Botany Photo of the Day

Dicranella heteromalla

2013-05-25T05:30:05Z

]]> Taisha is the author of today's entry:

Today's photo of Dicranella heteromalla, or dicranella moss, was taken by Robert Klips (aka Orthotricum@Flickr) on November 24, 2012 in Delaware County, Ohio, USA. Thanks Robert!

Dicranella heteromalla is a member of the Dicranaceae. This common moss species is found at low to high altitudes across North America, Europe, eastern Asia, and northeast Africa as well as sporadically in South America, Central America and some Atlantic Islands. It tends to grow in shaded, disturbed areas with acidic soil.

This dioicous species grows 10-40mm in height in yellow to dark-green shiny tufts. Like all plants, there is an alternation of generations life cycle. Bryophytes are gametophyte-dominant (the main photosynthetic phase), and the cushiony form bears the nutritionally-dependent sporophyte. To learn more, see UBC Professor of Teaching Shona Ellis's short video on the life cycle of mosses.

Ficus carica 'Brown Turkey'

2013-05-23T23:00:05Z

]]> Taisha is both the photographer and author of today's entry. She writes:

Today's photographs of Ficus carica 'Brown Turkey', or the 'Brown Turkey' common fig, were taken in UBC Botanical Garden's Food Garden. The Garden currently has two fig trees (the other is Ficus carica 'Desert King'). Both trees are espaliered, and currently in flower. 'Brown Turkey' and 'Desert King' are the two common fig cultivars traditionally considered able to withstand Vancouver's climate, but some gardening experts suggest perhaps six different cultivars may be able to endure the warming winters of British Columbia's southern coast (see: Changing weather and changing crops on south coast via the Vancouver Sun).

The first memorable time I encountered figs was while traveling in Morocco where I saw many fig trees, and also ate quite a bit of the dried fruit purchased from vendors at market stalls in the medinas. They were often displayed in baskets or hanging on strings right on the edge of the small pathways, and consequently were covered in a layer of dust. Nevertheless, they were still tasty.

This deciduous shrub or small tree species belongs to the Moraceae (the mulberry or fig family) and is thought to be native specifically to southern Arabia (ref: Janick and Paull's The Encyclopedia of Fruit & Nuts), but many references will instead state it is native to western Asia and the Mediterranean. Due to a long history of cultivation, Ficus carica is considered an ancient fruit (PDF). This is likely the reason for the uncertainty about its native distribution. Figs are cultivated globally in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates. Modern-day production is over one million metric tons (2006 data).

Exceptional specimens of Ficus carica have attained heights of 12m (ref: Janick and Paull), but more typical heights in cultivation are 5 to 8m. Plants have large, palmate and hairy 3-5-lobed leaves attached to silvery-barked branches. The shiny receptacle or synconium houses the small green flowers, which are invisible unless this infructescence is opened (as in the first photograph). Wayne Armstrong's always-excellent teaching site explains the life-cycle of Ficus carica (scroll down to the section titled "Summary of the Ficus carica Life Cycle"), but note also that he concludes his discussion with mention that 'Brown Turkey' is parthenocarpic. Unlike the natural species which requires a fig-wasp (Blastophaga psenes) to pollinate, the fruits of 'Brown Turkey' will ripen without pollination.

Fig fruits are considered an excellent source of minerals, vitamins and fibre, as well as being fat- and cholesterol-free. According to R. Veberic et al., a study of some cultivars grown in Slovenia's coastal region also demonstrated that the fruits contained phenolic substances associated with positive effects on human health, such as antioxidant effects and possible prevention of cardiovascular diseases and cancer (see: Veberic, R. et al. 2008. Phenolic acids and flavonoids of fig fruit (Ficus carica L.) in northern Mediterranean region. Food Chemistry. 106:153-157).

Elaeagnus commutata

2013-05-23T00:05:40Z

]]> Just a quick one for today; Taisha will have some lengthier entries for later this week. Today's photograph is from long-time contributor Lotus Johnson of Victoria, BC (aka ngawangchodron@Flickr (original image via the Botany Photo of the Day Flickr Pool). Thank you!

I've previously shared the silvery autumn foliage of Elaeagnus commutata, or silver-berry, on BPotD, With today's image, Lotus demonstrates the green spring foliage, the flower and the fine-scaled leaves of this western and northern North America native. Please see the prior entry or the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's information sheet for additional reading about Elaeagnus commutata.

Fritillaria eastwoodiae

2013-05-17T21:00:24Z

]]> Butte County fritillary or Eastwood's fritillary is oft-considered to be endemic to northern California, but the Flora of North America distribution map also shows an occurrence in southwest Oregon. The Oregon Plant Atlas displays a single dot, from observations and an herbarium specimen deposited by Frank Callahan (my understanding is that Callahan is an exceptional plant "finder", with a reputation for finding new species or species range extensions in Oregon). By some coincidence, the Oregon plants happen to be on Callahan's property and even he seems to be uncertain whether it is native to the site or not (see his photograph from the observation: Fritillaria eastwoodiae, which he annotates "(native?)"). Apparently a bit of a mystery to be resolved, though it does seem like Callahan's property lies within the same High Cascade Range bioregion as where some of the plants occur further south (scroll down for a range map from the Jepson eFlora: Fritillaria eastwoodiae).

The plant in today's photograph, however, was growing in the densest occurrence cluster for the species in California's Butte County. If you browse through the Calphotos site for photographs of Fritillaria eastwoodiae, you'll note colour variation in the flowers from greenish-yellow to red. I was fortunate to find an individual with (in my opinion) the more attractive red flowers that could be safely photographed. When photographing rare species, it's critical to minimize damage. In order to do so, one often needs to do "slow walking", where one considers each next step carefully. It's the same sort of walking one does around poison oak, though it becomes even slower when both poison oak and the rare species occur together (as in this instance). Add in another danger--rattlesnakes, for which one stomps in order not to surprise them--and I'm sure that my behaviour is at least mildly interesting to any passersby.

On the topics of passersby and coincidences, while photographing this plant, a US Forest Service botanist happened to walk by on the trail. After a bit of discussion about some of the intriguing plants in the area, we exchanged introductions. He happened to be Lawrence Janeway, who I immediately knew as the person who rediscovered the presumed-extinct Clarkia mosquinii (named after my uncle) (see: Janeway, LP. 1993. Noteworthy Collections. California: Reporting the re-discovery of species thought to be extinct: Clarkia mosquinii ssp. mosquinii and C. mosquinii ssp. xerophila (Onagraceae) Madroño 40:268-269).

Pelargonium tetragonum

2013-05-16T17:30:05Z

]]> And another entry written by Taisha:

Today's photo of Pelargonium tetragonum was taken by Christopher Young (aka c.young@Flickr). Thank you, Christopher.

Pelargonium tetragonum, or the square-stemmed pelargonium, is a shrubby member of the Geraniaceae found in an inland strip of dry habitats paralleling the southern coast of South Africa. Its preference for dry, rocky and well-draining soils helps classify it as a xerophyte.

This species is characterized by its succulent square stems (tetra being the Greek prefix for "four"). Pelargonium tetragonum carries a pair of flowers upon its jointed stems; each flower has four petals with the upper petals larger than the lower. Petals are cream to pink in color with red streaks. These contrasting streaks serve as a nectar guide for its pollinators, who require a long tongue or beak to reach the nectar at the base of the extended floral tube (shown in the photograph). The evergreen leaves of this plant are hairy, fleshy, lobed, and dark green in color, with a dark central blotch (description inspired by Fogg's 1964 work, Geraniums and Pelargoniums).

Among the two hundred or so members of Pelargonium, there is exceptional diversity in colour, size and morphology of the plants, flowers and leaves. Differences in flowers correlate with a difference in pollination syndromes. Species are variously pollinated by bees, long-proboscid hovering flies (illustration), butterflies, hawkmoths, and presumably by a small percentage by birds (see: Struck, M. 1996. Floral divergence and convergence in the genus Pelargonium (Geraniaceae) in Southern Africa: Ecological and evolutionary considerations. Plant Systematics and Evolution. 208:71-97.). From Struck's paper, Pelargonium tetragonum is putatively pollinated by long-proboscid flies, as partly suggested by the length of the floral tube and several observations during the study.

Sanicula europaea

2013-05-15T22:00:05Z

]]> Again, Taisha is the author of today's entry:

Today's plant photographs are of Sanicula europaea, with the first photograph by Stephen Buchan (aka --- Green Light Images ---@Flickr) and the second photograph by beranekp@Flickr. Both were submitted via the Botany Photo of the Day Flickr Pool. Thank you!

Sanicula europaea, or wood sanicle, is a member of the Apiaceae and can be found throughout most of Europe and southwestern Asia growing in shaded and damp wooded habitats.

This perennial herbaceous species reproduces vegetatively by rhizome cleavages (for extremely local dispersal), but it also has hooked seeds permitting long-distance dispersal through attachment to animal fur (see: Gustafsson, C. & J. Ehrlén. 2003. Effects of intraspecific and interspecific density on the demography of a perennial herb, Sanicula europaea. Oikos. 100: 317-324). Sanicula europaea is an evergreen that reaches 20-60cm in height. The basal leaves are long and petiolate, and bear teeth ending in a short stiff hair or bristle. Inflorescences of this species are considered to be false umbels, taking as long as 16 years to appear in mature plants.

Sanicula europaea has been used as a traditional medicine for treating dermatological, gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases. Air-dried leaves of Sanicula europaea have also been studied by Karagöz et al. for their apparent ability to inhibit Human Parainfluenza Virus (type 2), but the mechanisms of inhibition are yet to be determined (see: Karagöz A. et al. 1999. Antiviral activity of Sanicula europaea L. Extracts on multiplication of Human Parainfluenza Virus Type 2. Phytotherapy Research. 13: 436-438.

Sidalcea malviflora

2013-05-13T20:00:05Z

]]> Today's entry was again authored by Taisha, who writes:

Thank you to Sandy Steinman (Sandy Steinman@Flickr) for today's image of Sidalcea malviflora that was submitted via the Botany Photo of the Day Flickr Pool.

Sidalcea is a genus of about 25 species, with confusion of delimiting species due to supposed hybridization, morphological variation, and gynodioecy. The malvaceous Sidalcea malviflora has seven accepted subspecies. These subspecies are mostly endemic to California, but some can be found in Oregon and Baja California. Generally, checkerbloom or checkermallow grows in more or less dry, open places at elevations under 2300m.

This perennial herbaceous plant grows from a woody caudex and creeping rhizomes, and reaches 15 to 60cm in height. Its entire leaves are variably toothed or lobed, with the upper leaves along the stem often reduced in size. The stellate, or star-like, flower is bright to deep pink. Often, flowers are veined white. Like other members of the hibiscus family, the filaments of the stamens are united around the style. Seemingly unique to the genus in its family, Sidalcea has filaments fused into two groups near their tips (see: Andreasan, K. and B. Baldwin. 2003. Reexamination of Relationships, Habital Evolution, and Phylogeography of Checker Mallows (Sidalcea; Malvaceae) Based on Molecular Phylogenetic Data. Am. J. Bot.. 90(3):436-444.). More photographs of the species are available via Calphotos: Sidalcea malviflora.

Moerman's Native American Ethnobotany mentions this species being used as edible greens by the Luseño peoples of southern California and as a dried spice (made by mashing the leaves) to flavor black manzanita berries by the Yana of northern California.

Clematis cirrhosa

2013-05-10T23:00:05Z

]]> Today's entry was both photographed and written by Taisha. She writes:

To highlight tomorrow's upcoming plant sale and event, A Growing Affair, I chose a plant that will be included in the sale. I did want to do a grass, as Daniel will be manning that post, however they weren't cooperating photographically yesterday and instead Clematis cirrhosa, aka early clematis or winter-flowering clematis, caught my eye.

Clematis cirrhosa from the Ranunculaceae is native to the Mediterranean. This species belongs to the subgenus Montanae, which uniquely possess nodding flowers and small bracts on the pedicels. This evergreen climber can reach 8m in height on a slender, 6-ribbed stem. Flowers are solitary or paired and generally have 4 sepals that are creamy-white and can sometimes be flecked with purple markings inside and green on the exterior. The fruit is an achene (a dry indehiscent fruit) with a silky plumose tail, as seen clearly in today's photo.

Plants do well in sunny spots with moderately-draining soils. It is recommended to keep the roots cool by shading the base of the plant. During hot summers, this species may go into dormancy, but no need to panic, as when the temperature drops in autumn it will start to re-grow. To avoid a single stem and promote branching, cut back this "group one" clematis in the early summer. Any pruning should be done immediately after flowering to ensure a nice display for next year, as the new flowers grow from nodes of the previous year's shoots. Clematis can be propagated either by double leaf bud cuttings or layering in the spring, or grown by seed.

Clematis cirrhosa has been noted to have antifungal activity (see: Ali-Shtayeh, MS & SI Ghdeib. 1998. Antifungal activity of plant extracts against dermatophytes. Mycoses. 42:665-672). An aqueous extract made from the plants secondary metabolites was 90-100% effective in reducing colony growth of Trichophyton violaceum, a fungus that can cause scaly lesions of skin, nails, beard and scalp.

Almaleea subumbellata

2013-05-08T23:00:05Z

]]> Today, we introduce a new writer to Botany Photo of the Day. Taisha Mitchell has been hired through UBC's Work Learn program to assist with BPotD for the summer. Welcome, Taisha!

Taisha writes:

Thank you to Bill Higham (Bill Higham@Flickr) for today's photo of Almaleea subumbellata, or wiry bushpea, taken in Frodsley, Tasmania, Australia.

Almaleea subumbellata (PDF), formerly known as Pultenaea subumbellata, is a member of the Fabaceae. Like the other four species in the genus Almaleea, it is endemic to Australia. All members of this genus can be found in continental southeastern Australia, with Almaleea subumbellata being the only representative to also occur naturally in Tasmania. This species grows in poorly drained areas of wet heathland at elevations ranging from sea level to 1500m.

Members of Almaleea are distinguished in part by their free stipules and an involucre of bracts at the base of the flower. The glabrous stem of Almaleea subumbellata stands up to 1.2m high and terminates with an inflorescence surrounded by stiffly pointed and hairy bracts. The simple, alternate leaves of this shrub are narrow-elliptic to oblong in shape. The papilionaceous (meaning butterfly-like, and associated with a subfamily of the Fabaceae) flowers are orange to yellow with red markings.

Ptilidium pulcherrimum

2013-05-03T23:30:05Z

]]> For the final time as a work-learn student with BPotD, Bryant DeRoy is again the author of today's entry. He writes:

A big thank you to Robert Klips (aka Orthotrichum@Flickr), who is a regular Botany Photo of the Day contributor via the BPotD Flickr Pool. Today's image is of Ptilidium pulcherrimum, one of three species in its genus and the only genus in its family, the Ptilidiaceae. This is the final post in the series on liverworts, and sadly, the last post in my one-year stint as BPotD work-learn assistant. I'd like to thank all of those who supported my position with their generous donations. (Daniel adds: I agree -- I especially appreciate that the sustained generosity means it's rare I have to mention it, and we can all instead keep focused on the plants. I expect to be introducing a new student assistant next week for the summer.)

Species of Ptilidium are mostly distributed around northern temperate regions of the world, but populations of Ptilidium ciliare are known from at least New Zealand and Tierra del Fuego in the Southern Hemisphere. This led to a hypothesis that the lineage evolved in Gondwana with a subsequent single dispersal to the Northern Hemisphere (and then evolution of the other taxa). However, recent molecular studies more strongly suggest that Ptilidium ciliare spread to its disjunct southern occurrences via separate long-distance dispersals from the north, by the translocation of plant fragments.

Like the other members of its genus, Ptilidium pulcherrimum is dioecious and thus produces antheridia on male plants and archegonia on female plants. Fertile individuals are common among Ptilidium pulcherrimum, and they tend to produce sporophytes or capsules. The genus name stems from the Greek word Ptilidion, meaning "small feather", alluding to the feathery appearance of the leaves. Densely packed marginal cilia on the deeply lobed leaves is cause for the billowy appearance of Ptilidium pulcherrimum. The leaves are generally around 1.8mm wide and roughly 1.4mm long. It can typically be found on living trees and woody shrubs, and can appear reddish to yellowy-green from afar.

Pachyschistochila splachnophylla

2013-05-02T23:00:05Z

]]> Bryant wrote today's entry:

Thank you to Efe (aka Huenchecal.@Flickr) for today's image of Pachyschistochila splachnophylla, a member of the Schistochilaceae. This is the third post in the series on liverworts.

Pachyschistochila splachnophylla is an uncommon liverwort native to the Southern Hemisphere: Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. There is little information on this species online, but the species has been studied with regard to its ascomycete associations. This research has implications in the evolutionary history of land plant symbioses; see: Pressel et al. 2010. Fungal symbioses in bryophytes: New insights in the twenty first century (PDF). Phytotaxa. 9:238-253.

Nowellia curvifolia

2013-05-01T21:00:05Z

]]> Today's entry was again written by Bryant, who writes:

Once again, a big thank you to Robert Klips (Orthotrichum@Flickr) for an image; Nowellia curvifolia was submitted via the Botany Photo of the Day Flickr Pool, and is the subject for the second post in the series on liverworts.

Nowellia curvifolia is a member of the Cephaloziaceae and is well-distributed throughout the Holarctic region and Central America. It can often be found on rotting logs in moist woodlands, and can sometimes be identified from a distance due to the reddish tone that develops in mature leaves. Up close, the leaves are deeply concaved and sail-shaped, converging to two fine hair-like tips. At the base of each leaf is a small water-sac. In Nowellia curvifolia these sacs seem to be for water-storage; however, water-sacs found in other species may develop a mechanism that can effectively trap microorganisms within the water-sac, suggestive of carnivory. See: Hess et al. 2005. Evidence of zoophagy in a second liverwort species, Pleurozia purpurea. The Bryologist. 108(2):212-218.

Marchantia polymorpha

2013-04-30T20:29:06Z

]]> Bryant is concluding his stint as Botany Photo of the Day work-learn student with a series on liverworts. He is the author of today's entry, and writes:

Today's photographs are courtesy of Robert Klips (aka Orthotrichum@Flickr) and BlueRidgeKitties @Flickr respectively (image 1, image 2). The two photographs are of Marchantia polymorpha, a near-cosmopolitan distributed member of the Marchantiaceae. It is frequently encountered, hence one of its common names: "common liverwort". Another name is umbrella liverwort. Marchantia polymorpha is a dioecious (or heterothallic) thallose liverwort, most often found in moist to wet areas near streams, bogs, and ponds. The thalli of Marchantia polymorpha can grow to around 10cm long and roughly 2cm across, and often form a flattened mat or rosette.

This being the first post in the series, I thought a little background on the natural history of liverworts might be of interest. There is no formal consensus on the classification of liverworts above the family level, however they are most often categorized as members of the division Marchantiophyta. Liverworts are considered to be some of the earliest true plants to colonize the land--the earliest fossil records of liverwort spores date back roughly 470 million years! By comparison, the earliest flowering plants are currently dated to 140 mya. The rather unfortunate common name of "liverwort" stems from the resemblance of cell structure in the leaves/thallus of some liverworts to those found in animal livers. This resemblance also caused liverworts to be used in early medicine to treat liver ailments, in accordance with the doctrine of signatures. Another distinguishing feature of liverworts is the single-celled root-like structures, known as rhizoids, which represent an early stage in the evolutionary development of roots in land plants. The life cycles of members of the Marchantiophyta vary greatly-- liverworts can be monoecious or dioecious (i.e., either both male and female in one individual, or each individual either male or female).

In some species (like Marchantia polymorpha), individuals may reproduce both sexually and asexually. The first image shows the female gametophytes, which produce the palm tree-shaped structures containing archegonia on the underside of each archegonial head. Sperm produced by the antheridia, located on the male gametophyte, fertilizes the ovum within the archegonia resulting in the production of a sporophyte. This may be better understood by looking at this useful diagram of the life cycle of some liverworts.

The second image shows a close up of the gemma cups containing gemmae, which are vegetative clones of the mother plant that are largely dispersed by wind or rain (allowing asexual reproduction to occur). In the image above you can see some of the gemmae have splashed out of the cups and on to the thallus!

Drosera binata

2013-04-29T23:26:42Z

]]> Jackie Chambers is the author of today's entry, and the photographer for the first image. The second image is courtesy of Noah Elhardt@Wikimedia Commons, shared here: Drosera binata. Jackie writes:

Drosera binata, or forked-leaved sundew, is native to Australia and New Zealand. This particular specimen was photographed in the Coromandel in New Zealand.

The flower stalk of this plant was almost 25 cm, holding the five-petaled flowers well above the reddish foliage below. It is usually the foliage of sundews that capture people's attention; these plants are insectivores and the leaves are covered in stalked glands. Each gland supports a drop of glistening mucilage for the capture and digestion of insects. More images and information about this species can be found via the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network: Drosera binata, or the New Zealand Carnivorous Plant Society: Drosera binata.

Drosera binata stands apart from other sundews in that it has narrow, forked leaves. The leaves may be forked more than once and enthusiasts identify a range of forms. Adrian Slack discusses these forms in his classic book Carnivorous Plants, but this online article also details some of the variation: Drosera binata (PDF). For those interested, the International Carnivorous Plant Society (ICPS) provides some advice on growing fork-leaved sundews.

Drosera is a large genus and there are over 100 species. They are found on every continent except Antarctica, and can range from tight rosettes to upright tufts to climbing stems. For more about the range of species and some interesting evolutionary relationships within the genus, see Drosera phylogeny, also via the ICPS.

Linanthus dichotomus

2013-04-26T22:00:05Z

]]> The Traverse Creek Botanical Special Interest Area was established to protect a community of plants associated with the serpentine soils of the locale. Serpentine soils have high concentrations of metals like magnesium, nickel and chromium which few plant species can tolerate; these metals have an effect on soil chemistry and mineral availability. Species that do tolerate serpentine are often ecological specialists, adapted or evolved for serpentine environments.

Traverse Creek is ideal for photographers interested in both botany and time-lapse imagery. Lewisia rediviva, which is tolerant of serpentine soils and present here in quantity, will only open during the mid-day sun. Time-lapse imagery of the flowers opening and closing is possible from mid-morning to late afternoon. Conversely, the flowers of most plants of today's species are closed during the same time period. They only begin to open in the late afternoon, and then the flowers persist through the night and early morning. This is somewhat evident in my photographs, as the first image (with only one flower fully open in the mid-bottom centre) is from when I arrived on-site, and the third image is from when I left.

This species is Linanthus dichotomus, commonly known as evening-snow (Calphotos link, with more images). An annual species, it can sometimes be seen in dense stands when conditions are right, such as timely and sufficient rainfall (I believe this can occur at the Traverse Creek site, but not this year).

I should point out that the Jepson eFlora recognizes two subspecies of Linanthus dichotomus: subspecies dichotomus, which has the evening-open (or vespertine) behaviour, and Linanthus dichotomus subsp. meridanius, which has a daytime-open behaviour. Likely, this decision was in part based on the strength of the evidence from this paper: Chess, SK et al. 2008. Geographic divergence in floral morphology and scent in Linanthus dichotomus (Polemoniaceae). Am. J. Bot. 95(12):1652-9. doi: 10.3732/ajb.0800118. The scientists discovered significant differences between the scents of the two subspecies (by measuring the type and quantity of the floral volatile compounds). Compounds that typically attract nighttime moths were found in high concentrations in Linanthus dichotomus subsp. dichotomus, while Linanthus dichotomus subsp. meridanius had a suite of compounds more typically associated with attracting generalist daytime pollinators.

The El Dorado chapter of the California Native Plant Society shares more information about the Traverse Creek Botanical Special Interest Area.