Volume 25, Number 3 Published by the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BOTANICAL GARDEN at Berkeley Summer 2000

Library Named for Myrtle Wolf

Everyone here at the Botanical Garden is thrilled to haveheard recently that the University approved our proposal

to name the new botanical and horticultural reference libraryat the University of California Botanical Garden in honor ofMyrtle Wolf.

Myrtle Wolf ’s association with the Garden is both multi-faceted and enduring. She has been associated with theGarden through active participation in a multitude of volun-teer activities. These range from regular Garden weeding for-ays with Wayne Roderick and propagating plants in all of thepropagation departments for the plant sales soon after theplant sales were begun, to being an enthusiastic member ofthe original Board of the Friends of the Botanical Garden.

Myrtle Wolf ’s association with the Garden however, goeswell beyond these activities of working for and in theGarden, as she has known the Garden both at its original siteon campus and since its move to the Strawberry Canyon inthe 1930’s. She gives lively accounts of what the Garden sitewas like as a dairy farm, having ridden horses through thecanyon as a young girl.

While Myrtle’s PhD. is in Psychology, she also completeda Master’s degree in Botany at Cal. Her visits here as a Botanystudent reinforced her love for the Garden. The subject ofher thesis was the development of a botany curriculum forelementary schoolchildren. This later became the basis for the“Grocery Store Botany” unit still taught by our docents inlocal schools. She is a leading expert on California nativeplants and wrote a well-respected book about them. Myrtle’svast botanical knowledge benefits both the Garden and theCalifornian Native Plant Society.

Upon hearing of our plan to develop a building to houseour library, (our collection of botanical and horticultural reference books is currently in bookcases distributed aroundGarden offices) Myrtle enthusiastically supported the idea.Myrtle believes, as we do, that allowing access to everyoneneeding expert scientific and botanical direction is impera-tive. As she says, “the important thing is to educate people

about the joys of the botanical world.” The library will servenot only the immediate Garden community of horticultur-ists, staff, volunteers and members, but very importantly, it will also be available to the University students andresearchers using the Garden, and the East Bay community.

The devoted affection which Myrtle holds for the Gardenis held in turn for her by all associated with the Garden—staff, academics and volunteers alike. Never could the nam-ing of a building at the University of California BotanicalGarden be more appropriate than this opportunity to honora human “living treasure” of the Garden, one of our mostbeloved friends and staunchest supporters.

Please join us in developing a first class library for theGarden by contributing to the library Fund using the enve-lope in this issue, or, by contacting the Development Office.

BU N I V E R S I T Y o f C A L I F O R N I A

OTANICALGARDEN

Honored and celebrated by the Friends of the UCBG in 1990, Myrtle happily poses here with Jim Jones, honoree of the year in 1991.

Photos

byGlad

ysEa

ton

2 University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley

This summer the Gardenis ringing with thesounds of construction!In no small part, this isdue to the vision of twokey staff members wholeft the Garden thisspring. Garden managerDavid Brunner andBusiness Manager ElaineMeckenstock have takennew positions, but theirefforts have brought usover $3 million in finan-cial commitments fromthe University and over$1 million in donations.With these revenues, wehave begun to not only repair the Garden’s decaying infra-structure, but also to develop new facilities for scholarlyresearch and education in plant conservation.

Construction started at the end of May with the long-awaited utility upgrade, which will provide a much-neededboost in electrical service throughout the Garden. It will alsoeliminate unsightly utility lines by moving all utilities under-ground. As the trenches were dug, the Garden took on theeerie appearance of a heart surgery patient on the operatingtable. However, workmen soon laid the conduit and closed

DIRECTOR’S COLUMNmost wounds. In time, likeplastic surgeons, our out-standing horticulturists willremove any vestiges of scartissue.

For now, open earth-work remains only in thearea above the kiosk, thesite of our new electricalsubstation. Trenching will,however, soon move acrossCentennial Drive to pro-vide utility services for ournew plant conservationresearch complex on thewest side of CentennialDrive.

Initiating the utilityupgrade has been somewhat like removing the key log froma logjam. Now, other projects will surge forward. On thewest side of Centennial Drive, we will construct the green-house for temporary care of the Cactus and SucculentCollection. Then, in August, construction of a replacementfor the Desert/Rainforest Greenhouse is scheduled to begin.

With last year’s renovation of a utility shed into theMaintenance Shop, the way was prepared to renovate theBarn to serve as a new Staff Room for horticulturists. Thesechanges, in turn, will clear the way to turn the old StaffRoom into the new Myrtle Wolf Library.

In July, on the west side of Centennial Drive, we willstart construction of the new UC Botanical Garden’s Centerfor the Study of Plant Conservation. With a $1.1 millionbequest from the estate of Dr. Jane Gray, we will also beginfinal planning for the 4,000 square foot Jane Gray ResearchGreenhouse. This greenhouse will complement the Jane GrayResearch Laboratories at the Garden’s Center for the Studyof Plant Conservation.

Lest the Garden itself should seem forgotten, RobFerber’s generous contribution (more on this next issue) willfacilitate the renovation of part of Africa Hill; this will alsoadd an educational component that focuses on the conserva-tion needs of South African bulbs and succulents. Whilereflecting the Garden’s expanded commitment to plant con-servation, this project also demonstrates how we will be taking advantage of our outstanding collections to lead aninternational effort in conserving Mediterranean climateecosystems. In its 110th year, the Garden is indeed surginginto the new century with renewed vigor and focus.

—Ellen Simms, Director

In the Corporate Yard, Grounds Maintenance Worker Gerald Ford surveys one of thetrenching sites in the Garden’s electrical upgrade.

Photo

by P

eter Kle

ment

NEW DOCENT TRAININGJoin our select group of nature inter-preters. Learn about botany, ecology, plant

evolution, plant geography, and ethnobotany,and then learn how to share what youknow with others! Primary qualificationsare enthusiasm and liking people. We’llteach you everything you need to know inthis 18-week class!

Training begins

September 11 at 1 pm

Fee: $110

Summer 2000 3

EDUCATION AT THE GARDENInterpreting the Garden’s collections to diverse audiences

continues as the focus of our Education Program withdocent tours forming the mainstay of our effort. Throughthe dedication of more than 100 knowledgeable, enthusiasticdocents, the Garden’s tours reach 8,500 students and visitors,including Cal students, Bay Area students from kindergartenthrough 12th grade, and senior groups. Additionally, profes-sors from dozens of local colleges, universities and life-longlearning programs bring their students to the Garden. For allages, the Garden serves as a major venue for learning aboutbasic botany, conservation, ethnobotany, ecology, and plantevolution.

In order to remain up-to-date, we annually select tours tooverhaul, then revitalize them with new content, activitiesand props. This year, we added to the California Natives:Plants and People tour six dynamic activity stations focusingon food, shelter, games, and tools for living. We also

revamped the California Habitats tour with new props andobservational tools.

In this process, we work closely with faculty and otherexperts. For example, Dr. Thomas Carlson, a medical eth-nobotanist associated with the UC Herbaria, recently pre-sented a fascinating Docent Enrichment program on theGarden’s medicinal plants. He is following up this summerby conducting two evening walks with docents, in which hewill identify additional plants to include in tours. This fall,we expect to develop a new “rainy-day” tour, based on a pro-gram, which features the medicinal uses of plants in theTropical House.

The stories of plants in the Garden are bountiful. I hopeyou will take advantage of learning some of them throughour rich and diverse docent tour program!

— Dr. Jennifer Meux White

NEW BOOKS

THE EXPLORER’S GARDEN: Rareand Unusual Perennials by Daniel J.Hinkley, foreword by Roy Lancaster.Timber Press, Portland, OR: 1999.Color photos, color map. 380 pages,$39.95.

The thrill of discovering newplants and sharing them with others isat the heart of The Explorer’s Gardenby Dan Hinkley, one of America’s fore-most horticulturists and garden writ-ers. A teacher, nurseryman, and sea-soned plant explorer, Hinkley shareswith his readers many plants new tocultivation that he found in remote

areas of Asia, as well as gems discov-ered in gardens and wilds in both thiscountry and abroad.

Like Hinkley’s voluminousHeronswood Nursery Catalog, thisbook, written with inimitable styleand wit, comprises a virtual candystore for collectors and plant addicts.What plant lover can resist the seduc-tive diminutive Asian hepaticas, or thebizarre flowers of rare Himalayanarisaemas? Or how about the absolute-ly amazing patterned and variegatedleaves of the Chinese Podophyllumspecies?

Sadly, many of these plants favorthe cool moist maritime climate of thePacific Northwest where Hinkley gar-dens or the hot, humid summers ofthe East and Midwest and are notsuitable for large scale plantings in theBay Area’s drier Mediterranean cli-mate. Most of us cannot, however,resist at least a few of these rarities—ifyou have a shady stream-side habitat

like the Asian Area at the BotanicalGarden, so much the better!

In the introduction, Hinkleybriefly addresses an issue pertinent tothe work of botanical gardens as wellas private plant explorers. The words“plant exploration”, he writes, “con-jure scenes of exotic locations whileprovoking questions about ethics andecology.”

Reassuringly, he also writes that“(a) consciousness concerning theneed to care for our planet is nowgreater than ever before... (and) we allmust garden and collect plants withan understanding of the complexitiesof the global ecosystem.”

Whether you have experienced theexcitement of discovering new plantsin far away lands, in the foothills andSierra, or just in your neighborhoodor local nursery, this book with its finephotographs and entertaining prosewill not fail to delight and inform.

—Larry Lee

University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley4

Francisco, an entire room was devot-ed to her work. Sometimes anexhibit juxtaposed Chiura’s paintingsand Haruko’s flower arrangements,showing how they complementedeach other. Throughout their lifetogether, the Obatas both were influ-ential artists and teachers, helping topromote and expand the under-standing of Japanese arts, alwaysconsciously making an effort to fos-ter communication between Eastand West. Even during the Japaneseinternment of World War ll in thecamps, they organized art schoolswhich helped sustain people’s spiritsduring this devastating period.

Setting up the lantern was most-ly the work of Shigeru Namba, thestone mason from Osaka who builtthe retaining walls around theJapanese gate. Myrtle Wolf refers tohim as “a magician”. He helped uson his day off, driving all the wayfrom Woodside with his wife,Sakiko, and two year old daughter.

He brought a tripod, chains and a hoist to lift the roof of thelantern. After leveling the base, Shigeru, with the gardeners’help, proceeded to assemble the other pieces, much to every-one’s pleasure.

The following month, a special dedication was held bythe Obata family in the Garden. During the ceremony, fami-

Sakiko and Shigeru Namba setting the lantern’s base

HHaruko’s Moonlight

On the rainy Saturday inFebruary when the Garden’s “new”Japanese lantern was installed, themoon just happened to be in thesame phase as that depicted on thelantern’s firebox. The lantern is ded-icated to Haruko Obata, a respectedteacher of Ikebana, the art of tradi-tional Japanese flower arranging.She was married to Chiura Obata,an influential artist and UCBerkeley instructor. The lunar con-junction seems poetic because themoon was a recurring theme in herhusband’s work.

The lantern was carved fromgranite about 150 years ago inJapan and brought here from themountains southwest of Kyoto. It isin the Kasuga style, named for theShinto shrine at Nara, where theapproach to the main shrine islined with as many as 3,000 similarlanterns. Used to light a path, theseare lighted twice a year, once onthe night of the Setsuban festivalcelebrated on the lunar year’s last day of winter. The nameKasuga probably evolved from the deer which are consideredto be messengers of the gods at this shrine. On one side ofthe firebox a deer is carved, and a gardener remarked, “That’sthe only deer that will be allowed in the Garden!”

The lantern’s donors, Mary and Richard Schroter, werehappy to honor Haruko. Born in Fukuoka in northernKyushu in 1892, Haruko Kohashi began the study ofIkebana when she was 9 years old. She came to the UnitedStates in 1910 at the age of 17, initially to study English andwestern sewing, with the intention of returning to Japan toteach. Instead, she and Chiura met in San Francisco and weremarried in 1912. Beginning in 1932, Chiura taught art atBerkeley. Haruko held classes in Ikebana during the day, thencame home to prepare dinner for her family. Often, she thenstayed up into the night to help Chiura with his painting.She assisted him by grinding ink for the sumi paintings andcleaning the brushes. So, for the large paintings whichrequired copious amounts of ink, by her own admission, shedid half the work!

Haruko’s own art was ephemeral, like aspects of thenature it evoked, but its beauty drew a large, appreciativeaudience. At the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition in San

The moon shining from inside the lantern’s firebox.Ha

ruko

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Summer 2000 5

ly members, friends and former students of Haruko’s readexcerpts from the oral history taken by Kimi Kodani Hill,when her grandmother was 94. Then a procession led byKimi’s father and Myrtle Wolf led the way to the lantern.Because Chiura had painted extensively in Yosemite, theObata family brought water from the Merced River for apurification ceremony. Everyone took turns pouring thewater over the lantern with a bamboo ladle.

The landscape architect who made the initial bequest fora Japanese gate in honor of the Obatas, Geraldine KnightScott, had been a student of Chiura’s as well as a familyfriend. Mary Schroter also had taken art classes from him.Ron Herman, the landscape architect who found and pur-chased the lantern in Japan, had been a student of Geraldine.Myrtle Wolf, a friend of Geraldine and the Obatas, had takenIkebana classes from Haruko. All of these people have alsobeen connected with the Botanical Garden over the years.Haruko and her granddaughter Kimi came for walks in theGarden until the mid 1980’s. Haruko passed away in 1989.

Our Japanese lantern is dedicated to Haruko Obata, forholding up at least half the sky!

The biographical information in this article is from Haruko

Obata’s Oral History and the newly published book, Topaz Moon,

by Kimi Kodani Hill, Heyday Books. For further information see

Obata’s Yosemite, published by the Yosemite Association in 1993.

There will be an exhibit of Chiura Obata’s paintings at the

DeYoung Museum this fall, October through December 2000.

From left, The Obatas’ son Gyo Obata and daughter Yuri Kodani;Haruko’s former students Kuwako Takahashi, Pearl Kimura (reading),and Hiro Fujii; and Myrtle Wolf

A glorious day, wonderful wines, delectable foods,marvelous music, a truly amiable and happy group ofattendees…what more could an event need?

A very beautiful Garden—that’s what made it so special!

Many thanks to all of you who attended and support-ed our 110th Anniversary celebration, the "Great Grapesand Old Roses" Garden Party—it was a great success.The Garden Party involved a lot of hard work on thepart of the volunteer program committee and staff, many,many thanks to everyone involved. We especially thankour event sponsors, without whose generosity we wouldhave had no event!

A.G. Ferrari Foods Acme Bread Co Ajanta RestaurantAnna’s Place Bacheeso European Gourmet DeliBianco’s CateringThe Bread Garden Built EnvironmentChristopher’s CafeCoastcomFetzer VineyardsPeter Franus Wine CompanyGallo of Sonoma WinesGreen Acres Gardening,

Maintenance and Landscaping Co.

Su JacobsenKensington BistroNancy Markell—

Taltarni VineyardsMuller Family FoundationNavarro VineyardsMasse’s PastriesPeet’s Tea & CoffeeQuorum VentorumRick & Ann’s CaféSan Francisco

Rose SocietySkates by the BayStorybook MountainVineyardsToot SweetsVintage GardensWhitford Cellars

A Glorious Garden Party

At the Garden Party: TOP,

Director Ellen Simms and

Volunteer Coordinator Nancy

Swearengen; ABOVE, volunteers

Greg Govan and Ervin Hafter,

pour wine for tasting; BELOW,

guests line up for wonderful

Anniversary cake.

Garden

party

photos

byPa

tHatch

University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley6

GARDEN NOTESWILDFLOWERS GALORE... In concert with the

California Native Plant Society, the Jepson Herbarium, theNatural Science Guild, and the Oakland Museum, the UCBotanical Garden annually co-sponsors the Wildflower Showat the Oakland Museum. Curator Holly Forbes andCuratorial Assistant Barbara Keller were one of four teamswho collected wildflowers throughout northern California todisplay at this show. If you missed it, mark it on your calen-dar for next year’s Mother’s Day weekend.

OFFICIAL VISITORS... In recent months, the Gardenhosted visitors from the China and the Philippines. HeFangchuan, Vice President of Peking University, led a groupof sixteen visitors, who toured all educational and supportunits within UC Berkeley. The group toured the Garden onMarch 13th as part of a visit to the museums overseen by theOffice of the Vice Chancellor for Research. Dr. DomingoMadulid and Ms. Maribel Agoo of the National Museum ofthe Philippines toured the Garden on June 15th gatheringinformation in order to help develop a national botanical garden in the Philippines.

PLANT SALE...The Garden’s annual cycle of plant salesbrings together many volunteers in the Garden. The Spring2000 Sale was no exception. Our Volunteer Propagators out-did themselves in providing a splendid array of plants. Oneof the last duties of former Horticulture Manager, DavidBrunner was to join forces with Horticulturist, Larry Leeand Volunteer Propagator, Lee Anderson to produce a livelySilent Auction at the members-only Friday Preview Sale.Both then and on Saturday, docents and Garden Shop vol-unteers helped with the cashiering. All contributed to a high-ly successful sale that brought in $20,000.

CONSERVATION...Curator Holly Forbes was recog-nized on behalf of the Garden during a dedication ceremonyon April 28th for the new Amsinckia grandiflora Reserve onLawrence Livermore National Laboratory property. Secretaryof Energy Bill Richardson was present for the event, duringwhich he signed a memorandum of understanding with rep-resentatives from the California Department of Fish & Gameand the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The 160 acre reservesupports several ecological zones, more than 300 species ofplants, and 95 species of birds, reptiles and amphibians.Through our participation as a member of the nationalCenter for Plant Conservation, the Garden helped to facili-tate species recovery efforts for the large-flowered fiddleneck(Amsinckia grandiflora) which is listed as endangered bothfederally and by the state.

WISH LISTAs there are no telephones in the corporate yardit can be very difficult for the kiosk staff to reachthe horticulturist on duty, especially at week-ends. If there were an emergency this could be acrucial problem. For this reason our wish listrequest this issue is for contributions toward aset of walkie talkies. This equipment wouldallow instant communication between the gatestaff and horticultural staff. Of course, there aremany potential uses for the walkie-talkies: spe-cial events, summer camp and tour coordinationto name a few. They would be put to good use!If you are interested in helping us acquire a pairof walkie talkies please call Janet Williams in theDevelopment Office at 510-643-2937.

A FALLEN TREE... During the night of June 16th halfof the old Italian Stone Pine, Pinus pinea, sheared away fromitself and fell into the Japanese Pool, taking the beautifulJapanese maple with it, and crushing several things directlyunderneath it. Now that the devastated scene has beencleared up we can see that many changes will result from theloss of the tree. The character of the Japanese Pool will cer-

tainly be altered for along time to come,but it will eventuallyacquire a new charac-ter, probably evenmore lovely thanbefore. Those of youwho mourn the lossof the stately StonePine can follow thedevelopment of thesmall Stone Pinesrecently planted outin their correctGarden region, theMediterranean sec-tion, near the top ofthe Garden.Ph

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Summer 2000 7

Gardening Tips

Colors

� At Texas A & M, the Beta Sweet Carrot has been devel-oped. Maroon on the outside and and bright orange in thecenter, it has a crisp texture and sugary flavor. It containsanthocyanins (which contain antioxidants) and 50% morebeta-carotene (also an anti-oxidant) than garden carrots. TheBeta Sweet resulted from carrots which, native to the moun-tains of South America, were brought back and used in abreeding program for a number of years. Interestingly, one ofthe school’s colors also is maroon; according to a report, thisprompted the research. Fresh Cut, April, 1999: 30, 32.

� Plant breeders in Texas have been working on the stateflower and now, in addition to the blue blue bonnets, havemaroon ones (Texas Aggie fans like that), and also flowers ofpink, lavender and white. Horticulture 97 (1): 16, 18. (Thereare complaints about hybridists breeding different colors intothe California poppy. Maybe this will happen in Texas.)

� New ornithogalums called the New Chesapeake Series will,if grown indoors, bloom 4 times a year. They come in white,bright yellow, dark orange and vibrant orange. NationalGardening 23 (5): 30.

� Dwarf varieties of ornamental peanuts with nice yellowflowers are available in the Southeast; they make are goodground covers. California Nurseryman 7 (1): 27.

Corn

� The corn growers with whom the Frito Lay Companycontracts for special cultivars of yellow and white corn forsnack food processing have been advised not to plant anygenetically modified cultivars this season. The companyprocesses 22 million bushels of corn a year. Farm Journal,Mid-February 2000: 33.

� Biodegradable “eco-form” peanuts, made entirely fromcorn are now available for packaging. Once they get wet, theydissolve into a dilute cornstarch solution which is completelybiodegradable to carbon dioxide and water by micro-organ-isms. Cornell Plantation, Spring 1999: 7.

And One-Up on Rose Disease

� The American Gardener May/June 1999:11 lists selecteddisease-resistant roses. Those resistant to Black Spot include:‘Altissimo’*, ‘Ballerina’,* ‘Gold Medal’*, ‘Henry Kelsey’, and‘Sunsprite’. Those listed in the category Insect and DiseaseResistant include: ‘Bredon’, ‘David Thompson’,‘Dortmund’*, ‘Fragrant Cloud’, ‘Graham Thomas’, ‘Mr.Lincoln’, ‘New Dawn’, ‘Pacesetter’, and ‘William Baffin’. Inthe category Mildew and Black Spot Resistant: ‘Etoile deHolland’*, ‘Frontenac’ and ‘Thereise Bugnet’. Under the cat-egory of Disease Resistant: ‘Old Master’, ‘Peace’, ‘ScarletMeidiland’, ‘Starina’, ‘Sweet Inspiration’, ‘The Fairy’*, and‘White Meidiland’.

* The starred cultivars are reliable performers in the EastBay. Depending on conditions in your garden, others may alsogrow in good health.

— Dr. Robert D. Raabe

The Perils of Plant PronunciationAccording to an article in Horticulture 97 (1),

these plants are frequently mispronounced:

Achillea a kill EE a not a KILL ee a.Ageratum a JUR a tum not aj uer A tumAnemone an eh MONE ee not a NEM o neeAsarum ASS a rum not a SAH rumBrunnera brunn EER a not BRUNN er aCotinus KOTT i nus not koh TINE usEchinops eh KINE ops not EK i nopsErica eh RIKE a not AIR i kaLavatera la VATT er a not lav a TEER aOxalis OX a lis not ox AL isPenstemon pen STEE mon not PEN stih munPolygonatum pol ee GON a tum not pol ee gon ATE um Rheum REE um not ROOMSaxifraga sax IFF re ga not sax if FRAH gaViola VYE o la not vie OH la

A Time to Smell the Roses...

On a spectacular day in mid-May, 44 Garden membersboarded a deluxe coach and traveled to Sonoma County totour a pair of private gardens, each of which features roses.Group members reveled in the colors and fragrances of onegarden, in which the roses are planted together according totype. At the other, they marveled at the wide range of com-panion plantings chosen to enhance individual roses.

Everyone enjoyed a champagne luncheon at the KorbelWinery, and a tour of their private garden, as well. The daywas capped off by a shopping stop at Vintage Gardens inSebastopol, where enthusiastic plant buyers succeeded in fill-ing the luggage bins of the bus! All agreed it was a great day.If you weren’t with us, be sure you don’t miss the next tour!

8 University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley

A Fine Four!Twenty-Five Years of ServiceTo the Garden

This year, the Garden is honoring four volunteerswho are celebrating 25 years of service to the Garden!They are Iris Gaddis, Nancy Markell, Mary Pierpontand Mary Schroter. All four started out in the DocentClass of 1975, but as volunteer opportunities expand-ed, three of the four branched out into other activities.

Iris Gaddis and Mary Schroter have becometremendously prolific and knowledgeable propagators.Nancy Markell has done just about everything in theGarden—from docent scheduling and training to vol-unteering in the Garden Shop and assisting Elly Badewith ordering books. Mary Pierpont has remained asteadfast and creative docent. A co-founder of GroceryStore Botany, she is also a major resource on CaliforniaIndian uses of native plants.

The seasonal luncheons of the various volunteergroups honored this year’s 25-year veterans. In addi-tion, Director Ellen Simms hosted a luncheon forthem.

Created by Eleanor Crary four yearsago, continued under the leadership ofLaura Wilt, and now Lee Hafter, Mother’sDay Tea has become a very popular annualevent at the Garden. This year, at each of thethree capacity seatings, our guests enjoyedtea, dainty sandwiches and myriad sweettreats. Our guests heard springtime madri-gals performed by the Cragmont Camarataand enjoyed a diverse display of Californiawildflowers provided by Curator HollyForbes and Curatorial Assistant BarbaraKeller.

Taking a breather after hosting the Garden’s Mother’s Day Tea…From left, PatSmith, Ramona Davis, Chair Lee Hafter, Elaine Chernoff, and Claude Babcock

Photoby

DianeKothe

A Growing Tradition: The Garden’s Mothers Day Tea

Garden members are spellbound as one of our Rose Tour hosts explainsher gardening philosophy.

PhotobyNa

ncySw

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Summer 2000 9

Recognition Contributions received from 2/14/2000 up to and including 6/19/2000.

In any week, the Garden may receive dozens of new plantaccessions, yet few are delivered personally. Amborella tri-chopoda did, however, arrive in the safe keeping of Brett Hall,Assistant Director for Horticultural Operations at theUC Santa Cruz Arboretum. This small specimentells a story of dedicated plant collecting-and nur-ture-that eventually yields significant scientificknowledge.

Amborella entered the collection of the UCSanta Cruz Arboretum in 1975, thanks to two studentsTodd and Virginia Keeler-Wolf. Working under the direc-tion of Ray Collett, who believed it important to collectplants from lesser known genera, the students foundAmborella plants in the misty mountains of New Caledonia.Transported to California, these tropical plants required con-siderable nurture to survive in a cooler, drier climate.Enclosed in make-shift plastic tents, they were misted everyfew hours for several months. Survive these plants did andso did other Amborellas which germinated from NewCaledonian seeds, and grew into woody evergreen shrubs.

Even in the early years, as it acclimated to California,Amborella was noteworthy as a member of a group of plantsknown as basal angiosperms. Though not eye-catching,Amborella’s flowers exude a nighttime perfume very attractiveto moths, which pollinate it. Unlike the most familiarangiosperms, the carpel in which its seeds then mature doesnot grow closed like a peapod. Instead, the lips of the

New MembersThe Garden welcomes the following new members:Arlin Aasness and Philip YoungholmMr. Aruna AbeygoonesekeraMs. Susan AdlerDr. Dorothy AgglerMs. Margaret AlafiEleanor and Carlo AndersonMs. Shiela AppleyardMs. Nancy BaileyTamara Baltar and Claire ZukinRube BandihaiRichard and Barbara BarlowMr. Billy BarrettMs. Maya BatchelorLeslie BatzMs. Carolyn BeckMs. Lucinda BenderMrs. Noreen BendettiWilliam Bennett and Margaret Lynch

James Berger and Marian FeldmanRoey BermanMs. Diane BirchellMs. Paula BiwerMs. Nancy BlackstockDr. John BodlePatricia and A. N. BrooksMrs. Caroline BoothMr. Martin BovillChava BoyarinMs. Martha BreedMs. Sandra BrodDr. Joseph ByrneMs. Evelyn CalinogMs. Susan CampbellJohn and Kati CasidaMs. Judith CayotMs. Deborah CelleMr. Max ChandlerIrene Chriss and Catherine BrousseMs. Patricia CoffeyMr. Howard Cohen

Rose and Robert CraigMs. Natalie CremerMs. Patricia DanielsMr. Lynden DavisStephen Dell and Julia WalshMr. Walter DennMs. Rene Di RosaMs. Beverly DobsonMs. Joanne DoiMs. Caryn DombroskiJohn and Margaret DouglasMr. Jean DriscollMs. Patricia DrisollMs. Zella DutraMr. Bill EckesMs. Anna EdmondKathleen Eldridge and Tim MoultonMr. Vincente ElmgrenMr. Timothy EvansV. FahnestockMrs. Katherine Farnan

Amborella’s carpel are sealedwith a liquid, making it diffi-cult for its seeds to travel a

significant distance. Thisunclosed carpel readily earned

Amborella the label “primitive”. Advances in molecular biology

have enabled Amborella to fillin part of the unfolding storyof angiosperm evolution. As

Chris Carmichael, the Garden’sManager of Collections and Horticulture, explains, “Com-parative genetic and morphological analysis of angiospermshas recently shown that Amborella trichopoda is the closest living representative of Earth’s first flowering plants.” In thegrand tree scheme of plant evolution, Amborella is a survivorthat stands alone in a lineage.

As this species continues its long journey from the moun-tains of New Caledonia, one plant is now in the care ofGarden Propagator John Domzalski. Due to the specializedgrowing conditions Amborella requires, it is unlikely to beavailable for public viewing in the near future. With this newaccession, however, the Garden fulfills two key aspects of itsmission: conserving a rare plant and ultimately enablingresearchers to continue studying the process of angiospermevolution.

— Marilyn Setterfield

Celebrating 110 Years of Growth: From New Caledonia to the Garden

Illustr

ation

by

Jenny W

ardrip

Amborella trichopoda

University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley10

Ms. Judi FatesMr. Harvey FeldMs. Margaret FilbyJean FleuryAngela and Richard FordHelen Frevel and Adnan SharkiahMiss Kaiye FungMr. Michael GallagherMs. Phyllis GarrettLesley Gasparetti and Bill RibarMs. Lillian GendlerMarion Gillen and Linda EdelsteinMr. Rudolf GlauserDiane and David Goldsmith,

Square Moon ProductionsHerbert and Susanna GoodmanMs. Florenzi GrantMrs. Dale GreeneMs. Denise GregoryThomas and Gretchen GriswoldMs. Vera GrosowskyMr. Harold HanhamMr. Daniel HasslerMs. Kristen HawkinsonBarbara and Donald HayMs. Mary HeffronMs. Amelia Hernandez RachellePaul and Elza HessMr. Jerry HeverlyMs. Ernestine HillIndia HillDeborah Hill and Forest WeldHillside Gardeners ClubMs. Shannan HobbsMr. Jim HobsonMs. Ling Chian HorngPei-Ling Huang and Daniel ChenDr. Sarbjit Hundal, M.D.Rosemary Hyde and Ellen ScheinerNaki and Robert IrvinMs. Theodora JasterMs. Kelly JennetteMs. Lucy JohnJerome Jullien-Cornic,

Quinta Botanica, Cacela VechaKatie Keller and Mohsen PourmikailMr. & Mrs. Alec KerosoPeter Kessler and Monica McHenneyMr. Stephen KirkishAmy Kivel and Jim FloydMs. Lynda Knaak-MacArthurMs. Patricia KojimaPat Kramer

Ms. Sharon KrauseMarie Kubin Ph.D.John Kunze and Mary SylviaMs. Holly LarsenPeter Lau and Susanne LinkMs. Sally LawsonMs. Yuk Wor LeeMs. Janice LeiserMr. Roger LeventhalMurray Levine, Ph.D.Vernard Lewis and Lisa KalaMs. Mary LombardoMs. Stephanie LoveGary Mack and Heike BettenworthMr. Bob MannabergAndrew Mariani and Nancy GoebnerJanet Mark and Terry GeiserChristopher Martin and Kimberley CrossMr. John Martin,

John Martin LandscapingMs. Kathleen MastonMs. Mary MatejicekMs. Phillis MayPamela and Thomas McCauleyDonald McIlraith Mr. W. McIntyreMs. Mary MikkelsonMs. Ann MillerMs. Carolyn MiniMr. Milton MobleyMs. Wendy MoorhouseMs. Rose MorellJ. MorrisMr. Harry NeumanMs. Nancy NicholsonBob Nutter and Diane BondMs. Sally O’ConnellMeg and David OwenEvelyn and Frank OwensMs. Karlene PauflerMs. Zenobia PayneDave Pearson and Julie MontanariJacqueline Persons and Jeffrey PerloffPatricia Peters and Gary MattinglyLarry and Madeline PetersenMs. Carollee PetersonCarolyn Phinney and L. MoretMs. Patricia PierceMs. Rosie PowellMs. Jean QuanLorraine and Thomas RaisonMs. Leslie RallJudy and Martina Reaves

Mrs. Douris ReedGayle Reynolds and Keith HollowMs. Margie RichardsonKelda RinkleibMs. Mary-Jean RiouxMs. Valerie RiskMs. Mary RoseTom and Mary RotelliMs. Jeanie RuckerLouise RussellMs. Marilyn SaarniAlexander and Minnie SageMs. Nancy SalleeShirley Saunders and David SharnoffMr. Andrew SchwartzMs. Nancy SeaverMarcey Shapiro and Star WoodwardEllen and Sherman ShapiroMs. Laurel ShearerMs. Pamela ShephardMr. Daniel SilvaMs. Mary Flavin SimmonsEllen Simms and Tom ColtonLai Shan SiuMs. Nancy SmithMs. Martha SmithMs. Ann SorensenMr. John SteinmetzMs. Emily StoperMs. Lynette StrombergMrs. Mavis SullivanMs. Mimi TamMs. Anna TaylorMs. Susan TealdiMr. Dylan ThedeMs. Sherry Thomas SatterwhiteMr. George TomberlinKeigo UdaM. VacheronJohn Van Slyke and Susan MitchellFrances VanzileMs. Helene VercruyssenMicky vonRydingsvardPat VossMarcy Voyevod and Sophie ElliottMr. Phil WaenMr. Robert Wales,

Wales, Landscape ServicesJulie Warren and Herb NewmanJohn and Laura WeeksAndrew and Billie WiesenthalNorma and Witold WillerMr. & Mrs. Hugh Winfield JonesRaymond and Barbara WolfingerMr. Ted YednockMr. Todd YoungHoward and Ilene ZeigerMichael and Suzanne Ziegler

Grateful ThanksThe Garden wishes to thank these donors who havemade a substantial gift over and above membership:

Ms. Mary AndersonTom and Tamia AndersonEleanor and Carlo Anderson

Planning a Gift to the Garden?If you would like to include the Botanical Garden in your will, please let us

know whether you need any help regarding the precise language to be used. Wecan forward information to your lawyer or financial advisor about making abequest, donating appreciated securities, or establishing a charitable remaindertrust. For more details, please contact either Janet Williams in the DevelopmentOffice at the Garden (510-643-2937), or call the University Office of PlannedGiving on the central campus at (510-642-6300).

11Summer 2000

GARDEN STAFF

Dr. Ellen Simms, Garden Director

ADMINISTRATIONAngela Esparza, Administrative Assistant

Gerald Ford, Building and Grounds MaintenanceAfrooz Navid, Administrative Assistant

Margaret Richardson, Tour & Rentals CoordinatorMichael Rimar, Administrative Assistant

Candice Schott, Business Operations SupervisorMarilyn Setterfield, Administrative Assistant

Nancy Swearengen, Volunteer Services CoordinatorJanet Williams, Marketing & Development Officer

COLLECTIONSDr. Christopher Carmichael,

Manager of Collections and HorticultureHolly Forbes, Curator

Barbara Keller, Curatorial AssistantDr. Robert Ornduff, Faculty Curator

EDUCATIONDr. Jennifer White, Associate Director for Education

Christine Manoux, Program Assistant

HORTICULTUREDaria 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 COMMITTEEDr. Nan Crystal Arens, Integrative Biology

Dr. Lewis Feldman, Plant BiologyDr. Joe McBride, Environmental Science,

Policy, & ManagementDr. Brent Mishler, Integrative Biology

Dr. Vincent Resh, Environmental Science, Policy, & Management

Dr. Alan Smith, Herbarium

NEWSLETTERJanet Williams, Editor

Administration 642-0849Development 643-2937

Director’s Office 643-8999Education 495-2805

Entrance Kiosk 643-2755Fax 642-5045

The Garden Shop 642-3343Plant Collections 643-8040

Tours/Rentals 642-3352Volunteers 643-1924

E-mail: garden@uclink4.berkeley.eduWeb Site: http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/garden/

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

memberships. © UC Regents 2000Articles may be reprinted with credit to the

authors and the UC Botanical Garden.

David and Lorene BenningKaren Biber and Thomas HoldfordMs. Diane BirchellMrs. Caroline BoothMs. Martha BreedMs. Beth BurnsideStephanie Changaris and Bruce BonarMs. Sally ChapmanMs. June CheitRonald and Rosemary ClendenenCreative Magic Gardens Nursery, Inc.Ms. Patricia CrossBarbara and Fred DenglerJack and Phyllis DolhinowBarbara and Donald HayHarry and Kathleen HeckmanMs. Ruth JohnsonMs. Suzanne KingDiane Kothe and Frank DobsonRon and Mary LaiLaVerne and Douglas LeachRobert and Caroline LichtensteinGeoff and Ann MachinMs. Patricia MalangoPamela and Thomas McCauleyStuart and Melva McDonaldMr. Bill McJohnMs. Ann MillerMs. Sally O’ConnellLisa Olsen and Deborah LohrkeDave Pearson and Julie MontanariJacqueline Persons and Jeffrey PerloffLarry and Madeline PetersenPiedmont Garden ClubMs. Leslie RallKathleen and Gary RogersTom and Mary RotelliGail and Daniel RubinfeldPhilip Schild and Shirley Dichek SchildMr. Richard SchneiderMary and Richard SchroterMs. Patricia SmithersMs. Ann SorensenMs. Tomiye SumnerMr. Pablo ValenzuelaJan and Tom VargoMr. Robert Wales,

Wales Landscape ServicesAndrew and Billie WiesenthalNorma and Witold WillerDavid and Susan WirshupMs. Linda WoodsMs. Ellen Young

In Appreciation

ANNUAL FUNDThe Garden offers appreciation and thanks to thesedonors for their generous contributions:

Ms. Barbara BeardMr. Ted Buttner, CoastcomEl Cerrito Garden ClubMr. David HucklesbyJustine Hume and Ursula SchulzMonterey Bay Area Cactus & Succulent Society

R. and Marilyn Silva, Livermore-Amador Garden Club

Mr. James WilsonMs. Ellen Wyrick

Special ThanksThe Garden would like to honor and thank those supporters making substantial donations:

Muller Family FoundationCarrie Besso, President,

San Francisco Rose SocietyLouis CaizzaChris Davidson and Sharon ChristophMs. Ramona DavisKlaus and Jean DehlingerJana and Steve Drobinsky,

Omega TwoMr. Jerry HashimotoElizabeth and A. Carl Hemholz,

Laird Norton Family FundMrs. James JonesRobert and Esther OswaltPhilip and Mary PierpontMs. Carla ReiterAlan and Ruth Scott, Scott Family FundMr. Joe Valdez,

Green Acres Gardening, Landscaping and Maintenance

Myrtle Wolf

In HonorThe Garden offers appreciation and thanks for giftsfrom these donors in honor of:

Myrtle Wolf from Ms. Janet Raiche

In MemoryThe Garden offers appreciation and thanks for giftsfrom these donors in memory of:

June Falkner fromMary and Richard Schroter

Elizabeth Warner Hammond fromMr. & Mrs. John W. Higson, Jr.Amanda and Tim HopkinsBill and Elly BadeMr. Nelson Wild

Dorothy V. King from Mr. Gregg KingMs. Gaylynn King FirthMs. Gale Pickering

Marie Spellman fromDiane Kothe and Frank Dobson

Gifts in KindThe Garden offers appreciation and thanks for gifts in kind:

Claude BabcockDr. Bernard DietzLee HafterKimi and Richard HillDr. Robert OrnduffMr. Bill WeaverJanet Williams and Mark Wilson

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Plants are for sale at The Garden Shop all year. Call 510-642-3343

Nonprofit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAIDUniversity of CaliforniaAddress Service Requested

Don’t forget Extended Summer Hours! The Garden isopen until 7 pm every day through Labor Day! Here’s achance to plan a leisurely stroll, or even a picnic and enjoythe solitude of late afternoon and evening in this lovely place.

TWILIGHT TOURSEvery Wednesday evening during July and August, you

can take a tour with a member of the Garden staff at 5:30pm. See things you might otherwise miss, get the insidescoop on the different sections of the Garden, enjoy the spe-cial late afternoon light, and perhaps meet our quail families,or a bunny.

Free with Garden admission

MEDICAL SECRETS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLESAUGUST 9 AND 16, 5:30-7:00 PM

Walk in the Garden with physician and medical ethno-botanist, Adjunct Professor of Anthropology Tom Carlson,for eye-opening information about plants that are used medi-cinally by indigenous peoples. Dr. Carlson teaches MedicalEthnobotany on the campus and has done field research allover the world.

Free with Garden admission as part of the Twilight TourSeries.

MEMBERS DAYTOURS, PICNIC, AND GRAPE TASTINGSUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1-4 PM

Bring your picnic and help us celebrate the end of sum-mer in the Garden. Continuing with this year’s theme ofGrapes and Roses, we will enjoy a tasting of interesting andunusual table grapes. Selected grape plants will also be avail-able for sale!

Special tours for new members. Members only!

FALL PLANT SALESUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 10 AM - 2 PM

Fall is the best time to plant things in our area, and ourvolunteer propagators will offer a splendid array of selectionsto enhance your garden. Free!

FOODS OF THE AMERICASSEPTEMBER 24–OCTOBER 15, 10 AM - 4:30 PM

Don’t miss our colorful Latin American marketplacebursting with amazing produce that originated in the NewWorld! School groups, grades 4–8, can arrange for specialdocent-led field trips of the marketplace and the CropGarden. Call 642-3352 for more information.

For information about any of these events call Nancy Swearengen 510-643-1924

the garden shopNow carrying a range of products celebrating the Garden’s 110th Anniversary.

Featuring the wonderful image created for us by distinguished artist Yan Nascimbene,

we have T-shirts—both men’s and women’s, and mugs, as well as signed and unsigned

copies of the poster commemorating the event.

Also available are our new UCBG “Planting the Future” Garden caps and tote bags!

Gifts, books and plants—gift certificates available!

University of California Botanical Garden

200 Centennial Drive, #5045

Berkeley, California 94720-5045