Flowering Plants (08)
March 25, 2006
Staphylea holocarpa var. rosea
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
Pink Chinese bladdernut is poorly known in cultivation – in fact, one of the few places in the world you can see it outside of China is at UBC Botanical Garden. I don't yet have an image of its fruit (the reason for its common name), but the Kemper Center for Home Gardening has a number of images of the fruit of an eastern North America relative, Staphylea trifolia – have a look to see why these plants are called the bladdernuts.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (2)
March 24, 2006
Magnolia campbellii subsp. mollicomata 'Borde Hill'
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. Yesterday's long entry was due to my giving a presentation about BPotD at the Museums and the Web conference in Albuquerque. – Daniel
At UBC Botanical Garden, this magnolia cultivar has the deepest colour of all of the large-flowered magnolias. An impressive specimen, it is named for the gardens of Borde Hill in the United Kingdom.
As a photographic aside, it also shows the difficulties of photographing complete trees in the forested Asian garden without a wide angle lens. Fortunately, I now have one, so expect improved photographs using this tool after I return to work in a few week's time.
Botany resource link: Dias com árvores – mostly in Portuguese, but that shouldn't prevent you from exploring this wonderful weblog about plants. Daily postings with an emphasis on trees, nearly always accompanied by photographs.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (4)
March 23, 2006
Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii
Douglas's widow-grass is distributed from southern British Columbia to northern California. The species Olsynium douglasii (there are two varieties, var. douglasii and var. inflatum) is the only representative of the genus Olsynium in North America. Eleven other species are distributed in South America.
The common name widow-grass or “grass widow” was apparently coined by the botanist Rafinesque (previously highlighted in a botany resource link from this entry). The Flora of North America account for Olsynium cites Rafinesque's explanation for the common name: “[meaning] hardly united, alluding to the stamens”.
For more photographs, see the entry for Olsynium douglasii on the web site of The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.
Photography resource link: Environmental Photography: Blending Art & Activism by Randy Beacham for Nature Photographers Online. The article features ten “tips” on environmental photography.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (7)
March 22, 2006
Acer macrophyllum
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
Eric La Fountaine wrote today's entry (and he scanned the seed). – Daniel.
The dry winged seeds of Acer macrophyllum, or bigleaf maple, are referred to as samaras or keys. The one in this image was collected in 1946 and is now part of the John Davidson Seed collection at the UBC Botanical Garden.
The tree is native from Alaska to southern California and can reach a height of 30 metres. Macrophyllum means “big leaf” – the maple is therefore appropriately named, as it is the species with the largest leaves. The leaves can measure up to 20 cm across.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (7)
March 21, 2006
Prunus incisa
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
Fuji cherry is a slow-growing shrub in the rose family cultivated for its ornamental value. For a horticultural perspective, see Prunus incisa on the web site of the Royal Horticultural Society.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (4)
March 20, 2006
Ananas comosus
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
A big thank you to Ken McCown of California (aka ken mccown@flickr) for today's image (original) submitted via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool.
With hundreds of cultivars, it is impossible to identify which variety of pineapple this might be. Pineapples themselves can make identification difficult in other realms: “Workers who cut up pineapples have their fingerprints almost completely obliterated by pressure and the keratolytic effect of bromelain (calcium oxalate crystals and citric acid were excluded as the cause).” via Purdue University's Center for New Crops and Plants Products entry on Ananas comosus. To see a photograph of a pineapple in flower, visit Cal's Plant of the Week page on Ananas comosus from the University of Oklahoma.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (4)
March 19, 2006
Illicium anisatum
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
It is not always safe to presume that members of the same genus have similar chemical compositions. Illicium verum of China, commonly known as star anise, is used as a spice in cooking and liquor (and the shikimic acid extracted from it is used in the production of Tamiflu). The Japanese star anise, Illicium anisatum, is however severely toxic – its chemicals can cause severe inflammation of the kidneys, urinary tract and digestive organs, as well as affecting the nervous system. To read more, see Wikipedia's entries on Illicium anisatum and Illicium verum.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (5)
March 18, 2006
Myrica gale
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
The male flowers of sweetgale are borne in stout catkins. Distributed across the northern forest regions of North America and Eurasia, sweetgale grows on the margins of water bodies. Historically, Myrica gale was used as a food spice by those who could not afford better. More importantly, though, its primary use as a spice was in flavouring beer. Read a fascinating account of the history of beer spices and Myrica gale on Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (5)
March 16, 2006
Asclepias speciosa
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
These two images are part of a larger series posted on Flickr by Maureen from Montana (aka MontanaRaven@Flickr). To see the whole set, visit Milkweed Mother. If you'd like to see these two images in particular, visit here and here. The images were submitted to BPotD via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool. Thanks again, Maureen (Maureen's weblog: raven's nest)!
I'm fairly certain this is Asclepias speciosa and not Asclepias syriaca – I'm basing my identification on the seed morphology and barely discernible pattern of venation on the leaves (you need to see the other photographs in the Flickr set for this information). It's very possible that I've misidentified it, though. The USDA Plants Database has more information and photographs: Asclepias speciosa.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (2)
March 15, 2006
Magnolia campbellii subsp. campbellii 'Ethel Hillier'
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
The Magnolia Society has an excellent site that includes a checklist of magnolia cultivars and an extensive section of the site by Richard Figlar (who I corresponded with on this BPotD entry) on the classification of magnolias.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (2)
March 14, 2006
Leucospermum sp.
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
Many thanks to Wayne of the UK (aka WLA@Flickr) for submitting today's image (BPotD Flickr Group Pool | original image). Don't forget to visit Wayne's weblog: Earth, Wind &Water!
Pincushions are a member of the protea family – to read more (and see more photographs), visit Dr. Gerald Carr's Proteaceae page and / or the Museums of Cape Town's Biodiversity Explorer, with its page on the Proteaceae.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (1)
March 13, 2006
Rhododendron bainbridgeanum
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
Not widely known in cultivation, Rhododendron bainbridgeanum is native to southwest China, Tibet and Burma (Myanmar). A scientific description of the species is available from Flora of China: Rhododendron bainbridgeanum.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (1)
March 12, 2006
Pleiospilos nelii
I'm currently on vacation, hence the short written accompaniment. – Daniel
Thanks to Amir from Israel for sharing his photographs of this small succulent. Native to the Cape Province of South Africa, “split rock” has a number of other relatives that resemble rocks or pebbles. Fred Dortort has written a tidy summary article on these “Magic Rocks” for the University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley.
For a few other images of why this plant deserves its common name, an image search on Google for Pleiospilos nelii has a number of results.
Botany resource link: Learn more about the tropical genus of plants Peperomia at peperomia.net – “The Internet Peperomia Reference”.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (0)
March 11, 2006
Viburnum rhytidophyllum
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
The emerging leaves of leatherleaf viburnum are covered in a dense coat of hairs. As the leaves expand to their mature size, the hairs continue to be distributed over the entire surface of the leaf (though not as densely). For many people, these hairs can be a skin irritant. For more on this Eurasian plant (including other photographs), visit the Missouri Plants site where Dan Tenaglia writes about Viburnum rhytidophyllum.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (5)
March 10, 2006
Abronia maritima
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
Thanks to Bill from San Jose, California (aka bbum@Flickr) for today's photograph submitted via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool. If you like, check out the original image or visit Bill's weblog, bbum's weblog-o-mat.
To see the habitat of this species, visit the web site of Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve in California (in particular, the beaches and dunes page). Calflora.net has another photograph and links to the translation of the Latin names in its entry on red sand verbena.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (0)
March 9, 2006
Helleborus niger
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
If you enjoy hellebores (or good photographs), “Weekend Gardener” and “silver_creek” on the UBC discussion forums have posted a great series of images recently – see them here.
For more information on these winter-flowering plants, visit Graham Rice's site exclusively dedicated to Hellebores.
Photography resource link: For inspiration, the photography of Jerry Greer.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:50 AM| Comments (3)
March 8, 2006
Umbellularia californica
Today's photographs are courtesy of Mary from San Lorenzo, California (aka (marymactavish@Flickr | Mary's wildflower photographs | BPotD Flickr Group Pool). Thank you Mary!
Mary has already written an excellent accompaniment to these photographs, so I'm going to direct you to see the original images for some written information and links: Umbellularia californica (flower), Umbellularia californica (habit) and (one not shown here) Umbellularia californica (nooks).
As Mary mentions, the common name for this tree in California is often California bay laurel or bay laurel, but in Oregon (the other state it can be found in), it is typically called Oregon myrtle. See Wikipedia's entry on Umbellularia californica for more information on this monotypic genus (there is only one species of Umbellularia!).
Invasive species / evolution resource links: A gall wasp introduced into Hawaii has become an invasive pest; it has the potential to exterminate some culturally-significant (and endemic) species of Erythrina (coral trees) on the islands. No known natural predators from the wasp's native region could be introduced to control the wasp because the wasp's origin was unknown. How does one quickly discover the native range of the wasp (and hopefully natural predators) before the Erythrina species go extinct? By using knowledge of evolution to predict where the wasp's native range is most likely to be. A story in four parts from The Questionable Authority weblog – (1) Applications of Evolution 1 - The Erythrina Gall Wasp, (2) But why should we save the Wiliwili?, (3) Applications of Evolution 1a - Hopelessly Watching Extinction and (4) Applications of Evolution - More on the gall wasp.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (12)
March 7, 2006
Paeonia delavayi
When first emerging, the leaves of Père Delavay's tree peony have an intriguing shape and texture; this continues as the leaves unfold.
Taxonomic opinions vary widely on Paeonia delavayi and related taxa – see Hong DY, Pan Ky and Yu H. 1998. Taxonomy of the Paeonia delavayi complex (Paeoniaceae). Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 85(4): 554-564. To see the variability in flower colour and properties, see this figure from the Flora of China's treatment for Paeonia delavayi (or you can simply do a image search on Google for Paeonia delavayi).
Natural history / photography resource links: Knowing Nature: Dave and Jocie's Natural History Blog includes observations about British Columbia nature, while Botanical Ramblings is a series of photographs of BC wildflowers. Both sites are by Dave Ingram (also worth checking out Dave's site to see his dragonfly and damselfly resource pages).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:00 AM| Comments (6)
March 6, 2006
Swainsona formosa
Heather from Adelaide, Australia (aka (heatherw@Flickr) contributed this image of the floral emblem of South Australia via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool (original image). More of Heather's photographs from Wilpena Pound can be seen here. Thanks, Heather!
Sturt's desert pea, Swainsona formosa, was the subject of a recent proposal to reclassify the species as Willdampia formosa (see first paragraph). However, it seems that the general consensus is that the reclassification isn't warranted, based on both morphological and DNA evidence: Willdampia formosa in the Australian Plant Names Index.
Visit Gardening Australia's site to read a more general account of Sturt's desert pea.
Photography / Photoshop resource link: Fake Model Photography, a tutorial by Christopher Phin on how to manipulate images in Photoshop to make the subjects of the photograph appear as if they were miniature models. I tried it out with yesterday's photograph of Pohlia nutans with subpar results, but if it works for you on a botanical image, let me know!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:33 AM| Comments (3)
March 4, 2006
Dracula chestertonii
An orchid photograph contribution from the personal collection of Andreas of Bogotá, Colombia (aka Quimbaya@Flickr | BPotD Flickr Group Pool | original image). Many thanks, Andreas!
Not only does it emit the smell of a fungus (its odor contains many of the same volatile compounds as mushrooms), but the floral lip of the orchid Dracula chestertonii closely resembles the gilled structure of some mushrooms. When female fungus flies are deceived into depositing their eggs on the flower, they also pollinate the orchid. For more on this mimickry (and particularly if you have library or university access to the full article), see the source for the above information: Kaiser, R. 2006. Flowers and Fungi Use Scents to Mimic Each Other. Science. 311(5762): 806-807 (the captions with the figures are somewhat informative if you don't have access to the entire article).
Dracula chestertonii is native to Colombia.
I should also note that the majority of online images for this plant show the flower flipped one hundred and eighty degrees (example), but there are a few with the perspective of today's photograph.
Photography resource link: The work of Hiroki Suzuki offers a glimpse into the landscapes of Japan. While the photographs are certainly worth viewing, be forewarned that each link opens in a new browser window.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:48 AM| Comments (5)
March 3, 2006
Corylus avellana 'Contorta'
Although it is a week before I leave on vacation, from now until my return in mid-April the written accompaniment to many of the daily photographs will be shorter than usual. – Daniel
Corkscrew hazel or “Harry Lauder's walking stick” anchors one corner of the Alpine Garden at UBC.
If you've keen eyes, you will note that there are both male and female flowers in this photograph. The long catkins are inflorescences containing many dozens of pollen-producing male flowers, while the small dots of pink here and there are the stigmas (or pollen-receiving structures) of the small, wind-pollinated, apetalous female flowers (apetalous = lacking petals). If you're not certain what you're looking for, the Arkive site mentioned a few days as a resource link has this photograph of a Corylus female flower.
Botany resource link: The Vascular Plant Image Library hosted by Texas A & M University. Eight thousand plant images that are open and available for any educational, non-profit use.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:56 AM| Comments (18)
March 2, 2006
Corylopsis pauciflora
Native to slopes and forests of Japan and Taiwan, this small shrub has a common name of buttercup winterhazel. “Buttercup” refers to the colour of its flowers, while “winterhazel” intimates its belonging to the witchhazel family, the Hamamelidaceae. Here at UBC Botanical Garden, it reaches a height of roughly 2 meters while spreading out to nearly 3 meters. Like other members of the genus, the flowers are fragrant, but not overwhelmingly so.
When first beginning to bloom in late winter, it would be suitable to describe the plant as having a constellation of subtle yellow flowers; however, at full bloom, I'd perhaps describe it as a galaxy (specimen photographs). The somewhat misleading epithet, pauciflora (literally a paucity of flowers), makes more sense when comparing this species to other winterhazels. While buttercup winterhazel has clusters of two to five flowers, other members of the genus can have inflorescences of ten or more blossoms.
For a scientific description, see Corylopsis pauciflora in the Flora of China. The first draft of today's entry had an eerie resemblance to the gardening-centred article on Corylopsis pauciflora written by Paghat, since I don't recall reading her article before I'd written the first two paragraphs. I've restructured what I had written, but you can still see the similarities.
Photography resource link: For inspiration, the nature photography of Jasper Doest of The Netherlands.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 4:30 AM| Comments (9)
February 28, 2006
Cirsium vulgare
Bill from San Jose, California (aka bbum@Flickr) submitted today's photograph of bull thistle (taken last July) via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool (original image). Bill has recently written about some of his experiences with nature photography on his weblog, bbum's weblog-o-mat. Thanks again, Bill!
Cirsium vulgare is native to Europe and Asia, but is now found throughout most of North America (including all of the continental US and Alaska). Part of its success as a weedy invader is due to it being a myrmecochore – a plant whose seed is dispersed by ants (in a 1973 paper in Biotropica by Fittkau & Klinge, the authors estimated the biomass of ants to be 4x that of all terrestrial vertebrates in the Brazilian rainforest – I don't know what the numbers might be elsewhere, but you can read more about ants in Wilson EO, Hölldobler B. 2005. The rise of the ants: A phylogenetic and ecological explanation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102(21): 7411-4).
Dr. Peter Harris, emeritus scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, has written an extensive article describing Cirsium vulgare, its economic impact, methods of biological control and its ecological properties. The advantages of myrmecochory are fully outlined in the article, but I'll summarize as well. Seeds transported to ant colonies are discarded (the ants eat the protein- and fat-rich elaisome on the fruit) into abandoned galleries in the nest. In the nest, the seed is: 1) protected from above-ground predation (rodents and birds), 2) provided with a nutrient-rich environment in which to germinate (if the seed is non-dormant) and 3) if it is dormant, can remain so until the seed is exposed to light. The last advantage might require some explanation. For a biennial species like Cirsium vulgare, two bad years of no seed production (due to biological controls, fire, chemical control, etc.) could theoretically wipe out a local population. However, by having buried seeds reside in ant nests that may not germinate for many years, the long-term sustainability of the entire local population of plants is secured.
Art resource link: Ruth Jones – Art of Tapestry, with images of pieces in the Galleria and Range of Work. Tapestry, like most other artwork, is certainly better witnessed in person. Still, it is possible to observe elements of composition, colour and form online (with an eye to continued attentiveness of such in photography). Site suggested by BPotD reader Margaret from Vancouver (thank you!).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (7)
February 27, 2006
Rhododendron dauricum
Rhododendron dauricum is one of the earliest rhododendrons to bloom each year. Widely distributed in eastern Asia (including Siberia), it is recorded to be hardy to -32°C / -25°F (and hence used in hybridization work for hardiness). Elizabeth Carlhian, of the American Rhododendron Society Massachusetts Chapter, has written a comprehensive account of Rhododendron dauricum and its cultivars.
Nature / photography resource link: ARKive: Images of Life on Earth – “Using film, photographs and audio recordings, ARKive is creating a unique record of the world’s biodiversity - complementing other species information datasets, and making a key resource available for scientists, conservationists, educators and the general public.”
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:22 AM| Comments (1)
February 25, 2006
Rhododendron neriiflorum var. neriiflorum 'Rosevallon'
A fairly uncommon cultivar, 'Rosevallon' is generally only seen in botanical gardens with extensive Rhododendron collections or sold by specialist nurseries. If you were to walk by this plant in the garden, it's likely that you'd miss its most striking feature: the colour of the underside of its leaves. As you can see in the first image, the leaf undersides seem to simply be heavily shadowed and are easily missed. Bending its branches, however, reveals its secrets (I wish the second photo had a bit more depth. Ah well.).
The species Rhododendro neriiflorum is native to the Himalayas. For more on rhododendrons, I highly recommend the Rhododendron Species Foundation and Botanical Garden site.
Botany resource link: Flora of Taiwan online database. We have the print version at UBC, but it's good to see the information available online. If you find the information too technical, perhaps you'd enjoy some of the images: example 1, example 2 and example 3.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 4:09 AM| Comments (1)
February 24, 2006
Iris 'Purple Gem'
When taken to abstractness, iris flowers look entirely different; it's understandable that they are favourite subject of photographers. For more literal photographs, there are a few images of Iris 'Purple Gem from previous years available on the garden's discussion forums. Alternatively, I also suggest trekking over to read Paghat's excellent written account of Iris 'Purple Gem' with accompanying images.
Photography resource link: For inspiration, Adirondack Light: the photography of Mark Hobson. Navigation is a bit tricky, so here are the three gallery links: Ku SQ Thinking, Krappy Kamera and Ku Triptychs.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:25 AM| Comments (14)
February 22, 2006
Acacia baileyana
Brent Hine, curator of the Alpine Garden, constantly experiments with plants thought not to be hardy in the local climate. This approach yields many surprises, but can also lead to a bit of sadness. In the early winter of 2003, it became apparent that this Cootamundra wattle was going to flower prolifically. And flower it did (specimen shot); everyone at the garden talked about this beauty. Fast forward one year to early January 2004, when a night with temperatures dipping to -12.8°C hits. This plant, soon to have masses of flowers again, did not survive. I recall quite a few disappointed faces.
Australia contains nearly one thousand species of Acacia and is the centre of diversity for this genus of about 1350 species. The wattles are emblematic of the country, so you can imagine the concern from Australian botanists when molecular studies suggested that the genus ought to be split up into a number of segregate genera. As proposed, this would have resulted in the majority of Acacia in Australia being transferred into, and forming much (or all?) of, the genus Racosperma. The genus name Acacia would only be retained by those species closely related to the first species to be described under that name (the type species), the African Acacia nilotica (syn. Acacia scorpoides), meaning a reduction in the number of species in Acacia worldwide to 161 species, with only 7 in northern Australia.
To prevent this, a formal proposal was made to the Committee for Spermatophyta under the rules of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature to switch the type species for the genus to one of the species that would have been transferred to the genus Racosperma – Acacia penninervis. By switching the species which the genus name is based on, the name Acacia would be associated with that particular species and its closest relatives (most of the nearly one thousand Australian species). This proposal was ratified in July of 2005.
If you'd like to read more, here are a few links: The name Acacia retained for Australian species via the Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research; Wattle become of Acacia? from World Wide Wattle; and Orchard, A.E. and Maslin, B.R. 2003. Proposal to conserve the name Acacia (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae) with a conserved type. Taxon. 52(2): 362-363.
Botany / art resource link: A real treat today: the Members' Gallery of the American Society of Botanical Artists shares examples of the creations of approximately two hundred botanical artists in North America. A few of the artists have UBC Botanical Garden connections: Lyn Noble is a UBC Friend of the Garden, Vicki Earle has taught courses here at the garden (I took her botanical drawing class) and Vanessa Pasqualetto is a former technician (we shared an office). I hope I didn't miss anyone else on the list with UBC connections, but I'm sure someone will correct me, if so.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (12)
February 21, 2006
Daphne bholua 'Jacqueline Postill'
“Powerfully fragrant” is used to describe the scent of this winter-flowering shrub. Selected as a self-pollinated seedling of Daphne bholua 'Gurkha' by Alan Postill of Hillier Nurseries, the name honours his wife – I hope she was very pleased, because this cultivar has since gone on to receive a Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit.
If the fragrance is so compelling (and it is, in the majority of species in the genus), why are there few Daphne species used in the landscape? Two reasons come to mind from what I've been told: 1) protocols for mass commercial propagation of many Daphne species have yet to be discovered so current production requires labour-intensive processes, and therefore high prices; and 2) susceptibility to fungal pathogens. UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research's Dr. Andrew Riseman and his doctoral student, David Noshad, are researching both of these difficulties with an eye to expanding the palette of Daphne species and cultivars available to gardeners. As part of their research, they've sourced a number of difficult to find species of Daphne. Many of these species will eventually form the backbone of the planned Daphne collection in the garden.
For gardening information on 'Jacqueline Postill', you can read this piece from the Royal Horticultural Society: Daphne bholua 'Jacqueline Postill'.
Natural history resource link: The Tucson, Arizona-based The Firefly Forest and companion web site, Wildflowers of Tucson. Firefly Forest was suggested to me by Angus Pratt at the Northern Voice conference, where he and I had a thought-provoking discussion on weblogs being used as natural history journals (with Firefly Forest being a prime example).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (9)
February 18, 2006
Heptacodium miconioides
Heptacodium is monotypic, with only one species in the genus – seven-son flower. Unknown to Western science prior to 1907, it was encountered by E.H. Wilson during one of his expeditions to China. It remained unknown to Western horticulture until 73 years later when a group of scientists from the Arnold Arboretum and the US National Arboretum collected seed from a cultivated plant in Hangzhou Botanical Garden (the photograph is of a plant grown from one of those seeds). Stephen Spongberg, one of the members of the expedition, notes “...today there are undoubtedly more individual plants in cultivation in North America than in all of China” – you can read more of his recollections on Heptacodium from the expedition here.
The Kemper Center for Home Gardening has extensive photographs of the entire plant, including the flowers: Heptacodium miconioides.
To create this black-and-white, I used some of the Orton Imagery Techniques but did not digitally overexpose the image as suggested. Instead, I only did a 20% screen blend on the duplicate image. From the final image, I chose to use the red channel on its own for the b+w rendition.
Photography resource link: High Dynamic Time Range Images, a new photographic technique developed by local scientist Martin Krzywinski (discovered via The Luminous Landscape) – “Capturing the flow of time in a single frame”.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:39 AM| Comments (22)
February 17, 2006
Brassica oleracea [Botrytis Group] 'Romanesco'
![Brassica oleracea [Botrytis Group] 'Romanesco'](http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/potd/brassica_romanesco-thumb.jpg)
Today's image was photographed last September in a Venice market by Kimberly T of California (I'm not sure which Venice – California or Italy?). Many thanks, Kimberly!
A top-notch piece of writing on this plant exists online, so rather than trying to retell the story, I'm going to highly recommend you visit this page: Fractal Food: Self-Similarity on the Supermarket Shelf by John Walker, founder of Autodesk, Inc. and co-author of the well-known AutoCAD software. To give a hint of what you'll find on the article, John's divided his (released into the public domain) essay into a few parts: The Unclassifiable Romanesco, A Computational Universe?, Stalking the Vegetable with a Camera and Fixing Fractal Food – perfect Botany Photo of the Day fare.
Conservation resource link: “The Case of the Orchid Smugglers”, an article from Environment Canada's EnviroZine, tells the story of an illegal importation of protected orchids into Canada.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:00 AM| Comments (16)
February 16, 2006
Rhododendron barbatum
The feature of this rhododendron described by the epithet barbatum is barely discernible in this image. Barbatum translates to “bearded”, and refers to the hairs present on the petioles (the leaf stalks) – if you look closely, you should be able to see a few long hairs on the stalk of the leaf in the lower right.
Rhododendron barbatum is native to the Himalayas; for the taxonomic description, see Rhododendron barbatum in the Flora of China.
Photography resource link: Canon EOS Beginners' Frequently Asked Questions is a comprehensive suite of questions and answers particularly for new users of modern Canon SLR cameras, but much of it is useful for any photographer.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (6)
February 15, 2006
Salix acutifolia 'Blue Streak'
'Blue Streak' violet willow was featured on Botany Photo of the Day ten months ago, so I encourage you to (re)read the entry for Salix acutifolia 'Blue Streak' in early April of 2005.
The species is native to northern Europe and Asia; this cultivar was selected from plants in Russia, apparently sometime in the late 19th century (I haven't confirmed this against a Salix cultivar reference). Like all members of the genus Salix, the bark of the species contains salicin, a chemical from which the medicinal salicylic acid (important in skin care) and acetisalicylic acetylsalicylic acid, or aspirin, can be derived.
Natural history resource link: The Canadian nature observation program, PlantWatch. “The PlantWatch program enables 'citizen scientists' to get involved by recording flowering times for selected plant species and reporting these dates to researchers through the Internet or by mail. When you submit your data electronically, it's added instantly to Web maps showing bloom dates across Canada, so your observations make a difference right away!”
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (6)
February 14, 2006
Theobroma cacao
I've been waiting for a few months to feature this photograph from Dr. Chris Wolverton of Ohio Wesleyan University. Chris uploaded it via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool (original image – Chris, let me know if it's not alright that I cropped it). Thanks for sharing the snapshot, Chris – much appreciated!
As to why I held off until today to feature it, the answer is in the specific epithet. This is fruit of the cacao plant; the seeds inside are processed to produce cocoa, cocoa butter and, when the two are combined with varying amounts of other ingredients, chocolate.
Presumed to be native to the equatorial mountainsides of the Andes, Theobroma cacao is now cultivated in many tropical regions of the world. The largest producer is the Ivory Coast, accounting for over 40% of production (but at a cost: see “War Inflates Cocoa Prices but Leaves Africans Poor”, an October 30, 2002 article from the New York Times).
For an excellent overview of the economic botany and history of chocolate, check out Exploratorium's “The Sweet Lure of Chocolate”. And, as always, Purdue University's Center for New Crops and Plant Products also has an informed account: Theobroma cacao.
Photography resource link: Views of the Northeast by Ana Licuanan features several galleries of images from the northeastern US. “Enchanted Forests” contains my favourites, but there are plenty of other gems to be found.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:12 AM| Comments (16)
February 13, 2006
Galanthus nivalis 'Viridapice'
I received a request from a galanthophile to feature a snowdrop on BPotD, so here's one from UBC. The UBC garden has a half-dozen or so different kinds of snowdrops, a number that pales in comparison to the roughly one hundred and sixty different cultivars at Colesbourne Gardens in the UK. With that many cultivars, you might expect a large range of forms and sizes. The reality, though, is that the differences between cultivars can be extremely subtle. The requirement to appreciate detail and subtlety is part of the attraction for galanthophiles.
Snowdrops are native to Europe and Asia Minor. As M.J. Harvey writes in a book review of “The Genus Galanthus” for Botanical Electronic News No. 250, that distribution resulted in a delay in the scientific understanding of the genus. Scientists on one side of the Iron Curtain did not have ready access to the live plants or herbarium specimens from the other side (and vice versa), so no one could compile a complete overview. This changed in the 1990s, facilitating the taxonomic work required for (and subsequent publication of) the monograph of Galanthus reviewed by Harvey.
Botany resource link: A biography of Dr. Katherine Esau, pioneering plant anatomist (yes, she did write the textbook on the subject!). A fascinating story of an accomplished scientist.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (4)
February 12, 2006
Sedum spathulifolium
A follow-up to the post on Eriophyllum lanatum, these are photographs on the same island by Sheila's friend and co-kayaker, Stephanie Meinke. Thank you, Stephanie!
As Sheila noted to me, these plants were “growing in rocky crevices and depressions wherever a little bit of soil could accumulate”, a similar phenomenon to what was mentioned in this entry on lichen diversity. Over time, most biologically barren surfaces will eventually be colonized by some living pioneers. These pioneers are often (partially) replaced by a succeeding wave of other organisms, which are in turn succeeded by others and so on - a process termed succession. As mentioned by Brent in the comments of the Eriophyllum entry, the nearby Winchelsea Islands sustain a Garry oak woodland community of plants, while these seemingly do not, i.e., the Winchelsea Islands are at a later seral stage (a later stage in the successional process).
Knowing that the Winchelsea Islands are larger in area than the Ada Islands and assuming 1) both groups of islands have the same geological origins and substrate (a fairly safe assumption); 2) the surfaces of both groups of islands have been exposed from the ocean for a similar length of time (a not so safe assumption); and 3) the Winchelsea Islands peak higher than the Ada Islands (could someone please confirm?), what do you think are the factors that have prevented the Ada Islands from going through the successional stages that would allow them to similarly host a Garry oak woodland forest?
A quick note from Olduvai George: Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin.
Photography resource link: While browsing in a bookstore a couple days ago, I was delighted to discover “Tree – A New Vision of the American Forest”, by writer-photographer James Balog. When someone takes an entire day to photograph a tree section by section, you can imagine the result is going to be something spectacular. It is. Site navigation is a bit tricky, but check out the section on Trees – two of my favourites are "Stagg" Giant Sequoia and Sycamore. As an aside, there is no Amazon link because I've decided such a program isn't the right thing for UBC BG in most cases (and I will be removing most of the few existing links to Amazon from the site).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:06 AM| Comments (7)
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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.