Plant Notes

WHS Plant Notes for February, 2009

Chaenomeles sp. (Rosaceae) Flowering Quince
Grown by Barbara Worl in Menlo Park: 

	Chaenomeles "Candida"

Barbara thinks this beautiful quince with single, pure white flowers is 'Candida', which is an old cultivar (before 1868) of C. speciosa, a China native that usually grows to 6' with lots of erect, spiny branches. She got it from a friend who got it from Walter Clarke, owner of the old Clarke Nursery in San Jose. He famously developed and introduced many quince hybrids, a large group with the epithet C. x californica and a few miniatures called C. x clarkiana. Nancy plans to propagate it and, in a few years, we will all get to have one of whatever it is.

Chasmanthe aethiopica (IRIDACEAE) Cobra Lily, Aunt Eliza
Grown by Dick Dunmire in Los Altos: 
A perennial corm from Cape Province in South Africa that grows in clay soil and wants a dry summer dormancy. It makes dense fans of ribbed leaves about 2 ft high. In autumn and winter, they are topped by deep orange, trumpet-shaped flowers that arch from one side of a spike-like raceme. Cut off the spent inflorescences before seeds are set. They will still spread by corm division, however, and can become invasive. 

Chloranthus spicatus (CHLORANTHACEAE) Chicken Feet Orchid, Pearl Orchid
Grown by Daxin Liu in Mountain View: 

	Chloranthus spicatus

This little, evergreen subshrub is native to forests of southern China. It's about 18"h x 24"w with glossy, oval, serrate leaves. The flowers bloom in summer and are little more than yellowish green dots along terminal, branched spikes that reminded somebody of chicken feet. They have a wonderful fragrance like mini cymbidiums and are often used to scent tea. It will grow and bloom as a houseplant. Outdoors, it needs shade and protection from frost. 

Cornus capitata (CORNACEAE) Evergreen Dogwood
Grown from seed by Jon Craig in Watsonville:
This is a large shrub or low-branching tree to 35' x 35'.  It's native to forests from the Himalayas to Indochina. It's densely foliaged with glossy leaves that sort of drape from the branches. In fall, some of the oldest leaves turn a little tawny, but will hang on to finally turn yellow and drop in spring. From seed, it takes 5-10 years to bloom but puts on a great show when it does. It blooms in June with 4, cream to yellowish, petaloid bracts that blush pink with age. Then, in fall, they put on a show of 2", strawberry-like, compound berries. They're tasteless, but birds like them. The trees are hardy to about 25°F. They have a reputation for being thirsty, but Jon finds them the least thirsty of the 30 Cornus cultivars he grows. He has seen them grown well from Occidental to San Luis Obispo and east to Stockton.
 
Dodecatheon spp. (PRIMULACEAE) Shooting Star
Grown from seeds by Sally Casey in San Jose:

	Dodecatheon spp.

When you wander in our wildlands in December, you'll see their basal clumps of oblong, rounded leaves. By February, you'll start to see their leafless flower stems that terminate in an umbel of up to 16 charming flowers. The upward facing buds reorient as they open so that the "beak" of stamens points down and the 4 or 5 petals sweep upward. Native bees buzz pollinate them. Their colors range from deep purple-pink to pale pink and somtimes to white. Later, the flower stem straightens so that the dry seed capsule is upright and scatters a few seeds when shaken by breezes or passing animals. The plants disappear during the dry season. They like light shade inland, clay soil, plenty of water during growth, and none during dormancy. Their colonies increase by creeping rootstocks. As Sally reminded us, it takes a few years to get from seeds to flowers. Some say you can speed the process by delaying dormancy for a while with light fertilization and irrigation after the rains stop so that they get in a little more growth each year. Once they're up and going, you can divide them during the growing season. Sally brought a nearly white-flowered D. clevelandii subsp. insulare. This subspecies of Padre's Shooting Star is from the Channel Islands. It is more vigorous than the species and has larger, usually pink flowers on a 16" green stem. She had a series of D. hendersonii (Henderson's Shooting Star) to illustrate its slow, year to year growth from seed. This is the most common one around here. Flower color varies from purple to pink and sometimes white. The smaller size and reddish stem help distinguish it from Padre's. They will hybridize when they meet.
 
Edgeworthia chrysantha (Thymelaeaceae) Chinese Paper Bush
Grown by Katie Wong in Menlo Park:
Native to the Himalayas in China, it is related to Daphne and our native Dirca. It is a deciduous, multi-stemmed, rounded shrub that blooms on bare stems in winter with 2", spherical clusters of very fragrant, tubular flowers. They're silky, silvery white outside with 4, butter yellow, flared petals. The 6" long, rather narrow leaves tend to cluster at the branch ends and turn the shrub into a dense mound of foliage the rest of the year. It is hardy to about 10°F and easy to grow in part sun or shade in moist, humusy soil. Its dark brown bark is used to make high-end paper and Japanese bank notes.

Euphorbia spp. (EUPHORBIACEAE)
Grown by Betsy Clebsch in La Honda and by Dick Dunmire: 

	Euphorbia spp.

There are jillions of euphorbias with wildly different appearances but with nearly identical flower structure which is what counts in plant taxonomy. Most have toxic, milky sap that can cause serious skin reactions, is nearly impossible to clean off pruners, and can be used for rubber. Both Dick and Betsy brought a couple of western Mediterranean natives with that "donkey tail plant" look. They're herbaceous, evergreen perennials with silvery, blue-green leaves that spiral up stems that, in winter, terminate with an umbel of chartreuse-yellow "flowers" that are actually 3 small flowers cupped by 2 large bracts. The stems should be cut to the base after flowering. They tolerate heat, cold, drought, and poor soil and want full sun and good drainage.
E. myrsinites (Myrtle Spurge) is an 8" x 16" sprawling clump of decumbent stems. The leaves are roundish with pointed tips. It has become an invasive pest in some western states and its sale reportedly is banned in Colorado. E. rigida is a 3' x 5' clump of upright stems with narrow, pointed leaves. In the late '80s, Betsy found a hybrid of these two in her garden. It is most similar to E. myrsinites but has larger floral bracts and is an overall larger plant than either parent. It does produce seeds, but Betsy hasn't determined if they're viable or if the progeny will be identical to the hybrid.

Humata tyermannii (DAVALLIACEAE) White Rabbit's Foot Fern, Bear's Foot Fern
Grown by Kerry Barrs in Woodside:

	Humata tyermannii

 
This is a choice, 10"-12" tall fern from southern China and India where it grows as an epiphyte on mossy boulders and trees. It's named for its widely spreading, pencil-sized rhizomes that are covered with silky, silvery scales. Kerry's was spreading it's white, furry feet over a chunk of red lava rock with a hole drilled out for the roots. Its triangular fronds are finely tri-pinnate, dark green, and often purplish when young. It's very easy to grow, but a little slow. It wants bright indirect light, fast drainage, minimal fertilizer, plenty of water during warm months and not so much in winter. Its root system is small so keep it underpotted. It is a great houseplant. Outdoors it's hardy into the 20's but will go winter deciduous. 

Ipheion 'Rolf Fiedler' (ALLIACEAE) Spring Starflower
Grown by Elizabeth Garbett in Los Altos Hills: 
This small genus of clumping, summer dormant, bulbous perennials is native to Argentina and Uruquay. It gets reclassified or renamed every few years so you'll also see them called Tristagma and Nothoscordum. 'Rolf Fiedler' may be a cultivar of I. peregrinans from Uruguay. For several weeks from winter to spring, they produce a prolific succession of delicately fragrant flowers, each held on its own 4"-6" stem. The 1" flowers have 6 overlapping, rounded, mid-blue tepals with darker midveins and tips. The lax, grass-like foliage smells like garlic when bruised. They prefer dappled sun and should be kept just barely moist during summer dormancy. Hardy to 20°F, the flowers simply close and nod with freezing temperatures. They spread by stolons to form a floral carpet in a few years so you should probably be sure you want them before setting them free.

Rosa 'Ellen Willmott' (1936) (ROSACEAE) Rose
Grown by Barbara Worl: 
This is a Hybrid Tea with 3" wide, creamy white, single blooms. The scalloped, wavy petal margins are blushed pink. They have a light scent and are produced for a long time if the hips are removed. It's a very thorny, 5' tall shrub on its own roots. Barbara bought hers from Vintage Gardens and it has grown vigorously in a container on her patio. Recently, she became aware that its roots had escaped the pot and grown through the concrete patio. She's looking for someone interested in giving it a new home.

Sansevieria trifasciata 'Bantel's Sensation' (RUSCACEAE) White Snake Plant
Grown by Kerry Barrs: 

	Sansevieria trifasciata 'Bantel's Sensation'

This gorgeous snake plant is a sport of S.t. 'Laurentii', the familiar houseplant that's native to tropical Africa. It was found by Gustav Bantel in St. Louis, MO and patented in 1948. Like the species, 'Bantel's Sensation' has stiffly erect, swordlike, succulent leaves; but, they are shorter (under 2'), narrower (less than 2"), are slightly incurved and uniquely variegated. The leaves' backs are mainly white with a variable pattern of dark green pinstriping. Their faces have wider green stripes that often show the light and dark green horizontal banding characteristic of its parent. Its patent expired many years ago; but, because it grows slowly and has to be propagated by rhizome division rather that leaf cuttings in order to retain its distinctive variegation, its production is limited to a few growers who specialize in unusual plants. Sansevierias are known for being indestructible and tolerating any abuse except overwatering. However, if you're lucky enought to find this cultivar, give it want it really wants:  sharply draining soil with some organic matter, good light to produce good leaf shape and color, infrequent light applications of slow release fertilizer, moderate water in warm months and none in winter. When it breaks its container, it's time to repot.

Jackie N. Doda

References:
Am. Hort. Soc. A-Z Encyclopedia, Botanica, Complete Garden Guide to the Native Perennials of CA, Fern Grower's Manua, Flora, Sunset Western Garden Book, and lots of websites.