Sea News.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)
September 7, 2005
Arisaema consanguineum
I've dipped into the archives for today's photograph. The original out-of-camera image is here, and if you compare the two (ignoring the tighter crop of this image), you'll note that this image is sharper and cleaner. I ran it through some of the digital processing tools I now use to see if it could be improved, and I think it is.
From our interpretative sign for this plant: Aroids (the family Araceae) produce a characteristic spathe and spadix flower arrangement. The woodland aroid, Arisaema consanguineum, has a purple-green spathe with narrow, white, vertical stripes and a hood with a filamentous tail-like tip. The spathe encloses the club-like spadix (itself extended by a whiplash tail), which has all over its surface hundreds of tiny flowers. In late summer, the spathe withers and exposes a head of tightly packed red-orange berries. The species, native over much of eastern Asia, is one of nearly two dozen arisaemas in the David C. Lam Asian Garden at UBC Botanical Garden.
You can see more photographs of Arisaema consanguineum (including the spathe and spadix flower arrangement) via the web site of the International Aroid Society.
Photography / Photoshop resource link: Image Processing Workflow via The Luminous Landscape. It's not the workflow that I do, as I rely on plugins and tools to accomplish some of what is outlined, but when I first started dipping my feet into processing digital images, tutorials like these proved invaluable to understanding the fundamentals.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:36 AM | Comments (10)
September 6, 2005
Hemerocallis 'Penny's Worth'
With over eighteen-hundred cultivars listed in the Royal Horticultural Society's Plant Finder, it is not unwarranted to say that daylilies are among the most popular of garden plants (for a little game, see if you can find any other genera of plants with higher numbers of species and cultivars - I found one). Not coincidentally, daylilies are also among the most photographed of plants, so I'm under no illusion that I'm sharing something radically different today.
For a comprehensive look at daylilies, visit the American Hemerocallis Society web site. Highlights include a dictionary of daylily terminology and a list of frequently asked questions about daylilies, including “Why is the daylily the perfect perennial?”
Botany resource link: Since it is back-to-school for most children locally, I thought I'd point out something to share with youngsters: Missouri Botanical Garden's Biomes and Aquatic Ecosystems of the World.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 5:14 AM | Comments (1)
September 5, 2005
Cynara scolymus
This globe artichoke, photographed in the Food Garden at UBC, is past its harvest date. Despite the gastronomic loss, allowing the 15cm wide composite flowers to bloom offers a visual delight.
Photography resource link: Sharpening 101, a tutorial by Thom Hogan on what I believe to be the most important “digital darkroom” technique.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:16 AM | Comments (1)
September 4, 2005
Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet'
If you were to lightly rub the leaves of this plant, you'd understand why it is commonly known as lamb's ears. This was photographed last week in the trough section of the Alpine Garden, during a light rain.
Botany resource link: The Wikipedia entry for the leaf is a great introduction to understanding leaves and leaf terminology.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:43 AM | Comments (0)
September 3, 2005
Lupinus sulphureus subsp. kincaidii
(Quentin Cronk, Director of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research has kindly offered to guestblog today -- Daniel)
A crabspider (Misumena vatia) is here seen capturing a bumble bee (Bombus sp.) on the rare Kincaid's lupin (Lupinus sulphureus subsp. kincaidii) in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. Kincaid's lupin is interesting as it is the host of the even rarer Fender's Blue Butterfly. The lower flowers of the Kincaid's lupin are turning brown. Surprisingly, this is natural pigmentation and not an indication that the flowers are dying. Another rare plant of the Willamette Valley, the thin-leaved peavine (Lathyrus holochlorus), has the same brown colour in the petals but both the function and the biochemical basis of this trait are unknown. Photographs of some of the Rare and Endangered Plants of the Willamette Valley are available online, thanks to the Institute for Applied Ecology. The Willamette Valley in Oregon is a fertile mosaic of drained farmland interspersed with remnant wetlands of immense nature conservation importance.
(I'm adding this part -- Daniel). Nature resource link: David Neiwert, a Seattle-based freelance journalist, has posted a written and photographic account of his recent experience with killer whales near Vancouver Island. A bit off-topic for this weblog, perhaps, but I can't help but share this fine piece of nature writing.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 5:45 AM | Comments (2)
September 2, 2005
Euphorbia myrsinites
Donkey-tail spurge or myrtle spurge is a study in perspectives. From a gardening point of view, you see a structurally-interesting plant that is drought-tolerant and ignores poor soils. In fact, the Royal Horticultural Society has given this species its Award of Garden Merit.
The relative ease in which it grows and propagates itself in a garden setting, however, is a red flag for qualities associated with a potential invasive under the right conditions, and thus a plant of concern to ecologists and conservation biologists. It has indeed displayed invasiveness; it is listed as a “noxious weed” in the states of Washington, Oregon and Colorado (source: USDA Plants Database). However, the invasiveness potential seems to be restricted to the western USA. The distribution map shown as part of the Plants Database marks no plants in the wild in Missouri, even though it seems to be a popular garden plant in that state.
Photography resource link: For inspiration, the photography of Eric Fredine. Prairie water landscapes, something I consider a “fresh” subject for photography. One challenge of many photographs is to not take pictures of the “same old, same old”. Eric's accomplished that.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (30)
September 1, 2005
Lilium philadelphicum
Wood lily is the provincial flower of Saskatchewan, and this entry marks that province's centennial today. Apologies to Alberta and its concurrent centennial celebrations, but I don't have an image of a Rosa acicularis (prickly wild rose) to share.
According to “Plants of the Western Boreal Forest and Aspen Parkland”, First Nations people used the underground bulbs, seeds and flowers (!) as food. The bulbs, it is noted by the authors, are “strong-tasting, peppery and bitter — definitely an acquired taste!”, but the authors make no mention of the taste of the flowers. I'm mildly curious about what of the flowers was eaten, and how it would taste, but not curious enough that I'd contribute to the decline of local populations by picking a flower. Overpicking of the flowers for amenity has led to a perceptible decline in the numbers of Lilium philadelphicum near human-settled areas.
As an aside, this also marks the one hundred and fiftieth Botany Photo of the Day entry.
Botany / photography resource link: Images of Diatoms from the University College London's Micropaleontology Unit. My favourite is Lyrella lyra. Scroll to the top of that lengthy page to learn more about these algae with siliceous skeletons.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:10 AM | Comments (5)
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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.