« Previous Day: Geranium phaeum |
Main
| Next Day: Encephalartos caffer »
Nov 6, 2009: Cypripedium montanum
Nov 7, 2008:
Ranunculus aquatilis
Nov 7, 2007:
Quercus suber
Nov 7, 2006:
Pediomelum esculentum
Nov 7, 2005:
Verbascum eriophorum
September 23, 2008 : Bursera microphylla
Interested in subscribing? Visit the main Botany Photo of the Day page and fill out the form in the upper right corner!
Plant Family / Families: Burseraceae
Scientific Name and Author: Bursera microphylla A. Gray
Name Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, San Diego County, California, USA
Today's photographs and write-up are both courtesy of Ruth:
This short sticky tree may not look like much but it has a bit of a story. It's a member of the Burseraceae, related to frankincense (Boswellia) and myrrh (Commiphora). Elephant tree is listed as an endangered species in the state of California but occurs more frequently in Arizona (where it is considered "Highly Safeguarded") and northern Mexico.
I hiked out to this one in the Anza-Borrego desert where it stands alone amongst cacti and dusty alluvial fan clay rock shards. There once was a whole grove of elephant trees. The signage in the park still suggests a forest is just around the corner, but a waitress in a diner down the road told me that there has only been the one individual out there for a few years.
Bursera microphylla wasn't discovered to be growing in California until 1937. It is the only member of the family that is not considered a tropical species, but remains (like the rest of the family) sensitive to cold temperatures. Climate change, with accompanying disrupted weather patterns, is speculated as one of the reasons for its near-disappearance in the Anza-Borrego Desert.
The specific epithet, microphylla, means small leaves, which it certainly has. In all of my observations from photographs and in-person, it looks completely deciduous. The bark is flaky and papery like a birch tree and can carry a red hue with age. The leaves give off a camphor smell when crushed. Native Americans considered it a valuable tree with healing powers, probably due to the camphor oils it contains.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at September 23, 2008 1:39 PM
Read recent comments on all BPotD Entries
Comments
Posted by: Scott McGillivray at September 23, 2008 4:31 PM
It is challenging to make a photo of a tree, which is large and complicated, as instantly gratifying as a small detail, such as a flower. However, they have a wonderful presence, which I think you illustrated pretty well in the second photo.
Posted by: Micaela at September 23, 2008 4:39 PM
The elephant tree is having a tough time in the northern section of Anza Borrego as it can get pretty cold. There actually are a lot of them in the southern section of the park - about 50 miles south in a canyon called Turote Canyon. There are 3 in the Visitor Center garden.
Posted by: Toni Alexander at September 23, 2008 4:43 PM
Beautiful photo of a quirky tree. I find the tree, in all its huge complexity, every bit as captivating as the beautiful microcosm of a flower.
Posted by: plantita at September 23, 2008 6:26 PM
Awesome!!! Thanks so much. I love the desert but live in the plains. I am a gardner and will be a horticulture student in December '08. I learned so much from this one single posting :-)
Posted by: Patricia Byrnes at September 23, 2008 7:11 PM
Lovely tree!
Flowers are easy...
but THIS is a shimmering, silvery vision in the desert.
Posted by: Mary Ann, in Toronto at September 23, 2008 9:01 PM
count me out of the flower wowow vote; the mix, the photographic quality & creativity and the interesting botanical notes keep me hooked! The effort is always appreciated, thanks.
Posted by: Kasey (South Africa) at September 23, 2008 10:47 PM
I love the flowers, the plants, the trees, the leaves, the fungi, the moss and the bugs, slugs and snails, too.
This is the only place I can visit every day and find such a plethora of information. Please keep up the good work. I enjoy so much, especially the flowers and plants from other countries. Wow.
Posted by: Sue in Bremerton WA at September 23, 2008 11:38 PM
All nature is worth looking at!
Posted by: CherriesWalks at September 24, 2008 1:25 AM
Another vote here for trees as well as flowers! This one is a beauty.
Posted by: Steve K. (Michigan) at September 24, 2008 5:34 AM
....beauty is in the eye of the beholder....if this scragly tree were now spotted on mars...it would be the most important plant in our universe...or mabey not....ha...!
Posted by: phillip at September 24, 2008 10:40 PM
The bark and the shape of the tree limbs is very interesting. What great photos.
Thank you,
Margaret-Rae
Posted by: Margaret-Rae Davis at September 26, 2008 7:18 AM
There are quite a few in the Anza-Borrego although they are not always easy to access. Very nice photo -- forget the flowers, the form is quite enough.
Posted by: Don at October 13, 2008 1:48 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!
Post a comment
XML Feeds: Atom | RSS 2.0 | RSS 1.0 | What is RSS? | RSS Tools
Botany Photo of the Day and all associated images are licensed under a Creative Commons License except when otherwise specified in the accompanying written entry.
About Botany Photo of the Day | Submit Your Photos via Flickr | Submit Your Photos via UBCBG's Discussion Forums
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.
The tree is intresting....but we need the wow wow of the flowers...volume of responses dictates how much the wow wow factor effects the viewee...thanks for pics, Scott.