Vaccinium Membranaceum (Black Huckleberry) Photo: Dawn Hanna NPSBC Cover Story: Vaccinium Membranaceum Native Plant Society of British Columbia
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menziesia Fall 2013 NPSBC Native Plant Society of British Columbia www.npsbc.org Volume 18, Issue 3 Vaccinium membranaceum (black huckleberry) Photo: Dawn Hanna NPSBC Cover story: Vaccinium membranaceum Native Plant Society of British Columbia Our Mission hotographer Dawn Hanna The purpose of the Native Plant Society captured the cover image of of British Columbia is to encourage VacciniumP membranaceum. knowledge, appreciation, responsible use She writes: “Every autumn, and conservation of BC’s native plants and I make numerous trips to the habitats. subalpine in Cypress Provincial Park in West Vancouver and Mount Seymour Provincial Board of Directors Park in North Vancouver. The colours of all the foliage are jaw- Ron Long, President [email protected] 604-469-1651 droppingly gorgeous. And then there are the all these beautiful Virginia Skilton, Vice President Lycopodiums, Selaginellas and -- at [email protected] 604-536-3529 Cypress -- Botrychium multifidum (leathery grape fern). Eleanor Anderson, Treasurer It’s a reminder of just how [email protected] amazing native flora can be -- and a reminder that it’s not Helen Gowans, Secretary [email protected] just flowers that deserve to be captured in a photograph.” Dawn Hanna, Past President [email protected] Hugh Daubeny [email protected] 604-731-8537 Jamie Fenneman In This Issue: [email protected] Feature articles are the sole responsibility of their authors. Opinions expressed therein are not necessarily Evening speakers coordinator vacant those of the Native Plant Society of BC. NPSBC inquiries: Ross Waddell, Information Coordinator, Features: 604-255-5719 [email protected] Arbutus menziesii .............................. 3 Database of Canadian plant names ........ 4 Discussion Group Friend or foe? Pest management .............5 Subscribe to the NPSBC Researchers cite horse dung a threat ............. 6 electronic list for information menziesia Invasives vs natives .......................... 7 and discussion on native plants Dawn Hanna, Editor and Layout Plants unpack winter coats ....................... 8 and habitats, current projects and Erin Skelton, Proofreading upcoming events. Researchers look at beargrass ............. 10 TO SUBSCRIBE: Visit http:// Menziesia submissions and queries: Researchers decode birch genome ............. 11 lists.vvv.com/mailman/ [email protected] Growers test new natives to sell ........... 12 listinfo/npsbc and follow the Menziesia is published four times a year. Subscription is included with instructions. NPSBC membership. Departments: TO SEND MAIL to the list Book review: Wildflowers of the Coast .... 9 (after subscribing), email [email protected] Coming events ...................................... 13 TO CHANGE SETTINGS or send enquiries to the list Regular columns: administrators, visit http://lists. Canning’s crossword ........................... 15 vvv.com/mailman/listinfo/ npsbc 2 menziesia Fall 2013 Arbutus menziesii: A beauty undimmed by the seasons By Moralea Milne lossy, evergreen leaves with a silvery underside; thin, peeling, cinnamon-coloured Gbark that reveals a satiny smooth, green trunk that matures to deep reddish brown and clusters of scarlet to orange berries; the arbutus tree embodies the colours of the Christmas season. Incorporating a few of the gracefully contorted red twigs with branches of white-fruited snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) and orange- hipped Nootka rose (Rosa nutkana) creates an outstanding native flora arrangement for any holiday table. Although the red berries can persist past Christmas time, they have often already been consumed by band-tailed pigeons, cedar waxwings, varied thrush and many other species of birds and animals. The white, honey scented spring flowers are ambrosia to bees and the succulent new leaves produced after a fire are eaten by deer and elk. Arbutus, known by the scientific name Arbutus menziesii and commonly called madrone in the United States, is restricted to our “Mediterranean” type climate, with dry summers and warm winters. Because good drainage and open, bright conditions are critical, they often inhabit rocky, nitrogen-poor locations where they are protected from drying winds, frequently in association with Garry oak (Quercus garryana) and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). They are adapted to survive periodic fires by the ability to resprout from the base or from underground burls and this adaptation commonly Photo: Dawn Hanna produces multi-stemmed specimens. They are drought tolerant and their on the way to the bridge that crosses Nations from California to British deep, widespread roots help to Sitting Lady Falls. Other nearby record Columbia made use of the trees. prevent erosion. size trees occur at Esquimalt Lagoon, Berries were eaten fresh, made into The BC Register of Big Trees in Colwood and at the Esquimalt cider, cooked and dried for later catalogues a record specimen at naval base. (To find the location of consumption or used as bait to Witty’s Lagoon with a height of 28.4 other record-sized arbutus trees, go catch steelhead. Either the berries m (92 ft), a circumference of 4.15 m to http://bigtrees.forestry.ubc.ca/ or the bark were added to the (13 ft 7 in) and a spread of 21.03 m (69 files/2011/11/Big_Trees_Register.pdf) cooking of camas bulbs, to impart ft), definitely worth a visit to the park. Arbutus trees were the equivalent Look for it just past the Nature House, of a modern day drugstore, as First continued on page 4 Fall 2013 menziesia 3 Arbutus, cont. from page 3 a pinkish colour. The berries and leaves were used to make a preparation to treat skin conditions, especially from contact with poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) and the leaves were chewed to alleviate stomach aches and cramps. The bark and leaves were used as a post- childbirth contraceptive and were part of a mixture to treat tuberculosis. The bark was made into a tea for colds and sore throats and an infusion of the bark was applied as a beauty wash, its astringent properties used to close pores and soften skin. The Straits Salish people tell of survivors of the “great flood” anchoring their canoes to arbutus at the top of Mount Newton and they honour the role the arbutus played in their survival by not burning the wood in their stoves. The rest of us haven’t discovered quite so many uses for arbutus. Although the wood is fine grained and dense, it is brittle and doesn’t dry evenly, causing cracks. It is used for pulp, firewood and woodworking and it produces a beautiful veneer. If you enjoy participating in the miracle of creation, or perhaps you would like to have arbutus on your property, they are easy to germinate from seeds. Soften the berries in water and separate out the seeds. Pre-chill seeds in the fridge (not the freezer compartment!) for two months or plant seeds in fall in well-drained, coarse soil, in a protected, sunny location out of the wind. They produce a long taproot and deeply resent being transplanted, so it is practical to plant the seeds in their permanent home. If Photo: Dawn Hanna they are to be started in a pot, they should be given plenty of root depth and kept in the pot until they are 2 feet tall. property remember they are adapted to dry, poor soil Use a soil mix of peat, sand and gravel. Although drought conditions. Watering and fertilizing them as frequently as tolerant, any plant will survive better if they are watered you maintain your lawn will eventually kill them. Preserve deeply, once a month during the summer, for the first few the root zone by not disturbing or compacting the soil and years. However, the trees are subject to several soil borne permit the leaves to slowly rot in place. fungus problems and the water should not be allowed A quote from Arthur Kruckeberg, a Northwest to splash from the soil to the trunk or leaves. Use a deep naturalist, and professor emeritus of botany at the mulch to retain moisture and prevent contamination by the University of Washington, in The Natural History of fungi. They are somewhat slow growing, so plant now to Puget Sound Country encapsulates the beauty of arbutus: leave a legacy for your children and community. “Foliage, bark, flower and fruit of madrone consummate To ensure the health and longevity of arbutus on your one of Nature’s most ornamental works of art”. Database simplifies finding Canadian plant names and distribution nvironmental consultants, Herbarium. Data are maintained and Canadian vernacular names in research ecologists, nature and improved thanks to input from English and French (recommended or conservation agencies and many the whole botanical community. The alternate regional usages). For each Eothers all need to put names to plants software was developed under the plant, the distribution within Canada at one time or another. The sources leadership of Peter Desmet, formerly at the provincial or territorial level is used often are not scientifically up- of Canadensys, a Canada-wide provided both in map and text form. to-date, making it difficult to figure biodiversity information network All information is documented with a out the accepted name or proper based at the Biodiversity Centre. source. vernacular to use. The VASCAN The VASCAN database comprises Data are being continuously database simplifies this task for all names for 5,124 vascular plants in updated with the help of Canadian users. Canada, Saint Pierre and Miquelon botanists and amateur scientists. All The database content was developed (France) and Greenland. VASCAN data have been released by a team of botanists led by Dr. Luc The database contains accepted to the public domain and are fully Brouillet, curator of the Marie-Victorin scientific names as well as synonyms, accessible without restriction. 4 menziesia Fall 2013 Friend or Foe? A perspective on natural pest management of native plant gardens Editor's note: This article appears courtesy of the California Native Plant Society. By Betsey Landis anaging native plant gardens is a learning experience.