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June 30, 2006
Celtica gigantea
Taking a page out of a famous musician's book, Celtica gigantea is “the Grass Formerly Known as Stipa gigantea”. The scientific name for golden oats changed with the publication of this paper: Vázquez, FM and M Barkworth. 2004. Resurrection and emendation of Macrochloa (Gramineae: Stipeae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 144:483–495. The name change has yet to cascade through many of the online garden publications and databases, so an Internet search is more successful if you use the synonym, Stipa gigantea. The genus Celtica is monotypic, so this taxon is the only species within the newly-formed genus.
For an illustration of the plant (instead of only the seeds as in this photograph), see Celtica gigantea in the Icones plantarum rariorum from Missouri Botanical Garden's Rare Books Collection. Native to southwestern Europe and northwest Africa, Celtica gigantea is yet another RHS Award of Garden Merit plant. The RHS also has gardening information for golden oats.
Photography resource link: The photography of Edward Weston, an early 20th century master photographer (I've just picked up a book with a collection of his photographs). In particular, see his Natural Studies, Point Lobos & Death Valley and Clouds, Trees & Water series.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)
June 29, 2006
Alstroemeria psittacina
Thanks again to Eric in San Francisco (Eric in SF@Flickr) for today's image (via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool | original image with comments). This photograph was taken in the San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum. Much appreciated, Eric!
The family Alstroemeriaceae is native to Central and South America (map). This species, commonly known as hardy alstroemeria or parrot flower is native to northern Brazil. However, it has naturalized in Europe, the United States and Australia (PDF). Of particular concern is naturalization in Western Australia, one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. The Floridata entry on Alstroemeria psittacina warns about its invasive potential, though it also provides commentary on the plant's good qualities: drought-resistant, hummingbird-attracting, container-friendly and a long-lasting cut flower.
Photography resource link: On the topic of image critique, here is a place where it's done right: The Radiant Vista. “The Radiant Vista is a creative community of inspiration, passion, and grace. Together we pursue our dreams and explore our endless potential.” The highlight of the site is a daily critique video; you have to watch one to understand what a great job they do. If you submit your photograph to them and it gets critiqued, let me know (if I don't catch it myself) and I'll link to it in a future entry. I also really enjoyed the article “The Myth of Talent”.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 4:35 AM | Comments (2)
June 28, 2006
Crocosmia 'Lucifer'
Crocosmia 'Lucifer' is the deserving recipient of an RHS Award of Garden Merit – both the BBC Gardening site and the Kemper Center share horticultural details about this cultivar.
Some references suggest that this cultivar is a hybrid between two genera, Crocosmia and Curtonus. However, a UBC forum member (David in LA) points out that the two genera were lumped together in a 1971 paper by Peter Goldblatt: “Cytological & morphological studies in southern African Iridaceae” in the South African Journal of Botany. If one agrees with Goldblatt, then this hybrid becomes merely a cross between two species within the same genus, a fairly common occurrence (even in nature for some taxa). A cross between two genera occurs rarely, and often adds weight to proposals that the two genera should be either re-examined or taxonomically lumped together under one generic name.
Photography resource link: A satirical look at image critique from Mike Johnston's The Online Photographer weblog: Great Photographers on the Internet and the follow-up Wicked. Discovered via a thread on Nature Photographers Online.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (21)
June 27, 2006
Schizophragma hydrangeoides
One of the highlights of the Asian Garden at UBC is the climbing woody vines. Although I'm still struggling to get a worthwhile photograph of one from a distance (not an easy feat in the woodlands of the Asian Garden), I can at least share this close-up of a soon-to-bloom Japanese hydrangea vine, a woody climber native to both Japan and Korea.
To learn a little more about Schizophragma hydrangeoides, see the garden's interpretative sign. For a gardening perspective (and an image of the plant “climbing” a wall), visit the Kemper Center for Home Gardening via Missouri Botanical Garden.
Gardening questions about this and other climbers & vines can be posted to the UBC Vines & Climbers discussion forum.
Photography resource link: Expose to the Right, an article from Michael Reichmann of The Luminous Landscape. I've been attempting this practice more often than not lately, but I'm finding it a fairly risky technique as it is very easy to overexpose a particular channel – it's easier on very expensive cameras that display the histogram for every channel.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:35 AM | Comments (6)
June 26, 2006
Thermopsis macrophylla var. agnina
Thermopsis macrophylla is commonly known as false lupine, golden-pea or (rarely) Santa Ynez goldenbanner. It is native to western California, occurring in grasslands, chapparal and open forests. The online Jepson Manual also mentions it being present in Oregon, but the USDA PLANTS database disagrees.
More disagreement surrounds whether the variety agnina should be recognized as its own distinct taxon. Thermopsis macrophylla var. agnina, Santa Ynez false-lupine, is a robust-growing version of what is typically seen in the rest of the species. It only occurs in the Santa Ynez mountains of Santa Barbara County in California. The Jepson Manual mentions this variety without discounting it (but does not “officially” add it as a taxon with its own entry). The USDA PLANTS database does not recognize it as being separate, and instead lumps it in with the rest of the species. Despite attempts to slot taxa into tidy boxes, biological reality resists. This is in part due to the ongoing process of evolution – I tend to think about these muddy instances of “is it different enough to be its own variety?” as “evolution in action”.
In local news, this month's Café Scientifique at the Railway Club in Vancouver features Dr. Tara Ivanochko discussing “The Big picture of Climate Change: Natural Systems and Human Agency”. The details for this free event on Tuesday night are available on Café Scientifique Vancouver's web site (What is Café Scientifique?).
Biology / art resource link: From the American Museum of Natural History, Dioramas goes far beyond images of the museum's dioramas – it offers virtual tours and behind-the-scenes glimpses into these educational treasures.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (4)
June 25, 2006
Raphanus sativus hybrid
Many thanks to Cliff aka The Marmot@Flickr for today's photograph (original image | via Flickr BPotD Group Pool). As a reminder, don't forget to see Cliff's photographs of Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. Thanks again!
Radishes are thought to have been in cultivation for nearly five thousand years. Like much of the rest of the plant, the flowers of radish are edible. Although not as hot as the root, my experience is that the flowers do have a similar “bite”. As the Plants for a Future database mentions, the only part which isn't generally edible is the fruit capsule as it matures and becomes tough.
For more information on this root vegetable, see Wikipedia's entry on Raphanus sativus.
Photography resource link: Luminous Lint, whose purpose is “...to create the world‘s leading collaborative knowledge-base for the history of photography showing significant vintage and contemporary photography.”
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (3)
June 24, 2006
Maxillaria speciosa
Thank you to Andreas from Bogotá, Colombia (aka Quimbaya@Flickr) for today's photograph (BPotD Flickr Group Pool | original image). Much appreciated!
Roughly five hundred and seventy species can be found in the genus Maxillaria (list). These rainforest-inhabiting orchids are plants of the neotropics, being found only in Central and South America.
Maxillaria speciosa is an epiphyte native to Ecuador and Colombia. Its flowers are fragrant (like many others in the genus), but I don't know what sort of fragrance it has – perhaps Andreas will comment and share that information.
Botany resource link: Fungi, from the Australian National Botanic Gardens, provides a wealth of information about mushrooms, mycelia and more!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)
June 23, 2006
Cornus kousa
This is the fourth dogwood to be featured on BPotD. By revisiting the other three, you can get some idea of the diversity of floral structure within the genus: Cornus chinensis, Cornus macrophylla and Cornus 'Eddie's White Wonder'. The white petal-like structures seen here are actually modified leaves called bracts. A plant in a closely related family, the Nyssaceae, also has subtending bracts: Davidia involucrata 'Sonoma'.
The fruits of kousa dogwood are edible (see the Plants for a Future entry on Cornus kousa), but I wouldn't eat them in quantity. Apparently, members of both the Cornaceae and Nyssaceae share the characteristic of being aluminum accumulators (source: description of “Cornaceae + Nyssaceae” on the Cornales page of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group site).
Photography resource link: Nature Revealed, the photography of Jeff Jessing. Browse through the galleries for inspiration.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (8)
June 22, 2006
Dierama pulcherrimum
The South African “angel's fishing rod” or “fairy wand” is a plant I photograph every year. I've yet to take a photograph I'm entirely happy with, because a two-dimensional representation of this plant in an image pales in comparison to witnessing it in person. To my mind, Dierama pulcherrimum is about movement – it dances in the slightest breeze. The effect of a hundred plants doing so at one time in UBC's alpine garden is enchanting. I can only imagine that a grassland with thousands of plants is magical (see “Dierama pulcherrimum massed on Gaikas Kop east face.jpg” on this page).
Botany resource link: If I was living in Florida, I know where I'd be visiting on July 8/9 this year: Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (and its annual mango festival). The Fairchild BG web site is content rich, with quite a few articles to read if you are interested in tropical plants. To add to my small weblog interview from a few days ago, I see Fairchild is taking the first few steps into weblogging.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:58 AM | Comments (11)
June 21, 2006
Xerophyllum tenax
The first of today's two photographs was taken yesterday morning of a plant in UBC's Alpine Garden. I wish I could claim credit for the second photograph, since that would mean I observed these plants en masse, but I can't. It's a public domain work from the US National Park Service, found via the Wikipedia entry for Xerophyllum tenax.
A native to dry, open coniferous forests at medium- to high-elevation mountains in some parts of western North America (distributon map | FNA treatment), Xerophyllum tenax is one of two species in the genus. An eastern North American counterpart, Xerophyllum asphodeloides, grows in similar habitats: pine barrens and dry mountain forests.
The leaves of bear-grass were (and are) used by indigenous peoples as material for weaving baskets and apparel (see the Plants for a Future entry on Xerophyllum tenax).
Photography resource link: Mastering the Histogram, an article by Chris Gamel for PhotoMigrations. “Mastering” is a fairly strong word to use – I'd prefer understanding, myself. Nevertheless, it is one of the most important things to comprehend about digital images. I look at the image's histogram immediately after taking each photograph to reduce disappointment when I later examine the images on my computer.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:14 AM | Comments (5)
June 20, 2006
Geranium 'Gerwat'
Thank you to Johnson Farms, Inc@Flickr for today's image of a hardy geranium. The original image can be seen here, and it was shared via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool.
The cultivar name of this hardy geranium is 'Gerwat', but it is sold under the trade designation Geranium Rozanne. Trade designations add yet another layer of complexity (and some might say confusion) to answering the question, “What is the name of that plant?” The Royal Horticultural Society has a tidy summary on trade designations and trade marks; it is worthwhile reading it to understand why a plant can have two or three different names on the same label (e.g., common name of Rozanne hardy geranium, cultivar name of Geranium 'Gerwat' and trade name of Geranium Rozanne).
For gardening information on this meritorious hardy geranium, visit the Kemper Center for Home Gardening's page on Geranium 'Gerwat' Rozanne or see this page from Blooms of Bressingham in New Zealand. Interested in geraniums? Visit the web site of The Geraniaceae Group
In UBC garden web site news, you might be interested to read this blog interview with me about Blogging at UBC Botanical Garden on The Little Garden.
Small tidbit from the resource link from two days ago regarding Lomo-style images: I forgot to mention I discovered it via Darren Barefoot's weblog.
Botany resource link: Desmids in the Netherlands is a site dedicated to the unicellular green alga in the Desmidiaceae and Mesotaeniaceae. Includes a Desmid of the Month – I'm a fan of Euastrum humerosum, myself. Little green beauties.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 4:30 AM | Comments (9)
June 19, 2006
Strelitzia reginae
Thanks to two people on Flickr for today's images: Van in NYC@Flickr for the first image and springgal@Flickr for the abstract second image. Original images can be seen here and here. Many thanks to both of you!
Bird of paradise or crane flower is a short shrub native to South Africa, though its flowers are commonly seen in fairly expensive cut flower arrangements around the world. At first glance, its flowers may confuse as to how they are structured, but it isn't too difficult to decipher. The orange-yellow parts are sepals, not petals. It does have petals, though, and they have two forms. One is the thumb-shaped nub at the base of the long dark-coloured structure in the centre of the flower – this is the “free petal”. The other petals are united into the structure that resembles a toothed bird's beak. If you were to peel these united petals back along the toothed groove, you'd find the pollen-producing anthers. The stigma, or pollen-receiving surface, extends outwards beyond the united petals.
Botany / photography resource link: Kurt Stüber's Index of Four Thousand Botanical Images, indexed by numerical order, plant name and family.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
June 18, 2006
Hat Creek Road, British Columbia
This photograph won't win any awards, but that isn't why I took it. I was curious to see how it would compare to this photograph taken 70-85 years ago in the same area. The photographic comparison isn't as compelling as repeat photography of glaciers (check the box beside “long-term change photograph pairs” and press Submit), but you still get the notion of how much the landscape has changed in a less than a century. It is impossible to say that the bitter-roots were as abundant in this area as they were on the hillside from the linked Davidson photograph, but it is possible to suggest that the introduced Thinopyrum sp. (syn. Agropyron sp.) or wheatgrass and Medicago sativa (alfalfa – the green plant throughout the bottom quarter of the image) were not present in this landscape eight decades ago. Both of these European introductions were likely planted as forage crops, and the native Lewisia rediviva now has to compete with these plants for nutrients and water. Discovering a landscape that looks as it did in the days of John Davidson is likely impossible.
Photography resource link: How To Make Digital Photos Look Like Lomo Photography from the Digital Photography School Weblog. Want to make images that look like they were taken by a cheap Russian camera? This is for you.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:11 AM | Comments (0)
June 17, 2006
Cedars Mill Trail, British Columbia
If you were to walk ten steps forward from the exact spot this photograph was taken, you would look over the boulder-edged Lynn Creek of North Vancouver, British Columbia. Second-growth forest lines both sides of the creek, as lumber mills were active in the area during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Logging continued until 1929 when the area was recognized as a watershed.
Remnants of the logging operations line the trail, in the form of old, massive stumps and abandoned machinery. If memory serves correctly (this photograph was taken last June), very few wildflowers can be found along the length of the trail. This is typical – low-light conditions from the always-present conifer canopy prevent even seasonal wildflowers from establishing, unlike hardwood, deciduous forests. That's not to say that light is the only reason for fewer wildflowers in coniferous forests, but it certainly is a major factor.
Photography resource link: Images of Ireland from photographer Carsten Krieger. In particular, visit Outsight, Insight and Irrus.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (5)
June 16, 2006
Tea Plantations
Today's photographs are courtesy of Lindsay McGhee, from her December 2004 trip to Malaysia. Lindsay is a UBC biology student and aspiring botanical illustrator (who also happens to be working with me on the garden's John Davidson project). She's kindly offered to share a few photographs from her trip, so expect more in the future.
The Cameron Highlands are Malaysia's largest tea-producing region. The tea plantations date back to the time of the British Colonial era, when tea was a valuable commodity. Tea, however, dates back much longer – three thousand years, give or take, since a brew was first derived from the leaves and leaf buds of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis.
The tea plant is a native of southeast Asia, though it is now widely cultivated around the world in tropical and subtropical areas.
To read more about the tea-making process, visit Camellia sinensis from Purdue University's Center for New Crops and Plants Products.
A few more photographs of the Cameron Highlands and area can be seen here.
For local readers: Douglas Justice, the garden's Curator of Collections, will be leading a three hour-long tree walk this Sunday (June 19) at the Riverview Grounds in Coquitlam. If you haven't seen Douglas talk about trees before, you're missing out. For location information, see the Tree Tours page from the Riverview Horticultural Centre Society or read their recent newsletter.
Conservation (of a different sort) resource link: the Antarctic Conservation Blog, hosted by the Natural History Museum in London. Follow the stories of three conservators who are documenting and conserving the artefacts within the Antarctic explorer's hut left by Shackleton after his 1908 expedition.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (5)
June 15, 2006
Sisyrinchium montanum
My recent trip to Manitoba didn't have much time available for photography, though I did manage to sneak in a few hours on one day before a thunderstorm and downpour ended that day's venture.
Blue-eyed grass, or, as the USDA PLANTS database suggests, strict blue-eyed grass, is native to much of central and northern North America. Of course, it is not a true grass, as evidenced by the flowers with tepals (grass flower morphology is a topic for another day!).
As I've previously mentioned on BPotD, the distribution maps in the Flora of North America are superior to the maps supplied by the USDA PLANTS site if you want to know more about the plant than merely presence or absence in a jurisdiction; see the Flora of North America account for the species and its distribution map in particular.
A gardening perspective on this plant is available from Nature North, while Wikipedia's account for the genus, Sisyrinchium reveals the meaning of its name and shows some of the diversity of flower colour and form within the genus.
Photography resource link: For inspiration, visit West Light Images, the photography of Utah's David C. Schultz.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 5:24 AM | Comments (0)
June 14, 2006
Lilium sp.
Today's photograph was taken in mid-June of 2005. Many thanks to Brent Hine, UBC's curator of the E.H. Lohbrunner Alpine Garden, for sharing it.
This is the second unidentified species of Lilium from a collection expedition to Sichuan to be featured on BPotD. The previous entry was on November 1, 2005. Ignoring the fact that there are paired flowers on today's plant, you can see a superficial resemblance between the flowers of the two different lilies in tepal colouration and markings. Both have white tepals peppered with black spots (what is a tepal and how is it different from a petal? In the broad sense, both the petals and sepals (see photograph in this link) of a flower are tepals, but tepal is typically used as a term when the petals and sepals can not be easily differentiated from one another, such as the three petals and three sepals in these lilies).
If you feel like wearing your plant taxonomist hat today, feel free to add a comment on how the two flowers differ (again ignoring the obvious paired flowers in today's plant, which I'm not certain as to whether it is a chance or common occurrence).
Botany / conservation resource link: Learn about Centres of Plant Diversity in The Americas. Each centre is described in detail including geography, flora and vegetation.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (7)
June 13, 2006
Zantedeschia aethiopica
Colour@Flickr has submitted today's photograph (original image | BPotD Flickr Group Pool). I highly recommend you spend some time visiting Colour's Flickr stream of images – much to admire! Thanks, Colour!
In South Africa, it is reportedly possible to see fields of this species blooming en masse. That must be quite a sight.
The story of Zantedeschia aethiopica is aptly told by Alice Aubrey of Witwatersrand National Botanical Garden in this account; the story includes tidbits such as the origin of its name, its history in cultivation and its ethnobotany. Plant of the Week goes into details of its cultural requirements. I'd love to share the story of its floral biology, but I'm still on vacation and don't have my reference material handy. Perhaps when I return!
Photography resource link: Nancy Camel is a nature photographer from Louisiana. Plenty to admire in her portfolio of photographs (don't neglect to check out her bird photos – top-notch!).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)
June 12, 2006
Larix speciosa
I'm out of town for a couple more days, so please excuse the abbreviated entry.
Yunnan larch, as its name implies, is native to the Yunnan province of China, as well as neighbouring Burma (Myanmar). You can read a taxonomic description of Larix speciosa from the Flora of China.
Larches are the reason why it is more correct to call the group of plants including pines, spruces, fir, and cedars conifers instead of evergreens – larches are all deciduous, losing their needles in the autumn (and hence not evergreen). The genus Larix is also unique amongst conifers for having fall colouration, since the leaves turn yellow before falling (someone please correct me if I'm wrong!).
Conservation resource link: The Bombay Natural History Society is “the largest non-government organisation (NGO) in the Indian sub-continent engaged in nature conservation research”.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (6)
June 11, 2006
Tragopogon pratensis
Today's photograph is courtesy of marcella2@Flickr (original image | BPotD Flickr Group Pool). If you click on the marcella2@Flickr link, you'll be greeted by over three dozen other images of plants. Thank you, marcella2!
The European meadow salsify (or showy goat's-beard or Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon) can now be found as an introduced species throughout most of North America. I think (read on).
The USDA PLANTS database suggests that Tragopogon pratensis is not valid, and that the plant should actually be known as Tragopogon lamottei. What's curious is that some recent scientific papers mention both Tragopogon pratensis and Tragopogon lamottei as separate species in their experiments (see: Mavrodiev et. al. 2005. Phylogeny of Tragopogon L. (Asteraceae) Based on Internal and External Transcribed Spacer Sequence Data. International Journal of Plant Sciences. 166:117–133). Unfortunately, I don't currently have access to the primary scientific literature to resolve why there is some apparent confusion surrounding the name – it will have to wait until later in the week when I return from Manitoba.
Photography resource link: “How to Find the Best Light for a Specific Photograph”, an article from The Luminous Landscape by Alain Briot.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (3)
June 10, 2006
Jacaranda mimosifolia
Thank you again to contemplar@Flickr for today's photograph (original image | BPotD Flickr Group Pool). Don't forget to visit her weblog, Blog de cheiros (in Portuguese). Many thanks, contemplar!
The first time I encountered jacaranda was in Syndey, Australia a few years ago, where it was being used as a street tree. It is actually a native of subtropical South America, but its beauty contributes to it being widely cultivated around the world. Unfortunately, in some areas (Queensland in Australia, South Africa), it does too well – it is considered an invasive plant in those regions.
The Wikipedia entry for Jacaranda mimosifolia is jammed with information on subjects such as nomenclature, distribution and plant care.
Science learning / botany resource link: “Growing Vocabularies for Plant Identification and Scientific Learning” from the June / July 2006 Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. The article highlights an effort to bridge the gap between the plant identification vocabularies used by students and those used by professional scientists. Thanks to karol on the UBC forums for pointing this out.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (15)
June 9, 2006
Juniperus scopulorum
The epithet scopulorum translates to “growing on cliffs”, and that is indeed where my friend Chris found this craggy tree. I was around 25m higher up the cliff, taking a photograph of a different Rocky Mountain juniper, when Chris shouted up to me that I should come down the starting-to-get-slick-from-a-light-rain lakeside cliff to get a photograph of this tree. I declined at first, but he insisted, so I very gingerly made my way down. It was well worth it, so Chris gets much credit for this photo.
Rocky Mountain juniper is, as its common name implies, native to the Rocky Mountains and vicinity from Canada south to Mexico. The US Forest Service has an excellent account of Juniperus scopulorum, including a refined distribution map. For more photographs of the plant, I'll again refer you to the Burke Museum of Natural History and its entry on Junipuer scopulorum.
A note to BPotD readers from Manitoba: I'll be giving a presentation on the “Plants of UBC Botanical Garden” to the Beausejour Daylily Garden Society on Sunday night. Send me an email if you'd like more details on when and where, if you are interested in attending.
Photography resource link: For inspiration, Tasmanian photographer Geoff Murray. Many thanks to Ken B for suggesting this one!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (12)
June 8, 2006
Geum triflorum
Commonly known as prairie smoke or old man's whiskers, you need a photograph of the plumose achenes to see why: visit the Burke Museum of Natural History's page for Geum triflorum for an extensive set of images of this species. Distributed across southern Canada, the northern USA and the southwestern USA, it has also been introduced into cultivation.
In BPotD news, you might like to revisit this BPotD entry on the Agave border in Lotusland. Mike Bush, Lotusland's Executive Director, has sent along some images of what the garden looks like in bloom.
Local readers might be interested in visiting the Pendulum Gallery before June 24 to see Alex Waterhouse-Hayward's latest exhibition, “Secret Gardens: Vancouver's Hidden Rooftops” (PDF). If you're not local, anyone can enjoy Alex's weblog, one of the best photography weblogs around.
Nature / photography resource link: The Micropolitan Museum is proudly presented by “the Institute for the Promotion of the Less than One Millimeter”. Photomicrographs at their finest, the virtual museum includes a Botanical Garden!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 5:00 AM | Comments (0)
June 7, 2006
Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca
Kind thanks to hamadryad of Morrison, Colorado for this image submitted via the BPotD Submissions Forum (original thread containing this image and another).
As hamadryad notes in what she wrote to accompany the photographs, both male (pollen-producing) and female (ovule-producing) cones are present in the photograph, the female cones being the pink structures which will eventually harden, colour brown and point downwards over time.
An extensive account of the biology of Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir can be found on the Gymnosperm Database web site (you can also read more about the genus Pseudotsuga).
Art resource link: In a discussion on the garden's discussion forums (this thread), the web site of (former) woodcarver Frederick Kay was recommended: Arbutus Gallery.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (3)
June 6, 2006
Lonicera crassifolia
From time to time, I get to share a photograph of a plant that isn't already on the web – a Botany Photo of the Day Exclusive, I suppose. Today's images is one of those, though the plant is starting to become commercially available in North America (a search for its name turns up only a few North American nursery catalogues and some botanical work on the species in China).
This little-known honeysuckle, Lonicera crassifolia, forms a prostrate mat of evergreen foliage. The epithet crassifolia translates to “thick-leaved”, a suitable descriptor for this species.
The second photograph was snapped a few weeks ago, when the flower buds were beginning to develop. The first photograph, taken last Friday, shows some of the first flowers to blossom this year, but also hints at the profusion of flowers to come. Today, I observed plants with a mass of yellowish flowers tinted by hints of orange and pink, all offset against the dark-green foliage. Quite pleasing to the eye. If I have an opportunity to photograph it this week, I'll post an image as a follow-up comment.
Science / art resource link: Sci-Philately, “A Selective History of Science on Stamps”. My favourite is the set of six stamps from the British Antarctic Territory in the Geology and Mapping collection.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (10)
June 5, 2006
Kniphofia northiae
Another species of red-hot poker, Kniphofia nelsonii, was featured on BPotD last year. Kniphofia northiae is a brute in comparison; the inflorescences are roughly twice as large, and the leaves more closely resemble those of Agave instead of the grass-like foliage of Kniphofia nelsonii (image search). It is with good reason that the common name for this plant is giant poker or giant red-hot poker (though I've seen one reference call it octopus red-hot poker).
Kniphofia northiae is found in South Africa, the centre of diversity for the genus. However, the genus is more broadly distributed throughout continental Africa. Species can also be found in Madagascar and Yemen.
Photography resource link: Transient Light, the photography of Ian Cameron of Scotland. The gallery section is the highlight, but also visit the new images section for a few more photographs.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (7)
June 4, 2006
Wisteria floribunda 'Rosea'
Thank you to Weekend Gardener of Coquitlam, British Columbia for today's image (submitted via the BPotD Submissions Forum on the UBC boards) | original thread / image). Much appreciated!
Beautiful to see the plants, delightful to smell the flowers, but don't eat the seeds of Japanese wisteria or any of its relatives; they're poisonous. Wikipedia has an excellent article on Wisteria, including mention of the origin of the generic name; it is named after Dr. Caspar Wistar by the eminent botanist, Thomas Nuttall.
Botany / conservation resource link: Background information on the potential Okanagan-Similkameen National Park Reserve in the southern interior of British Columbia via Botanical Electronic News. I might be writing more about this possible park in the near future.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (6)
June 3, 2006
Trillium undulatum
Special thanks to lyda_pearl of Berlin, New Hampshire who submitted this image via the BPotD Submissions Forum on the garden's online discussion boards. The original thread and image is here. Many thanks – it's great to receive some images from eastern North America!
Native to eastern North America, painted trillium is found in forests with moist, nutrient-rich, acidic soils. Its epithet, undulatum, means “wavy”; the photograph aptly illustrates that the petal margins are the reason for that name.
A phenomenon mentioned in the entry on Cirsium vulgare (bull thistle) also applies to trilliums – many, if not all, trilliums (including Trillium undulatum) have their seeds dispersed by ants. In other words, they are myrmecochores.
Photography resource link: For inspiration, the photography of Paul Butzi. Paul has also written a number of articles worth investigating.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)
June 2, 2006
BC Native Garden
Updated 8:47 AM on June 2, 2006: Added the word former to precede “Vice President”. I had heard that the title could still be applied, but perhaps I had been misinformed. In either case, this is less confusing.
Today's photograph is a small scene from UBC's British Columbia Native Garden. The pendulous conifer is a wild-collected Larix occidentalis, or western larch. Auxins, a set of related plant hormones, likely play a key role in determining why some conifers form pendulous shapes.
In web site news, the first of the forty small thank-yous is done; when commenting on any of the weblogs, you can now use img tags to embed your own images or use the s tag for strikethroughs.
Environment / conservation resource link: Last night, I attended the inaugural UBC Global Citizenship Lecture featuring former Vice President Al Gore. All I can say is wow. A thousand times wow. Gore was on fire, and delivered a passionate and clarion call to tackle the global issue of the Climate Crisis – or to paraphrase Gore, “the moral and ethical imperative of our time”
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:47 AM | Comments (4)
June 1, 2006
Eucalyptus coccifera
Considering how much I like taking photographs of this hallmark tree in the Alpine Garden, it's a wonder it hasn't been featured on BPotD previously. Known commonly as either Tasmanian snowgum or Mt. Wellington peppermint, this is one of over seven hundred species of Eucalyptus found in or near Australia.
The striking white part of the flower is not the corolla (i.e., not the flower petals). Instead, as is typical of Eucalyptus species, this is a ring of showy stamens. Where are the petals? In Eucalyptus, the petals are modified into a woody cap that protects the flower bud. This cap, called an operculum, is shed as the bud matures and the staminal ring erupts.
Lastly, here's the small announcement: 40 Small Thank-yous, a proclamation of my intent to make 40 small improvements to the UBC BG site over the next two months as a thank you to you for visiting and helping support the site.
Photography resource link: “Beauty, Cliche, and Other Empiric Tidbits”, an article by Mark Hobson for Nature Photographers Online. “Do beautiful (nature) photos require beautiful subjects?”
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:17 AM | Comments (13)
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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.