Flowering Plants (09)
May 11, 2006
Prosartes hookeri var. oregana
Second in a series featuring plants from the upcoming Perennial Plant Sale, this plant will likely be sold under its well-known (but incorrect) scientific name, Disporum hookeri var. oreganum. The genus Disporum previously contained taxa from both eastern Asia and North America, but enough evidence was gathered that taxonomists were able to justify splitting the genus. Eastern Asian species remained in the genus Disporum, but North American species fell under the genus Prosartes. The Flora of North America account for Prosartes provides references.
The USDA PLANTS database entry for Prosartes hookeri var. oregana provides a common name I'd not previously encountered – Oregon drops of gold. I prefer the more commonly used fairy-bells or Hooker's fairy-bells.
For those of you who like to puzzle over odd plant distributions, this species is typically considered native to the western part of North America, but there is a disjunct population in the Porcupine Mountains of Michigan.
Conservation / forestry resource link: “The Misunderstood Forest”, a manuscript by the late Dr. Gene Namkoong of the UBC Forest Sciences Department. This manuscript was originally suggested as reading material by Dr. Quentin Cronk since the preface by Dr. Namkoong brings the Carolinian Forest to life (particularly important for us at UBC Botanical Garden to understand with the new Carolinian Forest garden under development). From the foreword:
“The continuing story of human conflict over forest use and preservation is complex and bewildering, spanning thousands of years. However, since the early 1990’s, a widespread concern has emerged over the fate of the world's forests. Over the past decade or so, this has led to several international conferences and agreements, as well as dozens of books published on the general topic of man's generally destructive relationship with the earth's forests and wilderness. Many of these books provide a thorough analysis and describe local issues - from the historical events to the consequences in society and across the landscape. Among them, a substantial number focus on forestry in the controversial Pacific Northwest of North America.
In “The Misunderstood Forest”, Gene Namkoong set out to dig deeper in a quest to identify the fundamental problem that continues to drive the conflict. He highlights many of our major historical conflicts, from recent events to very long ago, and suggests that the crux in our conflict is a misunderstanding of what forests are, a misunderstanding that is as complex as the history.”
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:25 AM| Comments (4)
May 10, 2006
Dryas ×suendermannii
Long-time readers will know I like to feature plants from upcoming UBC Botanical Garden events and plant sales. With that in mind, today starts a small series showcasing a few of the plants available at this year's Perennial Plant Sale. If you're interested in browsing through what's available, the plant lists are available online for the first time ever this year.
Suendermann's avens is a hybrid between two species, the circumpolar Dryas octopetala and the northern North American Dryas drummondii. Dryas is rare, if not unique, within the rose family for having eight petals; most of the Rosaceae have five. In trying to investigate why Dryas has a strange number of petals, I've come up short. I'd personally be interested if anyone knew of any journal articles that explained the evolutionary mechanisms involved.
The massive quantities of Dryas pollen found in ice cores have prompted the naming of two historic cold climate episodes, the Younger Dryas stadial and the Older Dryas stadial.
Photography resource link: for inspiration, the photography of Jenny Ellerbe. Be sure to check out both the northeastern Louisiana landscapes and her black and white images (I really like this cotton study).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:22 AM| Comments (4)
May 9, 2006
Galium odoratum
Commonly known as sweet woodruff, hay plant, kiss-me-quick, mugwet, rockweed, sweet grass, woodruff, bedstraw, sweet-scented bedstraw, May grass, our lady's lace, sweet white woodruff or Waldmeister (“Master of the Forest”), this species has more common names than a three-toed sloth has toes (and begs the question as to why they aren't called twelve-toed sloths).
As you might have discerned from the common names, it is indeed sweetly-scented, and laced with the smell of fresh-mown hay. I had recently read that it has edible flowers (with a taste of “sweet, nutty, vanilla”), so I tried some yesterday – I'll stick to eating sweets, nuts and vanilla.
You can learn more about this plant in the garden here: Galium odoratum via the Missouri Botanical Garden's Kemper Center for Home Gardening.
Keeping count? This is the 400th Botany Photo of the Day.
Agriculture resource link: Fruit Facts is a great site to learn about tropical and subtropical fruits.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (4)
May 8, 2006
Acer palmatum var. dissectum
Art resource link: Aesthetic Arrest, an article from painter Robert Genn of The Painter's Keys on artworks that create moments when an “innocent viewer is stopped dead in his tracks and has no choice but to stare in awe.”
I'm not certain what the term might be for the similar moments when plants evoke the same feeling of awe. Botanic arrest? Or, perhaps, aesthetic arrest can also be applied to plants. Whatever term is used, today's photograph is a mere shadow of what it was that made me stop and stare. The element that is missing is motion; in a breeze, laceleaf maple flows like a waterfall or a flock of small birds in flight. It is certainly deserving of a Freeman Patterson approach in the future.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:07 AM| Comments (11)
May 7, 2006
Iris douglasiana (cultivar)
Today's nod of appreciation goes to Cliff aka The Marmot@Flickr. Cliff's original image is here: Douglas iris (via the Flickr BPotD Group Pool). Be sure to check out Cliff's set of photographs of Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. Thank you, Cliff!
Douglas iris is highly variable for traits such as flower colour and flower size. It also freely hybridizes with other species of Iris, including Iris innominata. Typically, these properties would lend themselves to an important role in Iris breeding and the creation of novel cultivated varieties. However, in the case of California irises (or Pacific coastal native irises) like Iris douglasiana and Iris innominata, the hybridization potential is limited due to growing requirements of these species. Few of the over four thousand cultivated irises have California irises in their parentage.
Extra Flickr BPotD Group Pool Pics: more photographs of irises! I'm revealing my ignorance here about the nomenclature of cultivated irises, but perhaps I'll investigate the names when I have a bit of time.
- Bearded Iris 1 and Bearded Iris 2 from bbum@Flickr
- Purple, White and Gold Louisiana Iris from Monceau@Flickr
Agriculture / genetics resource link: Transgenic Crops: An Introduction and Resource Guide. From the site: “The goal of this web site is to provide balanced information and links to other resources on the technology and issues surrounding transgenic crops (also known as genetically modified or GM crops). The site's authors are engaged in plant genetics research and teaching at Colorado State University. They receive no funds from companies involved in transgenic crop development, nor are they affiliated with groups campaigning against such crops.”
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (4)
May 6, 2006
Phlomis fruticosa
Many thanks to Maureen aka MontanaRaven@Flickr for sharing today's image. The original photograph is here: Phlomis growing wild on Crete (via the Flickr BPotD Group Pool).
I'm making an assumption that this is Phlomis fruticosa, but I might be wrong in my identification – Daniel.
The genus Phlomis is distributed throughout Europe, Asia and northern Africa. This particular species is widespread in the Mediterranean region, but shrubby Jerusalem sage is also a common plant in cultivation.
The UK-based National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens Gloucestershire maintains a tidy web site on its (again, UK-based) National Collection of Phlomis that is worth investigating to see the diversity within the genus (when photographs are present).
Extra Flickr BPotD Group Pool Pics: also in the Lamiaceae, or mint family, Lamium purpureum 1 and Lamium purpureum 2. This plant is commonly known as red deadnettle. Thanks to Wontolla65@Flickr!
In local news, the Alpine Garden Club of BC is having their spring plant sale today – highly recommended for both selection and price.
Lastly, there's a small interview with me about BPotD over on the Small Business Blog that might be of interest.
Photography resource link: Not a resource per se today, but a photograph instead. From Deadvlei, Namibia, “Red Dragon” by Michael Reichmann of The Luminous Landscape. Wow.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (2)
May 5, 2006
Centaurea montana
Perennial cornflower or mountain bluet is native to the mountains of southern Europe. However, thanks to its propensity to “escape” from gardens and naturalize, it can now be found as a non-native species throughout much of the rest of Europe and parts of North America. The Colorado State University's Cooperative Extension has a tidy article on Centaurea, including the history behind the name.
Flickr BPotD Group Pool Pic of the Day: a relative of the plant in today's image, Centaurea cyanus from the creative eye of Angel's Lens@Flickr (be sure to check out her other plant images!).
Botany / culture resource link: Botanical and Cultural Images of Eastern Asia, 1907-1927, a newly released virtual exhibit from the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard. Suggested by Dr. Quentin Cronk, director of UBC Garden.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:38 AM| Comments (1)
May 4, 2006
Eschscholzia californica
This is the second appearance of California poppy on Botany Photo of the Day – I encourage you to read (or reread) the entry from the first time it appeared: Eschscholzia californica. Eschscholzia is one of forty-one genera in the the poppy family, Papaveraceae. This family is generally restricted to the Northern Hemisphere, but some members can be found in western South America and South Africa.
Flickr BPotD Group Pool Pics of the Day are photographs of Eschscholzia californica from different perspectives:
- Poppies on the bluff near the lighthouse at Point Reyes (California) from marymactavish@Flickr
- California poppies from bbum@Flickr
- Poppyland from ken mccown@Flickr
Off-topic, but I've been intending to highlight some of the web sites mentioning BPotD for a little while now. First of all, Foothills Fancies, a weblog by lichen-aficionado Sally White of Colorado mentions BPotD as her favourite botany blog – thanks Sally, I promise to have more lichens soon.
Top Ten Sources is a “directory of sites that bring you the freshest, most relevant content on the Web” chose BPotD as part of their Top Ten Sources for Gardening.
Finally, Brian Brown operates Pajama Market – Small Business Blog of the Day and selected BPotD as his Small Business Blog of the Day for April 6. Why? As Brian says, “I included this blog on this website because I think it is a perfect example of what a business can do to massively expand their exposure...” I don't know if I'd use the word “massively”, but there has certainly been an uptick in the number of people visiting the garden's web site thanks to BPotD (so thank you for visiting and revisiting!).
Photography / nature resource link: Flowers in Ultra-Violet by Norwegian nature photographer Bjørn Rørslett reveals the hidden patterns of flowers.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (2)
May 3, 2006
Davidia involucrata 'Sonoma'
'Sonoma' is an early-flowering cultivar of the choice dove tree (or handkerchief tree) – in fact, this particular cultivar is a Great Plant Pick.
Davidia involucrata is often considered to be the only member of its genus, though not always; Wikipedia discusses the occasionally recognized Davidia vilmoriniana. One species or two, the genus remains endemic to China. This wasn't always the case, as the genus Davidia was once widespread across North America (see: Manchester, SR. 2002. Leaves and fruits of Davidia (Cornales) from the Paleocene of North America. Systematic Botany. 27(2):368-382). Dr. Steven Manchester, author of the cited paper, has included some of the images online from a fossil North American Davidia: Davidia antiqua leaf, Davidia antiqua fruit 1 and Davidia antiqua fruit 2.
UBC BG Forums BPotD Submissions Pics of the Day: Images of the species Davidia involucrata, photographed in the Riverview Arboretum (Coquitlam, British Columbia) by jimmyq@UBC-Forums.
Photography resource link: The Essential Landscape: Artists – Stand Up For Your Art!, an opinion piece by Guy Tal for Nature Photographers Online that advocates against the use of rigid definitions on what is considered “true” nature photography.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (5)
May 2, 2006
Gunnera tinctoria
Updated and rewritten May 2, 2006 at 10:45am PST to incorporate the proper identification of this plant by Douglas Justice (see comments below).
Commonly known as giant rhubarb or Chilean rhubarb, Gunnera tinctoria, is earmarked as a potentially invasive plant in New Zealand. Carol Ja, a member of the UBC Forums, posted in this thread about a report from New Zealand examining this exotic species: Williams, PA et al. 2005. Chilean rhubarb (Gunnera tinctoria): biology, ecology and conservation impacts in New Zealand (PDF). DOC Research & Development Series 210. Department of Conservation, Wellington. 27 p. (figure 6 on page 21 is both impressive and sad). The report also notes a few observations about naturalizing populations of a related species, Gunnera manicata, suggesting that it also needs to be monitored for invasiveness potential.
Gunnera manicata is native to southeastern Brazil. Some references suggest that this species is also native to Colombia, but this has been rejected through a molecular phylogenetic analysis (see: Wanntorp L, H-E Wanntorp and M. Källersjö. 2002. The identity of Gunnera manicata Linden ex André - resolving a Brazilian-Colombian enigma. Taxon. 51(3):493-497). Thought to have the largest leaves of all Gunnera species, a cultivated plant in Ireland had leaves that measured 3.4m (11ft) in width – all from one growing season (via Wikipedia's entry on Gunnera)
Flickr BPotD Group Pool Pics of the Day: more photographs of today's plant, Gunnera chilensis tinctoria 1 and Gunnera chilensis tinctoria 2, photographed in San Francisco's Strybing Arboretum by EricinSF@Flickr (note: see Douglas Justice's comments below re: synonymy of Gunnera tinctoria and Gunnera chilensis).
Photography / biology resource link: BioMedia (particularly the galleries) provides photographic glimpses into the lives of creatures not usually seen with the naked eye. Photographs are often accompanied by short, informative essays.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (15)
May 1, 2006
Erythronium revolutum
Last year, I visited the Honeymoon Bay Ecological Reserve specifically to seek out these flowers. Unfortunately, I'd visited a couple weeks too late, so only a few flowers were still in bloom in this area claimed to have the densest patch of the species in British Columbia. What I did find, however, was a number of weedy invaders throughout the area. Upon reflection, this isn't surprising – this triangular-shaped 6ha (15 acre) reserve is bordered on two sides by road, making it very susceptible to the ecological phenomenon known as the edge effect.
Flickr BPotD Group Pool Pic of the Day: From the same plant family as Erythronium, the centre of a Lilium flower, by Wontolla65@Flickr.
Botany resource link: Stem and Root Anatomy by Wayne Armstrong.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:58 AM| Comments (5)
April 30, 2006
Prunus avium 'Stella Compact'
'Stella Compact' is a self-fertile cultivar of the wild sweet cherry, Prunus avium. As alluded to by the cultivar name, this is a compact form of Prunus avium 'Stella', a popular cherry introduced as a fruit crop in 1968 via the Summerland Research Station in British Columbia.
The Virginia Cooperative Extension has an excellent resource on Growing Cherries in Virginia, though much of what is in the article is applicable anywhere.
Photography resource link: Understanding Lens Diffraction, a new article by Michael Reichmann of The Luminous Landscape. Fairly technical, but it can help you better understand your lenses.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:09 AM| Comments (1)
April 27, 2006
Armeria juniperifolia 'Bevan's Variety'
Plants of the genus Armeria are commonly known as thrift. This cultivar of juniper thrift is a dwarf-stemmed selection, and so forms an extremely compact mound (it's also a Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit recipient).
Of the ninety or so species of Armeria, half are endemic to the Iberian Peninsula in Europe. Armeria juniperifolia is one of those endemics, native only to Spain.
Armeria caespitosa is often listed as a synonym for Armeria juniperifolia, but I'm not certain if this is definitive after reading Feliner, G and G. González. 1996. Proposal to Reject the Name Statice juniperifolia (Plumbaginaceae). Taxon 45:709-710. (to summarize the paper simplistically, Statice juniperifolia was apparently thought to be an older published name for Armeria juniperifolia and so would take precedence in the world of assigning plant names if enough evidence was available to verify that the person who proposed the original name had actually meant that plant – it seemingly was rejected, though). In the paper, the authors mention a series of Armeria names and state, “Any of these names, except A. caespitosa, (cf. Garmendia in Anales Jard. Bot. Madrid 39:209. 1982), would, if found to be synonmous, be displaced by A. juniperifolia.” That bit about excepting A. caespitosa has me curious if there's more to the name than what I've been able to uncover so far.
From a photography perspective, I like the subtle vignetting effect in this photograph. This was an early morning image from the Alpine Garden. The sunlight was filtering through tree branches, creating natural vignettes.
Photography resource link: For inspiration, see Sublime Photography, the photography of Mike Mander. I discovered the work of this Vancouver-area photographer over three years ago, when I found a gallery of his UBC Botanical Garden in infrared photographs. I still haven't been able to scratch the itch of wanting to try infrared photography after having been inspired by Mike. One day soon, I hope.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (3)
April 25, 2006
Field of Tulipa
John Harvey has kindly shared this recent photograph of his trip to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival via the BPotD Submissions Forum (original thread | photograph on John's site | John's copyright statement and terms of use). John has previously been featured on BPotD as a photography resource link in this entry; he continues his helpful ways with this: John's Unofficial Guide to Taking Pictures of Tulips on Farms. Thanks John!
If you read through John's article, you'll learn (as I did) that the tulips grown in Skagit Valley are grown for bulb production (cut flowers are secondary, unlike here). For more depth on raising tulips as a bulb crop, read Tom Guffey's article on exploring the area from a touristing photographer's perspective, “A Wonderful Shooting Hotspot in Washington State”.
Photography resource link: Snapshots from Wild Kamloops, the photography of Robert Koopmans. A few of Robert's photographs will be showing up on BPotD from time to time, but that's all the more reason to check out his photo galleries. Don't miss the “fading yellow bell” in his wildflowers gallery, his (better) version of yesterday's plant. Also, this BPotD entry has a Koopmansian counterpart: see the landscapes gallery and look at “dead Ponderosa pine, Cinnamon Ridge”.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (2)
April 24, 2006
Fritillaria pudica
Yellow fritillary, or yellow bell, is native to western North America (distribution map and Flora of North America account). The epithet pudica means “bashful”, which I tried to illustrate with the close-up photograph. As you can see from the second image, the plant is quite small. Despite the size, the diminutive bulbs of these plants were commonly harvested by the First Nations peoples of the area for food.
For local readers, Café Scientifique Vancouver's discussion topic tomorrow evening is “Why Conserve Endangered Species?” with Dr. Arne Mooers from Simon Fraser University. What is Café Scientifique? “Café Scientifique is where you can have a drink and learn about the latest ideas and issues in science and technology in an informal setting. It’s not a lecture! It’s a place for group discussion and audience involvement is the most important ingredient.” (via Café Scientifique Canada).
Botany resource link: Tropical Plant Guides from Chicago's Field Museum is absolutely spectacular if you need to identify tropical plants – features six thousand quality plant photographs and twenty thousand herbarium specimen scans.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:05 AM| Comments (3)
April 23, 2006
Fouquieria splendens
These are the remaining photographs for the ocotillo series. As Al pointed out in the comments in the first entry, the leaves of ocotillo are temporary. They appear a few days after a rainfall and will drop when dry conditions resume – a cycle that can occur ten or more times in a year. Al also mentioned that the stems of Fouquieria splendens contain chlorophyll. This allows the plant to continue photosynthesis at a suboptimal rate when leaves are absent.
The angular white streaks in two of the photographs are courtesy of raindrops. Instead of getting the camera equipment wet in the rainfall, I snapped these images from the shelter of the car. Lazy photography, I suppose.
Photography resource link: for inspiration, Scenic Wild, the photography of Guy Tal. In addition to exceptional photo galleries, the site also contains a number of Guy's helpful articles.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:02 AM| Comments (8)
April 22, 2006
Fouquieria splendens
This is the second part of the series on ocotillo. Today's photographs are a conventional specimen shot and an impressionistic shot with the Lenbaby lens. The wand-like stems are instantly recognizable in the southwestern USA as being Fouquieria splendens. This does not hold true if one visits Mexico, where the stems of at least a few of the other ten species have a similar appearance.
Botany / conservation resource link: Botanic Gardens: Using Biodiversity to Improve Human Well-being, a recently released report from Botanical Gardens Conservation International “which addresses the fundamental linkages between the conservation of biological resources and the reduction of world poverty. The report highlights the important work being carried out across the globe by botanic gardens, who see the protection and sustainable use of plant diversity as the foundation for the improvement of human well-being.”
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:17 AM| Comments (5)
April 21, 2006
Fouquieria splendens
Today marks the start of a small series of photographs of one of my fifty favourite plants, Fouquieria splendens. Commonly known as ocotillo, Fouquieria splendens is distributed throughout northern Mexico and the southwest US (from California to Texas).
The family Fouquieriaceae is monotypic; Fouquieria is the only genus in the family. Eleven species of Fouquieria are recognized, but Fouquieria splendens is the only one that can be seen in the wild outside of Mexico (distribution map for Fouquieriaceae).
Ocotillo typically flowers from March to May. This coincides with the spring migration of hummingbirds, though hummingbirds are not the only pollinators. Many insects and other birds will also visit the plant; not surprising, as ocotillo will have flowers (and associated nectar) available even during the driest of years.
Photography resource link: 10 Tips for the New Digital SLR Photographer from photographer Thomas Hawk. Thomas takes a lot of photographs, so his advice is well-worth following. You can also browse his 4500+ photographs on Flickr.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:23 AM| Comments (2)
April 19, 2006
Fields of Hyacinthus and Narcissus
I'm loathe to admit it, but I've only now looked at the Flickr Botany Photo of the Day Group Pool of images for the first time since I left for vacation and returned. All I can say is: “Wow! What great photographs!”
Today's photos are contributed via Flickr by Wontolla65 from The Hague, Netherlands. The original photographs, taken in Noordwijkerhout and Voorhout, can be seen here and here. Many thanks for sharing these swaths of colour!
There is big money in flower production. According to An Overview of the BC Floriculture Industry, the worldwide trade in floriculture was 7.9 billion USD in 2001. The Netherlands is the hub of the industry: over half of global exports of flowers either originated domestically from the Netherlands or were imported to the Netherlands, brokered and then resold. Colombia, the second largest exporter, accounted for 7.5% of total exports.
However, competition is increasing around the globe. The industry has recently become established in several African countries and China. The role of the Netherlands in the global marketplace is shifting from a reliance on production toward the brokerage role (taking advantage of the supply networks they've established). For more, see this chapter from “The World Cut Flower Industry: Trends and Prospects”.
Photography resource link: Not just for techies, Camerahacker.com provides some reviews and tips in addition to hacks like building a bicycle camera mount (which I won't do) or making a pinhole lens for SLR cameras (which I'm considering).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:37 AM| Comments (1)
April 16, 2006
Washingtonia filifera
California fan palm is native to California, Nevada, Arizona and Baja California. As I was walking the short hike into Palm Canyon within California's Anza-Borrego State Park to see the palm groves, I couldn't help but notice (and wonder about) the dozens of fallen trunks in the streambed on the way up. Wayne Armstrong provides the reason why.
Botany resource link: Images of the flora and vegetation of Chile and South Argentina from a 2003 expedition to the area by researchers from the Jardin Botanique Alpin du Lautaret.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:18 AM| Comments (0)
April 15, 2006
Arctostapyhylos refugioensis × Arctostaphylos purissima
The two parent plants of this hybrid, Arctostaphylos refugioensis and Arctostaphlos purissima, both occur within Santa Barbara County of California. I therefore can't say with any certainty whether this is a naturally-occurring hybrid where the ranges of the parent plants overlap or whether this is a garden hybrid occurring as a result of a purposeful cross or proximate cultivated parent plants. To explain the last bit, a hybrid progeny can sometimes occur when two species are grown near each other in cultivation, but will likely never occur in the wild because of the geographic distance between the natural distribution ranges of the parent species.
Photography resource link: Image Deconstruction, an essay by Michael Reichmann of The Luminous Landscape about interpreting the contents of a photograph and finding the stories within. As an aside, the current photograph of Point Lobos on the main page of his site is very striking. Apparently, I was in the same parts of California at the same time, but unfortunately didn't encounter this master photographer. Sorry, I don't have a similar photograph of Point Lobos, though I really wanted one – I had “camera difficulties” that afternoon.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:33 AM| Comments (2)
April 14, 2006
Carex montana
In February 3rd's BPotD entry on Erica plukenetii, I asked as an aside if anyone wanted to suggest which genus of plants in British Columbia had the most species. My one hint was a speculation that the same genus likely has the most species diversity in much of Canada and northern US.
Although Eurasian in distribution (but growing successfully in the Alpine Garden), the genus of this plant is the answer to that question: Carex, or the true sedges. This particular species is commonly known as mountain sedge (a literal translation of the Latin epithet montana) or soft-leaved sedge. Not knowing the common name at the time of the photograph, I didn't take the opportunity to test the texture of the leaves; in general, leaves of plants in the genus Carex contain silica bodies and are most decidedly not soft. Considering that silica is a component in glass production, you will likely find it believable that handling the leaves of some sedges can cut your hands in a manner akin to papercuts.
Botany resource link: Interested in tracking down books about particular groups of plants? Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has merged its bibliographic databases creating a one-stop search tool: Kew Bibliographic Databases.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:19 AM| Comments (2)
April 12, 2006
Magnolia sprengeri 'Copeland Court'
If you live in the Vancouver area, this upcoming weekend is likely the last “good” weekend to see the magnolias in bloom at UBC. Many trees will still be in flower, but I think the peak blooming period is nearly over.
This cultivar is one generation removed from seed of Magnolia sprengeri collected by Ernest Wilson in Hubei, China in 1901. Of the seed collected and distributed to Caerhays Castle in Cornwall, one individual plant produced flowers and seeds; this plant goes by the name of either Magnolia sprengeri var. diva or M. sprengeri 'Diva', depending on your reference. Magnolia sprengeri 'Copeland Court' is one of many seedlings of Magnolia sprengeri 'Diva' that have become named cultivars. Douglas Justice has described this plant as “a small to medium-sized tree with a symmetrical, spreading habit and ample, uniformly deep, clear-pink flowers”.
Botany / photography resource link: I included it in yesterday's post, but it deserves to be highlighted. Calflora.net, by Michael Charters, is titled humbly as the “Home Page of California Plant Names: Latin and Greek Meanings and Derivations and Southern California Wildflowers”, but it is oh-so-much more. Nearly 2000 photographs of southern California wildflowers are supplemented by web pages on topics such as southern California wild places, immensely valuable field trip logs (which I'm going to start doing when I go on field trips this year) and a glossary of botanical terms.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (3)
April 11, 2006
Langloisia setosissima subsp. punctata
Great Basin langloisia or lilac sunbonnets is an annual plant native to California, Nevada, Oregon and Idaho. The epithet setosissima means “very bristly-hairy”, which doesn't really require an explanation for why it's pertinent for this species. See Calflora.net for more on this plant and definitions of the other Latin terms.
The Polemoniaceae, or phlox family, contains 18 genera. This family is very closely related to the Fouquieriaceae, a monotypic family (only one genus). Keep Langloisia in mind when you see a member of the Fouquieriaceae featured on BPotD sometime in the next week.
Photography resource link: Alex Waterhouse-Hayward is a good friend of UBC Botanical Garden (he's previously contributed to BPotD). Alex has recently started his own weblog, and it's a daily visual treat. Although there's an emphasis on the sort of people you'd find in the newspapers, Alex features plants and plantspeople on occasion, always with an interesting story. Entries from March include: Rhododendron racemosum, local plantswoman Francisca Darts, and a kind tribute (deservedly so) to the late Frank Dorsey, a UBC Friend of the Garden for sixteen years.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:01 AM| Comments (0)
April 9, 2006
Cercidiphyllum japonicum 'Morioka Weeping'
You probably expected a photograph from my recent travels today. Alas, no – all in good time. Instead, I thought I'd share a photograph taken late Friday in UBC's Asian Garden, where the early evening sun illuminated the cascade of still-growing leaves. I don't often take images with human constructs in them (i.e., the bench), but it seems appropriate today as I return from vacation. Perhaps I was sitting in the bench and now I'm back to work? Or perhaps the empty bench is inviting you to stay and enjoy? Or...? Let's leave it open to interpretation.
In the local urban landscape, I sometimes think katsura trees are overused. That sentiment changes once I smell the burnt sugar scent from the decaying leaves in late autumn – then there can't be enough of them. The garden's interpretative sign for Cercidiphyllum goes into more detail about the genus. You can also see photographs of this particular katsura tree taken from a different perspective in both late spring and winter in this thread on the garden's forums.
Science resource link: Science Buzz from the Science Museum of Minnesota (and its weblog commenters!) won the 2006 Best Overall Museum Web Site at the Museums and the Web conference I attended in the middle of my vacation. Kudos to them and their commitment to science education!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:31 AM| Comments (10)
April 8, 2006
Anguloa dubia
Last of the abbreviated entries due to this vacation! – Daniel
Many thanks to Andreas from Bogotá, Colombia (aka Quimbaya@Flickr) for today's photograph (BPotD Flickr Group Pool | original image). This orchid was cultivated by Colombian orchid grower Sócrates Forero.
Species in the genus Anguloa are collectively known as the “tulip orchids” – an image search for Anguloa reveals why.
Photography resource link: Compositional Exercise by Paul W. Faust for Nature Photographers Online – suggests a method to practice for improving the composition of your photographs.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (0)
April 7, 2006
Camellia japonica
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
Similar to the “species tulip” from two days ago, this flower belongs to a “species camellia”, i.e., it is what would be encountered in the wild. In cultivation, however, over 2000 variants or selections of Camellia japonica exist (source: Wikipedia) – an image search gives a hint to the different ornamental forms.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (4)
April 5, 2006
Tulipa urumiensis
Today's entry marks the one-year anniversary of Botany Photo of the Day. I'll add a small retrospective when I return from vacation next week. Again, only an abbreviated entry today. – Daniel.
The story of the tulip and the economic bubble of the 1630s in The Netherlands is well-known, but worth revisiting from time to time. Barbara Schulman of the University of Minnesota has written a concise summary of “Tulipmania”, while the Wikipedia entry for Tulipmania adds a few dissenting opinions regarding the conventional history. On a different tack, Frontline's “dotcon” documentary web site has a compilation of various economic bubbles, including Tulipmania.
Today's photograph is of a tulip that would have been exempt from Tulipmania. Not only was it not discovered until nearly three centuries after the event, but it is also a “species tulip”, i.e., it is recognized as a natural species and (accordingly) has no history of human-induced hybridization. The tulips of Tulipmania were seemingly all hybrid tulips, many generations removed from their natural cousins.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (13)
April 4, 2006
Neomoorea wallisii
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
Thanks to Eric in San Francisco (Eric in SF@Flickr) for today's contribution. Since it was submitted via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool, you can see the original image (and all the comments!) here: Neomoorea wallisii.
If you'd like to see the drawing of this orchid from the 1892 edition of Curtis's Botanical Magazine, the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland, Glasnevin has scanned the image.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (1)
April 2, 2006
Ranunculus californicus
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
Many thanks to Dale from California (aka Dfunk@Flickr) for today's photograph. To see it larger, check out the original image submitted via the Botany Photo of the Day Flickr Group Pool.
Formerly thought to only be native to Oregon and California, (relatively) recent discoveries on the San Juan Islands and Gulf Islands have extended the range into Washington and British Columbia. The author of the Flora of North America account for California buttercup hypothesizes that the populations in Washington and BC are the result of introduction into the islands, and therefore not part of the native distribution of the species.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (4)
April 1, 2006
Asarum caudatum
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
Asarum caudatum, or wild ginger, is distributed in western North America, from northern California to British Columbia and east to Montana. Read more on its ethnobotany via the Washington State Department of Transportation (!).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (2)
March 31, 2006
Magnolia stellata 'Waterlily'
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
The Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute's SelecTree Guide from California Polytechnic State University has a detailed entry on Magnolia stellata 'Waterlily' with more photographs. The plant in the photograph was recently moved to UBC Botanical Garden's front entrance garden.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (3)
March 29, 2006
Eucalyptus macrocarpa
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
Guest-blogging today is Eric La Fountaine – Daniel.
I was quite captivated by these Eucalyptus macrocarpa, while visiting Western Australian Botanic Garden in Kings Park in Perth. The fabulous red flowers are the largest of any eucalyptus - up to 100 mm in diameter. The “gumnuts” that follow are equally large, hence macrocarpa (large fruit).
Native to Western Australia, the species prefers a dry environment. It can grow in subtropical areas but is not reliably hardy. The striking silver-grey leaves are as attractive as the flowers and a furry coat helps them hold moisture. The form of the plant can be somewhat awkward, but it responds well to pruning.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (6)
March 28, 2006
Cornus chinensis
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
According to the Flora of China, Cornus chinensis is restricted to China (but perhaps also found in Burma (Myanmar)). Wikipedia has an excellent account of the morphological diversity in the dogwoods, in case you were wondering why this particular species doesn't look like many of the more familiar ornamental species and cultivars.
Interested in talking about dogwoods? Join the UBC forums and post to the dogwoods discussion forums.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (4)
March 27, 2006
Arthropodium milleflorum
I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel
Thanks to Ray in Launceston, Tasmania (aka sparramc@Flickr) for these two images submitted via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool (original image 1 and original image 2).
The Plants for a Future database entry on pale vanilla lily notes that the roots of this species are edible. For a photograph of the roots, see the Australian Bulb Association's image gallery for Arthropodium milleflorum (and see more images of this plant and its relatives on the Arthropodium page).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (5)
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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.