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March 31, 2007
Magnolia sargentiana var. robusta 'Alba'
Have I mentioned the magnolias are in bloom?
'Alba' generally means “flowers are white compared to the typical”.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 7:14 AM | Comments (8)
March 30, 2007
Magnolia 'Pegasus'
One of the first plants encountered by most visitors to UBC Botanical Garden is Magnolia 'Pegasus', which is at its peak right now. Not widely known in cultivation yet, I have the suspicion it will one day be at least a tad more common. It was one of the first two to sell out in the rare magnolia sale.
Great Plant Picks has the best factsheet on the web for Magnolia 'Pegasus', including details of its origin (a possible Magnolia cylindrica and Magnolia denudata hybrid) and growing suggestions.
I took these photographs in the garden yesterday. If you're local, this will be the best weekend to visit the garden and see the most variety of magnolias in bloom.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:18 AM | Comments (2)
March 29, 2007
Narcissus obesus
Opinions differ as to whether this taxon is a distinct species or a subspecies of Narcissus bulbocodium, i.e., Narcissus bulbocodium L. subsp. obesus (Salisb.) Maire. I'm opting for the former, but you may need to use the latter if you are searching for more information. There are several broad horticultural groupings of daffodils, so perhaps some of the confusion can be found there; even if treated as a separate species scientifically, the general resemblance to Narcissus bulbocodium results in Narcissus obesus being known horticulturally as one of the bulbocodium daffodils.
The horticultural groupings are based, at least in part, on the morphology of the flowers. Though he doesn't name the groupings (you'll have to visit Wikipedia: Popular culture for those), Ian Young's Bulb Log entry for April 26, 2006 has a photograph of a comparative display of various flower types in Narcissus. He also provides a photograph of Narcissus obesus on that page, or you can visit the Pacific Bulb Society for two other images.Hoop-petticoat daffodil is a native of west and central Portugal.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:13 AM | Comments (1)
March 28, 2007
Verticordia hybrid
Thank you once again to Katy S for sharing one of her photographs. This is a January 2006 photograph from Kings Park Botanic Gardens in Perth, Australia.
Neither Katy nor I knew the name of the plant beyond it being a Verticordia. I looked at every image of Verticordia I could find on FloraBase and came up with a few possibilities. While trying to find some confirmation of my amateur guesses, I ended up talking with Eric La Fountaine. Eric spent some time in Kings Park a couple years ago. I don't think I ever would have guessed that he took a photograph of the exact same plant (Kings Park has roughly 2000 of Western Australia's 12000 species on display in its Western Australian Botanic Garden), which he then posted in the stumpers forum in this thread. So, we now have a name, or rather, know that we don't have one: Verticordia hybrid is the limit of identification, so far.
Plants in the genus Verticordia are commonly known as featherflowers or morrisons. Florabase explains the origin of the name: “From the Latin verticordia; an epithet of Venus, the Turner of Hearts”. Wikipedia has a similar definition: The name Verticordia means ‘turns the heart’, presumably this is the effect it had on botanist A. P. de Candolle who named the genus.”. Considering the poetic nature of the scientific name and one of its common names, perhaps I should have posted this entry on July 3.
The genus primarily occurs in Western Australia, though a limited number of the ninety-nine (or so) species can be found in Australia's Northern Territory.
Nature resource link: The First Annual Blogger Bioblitz (and updates) discovered via Bev Wigney's blog featured yesterday. The idea is to document the flora and fauna in a certain place for a certain amount of time. Too many benefits to list, really – polishing observation skills, becoming familiar with a place, improving identification skills, sharing a piece of the world with others and much more. I'm still wavering on whether I have the time to participate, but if you throw your hat in the ring, I'd be happy to feature what you discover via BPotD.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (7)
March 27, 2007
Rhododendron parmulatum 'Ocelot'
Today's photograph of a plant in UBC Botanical Garden was shared by Chris Klapwijk of Surrey, BC. Chris is responsible for a number of local gardening or garden web sites, including the Alpine Garden Club of BC, Darts Hill Park and the Fraser South Rhododendron Society. He also contributes on the rhododendrons discussion forum when he has an opportunity. Many thanks, Chris!
There's little information online about Rhododendron parmulatum 'Ocelot'. The best source is a short paragraph on page 8 of the May 2002 newsletter (PDF) of the Vancouver Rhododendron Society, which I suspect was written by Douglas Justice:
“Rhododendron parmulatum is a seldom encountered species in Section Neriiflora. It was discovered by Kingdon Ward in 1924 growing in very wet conditions on steep slopes, cliffs and rocks at 10,000 to 12,000 feet in SE Tibet. Not surprisingly, the species requires excellent drainage. In the Botanical Garden, a handsome specimen of the cultivar ‘Ocelot’ ... was flowering in late April in a lightly shaded part of the David C. Lam Asian Garden. The cultivar won an RHS Award of Merit (AM) in 1977.”
I note that the Royal Horticultural Society has subsequently retracted the Award of Garden Merit, but I don't know the rationale. Perhaps lack of availability?
The Flora of China provides a scientific description of Rhododendron parmulatum.
Natural history resource link: Bev Wigney's weblog, Burning Silo, is “a place where nature, photography and writing meet”. Bev is based in eastern Ontario, and if you are particularly interested in her photographs, you can visit her photo galleries.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:18 AM | Comments (3)
March 26, 2007
Chaenomeles japonica
Another thank you to Rosa, aka contemplar@Flickr for sharing a photograph with us (original image | BPotD Flickr Group Pool). I thought a little bit of colour was in order to offset yesterday's entry. Do visit Rosa's weblog, Blog De Cheiros, for more of what is blooming in Portugal (here's her write-up on Chaenomeles japonica). Thanks again, Rosa!
Maule's quince or Japanese flowering quince sometimes goes by another common name, and it is one that is the cause for some confusion: japonica. If you were to ask for a japonica at a nursery, or have a question about japonica on web forums or other horticultural extension service, the reply in almost all cases will be “Which one?”, the assumption being that you were familiar with part of the scientific name for a plant and not providing a common name. Over one hundred and thirty genera in cultivation have a species with the epithet japonica (e.g., Camellia japonica, Cryptomeria japonica, Pieris japonica, Primula japonica, etc.). As you can tell, japonica does not a good common make.
The fruit of Chaenomeles japonica resembles an miniature yellowish-green apple (and is indeed a pome), but it isn't particularly edible without processing into jams, juices, jellies or liquers. In the Botanical Garden office, though, we enjoy the autumnal fruits for the smell; a golf ball-sized fruit can add a hint of apple fragrance to a small office.
Photography resource link: the Earth As Art image collection from the Earth Resource Observation and Science Unit of the US Geological Service (and part 2!).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 5:50 AM | Comments (12)
March 25, 2007
Letharia vulpina
It's been a while since I've shared one of these types of images. Letharia vulpina growing on an old, fallen log of Pinus ponderosa.
Natural history resource link (local): Volker of Surrey, British Columbia recently shared his weblog with me: Haliaeetus. Volker shares his nature and seasonal observations through photography and commentary.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 5:52 AM | Comments (5)
March 24, 2007
Galanthus 'Rosemary Burnham'
This was supposed to be the entry for St. Patrick's Day, but I wasn't able to complete it. As it turns out, though, two people have sent me Galanthus related links in the past week, so it is perhaps a bit of serendipity that I now have the opportunity to include them with the entry.
Today's photograph is courtesy of Paddy Wales (do check out her photographs!). I do need to admit to adjusting the background with Photoshop to make it black – this image is from a scanned slide, I believe, so the original had a noticeable halo effect in areas of high contrast, which I've edited out. Then again, considering the nature of art, it's possible I erred gravely in doing this as the halo might have been intentional and done “in-camera” – so Paddy, when you see this entry, please let me know if I should have used the original, and I'll switch it as soon as I'm able (and please accept my apologies for not having communicated with you about this beforehand!).
This plant was growing in the garden of Kathy Leishman. Paddy took the photograph to accompany the plants that will be available in the 2007 Collectors' Plant Auction (list of plants) organized by the Friends of the Garden (FOGs) to support two of the garden's new projects, the Carolinian Forest and the Garry Oak Meadow and Woodlands.
Why does this bulb plant merit inclusion in the auction? In addition to the inherent beauty of snowdrops, there are some shades of tulip mania in that it is extremely difficult to acquire some cultivars due to limited numbers. Galanthus 'Rosemary Burnham', in fact, is mentioned by name by Adrian Higgins in a Washington Post article from Thursday: “Melting Over Snowdrops – A Little Bulb's Popularity Enjoys a Growth Spurt ”: “It is the development of novel varieties that has helped to give snowdropping its current cachet... the two priciest bulbs in Grimshaw's catalogue are about $70 each. One is a variety of the giant snowdrop named Rosemary Burnham, with green petals (technically perianth segments)...” (thanks Beverley for sending this along).
I have very few pieces of art hanging on my walls, but one piece is a watercolour of a violet. The painter? Rosemary Burnham. Rosemary is a local artist and gardener (yes, she's a FOG too), and this cultivar was named in her honour by Don Armstrong.
A few more links of note: earlier this week, Eva J. sent me a link to an article from Julie at the Human Flower Project on “Hovirag – Hungary's Hot Snowdrop”. Through reading the comments, I also discovered Graham Rice's piece on “Snowdrops Escaping from Gardens – in the UK and USA” on his weblog, Transatlantic Plantsman. Julie's piece touches on what happens when plants become too cherished. Graham alludes to this as well in the first paragraph of his article, though the main focus is about the naturalizing of garden escapees.
In news on the Hydatellaceae, Sean Graham's radio interview with the BBC World Service is now online via their Science in Action web site. The audio clip is available from today until the early morning of March 30, 2007.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (2)
March 23, 2007
Lysichiton americanus
I perceive Lysichiton americanus in much the same way as Caltha palustris: a shallow-depth aquatic with a yellow inflorescence and thick, tough foliage that appears in early spring before most other native plants. I also have a similar affection for it — love at first smell, if you will — ever since I first encountered it along the Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk Trail in Mt. Revelstoke National Park many years ago.
Of course, there are obvious differences, such as the spadix and spathe inflorescence typical of the Araceae. The distribution of Lysichiton americanus is also more restricted, being confined to western North America.
And then there's the smell.
While some of my colleagues prefer swamp lantern as a common name for this plant, the oft-used skunk cabbage is far more evocative. I don't think there's any way to deny the skunky fragrance which can tease the nose from quite some distance away. The cabbage reference is a bit harder to defend, as cabbages are in a wholly different plant family, though the tough, large foliage does resemble cabbage. Perhaps skunk swamp-lantern is an awkward compromise.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 5:44 AM | Comments (15)
March 22, 2007
Magnolia zenii
“‘Oh, look, look, Magnolia Z . . . oh wow, we gotta walk up to Magnolia zenii, oh wow, wow, wow! Magnolia zenii is out. Oh, all is right with the world, one of the first magnolias.’” — Michael Dirr, quoted in this piece on his retirement from the University of Georgia.
Like so many other rare Chinese plants, Zen's magnolia is endemic to one mountainside in China, the north slopes of Mt. Boa-hua. The interesting story of Magnolia zenii, including details on its introduction, cultivation and propagation, is expertly told by Peter Del Tredici and Stephen Spongberg in A New Magnolia Blooms in Boston (PDF) from Arnoldia 49(2).
Del Tredici and Spongberg mention that the flowers of Magnolia zenii are “extremely fragrant”. I concur, though I wouldn't want to be forced to smell them for a long period of time. A quick drink of the scent is perfumey and pleasant (and as a garden visitor mentioned to me after I suggested he smell them while I was taking these photographs, “wild”), but I found a longer quaff causes the fragrance to be cloying.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:38 AM | Comments (5)
March 21, 2007
Magnolia sargentiana var. robusta
Last year I bought two lenses: a wide angle and a telescopic zoom. With the benefit of hindsight, I've learned that it takes me about a year's worth of photographs to understand a lens to the point where I can visualize the composition of a photograph prior to picking up the camera. Last year, I spent a lot of time with the telescopic zoom; the plan this year is to learn how to effectively use the wide angle lens. These two photographs illustrate the difference between the lenses. In fact, the same flower appears in both (it is the second flower from the top in the wide angle photo, though actually the topmost on the plant).
In the garden's plant database, this Sargent's magnolia has a parenthetical remark: dark-flowered selection. Appropriately so, compared to what is more typically seen in cultivation, featured in St. Andrews Botanic Garden plant of the month for April 2005: Magnolia sargentiana var. robusta.
Native to the Sichuan province in China, it is interesting to note that the showy Sargent's magnolia has only been known to Western scientists since 1903, when Ernest Wilson encountered it during one of his plant exploration expeditions.
In news for local readers, there might be a few of these magnolias remaining as part of this year's rare magnolia sale. Yesterday, the organizer of the sale mentioned to me that sales have been brisk but they've yet to sell out of all the magnolias available (I'm not certain if Magnolia sargentiana var. robusta is still available, though). I advise calling sooner rather than later if you're planning to add a magnolia to your garden.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:11 AM | Comments (5)
March 20, 2007
Caltha palustris
Thank you to Lotus J. aka ngawangchodron@Flickr for sharing today's photograph (original image | BPotD Flickr Group Pool). Very much appreciated!
Today marks seven years since I started at the garden. It's fitting that today's BPotD is one of my favourite plants. Caltha palustris, or marsh marigold, is a species of firsts for me. I remember it as being the first species I could certainly identify and the first species where I knew the scientific name. In other words, it represented the conceptual passage for me from “flower” and “pine tree” and “shrub” to Caltha palustris, Pinus banksiana and Viburnum rafinesquianum. I also remember marsh marigold as revealing to me the relative rarity of masses of blooms of one species (an example of what I mean) – or, to clarify, the uncommon encountering of these visual treats by (sub)urbanites like myself.
Marsh marigold is native to much of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. In many places, it is among the first to bloom in the springtime (where I grew up, it was often the third noticeable flower, after coltsfoot and prairie crocus). Palustris means “of a marsh”, indicating the typical habitat for this species.
I should note that this species is poisonous – not a surprise, if you've been reading other entries featuring species in the Ranunculaceae. The Plants for a Future database has more on its chemical properties.
A few updates on the Hydatellaceae story – three more photographs have been added, as well as a few media report links. If permission is granted, there'll also be another piece of artwork later today. I'm still waiting for the NPR and BBC interviews to be available online, though. Sean has told me he's also inquired with Nature re: making the paper available.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:09 AM | Comments (6)
March 19, 2007
Stenocereus eruca
While planning my trip to the southwest USA last year, I briefly entertained the notion of crossing the border into Mexico to see this species in the wild. Though time didn't permit, I was glad at least to see these in cultivation at Huntington Botanical Garden.
Creeping devil is native to sandy, coastal areas of Baja California Sur. Eruca refers to “caterpillar” (one who eats caterpillars is an erucivore); the rationale for the name should be readily apparent.
The Wikipedia entry for Stenocereus eruca provides some interesting details about the plant, including its growth rate and pattern. The article also cites a reference that suggests Stenocereus eruca is the “most extreme case of clonal propagation in the cactus family”. Intriguingly, while the species does seem to have an extremely high ratio of clonal propagation vs. sexual recruitment, the clones have a high rate of diversity within populations: Clark-Tapia et al. 2005. Clonal diversity and distribution in Stenocereus eruca (Cactaceae), a narrow endemic cactus of the Sonoran Desert. Am. J. Bot. 92: 272-278. With a high rate of clonal propagation (in fact, the authors allude to not observing any seedlings in the few years of the study), one would expect the populations to have low genetic diversity. The authors speculate that reproduction via sexual recruitment occurs only episodically in bursts during favourable years. Unfortunately, as the authors note, ecological studies carried out over short spans of time can miss events such as these and draw incomplete conclusions – another example in favour of investing in long-term ecological studies.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:38 AM | Comments (5)
March 18, 2007
Azara microphylla
A few online references claim that the Chilean and Argentinian box-leaf azara has vanilla-scented flowers. I think they smell more like chocolate, myself. If I am giving a tour at this time of year, this is one plant that is on the must-visit list. The striking thing about the fragrance is that you don't have to be close to the plant to enjoy it – the smell of chocolate (or vanilla) can be discerned from 10m away if you are downwind from it. It certainly makes it pleasurable to photograph other plants in its vicinity.
Science resource link: Relationships Among Scientific Paradigms features a map constructed from roughly 800 000 scientific papers that illustrates how scientific disciplines are interrelated. If you're a fan of maps, you can get a free print, though you pay for shipping and handling – follow the link at the end of the article.
.Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:34 AM | Comments (5)
March 17, 2007
Agave vilmoriniana
Agave vilmoriniana, or octopus agave, has made a recent appearance on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums in this “stumpers” thread (stumpers are a game to challenge people's plant knowledge). Scroll down the page to see photos of a 2.5-3m (8-10ft) tall plant in its entirety, though after the flowers have senesced.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:55 AM | Comments (5)
March 16, 2007
Stenocarpus sinuatus
Today's image by Ken Beath, aka kjbeath@Flickr, concludes the second series on Australian plants (original image | BPotD Flickr Group Pool). Thank you again, Ken! If you haven't visited Ken's photo galleries, they are a good place to explore Australia online.
The aptly-named firewheel tree is a native of eastern Australia, along the coast from New South Wales into Queensland (it also occurs in Papua–New Guinea). Sinuatus, as you might guess, is related to sinuous, and therefore means “wavy”. This epithet is in reference to one of the two shapes of leaf found on this plant, illustrated in the New South Wales Flora entry for the species (the link also has more photographs).
The Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plant's article on Stenocarpus sinuatus notes that the centre of diversity for Stenocarpus is not in Australia, but rather New Caledonia, approximately 1200km (750 miles) east of Australia. There are, more or less, 30 species in the genus and the majority of these are endemic to the islands of New Caledonia, bolstering the importance of New Caledonia as an archipelago with one of the highest rates on endemism in the world; of the ca. 3250 species found in New Caledonia, 76.4% of these gymnosperms and angiosperms are found nowhere else. This information is sourced from rates of endemism, part of a larger paper by Porter Lowry II of Missouri Botanical Garden: “Diversity, endemism, and extinction in the flora and vegetation of New Caledonia” (an excellent read, by the way, with many accompanying photographs).
Stenocarpus sinuatus in cultivation is discussed in “Wheels on Fire!”.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (12)
March 15, 2007
Diplarrena moraea
Butterfly flag is native to southeastern Australia and Tasmania (where it is also known as white iris). If you're browsing online for more information on this species, please note that the name Diplarrena has a variant spelling, Diplarrhena. I've opted to use the first as it is in use by both the Australian National Botanic Garden's entry on Diplarrena moraea and the New South Wales Flora Online.
This photograph was taken at the end of May last year in the Australasian section of the Alpine Garden.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)
March 14, 2007
Hydatellaceae
Continuing with the series on Australian plants, here are some examples from the Hydatellaceae. Now that the media embargo has lifted, you might be hearing or reading about these in the news over the next few days (I know there is an upcoming BBC radio interview!), thanks to a recent discovery by a UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research-led team of researchers with collaborators at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, Australia, the University of Zurich, Harvard University and the University of California, Davis. UBC researchers involved are Dr. Sean Graham, Jeffery Saarela (now at the Canadian Museum of Nature) and Hardeep Rai (as an incidental aside, my mother taught Jeff's mother in high school). Support for this research was also provided by the UBC Department of Botany.
The team of researchers has a paper being published in the March 15, 2007 edition of Nature, entitled “Hydatellaceae identified as a new branch near the base of the angiosperm phylogenetic tree”. These dwarf aquatic plants found in Australia, New Zealand and India were once thought to be in the order of plants that included the grasses, sedges, bromeliads and rushes (the Poales). Through an incongruous result noted when studying the relationships between early flowering plants, the UBC researchers asked one of the most important questions in science (“Why?”) and decided to investigate further. What they discovered was that the Hydatellaceae are a previously unrecognized ancient lineage of flowering plants – so ancient that they predate the “big split” between the monocots and dicots (or ex-dicots, as is now recognized) in the evolution of flowering plants, and are instead more closely related to the Nymphaeaceae, or water lilies. As Sean states in the UBC press release, “For botanists, this is like finding something you thought was a lizard is actually a living dinosaur.”
Through the generosity of many people, including the people who shared today's photographs (see below), the garden has assembled a web page on the Hydatellaceae with news coverage, more photographs, further reading, links to the researchers and more artwork. I'll be adding more news coverage items and links to journal articles as they become available over the next few days (BBC Radio, Nature podcast, Nature articles, etc.). I imagine Sean might step in here and comment on some of today's photographs as well, though he's been even busier than I've been with this – in the meantime, though, he's written a piece for the Etaerio weblog: A New Understanding of the Early Evolution of Flowering Plants.
Credit and captions for today's photographs are as follows:
A minature turf of Hydatella filamentosa from Dove Lake, Tasmania, where it grows rooted in gravel in the clear water of a mountain lake, down to 75 cm deep. Some Hydatellaceae are annuals and flower above water, but this species is perennial, flowering under water and often forming a dense mat of roots and rhizomes. Voucher B.G. Briggs 9774 (NSW). Photograph © Botanic Gardens Trust, Sydney. Photographer: Simone Cottrell. Used with permission.
Hydatella filamentosa from Dove Lake, Tasmania. The bracts of old inflorescences show among the leaves and rhizomes below the tuft of leaves. The species grows in the clear water of mountain lakes and flowering is under water. The scale is in mm and the plants less than 1.5 cm tall. Voucher B.G. Briggs 9774 (NSW). Photograph © Botanic Gardens Trust, Sydney. Photographer: Simone Cottrell. Used with permission.
Hydatella inconspicua (Hydatellaceae) from Lake Kai Iwi, New Zealand. Photograph © Justin Goh, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. Used with permission.
Flowering individuals of Trithuria submersa (Hydatellaceae) from Western Australia, 1998. Each “flower” is a compact head of multiple flowers. Photograph © Dennis Stevenson, New York Botanical Garden. Used with permission.
On a final note, there may or may not be a BPotD for March 15 – depends on how exhausted I am. Then again, there's plenty of information on the Hydatellaceae page to keep you occupied!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 11:00 AM | Comments (9)
Hydatella australis
For the first time, Botany Photo of the Day is going to be published twice in one day. The species in this stained glass art by Dr. Ruth Stockey of the University of Alberta will be revealed at 11 AM Vancouver time, along with an accompanying second BPotD entry.
Updated at 11:00 AM Vancouver local time: This stained glass piece by Dr. Stockey artfully illustrates a staminate inflorescence of Hydatella australis in the Hydatellaceae. It is adapted from an illustration of Hydatella australis by Engler, via www.plantsystematics.org. The Hydatellaceae was recently discovered to be near the root of the evolutionary tree of flowering plants by a UBC BGCPR-led research team. Previously, it was thought to be closely related to grasses. Textbooks will need to be rewritten! The paper detailing the discovery is published in the March 15, 2007 issue of Nature. See the subsequent BPotD entry for more details.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (8)
March 13, 2007
Anigozanthos flavidus
Thank you to Andreas of Bogotá aka Quimbaya@Flickr for sharing today's images of an Australian species cultivated in Colombia (original image 1 | original image 2). As noted by Andreas in the comments to his photographs on Flickr, the palms in the background are Ceroxylon quindiuense (if you're curious – they're not part of this series on Australian plants). Thanks again, Andreas!
Tall kangaroo paw or evergreen kangaroo paw is native to southwestern Western Australia, with a distribution range that only overlaps the range of yesterday's Calothamnus villosus near Albany.
The worldwide distribution of the Haemodoraceae, with representatives in Australia, Africa, Indonesia (east of the Wallace Line), South America and North America suggests a Gondwanan origin (Gondwana animation) for the plant family, with subsequent migration to North America.
The Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plants and Australian National Botanic Gardens – Growing Native Plants both provide more information on tall kangaroo-paw in its native environment and in cultivation.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 5:28 AM | Comments (5)
March 12, 2007
Calothamnus villosus
I've reason to start another series on Australian plants, and the why of that will be revealed later this week.
The Australian Garden at the Huntington Botanical Garden in San Marino, California isn't as impressive as the Desert Garden, but that's merely a statement of how exceptional the Desert Garden is. Still, it was memorable. I took this photograph in the company of a dozen of my closest friends. After all, who but your closest friends will serenade you with a chorus of hums? I must admit, though, that I suspect the hummingbirds would've done the same for anyone near this silky net-bush.
Calothamnus, as noted by the Flora of Western Australia, means “beautiful shrub”. Villosus means “covered with soft hairs”, and this is apparent if you take a close look at the needle-like leaves in the upper left. In floristry, the branches are used as cut foliage.
If you followed the link to the Flora of Western Australia, you'll note that the genus Calothamnus is distributed throughout Western Australia, but concentrated in the southwest. Calothamnus villosus, however, is restricted to a narrow band along the southern coast of the state.
One last link: Calothamnus villosus as drawn by George Loddiges in 1817.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (8)
March 11, 2007
UBC Botanical Garden Entrance Boardwalk
Now that the temperature has climbed again, a sustained warm spell should, in a week or so, yield this view from the boardwalk near the entrance to the garden. The structure to the left of the magnolia and palm in the photograph is a ting.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:31 AM | Comments (4)
March 10, 2007
Fritillaria imperialis 'Rubra'
In a typical year, the highlight of yesterday's discussions among staff members would have been news of the first magnolia blossom of the year. That always happy-event was overshadowed by a different topic: the theft of a crown imperial, Fritillaria imperialis. From what I've been able to determine, it was the last remaining individual of this species in the garden. It is even more discouraging to note that this theft will likely have killed the plant, as it was only a few weeks from flowering (one of the worst times to attempt a transplant; in general, fritillarias do not like to be moved at the best of times).
It is always very upsetting when plants are stolen from the garden, and, unfortunately, it happens several times a year. This is the second plant theft so far in 2007. Someone earlier in the year decided to help themselves to a small apple tree that Tony Maniezzo was growing with the intent of being a replacement for one of the espaliers – in fact, I believe it was planted right beside the pole in this photograph.
There are three things that really disgust me about these thefts: the privatization of a public shared good, the potential impact on research projects in the garden and the loss of public investment. You'll have to excuse my language as I'm not fluent in the words to best express some of these concepts, but I'll explain as best I can.
By the privatization of a public shared good, I mean the act of taking something that conceptually belongs to everyone to experience, to enjoy and to learn from and transforming it into a personal possession for the satisfaction of one person alone. I am reminded of the same sort of selfish disregard for others when reading stories about the theft of rocks in the Racetrack Playa in Death Valley. I am not sure what goes on in the mind of the thieves. Is it "I deserve this."? "They won't miss it."? "I can take better care of it."? "If I don't take it, someone else will."?
One small consolation is that this plant was not being used in any research projects. As I am sure you can imagine, thefts from research collections can potentially set back years of study. You might argue that if a plant was so important to a research project it wouldn't be left out in the open or multiple plantings would exist, but that's not the reality of gardening – a particular species might be extremely difficult to propagate, might be difficult to source, might be extremely fussy in where it grows and the required conditions can't be replicated elsewhere, and on and on. I would hate for a graduate student's thesis to have to be redone because of a plant theft.
The garden has also recently started the process of determining the investment required to grow and maintain a plant in its collection. Considering this crown imperial had been in the garden for ten years, I could provide a rough figure on how much the garden has invested, and that number would likely be surprisingly high to you. If you were trying to determine the investment, you'd have to keep in mind that the garden invests money and time into acquiring the material, growing it to a suitable size before it is ready for the garden, tracking the information on what it is and where it is located in the garden, creating tracking labels and display labels, maintaining the bed and nearby pathways for access, mulching, weeding, ensuring the accuracy of recordkeeping and so on. Its loss is not trivial.
Today's photographs are not of the plant that was stolen, but rather a horticultural selection of the same species, the cultivar 'Rubra'. These images were taken by a former employee of the garden, Justin Moore, in 2002. These plants were in the same bed as the stolen Fritillaria imperialis, but died out a couple years ago (related species and cultivars will sometimes be grown together for the ease of comparison). Some of what I described regarding theft similarly applies to plants that die (particularly investment costs). The difference? Plant death is far easier to accept as it is inevitable.
Scott Appell has written about this group of plants for Brooklyn Botanic Garden in his article, “Fritillarias – Spring Blooming Bulbs of Legends and Lore”, if you'd like to learn more.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:00 AM | Comments (26)
March 9, 2007
Eriogonum latifolium
The kind contributor of today's photograph is Josh M, aka gravitywave@Flickr (original image via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool). This photograph is a fine example of a species in habitat image with the environment in the background. Thank you, Josh, it's much appreciated!
The plant family Polygonaceae has a worldwide distribution, but the genus Eriogonum is primarily found in western North America. The Jepson Manual states that Eriogonoum is the largest dicotyledonous genus in California. Today's species, coast buckwheat or seaside buckwheat, is found along the central coast of California and northward into Oregon.
Intriguingly, specimens have been reported from interior regions of California (see California Wildflowers from the California Academy of Sciences), and I don't quite know how to explain that phenomenon – perhaps escapees from gardens? Even the august Flora of North America has this to say about the ornamental potential of Eriogonum latifolium: “The brilliantly white-lanate, spreading shrubs become rather globose in shape under cultivation, and as a result make an attractive addition to the garden, especially as the flowers wither through various shades of pink to rose. The species should be used much more than at present in places where cool summer temperatures, good moisture, and sandy soils are available.”
Botany resource link: For those of you who like to hike in mountainous areas in BC (or anywhere in the world, for that matter) seeking alpine plants, Mountain Flora is a new web site published by some of your fellow enthusiasts. The site includes locations and descriptions of hikes, accompanied by plant lists.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (3)
March 8, 2007
Asclepias curassavica
Thank you to Mary Farmer, aka miconia@Flickr for sharing today's image (original image | BPotD Flickr Group Pool). Mary's written a fine accompaniment to her photograph: The Tropical Milkweed, on her weblog, A Neotropical Savanna.
I'll add a bit more text and a few more resources to what Mary has written. The native distribution of blood flower or Mexican butterfly weed is not known. Wyatt and Broyles, in the June, 1997 paper, “The Weedy Tropical Milkweeds Asclepias curassavica and A. fruticosa are Self-Compatible” (Biotropica, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 232-234) cite a 1954 reference (Woodson) that conjectures South America as the native range for this species, but allows that Central America, the Antilles or Mexico are also possibilities. The modern day extent of the species covers much of the subtropics and tropics of both the Old World and New World. Despite an unknown native origin, its name reflects the place where the first specimens were likely collected, Curaçao.
In temperate-region gardens and homes of the world, it is suggested as both an excellent annual planting (Kemper Center for Home Gardening Plant of Merit) or greenhouse plant (Cal's Plant of the Week).
CalPhotos has more photographs of Asclepias curassavica.
In other news, the garden's online photo store is now open. I've started it with ten photographs from the garden and will add more garden photographs on a fairly regular schedule – I just need to determine what that schedule might be!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (7)
March 7, 2007
Iris versicolor
This photograph from Manitoba last summer prompts memories of swarming mosquitoes and deer flies. Venturing into areas where small, muddy ponds are found under a canopy of mixed hardwood and coniferous forest seems a bit unwise in retrospect. Having grown up in Manitoba, I can tolerate quite a few mosquitoes, but this particular venture did test my limits. I suspect the mosquitoes were as annoyed as I was when I inhaled a few.
Exploring these areas did have its rewards, such as seeing these blue flags. Mind you, it can be seen just as well growing in ditches along the road in many places, so perhaps I'm just trying to convince myself that the bloodied and itchy hands and arms were worth it.
Iris versicolor is native to eastern North America, where, as already alluded to, it is a plant of wetlands and water margins. A visit to the Iris Species Database will reveal that this species is extremely variable in flower morphology and colour. Such variation suggests this plant does not require a specialist pollinator, and indeed it does not. In fact, the preferred pollination strategy of flying insects is not the only route this species will utilize; if necessary, it can also undergo wind pollination or even self-pollination. If that isn't enough to successfully reproduce, plants can also propagate clonally. Little wonder then that this species is the most widely distributed in North America (ref: the Iris Species Database).
Natural history resource link: Neurophilosophy weblog has compiled a fine list of Natural History Weblogs.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (5)
March 6, 2007
Marasmius oreades
Today's entry on fairy ring fungus was kindly submitted and written by UBC Botanical Garden's director, Dr. Quentin Cronk – Daniel.
These fairy rings from central London are taken from Google Earth™ (latitude: 51 degrees 30' 28.13" North; longitude: 0 degrees 11' 22.41" West). They are in the extreme north west section of Kensington Gardens (a section not open to the public), just north of Kensington Palace. The fairy rings are marked by a dark green growth of grass, caused by the advancing hyphal front releasing nutrients and stimulating the growth of the grass. Inside this is usually a zone of poor grass growth caused by the available nutrients being taken up by the fungus. Further towards the centre of the ring the grass growth becomes better again as the old hyphae die and nutrients are released. There are several fungi that cause fairy rings, but these ones in Kensington gardens are most probably caused by Marasmius oreades, which is one of the commonest lawn fairy rings of this type in Britain. The largest of these fairy rings in Kensington Gardens appear to be 10-15 metres across and as fairy rings grow at about 10-20 cm per year, they may be over 100 years old. Certainly they are likely to date from after 1841 when the western part of the Kensington Palace estate was remodelled to develop the exclusive neighbourhood of Kensington Palace Gardens (just to the left of this picture).
Fairy ring growth is a curious process and has been the subject of many studies (including mathematical modelling). Usually when two rings meet they extinguish each other, as they cannot grow through each other's zone of depletion. However, in this photograph it can be seen that several of the rings have successfully crossed.
In folklore they were thought to be the work of fairies or elves and hence Prospero (in Shakespeare's Tempest) exclaims: “you demi-puppets that by moonshine do the green sour ringlets make”. Many gardeners try to get rid of the rings as they consider them unsightly. However, be warned! According to mycologist Gordon Rutter writing in the Fortean Times, fairy mischief may wreak havoc on the unwary who disturb the rings. It may be best to leave them well alone, as at Kensington Gardens.
And a few extra links on Marasmius oreades: Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month and Michael Kuo's MushroomExpert – Daniel.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (13)
March 5, 2007
Helleborus ×hybridus
Well, it turns out I was a bit premature in declaring that spring had arrived – this photograph is from last Thursday morning, when a fresh blanket of snow covered the garden. Fortunately, it didn't dip much below freezing, so little damage was done to the plants. The cold weather continues to push back the date for the first magnolia blossoms, though. Last year, the first flowers emerged in late February. I suspect it will be at least three more weeks before that noteworthy event occurs.
As for the rest of this entry, please see the accompanying comments regarding an incorrect identification.
Viridis means green, hence the common name of green hellebore for this species. It is one of many hellebore species and cultivars presently in bloom at the garden. You would have to visit the Winter Garden to see most of them, though today's plant is found elsewhere – it grows in the European section of the Alpine Garden, where its label further notes that it is native to western and central Europe. A map of the native distribution of the species can be found on Joseph Woodard's Hellebores.org web site as part of the factsheet for Helleborus viridis (there's also a good photograph of the plant's fruit, termed a follicle). It is also found in the wild elsewhere as an introduced plant, including eastern North America.
As noted by the Plants for a Future Database, All parts of this plant are poisonous, like so many other members of the Ranunculaceae (noted in the recent entry on Eranthis, as well).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:03 AM | Comments (9)
March 4, 2007
Acer japonicum cultivar
Thank you once again to Brent aka foliosus@Flickr from Portland, Oregon for sharing one of his photographs with BPotD (original image | BPotD Flickr Group Pool). Much appreciated, Brent.
It is hard to deny the architectural appeal of downy Japanese maples when presented with a specimen such as this one from the Portland Japanese Garden.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 7:00 AM | Comments (8)
March 3, 2007
Agave americana 'Marginata'
Today's image is courtesy of dinesh_valke@Flickr aka Dinesh from Mumbai, India (original image | Flickr BPotD Group Pool). I do encourage you to visit Dinesh's photographs on Flickr – much to learn about both plants and Mumbai! Thank you, Dinesh!
It seems like many Agave species have the common name of century plant, somewhat implying that the plants live for a hundred years. While it is indeed long-lived, a few decades is more the norm for this monocarpic species; it can take thirty years or more to flower, but upon eventual production of fruit, the entire plant begins to senesce.
More photographs of Agave americana are available from the Master Gardeners of the University of Arizona Pima County Coop Extension. The Plants for a Future database has details on the edible, medicinal and textile uses of this species.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (6)
March 2, 2007
Abies pinsapo
Here's a more literal photograph of hedgehog fir than the one previously posted on BPotD. What I like about this photograph is that it shows three stages in cone development. This year's cones are just starting to form on the upper branches, appearing as small bumps in the photo. The most prominent feature in the photograph, last year's cones, are nearing maturity and will soon fall apart. Upon disintegration, the central column of last year's cones will remain; they will join the cone axes from previous years as observers of the continuing cycle.
Further reading on this Spanish native can be found in last year's entry on Abies pinsapo (particularly the link to the Gymnosperm Database entry).
Botany / art resource link: posts labelled Botanical Art at the Making a Mark weblog by Katherine Tyrrell.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:21 AM | Comments (5)
March 1, 2007
Aechmea distichantha var. schlumbergeri
When visiting the Huntington Botanical Gardens, I didn't stray too far from the Desert Garden for most of my all-too-brief visit. However, today's plant interrupted an otherwise quick walk through the Jungle Garden; it leapt out from the mass of dark shadows and green foliage. This exact plant is also in this photograph, part of Huntington's What's In Bloom series of images.
I'm not able to find much relevant information on variety schlumbergeri, other than a few herbarium specimens of cultivated material which mention a Portuguese common name of caraguatá. Brazilian vase-plant is suggested as an English common name for the species by Wikipedia, though other sites simply use “bromeliad”.
Also noted by Wikipedia is the wide distribution range of the species: Uruguay, Paraguay, northern Argentina and Brazil (where it makes specific mention of the Cerrado, a tropical savanna). For most people in the northern hemisphere, its growing requirements restrict it to being an indoor plant; the University of Florida extension service provides a factsheet with some suggestions for care in that regard.
Do watch out for the jumping spiders, though. See: Romero, GQ. 2006. Geographic Range, Habitats, and Host Plants of Bromeliad-Living Jumping Spiders (Salticidae) (PDF). Biotropica. 38(4): 522-530.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:12 AM | Comments (9)
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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.