at the UC Botanic, distributed to S Saratoga Horticultl Western Hills Nu~ Conservatory, and Most of these peris fate of ,the rest is u one plant, which hc tings and distribu1 given back to the U At the Huntingto that were distribute in two locations iJ three more were ac these succumbed tc In 1994, cuttings o KATHY MUSIAL given to Steve E AnnouncedPlant Promotions in the is last a program issue of thisfor distributingjournal, the unusual,Pacific . Gardens to propag annual conference ( rare, or challenging plants-\ffiattainable through norma.l retail channels-to plant enthusiasts through Pacific of Botanic Gardens Horticulture. This first offering is of a choice plant now Huntington that y' thought to be extinct in its native range in southern Mexico. Deppea splendens. Photograph by Don Mahoney later sold and gave ing plants. In 1996 c "{ A Then Pacific Plant Promotions (PPP)was sported the dangling flower clusters, adding to were given to R, V V in the planning stages,we agreed that a the allure. We had enough plants to continue Garden (RSA). We blockbuster plant was needed to launch this distributing them at subsequent meetings and due to a scale infes project. Deppea splendens,whose story is as to offer a few at our annual plant sale, though this clone back fr, intriguing as the plant itself, leapt to our minds. we still had no name for it. Over the years this RSA-a good exam A more fitting choice cotrld.\hardly be imag- plant came to occupy a near-mystical status be shared. ined, as this species embodies both,the driving and I was often (and am still) asked about its In 1993 I learned force .behind PPP and the importance of identity. This taxon was not scientifically the only known si botanical gardens and their collections. descriW unti11987 by Dennis Breedlove and been cleared for fat Shortly after I started working at the David Lorence; two more years went by before was now presumed Huntington Botanical Gardens in 1982, I became aware that the mystery plant finally conversation with l' I attended my first quarterly meeting of the had a name: Deppeasplendens. no other sites had e Conference of Botanic Gardens and Arboreta of Deppeais a Neotropical genus of twenty-five speculated on the s Southern California. These meetings are a good species of shrubs or small trees, most of which the mountains acr( opportunity to see what's new at other gar- are found in the mountains of southern Mexico an area virtually ch dens, discuss topics of common interest, and and Guatemala. Deppea splendens was first all extant germ pt, keep in touch with each other. They ~lso a collected as pressed specimens by Dennis cultivation. After 6 good venue for gardens to distribute excess Breedlove in 1972in Chiapas, Mexico, as part of demise I began t plants from their collections. At the Fall 1982 his ongoing work for the Flora of Chiapas.More seedlings Hunting meeting, the Huntington brought several specimens were collected in subsequent years, utedto determine } plants cryptically known only as "U1iidentified but only once was living material brought back, be in existence. In Rubiaceae,HBG #46808," grown from seed col- from a collection made by Breedlove and Bruce one other plant, lected by Dennis Breedlove and Bruce Bartholomew in November 1981. Seeds of Botanical Garden a! Bartholomew at Cerro Mozotal in Chiapas, Breedlove and Bartholomew #55758 were additional sleuthir Mexico. Unidentified or unknown speciesoften given to the University of California Botanical have come to light, , Garden and the Huntington Botanical Gardens have a singular appeal to my colleagues, and mented at least sevl these were eagerly snatched up. Some even in January 1982. Seedlings grew and flowered locate any seedlin: Apr /May /Jun 2000 8 /Pacific Horticulture 6 / suoJ:joWO.IcI tueIcI JffiJ1?cI ooozunf/AI?W/JdV .a~ln:>H.I°H :>m:>edJoJnss! .lJqopo al[l UIOIJ ~u-r1s!Xa S~~Id ~unpaas I..~ a~1?:)oI paJaMOIJ pue Mafi, Jl{1 U! Jq /I!in SUO!101UO.ldluvld :1!Ji:1Vd1UO4 $U!.lJJJo lXJU JILL o~ ~U!1.;n, URs UI1?I .sauoI:) uai\as ~s1?aI~1? pa~UaUI suapJt!9 ft!J!U"'lo9 l .It" .SnEtap 10J (L.s a~Ed at!soddo) p1E:) UOHEAlaSa1 -n:)op ai\1?l( MOU aM ~1?l[l OS '~l(~!I o~ aUIO:) ai\1?l( It!J!ill!lo9 t!!W°mt!J SUOHOUlO1d tUEId :)m:)Ed al.fl aas 'aUO 1aplO Slal[lO 'uapg,o ~l1?g JO ~U!l[lnaIs 11?UOn!pp1? aJaM 8SlSS# MaU °.L .sUJpualds vaddaa JO sauoI:) aall.fl St! 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