Plants of the Canadian West Coast – III

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From the shady side

As we are approaching the longest night of the year, it seems appropriate to present few species from the shady side. The characteristic rain forest of the area presents itself as an enchanted place with huge ferns, moss clad tree logs and boulders, and lichens of all sorts and shapes. One could easily imagine how handy rain gear would be if visiting in spring or fall!

Growing on a most beautiful mossy outcrop populated by reindeer lichen, Goodyera, hairy Arctostaphylos and ferns, was Plectritis congesta. Some plants were already with seeds, but a few were still flowering and looked very nice in deep pink on the background of moss covered rocks.

Plectritis congesta, the Sea blush (Fam. Caprifoliaceae), is an annual species, very adaptable to growing conditions and quite variable as height and flower colour.

A species abundant in cool and shaded damp places, was the broad-leaved starflowers – Trientalis latifolia (Fam. Myrsinaceae more recently). The species can be easily distinguished by its very broad leaves, which make the pinkish to white flowers look smaller than they really are. As well, Linnaea borealis was frequent in the same microhabitats.

Trientalis latifolia – all populations found had pink to deep pink flowers, some also presenting extra petals

There would be much more to say and show, but Christmas time is close, so I will end this trip with a few lichen images, so specific for the coastal rainy forest habitats (there are also species growing in full sun locations). Species shown here belong to the Cladonia and Cladina genera (reindeer lichens), but since I’m not a lichen specialist, I will abstain from assigning species names. We can just admire their most beautiful, intricate and delicate patterns.

And a Merry Christmas to all!

 

Plants of the Canadian West Coast – II

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More snow is on the way for us (and bitter cold), but we are hiking on the Sooke Coast trail where there are many flowers ;) Enjoy and more to come…

As I mentioned in part 1, Sedum spathulifolium seems to enjoy the company of many other species: Triteleia/Brodiaea, Allium cernuum, Heuchera micrantha and Pentagramma, to note just a few. The contrast of its bluish rosettes with the violet flowers of Triteleia laxa was particularly exquisite.

Brodiaea coronaria

Triteleia laxa Brodiaea coronaria – corrected thanks to a SRGC forumist, grows from a small, edible corm (Fam. Asparagaceae) and flowers usually after the foliage dies back. Flowers can be light blue to violet, rarely white; especially attractive when growing in groups, with the flowers showing up among the golden, dry foliage.

Another Triteleia species encountered was Triteleia hyacinthina (fool’s onion). The plant can be variable in height (10-40 cm) and has compact umbels of white flowers (sometimes having bluish tints) with green midribs. I don’t know really know if to call this one Brodiaea…

Triteleia hyacinthina

Triteleia hyacinthina close-up

Allium cernuum, the nodding onion, was also found growing nearby and looked very attractive when drooping gracefully over a rock ledge.

Allium cernuum

Taking pictures of Triteleia, I noticed something glittering in the sun down the slope and approaching to see better, I noticed the goldback fern – Pentagramma triangularis. This lovely small sized fern can remain evergreen throughout the year when enough moisture is available.  In full sun and dry conditions, as I found it, it will curl its fronds and reveal the golden spores. I know the picture cannot show the reality of the ‘golden glitter’, but it’s true. What a great little fern for the rock garden!

Pentagramma triangularis – Goldback fern on Sooke Coast Trail

Meandering around beach pockets, the hiking trail enters sometimes into the forest (there is also an option to return through the woods to the trailhead). Majestic Douglas, Tsuga, Sitka spruce and Thuja plicata will accompany the path; it’s only after the bark that you can tell which one is which. A spectacular shrub encountered in large numbers as an understory, was the salal, Gaultheria shallon (Fam. Ericaceae).

Gaultheria shallon – Salal

This is an evergreen shrub, 1,5 m to 3 m tall, which can form very dense thickets. The leathery, thick leaves and the racemes of urn-shaped, white to pink flowers make it for a very handsome shrub. Fruits are purplish-black berries that are said to be sweetish and flavourful. Salal berries were a staple food for the NW coastal First Nations, who use to eat them preserved in oolichan (bear fat – correction thanks to a  sharp eye, oolichan or smelt is a fish – see end of the post for more info), pounded and dried into cakes (kept in woven baskets over the winter). There is also mention of mixing the fruits with salmon eggs to obtain a sweetish dish…

Gaultheria shallon

 

Excerpt
read more here – Eulachon, Oolichan, Candlefish, Hooligan 

“To Native Americans, the return of the eulachon meant the beginning of spring and a renewed food supply, literally saving lives and earning them the name “salvation fish” or “savour fish.”  They were the first fish to arrive in the river after a long cold winter when most of their stored food supplies had been depleted.   Unlike other fish oils, eulachon lipids are solid at room temperature, with the color and consistency of butter.  These fish are almost 20 percent oil by weight, allowing a fine grease to be rendered from their bodies and creating a high-energy food source that could easily be transported and traded with other tribes farther inland.”

 

Plants of the Canadian West Coast

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Sooke Coast Trail – part 1

At this time of year we are in need of sunny/flowery images, so I’ll quit the propagation stories for a while (I am sure some readers got heavily bored ;). Chance made it that I got to visit Victoria (situated on the southern part of Vancouver Island) in late May, but never got to sort through the many pictures; few posts will take care of this now ;)

A short note for those who are not familiar with the region: the southern part of Vancouver Island constitutes the northern growing limit for many species, which are common otherwise on the US west coast down to the Californian coastal mountains. Victoria is considered the mildest city in Canada and enjoys a sub-mediterranean climate (yes you hear me well!) with mild winters (snow is a very rare event), rainy springs and falls and dry summers (hardiness considered, zone 7-8).

The first highly recommended hiking destination, in a short driving distance from Victoria, is the Sooke area. There are a few trails available, which can be done partially or entirely. The Coast Trail in East Sooke Regional Park was particularly impressive (follow link to see map and read more).

view-from-sooke-coast-trail-2

View from Sooke Coast Trail

Excellent views are opening all along the trail, which follows the rocky coast, only with a few passages going deep into the forest (usually to go around a pocket beach). In between taking pictures and stopping to admire the wild, rugged landscape, time flies; I would say that at least two days are necessary to get a good grasp of its beauty.  It is very hard to choose only a few pictures to show.

view-from-sooke-coast-trail

View from Sooke Coast Trail

Plants speaking, the first species that makes you go – WoW! Is the Pacific Madrone – Arbutus menziesii. Any time I encounter in the wild a species previously known only from picture, there is a special feeling, same like meeting a person known previously only from correspondence. I couldn’t shake hands with the Arbutus :) but I was happy to brush my hand over the exquisite cinnamon/red, exfoliating bark.

arbutus-menziesii

Arbutus menziesii on Sooke Coast Trail – Pacific Madrone, Arbutus

Pacific Madrone/Arbutus is an evergreen tree with many other qualities, glossy leaves and creamy clusters of flowers (attracting many pollinators) followed by red fruits; all making for a most beautiful tree. And there is more – the trunk and branches are twisting in various ways, to the point that sometimes they will hug and gracefully slide along the rocks’ contour. Its native range extends from:  SW  Vancouver Island to south Baja California. It is found growing in dry open forests, rocky slopes, on coarse or shallow soils.

arbutus-menziesii-1

Arbutus menziesii

A. menziesii-bark

A. menziesii -flowers

A. menziesii -foliage

Another ‘staple’ species of the region is Sedum spathulifolium – the broadleaf stonecrop. It seems able to grow absolutely everywhere: on moss-layered rocks, decomposed tree trunks, wind blasted rocks in full sun or cascading over shaded boulders. Truly spectacular! Probably half of my pictures contain this Sedum in various plant-associations. I liked it best together with Cladonia or a Cladina sp. (the reindeer moss); the white-silvery, lacy lichen bringing out the beauty of the bluish foliage and the contrasting red stems & yellow flowers.

sedum-spathulifolium-sooke-4

Sedum spathulifolium and reindeer moss on Sooke Coast Trail

sedum-spathulifolium-sooke-3

Sedum spathulifolium 

sedum-spathulifolium-sooke-7

Sedum spathulifolium tumbling over the rocks

This post is getting a bit too long so more to follow…

Test –Viola nephrophylla

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A test post to see if the subscribers notification glitch, kindly ‘provided’ by the last Jetpack update has been fixed.

Yesterday, I found the little, large flowered Viola nephrophylla flowering – autumn denial or maybe just a test as well?

viola-nephrophylla1

Viola nephrophylla – Northern bog violet

This North American Viola, commonly called Northern bog violet, not only that is very easy to grow but also adapts splendid to garden cultivation, in a moist place; you don’t really need to have a bog.

Cuteness alert – Clinopodium arkansanum

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Limestone calamint (syn. Calamintha, Satureja)

 Some may have noticed that I’m in love with little plants; I like them even more when they are fragrant!

The Limestone calamint is a dwarf, extremely aromatic species that I really wanted to have in my seed collections and around my rockery. In Ontario, it can be found growing on the rocky shores of Lake Huron, on temporarily moist, calcareous flats (alvars).

Clinopodium arkansanum flowers

Clinopodium arkansanum – Limestone calamint

The little cutie has large blooms for its size, then fruits which remain enclosed in the calyces. The stems take a nice purple colour contrasting nicely with the lavender flowers. Stepping on them (by mistake of course!) will release an aromatic minty wave into the air; also an ID help when not in flower ;)

Unfortunately, it is very hard to say when the seeds are ‘ready’ and had I failed to collect them in the wild during the past couple of years. 

Fortunately, I managed to collect a few this time!

Too cute not to have it!

Clinopodium arkansanum

Clinopodium arkansanum seeds

American lotus

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Nelumbo lutea

A bit of a surprise – there is a lotus that grows wild in Ontario! It is found only towards the extreme southern part of the province, and according to wiki it was introduced in various regions by the Native Americans who carried it along with them as a food source (the tuber). It is fully hardy to zone 5, as long as the water is deep enough and the roots won’t freeze.

Nelumbo lutea foliage

Nelumbo lutea foliage; yellow flowers in late summer

In warmer regions it is quite a colonizer and also called water-chinquapin. Supposedly, it is the largest native wildflower, at least in wetlands, its leaves reaching more than 60 cm in diameter! The seeds are surely among the largest too!

Nelumbo lutea seeds

Nelumbo lutea seeds – 1 mm grid

I cannot abstain from trying to germinate a couple of these seeds. They need to be scarified or nicked and should germinate in water after +/- 2 weeks. For scarification you can use sandpaper or, for large seeds like these, a file. When scarifying the question is always – how much of the seed coat should be removed? It varies from species to species but the general rule is: ‘less is more’. When done well, the seeds will slightly enlarge in a few days; if not, they can be easily scarified some more.

I am sure everyone knows that lotus seeds can remain viable for several decades, given their extremely hard seed coats, so most probably I didn’t file them enough. My short nails, have gotten even shorter.

UPDATE – July 20, the seedlings were planted :)

Catch me if you can!

It is well known that over millions of years plants have evolved and adapted their seeds dispersal strategies to ensure that their progeny reaches new places where hopefully they will be able to germinate, thrive, and continue the cycle of life.

Yet, every time I witness their ingenious ways of doing so, I wonder and cannot help but express my admiration: explosive capsules, seeds with ‘wings’ and other flying ‘apparatuses’, floating devices, ‘bait’ for ants, rewards for animals, and so on…

A couple of days ago, I captured by chance a Stylophorum diphyllum capsule already opened, with the seeds rolling down:

Stylophorum diphyllum seeds

Stylophorum diphyllum – split capsule

Distracted by the Arisaemas showing up, I almost missed the Helleborus ‘Cherry Blossom’! It’s not enough that the follicles are opening without warning, they also do it gradually.

Helleborus 'Cherry Blossom'

Helleborus ‘Cherry Blossom’

Then, in the woods I managed to collect a few Thalictrum thalictroides seeds (formerly Anemonella); they are still green when ripe, but only a small touch and in an instant the achene cluster will disintegrate between your fingers.

Thalictrum thalictroides seeds

Thalictrum thalictroides cluster of ‘seeds’

There are many other notorious ‘seed defectors’ like: Corydalis, Epimedium, Anemone quinquefolia, Hepatica, Spigelia, Viola spp.…to name just a few.

Catch them if you can :)

 

Hot Corydalis

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It was hot today (felt like 38C!) and I noticed the delicate Rock harlequin (Capnoides sempervirens) flowering. I must say, the colours are just perfect to describe such a fiery day!

Capnoides sempervirens

Capnoides sempervirens

It was sown successively from late winter to spring and older seedlings are the first to start flowering now; a few are still growing up. The key to success with this biennial Corydalis (and also some of the perennials) is to plant it in different spots of the garden and, fingers crossed it will reseed and take care of itself afterwards.

If someone noticed, I call it first Corydalis and then I wrote it as Capnoides. Corydalis spp. used to bear the same name. And then, as it happens, few names have changed. I always hesitate: should I write the older name or the ‘new’ one. Many people will always call them Corydalis (and so do I, privately ;)

To resolve the situation, I made a new category for the seeds shop – Corydalis & all, where they can live happily together…

A perfect – woodland – day

If I leave aside the heat, the endless road constructions/detours and the million mosquitos hungrily awaiting into the woods, yesterday was quite a perfect day. The first seeds of the season were collected and a new, nice Trientalis borealis population has been found.

Really perfect; only that I had to keep reciting Issa’s haiku.

What good luck!
Bitten by
this year's mosquitoes too.

The bright Northern Starflowers (Trientalis), delicate Mitella, the elegant, stylish Medeola, columbines, bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), showy orchids….

Trientalis borealis

Medeola virginiana flower

Geranium maculatum

Mitella diphylla

Mitella diphylla2

Aquilegia canadensis

Cornus canadensis

Cypripedium parvifolium

Thalictrum thalictroides

What good luck!

 

Notes on Hepatica acutiloba

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Anemone acutiloba (DC.) Laws, Sharped-lobed Hepatica (Flora of N. America)

April begins here with a joke, weather wise – we are expecting snow (2016)! Thus, it is a good moment to gather and publish my notes on Hepatica acutiloba (Sharp-lobed hepatica) before it gets busy.The seeds are also starting to germinate, so it cannot be too long till flowering begins.
Funny, today on April 6, 2018 when I’m working revising this, it snowed :)

Hepatica acutiloba is easily distinguished from the only other N American species, H. americana, by having the leaf lobes acute or acuminate, with the middle lobe 70-90% of total blade length; involucral bracts +/- acute (FNA). Sometimes when the lobes are acute it’s a bit more difficult to distinguish it; when in doubt, see the footnote about how to measure the leaves (1).

It is usually found in deciduous beech-maple, oaks forests, on rich soils; spmetimes also in mixed deciduous – coniferous forests. In comparison to H. americana, it is usually found in locations that tend to be slightly wet, at least temporarily. Therefore for cultivation it is a better choice if someone really wants to grow a Hepatica in a moist location. This may be the reason why in the wild it is not often to find  the 2 species growing together, at least not nearby.

The new foliage can be reddish-bronze when emerging, but not always; villous in various degrees (with long, soft hairs). I would grow this species even if just for the foliage, which besides the flowers, constitutes its most notable ornamental quality.

About  fragrance

I read about this for the first time in the excellent article published in AGS Journal (vol. 83 No.3) by Michael Meyers; he writes “some plants have a strong fragrance”. After sniffing every H. acutiloba I encountered in the last years, I can say is true that some forms of H. acutiloba are fragrant; some more than others, some not at all.

A while ago there were 5 recognized forms for H. acutiloba (2). From a taxonomic point of view they are obsolete nowadays, but I think from an ornamental point of view they are important and could be used in breeding since the progeny resulted from seed propagation is uniform. Therefore, the seeds will be offered marked as such.

Flora of NA states that the regular form of Hepatica acutiloba is blue flowered (H. acutiloba fo. acutiloba).

Hepatica acutiloba blue flowered

Hepatica acutiloba blue flowers

However, it seems though that at least in Southwestern Ontario, the white flowered form and slightly pink are predominant for H. acutiloba.

Hepatica acutiloba fo. albiflora Ralph Hoffm. – the leaves can be variable and the flowers white; it is usually quite vigorous in habit. Notice in the gallery second image how large the involucral bracts are – they seem to be green ‘flowers’.
The picture with fruits belongs to the form offered as: H. acutiloba – white/ fragrant, being the most fragrant form from all; the flowers actually have a sheer pink overlay when newly opened.

Hepatica acutiloba – white/fragrant

Hepatica acutiloba fo. albiflora

Hepatica acutiloba fo. albiflora with seeds forming

Hepatica acutiloba fo. rosea Ralph Hoffm.– has pink flowers in various shades, and the leaves can exhibit very nice veined markings.

Hepatica acutiloba fo. rosea

Hepatica acutiloba fo. rosea – foliage

I don’t know if specimens with pink blushed flowers should be included in fo. rosea but I like them very much. Some are light-pink, others have white flowers with just a dab of pink mixed in. Probably an acquired taste…

Hepatica acutiloba pink blushed

Hepatica acutiloba pink blushed

Hepatica acutiloba fo. diversiloba Raymond – has leaves with 5-7 lobes instead of the usual 3, hence the name. The character is not always consistent and often on the same plant both 3-lobed and 5-7-lobed leaves are present. Young seedlings may not display the character for the first 1-2 years.

I only encountered this form with white or slightly pink flowers. The leaves can also develop beautiful veined markings. In the first image of a cultivated plant, the foliage is interestingly marbled instead of having marked veins.

Hepatica acutiloba fo. diversiloba

Hepatica acutiloba fo. diversiloba

One nice clump was found with blue flowers, but it seems to be an intermediate form (hybrid?) in fact. The leaves are in that borderline area between acutiloba/americana (read more about intermediate forms). Also, some of the flowers seem to be sterile.

The last form is Hepatica acutiloba fo. plena Fernald; I know it is somewhere out there in the woods, quietly waiting to be found…I have seen reports of double flowers from the Ottawa area and also from a locality in US.

About the intermediate forms between H. americana and H. acutiloba

It is not very often that they are found growing together, but when they are, things became complicated; better said wonderfully complicated.
Quote from Flora of Michigan: “When the two hepaticas do grow together, intermediate leaf shapes are only rarely found, although what they mean has not been fully investigated”.

I only agree with the last part; it hasn’t been investigated and hybrids are not recognized at the moment. As for the statement “intermediate leaf shapes are only rarely found” – well, anyone spending more time in the woods would disagree with it.

I will include here the form offered last year as Hepatica acutiloba – lavender. The leaves are borderline between acutiloba/americana; however, they tend more towards the first one so it is offered as such.

Hepatica acutiloba- lavender

 (1) For the ID of H. acutiloba using measurements of the leaves follow this guideline:  “Proportions given in the key for the middle lobe of the leaf are calculated by measuring the lobe (from the apex to a line connecting the bases of the sinuses on each side) and the total length of the blade (apex to the summit of the unexpanded petiole). In the case of ambiguous measurements, check more than one leaf on a plant” – Flora of Michigan.

 (2) Tropicos – see references for the publications of the H. acutiloba forms.

Hepatica acutiloba - leaf measuring

Typical leaves of Hepatica acutiloba

 

Belle of the ball – Calycanthus

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I am known to be on the lookout for promising ballerinas (see Arisaema and Primula –rina)… This year my eyes were drawn by the Carolina allspice seedlings. Surely there is great promise; I just don’t know if in the ballet because after the first stage the twirled cotyledons have rapidly put on some weight ;) but there are other genres to try out…

The belle of the ball in the germinatrix: Calycanthus floridus seedlings with convoluted cotyledons (which are rarely seen in other species):

Calycanthus floridus seedlings

Calycanthus floridus convoluted cotyledons

Calycanthus floridus with first true leaves

Calycanthus floridus seedlings with the first true leaves

This is an excerpt from the shop about Carolina allspice and I have nothing else to add:
“Calycanthus floridus is a deciduous shrub with glossy, aromatic foliage that can grow to about 3-4 m high, and the same or more in width. Remarkable when in flower; it has fragrant, red-wine coloured, and many petaled flowers that look a bit like Magnolia flowers; very attractive for pollinators too.
It is a very adaptable shrub that can grow from sun to shade, in almost any type of soil, and is very resistant to pests. A really trouble-free shrub for any garden; on my list of ‘to do it for myself”…

Done!

Calycanthus floridus seeds - nicked and soaked before to sowing

Calycanthus floridus seeds – nicked and soaked prior to sowing

Unforgettable 2015 – Trillium grandiflorum

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Part 2
For May and June I had to do a shortlist to keep it short. Most notable was the finding of unusual forms of green Trilliums, as well as many pink forms. The reddish flower in the pictures is a fading pink form (T. grandiflorum fo. roseum Farwell).

Trillium grandiflorum green variant#3
T. grandiflorum fo. roseum

And not just the colour variation was remarkable but also the variation in petals shape and size! A form with particularly narrow, long pointed petals attracted my attention, as did a truly gigantesque white specimen.

T. grandiflorum fo. roseum - narrow petals
T. grandiflorum - gigantic form

A most beautiful form of Hepatica americana with extra petals also made the shortlist:

Hepatica americana -2015

From the cultivated plants: the first flower of Gentiana clusii var. rochelii, seen above in the featured image, and the flowering of the neglected Dactylorhiza alpestris, from my Little plants series.

Dactylorhiza alpestris close up