Katherine is the author of today's entry; she writes:

This photograph of Magnolia champaca is courtesy of 3Point141@Flickr. Thank you!

Also known as Michelia champaca, this magnolia species is natively distributed in southeastern Asia. In English, it is commonly known as fragrant champaca, golden champa, orange chempaka, or yellow champa. The English names are derived from southeast Asian common names for the species (listed on this page).

In the link above, the World Agroforestry Centre (formerly the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, or ICRAF) provides information on this species' distribution and ecology, propagation and management, uses, and pests & diseases. Included among the uses, ICRAF lists: ornamentation near temples; fuel source or timber; silkworm food (leaves); poisons for rice fungus; and, medicine (bark as febriguge or anti-fever). Given my interest in remediation, I was pleasantly surprised to find it also possesses reclamation properties for soil. Due to the arbuscular mycorrhizae observed on roots of the plants, Magnolia champaca (and associated organisms) provides nitrogen fixation along with increases in soil pH, soil organic carbon and available phosphorus.

The flowers of Magnolia champaca are of particular note, ranging from cream to a yellow-orange colour. Given their reputedly beautiful (and strong) scent, they are traditionally used by women as a hair or chest decoration, floated in bowls of water to scent rooms, added (singly) to garlands, and incorporated (singly) as a decoration for bridal beds. These flowers are also known for their use in one of the top-selling perfumes in the world, Joy, by Jean Patou. Essential oils from this species are used along with "10,000 jasmine flowers, 28 dozen roses, ylang ylang, [and] tuberose" to make 30mL of this perfume. A bottle of 30mL of pure Joy perfume retails for approximately 400 USD. Because of this, Magnolia champaca is also sometimes called the "Joy perfume tree".

UBC Botanical Garden's Curator of Collections, Douglas Justice, wrote the foundation of today's entry. I've made a few edits to adapt his text for Botany Photo of the Day:

Parthenocissus comes from parthenos meaning "virgin" and kissos ("ivy"). It refers to the English common name of the eastern American Virginia creeper or Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia was named for Queen Elizabeth I, the "Virgin Queen"). Parthenocissus is a genus of about 10 species of climbing plants that climb by means of leaf tendrils that either twine or have adhesive pads (Daniel: for more on the adhesive pads, see the previous entry on Parthenocissus tricuspidata 'Robusta').

The main attraction of Parthenocissus thomsonii is its five-fingered leaves, which are bronzy-purple in spring turning glossy green at maturity and deep red in the fall. The fruits are black. This Asian climber was collected in Assam (India) in 1900 by E. H. Wilson and later introduced by him from China. It is similar to the more common Parthenocissus henryana, but differs in its leaves, which lack central silver markings, and in having tendrils that only branch in pairs (Parthenocissus henryana along with most other Parthenocissus species have multi-branched tendrils). Flora of China places Parthenocissus thomsonii in a different genus (Yua) on account of this difference in tendril characteristics.

Daniel: These are photographs from the David C. Lam Asian Garden. You'll note in the second image that the Parthenocissus is smothering the western hemlock it is using for support, so the vine will likely be cut down to the ground this winter as part of the Garden's aggressive vine management policy.

Carolina-allspice or sweetshrub is native to the eastern United States. Two varieties are recognized by the Flora of North America, with somewhat overlapping distributions: Calycanthus floridus var. floridus which has a range nudging a bit more to the east, and Calycanthus floridus var. glaucus, with a range extending a bit more north and west than var. floridus. Calycanthus floridus var. floridus has pubescent twigs, petioles and leaves (the abaxial surface), with its counterpart lacking these small hairs. I suspect the plant in today's photograph is Calycanthus floridus var. glaucus.

As its name implies, this is a fragrant species. Oils distilled from the flowers are purported to have a "fruity odour reminiscent of ripe apples", while the "bark of this tree [shrub] has a fragrance like cinnamon, for which it is sometimes used as a substitute" (both quotes are from Nigel Groom's The New Perfume Handbook). Flowers on this shrub (to 4m) smell like pineapple or strawberry, leading to two other common names: strawberry-shrub or pineapple-shrub.

Calycanthus floridus is recognized as a Plant of Merit by Missouri Botanical Garden. Additional photographs and writings about this taxon are available from Beautiful Wildlife Garden: Calycanthus floridus.

This photograph is from May of this year in the Asheville Botanical Gardens.

Katherine is the author of today's entry:

Today's photo of Cirsium remotifolium var. odontolepis is courtesy of Brent Miller (foliosus@Flickr). Cirsium remotifolium and its varieties have several common names including: few-leaf thistle, fringed-scale thistle, weak thistle and remote-leaved thistle.

Cirsium remotifolium is a perennial herb which grows to 150cm high, with corollas ranging from18 to 28 mm. According to the Flora of North America, Cirsium remotifolium var. odontolepis typically has cream-coloured corollas. However, throughout the Cascade Range of Oregon, plants tend to have purple corollas and are therefore sometimes considered as a subspecies, oregonense.

Cirsium remotifolium is distributed through northwestern California, western Oregon, and southwestern Washington. Although geographically separated, Cirsium remotifolium is a close relative to Cirsium clavatum of the Rocky Mountains. The Encyclopedia of Life description of Cirsium remotifolium provides a discussion of its relation to other taxa and clarification for its classification.

Additional photographs are available from the Oregon Flora Project: Cirsium remotifolium var. odontolepis.

The intense low sun of a late autumn afternoon in combination with a breeze off the Salish Sea helped to produce this image a couple days ago in the David C. Lam Asian Garden.

While taking the photograph, I was only reacting to the sights and experiences of bright leaves and moving branches. In the back of my mind, I would have had some familiarity with similar techniques or approaches used by other photographers under the same conditions. However, thinking about the photograph a bit more, it could also complement a number of stories about the David C. Lam Asian Garden:

• - the combination of coastal woodland plants (represented by the Douglas-fir) and cultivated plants of Asian origin (the Japanese maples in the background)
• - along the same lines, one could also interpret that the solidity of the Douglas-fir represents what was here and what will be here in this place (it is timeless), whereas the maples are fleeting and less solid, less permanent
• - the maples remind of flames, an allusion to the fire that threatened the Asian Garden earlier this year
• - the charred scars of stumps and trunks of the few remaining original-growth native trees in the Asian Garden speak to the burning of the site in the early 20th century after it had been effectively clearcut -- had colour film existed then, it is not difficult to imagine a similar photograph being taken a century ago, but with real flames

An entry written by Katherine today:

Today's photo of Echinopsis huascha was taken by James Gaither (J.G. in S.F.@Flickr) in July after a heavy fog, at the University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley.

Since Echinopsis comes from the Greek word echinos meaning "hedgehog" and opsis meaning "like", members of this genus are known as hedgehog cacti. Other common names include sea urchin cacti (sea urchins are echinoids / echinoderms) and Easter-lily cactus. Echinopsis huascha is specifically known as red torch cactus or desert's blooming jewel (in English). CactiGuide.com provides an extensive list of synonyms for Echinopsis huascha and photos to assist in identification.

Echinopsis huascha can grow up to 0.90m (3ft) with stems 5-8cm in diameter (2-3.2in). The flowers form near stem tips, and are 7-10cm (3.9in) long and 6-7cm (2.4-2.8in) in diameter. Flowers are usually red, but may also be orange (as shown) or yellow. Echinopsis huascha can grow in USDA zones 9 and 10, with plants hardy to temperatures of -10°C (15°F). The species requires sandy or gravelly soil with full sun. Like many cacti, it has low water requirements: very little water is needed during the summer, and none during winter.

Echinopsis huascha is native to northwestern Argentina, but is cultivated worldwide in areas with suitable habitat, possibly due in part to it being sold as a potted plant.

This is a bit of a visual echo in response to the photomicrograph from Dr. Robin Young a few days ago. This is from a set of young 'Robusta' Japanese creeper (or Boston ivy, if you like) vines planted several years ago by one of the Garden's inventive horticulturists. I suspect photographs like these (and there are many similar compositions to be made) will only be possible for the next few years, until the entire wall where these are planted is eventually covered with the much larger mature leaves (like the outfield walls at Wrigley Field).

Parthenocissus tricuspidata is native to China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. An explanation of its name is available from the Freckmann Herbarium (Parthenocissus tricuspidata), while additional photographs and horticultural information can be read via the University of Connecticut Plant Database: Parthenocissus tricuspidata. Compared to the species, the cultivar 'Robusta' is supposed to have larger (mature) leaves and be a bit more of a vigorous grower.

Given a suitable surface, this deciduous vining species can attain heights of 30m or so. It does so through adhesion, whereby a modified tendril in the shape of a disc-shaped pad secretes a mucilage. In 1875, Darwin noted that "a 10-year-old branchlet with only one remaining adhesive disc attached to a wall could support a weight of 2 lb without the disc detaching". Further tests have revealed that "on average, the disc can support a combined weight of stem, leaf, branchlet, and tendril which is 260 times greater than its own weight during the growth, and can sustain a maximum pulling force which is 2 800 000 times higher than that produced by its own weight (from the abstract of a 2010 paper by the authors of the paper cited below). Despite having been studied for centuries, the precise adhesion mechanism remains unknown (though calcium ions are suspected to play a role). In He, T. et al. 2011. Biological adhesion of Parthenocissus tricuspidata. Arch. Biol. Sci.,63(2): 393-398 doi:10.2298/ABS1102393H , the authors conclude "Understanding the super-adhesion mechanism of Parthenocissus tricuspidata is a prerequisite for bio-inspired design of adhesive materials, and more experimental and theoretical works are imperative to fully open this new research field".

A photograph from early this morning in the E.H. Lohbrunner Alpine Garden here at UBC. I'm making a bit of an effort to photograph anything red in relation to plants at the moment. This is in preparation for an early December presentation I'll be giving entitled "Red Reverie", in which I'll be discussing the colour red in plants, on topics ranging from food plant pigments to leaf colours, from attracting pollinators to preventing herbivory. Busy again today with meetings, but thought I'd sneak in a quick image for BPotD. For local readers of BPotD, autumn colours will continue to persist through this weekend, particularly in the Alpine Garden and the Carolinian Forest.

Today's entry was written by Katherine. She writes:

Thank you to sloanbj@Flickr (aka Benjamin Sloan) for this beautiful picture of Caladenia georgei, a native to Western Australia. Commonly called George's caladenia or Tuart spider orchid, Caladenia georgei has recently been renamed in two different publications. Benjamin posted the photograph under the name Arachnorchis georgei (Hopper & A.P.Br.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem., a name which has been used elsewhere occasionally since its publication in a 2002 paper in Orchadian. The other name is Calonemorchis georgei (Hopper & A.P.Br.) Szlach. & Rutk., published in 2003 in Richardiana. We've opted to use the accepted name from The Plant List. As noted by the Pacific Bulb Society, the name Caladenia is from the Greek words calos meaning "beautiful", and aden meaning "glands, due to the "colourful labellum and the glistening glands at the base of the column".

Caladenia georgei, a member of Orchidaceae, has a 1-3 flowered inflorescence and blooms in spring (September-October) with white, red, and yellow flowers. The Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia states that Caladenia georgei is a species of low elevations (sea level to 80m). Plants grow in scrub on stabilized sand.

A tentative species identification today, as making a positive identification of a willow is usually a non-trivial matter involving a wide-ranging suite of characteristics. In this case, I have some close-up photographs that more clearly show the leaf shape (obovate), the not-glaucous nature of the branches, and what appear to be yellow buds against the reddish-branches. Combined with the habitat, the known species from the area, and the habit (a small shrub not forming a colony), and I reached the conclusion of Salix bebbiana--but I am entirely willing to be corrected! For more on willow identification, see A Guide to the Identification of Salix (willow) in Alberta (listed in the references).

Assuming the yellow-leaved plant in the photographs is Salix bebbiana, then this is a representative of a species native to much of North America north of Mexico, with the exception of the southeast USA. Bebb's willow or beak willow is also found in far eastern Russia and Siberia. Like the Betula glandulosa from a few days ago, this is an important browse species (though not this particular individual, given its precarious location).

There are somewhere in the vicinity of four hundred willow species, in addition to a number of naturally-occurring hybrids. The majority of these are native to the temperate and arctic northern hemisphere. Unfortunately, when a few species were introduced into Australia for erosion control, they eventually became invasive.

An entry written by work-study Katherine Van Dijk today. Katherine writes:

Today's picture is of a lovely Lobelia cardinalis thanks to Eric in SF@Flickr (Eric Hunt). A long list of synonyms for Lobelia cardinalis are recorded in the Encyclopedia of Life, suggesting it is both a widespread and variable-looking species. It is certainly widespread; according to the USDA's Germplasm Resources Information Network, Lobelia cardinalis is a native to southeastern Canada, much of the United States, most of Mexico and Mesoamerica, and as far south as Colombia.

Lobelia cardinalis is a perennial that grows to 0.3-2m (1-6ft.). The common name cardinal flower stems from the resemblance of its flower colour to the robes of the Roman Catholic Cardinals, though other flower colours are sometimes seen (white or pink-rose). According to the Encyclopedia of Life, it is also known as "red lobelia", and in German "Kardinalslobelie". Lobelia cardinalis blooms through July to September, and while it does not attract cardinal birds, it is pollinated by hummingbirds and is attractive to butterflies. Lobelia cardinalis is relatively common, though it has become scarce in some areas due to over-picking.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (from the University of Texas at Austin) provides a rather in-depth description of the characteristics, distribution throughout the US and Canada, growing conditions, uses, and propagation of this species. Naturally, one of these uses is as an ornamental flower in perennial gardens. Traditionally, it is also said to have been used as a root tea for "stomach aches, syphilis, thyroid problems and worms" while leaf teas were used for "colds, croup, nosebleeds, fevers, headaches, rheumatism". The Wildflower Center also warns that all parts of the plant are toxic in large enough doses, potentially causing "nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, salivation, exhaustion and weakness, dilation of pupils, convulsions, and coma". According to Auburn University's page on the wildflowers of Alabama, the leaf extracts and fruit may cause "vomiting, sweating, pain and finally death". Wikipedia also notes further uses including treatment of bronchial problems, colds, use as a substitute for tobacco, and research potential in the study and treatment of neurological disorders.

Just the photographs of a favourite subject today, as I continue to attempt to catch up.

Vine maple previously on Botany Photo of the Day:

• Acer circinatum (October 6, 2005)
• Acer circinatum (October 8, 2005)
• Acer circinatum (October 17, 2005)
• Acer circinatum (October 9, 2006)
• Acer circinatum (January 8, 2007)
• Acer circinatum (October 7, 2007)

It seems like the prehistoric plant series was well-received while I was on vacation; on behalf of Alexis, thank you for the comments and emails.

My trip to Jasper National Park a couple weeks ago didn't quite meet my hopes for autumn colour. It seems like heavy winds had already hit some of the trees and shrubs, so plants ranged from fully-defoliated to still-green, with not a lot in the middle (much of what had turned had abscised with the winds). Still some pleasant pockets of colour, but it would have been a more showy display of yellows and oranges had I arrived a few days earlier.

On the other hand, there was a different set of colours to be found with the dwarf (or bog) birches. I now wish I had spent more time making photographs like the vertical one, as I like the effect of the out-of-focus leaves in the background. Fortunately for me, Betula glandulosa is widely distributed in western and northern North America (including much of British Columbia), so I needn't travel as far for such images in the future.

Also present in this less-frequented area of the park were numerous ungulate hoofprints. I presume these were moose, as Betula glandulosa is the preferred browse plant of a moose's summer forage diet in Jasper National Park. In the winter, the buds are eaten by ptarmigan and grouse. Important to keep in mind for next time, it seems that in the central Canadian Arctic, "Grizzly bears...constructed their dens under bog birch cover more than any other plant species. Bog birch was present at 84% of 52 den sites, and it was the highest in percent cover around den entrances. Bog birch roots formed ceilings of several dens studied". I imagine these would more typically be found in rocky slope areas as opposed to the more boggy region where today's photographs were taken. On the topic of animals and plants, I think perhaps that will be the next BPotD series, so if you have photographs of a mammal using a plant in some way (food, shelter, etc.) with both the mammal and plant identified, send me a note.

Additional photographs of Betula glandulosa are available via the Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (follow links at bottom of page).

Another entry written by Alexis from this past summer. Alexis writes:

Today we conclude the prehistoric plant series with a species from the Cretaceous period. This photo from Wikimedia Commons was taken by Scott Zona (scott.zona@Flickr); the original photo can be found on Flickr. Thanks, Scott!

Amborella trichopoda is generally accepted as the sole remaining representative of the most basal lineage of flowering plants. The divergence of the ancestors of this "sister" species from all other flowering plant lineages occurred approximately 130 million years ago.

The present-day distribution of the species is restricted to New Caledonia, where it grows in "moist, shaded understory of montane forests". Amborella trichopoda is a dioecious woody shrub pollinated by wind and insects that produces tiny flowers on both male and female individuals and small red fruits on the females only.

For additional reading, see this National Geographic article on the origin of angiosperms: "The Big Bloom--How Flowering Plants Changed the World".

Known only from the Cascades of Washington and Oregon states, Rainiera stricta is the sole member of its genus. Within the highly-diverse aster family, Rainiera belongs to the tribe Senecioneae, so it is most closely-related to composite genera such as Senecio, Packera (ragworts and groundsels), Petasites (butterburs) and Luina (silverbacks). It is perhaps most closely related to the latter, as it was at one time described as being in Luina. That taxonomic hypothesis seems to have been rejected, with some going so far as to commonly call it "false silverback". Other common names include tongueleaf rainiera or simply rainiera.

These photographs are from August of 2009, and this plant was indeed growing in the habitat and elevation as described by Flora of North America for Rainiera stricta: "Moist soils, open slopes, meadows; ... 900-2000m". The soils and vegetation were so moist on this particular day (a heavy, cold rain) that I had to change pants and shoes upon returning to the vehicle.

Additional photographs of the species are available from the Burke Museum: Rainiera stricta.