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 PÅhutukawa 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 (5)
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 (5)
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)
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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.