Volume 25, Number 1 Published by the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BOTANICAL GARDEN at Berkeley Winter 2000

Center for the Study of PlantConservation

The Garden enters the twenty-first century with anexciting new role in research on plant conservation sponsoredby the University of California. Research will focus on plantsfrom Mediterranean-type climate regions—in particular, thequintessentially California bioregion described in The JepsonManual as the California Floristic Province. Encompassingthe area west of the Sierra Nevada Crest, extending intosouthwestern Oregon and northern Baja California, thisbioregion is familiar to us through its defining feature of cool,wet winters, and hot, dry summers. To conduct research, theGarden will begin construction this winter of the Center forthe Study of Plant Conservation, and next summer, we willerect associated greenhouses. Why make the study of theMediterranean-type climate a keynote for the new century?

In five areas within earth’s temperate latitudes,Mediterranean-type climates are caused by cold waterupwelling along the western coast. As the summers are dry inthese climatic regions, plants grow mainly during the cool,winter season, whereas plants in the world’s other bioregionshave adapted to grow during the warm season. As a result,plants in regions with Mediterranean-type climates sharemany similarities. For example, most montane regions in thenorthern hemisphere share common plant species or genera,and almost all are perennial.

The coastlines that make possible this distinctivebioregion will, however, experience enormous populationpressures over the next 50 years. This year, the global humanpopulation reached 6 billion, and the United Nations projectsthat over the next 50 years, we may add nearly 4 billion morepeople. Two-thirds of the world’s human population nowlives within 100 miles of an ocean, inland sea, or freshwaterlake, while fourteen of the world’s fifteen largest megacitiesare coastal. With 51% of the world’s coasts assessed as being

under “moderate” to “high” pressure from humandevelopment, Mediterranean-type bioregions will experiencedirect—potentially traumatic—impact from our activities.

Despite the risks, Mediterranean-type bioregions havenot thus far been targeted for protection. Unlike rainforests(which seem exotic and charismatic due to distance), weexperience Mediterranean-type bioregions as familiar, evenmundane. There is no “Save the Mediterranean-TypeClimate Zones” organization. We don’t even have a“Mediterranean-Type Climate Zones Action Network.”Yet the biota of these regions is no less special than thoseof the rainforest.

To lead in assessing the risks to biodiversity inMediterranean-type bioregions and to develop conservationstrategies, the Garden will begin by building the Centerfor the Study of Plant Conservation. The Center’s core oflaboratories will include a state-of-the-art molecular lab, with

DIRECTOR’S COLUMN

Formerly managed by the Department of Environmental Health andSafety, the building on Centennial Drive to be converted into the Centerfor the Study of Plant Conservation was known as the StrawberryCanyon Chemical Facility. The University is sponsoring thetransformation of the building into the Garden research laboratories.

2 University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley

a support area for large equipment, and a computer lab.In addition, the Center will house a plant growth facility,including growth chambers, a headhouse for potting andharvesting experiments, an outdoor research garden andresearch greenhouses featuring computerized climate controland monitoring. As studies repeatedly show how socialinteraction fosters intellectual creativity, the entire Center willbe designed to create opportunities for intellectual exchangesamong scientists. There will be offices for nine resident andvisiting scholars and students, a conference room, and alunch room.

This environment will be especially crucial toaccommodate two kinds of research—basic research, drivenby intellectual curiosity, and applied research, directed towardconserving the biodiversity of Mediterranean-type bioregions.The scientific enterprise thrives best when scientists pursuebasic and applied research simultaneously. Basic science can,for example, yield unforeseen dividends for applied science—as illustrated by our research on lupine populations at theBodega Marine Reserve. The dramatic and rapid changes inshrub density suggests that seed consumption by deer miceplays an important role in the population dynamics of theseshrubs. Recently, however, when we expanded our research tothe lupine populations at the Lanphere Dunes Unit of theHumboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge, we learned thatlupines had become invasive weeds. Introduced at the turn ofthe century to stabilize coastal sand dunes, they now over-runthe diverse, attractive native dune mat vegetation. Sinceinsights from our Bodega Reserve research points to theimportance of deer mouse feeding behavior on lupinepopulations, our basic science research help us to understandthe invasive lupines of the Lanphere-Christian Reserve. Totest this hypothesis, we are currently running experimentsthat will inform future management decisions.

The Garden’s Center for the Study of Plant Conservationmay ultimately develop many bioregional management

strategies for Mediterranean-type climate. In the past,conservation efforts tended to protect small patches of land tosave particular target species, but these preserves have oftennot proved sustainable. For example, biotic communitieschange through time, often in a relatively predictablesequence called ecological succession. When a target speciesthrives only in one stage, it becomes vulnerable todisturbances that affect the preserve, whether they are asminor as a tree’s falling or as major as a fire. After adisturbance the ecological succession is reset, and the targetspecies must migrate to other patches at the optimal stage forits survival. Yet if a preserve has become an island in anuninhabitable urban or intensive agricultural matrix,opportunities for the migration of the target species suffer.Moreover, such small preserves are unusually vulnerable tochanges outside the preserve, such as invasive species orreduced air or water quality.

Further research is needed to improve managementstrategies, prompting biologists and managers to join withother professionals to attain a more complex goal: bioregionalmanagement of biodiversity. Within this context, scientists in thetwenty-first century will include humans and our activities withinthe natural world, thus enabling us to consider and manage forthe integrated effect of our activities upon biodiversity.

Living in the Bay Area, we are acutely aware of thecomplexities and trade-offs inherent in preservingbiodiversity, while accommodating human needs. TheGarden’s Center for the Study of Plant Conservation willaddress these issues by taking the following steps:

1) forming an international network of botanical gardensand arboreta to coordinate research on managing the biota ofMediterranean-type regions;

2) facilitating and participating in interactions among thenumerous parties who affect and benefit from these bioregions;

3) publicizing the value of these regions and the risks theyface; and

4) educating the publicabout how to managethese regions to preservebiodiversity, whileaccommodating theinevitable human growth.

In the meantime, theGarden looks forward tobuilding the Center for theStudy of Plant Conservationto meet the new challenges ofpreserving the biodiversity ofour own Mediterranean-TypeBioregion—we invite you tojoin us in watching theconstruction of the newbuilding!

—Ellen Simms, Director

Winter 2000 3

Built in the 1930s, the Desert-Rainforest House is slatedfor demolition this winter as part of the University’s campus-wide deferred maintenance program. A new greenhouse willbe built on the same foundation footprint as the currentgreenhouse. Interestingly enough, this exact spot was the siteof the cowshed when the Garden was a dairy farm.

As of press time, we are planning to build a temporarystructure adjacent to the parking lot to house the DesertCollection during construction of the replacement house.The construction is due to begin in the spring.

More Renovations at the Garden

The renovations tothe carpentryworkshop in theyard are nowcomplete.(photos onthis page byCandice Schott andJanet Williams)

The long term renovation of African Hill project hasmade great strides with horticulturist Lawrence Leeoverseeing the planting of some new accessions.

Plant accessions had become so hybridized and weedythat they had to be removed from the African section. Rocksare being reset to accommodate new plantings. In the futurea variety of succulents, bulbs, shrubs and annuals will beplanted to demonstrate the amazing diversity of SouthAfrican flora.

—Janet Williams

Lead Building Maintenance Worker Gerald Ford recentlycompleted the renovations to the Garden’s carpentry work-shop in the corporate yard. The workshop now has a highroof designed to allow better conditions for working withlonger pieces of wood. The 30 year old shingle roof was aparticular challenge Gerald notes!

The renovated workshop is the first part of a plan toupgrade the corporate yard. Future plans include: upgradingthe electrical system, a major drainage project designed todivert rain water run-off away from the Mexican and CentralAmerican area, the addition of storage units and relocation ofthe staff lunchroom to the Barn.

While beautiful, the South African Babiana (left) had become sohybridized that they had to be removed.

Above, part of a newly planted African Hill garden bed showing thecenterpiece the Aloe plicatilis from South Africa. This was originallyin the bed and removed during reconstruction and then replaced.Overall, the bed contains plants from winter rainfall areas of SouthAfrica which are highly adaptable to the Californian climate. Otherplants included in this new bed are species Pelargoniums, newaccessions of the Babiana and other unusual bulbs such as Gethylisspecies.

given on topics of resources for restoration efforts, botanicalnetworks, research on plant genetics, seed research, andrelated subjects. Participants attended from Australia, Canada,England, India, Italy and the U.S. One of the sponsors of thesymposium was the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC), ofwhich the Garden is a participating institution. The CPC isthe only national organization dedicated exclusively to theconservation of endangered plants native to the United States.The information presented during the symposium has directapplication to the Garden’s plant conservation activities. Forexample, the impact of seed collection on a population of rareplants in Florida was studied over a period of years and theinformation was used to plan seed collection at a level thatwould not negatively impact the population. Holly alsoattended the national meeting of the CPC held in October,hosted jointly by the Chicago Botanic Garden and theMorton Arboretum.

—Holly Forbes

Seed Exchange List

The Garden’s Seed Exchange List is made available to over600 botanical and other research institutions world wide forresearch and display purposes. The last issue of the seed listwas published in 1998 in which we offered 144 collections.From those collections we filled 1,980 orders. The Gardenreceives, on average, 30% of all new accessions throughexchange of seeds with other institutions.

Seeds of California natives which are wild-collected are ingreat demand. Holly Forbes and horticulturists Roger Raicheand Chris Carmichael traveled in northern California inmid-October collecting seed of California native plants forthe upcoming exchange list.

The Garden recently received generous support towardspart of the cost of producing our Seed Exchange List from theDonations Committee of the East Bay Chapter of theCalifornia Native Plant Society, for which we are grateful.The Garden has a long and special history with this chapterand greatly appreciates the members’ interest and support—not just for the seed list but for many Garden activities.

If you are interested in helping to support this aspect ofwork here at the Garden—and it really is work essential togrowing our collection—then we would be delighted to hearfrom you, please call Janet Williams in the Developmentoffice at 643-2937. If you have any questions about the seedlist itself please contact Curator Holly Forbes, at 643-8040.

GARDEN NOTESUniversity of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley4

Congratulations to Garden Faculty Advisory Committeemember Nan Crystal Arens, who received a 1999 HellmanFamily Research Grant, established by Warren Hellman tohelp junior faculty at a crucial stage in their careers.

Distinguished visitors to the Garden recently include:• Dr. Eric Hágsater of the Herbario AMO in Mexico

City (herbarium of the Asociación Mexicana deOrquideología) visited the Garden August 12, 1999.He was able to identify several orchids in the generaEpidendrum and Encyclia.

• Dr. Wolfgang Bopp, Curator of the newly developingNational Botanic Garden of Wales visited October 13.Dr. Bopp was very interested in our Mediterraneancollections, as that is the theme of the new garden inWales. They have built an enormous glass house inwhich to showcase plants from the five Mediterraneanclimates areas of the world.

• Dr. Yuan T. Lee, Professor of Chemistry emeritus atUC Berkeley, visited the Garden October 29 andmet with Curator Holly Forbes. He is interested indeveloping a conservation component at a proposedbotanical garden in Taiwan.

Faculty Curator Dr. Robert Ornduff attended the 10thanniversary celebration of the Garden Conservancy inCharleston, South Carolina in October.

Horticulturist Judith Finn attended a Pest ManagementConference in San Rafael presented by UC Cooperativeextension on October 15, “Managing New Pests by IPMPrinciples.” This included some very worrisome problemsthat are challenging local arborists such as the new epidemicof Oak Bark Beetles and Ambrosia Beetles that arethreatening our California Live Oaks (Quercus agrifolia), RedGum Psyllid Lerp, which is killing Eucalyptus, Bronze BirchBorer, and the progression of fire ants up the coast (“Them”).

Horticulturists Eric Schulz and Peter Klement attendedthe regional AABGA meeting at the Getty Center in LosAngeles. They attended the talks by the building architect,site architect, and garden designer. Additional topics includedwildlife as garden hazards and methods to cope with wildlifeproblems as well as fire safety and irrigation.

Curator Holly Forbes attended the Ex Situ PlantConservation Symposium: Strategies for Survival hosted by theChicago Botanic Garden in September. Ex situ refers toefforts that occur “off-site” or “out of habitat.” Theseex situ research efforts are not meant to replace, but rathersupport, in-habitat conservation efforts. Excellent talks were

Winter 2000 5

EDUCATION AT THE GARDEN

Education opportunities in the Garden are growing inevery area. In addition to the Cal students from biology,paleontology and soil engineering departments who havecome for years, the Garden increasingly has become aneducational resource for other departments and for studentsand faculty from other northern California colleges anduniversities. It is not unusual for weekend visitors to observeclusters of students on class visits. On one Saturday inOctober, students from five different colleges were exploringconcepts as diverse as plant adaptations, landscape design,biodiversity, and esthetics. This Spring the Garden willbecome the weekly classroom for students taking a course increative writing at Cal. To encourage every faculty member atthe University to get to know the Garden better, DirectorEllen Simms gave each one a Garden pass. She invited eachto visit the Garden and discover ways to incorporate ourmagnificent collection into their teaching efforts. We arelooking forward to their visits and assisting them in makingour collection accessible to their courses and students.

The primary interpretation of the Garden for pre-collegestudents and the general public continues to be shoulderedby the knowledge, dedication, passion and commitment ofour fabulous docents. On most days, 50-60 children and theirteachers and parent chaperones have eyes, minds and heartsopened to the wonders of plant life, ecology, biodiversity andethnobotany by the stories, activities, props and enthusiasmof our docents. We are indeed fortunate to have suchoutstanding educational volunteers. I appreciate their diverseefforts that produce our wonderful programs and service. It isvery simple. Without their efforts, the Garden wouldn’t havereached over 14,000 children and adults through tours lastyear. Thank you all, with a special “thank you” to LindaGovan for her Herculean efforts in making sure that docentsare in the Garden to lead the tours.

Barbara Lyss continues to spearhead our efforts to provideinterpretive material to the thousands of visitors who enjoystrolling through the Garden on their own. Thanksto Alison Mills, visitors have a refreshed, rotating set ofbrochures that highlight seasonal changes in the Garden.Weare looking for funds to expand our publication of brochuresfor the public.

Our outreach programs into the schools now reach over1,000 students and more than 75 teachers annually. Inaddition to one-hour programs, we are now providingteacher training to implement the most recently developedcurriculum units—Botany on Your Plate and CaliforniaHabitats Alive. Each unit provides 6-8 hours of classroominstruction and related school garden activities. Because theterm “botany” is not mentioned in the new California StateEducational Standards, teachers are asking for help in findingappropriate “fits” for plant and gardening activities. As we

work in our four partnership schools and with diverse teachertraining efforts, we understand how we can better supportteachers needs in local school change efforts. For example,while we help teacher Barbara Edwards at Oxford ElementarySchool in Berkeley develop a butterfly garden, we are lookingfor ways to give every child at Oxford opportunities toparticipate and learn what is necessary to involve families andthe community effectively in supporting their school.

Such efforts in schools is developing opportunities for theGarden to reach out to audiences who traditionally are notfrequent visitors. On October 2, 1999 the Garden hosted 250students, siblings, parents, grandparents, teachers and theprincipal from its partner school, Lazear Elementary Schoolin Oakland. In order to welcome these families, most ofwhom are Hispanic, docents and Cal students who spokeSpanish greeted them as they arrived and helped withdirections throughout the day. Special thanks go to LeeAnderson our lead greeter, who delighted everyone withGarden history and information about the collection and to“greeter international” Dawn Keremitsis. We are lookingforward to building on this experience to involve volunteersfrom Lazear in more Garden programming. Brush up onyour Spanish and join us!

—Jennifer M. White, Education Director

Above, Lazear Schoolchildren and their familiesenjoy lunch at the Garden.Lee Anderson (left) led atour of the Garden inSpanish and educationprogram volunteer CathyBarrett helped interpret“Foods of the Americas.”Right, docent June Cheithelps Berkeley schoolstudents learn aboutbiodiversity. (photos byJennifer White and JanetWilliams)

University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley6

Garden Tours in the Desert and Urban Southwest Fifteen Garden volunteers, some with spouses,

participated in the “Arizona Sonora Desert Trip” forvolunteers. They spent a whirlwind six days in the Arizonadesert in September with Horticulture Manager DavidBrunner, who was born and raised in the Tucson area andgenerously invoked his connections and influence to providethe widest possible spectrum of experiences for the group.

Included in the itinerary were a variety of nurseries,from huge, wholesale operations to large wholesale/retailestablishments, to small, select, specialty ones.

The UCBG group was received everywhere withincredible warmth (not to mention that temps were usually inthe 90s) and hospitality. We visited private gardens as well asthe Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, the Tucson BotanicalGarden, the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum and the DesertBotanical Garden. There was even time to visit a fewmuseums and art galleries including Frank Lloyd Wright’sTaliesen West and, for the determined shoppers in the crowd,to shop.

A highlight was a trip up Mt. Lemmon in the SantaCatalina Mountains east of Tucson. The group climbed toabout 9,500 feet, ascending from the forest of giant Saguaros,through the northernmost fringe of the Sierra Madreansavannas, up through Blue and Silver Oak woodlands,beyond Pleistocene-relict Arizona Cypress forest, pastPonderosa Pine montane forest, into Canadian Spruce andFir forests and finally to the Sub-alpine Firs near the summit.We stopped to botanize in each zone, and marveled at theincredible diversity of everything, on just one mountain. Itwas a splendid, fun-filled adventure!

The UCBG “Peerless Public Gardens of Los Angeles” tripsaw 16 Garden members, escorted by Roger Raiche andNancy Swearengen, spend two days in November visitinggardens in the Los Angeles area.

We toured the gardens of UCLA on a chartered campustransit bus. Our first stop was the Sculpture Garden, agreensward punctuated by rows of mature sycamore trees,fringed with groupings of smaller trees and shrubs, andenclosed on all sides by University buildings. Strategicallylocated on the 5-acre site are some 60 contemporarysculptures, all by well-known artists, all donated to theUniversity. It was breathtaking!

Our next stop was in Bel Air, on a street so narrow thatour bus couldn’t park. The Hannah Carter Japanese Gardenoccupies a steep hillside site, and incorporates all thesymbolism, fine craftsmanship and impeccable care of atraditional Japanese garden.

Then back to the campus to take a look at the Mildred J.Mathias Garden, UCLA’s counterpart of our Garden. Thedominant feature of the Mathias Garden is the creek thatmeanders through it with luxurious sub-tropical plantingsalong its edges.

At the Getty Center group members dispersed to indulgetheir special interests, but reconvened for a tour of the gardenswith Roger. At one point, our group swelled to 30 or more, asother Getty visitors joined us. A highlight was watching thechanging colors of the cactus garden as the sun set. The ranksof cacti seemed to glow as if lit from within.

The following day, we visited the Descanso Gardens,originally a private estate, and then a professional camellianursery. We marvelled at the roses still flowering and thesasanqua camellias already in bloom. At The Huntington,Roger led us on a highlight tour of the gardens and groupmembers had time to peek into the Gallery and the Library.Everyone agreed that exploring peerless public gardens was anexcellent way to spend a couple of days in Los Angeles!

—Nancy Swearengen

Above, the educationdirector at the TusconBotanical Garden spoke tothe UCBG volunteers.Right, at the summit of Mt.Lemmon—a highlight ofthe Garden trip to Arizona.(photos by Barbara Lyss)

The cactus garden at the Getty. (photo by Janet Ruyle)

Winter 2000

7

Some creep through the door to the Ornduff Room onthe first Saturday of the month, cradling their sick plantsdiscreetly encased in brown paper bags. Others seem to burstthrough the door with bravado fully expectant that the hugegnarly tree branch they deposit with ceremony will surely bethe most noteworthy of the sick, diseased or dubiousspecimens brought in for discussion at this session of theUCBG Sick Plant Clinic. Held here since 1990, the Clinichas become a real tradition at the Botanical Garden.

Dr. Robert Raabe, UC Professor Emeritus of PlantPathology and former AssociateDirector of the UCBG, startedthe clinic about seventeen yearsago on campus as a way ofproviding diagnostic experiencefor his graduate students.Dr. Nick Mills, UC Professorof Insect Biology joined forceswith Dr. Raabe in 1993 as apermanent part of the volunteerSick Plant Clinic team. Dr. AnneGaybrik, a student and nowassociate of Dr.Raabe’s, comesalong each month to help outwith the pathology side of things.Between the three of them andthe crew of regulars, there isn’tmuch hope of a disease goingundetected or an insectundiscovered; a rare virus or insectcauses great excitement and interestamong those present. The referencebooks and the microscopes are out andin constant use such that Sick PlantClinic attendees are given a thorougheducation about the causes of theirplant’s malady and how to improve itsgrowing conditions—not just a quickfix answer about how to save theplant’s life.

This attention to detail comes as awelcome diversion to some, to others areal bonus they can use in their professional careers, as manyof the regular attendeees are volunteers from the AlamedaCounty Master Gardener Program, devoted to being at theclinic out of interest and as part of their ongoing professionaltraining. Long-time Garden volunteers, Elizabeth Waterman,Emma Connery and Leonard Skinner are usually therehelping out and their input is also much valued by allconnected with the clinic.

No matter who is asking the question though, it does notseem to faze the experts—the same detailed, patient

The Sick Plant Clinic Buzzes with Activityexplanationsare given toeveryone.Whether toa first timeattendee—say the nine year old who attended with her sick rose leaves atlast October’s clinic (“Wow! You mean this leaf had threedifferent bugs chew it up? How Gross!”)—or to the regularattendees, back again with an old problem with which they

continue to struggle. Many confess that finding anew affliction in their garden is a source of delightbecause they look forward to taking it in to theclinic and chatting about it with the experts.

The clinic is held on the first Saturday of themonth from 9:00 a.m. until noon, and attendanceis growing steadily. At the height of the bug anddisease season in summer, around 40 people persession may turn up needing help for their plants.They certainly get more than they bargained for—not only do they get expert information, the plantclinic is really “an event” with the love of plants andscience the driving force behind the easy discussionand good hearted banter. Participation in the plantclinic is free to all and no Garden admission isrequired for those attending the clinic. TheSick Plant Clinic is supported as a program of

Membership services at the Garden.—Janet Williams

Dr. Raabe examines a sick leaf...

Jessie West, a volunteer, andDr. Mills man the microscopes...

Dr. Gaybrik provides an explanationto a visitor...(photos by Janet Williams)

8 University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley

Volunteers At The Garden—How They’ve Grown

Behind the Scenes Tour &Director’s Tour

On October 20 a number of Garden supporters joinedus for a different look at the Garden. Dr. Ellen Simmslead a group on a Director’s Tour which traversed theGarden looking not just at specimens in the collection whichillustrated aspects of the Director’s work as a plant populationbiologist but also looking at plants she found scientificallyfascinating, or plants that she just plain likes!

This group then merged with another group to attend theMembers Only Behind the Scenes Tour held in the corporateyard. Guests were led on tours of Greenhouses 1 & 2, the newaccessions nurseries and the actual propagation house itself.This was a rare opportunity to hear about the intricacies of thepropagation process at the Garden as it was explained in detailby our plant propagation expert John Domzalski. JudithFinn, David Brunner and Elaine Sedlack led the other tourswith extensive informed commentary about the plants. Asattendee Gladys Eaton— truly a Garden Guardian Angel—said after the tours, “the greenhouses are fabulous but it’s theenthusiasm from the staff that I just love!” After the tours,everyone enjoyed the refreshments on what had to be thehottest October day for quite some time!

We thank everyone who participated and particularlythose docents and volunteer propagators who attended andwent out of their way to let us know that, as docent RamonaDavis put it, “despite hanging around the place for all theseyears I really did learn some new things—it was veryinteresting !” —Janet Williams

Guests were treated tofascinating and rare looksat treasures of the Gardenduring the Behind theScenes and Director’sTours. (photos by CandiceSchott)

Thirty years ago, there were no volunteers, at least noformally recognized ones, at the Garden. This began tochange in the early 1970s under the aegis of director RobertOrnduff, who recognized the need to enhance the Garden’seducational mission to the community and believed that theway to do this was to recruit volunteers to lead tours.

The first 11 docents graduated from training in 1974. Thisgroup and those who followed included enthusiastic and dynamicleaders who implemented all kinds of schemes for drawingattention to the Garden and supplementing its bare-bones budget.In the meantime, horticulturist Judith Finn began to encourage afew volunteers to help with horticultural chores.

Out of the Docents came the Volunteer Propagators, theearly Friends of the Botanical Garden, and the Garden Shop.Each initiative attracted new volunteers, who in turn creatednew projects and activities.

Today we have more than 250 volunteers on the roster.Volunteers help the Curator with various projects includingcleaning and packaging seeds for exchange with other gardens andfor sale; volunteers help the Garden’s professional propagator;volunteers help arrange and put on our programs and plant sales;and volunteers help staff booths at public information eventsthroughout the community. Our volunteers allow us to do a greatmany things that we couldn’t otherwise do. We are very gratefulfor the thousands of hours they give us!

—Nancy Swearengen

Some of today’s volunteers—right,Francine Henderson, a driving forcebehind our seed packaging and salesoperations, pictured here at a SpringPlant Sale. Below, Dick Emory andTom Colby are volunteer propagatorswith other talents as well—they evenbuilt the greenhouse roof above them!Volunteering at the Garden hasgrown since its inception in the 1970s.(photos by Jennifer White)

Winter 2000 9

THE DOCTOR SAYS

Fragrant tulips listed in The AmericanGardener 78 (5): 43-48 include the following:species tulips, Tulipa sylvestris, T. biflora, T.saxatilis, T. bakeri, and T. aucheriana; earlytulips, ‘Prince of Austria’, ‘Prinses Irene’,‘Generaal de Wet’,‘Keizerskroon’, and ‘Bellona’;double early, ‘Abba’, ‘Electra’, ‘Monte Carlo’,‘Peach Blossom’, and ‘Schoonoord’; mid season,‘Annie Schilder’ and ‘Salmon Jewel’; and lateflowering, ‘Ballerina’, ‘Orange Favorite’,‘Dillenburg’, ‘Angelique’, ‘Creme Upstar’, and‘May Wonder’. (T. saxatilis and T. bakeri require nocold period to flower.)

Perhaps the largest garden show in the world and thefirst ever to be held in China was the 1999 KunmingHorticultural Exposition held from May 1 to October 31.The focus was on gardens, flowers, and other plants,related technology and equipment, and rare flowers andtrees. Greenhouse Grower 17(10): 13.

A gardener in the southeast claims that by watchinghorses, cattle and deer feed in a pasture, she noticed thatneither horses nor deer feed in areas where there is horsemanure. Using this information, she experimented in hergarden and found that wherever she placed horse manure(aged, not fresh) around plants, the deer did not eat thoseplants. Mother Earth News 176: 10.

Generations ago, Navajos added juniper ash to their foodsas a general practice. It is not known whether this was donefor flavoring or for food value but recent research in Utah hasshown that adding the ash makes up for the lack of calciumin present diets of the Navajos in parts of the southwest. Theash from branches and needles is not only a good source ofcalcium but also of iron and magnesium. One teaspoon ofjuniper ash is roughly the equivalent of the calcium in a cupof milk. Interestingly, ash doesn’t add particularly noticeableflavors but when added to cornbread, gives it a gritty quality.Utah Science 59 (1): 10-11.

—Dr. Robert Raabe

Wish List

We’re half way towards a new thermal transferprinter for the propagation house operations hereat the Garden, for the use of the volunteerpropagators in raising plants for the plant salesand in the New Plants Program! We recently receiveda donation from long time Garden supporters Dr. andMrs. Klaus Dehlinger, towards this printer (total cost$4,000), and thank them for moving us a big stepcloser. This printer would help us to label plants clearlyand with more information. Donations toward thisitem would help a great number of people workingin the Garden. If you have any questions please callJanet Williams at 643-2937 or Curator Holly Forbesat 643-8040.

According to Successful Farming 97 (6): 58-59,flowers that can be eaten include nasturtium, mint,clover, dandelion, oregano, basil, and thyme. Flowersthat should not be eaten include azalea, crocus,

foxglove, hydrangea, larkspur, periwinkle,rhododendron, trumpet flower, philodendron,sweet pea and wisteria.

The Gerber Baby Food Company has decidedthat its products should have zero detectable

pesticide residues and also that its contractgrowers must eliminate the most toxic pesticides

on their crops. The Amicus Journal 21 (3): 13.

According to an article in Greenhouse andProduction 19 (8): 9, a new color in the carnation

‘Moonshadow’ has resulted from a patented genefrom petunias which the developers call blue. It isproposed to add the gene to rose and other floweringplants.

In Fine Gardening 70: 6 is a tip for using oldChristmas trees. The branches either are cut off or lefton but the trees are put firmly in the soil and used as

supports for summer vines such as sweet peas andmorning glories.

Available now are picnic utensils (knives, forks, andspoons) made of corn starch. These are biodegradable anddecompose in 30 to 40 days in a normal compost pile.Mother Earth News 175: 14.

Children and families fromthe Lazear School explorethe “Foods of the Americas”Marketplace. (See story onpage 7)

University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley10

New MembersThe Garden welcomes thefollowing new members:

Mr. John Andrews, Jr.Mr. David BartsMr. Mark BlackburntMs. Abigail BornsteinMs. Ada Carino RamsayMr. Simon Carr Ellison and Ms. Joan DesensMs. Colleen CassidyMr. Tom Condit and Ms. Marsha FeinlandMs. Susa Condliffe KesslerOranood and Andrew CowellMr. Paul Da SilvaAnn Dallman and Reynaldo CorderoChris Davidson and Sharon ChristophMs. Carol DruckerMs. Laura DukeMs. Darlene Fong and Mr. Robert DisterMs. Karuna FosseliusMs. Norma FoxMs. Tamar FreemanMr. Leroy FrenchMrs. Nancy FrizzellMr. David GilleyMrs. Merilyn GoldhaberMs. Jessea GreenmanMs. Susannah HaysMs. Victoria HirdMs. Suzy HolsingerHsin-Ling HsuBamlei and Ron JonesMr. Charles KittsMs. Kathryn Mitchell LadraMr. Michael LaPointeMr. David Lindberg and

Mr. Clay Van BatenborgWilliam and Pamela LuckeMs. Lisa MaynardMr. Donald MichenerMarsha and Robert MooreMs. Andrea MossMs. Margaret MouldMs. Liz MoxonMr. Mark NasoniMs. Nancy Ann NelsonCarolyn and Andrei PestovskiMs. Nancy PriddisMr. Glenn RogersMrs. Isabella RosekransTia and Dave RosenMs. Sigrid SachsMs. Sau SanMr. Michael Sasso, Potrero Gardens, Inc.Mr. Norman SaylorMs. Peggy SchaferMr. Jeff SchoeterMs. Roxanne Spring and Mr. Lee MiltierMr. Cliff StevensMr. Mark TilleyMs. Susan TufenkianMr. Rock Van SchoiackMs. Regina VoorhiesMs. Barbara WardMr. Robert WattsEdward and Robin WenrickMs. Cornelia WhiteMr. Brian WhiteMs. Rachel WhitesideMs. Karen Wieckert and Mr. Roger HallMs. Lynn Winter

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

DonationAdvisory

“Do our donations really goto the Garden?” We hear thisquestion repeatedly and want toreassure you that yes, mostemphatically yes, your donationsdo come directly to the Garden.

All unrestricted gifts go intoour general fund which supportGarden operations. All proceedsfrom Garden activities such as theShop, plant sales, admissions andfacility rentals also go directly intothis fund.

11Winter 2000

The Newsletter is published by the University ofCalifornia Botanical Garden with support from

memberships. Articles may be reprinted with creditto the authors and the UC Botanical Garden.

Garden Staff

Dr. Ellen Simms, Garden Director

AdministrationElaine Meckenstock, Business Manager

Oldriska Balouskova, Visitor Services AttendantGerald Ford, Lead Building MaintenanceAfrooz Navid, Visitor Services Attendant

Margaret Richardson, Tour & Rentals CoordinatorMichael Rimar, Administrative Assistant

Candice Schott, Business Operations SupervisorMarilyn Setterfield, Visitor Services Attendant

Nancy Swearengen, Volunteer Services CoordinatorJanet 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, HorticulturistJohn Domzalski, PropagatorJudith Finn, Horticulturist

Peter Klement, HorticulturistLawrence Lee, HorticulturistJerry Parsons, Horticulturist

Dr. Robert Raabe, Garden PathologistRoger Raiche, HorticulturistEric Schulz, Horticulturist

Elaine Sedlack, Horticulturist

Faculty Advisory CommitteeLewis Feldman, Plant Biology

Alan Smith, HerbariumBrent Mishler, Integrative Biology

Nan Crystal Arens, Integrative BiologyVincent Resh, Environmental Science,

Policy, & ManagementJoe McBride, Environmental Science,

Policy, & Management

NewsletterJanet Williams, Editor

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

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

Ms. Janet AndersonJohn and Virginia ChinKlaus and Jean DehlingerMr. and Mrs. Theodore GeballeMs. Marion GreeneMary and Richard SchroterMrs. Myrtle WolfMs. Vicki Wynn, Diablo Women’s Garden Club

In MemoryThe Garden offers appreciation andthanks for gifts in memory of:

Dr. Alan Bearden from:Ms. Marta Puebla Falicov

Dorothy V. King from:Rosellen and James CarloMr. Richard DowellRoy and Veronica EvansMrs. Masa GinMrs. M.F. JacobsMs. Carol JacobsMs. Helen JohnsonMs. Janet KingMs. Lucy SandrettoMs. Roma StradcutterMr. Gary TorreMs. Marie Wiesner

Elly Platou from:Mr. Stephen Platou and familyDesiderio and Karen Zamudio

Gifts In KindThe Garden offers appreciation andthanks for gifts in kind:

Dr. Bernard DietzMrs. Gladys EatonMr. Don FormanMr. Douglas JamesMr. Charles LimMs. Dawn LoretzMonterey Bay NurseryDr. Robert OrnduffMr. Andrew PohlmanMr. Laurence PringleMr. Scott RankinRosendale NurserySuncrest NurseriesMarshall and Jennifer White

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

Mr. Gary AshleyJoseph and Clara BarbacciaDr. J. E. Bowen-WilliamsRonni and John BregaMr. Simon Carr Ellison and Ms. Joan DesensMs. Margaret ChaseAllan and Lynda ChasnoffMs. Eleanor CraryMr. Chris Davidson and Ms. Sharon ChristophMs. Ramona DavisFrank and Janice DelfinoMr. Robert Epstein and Ms. Amy RothMs. Marylyn Galatis and Ms. Sandy LundgrenDr. Anne GoetschMrs. Merilyn GoldhaberMarvin Hiemstra and Lloyd NeilsonMs. Elizabeth HookMs. Toni KlassenMr. Thomas KosterMr. Peter Lyman and Ms. Barrie ThorneMs. Marjorie MaherJudith and W. Stuart McKeeMs. Louise NixonRobert and Esther OswaltDonna and Darwin PoulosRonald and Joanne RichardsMrs. Isabella RosekransMrs. Page Sanders, Garden DesignMs. Susan ShortellMs. Mary SmallGeorge and Helene StraussMs. Carol Thompson and Mr. Roderic DuncanMs. I. Von Der HudeKathy and David WelchJennifer and Marshall WhiteMs. Elise WhitePatricia and George WolfMs. Mary WoodJacqueline and John WoodfillHillsborough Garden ClubRock & Rose Landscaping

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

Bill and Elly BadeWallace GorrellSacramento Cactus and Succulent SocietyMr. Thomas Charles WestonMs. Pamela Woy

Ms. Mary WoodMs. Cathryn YostMr. John ZentnerDavid and Suzy Ziegler

Every mailing of calendars, Newsletters,flyers, etc. we get a great number ofreturned mail due to address changes.Each returned piece costs the Garden aminimum of fifty cents. You can help usavoid these extra charges by updatingyour address changes with us as soon aspossible. Thank you for your cooperation.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

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

In this millennium year, which marks the 110th Anniversaryof the University of California Botanical Garden,we plan tocelebrate by offering a special program series “Great Grapes andOld Roses.” During the year we will explore as many aspects of“Old Roses” and “Great Grapes” as we can, including talks anddemonstrations on landscaping; workshops on flower arranging andwinemaking; day trips to see roses and taste wine and, of course,there will be extra special roses and grapes available for sale, too.

In addition, we will offer some of our perennially popular programsand we have some other exciting trips planned, too. Do plan tojoin our celebration!

Upcoming Travel Adventures . . .

SATURDAY JANUARY 15, 2000 - 9:30 amROSE PRUNINGIt’s time to prune your roses right after New Years. Do it right thistime! A hands-on workshop with the Garden’s rose expert PeterKlement will give you all the right information and techniques forgetting the job done. Bring your clippers. Members $20, Non-members $27.50

SATURDAY JANUARY 22 - 9:30 amROSE PRUNINGA repeat of last Saturday’s workshop.

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 20 - 10 amEARLY RHODODENDRONSThe Garden’s red rhododendrons usually bloom in time forValentine’s Day, but just to be sure, we thought we’d wait a weekto invite you to stroll through the Dell with Horticulturist ElaineSedlack to admire and learn about our fabulous rhodies. Members $5, Non-members $10

SATURDAY MARCH 11 - 10 amLANDSCAPING WITH ROSESNoted Rosarian Bill Grant has spent many years growing, studyingand talking about roses! He’s currently very active consulting withthe City of Adelaide (Australia) for their upcoming celebration ofWine and Roses in the year 2001, and lectures widely, both in theU.S. and abroad. We’ve enticed him to come to Berkeley to shareall kinds of ideas about landscaping with roses. Of course there willbe special roses available for purchase! Members $15, Non-members $20

SATURDAY MARCH 25 - 10 amREPEAT-BLOOMING ROSES FOR SMALL GARDENSHeritage rose specialist Greg Lowry, owner of Vintage Roses inSebastopol, will remove all the frustrations you may haveexperienced in trying to grow roses. Everyone loves Old Roses, butthey either get too big, or they only bloom once. Most of us havesmall spaces that we want to make the most of! Greg has theanswers! And we’ll have the plants! Members $15, Non-members $20

FIRST SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH - 9 a.m. to noonSICK PLANT CLINICFirst Saturday of the Month: January 1, February 5, March 4 andApril 1. Strange creepy-crawlies devouring your favorite plants?Bring your sick plants to see Dr. Bob Raabe, UC Plant Pathologist,and Dr. Nick Mills, UC Entomologist and their outstandingassistants for free diagnosis and prescription.

9 Sessions beginning FEBRUARY 16ART IN THE GARDENDo you want to learn how to draw plants and flowers? Are you anartist already and looking for congenial company and an inspiringscene? Join our popular and continuing class in nature drawing andpainting. Karen LeGault, whose work has been exhibited locallyand internationally, welcomes beginners as well as accomplishedartists. (9 Wednesdays beginning February 16) Members $125, Non-members $150

Familiar Offerings . . .

GARDENS OF THE DELAWARE VALLEYApril 25-May 5, 2000This trip takes us to a prime garden area of the United States at itsmost spectacular time of year. We will visit famous gardens, suchas Longwood, Winterthur, and Chanticleer, the Morris Arboretum,the Scott Arboretum and more. You’ll witness May Day festivitiesat Bryn Mawr College, and meet a bevy of outstanding gardeners.

POLAR BEARS 2000 CHURCHILL, MANITOBAChurchill, Manitoba, on the shores of Hudson’s Bay, is the“Polar Bear Capital of the World.” We’ll take the train fromWinnipeg to Churchill and back, viewing Arctic taiga and tundraand extraordinary summer wildflowers, and doing our best toobserve real polar bears in action! Call Nancy Swearengen for moreinformation and detailed itineraries at (510) 643-1924.