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June 10, 2008 : Calycanthus occidentalis
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Plant Family / Families: Calycanthaceae
Scientific Name and Author: Calycanthus occidentalis Hooker & Arnott
Name Location: cultivated in San Francisco, California, USA
Apologies about the breaks in BPotD the last week or so. A few work-related things have crept up that have been somewhat exhausting, so other tasks suffer. Anyway, here's an attempt to get back on track.
Thank you to James G. aka J.G. in S.F.@Flickr of San Francisco, California for sharing today's photograph (original via the Flickr BPotD Group Pool). Much appreciated!
Calycanthus occidentalis, or California spicebush, is a close relative to the Chinese Sinocalycanthus chinensis featured on BPotD a few years ago. The Calycanthaceae are distributed in eastern Asia, southwest and southeast North America, and Queensland, Australia. Calycanthus occidentalis, as suggested by its common name, is native to California. There is also record of a disjunct population growing in Washington, but mention of those plants isn't found in the references I usually use for Washington state. Curious.
More photographs of Calycanthus occidentalis are available via CalPhotos. You can also read about some plant breeding work with the genus occurring at North Carolina State University: Re-inventing Sweetshrubs at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research Station.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at June 10, 2008 9:09 AM
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Comments
Posted by: Barbara Lamb at June 10, 2008 11:31 AM
Your great photos, like this one of the California spicebush, is so wonderful. They always cheer me up. Thank you for taking time out of your very busy schedule to do the Photo of the Day for us. You've mentioned elsewhere that this PoD was initially a pilot idea but it would be awesome if you decide to keep it. If you ever wonder whether we, your fans, appreciate the effort & appreciate you -- WE DO!!
Posted by: Mickey at June 10, 2008 1:23 PM
I agree whole-heartedly with the comments above. I discovered your Photo of the Day site while working on a tropical garden in Spain and now that I'm back in NZ I love getting daily images of plants both familiar and new to me - long may it continue!
Posted by: Fiona Henderson at June 10, 2008 2:31 PM
i agree with the all the comments
the picture is so pretty and so clear
hope you find some help for yourself
i live in florida for the past nights
the thunder and lighting capital kept
this computer off line
Posted by: elizabeth a airhart at June 10, 2008 3:27 PM
Does this species have edible berries like the east coast "spicebush"? Is it a coincidental overlap of common names?
Posted by: CZ at June 10, 2008 3:41 PM
We truly appreciate the time you take to run & maintain this great site, Daniel! NO pressure - so don't stress getting the BPoD out on time!
CHEERS!
Posted by: J at June 11, 2008 5:13 AM
I have one growing in my yard. It has grown quite well for me in NW Oregon and is a great landscape plant. However, the scent of the flowers is not quite pleasant, nor is it terribly unpleasant. It smells quite a bit like a glass of red wine that was left out overnight.
Posted by: Denis at June 11, 2008 6:32 AM
I have one growing in my front yard in Seattle (Ravenna neigborhood). It was here when I moved in. It's hard to believe it's a native.
I really like the red wine smell, but I'm sure it's not for everybody.
Posted by: Chris at July 9, 2008 4:25 PM
Please share your comments about the photograph(s) and accompanying write-up. Telling a story about the subject of the photograph(s) is also much appreciated! If you have a gardening question, the best place to ask is on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. Thank you!
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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.
Good to have you back - I was having BPotD withdrawal symptoms!