I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel

Guest-blogging today is Eric La Fountaine – Daniel.

I was quite captivated by these Eucalyptus macrocarpa, while visiting Western Australian Botanic Garden in Kings Park in Perth. The fabulous red flowers are the largest of any eucalyptus - up to 100 mm in diameter. The “gumnuts” that follow are equally large, hence macrocarpa (large fruit).

Native to Western Australia, the species prefers a dry environment. It can grow in subtropical areas but is not reliably hardy. The striking silver-grey leaves are as attractive as the flowers and a furry coat helps them hold moisture. The form of the plant can be somewhat awkward, but it responds well to pruning.

I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel

According to the Flora of China, Cornus chinensis is restricted to China (but perhaps also found in Burma (Myanmar)). Wikipedia has an excellent account of the morphological diversity in the dogwoods, in case you were wondering why this particular species doesn't look like many of the more familiar ornamental species and cultivars.

Interested in talking about dogwoods? Join the UBC forums and post to the dogwoods discussion forums.

I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel

Thanks to Ray in Launceston, Tasmania (aka sparramc@Flickr) for these two images submitted via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool (original image 1 and original image 2).

The Plants for a Future database entry on pale vanilla lily notes that the roots of this species are edible. For a photograph of the roots, see the Australian Bulb Association's image gallery for Arthropodium milleflorum (and see more images of this plant and its relatives on the Arthropodium page).

I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel

Pink Chinese bladdernut is poorly known in cultivation – in fact, one of the few places in the world you can see it outside of China is at UBC Botanical Garden. I don't yet have an image of its fruit (the reason for its common name), but the Kemper Center for Home Gardening has a number of images of the fruit of an eastern North America relative, Staphylea trifolia – have a look to see why these plants are called the bladdernuts.

I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. Yesterday's long entry was due to my giving a presentation about BPotD at the Museums and the Web conference in Albuquerque. – Daniel

At UBC Botanical Garden, this magnolia cultivar has the deepest colour of all of the large-flowered magnolias. An impressive specimen, it is named for the gardens of Borde Hill in the United Kingdom.

As a photographic aside, it also shows the difficulties of photographing complete trees in the forested Asian garden without a wide angle lens. Fortunately, I now have one, so expect improved photographs using this tool after I return to work in a few week's time.

Botany resource link: Dias com árvores – mostly in Portuguese, but that shouldn't prevent you from exploring this wonderful weblog about plants. Daily postings with an emphasis on trees, nearly always accompanied by photographs.

Douglas's widow-grass is distributed from southern British Columbia to northern California. The species Olsynium douglasii (there are two varieties, var. douglasii and var. inflatum) is the only representative of the genus Olsynium in North America. Eleven other species are distributed in South America.

The common name widow-grass or “grass widow” was apparently coined by the botanist Rafinesque (previously highlighted in a botany resource link from this entry). The Flora of North America account for Olsynium cites Rafinesque's explanation for the common name: “[meaning] hardly united, alluding to the stamens”.

For more photographs, see the entry for Olsynium douglasii on the web site of The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.

Photography resource link: Environmental Photography: Blending Art & Activism by Randy Beacham for Nature Photographers Online. The article features ten “tips” on environmental photography.

I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel

Eric La Fountaine wrote today's entry (and he scanned the seed). – Daniel.

The dry winged seeds of Acer macrophyllum, or bigleaf maple, are referred to as samaras or keys. The one in this image was collected in 1946 and is now part of the John Davidson Seed collection at the UBC Botanical Garden.

The tree is native from Alaska to southern California and can reach a height of 30 metres. Macrophyllum means “big leaf” – the maple is therefore appropriately named, as it is the species with the largest leaves. The leaves can measure up to 20 cm across.

I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel

Fuji cherry is a slow-growing shrub in the rose family cultivated for its ornamental value. For a horticultural perspective, see Prunus incisa on the web site of the Royal Horticultural Society.

I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel

A big thank you to Ken McCown of California (aka ken mccown@flickr) for today's image (original) submitted via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool.

With hundreds of cultivars, it is impossible to identify which variety of pineapple this might be. Pineapples themselves can make identification difficult in other realms: “Workers who cut up pineapples have their fingerprints almost completely obliterated by pressure and the keratolytic effect of bromelain (calcium oxalate crystals and citric acid were excluded as the cause).” via Purdue University's Center for New Crops and Plants Products entry on Ananas comosus. To see a photograph of a pineapple in flower, visit Cal's Plant of the Week page on Ananas comosus from the University of Oklahoma.

I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel

It is not always safe to presume that members of the same genus have similar chemical compositions. Illicium verum of China, commonly known as star anise, is used as a spice in cooking and liquor (and the shikimic acid extracted from it is used in the production of Tamiflu). The Japanese star anise, Illicium anisatum, is however severely toxic – its chemicals can cause severe inflammation of the kidneys, urinary tract and digestive organs, as well as affecting the nervous system. To read more, see Wikipedia's entries on Illicium anisatum and Illicium verum.

I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel

The male flowers of sweetgale are borne in stout catkins. Distributed across the northern forest regions of North America and Eurasia, sweetgale grows on the margins of water bodies. Historically, Myrica gale was used as a food spice by those who could not afford better. More importantly, though, its primary use as a spice was in flavouring beer. Read a fascinating account of the history of beer spices and Myrica gale on Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages.

I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel

These two images are part of a larger series posted on Flickr by Maureen from Montana (aka MontanaRaven@Flickr). To see the whole set, visit Milkweed Mother. If you'd like to see these two images in particular, visit here and here. The images were submitted to BPotD via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool. Thanks again, Maureen (Maureen's weblog: raven's nest)!

I'm fairly certain this is Asclepias speciosa and not Asclepias syriaca – I'm basing my identification on the seed morphology and barely discernible pattern of venation on the leaves (you need to see the other photographs in the Flickr set for this information). It's very possible that I've misidentified it, though. The USDA Plants Database has more information and photographs: Asclepias speciosa.

I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel

The Magnolia Society has an excellent site that includes a checklist of magnolia cultivars and an extensive section of the site by Richard Figlar (who I corresponded with on this BPotD entry) on the classification of magnolias.

I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel

Many thanks to Wayne of the UK (aka WLA@Flickr) for submitting today's image (BPotD Flickr Group Pool | original image). Don't forget to visit Wayne's weblog: Earth, Wind &Water!

Pincushions are a member of the protea family – to read more (and see more photographs), visit Dr. Gerald Carr's Proteaceae page and / or the Museums of Cape Town's Biodiversity Explorer, with its page on the Proteaceae.

I'm on vacation, so only a short written accompaniment today. – Daniel

Not widely known in cultivation, Rhododendron bainbridgeanum is native to southwest China, Tibet and Burma (Myanmar). A scientific description of the species is available from Flora of China: Rhododendron bainbridgeanum.