Campus flora 2014

We saw lots of interesting species on our campus walk.  One of these was the Bunya Bunya, Araucaria bidwillii, native to Queensland (NE), Australia.  Other common names include bunya pine (though it is not a "pine"), and false monkey puzzle tree (it belongs to the same genus and resembles the monkey puzzle tree.)  

 

A striking feature of this tree are the stems with very sharp, pointed, tough leaves. Could this morphology have helped protect from herbivory in the Mesozoic (age of reptiles) when this tree was widespread? 

We also noticed many insects on the bark of the tree.  As a couple of our insect-knowledgeable students pointed out, these were likely mealybug eaters, though they looked like mealybugs themselves (the insects, not the students...)  Read more about these and the Araucaria genus at waynesworld.palomar.edu. (source of the photo below).

We didn't see any but we talked about the cones of this species  The cones are huge - 20–35 cm in diameter (the size of footballs)!   They contain large, edible seeds.  Because of these large cones, it can be a hazard to be underneath when the cones drop.  Check out this article from the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corp.) "Living under Bunya Pines is not for the faint hearted".

Flora right in front of CCS!

We had a nice walk around campus to view a very small portion of the flora.  I overlooked a few noteworthy plants right in front of our very own Old Little Theater.  We did talk about the Canary Islands Dragon's Blood (Dracaena draco), the Island Ironwoods (Lyonothamnus floribundus), and the sages (Salvia sp).  I took some photos and wanted to share some info about a few others...

The tree in the SW corner in front of the OLT is a Shamel (or Mexican) Ash, Fraxinus uhdei, in the olive family (Oleaceae).  Native to western and southern Mexico, and introduced to the U.S. as an ornamental tree.  Fruits are yellow-green winged seeds.  The sap from the stems or leaves may cause a skin rash!

Shamel ash, Fraxinus uhdei

Winged seeds of the Shamel Ash

 

One of the shrubs right in front of the OLT is the California flannelbush (or Fremontia), Fremontodendron californicum, which is in the mallow family (Malvaceae).  Native to California and western N. America.  This shrub is found on slopes in chaparral and dry woodland.  The leaves are fuzzy, or “flannel”-like.  Be careful - the hairs on the leaves are easily brushed off and can irritate your skin.  But aren’t those bright yellow blossoms beautiful!

Fremontia, or Flannel-bush, Fremontodendron californicum

Adorning the west-side of our CCS building, is the Matilija Poppy, Romneya coulteri, in the poppy family (Papaveraceae).  Native to southern California and Baja California.  This perennial plant grows in chaparral and coastal sage scrub habitats, often in dry washes and canyons, generally away from the coast. The showy white flowers (that look like fried eggs!) are the largest of any plant native to California.

Matilija Poppy, Romneya coulteri