Flowering Plants (01)
May 16, 2005
Amsonia elliptica
Like many Chinese genera of plants, Amsonia also occurs in eastern North America. Atypically, however, the centre for diversity for Amsonia is in eastern North America rather than Asia (compare with Magnolia or Acer Section Macrantha (the snakebark maples)). Of the twenty or so species of Amsonia, 16 occur in eastern North America, while only 4 are distributed in Asia. Amsonia elliptica is the only member of the genus that occurs in China.
The Flora of China summary for Amsonia elliptica reports that a “decoction of all parts is used to cure chills and to induce sweat.”
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (3)
May 15, 2005
Trochodendron aralioides
Only a quick note today and tomorrow, as I'm out in the field taking some photos of native wildflowers and landscapes.
The wheel tree is now in full flower, which will last several weeks. Trochodendron has an interesting way of preventing self-fertilization - check out what was written for the interpretative sign.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (0)
May 14, 2005
Philadelphus delavayi
Last year, I had the luck of being able to attend the awarding of an honourary degree from UBC to Bishop Desmond Tutu, and I keenly remember him asserting, “I am, because you are.” (which is deceptively simple). To me, the people who live this philosophy are the real heroes - the individuals whose sense for the “other” is so keenly developed that they cannot help but act or speak out; they are the embodiment of the human potential for good. I'm generous with who I accord as personal heroes - it includes broad swaths of people, from palliative caregivers to artists who provoke me to think differently to scientists who (after looking at all of the facts) cannot help but advocate for the Earth and its organisms.
I had the privilege yesterday of meeting one of those scientists: Dr. Daniel Pauly (a profile of Dr. Pauly from Science). I noticed Dr. Pauly at the entrance to the garden, so (boldly for me) walked up and introduced myself. Needless to say, I was delighted when Dr. Pauly, his wife and guests from Germany accepted my offer of a personal tour.
Now, I'm certainly not the best person at the garden to give a tour - I can think of at least a half dozen other staff members who'd be better, along with the Friends of the Garden who are typically responsible for tours. Still, the plants in the garden make it easy, and the Asian Garden is in fine shape: the 30m high Clematis montana scrambling up the native cedars is a cascade of blooms, the Meconopsis betonicifolia (Himalayan blue poppy) punctuates the green foliage here and there, and this Delavay mock orange stands out with its combination of colours. As that linked page suggests, the contrast of the calyx and petals is best seen before the flowers are fully open, which is why I'm pleased with this photograph; it has the flower buds at a number of stages. I also took a photograph of the flower fully open, for your interest.
Speaking of scientists I regard as heroes, it's an ideal time to explain the rest of the tagline for the Photo of the Day, which I alluded to in the entry on Salvia discolor. As I interpret her comments, Sandy is okay with being imitated, so I've readded the word “Daily” to the tagline (I'm not creative enough to think of anything more suitable), but what is the inspiration for “In science, beauty. In beauty, science.”?
The thread of that idea can be traced back to a talk given at a 1982 meeting of the Canadian Botanical Association by the late Dr. J. Stan Rowe (disclosure: biography written by my uncle) entitled “Beauty and the Botanist”. I wasn't at that meeting, but fortunately, it was later made into an essay and is available online (and hosted on my uncle's site). A quote: “The perception of beauty in the world is the proof of our belonging, the bridge to a wider sympathy extended beyond our own kind.” I am because you are.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (1)
May 13, 2005
Enkianthus campanulatus
Our current understanding of the plant family Ericaceae (which includes rhododendrons, blueberries and heaths) suggests that plants from this genus, Enkianthus, are the “oldest”, if you are speaking in evolutionary terms. In other words, if you investigated all of the genera of plants within this family, used shared characteristics to determine how closely plants were related, and then calculated the relationships between the genera based on those characteristics, you would discover that Enkianthus has been around the longest.
All other woody members of Ericaceae have characteristics which Enkianthus lacks; one of these is “tetradinous” pollen. This simply means that the fully-developed pollen grains are fused as a unit of four, and this is the case for nearly all woody Ericaceae except for Enkianthus. By contrast, Enkianthus has “monadinous” pollen - each mature pollen grain is a single unit. It could be argued that the evolution of tetradinous pollen in this family was one of the changes that allowed the woody plants of the family Ericaceae to diversify (it could also be argued otherwise, as there are other characteristics that are different between Enkianthus and the others - see Kron, K. A., Judd, W. S., Stevens, P. F., Crayn, D. M., Anderberg, A. A., Gadek, P. A., Quinn, C. J., Luteyn, J. L. Phylogenetic Classification of Ericaceae: Molecular and Morphological Evidence. The Botanical Review 2002 68: 335-423). Perhaps if the development of fused pollen grains in woody Ericaceae hadn't happened millions of years ago, you wouldn't be consuming blueberry jam or cranberry juice today.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (3)
May 11, 2005
Passiflora alata
Only a quick note today - I'm helping with the garden's annual plant collections inventory this week, so time is scarce.
Even if you aren't familiar with the genus Passiflora, you are probably aware of the fruit of the cultivated Passiflora edulis: passionfruit. The plant in the photograph is a different species, and is commonly known as fragrant granadilla. It is also cultivated, but only as a fresh fruit (not for juice) - Source: Fruits from America: An Ethnobotanical Inventory - Passiflora alata. The Fruits for America site also includes a photograph of the mature fruit.
This particular plant was photographed in a non-public glasshouse at the garden. We unfortunately do not have a public display glasshouse (yet), which would be ideal for showcasing plants such as these.
P.S. Note the photographer's prop in the upper left: flagging tape to suspend the viny stem from a pipe so as to be able to photograph inside the flower...
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (3)
May 10, 2005
Trillium ovatum
Photographed in the Honeymoon Bay Ecological Reserve ten days ago, this trillium was one of many which dotted the area. Rarely growing in clumps, the plants were instead often growing as individual plants here and there - perhaps a result of the way their seeds are dispersed.
According to the authors of Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, seeds of the western trillium are dispersed by ants. Oil-rich appendages on the seeds are attractive as a food source, so the seeds are taken back to the colony and the appendages are eaten by the adult ants or fed to the larvae. The seeds are then tossed in the ant colony's rubbish pile, which may result in the seed being “planted” a considerable distance away from the parent.
There are (more or less) 43 species of Trillium recognized by scientists - 38 of these occur in North America.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (2)
May 8, 2005
Rubus idaeus 'Tulameen'
I wish I could say raspberries were in season locally, but my appetite will have to wait another two months to be satisfied.
This photograph, from last July, is of the Tulameen raspberry. 'Tulameen' was bred by one of UBC's Friends of the Garden, Hugh Daubeny, while working as a research scientist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
We've previously featured 'Tulameen' on the garden's weblog, but it's definitely worth mentioning again. As David Karp exclaimed in his New York Times article while writing about new hybrids that do not sacrifice flavour for production values, “...Tulameen [is] a large, luscious variety introduced in 1989 from British Columbia. It is considered the standard of quality in Europe, with an ancestry that includes Willamette, an old Northwest processing variety, for high flavor, and Cumberland black raspberry, for firmness.” Indeed, while in both Bath and London in 2003, we bought Spanish-grown 'Tulameen' raspberries at Marks and Spencer.
Scientifically speaking, a raspberry is not a true berry, but rather an “aggregate of drupelets”. Each of the spherical units that make up the entire fruit was once a single pistil that has now matured into a drupelet; a drupe is a fruit with a fleshy exterior and a single hardened seed - think of pitted fruit like cherries or peaches - while a drupelet is simply a smaller drupe. Unlike cherries though, the drupelets of raspberries are assembled together into a single larger fruit - hence, an aggregate. A true berry, in botanical terms, is a simple fruit that is generally thin-skinned, fleshy, and contains multiple seeds - think grapes and blueberries.
If you live locally, you can often find a few plants at the Shop in the Garden (and some will also be available at the Perennial Plant Sale today). If you don't live locally, check online - quite a few nurseries stock the canes, particularly in the Pacific Northwest and the UK.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (0)
May 7, 2005
Salvia discolor
“Black” flowers - very desirable to many gardeners, even though (strictly speaking) they are not a true black. Rather, the black colour is due to a composite of dark coloured pigments in high concentrations. Despite a truly black flower being unattainable, plant breeders and hybridizers on occasion do their best to produce the darkest flower possible, and so flowers which are bred to be black are not impossible to find in the marketplace.
There are, however, a few plants that haven't been bred to be black, bur rather evolved that way. Salvia discolor (Andean silver-leaf sage) is one of those few. I was hoping to tell the story of why Andean silver-leaf sage has black flowers, but came up with very little while researching the evolutionary biology of its flower colour. Is the pigmentation irrelevant to its pollinators? If that's the case, why undergo the biological cost of concentrated pigmentation? Is the colour a strategy to accelerate floral development by increasing heat absorption (keeping in mind that it grows in high altitudes in the Andes) and thus biological activity? I'm speculating quite a bit; I don't have any expertise with floral pigmentation and development, but maybe someone with knowledge will comment and provide some answers (or at least more informed speculation!).
I should mention that if you live in the Vancouver area, you can pick up this plant at UBC Botanical Garden's Perennial Plant Sale on Sunday - first come, first serve though, and I suspect Salvia discolor will sell out quickly. One of the great things about the sale (for you) is that the public get first dibs - volunteers and garden staff have to wait an hour after the sale opens to purchase plants. Good for you, not so good for me - but I don't have a sunny spot at home to grow it anyway, as much as I like the plant.
A couple of other housekeeping notes: David Winter at Science and sensibility added the Botany Photo of the Day and the UBC Botanical Garden Weblog to his list of weblogs devoted to botany: Botany in the Blogosphere (after I had commented on his original list). David particularly liked the tagline “In science, beauty. In beauty, science. Daily.”.
Then, while using Technorati to see who is linking to the Photo of the Day, I noticed Sandy from Pollenatrix commented on the Calypso bulbosa photograph from a few days ago. That was great, but I then realized to my dismay that her tagline is “Botanical discipline, daily.”. I know that Pollenatrix has been around for a long time, and I'd certainly visited it a few times in the past. Sandy, will you forgive me? I must have liked the last bit of your tagline so much that I incorporated it into this one subconsciously - I promise it wasn't a conscious decision. I'll do a rethink on the one used for Botany Photo of the Day and alter it (or maybe someone has a suggestion to replace the word, “daily”?).
I'll explain the inspiration for the rest of the tagline in a future post.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (1)
May 6, 2005
Kadsura interior
(Douglas Justice, Curator of Collections at UBC, wanted to guestblog today - I've added a comment with some of my thoughts -- Daniel)
With the possible exception of Kadsura japonica (magnolia vine), Kadsura is poorly known in cultivation. Evergreen twining lianas (woody climbers), they are closely related to Schisandra, a genus of mostly deciduous vining species from Asia (one species in the SE USA). Both genera produce unisexual flowers, usually on different plants, with the females exhibiting separate carpels spirally arranged on a conical torus (floral axis). Once fertilized, each carpel expands to become a spherical berry and the torus expands, elongating into a spike in Schisandra or becoming globose as in Kadsura.
Kadsuras are strictly Asian and Kadsura interior is known only from SW Yunnan and NE Myanmar (Burma). This species differs from the related Kadsura heteroclita (Roxburgh) Craib by its softball-sized fruits covered with up to 70 glossy, red berries (K. heteroclita produces smaller walnut-sized fruits with fewer berries). We have only the one plant, derived from seed collected by Peter Wharton (curator of the David C. Lam Asian Garden) from a venerable 25m specimen growing at 2200m on Qiqi Mountain, Gongshan County, Yunnan. Although this species is monoecious (both male and female flowers are produced on the same plant), production of its extraordinary fruits is not assured as pollen may be released when stigmas are not receptive. Dichogamy (the maturation of male and female organs at different times, thus effectively preventing self-polination) is a common feature in monoecious plants. In protandrous plants (anther release prior to stigma receptiveness), sufficient pollen can be collected and stored until pollination can be effected; however, this species appears to be protogynous (our first flowers are clearly female).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (4)
May 5, 2005
Trachycarpus fortunei
The palm trees near the garden entrance are in full flower. This was a quick snapshot from yesterday, taken without all of my usual tools (tripod, plamps, reflectors), but it still turned out okay. I've photographed these Trachycarpus fortunei a few times in the past year, but I've yet to take a good habit shot - they're still too short.
As an aside, this entry begins the second month of Botany Photo of the Day (I planned to use a different (and I think superior) photograph today, but I need to verify a few things first - so maybe tomorrow). When we launched Botany Photo of the Day, it was with the understanding that we'd try it out for a month and gauge the response. It does take effort and discipline to have something fresh and appealing every day, and the question arises of whether this is the best use of limited resources (we're not NASA and their Astronomy Picture of the Day by any stretch of the imagination).
My assessment after a month's worth of entries is mixed. Conversation about the photographs comes readily enough from people I interact with through work, but only one person not affiliated with UBC has left a comment (although to be fair, a few weblogs have linked to us with comments), so that's slightly disheartening. On the other hand, at least a few dozen people subscribe to the RSS feed, so I'm pleased with that. Lastly, the number of unique web site visitors for April was easily 1.5 times our previous highest month - part of that can be explained because of spring and people using the discussion forums for gardening q+a, but it is also at least partly due to the Photo of the Day.
So, while I wouldn't consider this feature a raging success, I think it should continue on in this format for the time being and be given a chance to grow. It seems to have potential. I've yet to receive any negative feedback, but the concerns that were initially raised about it remain to be addressed.
Update (May 5, 2005 8:50 AM PST): One of the potential advantages of doing the Photo of the Day in the “weblog way” just emerged - go visit the updated entry for Babiana ringens to see what I mean.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (13)
May 2, 2005
Calypso bulbosa
If you had been walking along one of the park trails near Ladysmith (BC) on Saturday, you might have found a bit of an odd sight: a man lying on his stomach on the trail.
I don't think anyone did see the sight, but I wouldn't have noticed if they had. I was lying on my stomach on the trail, busily taking a photograph of these fairy-slipper orchids.
Calypso bulbosa has a widespread distribution across the temperate northern hemisphere, but it is becoming increasingly uncommon near populated centres, due to trampling, flower-picking and naive attempts at transplanting.
These two flowers are a touch past their prime; more recently-emerged flowers in the locale were a deeper shade of purple, much like the colour seen on this Calypso bulbosa photographed last year in Banff. I didn't notice yellow in the throat of the flowers in the plants near Ladysmith, but that may have been carelessness of observation on my part.
Calypso was a nymph in Greek mythology; she delayed Odysseus from returning home for seven years.
As a last note, if you are looking for an orchid for your garden, may I suggest Bletilla striata? They're available in limited quantity at this year's Perennial Plant Sale.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (6)
May 1, 2005
Iris innominata
Native to northern California and southwest Oregon, Iris innominata is (like many irises) highly variable in flower colour, ranging from mostly purple with a bit of yellow to yellow throughout to cream with splashes of yellow and purple venation like this one.
Apologies for the short note today, as I'm off on a field trip. Need more photographs!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (3)
April 30, 2005
Babiana ringens
The Alpine Garden is good for surprises. Occasionally, plants emerge from the ground which were thought long-dead, and so it was with this Babiana ringens that we were amazed to see in 2003 in the African bed. It originally had been planted in 1979 and not visible for at least a few years.
Brent Hine, the curator of the Alpine Garden, has since transplanted it into the bulb frame, where the warmth and shelter is more conducive to growth and flowering. This photograph was from Thursday (April 28), while the one in the link was taken at the beginning of June - a full four weeks later.
Update (May 5, 2005 8:38 AM PST): Quentin Cronk, director of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, just emailed me this summary from the journal Nature:
Brief Communication
Nature 435, 41-42 (5 May 2005) | 10.1038/435041a
Botany: Specialized bird perch aids cross-pollination
Bruce Anderson, William W. Cole and Spencer C. H. Barrett
Birds may hover over or perch on flowers when feeding on nectar, and this assists cross-pollination if they then visit other plants. Here we investigate the curious sterile inflorescence axis of the South African Cape endemic 'rat's tail' plant (Babiana ringens, Iridaceae), whose function – unlike in other bird-pollinated plants – is exclusively to provide a perch for foraging birds. We find that this structure promotes the plant's mating success by causing the malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa), its main pollinator, to adopt a position ideal for the cross-pollination of its unusual ground-level flowers.
So, welcome to all readers of Nature journal! I've added a habit photograph of the plant so that you can check out the sterile inflorescence axis. While you're here, feel free to browse around the rest of the UBC site.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (1)
April 29, 2005
Cornus 'Eddie's White Wonder'
Updated Oct. 1 2007 at 1:35pm: repaired 1 link, altered text and second link (previous linked-to site abandoned). - Daniel
Selected as Vancouver's centennial tree in 1986, Cornus 'Eddie's White Wonder' was chosen for good reason. If you live in or have ever had occasion to visit Vancouver in early May, you cannot help but notice these trees covered in a mass of white showy bracts. The bracts (modified leaves - not petals!) on this particular plant are still a bit green, so the plant will be at its peak in a few days.
For a brief blurb on this hybrid and the local nurseryman who developed it (Henry M. Eddie), read this short article: 'Eddie's White Wonder'.
The Chilliwack Museum provides more information on Henry M. Eddie.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (7)
April 28, 2005
Helwingia chinensis
I went into detail on the epiphyllous flowers of Helwingia in the entry on Helwingia japonica, so I won't repeat myself here. This is another male plant, so like the Helwingia japonica, no chance of seeing the fruit which is also (of course) borne on the leaves. Wild collected in the Sichuan province of China by Dan Hinkley.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (2)
April 27, 2005
Osmanthus suavis
Osmanthus are known for their very pleasant fragrance; when you encounter one whose latin name means “sweet”, you know you've found one that is quite special. So it is with this particular plant, which can be discovered within the confines of the Asian Garden along the Cox Trail. Highly recommended.
We received this plant from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, collected in the wild via RBGE's 1991 Makalu Expedition in Nepal.
Update: I should have noted that Peter Cox visited UBC Botanical Garden yesterday. Peter is the son of Euan Cox, for whom the Cox Trail is named after (for more information, read the History of Glendoick Gardens).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (2)
April 26, 2005
Lupinus bicolor
Another flower from the field trip to Ebey's Bluff on Whidbey Island - the diminutive bicoloured lupine, a native of western North America. In British Columbia and Washington, only the type species can be found (Lupinus bicolor subsp. bicolor), while Oregon, Arizona and (in particular) California have a few different subspecies (see the USDA PLANTS Database for Lupinus bicolor for names and distribution maps of the subspecies.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (0)
April 25, 2005
Camassia quamash
I missed out on my opportunity to go on the Friends of Ecological Reserves annual field trip to Trial Island on Sunday. One of the rare plants that can be seen there is Castilleja levisecta, the golden paintbrush, which I'm keenly interested in photographing (have a look at the photo in the linked page to see why!).
After doing a little bit of research, I thought I might be able to find one of the populations of golden paintbrush that occur on Whidbey Island in Washington. This led to a Sunday jaunt to Ebey's Bluff (The Robert Y. Pratt Preserve) on the west side of the island. Somewhere in its 224 hectares (554 acres) is apparently a 10-20m wide by 100-150m long strip of land where the golden paintbrush can be found. Did I find the paintbrush? Not this time. Was the trip worth it? Most definitely. Plenty of scenic vistas and interesting plants, including what appeared to be an escapee Iris with the broadest leaves I've ever seen for an Iris (about 20cm at its widest and 80cm tall), Fritillaria lanceolata and Camassia quamash (ethnobotany of common camas).
I'm filled with anticipation every time I see Camassia, because of a project that we're fundraising for at the garden. The idea is a simple one; a camas meadow that begins from the Garry oaks and heads southeastwards, replacing some of the current perennial borders. About this time of year, there will be a swath of blue for garden visitors to enjoy (we don't have very many swaths of colour at UBC - we're not a display garden). The colour will be one thing, but, oh, the stories we'll be able to tell!
The area is envisioned as a sustainable, low-maintenance, drought-tolerant landscape, so it will be of interest to property-owners seeking an alternative to water-consuming lawns. We'll be able to talk about the little-known fact that there was once a camas meadow on Point Grey - contrary to the typically-believed notion that camas meadows were only maintained by First Nations on the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island. In so doing, we'll be able to establish a link to the local history of the area. With some of the main plant elements of the Garry oak ecosystem, we'll be able to tell the story of this threatened ecosystem and promote the efforts of the Garry Oak Ecosystem Recovery Team. All of those, plus the ethnobotany of these plants makes for an exciting project! And who knows, maybe I'll be able to successfully lobby to help with the recovery of the golden paintbrush...
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (0)
April 24, 2005
Rhododendron augustinii 'Peter Kerr'
It's perhaps the best time of year to see rhododendrons flowering en masse at the garden. I'll have to check the books in the garden's reading room, but I presume this rhodo is named in honour of Peter Kerr, who owned an estate garden in Portland, Oregon. The garden is still open to the public today, The Elk Rock Gardens of the Bishop's Close.
To see this specific rhododendron, take a few steps to the left after viewing the Helwingia japonica featured yesterday.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (0)
April 23, 2005
Helwingia japonica
The male flowers of Helwingia japonica. Small and not showy, they are still quite special; note that the flowers are emerging from the leaf, instead of the stem. This is a phenomenon called epiphylly. We've written an interpretative sign about Helwingia japonica, but I'm going to add a bit more detail since I'm not encumbered by the ca. one hundred word limit we have for signage.
Dr. Tom Dickinson of the University of Toronto has written a concise description of the developmental biology of epiphyllous growth in Helwingia, accompanied by images.
As mentioned on the interpretative sign, epiphylly is a rare phenomenon - a quick search suggested the condition occurs on some genera in perhaps a half dozen plant families, almost all of which are tropical. It's very likely that UBC Botanical Garden is one of the few places in Canada you can see this phenomenon, although I note one nursery in Ontario is selling the plants (do a search for “Helwingia japonica” +Canada). If you're visiting the garden, the most obvious place to find it is by the bench on the small meadow off of Lower Asian Way.
The family Helwingiaceae is monotypic - it only has the one genus, Helwingia, of which there are three species. The garden has two of the species in its collection, H. japonica and Helwingia chinensis. There's a good distribution map for the family on the web page for Aquifoliales at the Missouri Botanical Garden. While visiting that link, be sure to click on the link that says “photo-fruit” immediately to the left of the map. Unfortunately, you can't see the fruit at UBC - our plants are all male. One of our identified collection priorities for both research and education is to obtain a documented wild origin female plant of the species, as that is currently a gap in both the story that we can tell about this plant and what we can learn from it.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (9)
April 22, 2005
Epimedium acuminatum
This barrenwort was collected by the famed plant hunter, Roy Lancaster, on one of his trips to China. It's planted among roughly a dozen other Epimedium species and cultivars in one section of the Asian Garden, along the accessibility path. That's handy if you want to see many of these interesting flowers in one small locale, but it's turned into a bit of a management nightmare; the plantings are spreading into one another, and we suspect that there might be some hybridization occurring.
The curator of the Asian Garden, Peter Wharton, is taking action to tidy up the mess. “Divide and conquer” is the strategy, I believe - splitting up the assemblage and moving the plants to new (and separate) homes in the garden.
One last item: Roy Lancaster is going to be in the Pacific Northwest to speak at the Vancouver Hardy Plant Group's 2005 Study Weekend. It looks like the study weekend has a long waiting list, and it's fairly likely that Lancaster is one of the reasons why. However, I don't doubt he'll be visiting UBC - he's a good friend of many members of staff, and I hope to meet him.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (3)
April 21, 2005
Tulipa bakeri
I've been antsy to photograph a bit the past few days, knowing that there is so much in bloom right now in the garden. However, the sunny weather in Vancouver hasn't been conducive. Harsh sun causes too much contrast and shadow for flower photography, according to the “rules”.
This shot is from a couple weekends ago, a species tulip. Most of the tulips you commonly see planted in landscapes are hybrids (with an interesting history - see Tulipomania). At the garden, our focus is on wild species of documented origin, so the flowers tend to be smaller and not as flashy, since hybrid tulips are bred for size, pattern and colour. Still, there's much to appreciate with species tulips (and early hybrids), not the least of which is knowing that they are the cause of one of the greatest economic bubbles of all time.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (0)
April 19, 2005
Akebia quinata
Female flower of the species. You can see the male flowers of a white-flowered / white-fruited cultivar here (Douglas has eloquently described these particular flowers in the comments for that photo, so I do recommend a visit to that page for more detail).
You can also see a photo of the fruit of Akebia quinata from a couple winters ago.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (1)
April 18, 2005
Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex 'Plena'
One of my favourite spots in the garden right now is under the Acer saccharum in the North American bed of the Alpine Garden. Brent Hine, the curator of the garden, has assembled and tended a fine collection of spring-flowering plants, including this one and the Trillium albidum that I posted a few days ago. The name “Plena” is oft-used in horticultural circles to denote a double-flowered selection (one that has twice the number of petals and perhaps other floral parts).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (2)
April 17, 2005
Hemerocallis thunbergii
These are the seeds and skeletal remnants of the seed capsules of a species daylily in the Asian Garden. The image is a touch soft, but it's another one of those that I cannot throw away - at least until next year when I try again!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (2)
April 16, 2005
Fritillaria acmopetala
Another image from the Alpine Garden Club of BC's annual show last Sunday. I neglected to write down the grower of this plant, so if anyone knows whose plant it was, please comment.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (1)
April 15, 2005
Acer palmatum 'Katsura'
Autumn colour in spring. From the Alpine Garden.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (0)
April 13, 2005
Androsace pyrenaica
Only a few comments today, as I'm very busy at a conference for the rest of the week. Taken at the Alpine Garden Club of BC's annual show last Sunday. The plant was grown by Joe Keller.
The Alpine Garden Club's Spring Sale takes place at the end of the month. My advice? Well, if the plants at the show were any indication of what's available, do not hesitate. Go to the sale for some extraordinary plants.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (2)
April 12, 2005
Akebia quinata 'Shirobana'
The male flowers of the “chocolate vine”. I suppose that since this particular cultivar is bleached of most of its colour, one could call it the white chocolate vine...
Akebia flowers are another macro challenge, and this is yet another photograph I've been attempting for three years in a row. The plants are located along the fence at the upper end of the Alpine Garden, which is fairly exposed to both breeze and sun.
The black and white version of this photo and an image of the fruit for this plant are available here: Akebia quinata 'Shirobana'.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (24)
April 11, 2005
Trillium albidum
The trilliums in the Alpine Garden and Native Garden are in full glory this week.
I took this photo yesterday using “guerilla” photography. It started to shower, which prevented me from doing my usual macros on the tripod. Instead, I decided to tuck my camera in my jacket and pull it out for quick handheld snaps of subjects. Take the picture, write down the name and accession number, and hustle off to the next (it was cold and wet - movement was a must). I'm pretty happy with this.
Also, have a look at the black and white version of this photograph.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (0)
April 10, 2005
Narcissus bulbocodium
One of my favourite techniques for taking photographs of the low-growing plants in the alpine garden is getting on my hands and knees and propping the camera on the ground to take a photo from a small animal's perspective. “Specialized” equipment is required: kneepads, because the gravel on the paths bites into the knees pretty harshly; and a home-made “beanbag tripod”, to rest and position the camera and lens (thanks Lisa!).
You might prefer the non-cropped version of this photo - I like it better, but I want to try and keep the images on Botany Photo of the Day to a particular width:height ratio.
Speaking of alpine plants, I'm attending the Alpine Garden Club of BC's Spring Show at VanDusen today, camera in hand.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (0)
April 9, 2005
Salix acutifolia 'Blue Streak'
Keeping with the theme of subtle flowers, here's a photo of a catkin from a male willow in the garden. Thanks to Andy Hill, one of UBC Botanical Garden's horticulturists, for pointing out that I needed to take a photo of these catkins.
Willows are often difficult to identify, for a number of reasons: individual plants can be either male or female, the morphological features of the plants can vary with the environment it is growing in (phenotypic variation), the genetics of the plant or the growing stage, and species readily hybridize.
The label for this particular willow has been lost. We'll now have to reidentify the plant. If we could be certain that this species is from British Columbia, a reidentification would be difficult, but not impossible. The diversity of willow species in British Columbia is high - 55 to 60 species in British Columbia, or 15% of the world's different species (source: Classification of Salix in the New World).
However, at a botanical garden, our pool of potential suspects starts at the very beginning - with all of the species in the world. We can often narrow the field considerably by cross-referencing the plant's location in the garden against our database, but if this doesn't work for whatever reason, we've a challenge on our hands.
More interested in willow flowers than in willow taxonomy? Check out this article on the biology of willow flowers from NatureNorth in Manitoba.
You can view my black and white version of this photo on the garden's discussion forums.
Update (May 12, 2005 11:42 PM PST): During the course of our annual inventory week, we were able to determine the name of this plant, so I've changed the name of the plant from Salix sp.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (2)
April 8, 2005
Decaisnea insignis
This is the kind of photo that keeps me taking pictures. A sharp eye will note that the image is just a touch out-of-focus. It's acceptable for the web, but not useful for a print, as it is clearly out-of-focus at its original size (roughly 15x the area of this one). I'm going to have to try again next year.
Usually, if there's no compelling reason to keep an out-of-focus photograph, I toss it. I had to make an exception for this one, because I think it is one of those uncommon photos that keeps the eye constantly in motion; my eye is initially drawn to the buds, then to the left and up following the flow of the leaflets; then back to the buds, and the cycle begins anew.
A few more Decaisnea insignis photographs can be seen on the forums, and you can learn more about the plant from the text of the interpretative sign.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (1)
April 6, 2005
Acer mono subsp. okamotoanum
Maple flowers. The buds measure just under five centimetres. One of the reasons I love macro photography is it forces me to examine plants for the beauty or subtleties that are often very easy to overlook.
This is the third year in a row I've attempted to take a photo of these, and the first time I've been happy with the image. However, I did “cheat” - I used the Wimberley Plamp that I received as a gift for Christmas. It makes a world of difference for macro photography, particularly so at the garden at UBC. It is a rare day when there is no breeze off the Georgia Strait, and wind is the bane of macro photography.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (5)
April 5, 2005
Melliodendron xylocarpum
Welcome to the first entry in UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research's Botany Photo of the Day!
The story: A few weeks ago, Quentin invited Tim Bray and Lauren Wood to visit the garden. Tim and Lauren have visited UBC Botanical Garden in the past (as evidenced by photos on Tim's site), but there's never been any interaction with researchers or staff. We thought it time to change that!
We gave them a rainy day tour followed by a technology chat and lunch. Needless to say, Lauren and Tim are brilliant, and I'm going to incorporate at least some (if not all) of their suggestions in the garden site and elsewhere.
Botany Photo of the Day is the first manifestation of their ideas. Tim and Lauren were particularly enamoured of Melliodendron xylocarpum, so it seemed like a great choice for the first photograph!
Be sure to check out what Tim Bray wrote about the day in his weblog entry, Melliodendron.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:36 AM| Comments (4)
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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.