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 LISTSERVE STILL NOT A REALITY Diversity. OFFICERS President: Deborah Canington Apologies to those of you who were interested in President-elect: Jim Doyle Membership Vice President: Bill receiving electronic notice of our events rather than McCoy paper copies. We had hoped to have a listserve up and Secretary: Jennifer Petersen running by this issue, but we find that we lack the Treasurer: Robert Rhode volunteer help to get one started and maintained. If you Past President: Ernesto Sandoval have any expertise with listserves and would be willing Members at Large: Eva Bayon, to help us in this capacity, please let us know! Don Crosby Student Member at Large: Annabelle Kleist Contact Ellen Dean at [email protected]. Ex officio: Dan Potter, Tim Metcalf, Ellen Dean, Jean Shepard, Kate Mawdsley, Allison Chilcott Contributors: K. Mawdsley, E. Dean, T. Metcalf, D. Crosby, D. Potter Design: Susan Gloystein Cotterel Center for Plant Diversity Plant Sciences Mail Stop #7 One Shields Avenue University of California Davis, CA 95616 UC Davis Mail ID: BTNY 8 No. 28 Spring 2007 LASTHENIA NEWSLETTER OF THE DAVIS BOTANICAL SOCIETY CONSERVatoRY PLANTINGS DELIGHT VISITORS One of the great satisfactions of Sciences laboratory courses from horticulture is watching the plants Robbins Hall to SLB, Ernesto and Tim and the concepts that guided their Metcalf approached then Associate Dean arrangement mature. This is true Tom Rost, chair of the SLB building now, and will be even more evident committee, to propose plantings with in years to come, around the Sciences a biogeographical orientation that Laboratory Building (SLB) and its would enhance teaching and learning. nearest neighbors. Many of you have With Rost’s support, Conservatory staff noticed these stunning plantings that worked with Architects and Engineers have been installed along Hutchinson and the Grounds Division to develop Drive, around SLB, and in front of a much more general plan than a Storer Hall. Ernesto Sandoval, Curator landscape designer would typically at the Botanical Conservatory, kept both provide. Ernesto acknowledges the themes and plants clearly in mind as valuable assistance of campus experts in he led me on a private tour around the planning for access, safety and visibility: buildings to provide a more detailed the stunning Aloe bed at the southwest examination of the new “teaching corner of SLB is composed of low- beds.” growing plants to ensure visibility in Plantings of star of Madeira In a typical University building an area of high pedestrian and bicycle (Echium candicans) and tower of project, landscaping is virtually an traffic. jewels (Echium wildpretii) outside afterthought, with heavy emphasis The opportunity to create the Sciences Laboratory Building. on ease of maintenance. But with the specialized plantings came with a price Photo: Darrell Brandon move of many College of Biological tag. Building funds covered the cost of much of the plant material; many other specimens came from the Conservatory, some grown from seed. But labor has FLORAS PRODUCE RARE FINDS been the responsibility of Conservatory The Center for Plant Diversity Herbarium has had a busy spring. We are staff, students and friends. Several collecting herbarium specimens as a part of floristic inventories in Yolo, successful applications to the Slosson Colusa, and El Dorado counties, and we are involving students and volunteers continued on page 3 in the effort. The Ireland Ranch in Yolo County is located just northwest of the town of Winters near the top of the southernmost extent of the Blue Ridge. The property belongs to the nonprofit Tuleyome, an organization dedicated to IN THIS ISSUE the preservation and restoration of natural and agricultural areas within the Conservatory Plantings .....................1 Putah and Cache Creek watersheds. Although the property is relatively small (<700 acres), in four visits we have already collected the first documented Florisitic Results ................................1 Yolo county specimens of coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), shrub interior live Directors’ Corner ...............................2 oak (Quercus wislizeni var. frutescens), and oso berry (Oemleria cerasiformis). New Plant Family ..............................3 Pending expert confirmation and further collecting, we also believe we have found populations of two rare species. Volunteers Kate Mawdsley and Mark Voluteer Projects ..............................4 Bibbo have helped me with the field work for this project. continued on page 4 Toxic Asteraceae ................................6 1 DIRECtoRS’ CORNER Conservatory photo-engraved matte black with silver The Keasling Research Group at Ted the Titan bloomed again between lettering, the work of Darrell Brandon UC Berkeley has been using latex from May 7 and May 9! The entire blooming funded by a Slossen Foundation grant. the collection’s Euphorbia resinifera in period was caught on live webcam, The labels include accurate current the search for genes involved in the with 20,000 web visitors viewing name and family as well as distinctive biosynthesis of two promising AIDS the event. This was the largest single information and graphics. Besides more drugs. It is a succulent plant native to web event in the history of UC Davis. of the individual labels, larger, full-color Morocco that has been in the collection If you are interested in viewing a engaging signs elucidating the Agaves, since 1969. The piece we had given slide show of Ted, it is available at Aloes, Cycads, and Deserts are in the them three years ago was weakening and the Conservatory website at: http:// last phases of design. We just received tissue they acquired from another source homepage.mac.com/planthead667/ word the Conservatory was awarded didn’t yield the needed RNA. In cutting Titan2004/PhotoAlbum81.html. another Slossen grant to extend the the samples for them, we experienced The DBS-sponsored Conservatory labeling through many more of the first-hand its latex being seventy times Open House on February 10 was notable Conservatory specimens. hotter than the hottest pepper as well as relaxed and subdued, with cloud- There is no way we could afford the being very persistent, resistant to water, filtered light and a uniform pulsing fifty tons of rocks to create the raised soap, alcohol, and wear. of visitors. Because it wasn’t crowded, beds and niches needed for planting Tim Gregory, a cycad expert from people lingered and interacted. Kids the diverse array of plants Ernesto the bay area visited campus to see the and adults wandered freely from has prepared for the landscape on the E.M. Gifford Cycad Garden and attend lush fern glen to African desert to east side of the Science Laboratory one of the cycad morphology labs. Judy carnivorous plant bog, encountering Building. Shad Canington, one of the Jernstedt, who is teaching the course, diverse shapes, textures, and odors Conservatory volunteers and husband said the students thoroughly enjoyed along with animated dialogue from the of the Botanical Society president, made his accounts of the ethnobiology of volunteers and staff in each area. some phone calls and found Cascade cycads and plant exploration. He had If you have walked by the Science Landscape Rock in Sacramento is time to review only a small portion of Laboratory Building plantings, you willing to give us the rock for the price the Conservatory cycad collection and may have noticed labels popping of delivery, cutting the cost to less than returned two weeks later to complete the up in front of the plants. They are a third! survey, furnishing accurate identification that can only be accomplished by someone who has spent copious time in ERNESTO WINS YOUNG ALUMNUS AWARD! the field and in collections with other experts. Ernesto Sandoval, Conservatory Paul Berry, a specialist in the Curator and past Davis Botanical Euphorbiaceae from the University Society president, was named of Michigan spent several days in Young Alumnus of the Year for his the Conservatory taking pictures extraordinary teaching, mentoring, and samples of the specimens for his outreach, and plant growing. The research and an international database. award was presented at the Cal Aggie We had to increase the cooling and Alumni Association Awards Banquet ventilation for the hours he was in the in January. Ernesto, arrayed in an African desert room to avoid his being uncharacteristic suit but characteristic damaged by the heat and irritating aubergine shoes and unmatched volatile compounds released when he socks, acknowledged learning work cut the plants. ethic and plant skills from his father Every quarter the Conservatory hosts while helping him with commercial hundreds of students on plant biology- yard maintenance, the finer points related tours to engage their intellect of personal hygiene from his sisters, and passion. But this quarter Gina and how green the UC Davis grass is Werfel released her freshman honors from the Conservatory staff. He also drawing class in the Conservatory for articulated the potential of a new an afternoon session of pencil form Conservatory that would multiply Ernesto with Ted the Titan in compositions. Their plant choices were the impact of the current program. May 2007. Photo by D. Walker intriguing and some of the resulting Francisco Rodriquez, the Outstanding images startling and attractive. It was Alumnus Award recipient who spoke immediately after Ernesto, began his evident from some of their comments speech by saying he coveted two things that Ernesto has, his youth and hair! the plants had captivated them. T. Metcalf T. Metcalf continued on page 5 2 CONSERVATORY PLANTINGS DELIGHT VISITORS (CONT. FROM PG 1) Foundation have provided signs for basic biosciences course sequence. identification and interpretation; Tim’s Along the main drive, plants from the Director’s Corner in this issue reports American desert and western spring yet another, as well as some creative wildflowers have begun to demonstrate scrounging for hardscape materials.