summer 1999 botanical garden university of california berkeley newsletter

8/9/2019 Summer 1999 Botanical Garden University of California Berkeley Newsletter

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Volume 24, Number 3 Published by the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BOTANICAL GARDEN at Berkeley Summer 1999

Venturing to Venezuela

In February of this year a group of intrepid travellersventured to Venezuela, on a Garden sponsored tour, toexplore various ecosystems unique to that country. The groupwas led by David Brunner, Horticulture Manager. Here ishis account of the trip.

Stepping off the plane and into the thick equatorial air,we knew our expectations would not go unfulfilled. Wewere certain to have excitement, to see incredible sightsand most of all to be overwhelmed by plants, by birds,by forests and by mountainsto be awed by the sheerexuberance of life near the thick waist of the worldthiswas the promise of our trip to Venezuela.

Escaping Caracas early, in flight from the noisy capitalin full crescendo for the inauguration of a new President(we shared our hotel with many of Latin Americas Headsof State!), we landed insecluded Camp Canaima onthe black waters of the RioCarrao. Here only the timpanirumble of the river vaultingover Hacha Falls and thestaccato melody of myriadbirds high in the Cecropia treesbroke the silence. For meals wewere joined by scarlet macawswho came fearlessly out of theforest to help themselves to

kitchen scraps in our open airdining room.

Later, we ventured outonto the dark leaf-stainedwaters of the river to see thegallery forests up close. There,Tabebuia towered high overthe canopy, a lavender billowabove the green, echoed in lilacJacaranda at the shore. Andhoming beacons in a verdantdark, Cochlospermum in

vibrant yellow and Bombacopsisin red and white, led theway further down the river. At a shallow bend on a whitesand beach we stopped to swim in warm licorice waterwhere it fell and foamed in pink, auburn and russet overthe Mayupa rapids. Then slowly we returned up the dark

river now a formal allee of Moriche palms with thestriking silhouette of tepuis breaking the horizon.

This idyllic place, Camp Canaima, is located in theheart of Canaima National Park which preserves 11,500square miles of the Gran Savana, a complex mosaic oftropical grasslands, savannas, forests and the incredibletepuis. Tepuis are sheer palisade-sided mountains withsawed off tops. They look like gigantic mesas from theAmerican Southwest rising out of tropical forest.

Early the following morning, we were in the air again,this time in a small chartered plane, soaring close over

savannas and forests to our rendez-vous with the tepui namedKukenan. Landing in a tiny townnear the base of the highest tepuis,the Roraima group, we were pickedup by helicopter pilot Raul Serrano,the Eagle of the Tepuis, andferried three by three on a ride noneof us will forget. Lofting into the airfrom a small rise we seemed to grazethe tips of tree branches in thebraided galley forests and pushed

the stubby grasses into turbulentwaves. The fascinating scenerybelow occupied every glance withits intricate interweaving of grass-land, riverine forests, cloud forestsand palm savanna. Then, lookingahead, there it was, Kukenan! Thesheer wall of solid rock filled thefield of visionleft, right, up,down. Half a mile of vertical stonecollapsing below in a rough pile of

vegetation covered debris.

Cloud-embraced Roraima seen from the summit of Kukenan.(Photos by David Brunner)

BU N I V E R S I T Y o f C A L I F O R N I AOTANICALGARDEN


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2 University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley

As we crept along the wall to gain altitude, staying justclose enough to avoid the turbulent winds, we could pickout the plants in unique, mostly unstudied, communitieswhere spatial reference is only vertical. Tillandsia, Catopsis,Navia, and Brocchinia; orchids of infinite variety; mosses,lichens and liverworts, all thriving in this strange twodimensional world on Kukenans wall. Rising further, weencountered the vaporous plume of a waterfall staining the

rock dark, its tail churned to a misty froth by our rotors.Falls like these form daily after rains on the summit, mostare torn to bits in mid-descent by the fierce winds beforeever reaching the rocks below. Rising still further, the wallsuddenly vanished into a venutian landscape. The summit!Broad, flat and broken, the sandstone crown of Kukenanis a labyrinth of weirdly sculpted columns, entire hillsidesof monumental art. At 9,000 feet elevation, the helicoptersettled into a small valley between these pillars and spiresand we took our first steps onto the summit of a tepui.

The rock, pink sandstone stained black with algae andlichens, is phenomenal. Though weathered by poundingrain and driving wind into fantastic shapes, the accumu-lated layers are still clearly visible, still perfectly horizontal,as if they were just laid down. But this rock is old. Morethan a billion years old! Deposited here before life wasleaving fossils to mark history, before Africa and SouthAmerica were torn apart to form the Atlantic, before thebits of land that would be California had collided withNorth America. This rock is old, and yet...here at a newcleavage are the ripple marks of water laying down thesand. A frozen moment in time, a billion year old momentwhen gentle waves rocked the sandy floor of a quiet,

shallow sea.And on the rocks, between the rocks, beneath therocks, are plants. Oddly beautiful plants! Strangelywonderful plants! Crowded forests of elfin stature hunkerbelow the gigantic boulders, these are Bonnetia trees withred and bronze leaves. Here are tinyLedothamnusshrubs

with bright fuchsia flowers larger than the branches thatbear them, and Bejaria, the tepui-top rhododendron, likean overturned bushel of pink. In the wet swales betweenthe rocks are bogs and fens so diverse, so colorful, sostrange in growth that we seemed to have encountered acoral reef on this mountain top. Heliamphora with longchartreuse funnels capped in crimson, Utricularia whoseonly visible parts are big burning orange flowers, dewy

tentacled leaves of red on Drosera, and ghostly yellowtubes of tightly clasping Brocchinia leaves: each beautiful,each strange, each carnivorous. On exposed boulders wefound mosses, lichens and fernspeat bogs on a rock,in deep crevices we found taller forests ofDrimysandMagnolia, and all around were the flat fans ofStegolepisleaves and the translucent crystalline yellow ofOrectantheflowers. This wonderful vegetal world is unique! The tepuitops support 2,500 species of plants, most found nowhereelse on earth.

Then came the weather! Though we visited in themiddle of the dry season, every thing was wet. As eveningfell so did the clouds. Our camp was warm and dry underthe eves of huge mushroom rocks but all around theclouds and mist were swirling. All night we were in theclouds and the rain, through the drops seemed to propelthemselves upward. At dawn the clouds broke and allaround was a cascaded wonderland of foaming waterrushing to the precipice for its long plunge downward.Just in time, for the helicopter was coming, beating the airand our retreat from this beautiful yet inhospitable place.From the strange world of the tepuis, we were certain thatnothing more would compare. But the Andes awaited with

their own beautiful secrets. To be continued...David Brunner

Cerro Venado behind Hacha Falls on the Rio Carrao, one of theblack water rivers of the Gran Savana. Moriche palms stand in thewater.

Rock formations and vegetation on the summit of Kukenan: Bonnetia(shrub on the left), Stegolepis (center), andOrectanthe (right).


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Summer 1999 3

DIRECTORS COLUMN

recently attended two meetings on theimportance of museums and gardens for scientific

study and public education about biodiversity.The first was a workshop at the California Academy ofSciences sponsored by the National Science Foundation(NSF) to develop the concept of a nationwide BiodiversityObservation Network. This exciting new initiative at NSFis modeled on the federal network of astronomical obser-vatories which performs long-term monitoring of theheavens, by which astronomers discover new stars andunderstand the cosmos. By analogy, a Biodiversity Obser-vatory is a collections-housing institution, such as amuseum or botanical garden, from which scientists scanthe environment in search of new understandings about

biodiversity. Scientists at a Biodiversity Observatory willperform biotic inventories and conduct ongoing bioticmonitoring at associated study sites. The Observatory willhouse specimens from these inventories and will serve asthe repository and processing center for the enormousquantities of information that these efforts will amass.The Network will link the various Observatories, perhapsas many as 60 institutions scattered across the U.S.This network will facilitate understanding of how human-induced global change is influencing our biota, monitorthe success of various efforts to conserve biodiversity,

inform public policy decisions about the natural world,and play a role in biodiversity eduction.The Garden, in conjunction with the other members

of the University of California Museums of NaturalHistory, is ideally positioned to become a BiodiversityObservatory. Over the next year, the directors of themember museums will be working together to makethis dream a reality. Becoming part of a BiodiversityObservatory would increase the Gardens scientific statureand would contribute to understanding the origins andmaintenance of Californias outstanding floral diversity.

The NSF workshop segued into a symposium on

Museums, Universities, and Biodiversity in the 21stCentury jointly sponsored by Stanford University andThe California Academy of Sciences. Unlike UC, over 20years ago, Stanford closed its museums and moved itsextensive biological collections to the California Academyof Sciences. Today, there is little interaction betweenthe two institutions and Stanford students have littleopportunity to explore this rich biological heritage. Thesymposium was organized to explore and celebrate thediverse benefits that both museums and universities obtainfrom close interactions.

It was exciting to meet museum scientists fromthroughout the country and hear their accolades about our

Garden. We have one of the most diverse plant collectionsin the nation and we are on the forefront of gardens in theextent to which our accessions data are computerized andaccessible to scientists via the world-wide-web.

Museums and gardens are poised to reap the benefitsof the information revolution. Massive quantities of datahoused at these institutions which had previously seemedtoo unwieldy are now becoming available in new formats.For example, the geographic information in our accessionsdatabase can be examined in a geographic informationsystem (GIS) which can overlay plant location data withother geographic data such as elevation, soil type, local

climate, and the geographic ranges of other plants andanimals. In such systems, all these data are displayed asmaps with various layersone layer for the range of eachplant or animal species, one layer for soil types, anotherlayer for climate, etc. Even prehistoric data can beexamined in this format! Scientists can use such systemsto reconstruct the physical habitat and biotic communitiesfrom which specimens were collected. These insights willhelp horticulturists better understand the growingrequirements of their plants and can help ecologistsdetermine how best to restore degraded habitats. Think

of all the different ways these data can be used!Dr. Ellen Simms

Director Ellen Simms at the Plant Sale chattingwith longtime volunteer propagators JulieDobson and Cecile Weaver.

I


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GARDEN NOTES

University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley4

New Plants Program Coordinator Martin Granthamattended Out of the Wild, into the Garden at Rancho

Santa Ana Botanic Garden in March.k

HorticulturistElaine Sedlackattended the American RhododendronSocietys annual convention held concurrently with theInternational Rhododendron Species Symposium, inBellevue, Washington, in April.

HorticulturistsJudith Finn andJerry Parsons went toHayward on April 28 for a class on pesticides. It stressednew chemical controls, new exotic weeds that are makingheadway in the Bay Area, and a new problem for blue gum(Eucalyptus globulus). A few years ago a borer was intro-duced, and within the last few months a psyllid has been

discovered. Neither have a control so the picture is nowpretty grim for blue gums. Although California nativeplant fans will be delighted, the projected cost of removingthe doomed trees is causing quite a panic.

The Garden cosponsored the 30th annual CaliforniaWildflower Show with the Oakland Museum, JepsonHerbarium, East Bay Chapter of the California NativePlant Society, and the East Bay Municipal Utility Districton May 8-9th. Curator Holly Forbes and DirectorEmeritus of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden Wayne

Roderick collected flowers in Mendocino, Sonoma, andMarin counties in preparation for the show. HorticulturistJerry Parsons created several magnificent floral arrange-ments of California native flowers.

In mid-April, Jennifer Donovanfrom the HowardHughes Medical Institute, visited the Garden and, in prepara-tion of a major news article, photographed several elementsof the Education program to which the Institute has givengrant support. While visiting Oxford Elementary School,Jennifer experienced the Gardens new six-hour curriculum

Botany On Your Plate.

With graduation upon us, the Education Program hasseveral staff changes. Terry Chou andAmy Rusevare movingon. We thank them for their hard work and will miss themboth. Joining the staff isJennifer Short Yorty who willmanage the Crops of the World Garden and oversee theGreen Stuff Summer Camp program. Also joining us thissummer are Neil HitchcockandWendy Park. Both areentering seniors at Cal and are our summer camp counselors.

Musical spaces...In the last few months, many Garden functions and staff

have moved to new locations. All of these shifts are part of aspace allocation plan which was developed with two goals inmindto take utmost advantage of some additional space theUniversity made available to the Garden, and to make roomfor new staff and new programs.

In 1998, Vice Chancellor for Research Joseph Cernynegotiated the Gardens use of several rooms in a buildingwhich belongs to the Lawrence Berkeley National Labora-torythe Atmospheric Aerosol Research Building. TheAerosol House, as it is commonly called, houses the GardensEducation program, the new plants program and the seedcleaning operation. Public entrance to the building is a smallturnout off Centennial Drive across from the lower section ofthe California area. Staff and volunteers may soon access thebuilding through the Gardens Mather Redwood Grove.

The Annex, the green building just above the entrance tothe Garden, has undergone some interior remodeling and nowhouses the Director, business and administrative staff, as wellas the volunteer propagators and docents. The Office, adjacentto the Garden Shops Plant Deck, now houses curatorial staff,volunteer services, and development and marketing staff.

Plans are underway to relocate the horticultural staff office/breakroom to the Corporate Yard. The breakroom will soonbe located in the building we fondly call the Barna namewhich evokes the agricultural history of the Gardens site.Another Corporate Yard building is currently being remodeledto house the workshop which is now located in the Barn.

Future plans include the creation of a small breakroomfacility near the Office, the addition of a carport for anelectric-powered utility vehicle, and the remodeling of thewood building near the Fern House to house the Gardenslibraries. Watch for continuous updates in upcoming issuesof the Newsletter!

The Garden has been building its public presence! Wewere invited to create a vignette for the San FranciscoFlower and Garden Show in March. In the photo above,David Brunner and Jerry Parsons are preparing ourdisplay which attracted a lot of attention. We have beeninvited to participate again next year, and have beenpromised a center stage site.


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Summer 1999 5

EDUCATION AT

THE GARDEN

programs, more than 7,800 children will be impacted bythe garden materials shared during the day. I see thisconference as a jump start in developing an effectivenetwork of garden programs and expanding our efforts tosupport this important movement aimed at improving ourchildrens education and schools. Participants expressedgreat enthusiasm for being part of the Gardens networkand the opportunity of working with the Gardens staff.

We were equally moved by the enthusiasm, dedicationand competence of the individuals gathered to support oneanother as we make school gardens stronger. Indeed, theBay Areas children are fortunate in having such avidproponents dedicated to providing and expanding schoolgardens as important resources for improving science,nutrition, literacy and social studies. It will be wonderfulwhen, indeed, there is a beautiful, dynamic children-friendly garden integrated into the heart and curriculumof every school.

Jennifer Meux White

Kathy Barrett, project leader, introduces panelists Phoebe Tanner,Jay Cohen, Yolanda Hua, Rivka Mason and Robin Goldman whoshared secrets of the success of their garden programs.

The Garden is sponsoring the 2nd

SCHOOL GARDEN CONFERENCE

November 20, 1999

Gardening is a potent force for change andmotivation. No where was it more evident thanamong the participants at the Gardens first

School Garden Conference on Saturday May 1, 1999.Sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, theconference hosted 50 teachers, parents and school gardenresource staff from around the Bay Area. The conferencewas kept at a manageable size so that everyone couldparticipate in active workshops and training sessions aswell as have a voice in small focus groups aroundcommon issues.

This Spring conferences theme focused on sharing

successes and best practices among local garden programs.David Hawkins, Garden Manager of the EdibleSchoolyard at Martin Luther King Middle School inBerkeley, set the tone of the day with inspiration andenthusiasm as he shared his insights of student growth inself-esteem and skills as they work in a garden. Themornings panel of local experts included: Yolanda Huangfrom Willard Middle School, Phoebe Tanner and JayCohen from Martin Luther King Middle School, RivkaMason from Malcolm X Elementary School and RobinGoldman from Berkeley Youth Alternatives-Garden Patch

Program. Their practical experiences of: working withstudents in garden settings, community resources theyenlisted for support in their programs and diverse manage-ment tips for successful garden programs, provided a richbackground for the questions participants took into theirdiscussions on school garden issues. Participants wereespecially moved by student evaluations of what workingand learning in school gardens means to them.

In small focus groups, participants wrestled with issueson how to recruit more volunteers to assist in gardens,how to maintain school gardens during the summer break,how to tie all aspects of the curriculum into the school

garden programs, and where school gardens can findfunding. Especially gratifying was the openness of allour participants to share their wealth of information,community resources and funding sources. Participantsalso eagerly received the two new botanical curriculadeveloped in conjunction with the Gardens partnerschools: Martin Luther King Middle School, WillardMiddle School and Oxford Elementary School.

More than half the participants plan to redesign theircurriculum to include ideas presented at the conference.Participants also indicated that through their garden

Please share the information with

any one you know who might be

interested in attending. Contact

Jenny White at 510-495-2805 for

an application


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Volunteers dont necessarily have the time Volunteer Propagators Triumph over Freeze!

The Garden Honors Volunteers

In spring we honor our volunteers for having given five,ten, fifteen and twenty years of service to the Garden. Thisyears honorees are:

Five Years of Service:Barbara Brandriff, Julie Dobson, David Duveneck,Sue Ewing, Linda Govan, Lee Hafter, JaneanJaklevic, Eleanor Jardine, Bob Lersch, MaryMcCarthy, Betty Medwadowski, Jim Merrill,Helga Mok, Eugenia Ng, Hildegarde Paxson,Ellen Peterson, Emmy Sortor, Eleanor Stark,Laura Teitler, Pennie Warren, Patricia Wolf

Ten Years of Service:Fred Coe, Diane Kothe, Liz Waterman

Fifteen Years of Service:Sarah Wikander, Ed Dankworth, Joan Minton,Pete Shell

Twenty Years of Service:Kate Heckman

The Spring Plant Sale was a real triumph for all

involved. We were really fighting the elements all winter.Our December freeze was not the coldest single freeze onrecord but the cold went on and on, making this pastwinter the coldest overall for some 36 years! A lot of plantssuccumbed and there was real concern from many of thepropagators about the plant sale. No matter! The weatherchanged that week, warmed up noticeably and was evenhot on Friday for a record breaking turn out of membersfor the Members Only Preview Sale and Silent Auction.Total sales amounted to $23,000, second highest ever fora Garden plant sale.

And the plants? They were a stunning array of interest-ing and unusual specimens, and people came from far andwide to buy. As the gentleman who came from Modestosaid to Dr. Raabe, Youd better tell me all about thisplant, Ive got a feeling Im not going to find it in theSunset Guide. Maybe not, Dr. Raabe replied, itnormally only grows in places like Borneo!

Many thanks to all of the Shop helpers, Garden staffwho worked a very long day or two, the cashiering andholding volunteers and University Garden Section Clubwho provided refreshments. Especially big bouquets toall of the volunteer propagators who grew the plants,

collected donated plants, labeled and helped arrange andsell the plants.

Peter Klement (center) chats to Manuel Morales (l) and JoeSolomone of Monterey Bay Nursery about the rare and beautifulbuff-coloredClivia hybrids propagated by Mr. Solomone, whichwere donated to the silent auction.

APRIL

MAY

VOLUNTEERS HELPED...

JU

NE

docents led in-school visits to the fabulous Fibersand Dyes exhibit

we staffed two information tables at three campussites for the University-wide Cal Day OpenHouse, and offered free docent-led tours to themore than 600 Garden visitors that day

60 schoolchildren came to the Garden every weekday for tours

700 Biology 1 B students took their secondBotanical Garden field trip of the semester(numerous students from other Cal classes andfrom other colleges came too)

on Mothers Day more than 100 people enjoyedtea and delicious goodies made and served by agroup of our program committee volunteers

we participated in the Flowers at Filoli festival volunteers took our portable display to the Heather

Farms Gardens Faire in Walnut Creek and to a

cultural fair Diversity in the Garden in Hercules

We fervently thank all these dedicated people, who are docents, volunteer propagators, Garden Shopassistants, and horticultural assistants, for their time, theircommitment and their enthusiasm. The Garden wouldntbe the same without them!


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Summer 1999 7

they just have the heart!Author Unknown

DEAR DOCENT...We receive many letters of thanks from the school

groups visiting the Gardenoften each member of a classwill write or draw something about their educationalexperience while on a docent-led tour. We thought youmight like to see the kinds of comments they make, thedrawings of their visit and the very particular types ofthings they remember!

Thank you for telling us about the differentplants that the Native Americans used. I wasamazed that they used poison oak for wounds. Ihave learned new and interesting things aboutplants, food, music, trees and flowers. The trip wasreally interesting because I like plants. Thank youagain for the wonderful learning tool.

...My favorite part of the tour was letting us tryseeds. It must of taken you a long time to pick somany seeds.

We thank the guide men for helping us figureout the plants and their obnoxious names and thefield trip was really educational (!)

My favorite plant was the cactus. It was prettyspiky but did not hurt if I touched it.

I saw horsetail ferns. I did not know they werearound in dinosaurs time.

P.S. I saw red flowers that had a lot of pollenin them, I saw a cactus that looked spiky, andCalifornia poppies with orange pollen. I think Ilearned a lot. Even though I did not get pollenfrom some flowers, I got a lot. Thank you

ighteen new docents have completed the 18-weektraining required for the program. Like all newdocents, they are feeling not quite ready for that

first tour, but docent trainer Nancy Swearengen certifiestheir absolute competence. The new docents are Sonja

Altena, Barbara Beard, Sarah Carlson, Jane Hutchins,Dawn Keremitsis, Jan King, Kathleen Lawler, JoanneLerner, Robert Martinez, Anne Packer, Lauren Ritter,Terry Ryder, Erin Smith, Ying-Fang Sun, Marilyn VaageandLynn Winter.

To leave the world a better placewhether by a healthy child,

a garden patch oran improved social condition -

that is to have succeeded.That only one life breathed easierbecause you lived - that is success.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

E

Next time, our volunteer Garden Shop

helpers and the Community Enrichment

Program Committee


8/12

8 University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley

NEW BOOKS

ot many visitors to UC Botanical Garden notice

the dawn redwoods along the creek, unless theyare specifically looking for them. They are not

remarkable in winter because they are deciduous. In springtheir lovely light green leaves are quite beautiful amongthe other tall trees surrounding them, but they are oftenmistaken for the Bald Cypress of the southern U.S., whichthey resemble. The story of these unusual trees, known byour old-time visitors, is an important chapter in thehistory of the Botanical Garden.

Our dawn redwoods (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) arerecorded to have been planted in the Garden in 1949.They were brought to us by Dr. Ralph Chaney, professorof paleontology at Berkeley. We have a very nice grove ofthem along the creek above the Japanese Pool, and there isanother fine group below the outlet waterfall near theredwood circle.All of the dawn redwoods in the worldoutside China date from the years following World WarII. Their discovery in China and their subsequentintroduction to the rest of the world was filled withcontroversy and adventure.

The discovery of living specimens of the dawn red-wood, previously known only in the fossil records, causedgreat excitement among botanists worldwide. Immediately

after the war, Chinese botanists, under almost impossibletravel conditions, had been able to send seeds andspecimens to botanists abroad. In 1948 Ralph Chaney andDr. Milton Silverman, science writer for the San FranciscoChronicle, were able to organize a small expedition to theremote area of central China where the dawn redwood wasreported to have been found.After many harrowingexperiences and great hardship, Dr. Silverman was finallyable to send the Chroniclean account of their successfuladventures.His articles, with additional material andobservations, were privately published in his bookSearchFor The Dawn Redwood.

Recently, William Gittlen, a Kaiser emergency roomdoctor and East Bay resident, inadvertently stumbledon dawn redwoods.His interest in them led him toDr. Silvermans reports, and he visited the UC BotanicalGarden to see our trees and to learn more about them.Elaine Sedlackprovided him with some informationabout the 1948 expedition, and about a later one in 1980led by the Gardens then-curator, Bruce Bartholomew, aswell as the names of others who had more recently beento China to see how these ancient trees were faring.Dr. Gittlen soon became determined to follow theChaney-Silverman route to their type location. Discovered

Aliveis his account of his own adventures.Difficult, yes,but far easier than the Chaney-Silverman expedition.His

is not the story of Silvermans immediacy and polish.Hispictures could be better and less grainy. It is, however, apersonal, passionate account of the recent history of thedawn redwood, and his efforts to see today where theycame from.

Discovered Alive: The Story ofthe Chinese Redwood.

William Gittlen; PiersidePublications, Berkeley, CA,1998. B/W photos, map,appendices; 167pp.Paper $14.95

N

California landscape architects and designers todayplan private or public gardens as extensions of thesurrounding California landscapes.Their environmentaland cultural concerns have placed them in the forefrontof modern ecological design, and their work illustrates anew, unique and internationally recognized Californiastyle. This work is freshly discussed by the authors, andwell illustrated with excellent black and white and colorphotographs.Yan Nacimbenes unusual and startlingcolor illustrations, on the other hand, force us to considerthe philosophy underlying this new California gardendesign.

Elly Bade

The CaliforniaLandscape Garden,Ecology, Culture AndDesign. Mark Francisand Andreas Reimann;

illus. by YanNascimbene; Univ. ofCalif. Press, Berkeley,CA, 1999. B/W andcolor photos, drawings,appendices; 234 pp.Paper $29.95, Cloth$50.00


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Summer 1999 9

THE DOCTOR SAYS

A previously unknown conifer has been found inAustralia. It shows affinities to members ofAraucaria and

Agathis. The tree was known only from fossil records untila botanist descended into a deep ravine and found thetree. Since then, 40 trees have been found in WollemiNational Park, northwest of Sydney. The plant, called theWollemi Pine has flattened needles and knobby barkwhich looks like it has been sprayed with chocolate popscereal. Plant Talk1: 9. It was described as a new genusand species, Wollemia nobilis, in the journal Telopea Vol.6(2-3): 173-176, in 1995.

Recently planted outside the Buckingham Palace were14,500 American geraniums in the colors of theguardsmens uniforms. Grower Talks62 (13): 8.

In Horticulture96 (3): 54-57 is an article onornamental rhubarbs suggesting Rheum palmatumAtrosanguineum can have a seven foot flower stem withpink buds which open to crimson flowers. Fruits, ifformed, also are red. Although cultivars are known, plantsfrom seed usually are as good. Because the plant is large(leaves can be 3 feet across) smaller species such as Rheumaustraeor Rheum acuminatum also provide interesting andcolorful plants. A very small plant is Rheum kialensewith

four-inch leaves which are rose on the undersides. Redflowers are borne on eight-inch stems. Rheum persicum hasround ten-inch leaves in a prostrate mound and producesa six-inch high cluster of brick red flowers.

Now available is a microwave flower press, composedof two absorbent natural wool pads, two sheets of broadcloth and two kiln-fired terra-cotta slabs. Materials to bedried are put between the broadcloth, then between thepads and then in the slabs. In the microwave, the processtakes only a few minutes. As a result of rapid drying,colors are preserved far better than the old slow drying

process. Horticulture96 (3): 27.

A short summary of germinating lily seeds is given inthe North American Lily Society Bulletin 53 (1): 5-11.Briefly, lilies in the Asiatic, Easter lily group and theTrumpets are easy to germinate with no unusual require-ments. However, Lilium henryi, Lilium dauricum and theAurelians, though easy, need temperatures between50-600 F. Martagons and Orientals seeds should be put ina plastic bag at 70-750 F for 10-12 weeks and then 10-12weeks in the cold. The native American lilies from the

eastern part of the country need a 3-4 month warm cyclefollowed by a 3-4 month cold cycle. Western lilies need a

long cool treatment. Hybrids and doubtfuls should beplanted in pots indoors. If no growth, they should berefrigerated for 10-12 weeks. For storage, lily seed shouldbe put in airtight chambers in a freezer.

The hamburger has a new twist. Researchers inMichigan found that the addition of cherries to groundbeef hamburgers reduced the formation of suspectedcarcinogens (heterocyclic aromatic amines). Hamburgercontaining 11.5% cherry tissue produces 69-78% fewerHAAs. Not only are the burgers lower in fat, but they aremore resistant to spoilage. Environment41 (2): 24.

Research in New York regarding apples and theirantioxidant activity recently was released in the CornellUniversity News, Feb. 1, 1999. The major antioxidants inapples are compounds grouped together and calledpolyphenols. Although a 150 gram sample can containseveral hundred milligrams of polyphenol, cultivars vary intheir amount of antioxidant activity. High are NorthernSpy, Liberty, Crispin, Delicious and Fuji. Medium inactivity are Idared, Jonagold, Gala, Freedom, and McIn-tosh and low activity is found in Empire, Ginger Gold,

NY674, and Golden Delicious. However, grapes, pearsand peaches are higher in activity than apples; bananas aresimilar and oranges and grapefruit are lower. Highestactivity was found in garlic, followed by broccoli andtomatoes, all of which are higher than apples. Interest-ingly, in canned applesauce (adult kind), there is nonebecause the skins are peeled and discarded. However, inbaby food applesauce, the skins are ground into the sauceand thus, there is no loss of polyphenols.

Dr. Robert Raabe

UCBG UPCOMING PLANT SALES!(Save the dates! Details soon!)

FALL PLANT SALESunday, September 26

10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

WINTER PLANT SALESaturday, December 4

10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Also, our colleagues at the UC Davis Arboretumasked us to tell our readers about their

25th Annual Plant Faire, Saturday October 2,8 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the UC Davis Arboretum Headquarters


10/12

New MembersThe Garden welcomes thefollowing new members:


Ms. Patricia AndersonPaul and Tamara AttardMs. Carol Baker

James Berger and Marian Feldman

Ms. Susan BradleyMr. Sean BrixeyMs. Katey CarterMs. Lily ChanMichele Chase and Philip ChanMs. Connie ChibaMs. Maria DAgostinoMr. Stephen DavisDecorative and Edible LandscapeCharlene Depner and Mitchell ChyetteMs. Nancy EllingerMs. Rena FischerMs. Debbie FosterMs. Beryl GoldenMr. & Mrs. George GrunwaldMr. Jerry HashimotoMr. Jason Hill

Andy Huber and Galen GuntherDiane and Rob JohnsonMr. Jeff JonesMs. Marcia KaminskiMs. G. KassnerMr. Ken KehlMs. Amy LadnerMr. Andrew Lawrence

Jennifer Madden and Jeff ReedLucy Mahaffey and Anno LangenGail MarellMs. Ellen McDonaldMonty and Donna McGrawMs. Michelle MehlhornMr. Hugh MozingoMr. Darrin NordahlMs. Margaret OConnorKaori OkadaMr. Bruce Orr

Joanne and Michael PaulsenMs. Gretchen PivonkaMs. Katherine RatcliffMr. Robert Rawson, Industrial Wastewater

SolutionsMichael and Patti RochetteMr. Richard SandlingMs. Phyllis SchaafMs. Katherine SchenckMs. Mary SearsMs. Nicki Shover

Mr. Art SiebertMs. Melba SimmsJacqui Smalley and John AustinMr. James SmithMs. Deborah Sommer

Walter Tarczynski and Revenna SchallWilliam and Pamela TaylorMs. Phoebe TrueStephen Vonder Haar and Donna LeshMs. Sarah WebbMs. Celia WeddingMs. Wendy WeilMs. Mary Welch

Janet Williams and Mark WilsonAzusa Yoshioka

Grateful ThanksThe Garden wishes to thank thesemembers who have made a substantialgift over and above membership:

Mr. and Mrs. Estol CarteJoseph and Susan Cerny

Stephanie Changaris and Bruce BonarMr. & Mrs. Thomas DelfinoBarbara and Fred DenglerSusan Feller and Nancy Manyi-TenwmsonMs. Ruth JohnsonMs. Suzanne KingRon and Mary LaiMr. Andrew LawrenceMr. Bill McJohnLisa Olsen and Deborah LohrkeMr. Eugene Peck

John and Julia SerencesMs. Susan SmithPhilip and Jan SpiethMr. Pablo Valenzuela

Jan and Tom VargoTom White and Leslie ScalapinoOrinda Garden Club

In AppreciationThe Garden offers appreciation andthanks to these donors for theirgenerous contributions:

Dorothy and Richard AnnesserMs. Kit BedfordMr. Richard BurnettMs. Lorna ByrneMs. Cathleen CaffreyMs. Margaret ChaseMs. Mae Clark, Terra Nova LandscapingMs. M. Esther ColwellMr. & Mrs. Joseph DeMariaMs. Shirley DietderichDr. Bernard DietzMr. Ben FaberDavid Gilbert and Kimi MasuiMs. Diane GoloffVerne and Ruth HendrixMs. Susan HossfeldMs. Doreen JonesMrs. Vivien LarsonMs. Martha NiccollsMrs. Elizabeth RatcliffEdith and Morris RubesinDr. & Mrs. John SchieffelinMr. Richard Spitler

John and Marjorie SproulJudith Stronach and Ray LifchezMr. Ted Tawshunsky

Jaen Treesinger, Victory GardensMr. Walter Wagner, World Botanical GardensMark Wieder and Shauna HainesMr. Helmut Winkelhake, Horticare

Art and Evelyn WoodworthLawrence and Arlene WoolslayerBarbara Wright and Norman Wright, Jr.Ms. Linda Wroth

Wish List

We are asked from time totime if we have an ongoing listof things we need here at theGardenwell, we do ! If you areable to help by providing some-

thing on this list, contributingtowards the cost, or letting usknow where we may be able to getthe item, then please callJanetWilliams in the Development Office510-643-2937.

Golf buggy type electricvehicle to enable personswith limited mobility toenjoy the GardenSmall pickup truck (our

main pickup is due toretire)Washing machine &clothes dryer for thehorticultural staffRefrigerator & microwaveoven for the new stafflunchroomContributions towards newumbrellas and outdoorfurniture for the patio

Remember

Members of the

UC Botanical Garden

get a

10% discount at

The Garden Shop

UCBG

Garden Shop

Gift Certificates

NEW!


11/12

11Summer 1999

The Newsletter is published by the University

of California Botanical Garden with support

from memberships. Articles may be reprinted

with credit to the authors and the

UC Botanical Garden.

Garden Staff

Dr. Ellen Simms, Garden Director

Administration

Oldriska Balouskova, Visitor ServicesAttendant

Gerald Ford, Lead Building MaintenanceKandle Fraser,Administrative AssistantElaine Meckenstock, Business ManagerLydia Perez, Visitor Services Attendant

Margaret Richardson, Tour &Rentals Coordinator

Candice Schott, Business Operations SupervisorMarilyn Setterfield, Visitor Services Attendant

Nancy Swearengen, Volunteer ServicesCoordinator

Janet Williams,Marketing &

Development Officer

Curation

Holly Forbes, CuratorBarbara Keller, Curatorial AssistantDr. Robert Ornduff, Faculty Curator

Education

Dr. Jennifer White, Associate Directorfor Education

Horticulture

David Brunner, Horticulture ManagerChris Carmichael, Horticulturist

Daria Curtis, Horticulturist

John Domzalski, PropagatorJudith Finn, Horticulturist

Martin Grantham, New Plants ProgramCoordinator

Peter Klement, HorticulturistLawrence Lee, HorticulturistJerry Parsons, Horticulturist

Dr. Robert Raabe, GardenPathologistRoger Raiche, Horticulturist

Eric Schulz, HorticulturistElaine Sedlack, Horticulturist

Newsletter

Janet Williams,EditorAcademic Arts, Production

The Garden Shop 510/ 642-3343

Entrance Kiosk 643-2755Administration 642-0849

Directors Office 643-8999Education 495-2805

Development 643-2937

Tours/Rentals 642-3352Plant Collections 643-8040

Volunteers 643-1924Fax 642-5045

E-mail: [email protected]

Web Site: http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/garden/

Special ThanksThe Garden would like to honorand thank those supporters makingsubstantial donations:

Jerome and Joy CarlinLeo J. and Celia Carlin Fund

Ms. June CheitJack and Phyllis DolhinowDr. Anne GoetschElizabeth Helmholz and A. Carl Helmholz,

Laird Norton Family FundJustine Hume and Ursula SchulzBob and Ann InghamRobert and Esther OswaltRudolph & Barbara Peterson, Barbara &

Rudolph Peterson FoundationMs. Susan Rogers

In HonorThe Garden offers appreciationand thanks for gifts in honor of:

Cecile Weaver fromMr. Kenyon Weaver

Lincoln Constance fromRoy and Janet Taylor

In MemoryThe Garden offers appreciationand thanks for gifts in memory of:

Alan J. Bearden fromCalimetricsMr. Colin BeardenMr. Thomas Burke

John and Lynne CahoonLawrence and Sharon HandlerRichard and Carole Malkin

W. and Marilyn NicholsMr. Michael ONeillDavid Warland and Patricia PesaventoRachael Wong and Bradley ChunShawn and Terrence Wong

Betty Collamer fromMs. Lorraine Sharman

Angus E. Taylor fromBill and Elly Bade

Barbara Nelson fromMs. Madge J. JohnsonCarol, Blue and Nancy LeitchMr. Douglas S. McCandlessMr. Christopher P. Muste

M. Raul fromMr. Brian Thiessen

Neil J. MacGregor fromMs. Marilyn MacGregor

Andrea Moyer fromMs. Karen L. Myers

Gifts In Kind

The Garden offers appreciation andthanks for gifts in kind:

Booman FloralCabrillo Community College Nursery ProgramCalifornia CarnivoresCalifornia Flora NurseryMr. Fred DortortThe Dry GardenMs. Kathy EcholsEmerisa GardensMs. June FaulknerMs. Iris GaddisMr. Wallace GorrellHarlequin NurseriesMs. Shirley McPheetersDr. Robert OrnduffMr. Richard PersoffMerritt College Propagation ClubMonterey Bay NurseryRosendale NurseryMs. Candice SchottSonoma Horticultural NurserySoquel NurserySuncrest Nurseries

Western Hills Nursery


12/12

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

l f l h d h ll

University of California Botanical Garden200 Centennial Drive, #5045Berkeley, California 94720-5045

Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage PAID

University of California

Forwarding and Address Correction Requested

Coming in the Fall! The Art of the Flower Arrangement,Part One: The Basics three sessions to be taught by our renownedhorticultural artist Jerry Parsons. Have you ever needed help inchoosing the right container for the materials? Help in choosingthe right materials from your garden flowers and foliage? How doyou get an idea which gets the most out of the material andcontainer? Look for details of this exciting program series in ourFall program guide. The Art of the Flower Arrangement series willcontinue early in 2000 with talks and demonstrations by expertflower arrangers.

In the works

We are planning a short but intense jaunt to Los Angeles in earlyNovember to check the progress on the new garden at the GettyMuseum, visit the Mildred Matthias Garden at U.C.L.A., Descanso

Gardens, and the Huntington Botanical Garden, among otherexciting things. Expert Garden staff members will accompany thegroup. (More details will be in the next Newsletter, but nowsthe time to start thinking about it.) Call Nancy Swearengen at(510) 643-1924 to put your name on the advance information list!

Previewing Summer Camps

Again the Garden will be the site of the very popular Green Stuff DayCamp at which kids learn botany and ecology through play in theGarden, art, crafts and games. These sessions are planned:

One-week sessions for children 5-7 years

June 28 - July 2July 12 - 16July 19 - 239 a.m. - 2 p.m., $135 per session

One-week sessions for children 8-11 yearsJuly 26 - 30August 2 - 69 a.m. - 3 p.m., $135 per session

For children 8-12 years, Intensive Art and Botany,One 2-week session

July 12 - 239:30 a.m. - 2 p.m., $250

Call for more information and registration form (510) 643-1924

Twilight Tours

Wednesday evenings during July and August, Garden experts,senior docents and horticulture staff will lead tours of the Gardenat this special time of day. Take advantage of the Garden duringsummers extended hours when the light is soft and gentle, fewpeople are around, and the Gardens fauna come out of hiding!

July 7, 14, 21, 28 and August 4, 11, 18 and 255:30 pmFree with Garden admission

Sick Plant Clinic

Dr. Raabe and Dr. Mills will see all patients the first Saturday ofevery month between 9 a.m. and noon.

Saturday, July 3 Saturday, September 4Saturday, August 7 Saturday, October 2

Hummingbirds at the GardenHummingbirds are amazing creatures, and we have many whomake their home in the Botanical Garden. Expert bird watcher

Dennis Wolff will fill you in on where they come from, thedifferent ones you are likely to see in the Bay Area, and how toattract them to your garden.

Saturday, July 24, 10 a.m.Members $5, non-members $7

In September and October we will again offer our popular Foodsof the Americas exhibit and program.

In October and November, a three-part presentation by ConstanceGrauds, R.Ph., Assistant Clinical Professor of Pharmacy atU.C.S.F. and President of the Association of Natural MedicinePharmacists, Medicines from the Earth.

COMING EVENTS - Mark your calendar

For information about any of these events call Nancy Swearengen 510-643-1924

summer 1999 botanical garden university of california berkeley newsletter

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