GROVE Field GUIDE

NATIONAL AIDS MEMORIAL GROVE Field GUIDE Golden Gate Park San Francisco California According to the Center for Disease Control, over 1.14 million people have been diagnosed with AIDS in the United States since the pandemic struck. The Grove is a place for us all to gather, grieve, and grow. www.aidsmemorial.org Cultural History Highlights The mission of the National AIDS Memorial Grove (The Grove) is to provide a healing sanctuary and to promote learning and understanding of the human tragedy of the AIDS pandemic. 1980s The AIDS Memorial Grove grew out of the response of a small group of people “It was an idea born out of to the overwhelming devastation desperation. We all felt the need for a place where people could wrought by the AIDS epidemic on the find solace, solidarity, and hope— San Francisco gay community. Early and the sense of renewal that is participants included Alice Russell- inspired by nature.” Shapiro, Isabel Wade, and Nancy -Alice Russell-Shapiro McNally, all of whom had worked with co-founder and board co-chair urban environmental groups. 1990s Volunteers cleaned and restored the de Laveaga Dell, while raising funds for an endowment to maintain the memorial in perpetuity. In 1994, the first World AIDS Day commemoration was held in The Grove. In 1996, The Grove was designated a national memorial by an act of Congress. In 1999, The Grove received Silver Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence in the United States. 2000s Stewards of The Grove continued to develop new landscape and memorial features, including the meadow, stream, and various benches, gathering circles, portals, and pathways. Annual fundraisers supported new programs, landscaping, and stewardship projects. 2010 – Present Today, The Grove is governed by a dedicated Board of Directors that has a 99-year renewable agreement with the City of San Francisco through the Recreation and Park Department. Fiscally, The Grove is a project of the Tides Center, a non-profit corporation dedicated to social service and stewardship of the natural environment. The Grove is maintained by professional staff, including a full-time gardener, and countless volunteers, all supported by philanthropic friends, families, corporations, and foundations from across the United States. Natural History Highlights Inhabitation The San Francisco Bay region has notably rich biological diversity due to the variety of habitat and unique geology. The area’s first human inhabitants, the Ohlone and Coast Miwok tribes, settled in the region more than 10,000 years ago. With Spanish colonization came the introduction of new diseases that decimated native populations, as well as invasive species that decimated native wildlife. Cultivation In the 1860s, Golden Gate Park was carved out of sand and shore dunes that were known as the “outside lands” beyond San Francisco’s expanding borders. The park drew its name from the nearby Golden Gate strait. In order to develop on the dunes, the first stage of the park’s cultivation centered on planting trees. By 1879, over 155,000 trees were planted over 1,000 acres, securing the soil for development. Golden Gate Park is now 20% larger than New York City’s Central Park. Recreation The Grove is located on the de Laveaga Dell, created through a gift from the estate of Jose Vicente de Laveaga in 1898. The original dell included a lake, meandering stream, irises, over-hanging oaks and spectacular ferns. In the early days, the Dell was known as the Deer Glen and used by the zoo to house animals. A bear was also housed in the rise at the far western end, now known as the Fern Grotto. The Dell was well-maintained during the first half of the 19th century, but later suffered from a lack of funds for maintenance. Conservation Today, Golden Gate Park is managed by the San Francisco Department of Recreation and Parks. The broader region is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a U.S. National Recreation Area administered by the National Park Service that surrounds the San Francisco Bay area. Over half of North American avian species and nearly one third of California's plant species are found in the park. There are over 80 rare or special status wildlife species currently identified as permanent or seasonal residents of the park, or are dependent upon park lands and waters for migration. Of these, 12 are listed as federally endangered, and 12 are federally threatened. Species List 1 African iris Dietes iridioides Arum lillies Genus Arum Bear's breeches Acanthus mollis Blanket flowers Genus Gaillardia Bolivian fuchsia Fuchsia boliviana Bougainvillea Genus Bougainvillea 2 California buckthorn Frangula californica California poppy Eschscholzia californica Carmel ceanothus Ceanothus thyrsiflorus griseus Coast redwood Sequoia sempervirens Common rhododendron Rhododendron ponticum Common yarrow Achillea millefolium 3 Creek dogwood Cornus sericea Florist's cineraria Pericallis hybrida Forget-Me-Not Genus Myosotis French lavender Lavandula stoechas Giant rhubarb Gunnera manicata Heath or Heather Family Ericaceae 4 Himalayan blackberry Rubus armeniacus Honey bee Apis mellifera Hydrangea or Hortensia Genus Hydrangea Indian strawberry Duchesnea indica Japanese maple Acer palmatum Kaffir lilies Genus Clivia 5 Lacecap hydrangea Hydrangea macrophylla Lamb's ears Stachys byzantina Lion's tail Leonotis leonurus Magnolia Family Magnoliaceae Monterey cypress Hesperocyparis macrocarpa Mugo pine Pinus mugo 6 Nasturtium Tropaeolum majus Orchid rockrose Cistus purpureus Pacific madrone Arbutus menziesii Pride of madeira Echium candicans Red hot poker Kniphofia uvaria Santa Barbara daisy Erigeron karvinskianus 7 Shasta daisy Leucanthemum maximum Silver fern Cyathea dealbata Spanish lavender Lavandula dentata Star pine Araucaria heterophylla Western swordfern Polystichum munitum Wood sorrel Genus Oxalis 1 African iris Dietes iridioides These beautiful flowers are named for the Greek goddess Iris, a messenger of the gods who traveled by rainbow. Another variety, the Douglas iris (Iris douglasiana) ranges in color from white to blue, lavender, reddish purple, and deep purple. Arum lillies Genus Arum These bright green or orange berries belong to lovely flowering plants, although they are not closely related to the true lilies Lilium. Beware! All parts of the plants are poisonous. Bear's breeches Acanthus mollis This garden plant is also common in the wild. It grows in dry areas, roadsides and wastelands, especially in the rocky and bushy places. It is tolerant of drought and shade and generally does not exceed an altitude of 980 feet above sea level. Blanket flowers Genus Gaillardia The common name refers to the flower's resemblance to brightly patterned blankets made by American Indians. The flowers bloom in the summer and there are more than two dozen known species of Gaillardia. Bolivian fuchsia Fuchsia boliviana There are currently almost 110 recognized species of Fuchsia. Fuchsia boliviana is native to southern Peru and grows well in the shadows of the canopy, seen in The Grove along the pathway between the Main Portal and Circle of Friends. Bougainvillea Genus Bougainvillea Currently, there are over 300 varieties of bougainvillea around the world. Because many of the hybrids have been crossed over several generations, they can be found in pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white, or yellow. 2 California buckthorn Frangula californica This native plant is also known as coffeeberry because its berries contain seeds which look like coffee beans. American Indians found it to be an herbal laxative, but only in small quantities since the effects of the plant are quite powerful. California poppy Eschscholzia californica Its golden blooms were deemed a fitting symbol for the Golden State, so it was designated the California State Flower in1903, winning over the Mariposa lily and the Matilija poppy. Picking it is legal, but discouraged. Carmel ceanothus Ceanothus thyrsiflorus griseus This native species makes its home at all stops between Santa Barbara and Mendocino counties. Flowers vary from dark shared of indigo to denim blue. ‘Diamond Heights’ is a variegated selection from a landscape planting in San Francisco. Coast redwood Sequoia sempervirens The tallest trees in the world, they can contain up to 200 other species in their branches and live for thousands of years. Their Latin name means "forever living" and California designated it the official State Tree in 1937. Common rhododendron Rhododendron ponticum There are many different species of Rhododendron in The Grove, adored for their large, colorful flowers. Warning! Honey produced with its pollen can be quite poisonous in humans if consumed in sufficient quantities. Common yarrow Achillea millefolium American Indians considered it to be a "life medicine,” so they chewed it for toothaches, earaches, headaches, and drank it as tea to reduce fever and aid in restful sleep. 3 Creek dogwood Cornus sericea Often used by American Indians in basket making, its wine red stems standout against its small cream or white colored flowers and leaves that turn red, yellow, orange, plum, and/or pink in autumn months. Florist's cineraria Pericallis hybrid Great in the shade, this flower adds intense color to darker shadows in The Grove. They produce daisies that range in color from white through pink and purplish red, to blue and purple. They attract aphids and, thus, a variety of aphid-eaters. Forget-Me-Not Genus Myosotis It’s common name was calqued from the French, ne m'oubliez pas and is often worn as a sign of faithfulness and enduring love. French lavender Lavandula stoechas This purple flower can be found next to its neighbor, Spanish lavender, inside The Grove – without borders. The French and Spanish plants look almost identical, except that the French flowers are purple, not white. Giant rhubarb Gunnera manicata Leaves with diameters well in excess of four feet are commonplace, with a spread of 10 feet by 10 feet on a mature plant. Despite the common name, this plant is not edible – admire their size, but not their taste.

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