1)  Cupressus arizonica var. montana   (San Pedro Martir Cypress) 

This botanical variety of Arizona cypress grows at a high elevation in northern Baja California in
the San Pedro Martir mountain range.
Has attractive bark and cones that open when ripe.
Listed as “vulnerable” in the IUCN red list.
Located in 2-6E, south end of Arboretum Drive along Broadmoor fence.

2)  Diospyros sp.  

UWBG professor, Soo-Hyung Kim, just published a paper in PLoS ONE that describes his study of the impact future climate change may have on the bloom dates of flowering cherries. The authors,  including Uran Chung, Liz Mack, Jin I. Yun, studied the cherry trees in Tidal Basin, Washington DC and the timing of the annual cherry festival. The cherry tree cultivars studied, Yoshino and Kwanzan, are the same cultivars growing on the UW campus campus (Quad: Yoshino, Rainer vista: Kwanzan). 

1) Callicarpa japonica   (Japanese beautyberry)

Native to Japan, the small metallic purple berries of this multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub are
best viewed when the leaves have dropped beginning mid-to-late fall.
The berries are an important survival food for birds and other animals.
Beautyberry is just beginning to reflect its true glory in the Winter Garden.

2) Daphniphyllum macropodum

It is one of the most handsome evergreens for foliage effects. 

Bioblitz 2011 has come and gone, and like last year I find myself still thinking about how awesome it was a week.5 after the fact.  It’s a lot to pull together and 10 days seems about right as far as decompression goes.  I can’t quite put my finger on it, but bioblitzes tap into so many different fibers of my genetic memory.  

With a little over a week away from Bioblitz 2011, the various taxa teams are starting to form, but we still need eyes, ears and hands in the field!  Below please find a new schedule of when we’ll be looking for what. To sign up and join in the fun, contact Patrick Mulligan at simsigan@uw.edu or call 206-543-8801 and talk to Lisa Sanphillipo. 

1) Arbutus unedo (Strawberry tree)

Selected cuttings from the Washington Park Arboretum (October 3 – 16, 2011)

 Evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean and southwest Ireland, specifically the islands
and shores of the Lakes of Killarney, where it attains its largest (40 ft. or more in height)
dimensions.
The flowers of A. unedo arrive late in the season, and are followed by the globose
strawberry-like fruits that are orange-red in color. 

After a nonexistent summer, we’re now charging forward and anticipating the return of rain and cooler temperatures, the shorter days, and all the fall tasks that seem to just ramp up without warning.
Autumn can be a mesmerizing time of year as many plants, particularly in the Soest Perennial Display Garden, have reached their full potential in growth and in many cases, abundant bloom. 

Species of Sorbus are commonly known as whitebeam, rowan, service tree, and mountain ash. All these cuttings are from the Brian Mulligan Sorbus Collection, located to the east of Arboretum Drive across from the Magnolia Collection.

1) Sorbus aucuparia (European Rowan)

Sorbus aucuparia is native to most of Europe except for the far south, and northern Asia.
It is listed as a ‘Weed of Concern’ by the King County Noxious Weed Board because of its propensity to spread seeds far and wide via birds. 

I had the opportunity to attend two “brown bag lunch” presentations over the past week.  The first was delivered last Friday by a visiting Russian botanist named Valentin Yakubov.  Valentin is a leading scientist at the Institute of Biology and Soil Science, part of the Russian Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Science. Valentin is a specialist when it comes to the flora of the RFE and was brought over with grant funding from a private foundation as part of a continuing partnership between Vladivostok Botanic Garden and the UW Botanic Gardens.  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Each fall, the Washington Park Arboretum Education and Outreach Program provides training for new and veteran guides who lead school field trips and/or Weekend Walks. This fall, guides learned firsthand about current plant-related research at the University of Washington. Hyde Herbarium Collections Manager and School of Forest Resources (SFR) graduate student Katie Murphy spoke about fall plant physiology and offered pointers for leading groups in the field.