NEWSLETTER CALIFORNIA NATIVE*PLANT SOCIETY Dedicated to the Preservation of California Native Flora Vol. IV, No. 5____________________________________________________December 1968 A LOST SPECIES REDISCOVERED by G. Ledyard Stebbins At Wright's Lake, Eldorado County, where we have recently acquired a mountain cabin, we are surrounded by fishermen. When I am hiking up the trails to the nearby Crystal Range, everyone whom I meet invariably asks: "How's the fishing up there?" or, on the way down: "How many did you get?" At first, the blank, non-committal answers that I had to give to such questions and the complete absence of any kind of fishing gear anywhere on my person, were a source of considerable embarrassment. Soon, how- ever, I developed my own rationalization, which, although it didn't make sense verbally, nevertheless has succeeded in restoring my own self-esteem, and enables me to answer these questions casually and with self-assurance. For me, as for the fisherman, a well-defined goal exists. My "limit catch" is a range extension for a plant species, or the sight of a species that I have never seen before. For these goals I can gather excitement by pouring over maps on the day before an excursion to find out where to go. I can start up the trail in the crisp, cool Sierran morning with a thrilling sense of anticipation. I can rest beside my "limit," if found, with a satisfying feel of the soft turf under me and rewarding glances first at the gaunt rocks, flower-studded meadows, and gushing brooklets nearby and then at the distant hazy views of faraway mountains that most likely hide still undiscovered botanical treasures. I can then return home refreshed and content, no matter how long and hard a grind over rocks and scree the "limit find" has demanded of me. Moreover, just as the fisherman, once a season or even less often has the extraordi- nary thrill of catching that "big one'' that he has sought for so long, we plant hunters have our extra feeling of excitement when we run across a previously unknown species, or one that some botanist describe*! long ago, which hasn't been seen recently. This article is about my "big one" of 1968. One Sunday last July while with two fishermen friends, I was descending from the crest of the Crystal Range toward Top Lake., a favorite with the fishermen, and a place where I was hoping to find my "limit" range extension for the day. As we were crossing some bare granite slabs, I noticed, peering out from cracks through which were trickling rivulets of water from the melting snowdrifts above us, the delicate pale pink flowers of a Lewisia that I did not recognize. Its location, at an alti- tude of 8600 feet, as well as the position of its peduncular bracts, were right for the high Sierran species, L^ pygmaea and L_.L nevadensis, but the flowers of the specimen I noticed were much larger than is typical for the two species named which we had seen already several times that day. I took specimens and that evening iden- tified them as Lewisia pygmaea subsp. longipetala, of which the range given in Munz's A California Flora is "Sierra Nevada, w. of Truckee," Since the Crystal Range is about UO miles south of Truckee. I thought that I had my "limit" range extension for the day. - 2 - This find, however, proved to be only the beginning of the story. Four days later I was exploring the broad glacial cirque that forms the northwest slope of Mt. Price, about five miles south of Top Lake. I first climbed upward over soft banks, white and pink with the bell-shaped flowers of Cassiope and Phyllodoce, those two "heathers" that have brought an aura of Greek mythology to the far-distant slopes of our high Sierra. Then I crossed granite slabs furrowed with dark, moist crevices, from which again the long-petalled Lewisia was exserting its delicate flowers. Here also, how- ever, was typical, small flowered L. pygmaea, growing mostly on turf-covered ledges, but sometimes only a foot or two away from plants of "subsp. longipetala." This called for an intensive search to see whether the two "subspecies" showed any signs of intergrading with each other. This search was repeated at several places in the cirque at altitudes of from 8600 to 9^-00 feet always with the same result. No inter- mediates could be found. Lewisia pygmaea subsp. pygmaea and subsp. longipetala" were behaving everywhere like perfectly good, sharply distinct species. In addition to having larger flowers, Lj_ £j_ subsp. longipetala always had but one flower on each peduncle, while the flowering stalks of L^_ £j_ subsp. pygmaea usually bore two or three flowers. Moreover, plants dug for herbarium specimens exhibited rather different root systems. Those of Lj_ gj_ subsp. pygmaea wree relatively short and tapered strongly, turnip-like, at the base; while those of L_._ p^ subsp. longipetala reached far down into the crevices where they were growing, and were often branched and tapered very gradually. While enjoying the warm sun and the satisfying panorama after having climbed the ridge of Mt. Price, I looked down into the basin surrounding Lyons Lake in the direction of Pyramid Peak. There were more granite slabs streaked with dark furrows. I made a bet with myself: "another locality for L^_ p_;_ subsp. longipetala," and in half an hour I had won the bet. The reward for this day, therefore, was not only a range extension of six miles, but also the demonstration to my satisfaction that the species that C. W. Piper originally had described as Oreobroma longipetala (Oreobroma is a name given by some botanists to the high montane species of Lewisia) is a perfectly good species in its own right, and should not be reduced to a subspecies of L. pygmaea. - 3 - When I returned to Davis I telephoned Roman Gankin, who had just done me the honor-or naming a beautiful new species of Lewisia after me [Ed. note: see Vol. 2, Ho. k issue of The Four Seasons], and told him about my new discovery. The result was more than gratifying. I could almost seem him jumping up and down with excitement at the o-';ber end of the phone. The reason for this was that he had just read the account of It-. Pjl subsP« longipetala in a monograph of Lewisia recently published by an English botanist and horticulturist, R. C. Elliott. This author wrote that Piper's 0. longipetala was based upon a single specimen collected by J. G. Lemmon in 1875 in the mountains west of Truckee, and supposedly in the National Herbarium at the S-ithsonian Institution of Washington, D. C. A request for a loan or photo of the specimen, however, revealed that it had been lost, and that no other specimen of 0. longipetala existed. Nevertheless, Elliott noted that plants that fitted its description were growing in several English rock gardens under the name "Lewisia pygmaea." He concluded that these plants represented a cultigen, not found at all in the wild, since no specimens of it were available, in spite of the intensive plant collecting that has been done in the Sierra since 1875. Fortunately, he re- produced a photograph of the English "cultigen." It was an exact match for the plants that I had just seen in the Crystal Range! This situation called for a collaboration with another Lewisia devotee and loyal CUPS member: Margaret Williams of Reno. In answer to my letter telling the story, she wrote that she had searched for L^ p_j_ subsp. longipetala in the mountains west of Truckee, but hadn't found it. Since I now knew the kinds of places that it likes, we agreed that another search would be worthwhile. Accordingly, she invited Roman and me to Reno, and on August 10 we visited the mountains west of Truckee, taking the jeep trail that goes above US Highway 80 along the west side of Castle Peak, and pnto the northwest ridge of Basin Peak immediately to the north. When we reached the right altitude we made our way over the ridge to its east slope, where we were attracted by late-blooming clumps of pink Mimulus, paint brush, and other flowers in a wet, gravelly flat below a large snowbank. We were, however, on the volcanic formation that caps the Sierran granite on this mountain, so that the spot appeared to me quite unsuitable for L^ p^ subsp. longipetala. With the ardor of the chase filling my mind I couldn't be held long by beautiful but common Sierran flowers, so headed down to where the granite slabs would be exposed. From a high promontory I spotted what looked to me like a hopeful site and returned to lead the group down to it. I had climbed about half way back to the snowbank when I was greeted from a distance by a chorus of yells and a frantic waving of arms. My fears that something might be wrong quickly were dispelled: Margaret, Roman, and the rest of the group had found L^ p_j_ subsp. longipetala right below the snowbank! It was there in abun- dance, along with Iu_ p_;_ subsp. pygmaea and L^ nevadensis. Again the three remained quite distinct from each other; careful searches by all of us failed to reveal a single intermediate or intergrading plant. If this isn't the locality west of Truckee where Lemmon originally found the species, his locality must be near there and at about the same altitude. In later visits to both the Crystal Range and Basin Peak, the plants have been well photographed: a drawing from a photograph taken by Mrs. Lillian Mott of Grass Valley is shown here. To sum up the matter: Oreobroma longipetala of C. W. Piper, first seen by J. G. Lemmon in 1875, grown in English gardens since then, presumably from seed collected by Lemmon, and rediscovered in its natural habitat in 1968, is a very distinctive and beautiful species of Lewisia. It will be rechristened with its correct scien- tific name in a botanical journal during the next few months. Forme, however, it is chiefly notable as a bold but delicate beauty that is perched upon high places of California's "Range of Light," and also as my chief non-fish story of 1968-r-the "big one" that didn't get away. _ k - RAISING CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS FROM SEED by Barbara Menzies Raising plants from seeds is a challenge but unless you are adept at propagation from cuttings, it is the only way you can obtain many native species. Some nurseries handle a few of our better-known shrubs. To obtain our less common species, however, particularly small poppies, small composites, Nemophilas, Gilias, Downingias, and some larger plants such as Penstemons, Bush Mimuli, and Bush Salvias, you must turn to growing seeds. Of course, before you begin to plant the seeds you must obtain the ones you require by self-collection in native habitats. Once you start to collect seed, you will find it an enjoyable habit-forming experi- ence from which you can rarely escape. You collect everything in sight whether needed or not. You cannot pass up a seed pod full to bursting. You feel so wasteful not to collect, sort of like ''willful waste makes woeful want and over the hill to the poor house." I like to collect seeds in various sized paper bags, which leaves room for airflow around the seeds to prevent mildew. Close each bag with a paper clip, and be sure to carry a pencil to write on the bag the name of the seed you collect. Labeling while collecting is most important for what was fixed in your mind at the time may be a blank on arrival at home. I keep a basket ready at all times with essentials for collecting. My basket "lives" in the car a good part of the year. A bucket, sacks, and short-handled shovel can be beneficial in the car, too. You never know when you will see some "good" soil, granite, leafmold or an old rotten log that will help to make a superior potting mixture. When are seeds ready to harvest? As far as I'm concerned, it depends on how far away from home they are and what my chances are of getting back to the spot. If I'm far from home with no chance of being in the area again and find a species particularly desirable, I will collect the seed quite green and put the plant stems in water immediately like a bouquet. I keep water and plastic containers in the car for this purpose. The seeds will ripen at home, not too well perhaps, but sufficiently to supply a few viable seeds. Some seeds should be picked slightly green, for if you wait too long, they will have blown away or exploded. This can happen very quickly and is most annoying when you watch and wait for a plant's seeds to ripen for harvest. It is better to pick the seed a little green, with enough stem to provide some nourishment to help ripen the seed. Lily seeds are among the easiest to collect as the pods will wait a long time before disbursing the seeds. Cleaning seeds is a tedious job, can give you a pain in the neck, and makes a big mess. Some seeds open by themselves but pods of fleshy fruited seeds dry up and harden. Informed sources advise crushing the pods, then soaking the pulp, draining the water and spreading the pulp on paper. When the pulp has dried, the seed can be separated readily. I find it just as easy to use tweezers to pull the pod apart. After all, most of us are not going to feature just one plant so a few pods will yield enough seeds. Hard shells that contain certain seeds will split open by them- selves if they are placed in a bag which is set in a window in direct sunlight or in a very low oven not exceeding 150 degrees. Otherwise break the outer shell with a pair of pliers. Seeds with feathery stigmas such as those from Zauschneria have to be hand-picked into the seed packet. Seeds from Abronia have to be taken out of their seed encasements; however, some horticulturists report success without husking them. Strainers of various mesh and diameter size are the simplest equipment to separate seed from chaff. A teaspoon also is useful in final stages. My method of cleaning seeds is a process of elimination. First, after shaking the bag or pressing it to break the contents, I remove the bigger pieces and put what is left in a strainer. This process is performed on a large paper napkin under which is a sheet of newspaper - 5 - to capture seeds that escape. As the seeds go to the bottom, shake the strainer and remove more chaff. If the seeds are small, they will pass through the strainer onto the napkin and are ready for packaging. If the seed is from a plant like lupine, remove as much chaff as possible, put the rest of the strainer contents on the napkin, and separate the chaff from the seed with the teaspoon. Gentle blowing also helps to separate chaff from seed. Cleaning takes a long time no matter how it is done. After collecting and cleaning, we advance to planting, which is fun and frustrating for our seeds invariably are of two kinds—ones that come up and those that choose not to. Raising plants from seeds is a battle of wits. I plant the seeds in equal parts of coarse sand and sifted leafmold (easier for me to mix than peat moss). Some people prefer equal parts of loam, coarse sand, and peat moss. I fill four- inch pots with the soil mix within an inch from the top, and gently firm down and sprinkle the soil, which prevents the seeds from floating to the surface. I then sow the seeds, cover them not too deeply with pure sand, and again provide a light sprinkling. I have read that milled sphagnum moss is good to cover seeds with as its slight acidity helps prevent damping-off. As to how deep a seed should be covered, the consensus of opinion of those in the trade recommends a depth equal to two times the seed's smallest diameter. Some seeds are so fine they should just be watered in. Then cover the pot with a piece of glass and newspaper for protection. During the germination period the seeds must be kept moist, not wet. Having sown the seeds, all that remains is to remember them and keep them watered, which is no small feat. It takes a dedicated gardener not to forget his seeds though unexpected or untimely events occur in the home: the kids get sick, Aunt Martha arrives out of the blue, some committee needs you right now, you take a short trip, etc. Of course, you can put a pot of very special seeds some place where you have to practically trip over it every day and thus you do remember to care for it, but if someone does trip over it, you will undoubtedly take a moment to ponder just why did you ever become interested in gardening, let alone seeds. I never throw away a pot of soil that has had seeds in it. I dump the soil from pots in which no seeds are growing into a general mixture kept for potting of volun- teer plants that come up in the yard. Occasionally this general mixture produces seedlings from seeds that weren't ready to grow when I expected them. Last year two plants of Dicentra ochroleuca came up in this manner. I keep playing with this old dish pan of mixture like Bisquick pancatke batter, another egg, a little more milk, but instead I use a little more sand, a can of leaf mold, and so on. When I decide that a pot of soil really had done its duty, I dump it on the edge of the vegetable garden and from this I also get bonuses. Last year from these dregs up came a Mimulus rattanii which, while not very showy, is nice and small. Undoubtedly, this specimen came from plants given us years ago for our flower show. I brought the container home thinking the flowers would make seed, but eventually dumped it into my "point of no return bed." Time after time native plant seed growers have seen that rain brings up seedlings quicker than anything else. Whether the seeds respond to the rainwater with different substances collected as it falls, or the blend of temperature, humidity, etc., or a combination of the two, or other factors is debatable. The main trouble with this bonus bed is that you are stuck with weeding another area. Weeding must be done by hand, and you must keep your eyes pealed for new and different cotyledons or unusual leaf coloring. Over the years it's surprising how much you will learn from observation. The two different cotyle- dons of the lupines illustrate as well as any how much you can tell from a cotyledon. Jepson and Abrams put lupines with sessile cotyledons in one group, primarily lupines with only two seeds in a pod. Once you have seen a sessile cotyledon, you can never mistake it for a petioled cotyledon—this makes for easy identification. - D - You have many methods available to persuade seed to germinate. (a) Scarification is an easy and satisfactory method for many seeds, and is done by rubbing the seed between two sheets of sandpaper or, with large seeds, by scarring them with a knife or file. (b) Hot water treatment is used on some seeds. This is done by putting the seeds in boiling water and leaving them to cool for 12 to 2)\ hours, after which they should be sown immediately. (c) Sulfuric acid is used on very tough-coated seeds, but since it is dangerous, the average home gardener probably should avoid it; however, if you want to germinate Arctostaphylos, sulfuric acid treatment is almost mandatory, and is done by soaking the seeds in the acid for several hours and then thoroughly washing the seeds to remove all the acid. Sometimes germination does not take place for two to three years, so be patient. (d) Some seeds respond to stratification, such as Fremontias, which is done by putting the seed in a sealed glass jar with a little damp peat moss and placing the jar in the refrigerator for periods up to 90 days, (e) Burning treatment is used on some seeds, such as Dendromecon and Matilija Poppy. Burn straw or pine needles over the seed bed and then water the bed. Percy Everett '¦' recommends this treatment for Dicentra chrysantha and D^_ ochroleuca, but Dara Emery of Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens says no treatment is needed for D_^ chrysantha and l/l6 inch activated charcoal should be placed over the Dj_ ochroleuca seed instead of sand. To date I haven't had any luck with either method for these two seeds. I collected Papaver californicum quite green from a burned area in San Diego County and. brought it home in water to ripen, which it did. I burned over one seed pot and just planted the other. The burned-over one did absolutely nothing, while the other pot came up like grass. Two possible reasons for this are that after several years of lying dormant, the seeds may need the effect of a fire to germinate, or the seeds may need a disturbed soil and bright light intensity. Whispering Bells, Emmenanthe penduliflora is another "fire follower." When should annual wildflower seeds be sown? Though there are many opinions, one, reasonable one is to follow nature. This usually means sowing in October because the rains usually start at that time. In theory, the wildflower germination gets a good start before winter sets in. Also, the seeds have a good chance of being pounded into the ground with the heavy storms before Christmas as the seeds are not protected in our flats or pots by grasses and weeds as they are in the wild. Those who sow annual wildflower seeds must realize that the.ground must.be prepared and the seed not sown amidst a heavy growth of grass. The seed does have to come into contact with the.soil to germinate. I'm sure this.is why well-intended programs of youth groups and garden - 7 clubs often fail. In the fall you occasionally see photographs in society sections of newspapers of well-meaning women and children casting seeds to the wind and that is just what the value of their efforts is. After twenty-five years or so of freeway development in California, you can see in many places the once ugly road cuts that, have been taken over by natives of the area because the seeds came in direct contact with the disturbed soil....-.If these well-meaning workers would use a rake, cultivator or scratcher when sowing seeds, their good intentions would result in wildflowers. Birds probably are the biggest problem for-young plants and seeds put into the open ground during our winter months. The Golden and White Crowned Sparrows eat almost anything and scratch but the rest. Because they don't leave until the end of March, there is nothing to do but battle it out with them. A wire cover is a nuisance, but here at Stinson Beach it seems to require just that. I usually plant the seeds in open ground in early January which is somewhat late but gives me better control over the, many problems that go with trying to raise our native wildflowers, Thanks- giving and Christmas are over and there,is time to handwater during that usual dry spell we have in January. Thus I get my annuals even with the ones in the wild as the wild ones will be standing still until the next rain. When I first began to grow native annuals in the garden I tried for an "effect" with Lupinus nanus and poppies*. Unless you have a large area this is a lost cause for one lupine plant may grow two feet in diameter. Lupinus densiflorus var. aureus has a marvelous yellow color and comes up easily, but under garden condtiions it may grow too tall and eventually falls over from buffeting by wind and rain. Collinsia heterophylla grows well here, doesn't take up too much room, gives a pleasing effect, reseeds itself very well, and is about the right size annual for the average garden. Phacelia minor and P. parryi have a wonderful blue color and are good in the garden. Lupinus stiversii is one of our best plants and stays compact, besides making a bright spot with its yellow and pink flowers. Nettle Lupine, L^ hirsutis- simus, is a good wine color and one,that I raise for the flower show. It has the fault of slowly blooming up the stem so one never really gets a nice spike, ^y favorite annual is Thistle Sage, Salvia carduacea, from the South Coast Ranges and the desert. The first year I grew it, I had only three plants, but with its wonder- ful pure lavender flowers and grey-green leaves the plants were really something to see. It must have been a dry Spring as I haven't had any luck since. Seed of annuals I really want are sown not only in pots for transplanting, but in the garden as well in hopes that eventually they will seed themselves. Small native annuals really are good in the garden as fillers. Among these are the small annual Mimulus angustatus, M. tricolor, M. douglasii and M^ kelloggii, the small poppy Eschscholzia lobbii, Linanthus androgaceus, Baby Blue Eyes Hemophila menziesii, Clarkia concinna and Fringed G-ilia Gilia dianthiflorus from the South. If you can find seed of Lupinus concinnus with its grey foliage and wine flowers, it would be outstanding in the garden. Coreopsis bigelovii is a showy annual which grows well here in spite of the fact that it comes from a much drier area. Since everyone's garden is dif- ferent in size and location as well as choice of plants, it is strictly a matter of opinion as to what plants to grow. Raising" natives is a matter of trial and error with some help from people who have written or told about their experiences. I first became interested in growing native plants from seeds because of the annual Stinson Beach Wildf lower Show. Either we were not collecting in an area where a particular flower grew or the flower would not hold up for the necessary time. You can get trapped this way into collecting seed that you would think impossible to grow in your area, seed from the desert, for example. Two years ago, while on a desert trip, a person in our group found the last remnants of an Antirrhinum filipes on which there were one or two tired flowers and two seed pods. From these - 8 - two pods I got six seedlings, three of which lived. I planted them in a large pot so I wouldn't have to transplant them and ended up with quite a display. The blooms .came two weeks too late for the flower show, but I was able to take photographs (another reason to grow wildflowers from seeds). Since this Antirrhinum is cleis- togamous, I have many seeds this year; in fact I had plenty before I ever had a flower. I have tried many seeds with varying degrees of success. Delphiniums usually grow easily from seed. Delphinium californicum, D. nudicaule, D. luteum and p_;_ cardinale all do well in the garden except for the birds and snails that keep the plant at ground level unless bait and wire are used in the early Spring. p_^ purpusii, the pink one from the Kern River Canyon, I have yet to get very far along. It grows in rocky places that are wet and I suspect I haven't treated it right. The globe Calochortus, C. albus, C. amabilis and C^_ amoenus are good garden bulbs. They are easy from seed and with any luck you should have little bulbs the first year. Unless your curiosity consumes you there is no reason to dump them out of the pot the first year. They probably should be lightly fertilized when they come up the second year. Since a great deal has been written on NO SUMMER WATER and DRAINAGE, I assume that people interested in native plants and bulbs sown in open soil instead of shallow flats or pots know these two fundamental necessities. Never can too much be said about DRAINAGE even for plants that grow in running water. If you live in a hot, dry area, such as the Sacramento Valley, occasional watering is necessary. As a rule lily seeds germinate easily, but you must wait a long time to get a bloom. Someone once told me that lilies were a cinch, just plant them in a flat, forget them except for watering at the proper time, and in three years they would practi- cally be leaping out of the flat. Well, in a weak moment I planted a flat of Lilium humboldtii as I had' collected a great quantity of seed. The first year, half the flat came up; the second, which was last year, the whole flat was covered with the usual single leaf of a lily seedling. Whereas I'm sure they will come up again this year, also, I'm sure they won't be leaping out of the flat at me. Although this flat always seems to be in my way, I'm not about to give it up after caring for it for two and one-half years. Some year I may be able to feature L^ humboldtii. Of the several brodiaeas in the yard, all multiply by seed and are satisfactory in every way. The only one I ever actually sowed was Brodiaea Ida-Maia and it has outdone itself. I have had blooms in three years. It is certainly our showiest Brodiaea and does best in full sun. I like violets so I've tried several. Viola pedunculata, which will hot tolerate summer water, and V. adunca are the only two with which I've had any success. V. adunca can be dug but V^ peduculata has to be grown from seed as the roots go deep and run. Viola beckwithii, V. halli and V^ douglasii do come up sparsely and manage to live but without much promise—these are all cut-leaf violets and very attractive and desirable. No special treatment was given these violet seeds, though stratifi- cation probably would help germination. Silene californica and S_;_ hookeri are two plants worth some effort. Of the many shrubs I have tried, the Ribes are most successful. Ribes sanguineum var. glutinosum, R. sanguineum var. sanguineum, R. malvaceum and R^ speciosum all bloom in three years from seed. Penstemon antirrhinoides is. one of the better shrubs from Southern California. It doesn't extend itself here, but where there is more heat it can be a beautiful plant. Although Fremontodendron californicum - 9 - var. napensis comes from a hot area, it is doing well here and bloomed from seed after three years. Salvia clevelandii, which has a powerful and distinctive frag- rance, is another good shrub, its biggest asset being that the deer won't eat it. Much more could be written about native seeds, alpines in particular, that are a group all to themselves. Outside of a few general instructions, you must try for yourself. If you get really discouraged with seed growing, seemingly beyond all possible recovery, try a few radish seeds. They never fail and perhaps will renew your faith in your ability to unleash the power of a seed!! Publications about seeds: Everett, Percy C. Culture of California Plants at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, 1957 Emery, Dara Seed Propagation of Native California Plants from leaflets of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Vol. 1, Wo. 100 (1961;) Seeds - Year Book of U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1961 Rowntree, Lester Hardy Californians (out of print but available at libraries) Lenz, Lee W. Native Plants for California Gardens Where seeds are available: Clyde Robin P. 0. Box 2091 Castro Valley Catalog 50^ California Some plants available The Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants, Inc. 10lt59 Tuxford Street Sun Valley California 91352 Some plants available Claude A. Barr Prairie Gen Ranch Smithwick South Dakota 57782 Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens Santa Barbara California DIGGER PINE by Marjorie G. Schmidt The Digger Pine, Pinus sabiniana, is a familiar tree of sunbaked foothill regions. Through the years it has acquired other vernacular names such as: Grayleaf Pine, Nut Pine, Squaw Pine, and Bull Pine. It is rare in being indigenous to the rolling hills and low mountains of the Central Valley of California, and in having several features that set it apart from other pines. Its long, drooping, pale green needles, - 10 - huge cones, and a tendency to form multiple trunks give it a distinctive outline. Among oaks and many compact shrubs that are its native companions, this pine rises like a gaunt sentinel presiding over its hilly homeland. The Digger Pine occurs in thin, scattered stands almost never forming close forests as other conifers do. Well distributed in foothill areas, it often continues into valleys and canyons of rivers that flow into the Central Valley. Along the Trinity River gorge it is a common constituent of dry forests, being present almost to the edge of Humboldt County. Its northeastern limit is along the Fall River of upper Shasta County. In Sierran foothills the Digger Pine often continues for short distances along river courses, and its southern limit is the Tehachapi Basin and to the edge of Los Angeles County. It also grows in the Santa Lucia Mountains, the only place where it comes near to the coast. An elevation of U500 feet is about its upper limit, with 1000 to 3000 feet being the range of most common occurrence. Although not considered to be among the most beautiful of pines, the Digger has an open, airy effect often mentioned by those who enjoy trees. Were a record to be made of the many variations of multiple trunks on Digger Pines, it would be a long list. Generally the division occurs some distance from the ground, the branches ascending, and frequently breaking into many slender ones in a well-known broom effect. In others there may be two, three, or more trunks of almost equal size. I have noted also some whose widely spaced branching forms a U, while in others the branching forms a lyre shape. Many have commented on the Digger's tendency to lean out from slopes at what appears to be a dangerous angle, but which is obviously normal for this tree. Its long needles are in bundles of 3's and limber instead of rigid like those of most pines. Its height varies from forty to ninety feet. The large, heavy, pineapple-shaped cones are six to twelve inches long, and as much as twenty inches in circumference. Cone scales are closely set, with the tips down- bent and ending in a stout, curved spine. These cones usually are pitchy, and if wanted for decorative purposes must be placed on heavy foil and kept in a slow oven until the resin melts. This takes about an hour, and in the process the resin forms a nice glaze over the cone. The sweet, oily, nutritious nuts were long an important Indian food. - 11 - This pine is not difficult to grow from seed and the adventurous gardener will get satisfaction from propagating the Digger and watching it grow. In Collecting and Handling Seed of Wild Plants "by Mirov and Kraebel, stratification of seed is recom- mended. I experimented by burning pine needles over the flat after planting the seed, and had excellent germination. Emerging seedlings are a bundle of pale green, whisker-like needles often with the seed husk still attached. Seedlings are slow growing, attaining vertical growth of about six to eight inches a year. The two plants that I brought to Trinity County are now seven years old; one is two and a half and the other is more than three feet tall. One is branched sparingly at the top, while the other began forming two distinct trunks about the third year, each of which is now rebranching. My plants are in a dry place in full sun, and receive very little water in addition'to rains. In the wilds as well as in gardens the. young trees are symmetrical, pyramidal in shape, and by their blue-gray-green coloring afford a fine contrast to other plants. In time, of course, a Digger Pine will become too large for most gardens, but the pleasure of watching it grow, and observing the developing trunks can be had by anyone willing to collect and experiment with seed. Digger Pines frequently are companioned by Blue Oaks, Quercus douglasii, as well as Interior Live Oak, Q. wislizenii, and Black Oak, Q. kelloggii, with numerous foothills plants. In its upper limits it mingles with Yellow and Sugar Pines, Pinus ponderosa, . and P. lambertiana and Incense Cedar, Calocedrus decurreus. Always it is accompanied - 12 - by some typical foothill shrubs including several Coffeeberries, the common Rhamnus californica, and its handsome variety, tomentella. In many Sierran foothill regions the unique Rhamnus crocea ssp. ilicifolia, and Fremontadendron californicum are present among other associate plants. Almost everywhere poison oak, squaw bush, mountain mahogany, yerba santa, redbud, certain of the manzanitas, and the omni- present wedge-leaf ceanothus, Ceanothus euneatus, are apt to be associated with the Digger. In my area the interesting Leather Oak, Quercus durata, and the rare velvet-leaf coffeeberry, Rhamnus californica ssp. crassifolia are frequent associ- ates. Over such plant groupings the Diggers rise like pale shafts, the juvenile ones with their pale needles providing another dimension among the compact shrubs and oaks. Many flowering annuals, perennial and bulb plants decorate the ground beneath the Diggers, often forming intense, colorful carpets for a few weeks in spring. These include California poppy, lupines, brodiaeas, wild onions, white popcorn flower, gilias, owl's clover, monkey-flower, sunflowers, and many others. Little colonies of Evening Snow, Linanthus dichotomus, present their white, salverform flowers on thin stems, giving the impression that the flowers are floating down the slope. Another Linanthus of diminutive proportions spreads a carpet of rose-pink by its many flowers on branched plants. On the other hand, where the Diggers occasionally grow in grassy places, jaunty shooting stars, deep blue larkspurs and a pretty lilac kitten's ear Calochortus may provide the ground cover plants. Late summer often brings a rosy flush from masses of Wicker Eriogonum, Eriogonum vimineum, that grows in dry, rocky or gravelly places. The unique Digger Pine is an important part of the natural landscape; a tree that has evolved in the sun-baked foothills. It may never become a popular garden sub- ject, but deserves admiration for its persistence in dry places, and for its light, airy appearance. The Digger is taken for granted and seldom draws comment, but should they suddenly disappear, I am certain they would be greatly missed. COMMITTEE REPORTS Plant Sale Committee: Complete Sell-Out of Native Plants The Society's third annual sale of native plants, held November 9 in the Brazilian Room in Tilden Park, brought in more than $1,500. More important, the shelves and the floor were swept clean by buyers—every last plant was bought and carried off by someone. This proves, it is said, that at least $1,500 worth of people care about native plants. Or, rather, more than $1,500 worth of native plants (because our prices were very low) will be planted in gardens, school yards, and other places in and around the Bay Area. Even the weather man helped: the day was clear, and the pale November sun burned off the mist and dried the grass. Only seeds, books, and dried materials were displayed indoors; living plants, from tiny annuals in flats to Torrey Pines, Quaking Aspens, Santa Lucia Firs, and other trees, were lined up on the concrete patio outside the building. Two beautiful thirty-foot specimens of Giant Bamboo, donated by Ralph Jones, Albany landscape architect, flanked the entrance. Berkeley Horticultural Nursery, and that is Ken Doty, could not have been more generous. Saratoga Nursery sent two truckloads of native plants. - 13 The first worker, Carol Weiske, arrived at 8:00 a.m., an hour or two before the first deliveries (although some plants had been laid down the night before). Before the opening hour of 1:00 p.m. .customers—both members and non-members—were standing in line. Some.were even guarding little accumulations of plants for later purchase. Late deliveries were snapped up before they could be priced, labelled, and displayed. Wayne Savage and Cliff Schmidt said that plants were taken from their hands as they carried them in from the trucks. Some of us think that the next sale should start at 10:00 or 11:00- a.m. in order to give all comers an equal chance at the most desirable items. Although the sale was held in the Bay Area, participants came from as far away as San Jose, Sacramento, and Gualala. As the Society grows and interest in native plants grows with it, we hope that all CNPS chapters will follow the fine example, set by the Monterey Bay Chapter and. hold local plant sales. The financial benefit, is substantial, but far more promising is the impetus given to the growing, in gardens all over the state, of our native plants. —Susan Fruge" Treasurer• s Reports July 18 - September 12 September 12 - October 23 INCOME INCOME Beginning of period $5,202.66 Beginning of period $5,050.95 Dues and contributions 313.70 Dues and Contributions 11*5.00 Post Office refund 37.85 Total $5,195.95 Total $5,55^.21 DISBURSEMENTS DISBURSEMENTS Secretary lit. 72 Stewart Howe Services 238.95 Postal Expense - Stewart Howe 3.9b (handling and mailing June Newsletter 259-60 notices and newsletters CNPS Decals 225.00 and postage) . - Total 503.26 Room Rent, October Meeting 25.00 Total 263.95 Net $5,050.95 Net $1+,932.00 CHAPTER NEWS Gualala Chapter: Our Chapter, with members from all parts of California and Southern Oregon, manages many worthwhile trips, seed collecting, and school and club programs with slides. We had the honor of ART IN THE REDWOODS right here in Grandpa Charley's Park along with our GENTIAN JAUNT as a sort, of culmination of the season's work in the field. (Fortunately, most of the local CNPSers are also members of Gualala Arts—hand and glove, so to speak.) Our gentian jaunt saw Uo members participating. Some enjoyed the Havensneck trek for the first time and definitely were thrilled not only with Gentiana oregana but with the sandcarved, sculptured cliffs. Our guest book reads like a botanical who's who. Historian and flower friend, Frances Turner McBeth, formerly of Del Norte County and her husband 'Mack' McBeth (Willis) dropped by and left two of her lovely historical books, Pioneers of Elk Valley and Lower Klamath Country. The McBeths live at 1520 Wellington Street, Oakland 9^602. - Ik.. Mrs. Viola Heaney of Santa Barbara enjoyed our redwoods covered with pictures at ART IN THE REDWOODS, the gentian display and the grand folks she met here so she sent us the 19&7 report of Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, which included a resume of our projects. I was able to show it to Dr. Louise Watson, Humboldt State College, Areata, who was pleased to see that her slide show was acknowledged. Bertha Van Dyke does the most beautiful wildflower paintings imaginable and we have had 20 of them here in our house since before ART IN THE REDWOODS. Inez Keeling, our Chapter Vice President, accompanied Helen Riekabaugh here on a special Havensneck Gentian Jaunt. Leila Romer's WILDFLOWER PICTURE BOOK won first prize in Garden Club, compe- tition statewide. —Dorothy Young Monterey Bay Chanter: On October 11th and 12th the Chapter participated in a Com- munity Fair sponsored by the Del Monte Shopping Center in Monterey. We had been asked to join in this affair and our Chapter was given space to erect a booth where we could display native plants or give out information about the Society. Dr. Winona Trason, First Vice-President; Mrs. Joyce Stevens, Recording Secretary; Mrs. Stephen McCann, and Dr. Richard Robinson arranged a very nice display in cooperation with Mr. and Mrs. Salih Mehdy of the Oleander Nursery in Carmel Valley, who kindly- loaned a number of their native plants to display at the booth. Several others of the Chapter also helped to manage the booth during those two days (Mrs. Clare Appleby, Mr. Hal Carter, Mr. Fremont Ballou among them). Apparently many people stopped to ask about native plants and all the literature on hand was distributed including information written by ,Dr. Richard Robinson of the Biology Department of the Monterey Peninsula College in regard to growing native plants in the garden. The field trip to Chew's Ridge did not materialize because of heavy rains. While in Australia I collected a number of slides of their native plants as I was on a Wildflower Tour in Western Australis from Perth to Geraldton for part of the time. The flowers were lovely and so different from ours. It was their Spring so the - display was at its prime. I saw many ground orchids outside of Perth. —Beatrice Howitt San Luis Obispo Chapter: The Chapter gathered for a pot luck lunch and general meeting at Morro Bay State Park on October 5. Thirty-five were present to enjoy the delicious smorgasbord. It was cool and windy under the trees, so the group found a sheltered sunny spot nearby for the outdoor meeting, conducted by Chapter President Louis Wilson. At the conclusion of business, members drove to nearby Morro Bay Elementary School where a California Native Plant Garden is maintained for study and esthetic purposes by CNPS, the Morro Bay Garden Club and other interested groups. Work parties from CNPS go out at intervals to help weed, water and plant. Dr. Robert Hoover, who was so active in getting our Chapter started and whose knowledge of our native plants has been enjoyed so much by us on all of our trips, was in the hospital for a short time but is now home again. We surely missed him at the Oct. 5 meeting, but we hear he took part in the October 27 trip to the Salinas River to view the fall plants in that area. It is truly a privilege to go on an outing with Bob Hoover, as he can tell you the name3 arid all other information pertinent to any grasses, flowers, shrubs, or trees you see. —Mrs. Edward Kengel Sierra Santa Monica Chapter: The annual meeting of the Chapter was held at the Funkhousers. Officers remained as last year—President, Helen C. Funkhouser; Treasurer, Helen Martin; Secretary, Elizabeth Burgess. - 15 - An interesting program was preeented featuring slides of Santa Monica Mountain.wild- flowers and a reel of the Yosemite taken in 1926. This last was just as exciting as it must have been when originally photographed. A "plod" was taken to Mr. McCoy's ranch in Latigo Canyon. He is an organic gardener and some fifty acres of his mountain area are under cultivation. It has a beautiful Christmas tree farm on it as well as beautiful flower and vegetable gardens. It shows the proper terracing to keep the slopes from sliding, and on those slopes he has used the original native plants in propitious areas. The terracing is magnificent and never have we seen finer diversified plantings. A delicious supper was served later at the;Strother Martins. This trip was undertaken during our first big rain of the season. Mrs. Funkhouser has lectured and shown-slides of the native flowers of the Santa Monica Mountains to the Malibu Garden Club and to the Manhattan Beach Garden Club. She pointed out that most people make the long trek to the desert to see native floral displays and are not aware of the great show along the roadsides in the close by Santa Monica Mountains. Tentative plans have been made to go in the Santa Monica area. io Santa Barbara Arboretum and to visit gardens —Helen Funkhouser Items of Interest: Kurt Rademacher advises that he exhibits on behalf of the School of Forestry and Conservation for one-week periods in the entrance to Mulford Hall on the Berkeley Campus of the University of California a selected living tree, many of which are California natives, along with maps and text. Loblolly Pine, Nov. 25 - Dec. 1; Digger Pine, Dec. 2-8 (See article in this Newsletter); Jack Pine, Dec. 9-15; American Holly, Dec. 16-20. Visit the University Campus to see the specimen tree of the week and observe the many California natives growing elsewhere on the campus, particularly in the Botanical Gardens. Welcome to the following new members of our Society: Mai K. Arbegast Rolf Benseler C. H. Blackburn A. A. Bondi Mrs. Brene Canaday Myrtle R. Culley Mr. & Mrs. E. F. Dahnert Laura D. Farwell Neil Havlike Lowell R. Hoff Kay Ketcham Thomas M. Little Lillian Marvin James S. McCracken, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Vince McGinn Mrs. E. F. Menzies 1330 Spruce Street Biological Sciences Dept. California State College 1*312 - 12th Avenue 6226 Rockwell Street Rt. 1, Box 1380 U659 Black Avenue 1063 Warfield Avenue 369 Christina Way 1396" Phillips, #2 1119 Los Olivos Avenue Box 1*086, Caly Poly 5971 Deerfield Road Box 58 6207 Lagunitas 2U3 Kipling Street 2298 Featherhill Road Berkeley Hayward Sacramento Oakland Auburn Pleasanton Oakland San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo Los Osos San Luis Obispo Riverside Gualala El Cerrito Palo Alto Santa Barbara - 16 - Richard A. Miller Mr. & Mrs. Henry W. Rible Mr. & Mrs. Thomas L. Rogers Dr. & Mrs. John K. Sherman Jesma . Smith Donna St. Jean Martin Trow Donna Voorhees Alix Jane Wennekens Rt. 1, Box 7-68 1356 Avalon Street 205 Arboleda Road 1531 Bonita Avenue RFD 3, Box 532 c/o Frontiers of Science P. 0. Box 50V 19 Kensington Court Box 125 kfl Panoramic Highway Nevada City San Luis Obispo Santa Barbara Berkeley Carmel Middletown Kensington. Gualala- Mill Valley DIRECTORS John S. Bryant Nathan Cohen Jenny Fleming August Froge* Lawrence R. Heckard Alice Howard Walter Knight Clyde Robin Wayne Roderick James Roof Wayne Savage Clifford L. Schmidt Carl Sharsmith G. Ledyard Stebbins Fred Tarp Victor C. Wykoff, Jr. Paul Zinke OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN Honorary President...............................................Lester Rowntree President....................................................G. Ledyard Stebbins Vice President....................................................... .James Roof Recording Secretary.................................................Alice Howard Corresponding Secretary.........................................Lawrence Heckard Treasurer...........................................................Wayne Savage Gualala Chapter, President............................................Fred Schuler Monterey Bay Chapter, President..................................Beatrice Howitt Sacramento Valley Chapter, President...........................Albert L. Delisle San Luis Obispo County Chapter, President...........................Louis Wilson Sierra Santa-Monica Chapter, President..........................Helen Funkhouser Area Preservation.....................................................Paul Zinke Chapter Affairs..............................................G. Ledyard Stebbins Education........................................................... .John Bryant Field Trips........................................................Walter Knight Horticultural Advisory................................................James Roof Newsletter Editor..........................................Victor C. Wykoff, Jr. Plant Sale........................................Susan Fruge and Jenny Fleming Publicity.........................................................Kelly Falconer - 17 - Many of you have helped our meabership grow. Keep up the good work - remember, by seeing that this membership blank is used, you give another person the opportunity of joining a selfless, still young venture with a long way to go toward preservation of our native flora. MEMBERSHIP - Check One £7 Individual, $6 [J Family, $8 £j Student, $I».50 [J Life, $250 [~J Supporting, $20 n Sustaining, $50 £j Contributing, $100 £j Patron, $250 [J Donor, $500 Detach and mail application to: CALIFORNIA HATIVE PLANT SOCIETY Membership Application Blank HAME___________________________ .ADDRESS Treasurer CNPS Room 202 2l*90 Channing Way Berkeley California 9^70k CITY, STATE Zip Code Special Interest Chapter Affiliation: Payment of is enclosed. / / Benefactor, $1,000 Dues and contributions are deductible for tax purposes. CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY Room 202, 2^90 Channing Way Berkeley, California ^Ok Address Correction Requested