Volume 24, Number 4 Published by the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BOTANICAL GARDEN at Berkeley Fall 1999

Venturing to Venezuela, Part 2In February of this year a group of intrepid travelers

ventured 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, the first part of which appeared in theSummer Newsletter.

Flowers of Espeletia schultzii, one of the “frailejones.” (Photos byDavid Brunner)

From the strange world of the tepuis, we were certainthat nothing else would compare. But the Andes awaitedwith their own beautiful secrets. We flew into Merida, amodern city in a deep valley between two great arms of thenorthern Andes, each rising steeply into equatorial snowand ice at 16,000 feet. But we weren’t to stay long in thecity. Soon we were on our way up the flanks of these greatmountains into the misty cloud forests that clothe theirshoulders in capes of green. We stayed the night in acentury-old coffee plantation. Mossy red-tiled roofs andwhitewashed walls nestled amid Tillandsia festooned figs.

The following days we explored these moisture ladenforests. Giant pinwheel leaves of Cecropia, white as snowbeneath, and flaming orange boughs of Erythrina definedthe canopy ceiling. Below in the humid semi-shade, treeferns stretched long necks 10 meters to the sun, andHeliconia or Aphelandra blooms rent the darkness withexplosions of color. In the trees themselves, colorabounded. Orchids, banks of purple Sobralia, swags oforange Oncidium, glowing spirals of Epidendrum, andilluminated lilac Cattleya were not to be outdone by thechocolate and crimson of Episcia or the lilac and carmineof Vriesia.

At every turn the dense, moist, green curtain wasspangled with color—some that moved! Giant iridescentblue morpho and elegant red and black heliconiid butter-flies moved on slow-motion wings. Just at dawn, afterscrambling down a steep, root-entangled slope, we pausedin the hush beneath a particular tree. Then, as pale azurereplaced the indigo above, a cacophony of cries rang out.A noise like a thousand crows in a quarrel. But the birdsthat were uttering these cries! The Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, a shocking orange fellow with a breast of jet. We

were underneath their roosting tree, as several hundredproud and pompous males decried each other’s brilliance.

Then still higher we climbed. The forest thinned, andchanged. Podocarpus replaced Cecropia. Rose and Ericarelatives replaced Heliconia and tree ferns. We werecoming into the paramo—the Andes equatorial alpinezone. At an elevation of nearly 12,000 feet, we stayed in arestored 17th century Franciscan monastery to explore thisunique tropical habitat. The paramo is found above thecloud forests, in fact above many of the clouds. The skiesare bright blue and the days are warm, but the thin airholds no heat and the nights are frigid. Winter descends

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

OTANICALOTANICALGGARDENARDEN

2 University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley

Bob Clark and Nora Smirga at 11,000 feet in the paramo.

One of the many waterfalls that cascade through the Andean cloudforests.

every evening with frost, ice and occasional snow. Summerreturns each midday when the sun, in unfiltered intensity,blazes above. Plants here have to adapt to our yearlyextremes in each and every day. The results are fantasticshapes and colors. Elaphoglossum ferns cloak their fronds inbronze and silver mirrored scales, and their strange cousinJamesonia unfurls fronds like chenille in white and rustand gray. Odd, twisted trees of Polylepis shed long ribbonsof red bark from branches holding Fuchsia, Passiflora andBomarea in full flower.

Strangest of all, the undisputed monarch of the paramo(though the Andean Condor, a mere speck in the skyabove, might disagree) is Espeletia, the Frailejon. Theseodd plants, like giant velvet cabbages on a pedestal, are asnumerous as the soldiers of an invading army cresting theridge. Marching silently up the rocky precipices towardthe permafrost, they embody the paramo as the saguaroembodies the desert. In flower, these solemn soldiers puton a jaunty hat of yellow and show their true nature asovergrown daisies. Wonders of adaptation, Espeletiaconserve heat through the cold night in their thick stemand leaves. They even produce antifreeze to protect thegrowing bud, but filter the too-intense daylight throughdense crystalline hairs.

Leaving the paramo on a frosty dawn, we descendedand descended and descended by Andean valleys to thegreat plain of the llanos in the valley of the Orinoco River.We lost 10,000 feet of elevation and gained 60 degrees intemperature. The broad plain that stretches between theAndes and the highlands of the Gran Savana is as flat andrich a land as our Great Plains. Here the climate is hot anddry or hot and wet. The season of mud and the season ofdust. We arrived at the end of one and the start of theother, so we got some of both. The forest is tall and semi-deciduous, many of the trees going leafless to conservewater. But along the many, big, slow meandering riversthe galleries are evergreen and ever-blooming. Vochysia

filled the sky with yellow spikes and Coryanthes filled theair with exquisite perfume.

The llanos are not, however, ruled by plants; they areruled by birds, a swirling, dizzying kaleidoscope of birds.Thousands of birds, tens of thousands of birds, millions ofbirds! Spoonbills and ibises of scarlet, storks and egrets ofwhite, herons of blue, kingfishers of green. Hawks by thesquadron, ducks by the fleet. If that were not enough,the water is teeming too. Fire-bellied piranha swim in theshallows, while giant, seemingly lazy crocodiles bask onthe shore. Always nearby, the squat yet somehow statelycapybara, largest of all the rodents, bathes in the shallows.Herds of these pig-sized beasts rove from water hole towater hole, grazing on the abundant grass, as they raisetheir young and avoid their principle predator, theanaconda! We ventured out onto these unfriendly watersto see the wildlife and see it we did, all of it up close!

Returning to Caracas and the troubles of everyday life(an airline strike!), each of us knew we had experienced thetrip of a lifetime. From the bizarre and pristine world ofKukenan to the sizzling abundance of the llanos, we hadtouched the pulse of the planet and felt it surging. We willnot forget.

—David Brunner

Fall 1999 3

DIRECTOR’S COLUMNI have a photograph of my father that I enjoy very

much. It’s fun to ask people where they think it was taken.He looks very dapper in his jaunty fisherman’s cap andtweedy jacket. The folded umbrella in his hand is dampand limp; it clearly has been raining, although not justnow. The surroundings are preternaturally green.Saturated emerald hillsides obscured by swirling mists;droplet dotted grass blades in the foreground.

Everyone guesses Ireland. Neither my father nor I hasever been to Ireland, I triumphantly inform my surprisedfriends. This picture was taken in Los Angeles; in the SantaMonica mountains, which are within the city limits!

Anyone who has spent time in California knows thataway from our irrigated lawns and orchards, there are twoseasons: the green and the brown. And when it is green, itis very, very green. Has it always been this way?

Today, this signature character of the western Califor-nia landscape is largely due to the quickening of exoticgrasses to winter rains. How did the landscape appearbefore these grasses spread like wildfire before the wind?

This is not an idle question of romantic botanists.Ecological restoration, the scientific restoration or recon-struction of natural habitats, is a growing field that needsanswers to this and similar questions. For example, did theearlier ecosystem show the dramatic swings in functionthat characterize current grasslands? Were these landscapesself-maintained, or did they reflect the activities of thelarge human population supported by this rich land?If the latter, then how can we replicate these ecologicalmanipulations?

It is surprisingly difficult to find answers to thesequestions. A variety of avenues has been pursued. Pollenrecords from cores of pond bottoms. Anthropologicalinterviews with Indians. Archaeological digs. The spottyaccounts of early explorers. I have even heard of attemptsto reconstruct pre-contact landscapes by soaking missionadobes in water to dissolve out the fibrous plant materialthat was used to give them structural strength.

In desert regions, dissections of pack rat nests can beamazingly revealing. Each mode of inquiry reveals a smallpart of the animal; perhaps a piece of the tail, a leg, thetrunk. Is it a snake? A tree? Who knows? Like the blindmen feeling the elephant, we won’t begin to understandthe whole picture until the information from all thesediverse sources is examined in concert. This is where theGarden comes in.

At the Garden we are in the planning stages for anexciting new initiative. We will soon begin renovations totransmute the former Canyon Chemical Facility into aCenter for the Study of Plant Conservation. One of thegoals of plant conservation is to conserve plant diversitywithin natural communities. Today, there is much debateabout what constitutes a natural community in California.An important role of the Center will be to facilitatemulti-disciplinary inquiry into the natural communities inCalifornia today and in the recent past.

—Dr. Ellen Simms

Botanical Garden Using an Automatic Camera System,”their report details some of the fauna entering the Gardenunder the fence at night. Using a “Wildlife Pro CameraSystem” over three 14-day sample periods, they detected60 animal incursions into the Garden through a hole inthe cyclone fence.

Their project sought to distinguish between thenumber of incidences occurring when the site was baitedand the number when it was unbaited. Our most commonvisitor was a little gray fox, obviously attracted moreduring the one baited period. What cannot be quantifiedof course, are the number of animals deterred by that fox!Two trespassers (red fox, Vulpes vulpes, and feral cat, Feliscatus) proved especially interesting, since they are non-native species, known to be detrimental to native wildlife.

The Gardencontinues to offermany opportunitiesfor research to bothfaculty and students.Mary Jane Gradyand Reginald H.Barrett of theDepartment ofEnvironmentalScience andManagement have

recently reported on an interesting research project theyhave undertaken at the Garden. Entitled, “The Effect ofUsing Bait on Detections of Wildlife Entering the UC

Research in the Garden

GARDEN NOTESUniversity of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley4

The annual national meeting of the AmericanAssociation of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta was heldin Vancouver, British Columbia in late June. DavidBrunner, Holly Forbes, Jennifer White, and JanetWilliams attended. Discussions of international collectingexpeditions and the sharing of plant materials, in respectof the 1992 Convention on Biodiversity, were highlightsof the meeting.

Horticulturist Lawrence Lee has reduced his time to80% to launch a private nursery business. HorticultureManager David Brunner has taken over responsibility forthe New World Desert collection.

A mountain lion was sighted on Centennial Drive inthe vicinity of the Garden on July 3. The followingsuggestions are from the California Department of Fishand Game: Do not hike alone. Keep children close to you.Do not approach a lion. Do not run from a lion. Do notcrouch down or bend over. Do all you can to appearlarger. Fight back if attacked. More details are available onthe mountain lion alert signs in the Garden and on theadjacent fire trail.

New Plants Program Coordinator Martin Granthamresigned in June. He is now managing the teaching green-houses at San Francisco State University. Martin madesignificant contributions to the Garden in several positionssince 1989, including horticulturist responsibilities at varioustimes for the Mexican and Central American Area,Australasian Area, Xerophytic Ferns and African Hill.We wish him the best of success in his future endeavors.

Farewell and good wishes to Kandle Fraser who served asour administrative assistant; she has left to pursue graduatestudies at the Art Institute of Chicago. We welcome MichaelRimar, her replacement on the administration team; he isalso an enthusiastic Garden member.

Dr. Raabe’s column this issue (page 8) has a note aboutplants that attract hummingbirds, and we just cannot missthe opportunity to point out that a great number of theseplant species, especially the salvias and penstemons, can befound in the Mexican and Central American Area of theGarden. All are in glorious flower during the Fall and

surrounded by a dartingmultitude of humming-birds and dancingbutterflies! Come in andhave a look; you may alsofind one of these attrac-tant plants in the GardenShop to take home.

Examples of these canbe seen all around thenew masonry staircase inthe photograph, left. Thesteps, which imitate thestyle of the original stonestairs in the New WorldDesert section of theGarden, were recentlycompleted by horticultur-ist Eric Schultz. The

more naturalistic stone stairs are part of a Garden programto replace the old railway tie stairs—which not only woreout more quickly but were environmentally unsoundbecause the ties were soaked in creosote, which pollutesthe soil. A new masonry staircase has been installed in theNew Zealand section over the last few months and anotheris soon to be installed in the Asian section.

What Makes the Garden Grow?We welcome all of our members in the Supporters and

above Membership groups to attend a special Behind theScenes Tour and reception to be held in the Garden’sCorporate Yard on October 21. Featuring small grouptours of nearby, normally nonpublic greenhouses andpropagating areas led by our expert horticultural staff, thisevent will also have a self-guided tour of the CorporateYard with plenty of fascinating Garden facts and folklore.(For example, “ What are you doing with all of thoserocks?” and ”Why is it called the Gorilla Cage?”) We willbe mailing invitations with all of the details shortly.

San Francisco Flower and LandscapeGarden Show, 2000

Following the critical success of our vignettedisplay, “The Surrealist’s Landscape—Specimensfrom our Extraordinary Palette,” in the San FranciscoFlower and Landscape Garden Show in March of thisyear, we have been invited to participate in the mainfloor competition next year. Currently, we areengaged in planning all aspects of our display andwanted to let you all know how excited we are to bethe first nonprofit organization ever invited tocompete in this main part of the show. If you areinterested in helping to sponsor our entry, or wouldlike to volunteer to help with construction of theactual exhibit, then please call Horticulture Manager,David Brunner, at 510-642-9856.

(Photo by Janet Williams)

Fall 1999 5

EDUCATION ATTHE GARDEN

The Garden Supports Gardening Programs in Local Schools

As reported in the last Newsletter, the limited number ofspaces for the Spring School Garden Conference filled upquickly, and an additional 35 individuals were turned away.This offered clear evidence of how eager local teachers arefor the support of the UC Botanical Garden in developinggardening programs in their schools. Consequently, wehave scheduled our second School Garden Conference forSaturday, November 20.

The Garden’s education program supports schools inmany ways as they struggle to establish and maintain gardensat their sites. In addition to developing curriculum thatintegrates teachers’ goals with the State of California ScienceCurriculum Framework for both elementary and secondarygrade levels, the Garden’s education staff has conductedteacher training sessions and then supported schools whenthey take the first step in establishing their gardens. We havebeen able, for instance, to send Cal undergraduates out toschools, where they assist teachers and students in plantingseedlings, then go on to teach students a variety of horticul-tural skills. The Garden has also provided California nativeplants for three schools developing native plant gardens.Another school is interested in personalizing its garden bygrowing plants from each student’s native country. For thisproject, the Garden is providing salvias from Mexico and theUnited States, as well as from seven countries in Central andSouth America.

In providing support for our partner schools, we havediscovered that flexibility is the name of the game. Differentschools, faculty, and school gardens need different types ofsupport. The Education program at the Garden thus tailorssupport according to the needs of a particular school. Whilethis requires the juggling of many issues, each school gardenbecomes a product of its own staff, students, and volun-teers—as such, a vital, vibrant, and beautiful resource of theschool itself. While our support helps each school gardenprogram thrive, it also ensures that the program will maintainitself, becoming self-sufficient, so that these gardens will playan integral part in children’s schooling for years to come.

Please share information about the Fall 1999 SchoolGarden Conference with anyone who might be interested inattending. If you, or someone you know, would like to havean application for the conference, please contact JenniferWhite at the Garden (510-495-2805).

—Jennifer Meux White

Counselors Tell All about Day Camp

Every summer since 1990, the Garden has offered asummer day camp called “Green Stuff.” Since that firstsummer, when some twenty children enjoyed twoone-week sessions, our program has burgeoned. This year,the Garden saw 52 Green Stuff campers in five one-weeksessions. In addition, we collaborated with the LawrenceHall of Science in two sessions, during which 24 childrendevoted their mornings to plants and their afternoons toanimals. In another collaboration with Golden BearRecreation, 50 more campers spent their mornings onsports, and their afternoons in the peaceful atmosphere ofthe Garden.

Counselors Wendy Park and Neil Hedgecock weredelighted to see how creative kids can get. Every group isdifferent, but all the children love the tie-dye activity. Theolder children particularly enjoy the Bio-AccumulationGame and the Food Web Game which draw their atten-tion to what eats what, as well as to the consequences ofusing pesticides. The realization of the damage thatpollution in the environment can do seems to shock thechildren, and they immediately come up with solutions,like “Make cars extinct!”

Both Wendy and Neil love showing the childrenaround the Garden, especially inside the greenhouses.Wendy likes snack time, when she can relate what thecampers are eating to the plant world, and Neil enjoysrevealing that plants don’t get their food from the soil, asmost people think, but that they make their food using thesun! They have had a great summer at camp, too, because“The kids are already so bright and enthusiastic aboutscience and learning more! That makes it fun!”

Happy campers at the Garden proudly display their fine tie-dye work.(Photo by Janet Williams)

“Some people dream of worthy accomplishments while

University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley6

We’ve allvisited the GardenShop, but did youknow it is entirelystaffed by volun-teers—twenty-eight in all?These volunteerswork one shift aweek or everyother week, andmany also volun-teer as docentsand propagators.Well-traveled andfrom differentwalks of life, theShop volunteersnot only helpvisitors select abook or a gift ora plant, they also

answer a bevy of questions about Garden history, Gardenprograms, and the subtleties of plant care.

Elly Bade is the longest serving Shop Volunteer. Sincethe summer of 1987, she has been buying the Shop’sbooks for both adults and children—no easy task whenshelf space is limited. Elly’s philosophy is to offer anextensive range of books about plants and gardening toour visitors. The curious child, the novice gardener, thehorticultural enthusiast and even the learned botanist willeach find books of interest in our Garden Shop. Recently,Nancy Markell joined Elly, and the two now collaboratein bringing this esteemed book selection to the GardenShop.

Many Garden visitors express surprise at the Shop’sunique array of gifts—made possible through the efforts ofour gift-buyers: Emmy Sortor, Lee Hafter, Janean Jaklevicand Pat Smith. With their distinct, but always selective,tastes, they are expert at finding unusual T-shirts, aprons,ceramic pots, toys, and botanically-inspired greeting cards.Whether you fancy a beautifully designed bug pin fromYipes!, a one-of-a-kind wooden bowl made by JohnDoyen, or a fragrant soap or salve from Bonny DoonFarms, come to the Garden Shop. And if you’re simplyhungry, Helene Conant makes sure the Shop stocks yourfavorite snack!

A few volunteers even bring their artistic talents to theGarden Shop: Pat Smith makes earrings, and WendyDraper makes sachets. Jean Nunnally collects and pressesflowers, which she transforms into colorful greeting cards.And two of Janean Jaklevic’s photographs of the Gardenhave been made into refrigerator magnets.

Make a visit to the Garden Shop a part of every visit tothe Garden! You’ll be able to meet one of the Shop’stwenty-eight volunteers: Elly Bade, Joan Bricker, AnnBrown, Helene Conant, Fran Costa, Kathleen Donovan,Wendy Draper, Marilyn Fulrath, Lee Hafter, KateHeckman, Elizabeth Hook, Janean Jaklevic, DawnKeremitsis, Susa Kessler, LaVerne Leach, Nancy Markell,Tanya Muschietti, Jean Nunnally, Ellen Peterson, KayRiddell, Jenny Schaffell, Pat Smith, Emmy Sortor,Thomas Steppe, Ruth Ungar, Elizabeth Waterman,Patricia Wolf, and Pam Woy. Not only that! You’ll beable to browse recently published books, to peruse thelatest gift selections, and to stand amazed at the variety ofrare and unusual plants offered for sale on the GardenShop’s Plant Deck.

At a festive Docent Luncheonon September 21, MargaretMitchell will be honoredas the most long-servingvolunteer still on active servicein the Garden. The Docentswere the first volunteer grouporganized in the Garden, andMargaret is the only docentremaining active from the firstdocent training class, which

graduated in 1974. She served as Chairperson of the groupin 1977-78, and actively promotes the Garden wherevershe goes. Of course, she continues to lead tours. (Herfavorite assignment is with the Biology 1B students!)

Thank you, Margaret, for your enthusiasm and grace.We hope you’ll be with us for another 25 years!

Hats Off To Margaret Mitchell !!25 Years Of Service To The Garden

“Some people dream of worthy accomplishments while

Nancy Markell (right) enjoys JunkoUchimaya’s demonstration of theintricacies of the Japanese tea ceremonyone afternoon in the Shop. (Photo byCandice Schott)

Supporting the Garden Through the Garden Shop

others stay awake and DO them!”Fall 1999 7

Plants of the Tahoe Basin,Flowering Plants, Trees, andFerns, by Michael Graf.University of California Press,in collaboration with theCalifornia Native Plant Society,Berkeley, CA, 1999. 15 lineillustrations, color photographs,and plant keys are included. 300pages. Paper $19.95, Cloth$40.00.

Conifers of California, byRonald M. Lanner with colorillustrations by Eugene O.Murman. Cachuma Press, SantaBarbara, CA, 1999. Colorphotos and range maps areincluded. Paper $24.95, Cloth$36.95.

NEW BOOKS

AND DON’T MISS THIS—On Sunday, November 7

at 2 p.m.Ronald Lanner will be in theGarden for a signing ofConifers of California

—Elly Bade

others stay awake and DO them!” —Unknown

Garden WishlistThanks so much to those of you who responded to the wishlist in our last Newsletter.For the new staff breakroom we received a refrigerator from Carol and Howard Kirk and a toaster oven from Gene

Rochlin and Anne Middleton. Margaret O’Connor and Larry Korb donated a washing machine for the horticulturalstaff to use. We really appreciate these donations and thank you all very much indeed! We also thank Mr. D. Meredithwho kindly offered us his pick-up—which we were unfortunately unable to accept due to university policy regardingin-kind gifts of vehicles (turns out we are only able to accept vehicles under six years of age or which have traveled lessthan 60,000 miles).

We still have a wishlist though!• a clothes dryer• a pick-up truck• a microwave

If you are able to help us out with any of these we would love to hear from you! Call Janet Williams in theDevelopment Office at 510-643-2937.

• contributions toward a thermal transfer label printer forpropagation (this costs around $4,000 and we already havehad $1,000 of that donated towards the cost of this item)

Meet the Program Committee

Many readers of this Newsletter may not realize thatmost of the Garden’s informative lectures, dynamicworkshops, and exciting travel adventures happen as aresult of the efforts of the volunteer Program Committee.Organized informally two decades ago, when the Gardenhad no full time Program staff, the Program Committeetook on the task of broadening our public educationalofferings beyond the scope of docent-led tours. Over theyears, they have presented horticultural symposia, lecturesby cutting-edge natural scientists and gardening gurus,book signings by popular plant specialists, workshops bytalented nature-crafters, and travel adventures to gardensthroughout the world.

The Program Committee includes volunteers from thevarious volunteer groups throughout the Garden. Chair-person Diane Kothe has engaged in nearly every volunteeractivity possible at the Garden. Claude Babcock, AlisonMills, and Gayle Roberts are Docents. Lee Anderson andLizzie Kaska are Propagators, Pat Smith and Emmy Sortorare active in the Garden Shop. Some Committee mem-bers, like Janet Ruyle, make the Program Committee itselftheir primary Garden activity. Janet Williams, NancySwearengen and Margie Richardson are staff ProgramCommittee members.

All told, the Program Committee gathers enthusiastic,energetic and creative folks who like to find ways to share,with as many people as possible, their excitement aboutthe plant world in general and the Botanical Garden inparticular. If you have ideas for programs, or if you wouldlike to be a member of this up-beat group, please let usknow!

8 University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley

THE DOCTOR SAYSApple growers in California’s southern Joaquin Valley

are removing thousands of Fuji apple trees. Althoughcrunchy and sweet, they aren’t red like those from thenorthwest, or those grown farther north in the valley, orthose grown at higher elevations in the south. The reasonis that it doesn’t get cold enough at night to build upanthocyanins, the red pigments in apples. Western FruitGrower 119 (5): 24A-24B.

Using gamma radiation, a researcher on grasses treateda cultivar of Bermuda grass, and selected mutant plantsthat were very short. The new cultivar outperforms itspredecessor when used as a putting green mowed atheights of 1/

8 inch or less. It is being tested, not only for

how well it responds when used as a putting green but alsohow it responds to wear and tear. Agricultural Research 46(5):13.

—Dr. Robert Raabe

Long-timeGarden supporters,Mary and RichardSchroter, havegenerously madepossible the pur-chase of a Kasuga-style lantern,pictured here,which will beinstalled soon.Carved fromgranite, this sevenfoot, 150 year-oldlantern comes fromthe mountainssouthwest ofTokyo. Its hexago-nal firebox featuresthree motifs, a deer,a cloud, and amountain. Thisvenerable lanternwill be dedicated toHaruko Obata, abeloved teacher ofIkebana, the art of

Japanese flower-arranging. Once installed, the lantern willcomplement both the smaller lantern already beside theJapanese Pool and the Japanese-style wooden gate, recentlydedicated to both Haruko Obata and her husbandProfessor Chiura Obata.

A Sneak Preview...

Recent information about the Wollemi Pine (Wollemianobilis) is that the government of New South Wales hasgranted rights of commercial propagation to a privatenursery working in cooperation with the QueenslandDepartment of Primary Industry. The first plants shouldbe ready in 2005. A word of warning is given that the treescan reach 120' and they tend to sucker. Plant Talk 17:18.

In an article in Plants and Gardens 14 (1): 6-7 is adiscussion of hummingbird attractants. Flowers that arered and tubular-shaped are important as are orange andpink flowers of that type. Plants listed for the Pacific Coastinclude Penstemon species, Zauschneria species, Justiciacalifornica, Justicia spicigera, Fouquierea splendens andSalvia greggii. Also listed are Lobelia cardinalis, Aquilegiacanadensis, Lonicera sempervirens and Campsis radicans.

The common quince, Cydonia oblonga, is not growncommonly because of its tough, tart flesh. In southernRussia, new quince cultivars have been bred that aretender and sweet. One of the new hybrids ‘Aromatnaya’produces one pound fruits that have a faint pineapple odorand taste. National Gardening 22 (1): 29.

The waters in the water lily pools at the MissouriBotanical Garden are black. This results from the additionof potassium permanganate being used to inhibit thegrowth of algae. The chemical is not an algicide butabsorbs sunlight and prevents the algae from getting thenecessary light. It doesn’t hurt the leaves of plants on orabove the water, and because of the dark color, heat isabsorbed, favoring the growth and flowering of the waterlilies. Bull. Missouri Botanical Garden July-August 1997:6.

Interesting work in Pennsylvania has to do withchilling requirements of produce. Most things thatcontinue to ripen after harvest should not be chilled, suchas tomatoes, pears, melons (except watermelon), bananas,mangoes, and papayas. Potatoes should be kept dark andcool but not in a refrigerator. Cucumbers should berefrigerated. Winter squash should be cooled only aftercooking and melons after being cut. Some produce mayproduce odors. Green pepper odor will be picked up bymany fruits, but ripened peppers have very little odor.Apple odor is taken up by cabbage, carrots, figs, onions,meat, eggs and dairy products. Odor from onions canaffect apples, celery, potatoes and pears. Green or bunch-ing onions can affect corn, figs, greens and mushrooms.Pear odor is absorbed by cabbage, carrots, celery, onionsand potatoes. Potato odor can affect apples and pears.Citrus odor is picked up by meat, eggs, and dairy products.Pennsylvania State Agriculture Fall/Winter 98-99: 2, 3.

(Photo by Elaine Sedlack)

Fall 1999 9

New MembersThe Garden welcomes thefollowing new members:

Dr. and Mrs. Arthur AblinJohn Alexander and M. RomanMr. David AllswangMs. Judith AlperMichael and Melanie AndersenBrian Anderson and Leda SchulakMs. Elaine AndersonAlan and Helen ApplefordMr. David ArnoldDr. Diana ArshamMs. Susan BakerIris and Bob BakerMr. Robert BalfourMs. Sharon Kay BanyEzra Barany and Beth ReisbergMs. Susan BarnardMs. Lisa BarsotiMr. Jason BassMr. Steve Batchelder, Tree CareMs. Mariece BateyMr. Randall BeanMs. Barbara BeardMr. Richard BeaubienMs. Ellin BeerMs. Nancy BellatiMs. Ruby BergmanMr. Murray BilmesMs. Meredith BinsaccaMs. Barbara BlalockMs. Anne Bleecker-CorcosMs. Mollie BlueMs. Mary BlumeMs. Barbara BorowiakMs. Margaret BowmanMr. Michael BowmanMr. George BoydMs. Barbara BradleyMs. Anne BrownMr. David BruceMs. Barbara BrunnerErin Burry and Terrence TannerMs. Sarah CaligariMs. Donnis CampMs. Jean CarmichaelMs. Marilyn CarrJ. CarterMs. Geraldine CasaleMr. Robert CaseMs. Gale ChapmanMs. Sally ChapmanMs. Helen ChetinSidney ChoateMs. Lisa ChuMs. Susan CiriclioMs. Karen ClaytonMr. Tom CloneyMs. Marcia CloutierDr. J. Frederick Conrad, Jr.Mrs. Lisa CoopermanMs. Lorraine CordenMr. Harry CornbleetMs. Patricia CorriganMr. Michael CraibMs. Kathleen Craig, Craig Design AssociatesCreative Magic Gardens Nursery, Inc.Ms. Patricia CrossMr. Susanna D’ArcyMr. Robert DagleyMr. Derek DanielsMs. Joellen Davidson

Ms. Nancy DavidsonMs. Linda DavisMark and Diana DavisTracy DeanMs. Cynthia DebrunnerMr. Al Del SimoneMs. Licia DemeoMr. Ernest DenickeMs. Virginia DenisonMs. Patty DennisMr. David DevoeMs. Barbara DezoniaMr. Harry Dixon, Jr.Mr. Mark DolevWakako DomotoMs. Diane DunkmanNorma and Arthur DunlopMr. Richard DuranMs. Gloria EdsonMs. Julie EllisMr. Gary FaberFrances and Norman FarleyIrmgard FeldonMr. James FergusonMs. Alison FergusonGary and Leigh FirestoneHue Yong and Patrick FlahertyMs. Polly FleischerMs. Kate FrankelMs. Krisa FredricksonDr. Stephen FriedkinMs. Beth FriedmanRaphael Friedman and Sara GrunsteinMr. Philip GaddisMr. Joseph GalvanMr. Al GarrenMs. Ruth GearyMs. Catherine GedneyHans and Lily GersonMs. Sara GoolsbyAlison Gopnik and George LewinskiMs. Alice GoreMr. John GravellMs. Lisa GravesMr. Jordan GreenbergLawrence and Helen GrossmanMr. Jordon GudebskiMs. Maya GuilmardMs. Debra GuminaMr. Michael GutierezMs. Margaret GwinnMargaret and George HaldemanMs. Gigi HallMr. Ian HalliwellMr. Robert HalseyFlora and Stanley HanksMs. Shirley HarmonAnn Harvey and Francesca CunninghamMr. Jerry HashimotoMs. Shoshana HaulleyLorraine and Frank HauserJoan and Sam HaySusan Heckly and Thomas HowardMr. Gunder HeftaMr. Thomas HendricksMs. Frances HerbJohn and Janet HertzerDr. Robert HicksMrs. Martha Hill SmithMs. Ella HirstHoe and Hope Garden ClubMr. Bruce HoltMr. Steven HopkinsonBillie HopperRoger and Jenny Howe

Affiliated NurseriesThe Garden is pleased to present the

following nurseries offering a 10% discounton plant materials to

UC Botanical Garden members(remember to present your

membership card at time of purchase):

Copacabana Nursery234 Hall Drive, Orinda

510-254-2302

The Dry Garden6556 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley

510-547-3564

East Bay Nursery2332 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley

510-845-6490

Grand Lake Ace Garden Center4001 Grand Avenue, Oakland

510-652-9143

Magic Gardens729 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley

510-644-1992

Smith & Hawken1330 10th Street, Berkeley

510-527-1076

Thornhill Nursery6250 Thornhill Drive, Oakland

510-339-1311

Westbrae Nursery1271 Gilman Street, Berkeley

510-526-7606

Yabusaki’s Dwight Way Nursery1001 Dwight Way, Berkeley

510-845-6261

The Garden ShopPlants, Books & Gifts

Open Every Day of the Week10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Members receive10% discount

Gift Certificates Available

University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley10

Mr. Robert NgMs. Moira NicholsMs. Carol NobleMs. Mary Weber NovakMs. Lynn O’HaraMs. Eileen OdegaardMs. Nanci OntkoMr. James ParesiMs. Elizabeth ParrChristina Pence and Richard SmithMs. Diane PenningtonGrace and Roland PerkinsMs. Diane PlankCarlos Plaza and Isabelle Picazo-Plaza,

CFO Color Spot Nurseries, Inc.Francesca and Joan PortoMs. Mathilde PradoMs. Sandra PriceSusan Price and Daniel SmithMs. Rita PumiliaMs. Alice RaikesRick and Iris RatovskyMr. William RaymondMs. Barbara RaymondMr. Robert ReeseMarion and Selwyn RehfeldLinda Reiff and Richard WardMr. Francisco RicoMs. Elizabeth RintoulMs. Rebecca RiveraMs. Irene RobertsMs. Barbara RockMr. David RodgersMs. Anita RoseliusMs. Carol RossMs. Sharon RossHarry and Dorothy RubinMs. Donna RundMr. Edward RustvoldMs. Maria SabatiniMarino SandovalJane and Roy SandstromMr. Paul SantensDonald Sarason and Mary JenningsMrs. Diana SasserMs. Kate SatzMs. Christine ScanlonMs. Roxy SchaeferMs. Sharon ScharmPhilip Schild and Shirley Dichek SchildMs. Jackie SchliesserMr. Anders SchmidtMr. Richard SchneiderMrs. Concetta SchroepferMs. Deborah SearsMs. Emily SeidelMs. Gladys SesslerIrwin and Annette ShapiroMr. Jon ShastidMr. Gerald SheltonMs. Yvonne ShotwellMr. Samuel Headley ShouseMs. Joan SieberMr. Paul SilbersteinMs. Deanna SilvestriMs. Miriam SingerChristine and William SinnMs. Andrea SohnMs. Gail SoldaviniMs. Sara StengerMr. Moshe SternbergMr. Phil StobMs. Carol StoneSusan and Bruce StrangelandMs. Tomiye Sumner

Ms. Jean SwansonMs. Barbara SzudyMs. Beverly TakataMs. Nancy TeshimaMs. Janice ThomasMr. Larry ThompsonMs. Melanie ThompsonMr. Stan TishMs. Amy TitheringtonMarie Travers and John PerryMr. Donald TruebloodMs. Dawn UribeBarbara and Milton VailMr. Joseph Valdez, Green Acres Gardening,

Landscaping & MaintenanceCarl and Loretta VanderveenMs. Dianne VelascoInta Vodopols and David JonesGerald and Kaymarie Jacobson WheelerMr. Fred WhitefieldMs. Marian WhiteheadW. E. WickliffeMr. James WilsonMs. Mei WongMs. Linda WoodsDoug and Darci WorthMr. Arthur WuJessie YasakiMs. Ellen YoungDr. Sheila Zarb-HarperMs. Alanna ZuppannMs. Linda Zwerdling

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

Ms. Judith AlperRita and Richard AtkinsonMs. Shannon BakerMs. Anne Bleecker-CorcosMr. and Mrs. James CarrollMs. Sally ChapmanWilliam and Dorothy ClemensTerry and Zeo CoddingtonDr. J. Frederick Conrad, Jr.Creative Magic Gardens Nursery, Inc.Ms. Patricia CrossMr. Robert DagleyMs. Virginia DenisonMr. Richard DuranInger FairHue Yong and Patrick FlahertyMs. Kathryn GjeltemaLawrence and Helen GrossmanElizabeth Helmholz and A. Carl Hemholz,

Laird Norton Family FundDr. Robert HicksHoe and Hope Garden ClubPreston B. and Maurine HotchkisMrs. James JonesSusan and Henry KahnMs. Sharon KarolDiane Kothe and Frank DobsonMr. John LambertMr. William LangeMs. Maria LeeRobert and Caroline LichtensteinRobert and Lynn Lundstrom

Ms. Sandra HrdlickaMs. Lizz HundDoan-Trang HuynhJody Hymes and Robin WiseMs. Gail JaraMs. Diana JewMs. Jamie JohnsonMs. Carolyn JohnsonRobert and Constance JollyMr. Charles JonesMr. Douglas JonesMrs. James JonesMrs. Ethel KalinMs. Sharon KarolMiss Patricia KazmierowskiMrs. Riquetta KellerMs. Patricia KelleyMs. Meg KelloggMs. Lynn KiddMrs. William KieferdorfMrs. Marilyn KinneyMs. Ann KirkpatrickMs. Mary KlabundeMr. Jack KleinLincoln and Jean KochPatricia and James KohnenMs. Lisa KramerMs. Irene KuffelEdward Kumai and Keigo UdaMs. Deborah KunstMr. John LambertMr. William LangeMs. Mary LarsonMs. Nancy LarsonMs. Bridgit LawleyMs. Sarah LawrenceMs. Susanne LeaMs. Nancy LeahongMr. Howard LedererMs. Maria LeeMs. Carol LeeMs. Sandra LeichMs. Marianne LempresDr. Edna LeonardMr. Len LeschanderMr. John LinnettJ. Richard and Wendy LombardiMs. Dawn LoretzMs. Sharyn LoshakoffJerry and Joan LubenowMs. Barbara LubiczRobert and Lynn LundstromGerald and Corrine LynchMs. Theresa LyngsoDr. Eugene MajerowiczMs. Patricia MalangoMs. Roberta MaloneyMila MangoldSamrina and Mylon MarshallMr. Erik MarshallBetty Martin and Sally HartleyMs. Toni MartinBarbara and John McNealMrs. James McWilliamsRonald and Paula MeaderDale and Dorothy MechamManny and Ayesha MedinaMs. Laurie MerrymanMs. Elisa MikitenMs. Karen MillerMs. Joan Moretz-HombergMs. Joyce MortonMrs. Linda MoyerMr. Jon NagyMs. Jane Newhard

11Fall 1999

The Newsletter is published by the Universityof California Botanical Garden with support

from memberships. Articles may be reprintedwith credit to the authors and the

UC Botanical Garden.

Garden Staff

Dr. Ellen Simms, Garden Director

AdministrationElaine Meckenstock, Business Manager

Oldriska Balouskova, Visitor ServicesAttendant

Gerald Ford, Lead Building MaintenanceMargaret Richardson, Tour &

Rentals CoordinatorMichael Rimar, Administrative Assistant

Candice Schott, Business Operations SupervisorMarilyn Setterfield, Visitor Services Attendant

Nancy Swearengen, Volunteer ServicesCoordinator

Janet Williams, Marketing &Development Officer

CurationHolly Forbes, Curator

Barbara Keller, Curatorial AssistantDr. Robert Ornduff, Faculty Curator

EducationDr. Jennifer White, Associate Director

for Education

HorticultureDavid Brunner, Horticulture Manager

Chris Carmichael, HorticulturistDaria Curtis, Horticulturist

John Domzalski, PropagatorJudith Finn, Horticulturist

Peter Klement, HorticulturistLawrence Lee, HorticulturistJerry Parsons, Horticulturist

Dr. Robert Raabe, Garden PathologistRoger Raiche, Horticulturist

Eric Schulz, HorticulturistElaine Sedlack, Horticulturist

NewsletterJanet Williams, Editor

Academic Arts, Production

The Garden Shop 510/642-3343Entrance Kiosk 643-2755Administration 642-0849Director’s Office 643-8999Education 495-2805Development 643-2937Tours/Rentals 642-3352Plant Collections 643-8040Volunteers 643-1924Fax 642-5045

E-mail: garden@uclink4.berkeley.edu

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

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

Donn and Eileen Trousdale fromElizabeth and Steward Hook

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

Charles Derleth fromMs. Edith Herget

Elly Platou fromEric and Lorel KayMs. Peggy KlenzMildred and Morton MarcusMs. Donna Stoddart

Gardner Von der Leith fromElizabeth and Steward Hook

Jeanne Watkins fromMr. Douglas Watkins

Gifts In KindThe Garden offers appreciationand thanks for gifts in kind:

Ms. Susan HallDr. Robert OrnduffCarol and Howard KirkGene Rochlin and Anne MiddletonMargaret O’Connor and Larry Korb

Ms. Barbara LyssBarbara and John McNealGrace and Roland PerkinsCarlos Plaza and Isabelle Picazo-Plaza,

CFO Color Spot Nurseries, Inc.Susan Price and Daniel SmithJim and Ruth ReynoldsJames Ringland and Karen IvyDebbie Sanderson and Michael O’HarePhilip Schild and Shirley Dichek SchildMr. Richard SchneiderMary and Richard SchroterMr. Samuel Headley ShouseMs. Tomiye SumnerMr. Larry ThompsonMr. Joseph Valdez, Green Acres Gardening,

Landscaping & MaintenanceMs. Elizabeth WatermanDavid and Susan WirshupMs. Mei WongMs. Ellen Young

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

Carl and Margo AndersonMs. Elizabeth BoydMrs. Elinor FreitagHillside Gardeners of MontclairRebecca and Brian NewcomerMs. Elizabeth PretzerMrs. Dee PruynMs. Lyric RilleraMr. Sheldon RothblattWaimea Arboretum

Special ThanksThe Garden would like to honor andthank those supporters makingsubstantial donations:

Mr. Robert ApteMs. Barbara BrunnerBob Clark and Raul ZumbaEl Cerrito Garden ClubMr. Philip GaddisMrs. Elizabeth HammondMs. Elizabeth HookMs. Carolyn JohnsonMr. Len LeschanderRobert and Caroline LichtensteinMs. Marjorie MaherMs. Hildegard PaxsonMary and Richard SchroterMs. Nora SmirigaBarbara and Milton VailJane and Nelson Weller

If you are interested in includingthe Botanical Garden in your will,please let us know if you need anyhelp with regard to the preciselanguage to be used. If you wouldlike information about donatingappreciated securities or establish-ing a charitable remainder trust, wecan forward this information to you,your attorney or financial advisor.

Please contact eitherJanet Williams in the

Development Office at theGarden 510-643-2937,

or call the University Office ofPlanned Giving on the central

campus at 510-642-6300.

Planning a Giftto the Garden?

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Plants are for sale at The Garden Shop all year ❀ 510-642-3343

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

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

FALL PLANT SALESunday, September 26, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.Fabulous selections for your garden from our vast collection!

EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOWABOUT FLOWER ARRANGINGIn this three-part series, UCBG horticulturist Jerry Parsons, anaccomplished floral arranger, will answer all your questions.

Wednesday evenings, 6 - 8 p.m.September 8: The BasicsSeptember 15: Finding Inspiration in the Botanical GardenSeptember 22: Building Your Own

Members $15 per individual class, $40 for the seriesNon-members $20 per individual class, $55 for the series

FOODS OF THE AMERICASDon’t miss this extraordinary self-guided exhibit which showcasescrops that originated in the Americas.

September 26 - October 17, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.Free with Garden admission

Special school presentations weekday mornings, Monday - Friday.Call Margaret Richardson for reservations and information, phone510-642-3352.

GRAND TOUR EN ESPAÑOLCelebrating the opening of Foods of the Americas, world traveler,Argentine native and avid Garden volunteer Lee Anderson will leada tour of the Garden in Spanish.

September 25, 2 p.m.Free with Garden admission. Call for reservations and information.

MEDICINES FROM THE EARTHA three-part series highlighting healing medicines from the exoticrainforest to our own back yards, presented by Constance Grauds,R.Ph., a specialist in natural medicines. She teaches naturalmedicines, jungle medicine and shamanism around the world andis the author of a soon-to-be-published book Pills, Shamans andOther Medicines.

Sunday, October 24, 1 p.m.: Jungle MedicineSunday, October 31, 1 p.m.: Western and Chinese HerbsSaturday, November 6, 1 p.m.: Integrative Medicine

Members $10 per session, or $25 for the seriesNon-members $15 per session, or $40 for the series

SICK PLANT CLINICBring your sick plants to see Dr. Robert Raabe, UC PlantPathologist and Dr. Nick Mills, UC Entomologist for freediagnosis and prescription. First Saturday of every month 9 a.m. - noon

ART IN THE GARDENKaren LeGault, whose work has been exhibited locally andinternationally, welcomes beginners as well as accomplished artists.

9 sessions, beginning September 21Wednesday afternoons, 2 - 4:30 p.m.

Members $125, non-members $150

CONIFERS OF CALIFORNIARon Lanner, author of the new Conifers of California, will sharesome of the more interesting facts about our local conifers. Ofcourse his book will be available, and he’ll be pleased to sign it!

Sunday, November 7, 2 p.m.Free with Garden admission

NOTED AND LESS KNOWN GARDENS IN LOS ANGELESThis Garden-sponsored tour will visit the lush UCLA campusgardens: the Mildred Mathias Botanical Garden, the SculptureGarden and the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden. Not far away isthe fabulous new Getty Museum, with its intriguing garden.Add to that La Canada’s Descanso Gardens and the San Marinocomplex of the Huntington Library...and there’s lots to see anddo! This exciting trip will be escorted by Roger Raiche, UCBGhorticulturist. Please call for information and a detailed itinerary.

November 9-10Members only: $350 (not including air fare)

COMING EVENTS - Mark Your Calendar

FAMILY HOLIDAY FLORAL CRAFTS PROJECTSSunday, December 5, 1- 4 p.m.

WREATH-MAKING WORKSHOPSMonday, December 6, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.Wednesday, December 8, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

HOLIDAY PLANT SALE, Saturday, December 4, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

POLAR BEARS 2000In September 2000, the Garden will sponsor a rail trip throughmuskeg and taiga from Winnipeg to Churchill, Manitoba, on theshores of Hudson Bay. Churchill attracts the largest accessiblecongregation of polar bears in the world! Join us for thisonce-in-a-lifetime spectacle!