7 LEAFLETS OF WESTERN BOTANY Volume I San Francisco, California 1932-1936 LIBR/-rv NEW YG^ BOTANIC OAKi>Eiv Oiuned and Published by Alice Eastwood and John Thomas Howell Printed by The James H. Barrt Company san francisco ^^';<\vV Vol. I No. i LEAFLETS of WESTERN BOTANY ^ CONTENTS The Pittosporums in Californian Gardens and Parks. Alice Eastwood A New Californian Baeria .. 7 John Thomas Howell Sax Francisco, Californl\ January 16, 1932 1 LEAFLETS of WESTERN BOTANY A publication on the exotic flora of California and on the native flora of western North America, appearing about four times each year. Subscription price, $1.00 annually; single numbers, 40c. Address: John Thomas Howell, California Academy of Sciences. Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California. Cited as Leafl. West. Bot. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 II 1 III 1 1 1 III 1 111 I II II II II II 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 '1 I 21 J 31 INCHES ' iiiii|iiimiii|iiimiii|iiiyiiii|iiiiiiiii|iiiyiiii|iiimiii|iiiUiiii|iiiyiiii|iii Ounrd and published by Alice Eastwood and John Thomas IIowi:i.i. I.. D»<>.-r*«V 1 ur^U^^irv. l^-'^^^v*^ ,,XM^^ "} ^tIn.'^M THE PITTOSPORUMS IN CALIFORNIAN GARDENS AND PARKS BY ALICE EASTWOOD This genus of plants consists of trees and shrubs with alter- nate or whorled leaves without stipules. The flowers are in the axils of the leaves or in terminal clusters generally sur- rounded by the leaves ; the sepals, petals, and stamens are five, inserted on the receptacle. The pod is woody, splitting into two, three or. rarely, four valves with the seeds attached to the sides and immersed in a viscid fluid. The genus is widely distributed, being found in the Cape region. South Africa, islands of the Pacific, New Zealand and Australia, Japan, China, India, and Canary Islands. The name is derived from the Greek and means pitch seed ; it is pronounced Pittosporum. Key to the Species la. Corolla salverform, claws of petals conniving to form a tube, blades spreading to reflexed 2 lb. Corolla open-bell-shaped, claws of petals conniving only near base 11 Ic. Corolla star-shaped, petals spreading; flowers numerous 12 2a (la). Corolla dark crimson or purple 3 2b. Corolla cream-white or yellow 6 3a (2a). Leaves densely white-downy beneath, green above.... 4 3b. Leaves green on both sides 5 4a (3a). Leaves broadest at top, tapering to the stalk 1. P. crassifolium 4b. Leaves equal at top and bottom 2. P. Ralphii 5a (3b). Leaves whorled at end of branches; flowers dull purple 3. P. cornifolium 5b. Leaves not whorled; flowers generally axillary, dark purple 4. P. tenuifolium ^ 6a (2b). Flowers in small heads on bare branches £0 5. P. cauliflorum r— 6b. Flowers axillary 7 LO 6c. Flowers at end of leafy branches 8 >^ 7a (6b). Shrub or tree with drooping branches; flowers yellow ^ 6. P. phillyraoides ^ 7b. Erect shrub or tree; flowers yellow and purple "j 7. P. bicolor Leafl. West. But., vol. 1. pp. 1-8, Jan. 16. 1932. 2 LEAFLETS OF WESTERN BOTANY [vOL. I 8a (6c). Flowers in umbels 9 8b. Flowers not in umbels, yellow 10 9a (8a). Flowers many; petals white, turning yellow 8. P. Tobira 9b. Flowers few, petals cream-color with red claws 9. P. erioloma 9c. Flowers few, on thread-like stalks, petals yellow 10. P. heterophyllum 10a (8b). Flowers many, in pyramidal panicles 11. P. eriocarpum 10b. Flowers few, in nodding racemes 12. P. revolutum 11a (lb). Flowers greenish-yellow, in many-flowered clusters 13. P. daphniphylloides lib. Flowers cream-white, clusters loosely flowered 14. P. undulatum lie. Flowers pale yellow, on thread-like stalks at end of branches 15. P. truncatum 12a (Ic). Flower-clusters flat-topped 13 12b. Flower-clusters not flat-topped 14 13a (12a). Flowers white; leaves dentate 16. P. rhomb'tfolium 13b. Flowers pale yellow, generally unisexual; leaves un- dulate 17. P. eugenio'tdes 14a (12b). Flowers greenish, in roundish clusters 18. P. virid'tflorum 14b. Flowers greenish-yellow, in pyramidal clusters 19. P. florlbundum P. bicolor, 7. P. eugenioides, 17. P. rhombifolium, 16. P. cauliflorum, 5. P. floribundum, 19. P. tenuifolium, 4. P. comifoUum, 3. P. heterophyllum. 10. P. Tobira, 8. P. crassifolium, 1. P. phillyrseoldes, 6. P. truncatum, 15. P. daphniphylloides, 13 P. Ralphii, 2. P. undulatum, 14. P. eriocarpum, 11. P. revolutum, 12. P. viridiflorum, 18. P. erioloma, 9. 1. PiTTospoRUM CRASSIFOLIUM A. Cunn. Figured in Kirk's Forest Fl. New Zeal., V. pi. 14. Tree or shrub with white-downy branches, becoming black when old. Leaves obovate, 5-8 cm. long, tapering to a short petiole; upper surface green; lower densely white-downy; margin entire. Flowers dark red-crimson, three to ten on drooping pedicels in terminal clusters; sepals white-downy, pointed, 6-7 mm. long; petals 12 mm. long, the spreading or recurving blades as long as the claws; anthers yellow, in the throat of the corolla. Pod roundish, about 2 cm. long, white-downy, valves three or four, yellow within; seeds black. Native of New Zealand. Common in cultivation. 2. PiTTOspoRUM Ralphii T. Kirk. This is similar to the preceding, but can be readily distinguished by the shape of the leaves. In P. Ralphii they are elliptic-oblong, obtuse at base and apex and about the same width throughout, while in P. crassifolium the leaves are broadest at the obtuse apex, gradually narrowing to the short petiole. JANUARY, 1932] PITTOSPORUMS IN CALIFORNIAN GARDENS 3 The pods are smaller in P. Ralphii. This was introduced by the New Zealand exhibition at the Exposition in 1915 in San Francisco. Golden Gate Park. Native of New Zealand. 3. PiTTOSPORUM coRNiFOLiuM R. Cunn. Shrub with spreading branches and leaves whorled at the ends and junction of the branch- lets. Leaves brownish-green, oblong-lanceolate, tapering at both ends and almost sessile, 3-4 cm. long, 1-2 cm. wide, margin entire, smooth. Flowers unisexual, dull purple, 1-3 on slender stems about 5 mm. long; petals linear-lanceolate, nearly 1 cm. long, recurving at the pointed tips; sepals linear and spreading. Pods small, dark brown, with inner surface of valves bright orange; seeds blackish- Purple. Native of New Zealand. It is rarely cultivated in California. 4. PiTTOSPORUM TENUiFOLiuM Banks and Solander. Figured in Kirk's Forest Fl. of New Zeal., pi. 46. Tree or shrub with almost black bark. Leaves oblong, obovate or elliptical, variable in shape and size, somewhat pubescent when young, becoming smooth in age, apex and base obtuse or acute, margin entire or wavy, petiole short. Flowers dark purple, fragrant, generally axillary, but in some bushes in small clusters at the ends of the branchlets, peduncles and sepals smooth or downy, the latter sometimes spreading but more often reflexed, pointed, margin ciliate, generally half as long as the corolla- tube; claws of petals forming a tube much lighter in color than the black-purple blades, these spreading or strongly reflexed; anthers yellow, in the throat of the corolla. Pod either smooth or downy, splitting into three valves with black seeds. This is grown as a tree or a hedge plant. It is very common in Golden Gate Park, and is variable. In the trade this is listed as P. nigrum because of the dark stems and the darker green leaves. A native of New Zealand. 5. PiTTOSPORUM CAULIFLORUM Mann. Tree or shrub with large veiny leaves clustered at the ends of bare branches; these and lower surface of leaves brown-downy. Flowers cream-color, about 8 mm. long in small heads on short stems growing on the old wood. Pod flattened, 3-4 cm. across, roundish and 4-ridged, woody, exterior dark brown, interior of valves orange; seeds black. Native of Hawaii. Golden Gate Park. 6. PiTTOSPORUM PHiLLYR.«oiDES DC. Small tree or climbing shrub with slender drooping branches. Leaves oblong to lanceolate, sharply hook-pointed at apex, narrowed at base to a short petiole, hairy when young, becoming smooth when old. Flowers yellow, often unisexual, single or several, in the leaf axils on thread-like pedicels about as long as the flowers; sepals very small, soon de- ciduous; claws of petals conniving to form a tube 6-8 mm. long, 3-veined, blades reflexed, 3 mm. long, darker than the tube. Pod about 1 cm. in diameter, splitting into two valves with few orange- red seeds. Native of Australia. It is not uncommon in gardens in southern California. 4 LEAFLETS OF WESTERN BOTANY [vOL. I 7. PiTTOSPORUM BicoLOR Hook. Figured in Gartenflora, pi. 15, as P. discolor Regel. Small tree or shrub with brown-downy branches. Leaves oblong-lanceolate to linear, 2-6 cm. long, 1-2 cm. wide, almost sessile, margin revolute, smooth above, white-downy beneath. Flowers unisexual, axillary or few and clustered at ends of leafy branches; flower-stems long, thread-like, and drooping; petals purple and yellow, about 1 cm. long, spreading from about the middle; sepals reflexed 5 mm. long. Pods rounded, compressed, 1 cm. broad, splitting into two valves; seeds black. Native of Aus- tralia. Mosswood Park, Oakland, and Golden Gate Park. 8. PiTTOSPORUM ToBiR.\ Dryand. Figured in Bot. Mag., pi. 396. Shrub with spreading branches. Leaves obovate, entire, strongly revolute, smooth, upper surface darker than the lower, midrib promi- nent, apex obtuse or retuse, base tapering to a short petiole 1 cm. long, blade 7 cm. long. Flowers white, turning yellow, very fragrant, in almost sessile umbels at ends of branches, much shorter than the clustered subtending leaves, pedicels simple or sometimes with one or two branches, puberulent, 15 mm.