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Nov 20, 2009: Caltha leptosepala var. leptosepala
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Agave 'Shark Skin'
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Acaena magellanica subsp. laevigata
October 20, 2009 : Urginea undulata
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Plant Family / Families: Asparagaceae
Scientific Name and Author: Urginea undulata (Desf.) Steinh.
Name Location: Negev Desert, Israel
Thank you to Lindsay for today's write-up and to "cloudy" of the UBC Botanical Garden forums for taking these photographs in Israel in this posting on the UBC Botanical Garden Botany Photo of the Day Submissions forum. Lindsay writes:
You might not guess from its delicate appearance but Urginea undulata has earned a reputation as one tough geophyte. Native to the Negev Desert in Israel as well as parts of North Africa, this bulb is active twice throughout the year. Flowering, as shown in today's photographs, corresponds to the onset of the rainy season. This is quickly followed by a dormant period that is eventually broken with the production of stunning foliage in February. The bulb then again goes dormant throughout the following dry summer season.
Throughout its dry season dormancy, Urginea undulata is able to survive with very little, if any, water and sustain extreme ground temperatures because of a protective layer of dead tissues that keep it from drying out or overheating. The bulbs are a food source for animals; not only will the bulbs tolerate disturbance, but the remaining bulbs in the colony actually benefit from frequent 'cultivation' of the soil.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at October 20, 2009 1:30 PM
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Comments
Posted by: Meg Bernstein at October 20, 2009 1:53 PM
This looks to be Liliaceae rather than Amaryllidace. Lilies have supeior ovaries and often racemose inflorescences. Amaryllidaceae, on the other hand, has an inferior ovary and typically has scapose umbels subtended by membranous bracts. This species may be an exception, of course, as there are many plants that do not follow the "rules."
FYI
Posted by: Sterling Keeley at October 20, 2009 2:08 PM
Urginea sp should be a Liliaceae indeed...
Beautiful pictures
Posted by: Anni at October 20, 2009 2:22 PM
Asparagaceae/Scilloideae/Urgineeae per Angiosperm Phylogeny Website
Posted by: David Hollombe at October 20, 2009 2:38 PM
The plant kingdom is just plain flat-out amazing!
Posted by: Claire B (Saskatoon) at October 20, 2009 2:40 PM
What a great species. The flowers don't look as though they belong to the leaves. And I LOVED the leaves. Reminds me of frosting leaves, made with a pastry tube. Such a cool plant... evolved to survive one thing at a time. Happy to see such a sturdy little survivor.
Posted by: Sue in Bremerton at October 20, 2009 3:05 PM
David Hollombe is correct. The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group III classification system came out a couple weeks ago, and I incorrectly posted this as Amaryllidaceae due to my own misinterpretation of one of the summary papers.
Thank you for all the comments!
See: Chase, M. et al. 2009. A subfamilial classification for the expanded asparagalean families Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 161(2): 132-136. 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00999.x
Posted by: Daniel Mosquin 
at October 20, 2009 3:18 PM
a really interesting plant daniel and this
i had an article come up on my home page
plants can recognize rivals and fight
canadians reserchers found the sea rocket can recgonize its siblings the article
is truly interesting and will be published
your comments would really be helpful
communicativeand integrative biology
Posted by: elizabeth a airhart at October 20, 2009 4:48 PM
And I truly enjoy seeing the closeup of the flowers/plant, PLUS the habitat which shows the relative size. Two great photos, and all those posts are so informative!!
Posted by: annie Morgan at October 20, 2009 5:09 PM
Spectacular foliage and it's absolutely incredible how closely it resembles the foliage to the California native Chlorogalum pomeridianum:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericinsf/2413841672/
And it's not just the foliage! They both have similar flower and inflorescence morphology:
Posted by: Eric in SF at October 20, 2009 7:58 PM
I second Eric's comment - I can't believe these two plants are not in the same genus (Chlorogalum)!
Posted by: Meghan at October 20, 2009 11:15 PM
It is so nice to see this lovely delicate plant. Then I read how very hardy it has to be to go through a dormant season to flowere again.
The photos and the imformation are just great. I love to learn about different plants.
Thank you,
Margaret-Rae
Posted by: Margaret-Rae Davis at October 21, 2009 4:54 PM
Amazing picture,amazing plant.i've been researching plants that live in arid conditions,this is certainly a start-off point.Thanks
Posted by: De Kemist at October 23, 2009 11:39 AM
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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Fascinating adaptation.