UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA OTANICAL B ARDEN G NEWSLETTER Volume 22, Number 3 Published by the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BOTANICAL GARDEN at Berkeley Summer 1997 Notable New Zealanders Dacrydium cupressinum (rimu), a graceful conifer with drooping branches. (Photos by the author.) isitors to the Garden have noticed recent changes in the plantings in the former Australasian Area. At V one time, this area was dominated by Australian plants, but these suffered badly from the deep freezes of 1974 and 1990, as well as from the heavy soils and cool summers that many Australian plants do not tolerate. As a result, some of the gaps fortuitously created are being filled by native New Zealand plants. These plants seem more tolerant of Garden conditions, and so far most of these are doing well, having survived the deep freeze of last January. Since visitors often complain about the lack of common names on our plant labels, newly installed New Zealand plant labels bear both English and Maori common names. New Zealand is separated from Australia by about 2400 Phyllocladus trichomanoides (tanekaha), a podocarp with miles of the Tasman Sea, an oceanic gap that is an important flattened photosynthetic biogeographic barrier. Geologically, biologically, and branches instead of leaves. historically these two island complexes have less in common than one might suppose. While the New Zealand flora has strong ties with the Australian flora, it also shows a strong affinity to the flora of temperate South America. The Australasian Area is across the main loop road from the South American Area. Thus, it is possible to see New World fuchsias growing within a few feet of the peculiar treelike kotukutuku, F. excorticata, one of three species of the genus Senecio compactus, an native to New Zealand. Its curious green to purple flowers evergreen shrub with white- are borne on woody stems, presumably to facilitate pollina- edged leaves. tion by heavy-bodied honeyeaters, whereas New World fuchsias are pollinated by hummingbirds and bear their flowers held away from the stems and leaves. Likewise, New Zealand members of the southern beech genus Nothofagus have been planted within sight of Chilean species of this ancient Gondwanan genus. New Zealand is rich in conifers, many of which are among the oldest specimens in this planting. The graceful rimu, Dacrydium cupressinum, with its slender pendulous Macropiper excelsum branches, was accessioned in 1956. Kahikatea, Dacrycarpus (kawakawa), a shrub or small (=Podocarpus) dacrydioides, likewise with drooping branches, tree whose dense foliage gives was acquired in 1961. Our oldest specimen of kauri, Agathis a tropical effect. australis, is a member of the araucaria family that was acquired in 1973. It is still fairly small, but has already produced cones. In nature this species may grow to over 150 feet tall with trunks up to 20 feet in diameter. The araucaria family currently is restricted to the southern hemisphere, suggesting it is a Gondwanan family, but it is known from Page 2 University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley extensive fossil remains in the northern hemisphere as well. reddish magenta. It is a parent of many garden hybrids with Kawaka, Libocedrus plumosa, of the cypress family is closely colored flowers. related to Austrocedrus chilensis, planted in the South Ameri- Many New Zealand plants are grown for their foliage can Area, and our own incense cedar, Calocedrus decurrens, alone. These include New Zealand flax or harakeke, present in the California Area. All these species were at one Phormium tenax, a favorite of unadventuresome landscape time placed in Libocedrus, the name that was in use for incense designers, and cabbage tree or ti kauka, Cordyline australis, cedar when I first began learning plant names. Tanekaha, which at maturity resembles the Joshua trees of California Phyllocladus trichomanoides is a very curious tree. Unlike most deserts. More interesting, however, are lancewood or podocarps, it does not produce leaves but instead has divided horoeka, Pseudopanax crassifolium, which bears long pendant leaflike photosynthetic structures called phylloclades that lance-shaped leaves on an unbranched trunk when young, represent flattened branches. The English name for this tree, and shorter leaves on branched stems of older plants. Many celery pine, is a descriptive one alluding to these green other New Zealand shrubs have strikingly different juvenile flattened branches. and adult leaves; some biologists interpret this as an New Zealand plants are not noted for their colorful antiherbivore mechanism, with the unpalatable juvenile flowers, probably because the pollinator fauna of the islands leaves borne on younger, shorter plants, and adult palatable does not include many creatures with color vision. Thus, leaves borne above the reach of browsing moas. This hypoth- many New Zealand plants are grown for their foliage rather esis cannot be tested easily, since moas are extinct. than their flowers. Virtually all New Zealand shrubs and trees New Zealand’s Southern Alps are, next to the southern are evergreen, so they are ornamental throughout the year. Andes, the highest mountains in the temperate southern Some New Zealand sedges and grasses are well known in hemisphere. They support a varied array of alpine plants, cultivation, grown for their distinctively colored foliage. The many of which have been established in a small planting in shrub Senecio compactus has handsome evergreen leaves with the Australasian Area along with lower-elevation plants white wavy edges. Kawakawa, Macropiper excelsum, a dense suitable for a rock garden. Here one can find some striking shrub or small tree in the mostly tropical pepper family, has diminutive Hebes, such as H. decumbens, with its shiny, striking strongly nerved leaves that convey a tropical effect. purplish-black bark, the mat-like H. epacridea, and the bluish- However, a few New Zealand plants bear showy flowers. flowered H. pimelioides. Here also are young plants of the The beautiful pohutukawa belongs to one of five New curious golden spaniard, Aciphylla aurea, a member of the Zealand genera of the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, which is parsley family with yellowish, sharp-pointed golden-bronze richly represented in Australia. It is Metrosideros excelsa, also leaves, and the fleshy-fruited Pimelea prostrata. A particular called Christmas tree in New Zealand because it produces its favorite of mine is scabweed, Scleranthus biflorus, which looks showy crimson flowers in December. Our young plants were very much like an mossy blob of green bread dough oozing singed by last January’s freeze, but the tree grows well as a over the ground. Before you reject this plant, take a look at it street tree in milder San Francisco, where it flowers in and see if you don’t agree that it has considerable merit. It’s summer. Particularly striking is the lily Xeronema callistemon, biogeographically interesting, too, since this species also which produces a nearly horizontal inflorescence with occurs in Australia and southern South America. striking crimson flowers. This species is known from only a The New Zealand component of our Garden plantings is few tiny islands off the North Island of New Zealand. We also still under development and there are many species we have vigorous individuals of napuka, Hebe speciosa, a intend to acquire to make this collection truly representative rounded shrub with very showy flowers that are a rich of this distinctive and attractive island flora. —Robert Ornduff Pseudopanax crassifolium (horoeka), showing Scleranthus biflorus (scabweed), a moss-like View of New Zealand plantings with a the long narrow toothed leaves of a juvenile plant. cushion plant suitable for the rockery. bronze-leaved sedge in the foreground. Summer 1997 Page 3 FROM THE DIRECTORS s the Garden approaches the end of its first year of reporting to the Office of the Vice Chancellor A for Research, we continue to benefit from the strong support of the University. New positions have been created to restore a permanent Associate Director and create an Administrative Specialist position. A search is underway for a new Horticulture Manager to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Daniel Campbell. In a move to improve maintenance of our scientific collection of wild-collected plants, a new horticulturist will be hired later this Summer. Several horticulturist assistants have been hired as well. And a new horticulture intern program has begun. These vigorous steps are helping to ensure that the Botanical Garden’s unique collection receives the attention it deserves. Because the integrity and safety of our plant collection are paramount, we have begun working on replacing the Desert-Rainforest greenhouse. The deferred maintenance program on campus is working Fritillaria with us to finance and build a new structure based on our design. This is indeed welcome news. We recently learned that the chemical-storage facility across Centennial Drive from the main Garden entrance will be turned over to the Garden in September 1998. We Since January over $40,000 has been raised through have wonderful support from campus to help our use. entrance fees! These funds have directly gone into a The Garden recently was included in the campus’ fire number of educational and interpretive programs fuel reduction effort. including a series of new self-guided tours of the With the hiring of a assistant and new graduate Garden. Look for a revised Serpentine display brochure interns in the Garden’s Curatorial Office systematic and a new tour of the Herb Garden, as well as one vouchering of our priceless collection of plants will on Uses of Plants by California Native Americans. finally get under way. Under Holly Forbes’ leadership Docents have received computer training and are now the Museum Infomatics Project on campus has devel- producing prototype materials on our new computer oped specialized software that will allow the Garden to systems. They are producing myriad materials fully computerize our collection data and make it including interpretive signs and brochures as well as available on-line.