Virtual Plant Collection: April 2011

Apr 24, 2011

California Buckeye

Scientific name: Aesculus californica

Date collected: 4/18/2011

Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: The California Buckeye was located on a slightly sloped hill and was not near any other plants.
Nativity: The California buckeye is native to California and can be found on moist canyon bottoms to dry slopes and hilltops.

Special notes: The California buckeye produces not only pear-shaped fruit but white and/or pink flowers that form in long clusters.

Resources:

Giant Leopard Plant

Scientific name: Farlugium japonicum ‘Giganteum’

Date collected: 4/18/2011

Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: The Giant Leopard Plant was located right near the man-made "river" in the center of the garden. It was not placed under any trees and was available to the sun.

Nativity: The Giant Leopard Plant is native to Japan where the weather is moist and humid.

Special notes: The Giant Leopard Plant has broad round leaves that grow in clusters. In late summer, yellow flowers bloom on tall-branched flower stems. This plant grows best in part shade.

Resources:

Ostrich Fern

Scientific name: Matteuccia struthiopteris

Date collected: 4/18/2011

Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: The Ostrich Fern was located near other ferns and in a shaded area under the tall fern trees.

Nativity: The Ostrich fern is native to North America and Eurasia and grows in temperate regions.

Special notes: The Ostrich Fern reaches up to 2-3 feet tall in cultivation but can reach 6 feet tall in cool climates in the wild. The Ostrich Fern’s name comes from its ferns that resemble the long feathery plumes of an ostrich. The Ostrich fern lose all their leaflets by fall as the plants go dormant during the winter.

Resources:

Kemper Center For Home Gardening

Cedar Elm

Scientific name: Ulmus crassifolia

Date collected: 4/18/2011

Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: The Cedar Elm was the only tree near its location most likely because of its big size. The plants around the tree were flowering plants and shrubs

Nativity: The Cedar Elm is native to Mississippi to Texas and Northern Mexico and grows best in flat river bottoms.

Special notes: The Cedar Elm grows up to 50-70 ft. high and 40 ft. wide. It has scaly bark, branches with corky ridges and small dark leaves that turn glossy green in spring and a golden yellow during fall. This tree sets flowers and seeds in fall.

Resources:

Valley Oak

Scientific name: Quercus lobata

Date collected: 4/18/2011

Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: The Valley Oak was not not directly near any plants. It was located in the center of a small area and there were no other plants inhabiting under it or around it.

Nativity: The Valley Oak is native to California and can be found in dense forests, hot valleys and foothills.

Special notes: The Valley Oak is a deciduous tree which means they lose their leaves in fall. They are among the largest oaks in the United States. It can tolerate cool winters and dry summers but requires year-round access to underground water. These oaks can live up to 600 years old. Younger specimens have thin bark but mature specimens have thick ridged bark. Mature Valley oaks can produce about a ton of acorns during a good year.

Resources:

Erect Sword Fern

Scientific name: Nephrolepis cordifolia

Date collected: 4/18/2011

Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: The Erect Sword Fern was placed near other ferns and was kept under other fern trees in the shade.

Nativity: The Erect Sword Fern is a non-native plant that was introduced into the United States. In the U.S. it is native to Florida, Hawaii, and a couple other states where the climate is similar to the tropics. This fern naturally grows in woodlands

Special notes: The Erect Sword Fern is a fast growing invasive fern and has taken over the spots of many native plants in Florida. It reproduces using spores, tubers, stolons, etc.

Resources:

Horsetail

Scientific name: Equisetum hyemale

Date collected: 4/18/2011

Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: The Horsetail was located near a man-made "river" and also where there were other palm trees near it.

Nativity: The Horsetail is native to North America and Eurasia. It flourishes on damp soil in meadows, gardens and wasteland.

Special notes: The Horsetail has an ability to collect gold, copper, lead and more. Horsetail reproduces by spores and is difficult to cultivate because new stems regenerate from rhizome fragments. This plant is toxic to livestock such as, horses, sheep etc.

Resources:

Garden Organic

Monkey Flower

Scientific name: Mimulus ‘robin’

Date collected: 4/18/2011

Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: The Monkey Flower was near other germinating plants that have not fully grown to their potential. It was located on a low hill.

Nativity: The Monkey flower is native to California. Its soil is usually kept in moist conditions where there is not too much sun.

Special notes: It can grow and flourish in any soil but needs some drainage. It gets its name because of the resemblance the flower has to a monkey’s face. There are many colors of the Monkey Flower, and each are different from each other but have similar characteristic traits.

Resources:

Las Pilitas Nursery

Kidney Weed

Scientific name: Dichondra argentea ‘Silver Falls’

Date collected: 4/18/2011

Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: The Kidney Weed was located in an area where there were not a lot of trees or flowers and took up a lot of space.

Nativity: The Kidney Weed can be located in Southeastern U.S. (Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona) where the weather is mostly dry and somewhat desert-like. This plant grows in relatively low areas such as grasslands. With well-drained soils and enough sunlight exposure, this plant can grow relatively well because it does not need a lot of water to survive.

Special notes: The Kidney Weed is unique in the shape of it's leaves, which is in the shape of a kidney. This plant grows very fast and takes up space very quickly. The Kidney Weed is also drought and heat tolerant. It can stand high temperatures and little water.

Resources:

Chaparral Currant

Scientific name: Ribes malvaceum 'Dancing Tassels'
Date collected: 4/18/2011
Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: The Chaparral Currant was located with other chaparrals in the upper part of the garden, which was elevated, on a hillside.
Nativity: The Chaparral Currant is originally native to woodlands, chaparrals, slopes, etc., where they are a little high up in elevation. This plant is native only to California.

Special notes: The Chaparral Currant is part of the gooseberry family, but its berries have no taste. The Native Americans used this plants when trying to soothe toothaches.
Resources:

Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council

var. horizontalis ‘Yankee Point’

Scientific name: Ceanothus griseus

Date collected: 4/18/2011

Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: The Yankee Point was found near shrubs and small plants that do not take up a lot of space.

Nativity: This plant is native to California and is distributed throughout coast ranges in the northern two-thirds of the states.

Special notes: It is a large bush that has large, round, shiny green leaves and blue flowers. It reaches up to 3 ft. high and 9 ft. wide. They thrive and flourish best where it is hot, dry and have little water. It can tolerate droughts well and live up to 5-10 years.

Resources:

African Honeysuckle

Scientific name: Halleria lucida

Date collected: 4/18/2011

Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: The African Honeysuckle was located near other flowering plants that did not take up a lot of space.

Nativity: The African Honeysuckle is native to South Africa. They are understory shrubs that grow in swamp forests.

Special notes: The African Honeysuckle is one of the best bird appealing trees. They produce berries that become juicy and black when they are ready. These berries are edible but not too tasty and are often eaten during time of famine. It can grow and flourish under many different conditions and can endure droughts well.

Resources:

Apr 23, 2011

Black Locust

Scientific name: Robinia pseudoacacia

Date collected: 4/18/2011

Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: The Black Locust was near other trees that ranged from small to medium sized. It was separated from other plants and stood alone on the side of the trail.

Nativity: The Black locust is native to eastern and central United States and they are found in open fields, woods, and stream sides.

Special notes: The Black locust can grow up to 30-80 ft. tall. It has a shallow underground root system and spreads by underground rhizomes. They produce clusters of showy flowers in May-June. Black locusts reproduce vegetatively by root suckering and stump sprouting.

Resources:

Cedros Island Oak

Scientific name: Quercus cedrosensis

Date collected: 4/18/2011

Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: The Cedro Island Oak was near small bushes and was spaced out from the others.

Nativity: The Cedros Island Oak is native to Baja, California as well as the United States. Its natural habitat ranges from lowlands to mountainous areas.

Special notes: It is a dense bush with evergreen leaves clustered on top of short stems. Flowers bloom during April-May. The Cedros Island Oak is considered to be "endangered" because it is overgrazed by many pasture animals such as goats.

Resources:

Oaks of the World

Bigberry Manzanita

Scientific name: Arctostaphylos glauca

Date collected: 4/18/2011

Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: The Bigberry Manzanita was near other plants that were not trees. It was located near flowering plants and did not take up a lot of space.

Nativity: The Bigberry Manzanita is native to southern California and Baja, California where it grows in the chaparral and woodland of coastal and inland hills.

Special notes: This shrub grows best in dry, desert-like climates with little water. The berries of this plant can be used to make a cider and the leaves can be used for tea and dye.

Resources:

Apr 21, 2011

False Freesia

Scientific name: Anomatheca laxa

Date collected: 4/18/2011

Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: The False Freesia were clumped together and near other flowering plants.

Nativity: The False Freesia is native to South Africa and is drought-tolerable since South Africa is not very moist or humid, but rather dry.

Special notes: The False Freesia's flowers are in the same family as the Iris, so they have similar phenotype to the Iris. In the winter, the plants go into a dormant stage where they do need a lot of water to survive. The colors of the False Freesia range from blue, red, and white.

Resources:

Dawn Redwood

Scientific name: Metasequoia glyptostroboides

Date collected: 4/18/2011

Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: The Dawn Redwood was near the man-made "river" and was near other tall trees that dominated the area.

Nativity: The Dawn Redwood is native in China and was introduced into the United States. This tree grows well in moist, well-drained, and slightly acidic soil.

Special notes: The Dawn Redwood is one of the rare deciduous conifers. It can grow up to 150 feet tall and have a trunk with a 8 feet diameter. The color of its trunk is reddish-brown and its leaves are needle-like.

Resources:

Apr 20, 2011

Spear Lily

Scientific name: Doryanthes palmeri

Date collected: 4/18/2011

Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden

Habitat: The Spear Lily was seperated from the other ferns because of its big size. It was not near other small ferns but near fern trees that were very tall.

Nativity: The Spear Lily is native to eastern Australia where the temperature is mild and tropical year-round. The Spear Lily is to be located in well drained soil to grow efficiently.

Special notes: The Spear Lily grows up to tremendous sizes and takes up a lot of space because of its size. This plants does not grow very quickly, it grows at a slow pace and takes many years before it can produce its first flower. They can live up to 100 years old!

Resources:

Apr 19, 2011

Australian Tree Fern

Scientific name: Cyathea cooperi

Date collected: 4/18/2011

Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden

Habitat: The Australian Tree Fern was found spaced out from the other ferns most likely because of its relatively large size.

Nativity: The Australian Tree Fern is native to Australia. This plant is native to tropic and subtropical forests where it is very moisture and humid. It also grows best in rich soil.

Special notes: Some parts of the Australian Tree Fern can be toxic when ingested. When fully grown, the Australian Tree Fern can grow up to 30-40 feet tall with leaves that are 8-10 feet long.

Resources:

Apr 18, 2011

Douglas Iris

Scientific name: Iris douglasiana

Date collected: 4/18/2011

Location collected: UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: The Douglas Iris was found near other native plants. The soil was not moist, so it was not recently watered, and the temperature at the time was around 70C according to news reports.

Nativity: Grassy, open, and coastal zones, located near most of coastal California and Oregon

Special notes: . Iris leaves' fibers are used for many different fibrous materials such as rope, fishing nets, string, etc. Fresh iris roots can be toxic because of it's rhizomes. Irises are considered to be invasive plants because they can become noxious weeds because their weeds are unpalatable and bitter, so animals cannot feed off of this plant. Native Americans have also used this plant to use for medical purposes such as soreness or infections.

Resources: