Thank you to dinesh_valke@Flickr of Thane, India, for contributing today's photograph (original via the BPotD Flickr Pool). I've an ulterior motive for selecting one of Dinesh's photographs today -- I also wanted to thank him for figuring out an identification mystery over at the Human Flower Project weblog: Don't Forget to Check the Swamp.

Dinesh pointed out in the text accompanying his Flickr upload that Strobilanthes callosus "blooms only once in seven years", and that seemed worthy of some investigation. It turns out that some species of Strobilanthes are examples of a phenomenon termed masting. Masting can be defined as "synchronous production of seed at long intervals by a population of plants" (ref: Janzen (1976) in Annul. Rev. Ecol. Syst., 7, 347-391). I've commonly associated this with bamboo (see Bamboo, Rats and Famine) and did not know it also occurred in Strobilanthes. Being even more specific, both bamboo and Strobilanthes can be examples of strict masting, with "bimodal seed output with no overlap between the tails" and "masting species and mast years can be unambiguously identified" (from the Kelly reference below). This is opposed to other types of masting where the lines are blurry, for example, where every fifth year in a population is statistically more likely to be more productive than the other four, but there is still fruit production in all years or it may turn out not be more productive. It also needs to be noted that strict masting only occurs in species that are monocarpic (or semelparous) -- individuals of the species only reproduce once during a lifetime, then die.

Dave Kelly provides an overview of the phenomenon of masting in Kelly, D. 1994. The evolutionary ecology of mast seeding (PDF). Trends Ecol. Evol.. 9(12): 465-470. Kelly reviews the eight hypotheses that have been suggested to answer the question, "What factors most favour masting?": wind pollination, predator satiation, environmental prediction, resource matching, animal pollination, animal dispersal, accessory costs and large seed size. I wasn't able to determine the favourable factors for Strobilanthes callosus to exhibit this behaviour, but it can perhaps be inferred from a study on Strobilanthes kunthianus: Sharma, MV et al. 2008. Reproductive strategies of Strobilanthes kunthianus, an endemic, semelparous species in southern Western Ghats, India. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 157:155-163. DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2008.00786.x.

In the paper by Sharma et al., they suggest that animal pollination and the "evolution of the adaptive floral traits has facilitated mast seeding in the species", i.e., floral traits which result in 100% pollination efficiency. "As semelparous plants have only one chance to reproduce, they are expected to develop effective strategies to prevent reproductive failure".

Strobilanthes callosus is endemic to India, and its Hindi common name is karvy.

Photography resource link: I recall positively reviewing and linking to Radiant Vista some time ago (in part due its daily image critiques), but that site is now defunct and some of the people behind the site seem to be pursuing individual ventures. One to investigate, where the daily image critiques are still available (but now require free registration), is The Mindful Eye. One of the main people behind this new site is photographer Craig Tanner.

Ruth insists that we're obligated to have photographs with plants and snow in the winter, so here's a photograph and write-up from her:

I took this picture on a snowshoeing adventure with some friends in February 2008. The paper birch squeezing through gaps in the granite boulders is the subject species of today's write up, though recognition should also be made to the fern and moss growing amongst this outcrop. Life finds a way.

White-barked birch trees are the light-colored relief to the dense evergreen forests of the east. In Bob Ross' landscape paintings, he would slice through the black and green of the riverside forest with his pallet knife covered in white paint -- the birch trees. Birch trees are deciduous, with vibrant yellow leaves in the autumn.

Birch trees are important culturally. First Nations used the paper birch in the area named by European colonizers as New England for millenia: Betula papyrifera was used for construction of canoes and wigwams, as well as cooking vessels, jewelry and art.

Although the paper birch occurs in many states in northern and central USA and is native to every province in Canada, in the USA it is only native to the northeastern US, parts of the Midwest, Alaska, and the northern parts of Washington, Idaho and Montana. In Canada it has a much larger native range.

Natural history resource link (added by Daniel): the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle of Paris, France -- plenty of links to explore.

Thank you to Jacob K. aka morabeza79@Flickr for sharing today's photograph via the BPotD Flickr pool (original). Do check out Jacob's 1800+ photographs, almost all to do with plants -- plenty of tropicals!

Although posted to Flickr as Hauya microcerata, Tropicos suggests Hauya elegans is the currently accepted name for Hauya microcerata using the 2007 Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica Vol. 6 as a reference. Without access to the reference, I can't guess why Hauya microcerata has become a synonym. Other than Costa Rica, this species can also be found in Guatemala, Belize and the Chiapas state of Mexico.

If researching Hauya, or the tree evening-primroses (or evening-primrose trees), do note that the main flower in this photograph has already lost its petals (striking though it is without them). Photographs of a few Hauya can be found on the Onagraceae pages on the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History site: Hauya.

Most Onagraceae are perennial or annual herbaceous plants -- well-known north termperate genera such as Epilobium and Zauschneria; only a few genera like Hauya have woody representatives, such as the closely-related Fuchsia.

Information on Hauya microcerata can be found in this extraction from the Flora of Guatemala (use your browser's search function to find Hauya on the page). Assuming that the information on Hauya microcerata on that page is applicable to this Hauya elegans, then this is a species of forested hillsides, particularly ravines. The Flora of Guatemala describes it as "...a beautiful sight when covered with the large, pure white, delicate flowers, which appear at the beginning of the rainy season when the oaks are developing new leaves and the whole aspect of the forest reminds one of a northern spring."

Photography resource link: "Toward a Personal Style", an article on NaturePhotographers.net by Michael Gordon.

Today's photograph and write-up are courtesy of Mathew Vis-Dunbar, another one of UBC Botanical Garden's exemplary horticulturists. Mathew writes:

Photographed in the midst of a rare Vancouver snowstorm at VanDusen Botanical Garden, this plant provided some welcome colour at the end of December.

Found in its native habitat of western China in forests and woodlands below 1200 meters, Euonymous myrianthus is an evergreen shrub growing from 3 to 12 meters. It is reportedly quite variable in morphology and habitat. Clusters of greenish yellow flowers are produced from April to July, followed by the pictured fruits, generally into November.

Daniel adds: China is the centre of biodiversity for the genus Euonymus. Of the roughly 130 species worldwide, 90 species can be found in China -- and of these, 50 are endemic (found nowhere else). The English common name often used for this species is evergreen spindle tree.

Botany resource link: I'm off at the end of next week to visit the Montréal Botanical Garden as part of a workshop to participate in a Canadian biodiversity data network. I'm really keen on visiting the Tropical Food Plants Greenhouse. Yes, I'll be taking my camera!

Let's get back into the swing of things. Before we do, though, thank you to all of you who sent kind wishes over the holidays. That was very much appreciated. For those of you who, for whatever reason made sense to you, sent snark and rudeness, I hope your new year's resolution is to be kinder to both other people and yourself.

Today's photographs and write-up are thanks to Jackie Chambers. For local folks, Jackie is presenting this Thursday night at the Native Plant Society of BC's monthly south coast meeting. I know a lot of folks have been staying inside these past few weeks with the exceptional weather we've been having (I know I have), so it'll be a good opportunity to venture out of your home and see some colour instead of snow-white and slush-blue-grey. Jackie writes:

The yellow flowers of Grindelia integrifolia, speak of summer and sunshine, two things to look forward to in the New Year. Native to western North America, this herbaceous perennial can range in height from 15-80 cm and can be found in coastal habitats along the shoreline of British Columbia, Oregon and Washington.

Like many members of the Asteraceae, the flower is composed of ray and disk florets (in this case, both yellow). The unopened flower buds tend to be covered in "gum" which makes them sticky to the touch (see photos of the flowers in bud). The involucral bracts -- the green bracts at the base of the flower head -- are also covered in gum, adding to the sticky reputation of the plant.

The gummy feature is shared by many members of this genus and has given rise to the common name gumweed or resinweed as a collective term. This particular gumweed is sometimes called Puget Sound gumweed, a reference to its distribution. It is also called entire-leaved gumweed, but the species is quite variable and the leaves may be entire or serrated.

Basal leaves are lance-shaped and can reach 40 cm in length. Stem leaves are found in alternate arrangement clasping the stem. Leaves produce resin and the odour of plant is sometimes likened to Retsina.

The genus Grindelia is named after Russian botanist David Grindel (1776 - 1836), and the species integrifolia is a reference to the entire leaves exhibited by many individuals of the species.

Grindelia integrifolia is a late-summer or fall flowering plant. This specimen was photographed in September in the Garry Oak Meadow at the UBC Botanical Garden, part of our new Garry Oak planting. To learn more about this unique and threatened landscape see the site of the Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team.

Botany resource link (from Daniel): Check out the intriguing Burmanniaceae web site. This family consists mostly of "tiny and extremely rare beauties of the tropical rain-forests". I spent a little time on the site today after browsing through the garden's newest library acquisition, Illustrated Book of Taiwan Endemic Rare Plants Vol. 2 and encountering a species of Thismia for the first time. A little online searching led to this intriguing story about the possibly-extinct Thismia americana (Thismia americana in Flora of North America), known only from a single location near Chicago and last seen in 1916.

Today's photograph is shared by Ron Long, again from his recent trip to Western Australia. Thanks Ron!

When Ron sent along the photograph, he added the following: "There has been a great deal of imagination applied to choosing common names for many Australian orchids. This one is called Cossack dancer and having learned that I can't help but laugh every time look at this picture."

While the common name is plenty descriptive and stable, the scientific name for this orchid has been rather fluid recently. It seems like it has settled on Jonesiopsis dorrienii, but other publications / people continue to use Caladenia dorrienii (or here and here) or Calonema dorrienii. Whatever its name, it is listed as endangered in Western Australia (where it is endemic). The morphological diversity of this group of orchids can be viewed on this page, just bear in mind that the names may not be current.

I should also point out that the flower of this species is (classically, for orchids) resupinate, in contrast to the flower of Cryptostylis erecta

Ruth has written today's entry:

Thanks to kjbeath@flickr for this awesome picture (via the BPotD Flickr Pool).

Second only to the massive Asteraceae with regard to species numbers and morphological diversity, the Orchidaceae is a family of specialists. The flowers of the Orchidaceae are unique in construction; Jackie described some of the tepal architecture in the entry on Corycium orobanchoides, so I'll add that the stamens, stigma and style are fused together to form what is called the column. The column is an interesting construct, often ready to slap pollinia (tiny bundles of pollen), onto the back of any pollinator that visits. As Jackie mentioned, one often enlarged petal (that sits just opposite the column) is called the labellum or lip, which sometimes acts as a landing pad for pollinators. All that being said, no rule in biology ever seems much more than a rule of thumb.

Cryptostylis erecta, the hooded orchid or bonnet orchid has its own exceptions on the matter of floral architecture. Firstly, the sepals are narrow, long and green and readily discerned from the petals. In Cryptostylis erecta, the labellum is enlarged, concave and very showy with its purple and white veins. Unlike many other orchids, the flowers of Cryptostylis (collectively known as the tongue-orchids) are non-resupinate (or seemingly turned upside-down). Instead, the flowers bear a resemblance to the spathe and spadix setup of the Araceae.

This terrestrial orchid grows in sandy substrate in heath and woodland communities. It is commonly found in the Blue mountains (where Wollemia nobilis can also be found) and around the suburbs of Sydney, Australia. It flowers from October to March.

The New York Times published an article on the tongue-orchids in mid-July 2008: Tongue Orchids' Sexual Guile: Utterly Convincing based on this article: Gaskett, A.C., et al. 2008. Orchid Sexual Deceit Provokes Ejaculation. The American Naturalist. 171:E206-E212. All five Australian tongue-orchid species share the pollinator Lissopimpla excelsa, an ichneumonid wasp.

I suspect this is the last photograph and write-up from Jackie for 2008 -- I very much appreciate her efforts in helping with BPotD. Jackie writes:

The goal for most visitors on safari in South Africa's Kruger National Park, is to capture a glimpse of the "Big Five" -- buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhino. The term "Big Five" was first used by game hunters, to describe the five most dangerous (and thus most coveted) animals to hunt. Nowadays, the majority of hunting is done by wide-eyed tourists with cameras, and the thrill comes from the moment you see one of these magnificent animals sauntering across the savannah (if you haven't seen it, check out this Youtube video: Battle at Kruger).

Some of us embark on safari with camera in hand looking for a different kind of thrill, the chance to see the "Big Five" trees -- baobab (Adansonia digitata), knob thorn (Acacia nigrescens), marula (Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra), mopane (Colophospermum mopane) and the fever tree (Acacia xanthophloea) in the wild.

Acacia xanthophloea definitely merits inclusion in the coveted "Big Five". Native to southern Africa, this large deciduous tree, can reach 10-30 m. It is the smooth, luminous, green-yellow bark that grabs your attention as it glows in the African sun. The trunk is coated in a yellow powder, which rubs away to reveal bright green bark beneath.

The genus name Acacia is derived from the Greek akis meaning "a sharp point", in reference to the sharp spines possessed by many members of this group. The species name xanthophloea is derived from the Greek xanthos (yellow) and phloios (bark).

The common name, fever tree, was given by European settlers who associated the tree with terrible illness. In reality, it was the habitat that caused the fevers -- not the tree. Acacia xanthophloea is native to hot, dry parts of southern Africa. Within these locations, the trees tend to thrive in low lying pockets of water. These swampy places are breeding ground for mosquitoes, and the fever people were suffering from was malaria.

The leaves of the fever tree are small and pinnate, the flowers are fragrant yellow pom-poms produced from September to November, and the seeds are contained in straight, flat pods. Aluka has a technical description of Acacia xanthophloea, accompanied by a good photograph of the bark.

Thank you to Eric La Fountaine, UBC Botanical Garden's accessions technician, for today's write-up and photographs from one of his recent trips:

The Elqui Valley, Chile, lies south of the driest region on earth, the Atacama Desert. Rainfall is very limited in the area. Just once or twice per decade enough spring rains fall to bring the desert into bloom -- a phenomenon referred to as el desierto florido. This was one of those years, and in October I was lucky enough to visit the area on a tour lead by the Fundación RA Filippi de estudios naturales.

The glowing pink flowers of Alstroemeria magnifica subsp. magnifica stand out from the blue-grey cactus (mostly Echinopsis deserticola, I believe). Alstroemeria magnifica grows to 80 centimeters and blooms in rich shades of pink. The large flowers are so heavy that they sometimes topple their stems.

A favourite of the cut flower market, alstroemerias are native to South America. The fifty or so species are found primarily in two zones. Alstroemeria species in central Chile are winter-growing and those from eastern Brazil are summer-growing. Crosses between species from the two zones have resulted in hybrids that flower all year or nearly all year long.

Jackie Chambers, UBC BG Horticulturist, shares a second entry and photograph with us this week:

In stark contrast to the bright showy blooms surrounding it, the dense spike of greenish-yellow and black flowers of Corycium orobanchoides, or monkshood orchid, demanded my attention.

In general, orchid flowers have three sepals and three petals (collectively referred to as tepals); the third petal is often a specialized structure called the lip, which is modified in various ways to attract pollinators. In the case of Corycium orobanchoides, the three upper tepals form a hood, the lateral tepals are almost joined, and the lip is transformed into shield-like appendage with long horizontal lobes pointed backward that spread over the anthers (see Aluka for a detailed diagram of Corycium orobanchoides flower structure). The flower lip has oil-secreting glands called elaiophores, which attract an oil-collecting bee (Rediviva peringueyi) to pollinate the flower. Research suggests that the bees use the oil to feed to larvae.

Corycium orobanchoides is a tuberous perennial, which can reach 45cm in height. The species name orobanchoides literally means "like Orobanche", and refers to the flower spike's resemblance to some members of the genus Orobanche.

Monkshood orchid is native to flat, sandy areas of the southwestern cape. This plant was spotted at the Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden.

Thank you to arrowlakelass@Flickr from the BPotD Flickr Pool for today's photograph (original), and thank you to Ruth for today's write up.

The Nootka rose is widely used horticulturally. It receives its name, by way of some anglicization, from the Nuu-chah-nulth peoples of the Pacific coast of Canada. Peter Gumplinger explains the story behind the name "Nootka" in this essay on Hiking the Nootka Island Trail, August 7-12, 1999:

"Anchored at Resolution Cove on Bligh Island, across from Friendly Cove harbour, the natives called out to Cook's ship: itchme nutka, itchme nutka, meaning 'go around', but Cook thought they were telling him that Nootka was the name of the area."

Wikipedia also has a fairly extensive entry on the Nuu-chah-nulth peoples.

The Nootka rose is a woody subshrub & perennial like the rest of the genus Rosa. It can grow up to 2.1m (7 ft) tall. Commonly found at the edge of coastal marshes, it is tolerant of wet conditions. It can also be encountered in cleared or disturbed areas, thickets and forest edges. The flowers have the characteristic fresh rose scent and are consistently coloured pinky-rose. The stems of the bush are grey and covered in prickles. In temperate regions, they bloom April-July.

And yet another thank you to Jackie for contributions of both a photograph and write-up...

There are over one hundred species of Erythrina, and members of this genus can be found in Asia, Africa and the Americas. This particular species, Erythrina lysistemon, is native to southern Africa, where it can be found growing in various habitats: from dry woodlands and coastal bush to savannahs and sand dunes. A small tree, Erythrina lysistemon can range in height from 3-12m tall, depending on environmental conditions.

This particular specimen was blooming at Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, located just outside of Johannesburg, in the Gauteng Province of South Africa.

The genus name Erythrina is derived from the Greek erythros meaning "red", while the species name lysistemon means "with loose stamen or stamens". Stamens are the pollen producing organs of the flower, and in this species, one stamen is free while the other stamens are fused together to form a sheath.

The pale grey bark, scattered with hooked thorns prickles (see below re: comments -- and thank you!), is dramatic on its own, but becomes vividly highlighted by the striking red flowers. Erythrina lysistemon, or coral tree, flowers in late winter to early spring (August to September in the southern hemisphere). The bright red flowers are held in a narrow inflorescence about 10cm long. Seeds are contained in thin black pods that can reach 15cm long. The pods remain on the tree and eventually split open, revealing bright red seeds. This small botanical drawing clearly illustrates the seedpod structure, as well as leaf and flower shape.

Leaves are produced at the end of the flowering period and are composed of three large leaflets. Each leaflet can reach up to 15cm across. The leaflets are also equipped with hooks. Aluka has a more detailed plant description of Erythrina lysistemon.

Despite the vicious appearance of this plant, it is extremely generous to its community. It provides food and shelter for a variety of animals and insects -- game, such as black rhinos and elephants, eat the leaves and bark. The flowers produce a large amount of nectar which attracts insects, birds, and monkeys. Erythrina lysistemon also plays an important role in human lives; local people value this plant for both its magical and medicinal properties. Plantzafrica details more on the importance of Erythrina lysistemon.

Thank you to today's author, Ruth Sanborn, and today's photographer, J.G. in SF@Flickr (original image via the BPotD Flickr Pool).

Today's plant is Erica glauca var. elegans and is originally from Western Cape Province, Africa (continuing with the recent theme of African plants). Its common name is Cape heath.

Erica is a large genus of flowering plants containing around 700 species. Most of these 700ish species are endemic to Africa -- native to nowhere else in the world. Most species of Erica are small evergreen shrubs that prefer acidic (low pH) soil, and can be called calcifugous (fleeing or seeking refuge from lime-rich, high pH soils). Common names such as heather and heath are generally used to refer to species of Erica, as well as the closely related genus Calluna. Species of Calluna are so similar that they are often confused with Erica species.

For more photographs of Erica glauca var. elegans (and seemingly of this particular plant), see PlantWorld and CalPhotos. Aluka also has some information about an 1847 herbarium voucher of Erica glauca var. elegans.

Ruth is both today's writer and photographer:

So, which is the plant and which is the rock? Luckily for us, this Dioscorea elephantipes, or elephant's foot, hasn't gone deciduous for the summer. The juicy, thick, heart-shaped leaves are born along the single vine-like branch pushing up through the center of the caudex. The caudex resembles a turtle shell in my opinion, leading to another common name: turtle back. I took this picture at Sherman Library and Gardens in Newport Beach, CA. If you ever have a chance to visit this garden, please do! It's a beautiful little place. The cactus and succulent garden is incredible in its species diversity, specimen quality, and design (not to mention the hand-harvested boulders and minerals).

This Dioscorea is native to Africa, specifically the Clanwilliam District of the West Cape and the Graaf-Reinet, Willowmore and Uniondale Districts of the Eastern Cape. The part of the plant that looks like a turtle shell is called a caudex (hence, it is a caudiciform plant). This massive storage unit (reportedly reaching 3m tall!) helps the elephant's foot to survive extreme temperatures from -4°C to 40°C and a wide variety of habitats, including arid rocky outcrops.

For more on Dioscorea elephantipes, including details about its ecology and uses, see the PlantzAfrica profile on Dioscorea elephantipes (and if you'd really like a challenge, spot the botanical terminology error in the fact sheet).

Thanks again to UBC horticulturist Jackie Chambers for contributing a couple photographs and a write-up!

Dicoma capensis is a prostrate perennial, found hugging the dry, sandy soils of Namaqualand and other arid areas of South Africa and Namibia. The stems of individual plants can reach 30cm in length. These stems scramble across the ground, forming small mats of narrow, grey-green leaves covered with dense white hairs. These mats can be seen from quite a distance shimmering in the African sun, and they draw you in for a closer look.

Closer inspection reveals purple flower heads, 2-3cm in diameter, held at the tips of the slivery-leaved shoots. The flowers are produced in the spring - September and October in the southern hemisphere. The flower heads are composed of two types of florets. The outer florets are sterile, while the inner florets (with the pale purple petals) contain the reproductive structures. Two distinct types of florets are typical features of the Asteraceae (a basic diagram of Asteraceae flower structure).

While the purple flower heads are showy, they are upstaged by the amazingly spiky involucral bracts (the bracts at the base of the flower head, sometimes called phyllaries). Aluka has a technical description of Dicoma capensis flower structure.

The genus name Dicoma was derived from the Greek, di meaning "two", and kome, meaning tuft of hair, a reference to the pappus bristles in the flower. Pappi are structures found at the base of individual florets in the Asteraceae flower head (see link above with image). The species name capensis is a reference to this species' distribution around the Cape of Good Hope, and other areas of southern Africa.

Dicoma capensis is used in traditional herbal medicine of the Khoisan people of southern Africa. Not surprisingly, the plant was also incorporated into Cape Dutch medicine or boererate (farm remedies). One of its common names in Afrikaans is koorsbossie which translates as "fever bush". Current research is investigating the active constituents of this species and its possible uses for treating a variety of conditions including cancer and AIDS.

There are several species of Dicoma found in southern Africa, including Dicoma anomala.