Flowering Plants (13)
November 1, 2006
Metrosideros excelsa 'Fire Mountain'
Thank you to “ginger749” on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums for submitting this photograph from Gold Coast, Australia. You can see the original, larger image in this thread. Many thanks – nice to see some late spring flowers from the southern hemisphere!
The story of the species Metrosideros excelsa or Pōhutukawa is doubly sad. Once fairly widespread in coastal areas of the North Island of New Zealand, the population of plants is in decline. This is due in part to a voracious alien, the Australian brushtail possum. Exhaustive details about this and other threats to the native New Zealand Metrosideros species are available from Project Crimson.
Despite its decline in New Zealand, the plant is flourishing in South Africa – so much so that it is now considered an invasive alien; Our Native Plant Invaders from the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture has more on this threat to the fynbos.
The University of Melbourne's Horticulture program had a “Plant of the Month” feature (it seems to be defunct) – it once featured Metrosideros excelsa.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (8)
October 31, 2006
Cucurbita 'Schooltime'
Something a bit different today – a link roundup instead of writing:
- from the University of Illinois Extension, a great set of links: Pumpkin History, Pumpkin Facts, Pumpkin Varieties and the saliva-inducing Pumpkin Recipes
- The World's Largest Fruit: A Squash Or A Pumpkin? from Wayne Armstrong – this article is a few years old, since a new record was set this year...
- Giant Pumpkins includes news on this year's record-holder as well as a List of Previous Record Pumpkins. I understand this hobby requires you to spend hours every day with a pumpkin.
- Pumpkin and Hallowe'en via Wikipedia
- The Great Glass Pumpkin Patch from the MIT Glass Lab (includes how to make a glass pumpkin and an image gallery)
- Resources for Home Preserving Pumpkins from the US National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia
- the Society of Physics Students at the University of California Chico's Annual Pumpkin Drop (Pumpkin Drop 2005 has video!)
Two asides: 1) I haven't been able to identify today's pumpkin, but I might update the name and this entry after I talk with Tony Maniezzo (who tends the Food Garden); and 2) If you're wondering what the design is, it's a hummingbird and a stylized flower.
Updated October 31 at 1:34 PM local time: After talking with Tony, I believe this is the cultivar 'Schooltime'.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:13 AM| Comments (4)
October 30, 2006
Calochortus macrocarpus
As I mentioned yesterday, I'm busy preparing for my presentation on Thursday and the written parts of BPotD will be brief for the next little while.
Here's a mid-July photograph that will find its way into the presentation. This was taken at a lower elevation on Mount Kobau, near Osoyoos, British Columbia. For information about this sagebrush mariposa lily, please visit the previous BPotD entry on Calochortus macrocarpus.
While driving on the access road up the mountain, I recall thinking “I should have seen a mariposa lily by now if I'm going to see any. I guess I'm too early / late.” Ten seconds later, I saw a patch of a few hundred flowers, including this one. Unfortunately, they do not grow close together, so no opportunities to photograph the colour en masse.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:42 AM| Comments (1)
October 29, 2006
Leucospermum cordifolium
A grateful thank you to Georgie Sharp@Flickr for sharing today's photograph (original image | Flickr BPotD Group Pool). Do spend some time today visiting Georgie's set of Australian flower photographs – absolutely worth exploring!
This photograph didn't have a scientific name associated with it, but based on Georgie's use of “orange pin-cushion plant” (English common names for plants in the Proteaceae), comparisons to other Leucospermum in the pincushions gallery and resemblance to photographs of the wild species, I'm fairly certain this is Leucospermum cordifolium. I've strong doubts that this is the true species, though, considering the plant is cultivated and hybridized in Australia for the cut flower industry. To see a photograph of the wild species in South Africa, where it is native, see BPotD contributor Monika's image: Leucospermum cordifolium. Do note that Monika's photograph is of a more mature flower, so the match isn't perfect.
Instead of writing about the plant today, I'll direct you to one of the best online sources of information: Leucospermum cordifolium, by Hanneke Jamieson of the South African National Biodiversity Institute.
Entries are going to continue to be brief for the next ten days while I prepare for a couple presentations. If you live in the Vancouver area, you're invited to attend either or both of them – they're free to attend, and in both cases will feature many photographs you won't see on BPotD.
On the evening of Thursday, November 2 at the Vancouver Museum, I'll be presenting “Beauty and the Botanist”. Not only will this presentation include my 2006 photographs of plants and landscapes from BC and Washington, but I'll be weaving in the environmental thoughts and writings of the late Stan Rowe. I'm hoping the two elements combined will create something very special. More details are available from the Native Plant Society of BC (PS You can support the NPSBC by buying a calendar – order forms are on their site).
I'll also be presenting “Plants, Gardens and Natural Areas of Southwestern USA” on Nov. 7 at noon at the garden. This free seminar will be half travelogue and half botanical commentary from my early 2006 trip
Lastly, I should mention that Marc Hachadourian of the New York Botanical Garden will be talking about NYBG's glasshouse collections tomorrow at noon. Again, free. No shortage of opportunities to learn at UBCBG!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:36 AM| Comments (4)
October 28, 2006
Mahonia ×media 'Charity'
I've been busy preparing for my photography course, so unfortunately I don't have the time to go into detail about this plant. Too bad, since I didn't have the opportunity or time last year either when it was featured on BPotD: Mahonia ×media 'Charity'. You might like to visit Paghat's article about this Mahonia for gardening information about it.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:45 AM| Comments (1)
October 26, 2006
Capsicum annuum cultivars
I think Eric (Eric in SF@Flickr) has outdone himself with this photograph (no small accomplishment!) (original | BPotD Flickr Group Pool). It is so very welcome to have some colour when the days are starting to turn grey. Thank you, Eric.
Like many of the other solanaceous plants we eat, Capsicum has its origins in Central and South America. Being more specific is difficult, because of domestication of the wild plant, a topic eloquently covered in Eshbaugh's Peppers: History and Exploitation of a Serendipitous New Crop Discovery (the paper also includes a detailed discussion of the taxonomy).
As is usual with food plants, Purdue University's Center for New Crops and Plant Products has an excellent factsheet with details on economic botany, the chemistry of capsaicinoids (what makes 'em hot!) and a description of the plant.
Wikipedia is also worth investigating; it has a list of cultivars, as well as an explanation of why I didn't attempt to share a common name (scroll down the page) for the international audience that reads BPotD.
Botany / horticulture resource link: I haven't read the paper yet, but the abstract has me intrigued: The Horticultural Trade and Ornamental Plant Invasions in Britain by Dehnen-Schmutz et al. in an upcoming issue of Conservation Biology.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:08 AM| Comments (6)
October 25, 2006
Dipsacus sativus
I was initially confused while trying to determine the name of this species, and apparently Linnaeus is to blame. My first inclination was to search online for wool and Dipsacus or teasel and discover what species were used for textiles. Some references pointed to Dipsacus fullonum, or fuller's teasel, as a likely candidate. This species was named by Linnaeus, and seemed to indicate that this was the species used by fullers (people who “bulked up” cloth woven by weavers, to make it feel more full). However, other references suggested Dipsacus sativus, or Indian teasel as the teasel of the textile industry, and ultimately this made far more sense to me.
What are the differences between the two species that bolsters that conclusion? Again, the Jepson Manual helps: Key to Dipsacus. Note that Dipsacus fullonum has more or less flexible receptacle bracts, ending in straight spines while Dipsacus sativus has stiff bracts with recurved spines. If you were going to use one or the other of these to bulk up wool, which would you choose? The one with the recurved spines to catch the wool and pull it. Confusion cleared up.
This photograph is from the small museum in the Mission Santa Barbara in California.
Photography resource link: for inspiration, the photography of Guy Edwardes.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:13 AM| Comments (3)
October 24, 2006
Vaccinium cylindraceum
This species of blueberry is endemic to the Azores, hence the English common name of Azores blueberry (though I prefer some of the Portuguese common names). Similar to its North American and European relatives, it is a shrubby understory component of temperate mixed forests
Douglas Justice adds more information about this plant in accompaniment to a photograph of the fruit in this thread on the UBC BG Forums. The Plants for a Future database also has a short entry about the plant.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 5:25 AM| Comments (7)
October 23, 2006
Begonia 'Bonfire'
Thank you to edgeplot@Flickr from Seattle, Washington for sharing today's BPotD (original image | BPotD Flickr Group Pool). I'm grateful!
This is the last day of my short vacation, so only a brief entry with links today. Do visit the original image to read edgeplot's notes about this particular cultivar. I've chosen to drop the epithet boliviensis from the name, following the RHS Plant Finder's convention. Still, it is evident that Begonia boliviensis is responsible for much of the appearance of this attractive cultivar.
Wikipedia's entry on begonia is a worthwhile read. I hadn't realized that Begonia is among the ten largest genera of plants.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (4)
October 22, 2006
Dinteranthus microspermus subsp. puberulus
Another thank you to Amir from Israel for submitting one of his succulent photographs. Much appreciated!
Unsurprisingly, these small plants have the common name “flowering stone”. If Amir's photograph doesn't convince you of how fitting that name is, see this image of the entire plant with roots or this line drawing.
If you are keen to learn more about these precious plants, visit Interactive Mesembs – click on Tree View, followed by Expand All, and then the small black “i” in the yellow circle beside Dinteranthus.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (1)
October 21, 2006
Elaeagnus angustifolia
It's been a few months since a photograph from Maureen aka MontanaRaven@Flickr has appeared on BPotD, so it's time to break that streak (original image | Flickr BPotD Group Pool). Love the autumn colours, Maureen – thank you!
Russian olive or silverberry is native to much of temperate Asia and southeastern Europe. It was introduced to North America as an ornamental plant in the early twentieth century. Unfortunately, it can now be found naturalized in the wild in most provinces and states, such that it is indeed considered invasive. It is particularly harmful when it establishes in riparian zones (scroll down to “What problems does it cause?”), where it reduces overall species richness (like so many other invasives).
To see other photographs of this plant, visit the USDA Plants Database: Elaeagnus angustifolia.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (3)
October 20, 2006
Telopea speciosissima 'Wirrimbirra White'
A thank you again to Margaret Morgan of Sydney, Australia for sharing her photographs. If you didn't visit her web site when she previously submitted a photograph, here it is again: Margaret Morgan. Thanks, Margaret!
I'm away on a short vacation, so only the photograph and a couple links today. Margaret suggested this link about the species Telopea speciosissima: the Floral Emblem of New South Wales. Information about the cultivar can be found on the site of the Australian Cultivar Registration Authority: Telopea speciosissima 'Wirrimbirra White'.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 4:30 AM| Comments (7)
October 19, 2006
Iris domestica
I've recently written about Iris domestica, but I had posted the entry under a now-rejected scientific name, Belamcanda chinensis. As Brent noted in the comments for that entry, the change was made recently (see: Goldblatt, P. & D.J. Mabberley. 2005. Belamcanda included in Iris, and the new combination I. domestica (Iridaceae: Irideae). Novon 15: 128–132). Carol Wilson, who studies the genus Iris at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, has published a phylogeny of the genus Iris based on DNA sequencing data, illustrating why the placement of Belamcanda in Iris is warranted.
Two items of note for local readers today. First of all, if you have little ones or know someone who does, consider attending or recommending UBC Botanical Garden's Haunted Halloween. Nadine Diner, the garden's education coordinator, is so enthusiastic about this event that it is certain to be a fun and educational afternoon for children!
Speaking of Nadine and education, she's organized the courses and lectures for the next 8 months or so. Do check them out and register early, as some of the courses requiring registration are already nearly full.
Botany resource link: The web site of Belize Botanic Gardens – a very modern site written to subtly entertain and inform (“Call us crazy, but at Belize Botanic Gardens we enjoy figuring out how to grow things without the use of pesticides or chemicals.”). It certainly makes me want to visit. Don't forget to see their orchid photographs.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:12 AM| Comments (5)
October 18, 2006
Castanea sativa
Fred K. submitted these photographs taken in the Odenwald Forest near Heidelburg, Germany. Thank you, Fred! Fred notes: “This is an impression of Castanea sativa (German: Esskastanie – “ess” meaning “eat”) which can be found in large quantities at this time of year in the forests of southern Germany ... They look great and taste really well baked or roasted!”
Spanish chestnut or sweet chestnut is a tree with a long human-related history. Thought to be historically distributed in southeast Europe and Asia Minor, its many uses led it to be cultivated (and naturalized) throughout much of Europe and northern Africa over the span of three thousand years. Its cultivation in North America has been restricted as it is susceptible to chestnut blight, though this is not necessarily the case for trees grown in Europe (source).
The Plants for a Future database goes into detail on the economic botany of this species: Castanea sativa. As alluded to by Fred, the plant is primarily grown for its edible nuts. When roasted, the nuts can incite people to sing holiday carols (I tried to roast some last year, but the first attempt wasn't too successful – better to do it immediately upon purchase of the nuts rather than waiting a couple weeks was the lesson learned). The nuts are also ground into a gluten-free flour, used as a coffee substitute or used to flavour beer (source: Wikipedia – also includes more photographs of the species).
I found the chestnut consumption data via the Small Farm Center at UC Davis to be rather interesting. The per capita consumption in China of chestnuts is roughly 900g / person (2lb.), double the per capita consumption in Europe at 450g / person (1lb.). Lagging far behind is the consumption in the US – 22.5g / person (1/20 of a lb.), suggesting that what is a seasonal treat for North Americans is much more widely used as a food in China and Europe.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:30 AM| Comments (7)
October 16, 2006
Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium'
I imagine one of these days I'll be accused of over-representing maples on BPotD, but my excuse will be that they're perfect for illustrating autumn colour.
Though you might associate Acer japonicum with the common name Japanese maple, that moniker instead refers to Acer palmatum. Acer japonicum is instead commonly known as fullmoon maple or downy Japanese maple. Specialist vendors of Japanese maples will likely sell cultivars of both of these species, though (as well as Acer shirasawanum), since they broadly resemble each other.
I've decided to use 'Aconitifolium' (= leaves like aconite, or monk's-hood) as the cultivar name for this entry because it is the name typically used on public garden or retail labels. However, this cultivar was developed in Japan, and I guarantee the original name wasn't derived from Latin. Supposedly, the translation of its Japanese name means “dancing peacock” in English, suggesting that its cultivar name should be 'Mai kujaku' (source), but even that has been altered so that it is instead sometimes sold as 'Maiku jaku' (apparently a nonsense name in Japanese).
Photographs of this cultivar throughout the seasons are available in this thread in the Maple Photo Gallery, thanks to the contributions of a number of maple enthusiasts.
As an aside, I've become very interested in abstract photography lately thanks to Freeman Patterson. All of the abstracts I've done so far have been “in-camera”. I hope you don't mind if I share the occasional one in accompaniment to a more documentary-style image.
Photography resource link: for inspiration, the photography of Roman Loranc. In particular, investigate the photographs of trees for outstanding images of Californian oaks.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:44 AM| Comments (5)
October 15, 2006
Lavandula latifolia 'Rosea' (tentative)
With eight thousand or so different taxa of plants at UBC, it can be quite the task to ensure the name is correct for each species or cultivar. This task is made more difficult through sourcing little-known cultivated varieties of plants in the quest for displaying the novel. The lavender in this photograph, for example, does not turn up in any search engine results (at least until this page is indexed), nor does UBC have any print references listed in its database.
The lack of any references immediately prompts the question as to whether this accession is misnamed. Lavandula latifolia only returns a few results in the Royal Horticultural Society's Plantfinder, and if you visit the record for L. latifolia, you'll note that the RHS only tentatively accepts the scientific name, suggesting that this species requires a systematic re-examination. At least one cultivar named 'Rosea' does exist for Lavandula, but it is a cultivated variety of Lavandula angustifolia (angustifolia = narrow-leaved), not Lavandula latifolia (latifolia = broad-leaved), so that seems to be a dead-end, though UBC does have Lavandula angustifolia 'Rosea' in its collections as well; I'm not aware of a side-by-side comparison having been done between the two accessions.
This plant goes on the list as “a mystery waiting to be solved”.
On a different note, you might like to read this comment on the Apple Festival. I think next year it might be handy to have an easy, centralized on-line way to record people's stories about the event, like Ruth suggested in the comments on Malus 'Melrose'. It looks like today's weather will be a tad wetter, but that shouldn't dissuade you from attending if you're local – it'll make the taste of the apples even more reminiscent of warm autumn days.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 5:51 AM| Comments (5)
October 13, 2006
Malus 'Melrose'
UBC Botanical Garden's annual Apple Festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday. “Takes place” sounds so inadequate to me, considering the event requires three hundred volunteers and thousands of hours of work to organize and operate. Not only does it provide opportunities to taste (and hoard) some hard-to-find apples, but events and demonstrations for adults and children occur throughout each day. If you're local, I hope to see you there (I'll be helping people select apples for purchase).
'Melrose' is a close sibling to 'Jonagold', featured on BPotD last year; instead of a 'Golden Delicious' × 'Jonathan' hybrid, 'Melrose' is a hybrid between 'Jonathan' and 'Delicious'. It was developed in 1940 at the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station by Freeman Howlett. Howlett had the nickname “Screaming Freeman” (source – PDF), but I haven't been able to uncover any stories or anecdotes behind the nickname. In 1970, the Ohio State Horticultural Society named 'Melrose' the state apple.
As noted by the Ohio State University Extension service, 'Melrose' is a good general use apple: stores well, is crisp-textured, tastes sweet with a hint of tartness, and is used for pies, applesauce and baking. Its appearance may not win it awards, but I'm certain many would agree that much has been lost in the quest for visual (i.e., market) appeal in the breeding of fruits and vegetables.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:25 AM| Comments (8)
October 12, 2006
Euonymus europaeus
European spindle is native to much of Europe and western Asia, but can also be found as an introduced invasive weed in eastern North America and New Zealand. It is seemingly well-behaved in coastal southern British Columbia, though Brent Hine will perhaps comment on whether he discovers any errant seedlings from this small tree.
The garden has an interpretative sign associated with this plant. More details are available from the Plants for a Future database.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:39 AM| Comments (4)
October 10, 2006
Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue'
The oft-misspelled Salvia guaranitica (a search for Salvia guarantica – note the absent “i”) is native to South America. This cultivar, 'Black and Blue', was selected for its nearly-black stems and calyces. Known commonly as blue anise-sage or sapphire sage, Salvia guaranitica is a popular and striking plant in gardens. Paghat has an as-always excellent article about Salvia guaranitica where you can learn more about this plant if you find yourself considering it for your garden.
I should mention that the orange in the background of today's photograph is from Kniphofia triangularis, another eye-catching ornamental.
Photography resource link: for inspiration, the photography of Robert Glenn Ketchum.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:28 AM| Comments (10)
October 9, 2006
Acer circinatum
It turns out I was able to make an autumn visit to Manning Park after all, and it was well worth the 5 AM start to the day. Instead of spending time in Manning, though, I spent most of Saturday in the adjoining Skagit Valley Provincial Park. Access to the Skagit River Trail begins at Sumallo Grove in Manning, but quickly enters the adjacent park. The walk took me to the 7km mark or so of the trail, so the goal of seeing the golden-coloured cottonwoods that I presume exist deep in the Cottonwoods Ecological Reserve failed, but from observing a few other cottonwoods along the trail, many leaves had already fallen. I'll have to wait another year and instead go in mid-September, I think.
Despite that bit of disappointment, I was pleased with this photograph of vine maple (previously featured on BPotD here, here and here!) as it better portrays the warm and cool colour blend I associate with these parks at this time of year. This was taken near the 1.8km point of the trail, in the rock slide area.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:18 AM| Comments (3)
October 7, 2006
Nepenthes sibuyanensis
Thanks once again to Eric in San Francisco (Eric in SF@Flickr) for submitting his unique plant photographs to BPotD via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool (original image) – very much appreciated!
Any epithet ending in -ensis or -ense gives a hint to the geographical location where a species was first recorded by Western science, e.g. yunnanense (a plant found in the Yunnan province of China), canadensis, missouriensis and so on. Sibuyan is a 445 km2 island in The Phillippines, and a precious place by the sound of the Wikipedia entry: “In one study, the National Museum identified 1,551 trees in a single hectare, with 123 species of trees, and of this number, 54 are found nowhere else in the world”. Considering this, it is no surprise that this species was only scientifically discovered ten years ago, and the name only officially published eight years ago: Nepenthes sibuyanensis, A New Nepenthes From Sibuyan, A Remote Island of the Philippines (Eric, thanks for the link as well).
The family Nepenthaceae is restricted to southeast Asia, northeast Australia, Madagascar and some of the islands in Oceania. Like other members of its family, Nepenthes sibuyanensis is an insectivore. The Botanical Society of America has an excellent summary page on Nepenthes and other carnivorous plants.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 5:00 AM| Comments (4)
October 6, 2006
Colchicum autumnale and Vitis vinifera 'Purpurea'
Andy Hill, the horticulturist who is responsible for the Physic Garden, suggested I photograph this ephemeral combination of autumn crocus and 'Purpurea' wine grape, so here it is. The Physic Garden, if you haven't visited it lately, is a gem to visit – every plant is well-tended, labelled and accompanied by a small interpretative sign.
Plants are selected for the Physic Garden based on their historical use as medicinal plants in Europe – you can consider the garden an ancient-day pharmacy or drugstore. However, that's not to say the plants were effective in treatment, only that they were used — appropriately or not — to treat ailments. The Plants for a Future database has entries on both of these taxa: Colchicum autumnale and Vitis vinifera.
By the way, if you are wondering as to why the colchicum are flopsy, you might like to read this recent thread on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums: fall crocuses falling over.
As a second aside for local readers, I did attend Ron Long's presentation on Death Valley wildflowers last night – I highly recommend you see it if and when he presents it again. Plenty of photographs of our shared favourite photographic subjects, cacti and Calochortus. I'll post a reminder in a subsequent entry, but I'll be presenting next month on the evening of November 2. The working title is “Beauty and the Botanist” (a nod of appreciation to Stan Rowe), and the presentation will feature photographs from my BC and Washington travels this year with a mix of scientific and artistic commentary. What you see on BPotD from these trips is sometimes only 2 or 3 photographs out of a hundred or 150, so nearly all of the images will be new to you (if you attend, which I hope you will).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:14 AM| Comments (4)
October 5, 2006
Sorbus scopulina
For a change of pace, I decided to venture out and photograph in the midday sun on a nearly cloudless day. This is something I rarely do for photographing plants, unless required by circumstance. As you can tell from these photographs, taking pictures at this time of day can lead to oversaturated colours and blown highlights or shadows. However, I'd argue it's acceptable to ignore conventional wisdom when attempting to photograph evocative bright autumn colours.
The epithet scopulina means “growing in rocky places” (see Botanical Latin at Calflora.net). Considering this mountain ash is native to western North America from Alaska to California, and more specifically, the Western or Pacific Cordillera, its association with rocks seems fitting. A few common names are bandied about: Greene's mountain ash, western mountain ash and sometimes Cascade mountain ash, though this is more often associated with the variety cascadensis.
For more images, see the comprehensive set of photographs of Sorbus scopulina at the Burke Museum of Natural History. Also, thanks to the Plants for a Future database entry on this mountain-ash, I've learned a new word: bletted, regarding the edibility of the fruit for this rose and apple relative.
Art resource link: “Taste For Makers”, an article by Paul Graham on beauty, good design and taste.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 5:45 AM| Comments (7)
October 1, 2006
Tristagma uniflorum
Many thanks to Gabriela R. aka Morti Riuuallon@Flickr for sharing today's photograph (original image | BPotD Flickr Group Pool). Gabriela resides in Buenos Aries, Argentina; do take the time to visit her set of Flickr photographs with its Argentinian flora and fauna. Thanks again, Gabriela!
As the wildflower season (and indeed, garden flower season) winds down where I reside, spring flowers are starting in South America, Australia and Africa; this gives BPotD an opportunity to show flowers “in season” year-round when generous people from around the world share their images. Of course, BPotD isn't all about flowers (as the previous week's images will attest to), but warm, bright colours will certainly be a welcome respite for those in the northern hemisphere over the coming months.
A member of the onion family, Tristagma uniflorum is known as springstar in English, or, as Gabriela notes, estrellita in Spanish. Its classification remains tentative, as not all botanists agree that it belongs to the genus Tristagma. Gabriela also lists its synonyms: Ipheion uniflora, Brodiaea uniflora, Milla uniflora and Triteleia uniflora. This thread of confusion is also woven into the account of the genus Tristagma on the Pacific Bulb Society wiki. In fact, they opt to disregard the name of Tristagma uniflorum proposed by Traub, instead using the name Ipheion uniflora.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 4:30 AM| Comments (2)
September 29, 2006
Platanus occidentalis
The photographs of Platanus wrightii a couple days ago inspired Dr. Quentin Cronk to submit his photographs of Platanus occidentalis, or American sycamore (or American planetree), from Eno River State Park in North Carolina. Coincidentally, he took these photographs two days before I took the ones in the Chiricahuas.
Dr. Michael Dirr has this advice to give on the landscape value of this tree in his “Manual of Woody Landscape Plants” : “If native to an area do not remove the tree(s); however, do not plant it...”. Dr. Dirr cites diseases and pests such as anthracnose and borers along with the messiness of its fallen leaves and fruits as some of its undesirable characteristics. He considers the potential diseases and insects so bad that he concludes the list with “ad infinitum”.
The Flora of North America entry for Platanus occidentalis notes: “Of the angiospermous trees of North America, Platanus occidentalis is one of the tallest (to 50+m) and reaches the greatest trunk diameter (to 4+m)”. Too bad this species is not suited for cultivated landscapes – its size and intriguing bark (amply demonstrated here by Quentin) would make it very appealing as a specimen tree in a large park.
Art resource link: I've linked to this site previously, but the American Society of Botanical Artists has a listing of upcoming art exhibitions in Brooklyn, Pittsburgh, New York, Seattle, Tucson and Melbourne. If you live in (or plan to be visiting) any of these cities, you might like to take the time to visit one of these exhibitions. I'll be visiting the one in Seattle, myself.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (9)
September 28, 2006
Cucurbita cultivars
A thank you to Monika (half of monika&manfred@Flickr) for submitting today's photographs taken in Vienna, Austria (original image 1 and original image 2). It's worth the time to browse Monika's photographs, particularly since she has photographs from her travels around the world.
The question to ask with cucurbits is, “What aren't they used for?” If you read The Wild and Wonderful World of Gourds from Wayne Armstrong, you'll learn members of this family were or are used for: food, medicine, ornament, a sweetener, currency, an art medium, containers and eating utensils, pipes, musical instruments and clothing – not a bad list!
I believe most, if not all, of the cucurbits in today's photographs have wild origins in Mexico and South America, though if the pale one is actually a melon (Cucumis melo) instead of a squash, it would have its origin in Africa or southwest Asia. Members of the family are found throughout the tropical, subtropical and warm temperate areas of the world.
As an aside, you'll recall how I mentioned Arbutus menziesii is oft a subject of photographers. For proof, see ngawangchodron's Arbutus menziesii – fifty photographs so far!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (4)
September 27, 2006
Platanus wrightii
I thought I'd follow up yesterday's Arbutus menziesii with another tree species I am anxious to spend more time photographing. These photographs were taken in late March.
Platanus wrightii, or Arizona sycamore, is one of ten species in the genus Platanus; in turn, Platanus is the only genus in the family Platanaceae. The genus Platanus has an odd biogeographical distribution: 1 species found in Vietnam and Laos, another in southeast Europe and southwest Asia, and the remainder in eastern North America, southwest USA and Mexico. The centre of diversity for the species is certainly Mexico, where six of the ten species occur. It reminds me of the distribution of Styracaceae, though more restricted in scope and entirely absent in South America – I'll follow-up with a post about the Styracaceae in a later BPotD.
You might notice in the landscape photograph that the trees are found at the base of the rocky hillsides. More specifically, they are typically found along watercourses which would perhaps be better illustrated with an aerial photograph (I didn't have a spare airplane, though).
The second photograph is an attempt to demonstrate what I consider the ghostly nature of these trees. I like to imagine I'll be able to spend a few weeks sometime making more attempts.
By the way, if you're interested in a close-up of the bark, you can visit this “stumper” I posted on the UBC discussion forums (What is a stumper?).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:24 AM| Comments (6)
September 26, 2006
Arbutus menziesii
Two photographs of arbutus (or Pacific madrone) from my 4-day mini-holiday on Galiano Island. It's easy to imagine why some local photographers occasionally have exhibits dedicated to this, Canada's only evergreen deciduous broad-leaved tree (the word “deciduous” was struck out and then later restored - see comments). Myself, I took about a hundred photographs, though most were abstracts and won't find their way onto BPotD. You can see why I'm eagerly anticipating the development of UBC Botanical Garden's Garry Oak Woodland and Meadow, since it will contain two groves of dozens of mature arbutus trees when planted out.
For a bit of information about this species, visit last year's entry on Arbutus menziesii.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:46 AM| Comments (11)
September 25, 2006
Lachenalia mutabilis
A second thank you in the span of three days to van+s@Flickr for contributing a photo (original image | BPotD Flickr Group Pool). This plant was cultivated indoors at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Thanks again, van+s!
Pretty as it is, this particular lachenalia has the potential to escape from cultivation and become weedy, as has occurred in Western Australia. The fact that it is common and widespread in its native Cape region of South Africa serves as a hint that it is adaptable, and thus likely to pose problems in non-native environments with conditions similar to the Cape.
The epithet “mutabilis” means “changeable”, in this case referring to the inflorescence – the immature stalk and flowers start blue and turn yellowish-green or pinkish as they age. For photographs of the entire inflorescence with the range of colours, see this page from the International Bulb Society and the Lachenalia page from the Pacific Bulb Society's Wiki.
Photography resource link: Nature's Best Photography Magazine's International Awards – scroll down in the middle frame of the page for links to the 2004-2006 award winners. Also, there's a Picture of the Week feature on the site that might interest you.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (4)
September 24, 2006
Salicornia virginica and Cuscuta salina
Kind thanks to edgeplot@Flickr from Seattle, Washington for this intriguing photograph (original image | BPotD Flickr Group Pool). edgeplot took this image at the beautiful Deception Pass State Park in Washington. Thank you!
If you visit the original Flickr posting, you'll note that edgeplot titled this image “Parasitism in the Salt Marsh”. I prefer an alternative, more Hollywoodish title: “The Halophyte and The Parasite”.
Salicornia virginica, or pickleweed, is the halophyte. If you're confused as to which plant is the Salicornia, it is the green plant with thickened stems – see this photograph for a parasite-free version. It is able to grow in highly saline environments, such as this salt marsh, through its ability to sequester salt into the vacuoles of its cells. For an explanation of that adaptation, see this page on pickleweed (via Great Salt Lake Playa Ecology). The reference refers to a different taxon, but the mechanism should be the same.
The parasite is Cuscuta salina, or salt-marsh dodder. As edgeplot succinctly explains, “The dodder has twining orange stems and creamy white flowers. It is parasitic and unable to photosynthesize, and lives off nutrients taken from its green pickleweed host.” A short summary about dodder is available from the lab of Dr. Colin Purrington: background on the genus Cuscuta (dodder).
Botany resource link: Fruits and Seeds is a chapter in “Botany Online – The Internet Hypertextbook. Features magnified fruit images illustrating structures aiding seed dispersal.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (10)
September 23, 2006
Fouquieria columnaris
A thank you to van+s@Flickr (original image | BPotD Flickr Group Pool) for sharing today's photograph, taken inside a greenhouse at New York Botanical Garden.
One look at this photograph of the boojum tree and I was immediately reminded of my image of Fouquieria splendens. Makes sense, I suppose – they are (now) both in the same genus. However, a search for Idria columnaris yields two-thirds the results of a search for the current scientific name, so this synonym is still often used. At least in one sense, it is too bad that this species has been moved into Fouquieria: Idria is far easier to spell.
The Virginia Tech Forestry has a factsheet on Fouquieria columnaris that is worth visiting to see more of this plant. I particularly like this quote: “VERY UNUSUAL, considered by many to be the strangest looking tree on earth.”. The University of Wisconsin Botany Department has some photographs of this species (of a decent size) showing its habit: Fouquieria (ignore the photo that is titled F. columnaris Flowering Plant – it is actually Fouquieria splendens).
If you have access, you might want to read the following for a detailed examination of the biology of this species: Humphrey, RR. 1933. A Study of Idria columnaris and Fouquieria splendens. Am. J. Bot. 22(2): 184-207.
Photography resource link: I don't often link to camera gear because it seems too many photographers get distracted by the tools instead of taking photographs, so I deliberately try to avoid it (except when I'm researching techniques and learn that I need a different tool). However, I have to make an exception for this: the Seitz 6 x 17 Digital – 160 megapixels scan back camera that can capture an image in 0.5 second (a scan back camera operates more like a scanner, so you have to imagine a really fast, super high-quality, portable scanner with the depth of field of a camera). And for only the low, low price of 28900 Euros or ~ 37000 USD. Fun to imagine in idle moments.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (8)
September 22, 2006
Tagetes cultivar
bbum@Flickr, aka Bill from San Jose, California, contributed today's photograph (original image | BPotD Flickr Group Pool). Thanks again, Bill – I appreciate the contribution to this month's occasional theme of orange and green (and sometimes white) on BPotD.
I'm not able to tell from this image or Bill's other photographs of this marigold field as to whether these are a cultivar of Tagetes patula or Tagetes erecta, but perhaps someone more expert will make a suggestion. In either case, though, these bright plants have a common name in Mexico that is anything but bright: la flor de la muerte, which translates to “the flower of death” (according to Allan Armitage in his “Manual of Annuals, Biennials and Half-Hardy Perennials”). Unfortunately, Dr. Armitage does not explain the reason for that moniker. Speaking of names, I should also note that the common name “marigold” outside of North America often refers to members of the genus Calendula.
Dr. Armitage notes that the roots of some species produce allelopathic compounds, which can suppress certain weeds. For this reason, and the fact that they can also deter some unwanted insects, Tagetes are sometimes used in companion planting.
Botany resource link: Flora brasiliensis is a project to first digitize the 1840-1906 textual work containing nearly 23000 Brazilian species and then update the information. The site can be a little difficult to navigate, but viewing some of the line drawings can be very rewarding (sorry, I'm not able to link to any images directly).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (17)
September 21, 2006
Salvia pachyphylla
If you'll recall my reaction to the fragrance of the Schima flowers, imagine the opposite reaction when smelling my fingers after squeezing the inflorescence of this plant, blue sage or rose sage. It is quite disgusting (I believe the word “foul” was used), and the smell lingers for some time; it is far better to appreciate this southwestern US and Mexico native for its appearance.
There seems to be some interesting evolutionary biology and taxonomy surrounding Salvia pachyphylla and the closely-related Salvia dorrii, but I haven't been able to track down a published peer-reviewed paper on the subject reflecting modern work. This abstract of a presentation at one of the Botanical Society of America's annual Botany Conferences piqued my interest: The Phylogeny and Adaptive Radiation of Salvia pachyphylla (Lamiaceae).
CalPhotos has a number of images of Salvia pachyphylla if you'd like to browse through more. You could also read the entry in the Jepson Manual about this plant for a description.
Photography resource link: for inspiration, the photography of Tomas Kaspar. You can also view a selection of his images on Flickr: Tomas Kaspar.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:15 AM| Comments (8)
September 20, 2006
Bidens aurea
The garden originally received this plant as a propagule of a plant collected in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico. Bidens heterophylla was the name attached to the plant at the time, a name which the USDA Plants Database reports is a synonym of Bidens aurea. It is commonly known as Arizona beggarticks (or Arizona beggarstick), even though the vast majority of its range is in Mexico.
From what I can tell, Bidens aurea is a highly variable species. The description of the plant in the Flora of North America (see Bidens aurea) uses many parentheticals to denote that the plant's morphological properties can vary extremely from the norm, e.g., disc florets 12–30(–60+), meaning that the number of disc flowers (the ones in the centre of this composite flower) typically range from twelve to thirty, but over sixty can be found in rare plants. More evidence of variability can be seen online using an image search: Bidens aurea, including these two illustrations, 1 and 2. Despite the poorly-known scientific names on these illustrations, both are apparently synonymous with Bidens aurea (images and synonymy via the Universal Library Compositae page).
I do have to admit to being a bit skeptical that this is all one species based on the extreme differences in morphology, but I've not found anything suitably authoritative to contradict it. Particularly curious is that the FNA treatment does not describe the plant as having nearly-white ray florets, but it's within the realm of possibility that this plant was selected for that very reason (its different flower colour).
Botany / horticulture resource link: Bamboo Research through Washington State University's Extension Unit. The site leans to local resources, but also includes a number of links that are relevant anywhere bamboo will grow.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (5)
September 19, 2006
Dendrobium speciosum
A kind thank you to Margaret Morgan of Sydney, Australia for sharing today's image. You can see Margaret's preferred crop of this image on this page, but she gave me permission to select a different crop for one of the standard sizes I use for BPotD (so thanks again). I enjoy Margaret's web site quite a bit (since I seem to agree with her on many things), so you might like to visit it as well: Margaret Morgan. Much appreciated, Margaret.
The common name for this orchid is yet another of those lateral-thinking-required misnomers ̵ rock lily. I suppose it is relatively easy to see a superficial resemblance to a lily inflorescence when looking at the mass of flowers. A closer look at each individual flower, however, reveals it is indeed an orchid (and to be fair, some sites do suggest “rock orchid” as a preferred common name).
The “rock” part of the common name is entirely fitting, however. Dendrobium speciosum is often found growing on rocks (hence it is a lithophyte), though it can also be epiphytic (growing on other plants). It is known as one of the showiest orchids in the world, as I'll assert is well-detailed by Margaret's second photograph.
Two excellent pages worth investigating if you'd like to learn more are Dendrobium speciosum from the Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plants and the Dendrobium speciosum complex from the Australasian Native Orchid Society.
Photography resource link: I continue to enjoy Alain Briot's essays: Of Cameras and Art via The Luminous Landscape. Also, read the follow-up essay from one of his readers, David White.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:12 AM| Comments (6)
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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.