UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA

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INEWSLETTERVolume 14, Number 4

Published by the FRIENDS of the BOTANICAL GARDEN • Berkeley, California Fall 1989

A Classroom in the Rainforest

Kapok trees, torrential rainfalls, and bushmastersnakes — not the usual kind of outdoor classroom.This summer, ten students from three continents

participated in Tropical Conservation Education, a six-week course conducted at the Garden and in Costa Rica,and taught by Dr. Jim Affolter and Dr. Stephanie Kaza ofthe Garden staff, and Dr. Cathy Pringle, tropical fieldecologist working in Costa Rica. The purpose of thecourse was to provide students with first-hand exposureto tropical biology, issues in tropical conservation, andstrategies in environmental education. The course drewstudents and graduates from U.C. Berkeley as well asothers from Oberlin College, U.C. Davis, U.C. SantaCruz, and the University of Puget Sound. Overseasparticipants included a biology teacher from the Interna-tional School in Paris and the education director at theRoyal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, Australia.

In early July the class met at the Botanical Garden fortwo weeks of lectures, labs, and guest speakers on

Sendero de los ArbolesWz;Trail .of the Trees

Leslie R. Holdridge Arboretum

La Selva Selva Biological Station

pollination ecology, rainforest structure, deforestation,and tropical curriculum. We considered perspectivesfrom professional botanists as well as rainforest advo-cates. Among other activities, the students took a stand ina staged debate on the ethics of boycotting Costa Ricanbeef. Out-of-town students were graciously hosted bygarden volunteers who opened their homes and refrig-erators to their guests.

On July 13, we flew to San Jose, Costa Rica. We weremet by staff from the Organization for Tropical Studies, aconsortium of over 40 American and Costa Rican univer-sities, including U.C. Berkeley, dedicated to tropicaleducation and research. Since the primary purpose of ourvisit was to develop educational materials for use at OTSfield stations, OTS generously subsidized a large portionof our room and board at the field stations.

Trail of the TreesOur first stop was the spectacular lowland rainforest

of La Selva Biological Station on the Atlantic slope. LaSelva is one of the most active tropical research centers inthe Western Hemisphere and hosts many natural historytourists each year. Here we ran into basking iguanas,raucous toucans, and a three-toed sloth, among otherwonders. Our project was to develop and label aninterpretive trail through the Holdridge Arboretum.

The Arboretum was once a combination of primaryforest and cacao plantations. Beginning in 1970, the areawas replanted with a rich collection of native tree species.It now contains more than 300 of the 450 tree speciesfound at La Selva, including several large and now rarespecimens of many commercially important species. Inspite of its potential educational value, the Arboretumhas always been underused by visitors to La Selvabecause of inadequate labeling.

In less than a week, our students transformed theArboretum. They marked 300 tree specimens withengraved plastic labels prepared ahead of time inBerkeley, designed a new trail with designated stops, andcompleted an interpretive brochure with the assistance ofBeth Farnsworth, a biologist and illustrator working withOTS to develop nature guides.

Trail of the Treesbrochure produced byTropical ConservationEducation class.

Page 2 University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley

A Diversity of ForestsFrom La Selva we traveled to the dry forest of Palo

Verde, another OTS field station. After an early night inour mosquito netting bunks, we walked the limestonecliff and marsh edge for views of tiger herons, laughingfalcons, and spider monkeys. The vistas were most likeCalifornia — open and dry, the big marsh a wealth ofwildlife.

Our next stop was the high cloud forest of Mon-teverde where fresh cool air was a welcome relief after aweek of 100% humidity. Here Chris Pires, UCB biologymajor, led us on a tour of the ridgetop flora. Tank brome-liads, cacti, ferns, and even ericaceous shrubs covered thetree canopy with a thick layer of epiphytes. The placewas dripping with green and shrouded in Caribbeanclouds. We were impressed to learn of the extensiveefforts of the Monteverde Conservation League ineducation, reforestation, and land acquisition.

For the last two weeks we left the center of thecountry and headed south over the 10,000 foot mountainridge, Cerro de la Muerte, to the Wilson Garden, thethird OTS field station and sister garden to the U.C.Botanical Garden. Here in the coffee-producing high-lands near the Panamanian border, we were serenadedby black-striped sparrows and bananaquits.

Our objective here was to prepare a series of hand-outs describing important tropical plant families wellrepresented in the Wilson Garden collection. Assisted byDirector Luis Diego Gomez and illustrator Gail Hewsonstudent teams wrote and illustrated information sheetson palms, bromeliads, gingers, marantas, and heliconias.The students also designed a rainforest ecology trail loopand an entry kiosk, and offered recommendations forfuture interpretive projects. From the Wilson Garden we

took sidetrips to a coffeecooperative and to LomaLinda, a farm with demon-stration experiments insustainable agriculturalmethods. The environ-mental consequences of

Eric Hoist adjusts a new plant labelat the La Selva Arboretum. (photo byStephanie Kaza)

The entire class plus instructors in the buttresses of a tropical tree in theArboretum. (photo by Stephanie Kaza)

rapid settlement in San Vito have taken a severe toll onthe forest, but coffee exports are booming. The studentsquestioned a local farmer, a pesticide distributor, thegarden's environmental educator, and the head of theregional conservation group APRENABUS, for the detailsof this one area — a case study in complex economic andpopulation forces at work.

Unanswered QuestionsThe course provided students with an opportunity to

speak with people on all sides of the rainforest issue. Wewere impressed by the energy and dedication of localconservationists, but at the same time rather sobered bythe difficult economic and social choices that face thecitizens and government of Costa Rica. How much landcan be effectively protected in national parks? What voicecan Americans offer in conservation issues outside theirown country? How do consumption patterns in thedeveloped world contribute to deforestation in thedeveloping world?

The students were left with many more questionsthan they had brought with them. But their desire to helpconserve the rainforests was impressive. We all weregrappling with what we could do about the terrible lossand destruction in rainforests within the context of ourown lives. At the Botanical Garden, we feel educationplays an important part in raising awareness and creatinginterest in tropical conservation. As one student summa-rized,

"Back in the States it was easy to get angry anddepressed about deforestation and dislike the peoplewho were doing it. Now being down here and witness-ing the day to day struggles that people deal with, Ihave become much more aware of the human aspects ofdeforestation. This was one of the most worthwhileeducational experiences I have ever had."

— Jim Affolter and Stephanie Kaza

Fall 1989 Page 3

Wild-collected Bulbs in Danger

Every year American, British, and European gar-deners plant over a billion bulbs, almost all of themordered from bulb catalogs or purchased in nurser-

ies. Although most of these bulbs are propagated forcommercial sale, some are wild-collected species dugstraight out of their natural habitats in large quantities.Unfortunately, neither the commercial buyer nor theaverage gardener can always tell whether bulbs are fromwild or cultivated sources. And some wild-collectedbulbs are endangered species. Because the bulb tradedeals in billions of bulbs, inspection for endangeredspecies is almost impossible.

A Systematic InvestigationIn the last several years the Natural Resources

Defense Council has undertaken a review of commercialbulb catalogs while also investigating the internationaltrade. NRDC staff member Faith Thompson Campbellhas compiled information from studies of orchid tradedata, Turkish export data, permits issued for the Conven-tion on International Trade in Endangered Species(CITES), phytosanitary plant inspection records, andcorrespondence with botanists in Turkey, India, SouthAfrica, and South America — the sources of many bulbsimported into the U.S.

What does this preliminary research reveal? Oneserious problem is the overall increase in bulb exportsfrom countries where propagation is most likely not acommon practice. In the last three years, India's exportsjumped from 100,000 bulbs in 1985 to over a million in1987. Bulbs shipped from Swaziland in southern Africaincreased from 300 in 1986 to over a million in 1988.While officials state this is due to increased propagationof Amaryllis, South African botanists have some concernsabout these data. This corresponds to a rather strikingdecline in exports from Turkey, where many bulbs areknown to be wild-collected. This may mean that Turkeyhas begun to run out of wild sources for export bulbs.

Some of the species involved in trade are known tobe rare or endangered. Bletilla striata is among 50 Japa-nese orchids listed in the Red Data Book as threatened byovercollecting. In 1985, Japan exported 61,000 bulbs of B.striata to the Netherlands and 105,000 to the UnitedStates. Though these plants were originally believed to bepropagated, botanists have now raised doubts aboutthese claims.

North American lilies and orchids are some of themost vulnerable to the international trade. All of thefawn lilies (Erythronium spp.) except the hybrid "Pagoda"are wild-collected. The most popular Trillium grandiflo-rum is most certainly from the wild, since no nurseriesare known to be propagating it in commercial quantities.Cypripedium acaule is not cultivated commercially either,nor most of the species of Lady's Slipper offered in

Erythronium sp.

catalogs. While some of these are carried bybulb companies, most are listed more fre-quently in wildflower catalogs. Since wildflow-ers are in vogue these days, this could mean anunexpected impact on some of our most rare species.

For some species, the export quantities are likely farabove what the local ecosystem can replace throughnatural processes. Turkey alone has exported over 175million bulbs of Galanthus, primarily G. elwesii, in the lastfive years. This number is about four times the amountrecommended by Turkish botanist Dr. Ekim. How long isthis scale of collecting feasible? Bulbs are a plant'sstrategy for food storage, often representing more thanone year's worth of biological productivity. For mostspecies a bulb must grow to a certain size before itproduces bulblets or viable seed. It is unlikely thatcollectors in the wild are leaving reproductive stock inthe ground as they collect.

Alternate ChoicesThe NRDC is doing its best to educate gardeners and

catalog consumers about the stories behind the bulbs.Some companies have decided not to sell wild-collectedbulbs. In the United States and Great Britain, Burpee,Smith and Hawken, Hortico, and Tesco have all madethis commitment. A more long-term solution to theproblem is to promote "bulb farming" or extensiveagricultural investment in species of interest. For ex-ample, plants of Venus Fly-Trap (Dinoaea muscipula) areavailable for sale from tissue culture. As a consequence,collecting pressure on this rare southeastern native hasdropped markedly. This kind of option encouragesconservation-conscious gardeners to include ecologicalconsiderations in their landscape choices.

As our perspectives on the world shift from local toglobal, our gardens become reflections of the largerworld. Every plant in the garden has a story — can thesealso be about sustaining wild ecosystems?

—Stephanie Kaza

*NRDC recommends avoiding these species: Bletilla striata, Cyclamenmirabile (sometimes exported as C. purpurascens or europaeum),Cypripedium spp., Eranthis hyemalis, Erythronium spp., Fritillaria spp.,Galanthus elwesii, Narcissus asturiensis, N. cyclamineus, N. triandrus,Sternbergia spp., Trillium spp., Tulipa praecox. A complete listcovering the status of most popular spring bulbs can be obtainedfrom NRDC, 1350 New York Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20005.

Page 4

University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley

GARDEN NOTES

Cross-Country Connections

Daniel Campbell prepares to receive his award at the 1989 Convocation.(photo by Margaret Race)

Congratulations: Kudos to Daniel Campbell, GardenManager, one of three U.C. Berkeley staff members rec-ognized for distinguished service at the annual BerkeleyConvocation at the Greek Theater in September. Daniel'saward was given on behalf of his outstanding dedicationand great effort in improving the garden grounds andcollections, appreciated by all of us at the Garden formany years.

Soozi de Mille, undergraduate docent par excellence,has launched her teaching career at Brooklyn BotanicGarden with Project Greenreach, a schools program inthe Education Department. We miss her enthusiasticpresence here and know she will be well-loved in hernew job across the country.

The Garden was recently awarded $22,028 by the In-stitute of Museum Services to support the first year of athree year program to survey and map the outdoor plantcollections. The grant will also enable us to implement acomputer mapping system for more detailed record-keeping of garden beds.

New in the Garden: The tropical rainforest will befeatured in Rainforest Rap, a new school program withteacher training sessions for the Garden. During the rainymonths of winter, school groups will learn rainforestecology through pollination and poster displays in theMeeting Room and tours to the Tropical House andorchid collection. Conservation of biodiversity will be akey theme.

The Strawberry Creek Restoration Project now hasarchitects' drawings and a proposed trail marked by pinkflagging tape along the lower half of the creek. The

project features three small study areas built into the sideof the hill — by the lower waterfall, at the creek crossingto the North American section, and a watershed observa-tion deck near the junction to the chaparral section. Withthe generous donation of seed money for the project fromlong-time supporter Elizabeth Hammond, U.C. Berkeleylandscape design students Elise Brewer and David Kahndesigned the trail and produced renderings and workingdrawings. The project is now ready for the trail crews —and the next stage of fundraising.Travels: In September, Stephanie Kaza, EducationCoordinator, presented a paper at the Brooklyn BotanicGarden's Symposium on Children's Gardens, entitled"Conservation Education: an Urgent Task for BotanicalGardens". Roger Raiche, Kurt Zadnik, and Holly Forbescovered many miles in California this October, collectingfor the 1989-90 Seed List. The seeds are drying now andwill be ready for packaging in the next few months.

This summer Daniel Campbell traveled to our sistergarden in Costa Rica, the Wilson Botanical Garden, andthen to Australia in the fall on a tour of diverse plantcommunities and soil types, organized by the U.C. SantaCruz Arboretum. On both trips he collected seeds andspores and made contacts for future staff exchanges.

Robert Omduff, Garden Director, spent ten dayscollecting high-altitude plants in the Venezuelan Andesfor further development of the paramo area in the SouthAmerican collections. This fall, he visited Harvard'sArnold Arboretum as a member of its Visiting Commit-tee, the U. of Pennsylvania's Morris Arboretum as chairof an American Association of Museum's accreditationcommittee, and the Leach Botanic Garden in Portland,Oregon to conduct an AAM assessment..

— Stephanie Kaza

Green Stuff instructor Soozi de Mille, her summer day campers, and theirgiant zucchinis. (photo by Richard Anderson)

Fall 1989 Page 5

Centennial Headlines

The Centennial Committee, chaired by Dr. RobertMiddlekauff, Department of History, has beenplanning a series of events to celebrate the one

hundred years of the Botanical Garden's association withthe Berkeley campus. The theme of the Centennial is con-servation of plant species and endangered ecosystems.Some of the programs and events in the planning stagesare:

January 1990 — Opening ceremonies of the CentennialYear, including the planting of an endangered species inthe Garden. Rainforest Rap Schools Program through mid-March, highlighting the Garden's tropical collections andsister garden relationship.February — Historical perspectives on the Garden, withDr. Lincoln Constance, Professor Emeritus and formerdirector of the Garden, a brown bag lunch lecture.March — Rhododendron lecture and tours of Rhododen-dron Dell, including some plants dating back to the early1930s. Friends' travel tour of the Gardens of Portugal.

April — One-day symposium on Interna-tional Conservation with Dr. Peter Raven,Director of the Missouri Botanical Gardenand Home Secretary of the NationalAcademy of Sciences. Morning bird-walkled by Dr. Robert Middlekauff, followedby breakfast at the Garden.

May — Evening members' preview partyfor the Spring Plant Sale, followed by nextday public sale. Children's Garden Artposter contest awards ceremony.

June — One-day symposium on theMediterranean Garden with ChristopherLloyd, British author and horticulturist.April-August — Brown bag lunch docent-led tours of the Garden, especially for thecampus community.

September — Strawberry Creek Sympo-sium and docent-led tours of the newlyrenovated lower creek trail.

October — Friends Annual Meeting andfamily picnic at the Garden. Joint confer-ence with California Native Plant Societyand the Natural Areas Association.

November — One-day symposium on theChanging California Flora, a look atnative species, horticulture, and restora-tion.

December — Holiday Plant Sale.

January 1991 — Closing Ceremonies ofthe Centennial Year.

100 Years, 100 DaysAs the Garden nears the end of its first 100 years, it

has become a truly world class garden, due in no smallpart to the contribution of the Friends in money andtime. To maintain this reputation during the Garden'ssecond century, the Friends must become a larger andmore affluent organization. In the Centennial Year, ourgoal is to double our membership.

One of the best ways to increase membership is byasking each current member to bring in at least one newmember. To pique your interest, the Membership Com-mittee has initiated a contest open to all members as ofDecember 1, 1989. The theme of the contest is: "Onehundred years, one hundred days, one hundred dollars,one hundred posters, and a century plant." The contestwill last 100 days from December 1 ending on March 10,1990. Contest prizes are:

First: $100 gift certificate from the Visitor Center, to theperson who sponsors the most new members.

Second: A plant propagated especially forthe Friend who sponsors the next greatestnumber of new members.Third: Choice of seeds from the 1989-90seed list that is sent to over 300 botanicalgardens and arboreta throughout theworld.Posters: The first 100 Friends who sponsora new member will receive a silk-screenedposter of the Garden's Alstroemeria.(acknowledged by certificate for pickup atthe Visitor Center, limit one print permember).Door prize: A special century plant propa-gated from the Garden will be awarded asa door prize on February 4th at the Friendslecture given by Dr. Lincoln Constance,former director of the Garden.

A membership to the Friends makes athoughtful gift, especially in the holidayseason. A gift card can be sent to therecipient, in either a holiday motif or anall-purpose gift card (please specifywhich). Please join us in celebrating thisspecial year for the Garden.

—Gladys Eaton and Jim Van Sicklen

Alstroemeria poster art. (illustrator, Andie Thrams)

MARI I

MandrakeMandragora officinarum

Page 6

University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley

GARDEN SPOTLIGHT

Herbs for All Seasons

One of the most popular sections of the BotanicalGarden, and one which is attractive year-round, isthe Western Herb Garden ("Western" as distinct

from the adjacent Chinese Medicinal Herb Garden).There are plants flowering here in most seasons, andeven during the short time when there are few flowers,one can always enjoy the many different varieties ofgreen and gray foliage, and the distinctive aromas arisingfrom them. While most species at the U.C. Garden arewild-collected, this collection is an exception. The pur-pose of this garden is primarily educational; visitors areencouraged to smell and touch for themselves the mar-velous diversity of traditional herbs.

To Delight the SensesA walk through this garden is always a source of

pleasure and interest. The first beds we arrive at near themain path are planted with culinary herbs: mints, sages,chives, savories, parsley, tarragon, origanums — bothuseful and ornamental varieties, a European Bay tree(Taurus nobilis), trimmed to the traditional roundedshape, and a special collection of over a dozen varieties ofthyme. Long considered to be more than a culinary herb,thyme was used in the past to treat physical and mentalillness. Parkinson, the 16th century herbalist, said thatthyme was "a speciall help to melancholicke and splenet-icke diseases".

Near the North American area the border bedcontains a large collection of scented-leaved pelargoni-ums with foliage of many different scents. Some smell ofroses, others like peppermint, lemons, or nutmeg — all agreat joy to brush against and pinch. One curious plant inthis bed is the 'chocolate peppermint' pelargonium, withbrown marks on its leaves and a peppermint odor. It ishard to decide whether it really smells of chocolate orwhether this is just suggested by its coloration and itsname.

The newest feature in the Western Herb collection—a Knot Garden(photo by Linda Cook)

Behind the pelargonium bed are herbs grown fortheir fragrance. These include the sweet-smelling laven-ders, rosemaries, and clove pinks, hyssop, pineapple andclary sages, and violets. There is a large clump of orrisroot (Iris germanica var. florentina), a beautiful whitebearded iris whose rhizomes are dried and used as afixative in making perfume.

Liquor, Medicine, and TeaPast the fragrance bed we come to a bed of plants

used now or in the past for flavoring drinks. Amongthese are wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) for makingabsinthe, and angelica and juniper used to flavor li-queurs. Lemon balm, hops, and costmary or alecost(Chrysanthemum balsamita) are used in beer-making.Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) has tiny plum fruits calledsloes which are important for sloe gin. Sweet woodruff(Galium odoratum) is an ingredient in German may wine.

Up the hill, we come to the beds of medicinal plants,some of which were used as cures in the past, and somewhich are still in use in modern medicine. Here we findfeverfew (Chrysanthemum parthenium), a pretty fernyplant used for treating migraine headaches; horehound(Marrubium vulgare), an ingredient in cough lozenges;valerian for insomnia and headaches; and tansy, an insectrepellent and vermifuge. Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)and monkshood (Aconitum napellus) are two plantswhose expressive popular names describe the shapes oftheir lovely bright ornamental flowers. They are bothextremely poisonous, but in small doses are very usefulin the modern pharmacopeia — digitalis for treatment ofheart disorders and aconite for fevers, inflammation, andpain relief.

Fall 1989 Page 7,e1•11111/

Angelica sp.

Medicinal plants of historical interest are representedby lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis) whose spotted leavesresembling a lung were thought to be a cure for lungdiseases. This medical philosophy, in which plant partswere used to treat diseases of human organs resemblingleaves, flowers, or roots of the plant, was known as theDoctrine of Signatures. Another example is the pansy orheartsease with its heart-shaped flowers, which wasregarded as a cure for heart disease.

At the top of the Herb Garden, behind the medicinalbeds, are two small ponds, a wonderful source of tad-poles for school tours in the spring. By the pond near thelawn are herbs for making teas. Some of the more fra-grant and enticing are bergamot or Oswego tea, comfreyor bruisewort, licorice, lemon balm, catnip, and pepper-mint. Chamomile can be used as a tea to soothe indiges-tion, as in The Tale of Peter Rabbit, and the hips of theRugosa rose makes a tea rich in vitamin C.

Magic Potions and the Infinite KnotA newly planted bed near the

North American area contains agroup of mysterious magic herbs.The extremely poisonous Atropabelladonna, now grown commer-cially as a narcotic, is named forAtropos, the Fate who held theshear for cutting the thread of life.In Medieval times, women used anextract to enhance their beauty,hence the species name "bella-donna". Thorn apple or Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) with its

Jimson weed curious prickly succulent fruits, isuseful in the treatment of asthma,

but also is very poisonous. Here we find viper's bugloss(Echium vulgare), believed to cure the bites of vipers andto drive away melancholy. The mysterious mandrake(Mandragora officinarum), seen as shaped like a man'sbody, was thought to scream when pulled out of the

ground. As the scream wassaid to kill any humanbeing who heard it, dogswere used to uproot theplants. Mandragora wasonce believed to be anaphrodisiac and was laterused as a narcotic.

In the middle of theherb garden, we find itsnewest and most distinc-tive feature — a KnotGarden. Kenneth Wood-bridge, in The Oxford Com-panion to Gardens, describes

,

a knot garden as "a garden planted in the form of a knot,a figure of continuous interlacing bands, expressive of anunchanging or endless situation, hence a symbol ofinfinity." Knot gardens were popular in Europe in the15th and 16th centuries and were often planted underwindows so that people could look down on them as ona piece of embroidery. The knot here is composed ofsilver thyme, dwarf hyssop, santolina, and wall german-der, an agreeable blending of greys and greens in plantsof similar habit.

The Western Herb Garden dates back to the 1940s,when local gardener Betty Rollins and some of herfriends planted it with cuttings from their own well-established herb gardens. This same group maintained itwith devotion until the 1970s when it was handed over tothe care of the Botanical Garden staff. Now it is a sourceof particular joy for the pre-school Five Senses tours aswell as the visually-impaired tours. While visitors aregenerally admonished from touching most garden plants,here in the Western Herb Garden, it is a necessity! Thereis much more here than we can see in one visit. So comeback again and again and in all seasons, to see all thatpleases the eye, nose, and tongue in this delectablegarden.

— Jaqueline Woodfill

Datura stramonium

Herbs as Symbols

Some examples of favorite herbs:Ox-Eye Daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum ) — Purity inthought, loyal love, and innocenceDandelion (Taraxacum officinale) — AbsurdityHawthorn (Crataegus laevigata) — Emblem of hopeHeartsease (Viola tricolor ) —Remembrance of things past,happiness; seeds symbolize the TrinityLavender (Lavandula officinalis) — Luck, purity, sweetness,virtue, undying love and cleanliness

Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis) — PurityMints (Mentha spp.) — Wisdom, cheerfulness, hospitality,and virtueStrawflowers (Helichrysum bracteatum) — Attachment andconstancyTansy (Tanacetum vulgare) — Immortality and healing ofwoundsThyme (Thymus vulgaris) — Courage, bravery, strength, andactivity

Page 8 University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley

Holiday Plant SaleSaturday, December 9, 10am - 3pm

The Friends of the Botanical Garden will hold theirannual Holiday Plant Sale on December 9 from10am to 3pm at the Botanical Garden Meeting

Room. The sale will feature a wide array of lovely plantsfor holiday gifts, including many hard-to-find species.Proceeds from the plant sale go to support the Garden'sprograms, activities, and general operations.

Holiday special items include ferns, cacti, succulents,epiphytic orchids, and Cymbidiums. All of the plantshave been propagated from the garden collection, fromseed of other botanical gardens, from collectors' gardens,and from seed houses in the United States.

Left to right: Lady Fern (Athyrium sp.), Brake Fern (Pteridium aquilinum),Spreading Wood Fern (Dryopteris sp.)

A special feature for this sale are the diverse fernscultivated by volunteer Iris Gaddis. From delicate andlacy to thick and leathery, from two inches to 50 feettall, over 10,000 species of ferns and fern hybrids exist,many now introduced into cultivation. A number arereliable and adaptable as background plantings orgarden specimens. Because many ferns can grow inshady areas where few other plants will thrive, they aresought out by discerning and thoughtful gardeners.Here at the Botanical Garden, we propagate and intro-duce exotic species as well as the more familiar ones wehave all come to love.

FERN AND FERN ALLY SPECIALTIES

Adiantum raddianum — an extremely variable species with manycultivars including A. r. 'Pacific Maid', a compact form with fan-shaped pinnules, A. r. 'Gracillimum' with pendulous finelydivided segments, and A. tenerum 'Fergusonii' with deeply-lobedsegments.

Anemia phyllitidis — American tropics. A member of one of theearliest fern families in evolutionary history. The fruiting portionis united with the fertile leafy frond, suggesting the common nameof "flowering ferns".

Araiostegia hymenophylloides — A beautiful fern with very finelydivided fronds and one of the most beautiful of the Davallias.Easily maintained in warm, humid conditions with air movement.

Asplenium bulbiferum (Mother Fern) — Australia, New Zealand.A very adaptable forgiving fern with shiny fronds that is

attractive outdoors or as a houseplant. Plantlets develop onthe leaves and are easily propagated.

Blechnum occidentale (Hammock Fern) — TropicalAmerica to Chile. A small fern with elegant fronds

which remain fresh a long time in flower ar-rangements. New fronds are colorful pink or

salmon.

Venus Maindenhair FernAdiantum capillus

Blechnum penna-marina — A charming little fern with spreadingrhizome, member of a group of small species in North America,mountains of the tropics, and in Australia, New Zealand. Newfronds are rosy red.

Dennstaedtia cicutaria — Central and South America. A large (36-120") lacy, attractive fern of the rainforests. Tropical and subtropi-cal, spreading rhizomes.

Diplazium lanceum var. crenatum — Japan, China. A dwarf, slow-growing fern with compact growth, prized in Japan where anumber of unusual cultivars have been developed.

Quercifilix zeylanica — Asian tropics. A tiny (2"-6") little-knownmonotypic genus with hairy, dimorphic fronds, the sterile lobedabove with a basal pair of pinnae below, the fertile fronds long-stalked and contracted.

Scyphularia pentaphylla (Black Caterpillar Fern) — Malaysia,Indonesia, New Guinea, Polynesia. An appealing, unusual fern ofthe Davallia family with black-haired rhizomes, attractive inhanging baskets.

Selaginella pallescens — Tropical America. A rosette-forming fernally species with colorful light green fronds. Easily grown.

S. willdenovii (Electric "Fern") — North India, Vietnam, Malaysia.Spectacular climber with wiry stems and electric blue-coloredspreading fronds.

— Iris Gaddis

Fall 1989 Page 9

BOOK REVIEWS

With technological advances in printing andphotographic techniques, plant books arebecoming more attractive than ever. The two

books reviewed here are beautiful examples of fine close-up photography that comes close to replacing the art ofbotanical illustration. Both are available in the BotanicalGarden Visitor Center.

Shrubs, Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix. 1989, RandomHouse. 288 pages, $19.95 paper.

Roger Phillips' and Martyn Rix's earlier illustratedguide, The Bulb Book (now out of print) was so popularthat they have now authored a new series of guides togarden plants using the same successful format. Shrubsis the second in this series, following Roses. Althoughthe shrubs described have been chosen because they canbe grown outdoors in the British Isles, California garden-ers will find this a useful reference as well.

The book is unusual in its superb photographicillustrations, irresistible to the aesthetic eye. Full pagecolor plates compare foliage and flowers of relatedplants, and smaller pictures show shrub flowers, fruits,and habit to enhance the text. Plant arrangement isprimarily by flowering season, beginning with latewinter and spring, and continuing through autumn fruitsand color. Major genera are grouped together. Botanicalnames and cultivation requirements are given for eachplant. Though not listed in the contents, there are sec-tions on Chilean and southern hemisphere shrubs. Thebibliography and glossary are useful, as is the world-wide list of nursery sources and shrub gardens to visit,including the U.C. Botanical Garden.

A sample of species represented in Shrubs.

A sample of herbs. (photographs by Philip Dowell)

The New-Age Herbalist, Richard Mabey with MichaelMcIntyre, Pamela Michael, Gail Duff, and John Stevens.1988, MacMillan. 288 pages, $16.95.

Today the public interest in herbs and herbal medi-cine extends to plants used throughout the world in allcultures. Very good references on Chinese herbal medi-cine or on Native American uses of plants are nowwidely available. The New Age Herbalist is one of thesegood modern reference books, devoted mainly to herbscommon to Western healing traditions.

The format of this book is similar to that of Shrubs.There are many full color illustrations of herbs in theglossary at the beginning of the book, making it a pleas-ure to identify the plants described. A line drawing ofeach herb preceeds the text which includes plant partsused for various culinary and medicinal purposes, thechemical constituents of the plant, and cautionary notes.Further chapters discuss practical herbalism, herbs fornatural living, herbs for nutrition and health (includingrecipes), herbs for healing, and herb gardening withmany suggestions for growing and preserving herbs.

—Elly Bade

CONTRIBUTIONS

New MembersThe Friends of the Botanical Garden welcome the follow-ing new members:

UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA

AY ,__CATAARD,EI\ BERKELEY • CALIFORNIA 94720

The Newletter is published by the Friends of the Botanical Garden,a non-profit organization that provides support for the

U.C. Botanical Garden.Note to editors: Articles may be reprinted with credit to the authors

and the U.C. Botanical Garden.

Friends' Board of Directors:Robert Riddell, President

Gladys Eaton, Vice PresidentRamona Davis, Treasurer

Eric Sutcliffe, Secretary

Eleanor Bade Nancy SwearengenFred Coe James Van SicklenJune Falkner Ex Officio:Harland Hand Bernard DietzJames H. Jones Leanard SkinnerJames Lattie Erroll MauchlanRobert Ratcliff Elmo R. MorganThomas Shaw Dr. Robert Ornduff

Louis CaizzaJohn DomzalskiMartin GranthamSean HoganPeter Klement

Jerry ParsonsRoger Raiche

Elaine SedlackKurt Zadnik

Newsletter:Stephanie Kaza, Editor

Linda Cook, Production Printed by TechniPrint

(415)642-3343 Visitor Center • 642-0849 Administration643-8040 Curation • 642-3352 Education

643-7265 Friends of the Garden

Staff:Dr. Robert Ornduff, DirectorDr. James Affolter, CuratorDaniel Campbell, Manager

Judith Finn, Assistant ManagerDr. Stephanie Kaza, Education

Holly Forbes, Curatorial AssistantToni Kafton, Administrative Assistant

Nancy Swearengen, Education AssistantDeborah Darnell, Friends' Assistant

David Gartland, Security

Gardeners and Maintenance:

Page 10

University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley

Dr. Carol J. BairdRoxanne BaxterAlan BerlingJoann BiermanTorsten BlombergGail & Doug BrownCalifornia Association of

Nurserymen — Central ChapterAnn ClarksonAnn Wheeler CotterKathleen Croker

Peter D'AmatoJulie & David DempsterHelen DixonKathryn DohrmannDelarees R. DowlingPhilip W. EdingerJanet & Stephen EdwardsHelena R. FosterMary Klee FrankDianne & James FristromMike Foulkes

Patricia GallinattiKay GjeltemaRowena JacksonRalph W. JonesRichard JosephsonMr. & Mrs. C. Judson KingMaggy KongsgaardGeraldine L. KnowlesEmily KretzLarry B. LambertHenry LelandJill LightBarbara Newell LindbergPeter J. MaloneyBen McGimseyJohn & Terry McKelveyJean M. MitchellSusan E. MingerMt. Diablo Iris SocietyM. P. MurphyCaroline S. NageyMasako NakaeMrs. W. E. NevilleDudley & Joan OlsonJacqueline OmaniaJayne Cross ParkerTim ParkerJan Carsten RadekePhila RogersGreg Scott SaenzThomas B. ShawMargie SinglerMarlene SlutskySusan M. SmithKristen C. SpexarthMs. Bhuma SubramaniamPaul V. SullivanSydney B. Mitchell Iris Society

Eleanor & William BadeMrs. S.D. BechtelBerkeley Breakfast ClubKatherine Field CaldwellCalifornia Association of

Nurserymen, Central ChapterEleanor E. CrumMr. & Mrs. Frank DelfinoGladys EatonJune FalknerJohn H. FingerStan Farwig & Vic GirardPamela & Elmer GrossmanHarland HandProf. & Mrs. James D. HartVirginia W. HavensHarry & Kate HeckmanFrancine HendersonGinette & Leon Henkin

Sugar PinePin us lambertiana

Mr. & Mrs. Homer ThompsonLarry Thompson & Marsha

HildebrandKaren TitenToyoji TomitaJulie TownleyDr. & Mrs. W. Tsang2M Associates (P&J Miller)John D. WeedenDr. William F. WeedenRex WolfVivi Zau

Eleanor HigsonCharles J. HitchAlbert E. IrvingMr. & Mrs. Philip N. McCombsJanet & Sheldon MilliganJoan MirovMt. Diablo Iris SocietyNancy & Tim MullerMr. & Mrs. Fitzhugh S. RollinsGladys Knight ScottThomas B. ShawEric & Marie SutcliffeNancy & Thomas SwearengenSydney B. Mitchell Iris SocietyWilliam H. TooleyHarry H. & Yoshiko TsugawaEleanor Ely WakefieldMr. & Mrs. W. G. WatersDr. William F. Weeden

Grateful ThanksThe Friends wish to thank these donors who have

made a substantial gift over and above membership:

Katherine Field CaldwellAnne W.B., Joseph B. & Timothy

B. DallettMr. & Mrs. Charles Richard

DunannKathleen & Harry HeckmanCharles J. Hitch

Beth L. HitchcockDorothy C. HusseyFlorence T. ScottLeonard & Helen StarobinHarry & Yoshiko TsugawaElizabeth S. Turner

Generous donations were also given in memory ofAl Horton by:Stan FarwigBarbara FeyerabendVic GirardBill & Peggy GrierJoan MirovWayne RoderickKurt & Karla Zadnik

Singleleaf pinyonPinus monophylla

Fall 1989 Page 11

In MemoriumThe Friends wish to acknowledge the deeply-felt loss ofFrantisek Wolf to the Botanical Garden community offriends and give thanks for these donations given in hismemory by:Bill & Eleanor Bade

Frances H. HusseyRon & Sybil Berman

Esther LandisWiliam H. Brett

Joan Rock MirovCecilia R. Christensen Frances E. MorreyGladys Eaton

Robert OrnduffJune Falkner Print Media Group, AppleJohn H. Finger

ComputerShel Givens

Mr. & Mrs. Raymond RaicheSarah M. Hallam

Wayne RoderickHarry & Kathleen Heckman

Allen & Jean Claire Salsburg

Leon & Ginette Henkin

John & Helen StengelJohn & Molly Hope

Erwin & Leonora Strohmaier

The Friends also offer thanks for these gifts in memory ofGeraldine Knight Scott, for the Japanese Stroll Garden:

Our thanks also for these donations given in memory of:Chris Filmer, from Virginia & Bert BlochEsther Mitchell, from Dr. & Mrs. David TittleDorothy Plotz, from Duke & Marlene LefflerPalmira Solari, from Duke & Marlene LefflerSallee Stewart, from Jean PortelloMary Louise Tavella, from Duke & Marlene LefflerMario Trucco, from Duke & Marlene Leffler

And in honor of:Myrtle Wolf, from Robert OrnduffIris Gaddis' 50th Wedding Anniversary, from anonymous donor.

The Friends are also grateful for a new bench whichhas been donated to the Garden by Delarees Dowling inmemory of her husband, John. This is the twentiethbench given to the Garden and the first to be placed inthe Mather Redwood Grove.

AcknowledgementsThe new Alpine Fell-field in the California area was

dedicated on Sunday, September 17, 1989. Donorscontributed over $22,000 to bring this new exhibit to thepublic. Special thanks to Joan Mirov, Stella May Knouse,Myrtle Wolf, California Native Plant Society, San Fran-cisco Bay Chapter, American Rock Garden Society, West-ern Chapter, Ron Lutsko, Jr., Phil Johnson, Warren G.Roberts, Olive and W. George Waters, and the Friends ofthe Botanical Garden.

The Annual Meeting of the Friends on October 17,1989 was cancelled due to the earthquake. The treas-urer's, membership and major gifts reports will bepublished in future newsletters or reports are availableon request.

Friends of the Botanical Garden Membership ApplicationYes, I would like to support the U.C. Berkeley Botanical Garden as a member:

q Student $7.50 q Sponsor $250

q Individual $20 q Patron $500

q Family $30

q Benefactor $1000q Contributing $50

q Friends' Circle $5000

q Supporting $100

q New q Renewal

Name

Address

City/State/Zip

Telephone Was your membership stimulated by a current member? q yes q no

If so, please list name:

Contributions are tax deductible. Please make checks payable to Friends of theU.C. Botanical Garden and mail to:Friends of the Botanical Garden, U.C. Botanical Garden, Berkeley, CA 94720

MEMBERSHIPThe Friends of the Botanical Garden offers publiceducation programs and provides independentfunding to support the many needs of the Garden.You can enjoy and support the Botanical Gardenyear-round by becoming a member of the Friendsof the Botanical Garden.

Membership benefits include:•Newsletter

•Workshops, lectures, and tours• Discount on Visitor Center purchases

• Discount on educational classes• Early admission to Spring Plant Sale

•Volunteer opportunities

Calendar of EventsHOLIDAY DECORATIONS Sat, DEC 2Make wreaths and arrangements from unusual dried naturalmaterials with expert Wayne Roderick. 9:30am-12:30pm,Meeting Room. Limit 18. $20 members, $25 non-members.

PATRICK BOWE Thurs, DEC 7Here to introduce his new book Gardens of Portugal, PatrickBowe will show slides of some of the highlights of next spring'sgarden tour to Portugal. Lecture and book-signing at HaasClubhouse, 7:30pm. $3 members, $5 non-members.

HOLIDAY PLANT SALE Sat, DEC 9Orchids, bromeliads, ferns, cacti, succulents, garden and naturebooks for holiday gifts. Meeting Room, loam-3pm.

RAINFOREST RAP Sat, NOV 18 and Tues, JAN 9Teacher training workshop on rainforest biology, pollinationecology, and the Garden's tropical collections in preparation forwinter school programs. Curriculum and background materialsprovided. $10, Meeting Room. Requires pre-registration.

A HUNDRED YEARS OF HISTORY Sun, FEB 4Former Director of the Garden, Dr. Lincoln Constance, willoffer a historical perspective on the events and explorations thathave shaped the Garden's collections. Meeting Room, 12noon.Bring bag lunch, coffee provided.

THE GARDENS OF PORTUGAL MARCH 16-30, 1990Patrick Bowe will lead this Friends' tour to historic gardens andmuseums in Lisbon and Oporto. The journey will take usthrough the Lima Valley and on to the nearby mountains andremote villages of the Peneda-Geres National Park to see thenative Mediterranean flora.

For information on classes and events,call the Visitor Center, 642-3343.

The Garden is open every day of the year except Christmasfrom 9:00am to 4:45pm. Free public tours led by docents aregiven on Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30pm. Admission to theGarden is free.

Friends of the Botanical GardenUniversity of CaliforniaBerkeley, California 94720

Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage Paid

Berkeley, CAPermit No. 1061

leg.. • EAPreSS XUMPhrey Go-.•E■erwey BART SI. 8.

Address Correction Requested