No. 31 Winter 2009 LASTHENIA NEWSLETTER of t h e D a v i s B o t a n i c a l S o c i et y

center for diversity part of Indonesian inventory project

The Center for Plant Diversity Herbari- principal investigator for the project, but um will participate in a five-year project the project involves the participation of to be supported by a recently awarded many other individuals here on the UC $4 million ICBG (International Cooper- Davis campus, at UC Berkeley and UC ative Biodiversity Group) grant, funded San Francisco, and at three institutions by NIH (National Institutes of Health) in Indonesia: the Indonesian Institute of and USDA. This is an interdisciplinary Science (LIPI), the Indonesian Ministry and multi-institutional project that will of Forestry, and the Bandung Institute of involve biodiversity surveys in tropical Technology. forests on the island of Sulawesi, In- The project is organized into six donesia. and microbes collected associate programs: macro-organism will be screened for compounds with surveys, led by Elizabeth Widjaja (LIPI); potential therapeutic and bioenergy microbial surveys, led by Kate Scow, applications. The project also includes UCD Department of Land, Air and outreach and education programs to Water Resources; discovery of energy promote conservation, sustainable use solutions, led by Kyria Boundy-Mills, of natural resources, and ethical inter- Members of the Indonesia project team, from curator of the UCD Phaff Yeast Culture national exchange of knowledge and left: Kyria Boundy-Mills, Lynn Kimsey, Dan Collection; discovery of human health materials. Dr. Daniel Potter, Director, Potter, and Andy Engilis. Photo: K. Garvey solutions, led by Len Bjeldanes, UC Center for Plant Diversity, is the overall Berkeley; conservation research and ver- tebrate surveys, led by Andrew Engilis no false modesty here!: Jr., curator of the UCD Museum of Wild- life and Fish Biology; and conservation the conservatory’s carnivores partnerships, training and ethics, led by *Dr. Barry Rice, author of this article, will be our featured speaker at our Spring Jeanine Pfeiffer, Research Director for so- Meeting on May 14 and leader of our field trip to Butterfly Valley on June 27. cial sciences at the Earthwatch Institute in Massachusetts. Additional partici- This last October, my wife Beth and I spent several days vacationing in coastal pants include: Ellen Dean, whom I trust Virginia. This trip was focused mostly upon looking for birds in salty coastal continued on page 4 sites. It was lovely, but I secretly ached to explore freshwater sites for carnivo- rous plants—my big interest. What agony! Still, I was a trooper. I consoled myself with the fact that we had budgeted a I N T h i S I SSUE few days of our vacation to museum-hop in Washington, D.C. I looked forward to seeing the collections at the United States Botanic Garden. Indonesia Grant...... 1 There, I knew, bedazzlement awaited. After all, we’re talking the nation’s capi- Carnivorous Plants...... 1 tol! Surely the carnivorous plants there would be spectacular! Society Profiles...... 4 Imagine, if you can, the utter disappointment that resulted when we toured the displays. I counted only five carnivorous plants in the entire Garden, nearly Wild Stone Fruits...... 5 all miserably grown in inadequate light, improper moisture, and inappropri- Tales of Sierra Madre ...... 6 ate soils. My camera stayed in its bag the entire trip. O sadness! O despair! O wretchedness! Toxic Winter Plants...... 7 continued on page 2 1 the conservatory’s carnivores (cont. from page 1)

the loss of a prized specimen—but on of Canada. Is this character genetic, the whole the satisfaction of providing or just a reflection of ideal growing such a good experience for the visitor is conditions? In one population I stud- worth the occasional thievery. ied in eastern Oregon, all the flowers In the limited space I have in Lasthe- had oddly mutated so that instead of nia, I cannot describe all the carnivorous producing petals, sepals, etc., they plants in the Conservatory collections. produced little plantlets complete with So instead, let me describe a few that are glandular tentacles! of particular interest to me today. (The Bug Plant (Roridula dentata): This collection is so diverse, ask me for a list sticky plant from South Africa may of interesting plants tomorrow, and it look like an oversized sundew, but will probably be quite different!) it is profoundly different. The many Fanged Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes droplets of glue that cover the plant bicalcarata): This carnivorous plant uses are resinous, unlike the mucus drops Fanged pitcher plant (Nepenthes a pitfall trap—any prey that fall into on a sundew. Enzymes and nutrients bicalcarata). Photo: Barry Rice its pitcher drown in the basin of fluid, cannot flow through resin, so this and are then broken down and digested plant has long been thought not to be In hindsight, the cause of my by enzymes, bacteria, and carnivorous carnivorous. However, in the wild the unrealistic expectations was obvious: I aquatic insect larvae. Two strangely plant provides a home for two species have become spoiled by our own col- fanglike thorns hanging over the pitcher of assassin bugs (Pameridea roridulae, lections at the Botanical Conservatory. mouth produce nectar to lure insects to P. marlothii). These insects crawl about And perhaps you have, too, so let me sup in a place most treacherous. In the the plant, eluding capture because they tell you a surprising fact: the carnivo- wild, colonies of an ant (Camponotus have a thick layer of oil on their bodies. rous plant collection at the Conserva- schmitzi) live inside the hollow tendrils They feast upon the less fortunate prey tory is, I believe, the largest and most that support each pitcher. Remarkably, captured by the Roridula plant. The diverse University collection in the these ants dive into the pitchers, swim, feces from the assassin bugs adhere entire USA. In fact, with the exception and haul out large prey items. The large to the plant and nutrients from them of a few private collections, nurseries, dead insects often putrefy and damage are absorbed through special cracks in and the Atlanta Botanic Gardens, our the pitcher, so the actions of the ants the waxy cuticle that coats Roridula. collection at the Conservatory is the may be beneficial. Meanwhile, the ants During lean times, when no prey are finest in the nation! also patrol the plant to repel weevils that caught, the assassin bugs are sustained How did this come to be? Mostly like to feed on Nepenthes leaves! by sucking sap from Roridula. it is due to the tolerance and cultiva- humboldtii: This is a blad- Adrian Slack’s Pitcher Plant (Sar- tion by Conservatory staff of volunteer derwort, and is equipped with countless racenia ‘Adrian Slack’): This cultivar interest and enthusiasm. Tim Metcalf small aquatic bladders that suction in was named by me in 2000 and honors and Ernesto Sandoval have provided any prey that bump into them. Blad- a great British horticulturist who was bench space and resources for entre- derworts feed on mosquito larvae, small important in the annals of carnivorous preneurial volunteers, and in the last crustaceans, and even fish fry. The plant growing. This plant is commonly decade the carnivorous plant collec- flowers are spectacular, and at maturity considered one of the most spectacular tions have grown (some might say release hundreds of seeds about 1 mm hybrid Sarracenia in existence—cer- ballooned) into a fantastic ensemble. in diameter. The flat, papery seeds are tainly in full growth it is one of the By practically any standard, our transparent, and the tiny seedling is most gaudily colored. Its green pitcher Conservatory’s collection excels. In visible within like an unhatched bird. tube with red veins, crimson pitcher sheer number of plants, in species When wetted, the seeds hatch within a mouth, and white lid with green mot- diversity, and in global representa- few hours, their many filamentary leaves tling and red venation are so striking tion, the collection is astonishing. For looking like a tiny octopus emerging example, we grow (or have grown) from a cage. plants from every known to English Sundews (Drosera be carnivorous, except for one which anglica)are festooned with myriad drops is currently only grown in Bonn and of adhesive mucus produced by the its native Sierra Leone. What is most stalked glands on its leaves. It ranges surprising about our collection is that, throughout northern North America, unlike most Universities that have Europe, and Asia; in California it is their best plants either locked behind known only from a few sites. I am glass or hidden away in inaccessible particularly fond of this species, and at propagation greenhouses, some of our one of my study sites near Mt. Lassen, finest plants can be seen and touched its leaves are extremely elongated—in English Sundew (Drosera anglica) with by any visitor. Yes, this is a theft risk— fact, longer than any other populations abnormal glandular flowers. and sometimes we pay dearly with except one in the Thunder Bay area Photo: Barry Rice

2 recent Gifts

Botanical Conservatory Endowment Jack Major Student Grant Fund Genevieve Walden Mary Major In memory of Larry Mitich Ann Johnson Ellen Dean & Thomas Starbuck In honor of Tim Metcalf Society Student Grants Fund Maxine Schmalenberger E. Eric Grissell Brenda Grewell & Steve Kidner Herbarium Endowment Maxine Schmalenberger Estate of William F. McCoy Gerald Dickinson Julie Knorr In memory of Jack Major Brenda Grewell & Steve Kidner Stephen Rae Stephen Rae Lynn & Robert Kimsey Conservatory Current Use Funds Alan Whittemore Jean Gifford Craig Thomsen Philip Hansten Robert & Laurie Preston Judy Jernstedt Mandy Tu & Philip Rogers Carole Ludlum Maxine L. Schmalenberger Bug Plant (Roridula dentata) Rebecca Wenk Herbarium Current Use Funds Photo: Barry Rice Julin Maloof & Stacy Harmer Donald & Nancy Crosby In memory of Grady L. Webster California Native Plant Society that when I first distributed photo- Ellen Dean & Thomas Starbuck Cole & Priscilla Hawkins graphs of it, horticulturists thought it In memory of William F. McCoy was a computer-generated hoax! This Katherine Mawdsley Gifts in Kind is a spectacular plant! In memory of John M. Tucker Johanna Kwan & the Hewlett-Packard Rainbow Plant (Byblis sp.): Brand Elizabeth Bernhardt & Ted Swiecki Giving Team new to our collection is a plant, pos- Elizabeth Corbin Greg and Debbie Crampton sibly Byblis filifolia, but possibly a Donald & Nancy Crosby. hybrid or new species. This sticky- Ellen Dean & Thomas Starbuck trap plant from northwestern Austra- Gerald Dickinson lia has very strange characteristics, Lewis Feldman including flower stalks which bend Gordon & Delia Harrington downwards towards the ground after Charlotte A. Kimball being pollinated, and odorless foliage Katherine Mawdsley which exudes a nasty fungal smell if Robert & Roswita Norris jostled. Why does this plant do these David & Caroline Pratt things? Our specimens have only re- Jean & Scott Shepard cently germinated and are only about Samuel Statler 3 mm tall. At this age they are very Shirley & Kenneth Tucker susceptible to death by fungi; they Genevieve Walden must grow to at least 2 cm tall before Leonard & Marlene Warren they are past this delicate stage. So Katherine Keysor West who knows if they will survive? I hope they do, though, because I want to observe this plant’s strange new characteristics for myself! I have introduced you to a half dozen of the oddities in the Con- Thank you for servatory collection, but we literally have hundreds of other carnivorous your support! plant accessions, and each plant has its own story to tell. Stop by—ask about them, or come and find them yourself. We have them on display, and as I said before, in one of the fin- est displays in the land! B. Rice

3 indonesia inventory (cont. from page 1)

you all know; Lynn Kimsey, director of their systematics and biology are studied forest type is considered highly threat- the Bohart Museum of Entomology and scientifically. In addition, organisms that ened due to logging and lack of enforce- chair of the UCD Department of Ento- produce substances with potential value ment of conservation laws in the limited mology; Steve Heydon, Bohart Museum; to humans, such as sources of pharma- protected areas. Three such sites will be David Rizzo, UCD Department of Plant ceuticals, are likely to be lost forever. surveyed. One upland forest site (above Pathology; Douglas Kelt, UCD Depart- The island of Sulawesi, the focal re- 1000 m altitude) will also be included in ment of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation gion for the project, is the largest island order to allow us to make comparisons Biology; Irene Engilis, Museum of Wild- within the biodiversity hotspot known of overall diversity in various taxonomic life and Fish Biology; John Labavitch, as Wallacea, which includes Indonesia’s groups, diversity of organisms yielding UCD Department of Plant Sciences; central islands. Sulawesi is rich in bio- natural products with potential applica- Phil Ward, UCD Department of Ento- diversity and high in species endemism tions in human health and bioenergy, mology; and Selena Bartlett, director, in several taxonomic groups, but only a and conservation status of forests at Preclinical Development Group, Ernest small portion of the diversity has been different elevations. Gallo Clinic and Research Center, UC well documented and studied. Several The first field trip to Sulawesi is San Francisco, who is working closely recent efforts by scientists from LIPI in planned for July, 2009. The project is with Bjeldanes on the health screening Indonesia and from research institu- a tremendously exciting opportunity, activities. Numerous excellent scientists tions in The Netherlands, the UK, Japan, and the results will make significant at the three Indonesian partner institu- and Denmark have helped begin to fill contributions to a broad range of issues, tions are contributing to all aspects the enormous gaps in our knowledge including: of the project as well, and Dan was of Sulawesi’s flora and fauna, but much * development of knowledge about delighted to have the opportunity to work remains to be done. the patterns of biodiversity in southeast meet many of the participants during The project will focus on southeast- Asia; his recent visit to Indonesia (described ern Sulawesi (the province of Sulawesi * identification and isolation of elsewhere in this issue). Tenggara), one of the least-studied areas natural products with potential value for The project represents one of the on the island and one that encompasses treating globally important diseases and largest multi-agency collaborations in a variety of substrates over a range of addressing human energy needs; US history to inventory biodiversity elevations. The study area is located on * development of effective biodiver- in Indonesia, a tropical island nation lands near the town of Kolaka on the sity conservation strategies and proac- with a fascinating and complex bio- western side of the southeastern penin- tive outreach and education programs to geographic history. The region harbors sula of Sulawesi. promote those strategies; and tremendous biological diversity, but this Southeastern Sulawesi has significant * establishment of models for ef- diversity is being lost at an alarming rate areas of intact forest with potential for fective and equitable international as human populations and concomitant designation as protected areas. Of pri- collaborative partnerships, and ethical development grow and expand. Many mary interest is the biodiversity of the and sustainable international sharing of species of ecological and economic sig- relatively poorly studied lowland tropi- biogenetic resources. nificance are likely to go extinct before cal forest (below 1000 m altitude). This D. Potter society profiles Jim Doyle

Jim’s doctoral work at Harvard phyllotaxis (leaf arrangement) in the focused on early angiosperm pollen and earliest flowering plants, and identifying evolution and led to research comparing a family formerly thought to be related early pollen and fossil leaf sequences to to grasses as belonging near the base clarify the Potomac geologic sequence. of the phylogenetic tree. He describes He came to UC Davis in 1978. much of his current research as “data- His current research puts Jim mining,” analyzing and synthesizing in the middle of the hottest area data developed by many researchers to of contemporary botany: using derive new knowledge. molecular and other data to clarify the Much of Jim’s work is done in the Jim Doyle in New Zealand with Ascarina evolutionary relationships of flowering lab or at the computer—so when does lucida in the family Chloranthaceae plants. With his expertise in pollen, he get to enjoy looking at plants? paleobotany and systematics, he He’s a “botanical tourist,” he says, on Jim Doyle, DBS President for 2008- works on the origin, early evolution sabbatical leaves. He has traveled to 09, says he has an “obsession with and systematics of flowering plants, such places as New Zealand, Australia, origins.” This is supported by the upper integrating molecular, morphological and New Guinea, home of Amborella, division classes he teaches as Professor and fossil data. He describes his work as currently thought to be the most of Evolution and Ecology, with a joint researching what the oldest plants say primitive living . He then appointment in Geology: Paleobotany about evolution. Recent publications gets to see the plant groups he studies and Systematics and Evolution of have dealt with living and fossil on their home ground. Angiosperms (flowering plants). Chloranthaceae, the evolution of floral K. Mawdsley 4 stalking wild stone fruits in indonesia I returned to Davis in late November in lowland rain forests, highland cloud after spending several weeks in Indone- forests, mountaintop groves, and woods sia, where I traveled in connection with around bubbling, sulfur-smelling vol- an NSF-funded project on the phylog- canic craters. I am happy to report that eny, biogeography, and of we were quite successful – we collected the genus . This project is being most of the species endemic to western carried out in collaboration with Drs. New Guinea as well as several more Jun Wen (Smithsonian Institution) and widespread species. But I learned that Joey Shaw (University of Tennessee, tropical Asian Prunus are not so easy to Chattanooga). find, which can be attributed to several factors. Traditional village near Wamena, Papua First, tropical Prunus seem to prefer Province, in the central highlands of New primary forests, and in many of the Guinea. areas we visited from which we had records of collections from the 1960s The difficulty of locating our target through the early 1990s, the forests had species made for some rather frustrat- been disturbed or replaced entirely by ing hours in the humid forests, but it oil palm or cacao plantations. Second, also enhanced the sweetness of success even in primary forests, Prunus spe- when we did find them. On more than cies are not typically dominant and the one occasion, the sight of a couple of high species richness means that their small bright green circles on the back of frequency is quite low. Third, the steep a leaf or the whiff of hydrogen cyanide slopes and slippery substrate on the was the highly prized reward for a long Indonesian islands can make cover- day of searching. Of course, there were ing large areas (on foot or by vehicle) many other rewards associated with the rather difficult. Finally, tropical Prunus trip, including the spectacular scenery, superficially resemble many other tropi- Dr. Widjaja and two local assistants cal trees – species of Ilex (in the holly collecting leaves of Prunus in north- family)and Symplocos (sweetleaf family) western New Guinea. Martin is holding are particularly troublesome – and lack a jackfruit (Artcarpus heterophyllus) any obvious characters that allow their that he found growing on a tree near easy identification from a distance. the Prunus. Fortunately, on closer inspection, Prunus is a large genus of about 200 Prunus can almost always be readily rec- species that is very familiar to residents ognized by two vegetative features. The of the temperate regions of the world first is the presence of one to several due to its economic importance as a pairs of glands typically found near the source of edible fruit crops (cherries, base of the leaf lamina or at the top of plums, peaches, apricots, almonds), or- the . The second is the some- namentals, and timber. Less well known times very strong “almond extract” odor is the fact that species of this group produced by crushing a twig or scratch- also occur in the tropics, with about 40 ing or species native in Southeast Asia, one cutting a in sub-Saharan Africa, and about 20 tree’s bark, in neotropical regions. A major objec- the result Elizabeth Widjaja sniffing the tive of our project is to increase the of the cyanogenic glycosides of Prunus javanica, Manokwari, northwestern New Guinea. sampling of tropical Asian and South cyanogenic American species, which have been glycosides the friendly and kind people, the deli- poorly represented in previous phyloge- found cious spicy food, the amazing cultural netic studies of Prunus, including those through- diversity, and the wonderful plants, conducted in each of our labs over the out the among which some of the more striking last 15 years. plant body were flowering individuals of species of In November, Jun, Dr. Elizabeth in many Pandanus, Rhododendron, and Schefflera, Widjaja (senior researcher at Herbarium Rosa- various orchids, and members of Melas- ceae, but Bogoriense in Indonesia), and I, with Glands at the juncture of the tomataceae and Rubiaceae. assistance from local guides, spent two blade and leaf stalk on the especially weeks on New Guinea and a few days lower leaf surface of Prunus prominent D. Potter on Java searching for species of Prunus arborea, found in West Java. in Prunus. including photos 5 tales of Botanizing the San Rafael wilderness in the sierra madre mountains, california

G. Fred Hrusa, author of this article, is Madre are about 1800 m (5500 ft.). Senior Botanist at the CDFA Herbarium The vegetation is dominated by chap- and Research Associate of the Center for arral, with silvic components that vary Plant Diversity Herbarium. with elevation and exposure. Small stands of big-cone spruce (Pseudotsuga Think about the Sierra Madre Moun- macrocarpa) and Coulter pine (Pinus tains and images of Mexico, bandits, coulteri) occur near the highest peaks, gold and Humphrey Bogart usually and some internal northwest and come to mind. It is less often that north-facing slopes of deep canyons California’s own Sierra Madre Moun- support old-growth stands of these two tains are thought about in a similar conifers. Several of the eastern sum- Lion Canyon, Sierra Madre. vein, and no, there are no bandits, mits have stands of pinyon pine (Pinus Photo: G.F. Hrusa gold or Bogart there, but the Cali- monophylla), and the western summits fornia version shares with its more have small patches of knobcone pine specimens helped develop methods of famous namesake an unknown and (Pinus attenuata). Close to the north- extracting fresh plant material from wild condition, including its botanical western terminus of the Sierra Madre, deep in the wilderness. Over the next near the Cuyama Canyon, and extend- ten years I explored numerous canyons ing along the north base of the range of the Sierra Madre, setting the stage for for a dozen miles or so, occurs a blue later, more detailed, floristic exploration. oak (Quercus douglasii) woodland/sa- In 1996, I initiated a systematic vanna. Here blue oak is near its south- botanical survey of the Sierra Madre ern limit, and mixes with the southern Mountains. During subsequent years, California red shanks (Adenostoma I compiled the known and rumored sparsiflora), forming a distinctive plants of the area, producing a check- woodland readily visible along the list of about 600 species. By 2006 the westernmost Sierra Madre Rd. In the checklist had grown to more than 750 northwestern part of the Sierra Madre, taxa, and plant collections numbered coastal sage occurs at elevations below more than 1200, but little collecting had chaparral. been done in the San Rafael Wilder- Nested within the Sierra Madre ness itself. In 2007, through the efforts Mountain Range is the northern half of Forest botanist Lloyd Simpson and of the San Rafael Wilderness Area. The Bruce Emmens of the Santa Maria office Shortlobe (Phacelia brachyloba) San Rafael was established as a primi- of the USFS, I received permits to collect found on Salisbury Ridge, Sierra Madre. tive area by the Chief of the Forest for five years inside the WildernessA rea; Photo: G.F. Hrusa Service on January 19, 1932 and then this work was intitiated in 2008. contained 79,900 acres. On March 21, One of the most interesting excur- resources. That’s right, Santa Barbara 1968 the San Rafael became the first sions I made in 2008 was my trip into Co., that region of sun, nude beaches, primitive area in the Nation reclassified the Sisquoc Canyon. Herbaceous diver- and the upper classes, also has in as wilderness under the Wilderness sity in these mountains is often con- its remote and inaccessible inland, a Act of 1964. Sixty-three years and two centrated in disturbed areas or burns, region of botanical mystery. expansions later, it contains 197,380 and the Zaca fire of 2007 opened up The Sierra Madre Mountains are acres. thousands of acres which had previously the most northern range of the east- My first visits into the Sierra Madre been inaccessibly dense chaparral. A west trending Transverse Ranges. came in the mid 1970s. At that time heavy winter rainfall in 2007-8 brought These ranges are unusual among the I noticed that the two most common out the fire-followers; it also washed mountain ranges of the west coast sages occurring there, white sage away many of the currently used trails, of North America in that they face (Salvia apiana) and purple sage (Salvia either by slopewash overflow or floods, southward to the Pacific Ocean rather leucophylla), regularly formed hybrids. while at the same time sometimes re- than westward. They are comprised Later, as an undergraduate student at vealing the remnants of old, abandoned of Tertiary sedimentary rocks, highly Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, I used these trails. The riverbed here had flooded tilted and deformed. In several places populations to study the interspecific the winter before, and silt was deposited large sandstone outcrops up to fifty pollination syndrome among these thickly within and above the riverbed. feet high form spectacular visuals two species and their hybrids. Hikes of The annual flora was well-represented with wind-scoured caves, amphithe- more than 20 miles in and out of the in the floodwash, and interesting species aters, and small waterfalls in the early study sites were commonplace, and appeared quickly: California suncup season. The highest peaks of the Sierra the requirements of saving voucher (Camissonia californica); spoonsepal 6 winter cheer (toxic plants!) spineflower Chorizanthe( obovata - Don Crosby, author of “The Poisoned Weed: (Thuja plicata), are often used for one of several localized, and +/- nar- Plants Toxic to the Skin,” is Past Presi- Christmas wreaths, although red cedar rowly endemic spineflowers in the dent of the Davis Botanical Society and a is a major cause of occupational asthma area); and a presently unidentified regular volunteer at the Center for Plant wherever the wood and sawdust are Clarkia, like Clarkia bottae but with Diversity(along with his wife Nancy). produced. Incense cedar is used more monomorphic and cream for interior panels and flooring but also colored pollen. Another unusual Chilly weather and rain are back—even for pencils, and it produces allergy via plant discovered in this area was a snow if you live in the right place. It’s its dust and shavings. form of Phacelia viscida described winter again, and except for a few hardy However, many toxic plants prefer early on by Nuttall as Eutoca (Phace- species, your garden knows it. Indoors, to be indoors these days and may be lia) albiflora. This variant has pure- though, it’s like perennial spring: potted given as gifts by the uninformed. The white, rotate corollas and is clearly poinsettias still bloom, a holly wreath pretty, variegated dumbcane (Dieffenba- distinct from typical P. viscida. adorns the door, and there may even be a chia spp.) is one of the most dangerous, sprig of mistletoe left over. especially for little kids. Its sap and For toxicologists, it’s business as leaves contain countless microscopic usual; the season has its own plethora of needles of calcium oxalate—sharp as poisonous plants. I want to tell you about glass—that penetrate the mouth and some of them—not to scare you, but to tongue of anyone who bites or sucks inform, intrigue, and help you to stay it. The result is a gross swelling that out of trouble. Although most people’s chokes off the breath and can make the outdoor activities are limited at this time victim “dumb,” i.e., silent. of year, certain plants still pose a threat. Many markets and florists sell pots At the top of the list is Winter of ornamental pepper (Capsicum annu- Daphne (Daphne odora). That evergreen um) at this time of year for its spectacu- shrub covered with clusters of small, larly colored fruit, which will burn and sweet-smelling waxy flowers is one of the blister sensitive lips and tongues. The most poisonous things around; all parts first time I tried one, it quickly raised a blister on my lip, so contact with even Mojave dwarf (Parishella californica). of it are toxic to eat. Symptoms start with Photo: G.F. Hrusa burning and blistering of the lips and just one can injure a person. mouth, followed by nausea, vomiting, Most of the mistletoe invading our I made more than 200 collec- seizures, and often death—the fatality trees is Phoradendron macrophyllum, tions in this spot, and have not yet rate in European children is 30%. although California claims over 20 studied most of them. This region Hellebores are another garden plant other species. The whitish berries are is the most unused in the San Rafael blooming now. All species are toxic to a the most toxic part, and eating even a Wilderness, and early next spring degree, but the Christmas rose (Helle- few will lead to vomiting and diarrhea; season I plan to revisit the area, par- borus niger), is especially so. Tasting even swallowing more may cause heart fail- ticularly the canyons that open close a small leaf of the showy ornamental can ure. European mistletoe (Viscum album) to the Santa Maria Plain not more cause heart failure. Indeed, the dried and was introduced into our state by Luther than a mile or so from the summer powdered leaves were used as an insecti- Burbank and fortunately is rare—it’s fog layer. I also intend to search cide at one time. deadly to eat, but still is sold locally as a specifically for more populations of This is also one of the most dangerous holiday decoration. Phacelia albiflora and the unidenti- times of year for those sensitive to Poison Just how serious are these threats? fiedClarkia . UC Davis Center for Oak, (Toxicodendron diversilobum). While California Poison Control Centers record over 10,000 plant-related calls Plant Diversity alumna Genevieve many people remember “leaves of three, let it be” in the summer, they ignore the each year—about 90% of them for Walden, now at San Francisco bare sticks that are left once the leaves kids less than five years old. In rank, State, is currently sequencing the have dropped. These branches remain the houseplant called philodendron specimens of Phacelia albiflora, and just as allergenic as ever, yet folks who (P. scandens) is No. 1, oleander No. 2, its relationship to typical P. viscida would properly shun the plants in warm dumbcane third, poison oak fourth, should soon be known. weather think nothing of wading into a ornamental pepper fifth and holly sixth. The 2008 season was a good one, thicket of bare limbs in winter. Be sure All but the pepper have caused deaths. yielding a total of 700 specimens to apply barrier lotion to exposed skin if So is everything toxic? Of course not; and expanding the checklist to 831 you’re going into Toxicodendron country, even some plants widely believed to species. A detailed analysis of the and wash thoroughly afterward. be toxic are not. Poinsettias (Euphor- variation both within and among Conifers such as Douglas fir Pseu( - bia pulcherrima) have a long-standing the recognized species will enable a dotsuga menzii), white fir, (Abies con- reputation for toxicity to skin, but first evaluation of the relationships color), noble fir, (A. procera), and balsam available evidence says they’re harm- and history of the individual taxa fir A.( balsamea), are familiar. However, less. Likewise, firethorns Pyracantha( and the flora; eventually a detailed their sap and resin contain allergens that spp.) are avoided because the berries picture of the Sierra Madre flora, cause “winter eczema,” a skin disease affect birds, but in fact, the birds are not including its relationships and varia- especially in people who cut and handle poisoned—just drunk on alcohol from tion patterns, will emerge. Christmas trees. Incense cedar (Caloce- the fermented berries! drus decurrens), and western red cedar D. Crosby 7 davis botanical society LASTHENIA Lasthenia, the Newsletter of the Davis Botanical Society, is published by the Society in collaboration with the staff of the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory and Center for Plant Diversity. do you just want Officers, 2008-2009 President: James Doyle electronic mail? President-elect: Kevin Rice Membership Vice President: Darrell Thank you to all of you that have provided your email Brandon and Kate Mawdsley address to become part of our listserve. A number of you Secretary: Susan Nichol have requested that we send you only electronic versions Treasurer: Robert Rhode of our calendar, fliers, and newsletter. We are in the process Past President: Don Crosby of changing our membership database, so that we can send Members at Large: Tim Metcalf, Leslie Randall paper mail just to those who want it. Those who just want Student Member at Large: electronic reminders will be sent a link to our electronic Annabelle Kleist fliers and newsletter at the Center for Plant Diversity website Ex officio: Dan Potter, Ernesto San- (herbarium.ucdavis.edu). If you would like to be added to the doval, Ellen Dean, Jean Shepard, listserve, please email our membership listserve coordinator, Allison Chilcott Contributors: K. Mawdsley, E. Kate Mawdsley, at [email protected]. Dean, Dan Potter, G.Fred Hrusa, Barry Rice, Don Crosby Design: Susan Gloystein Cotterel

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