AGEH 29, Fall 2013Shasta College campus

City Hall

Agapanthus campanulatus, Lily of the Nile,

amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae

Agapanthus campanulatus, Lily of the Nile,

agapanthus family, Agapanthaceae

• Perennial from fleshy rhizomes, native to S. Africa• Leaf strap-shaped, parallel-veined, filled with goo!!!• Flowers in umbels; fruit a capsule• Best with afternoon shade in Redding; will grow in

sun if plenty of water; otherwise moderate water• Choose while in bloom for accurate color• Good near pools (little mess), containers• Protect from snails• http://www.tytyga.com/product/Agapanthus+companulatus+Headborne+Hybrids+Bulb

Arbutus unedo, Strawberry treeheath family, Ericaceae

• Evergreen, arborescent shrub• Good performance in wide

range of climates and soils; tolerates ocean winds

• ID: 8-35 ft; lvs 2-3 in, flowers white, in clusters; fruit edible but mealy and usually bland; bark red and shredding

• Forms bred for small size, pink flower color

Arbutus unedo, Strawberry treeheath family, Ericaceae

Aucuba japonica, Japanese aucuba, silktassel family, Garryaceae

Aucuba japonica, Japanese aucuba,

silktassel family, Garryaceae

• Evergreen shrub native to Asia• Shade, shade, shade, + moderate

water• Speckled and variegated forms give

a garden a “retro” look

Bergenia cordifoliaheartleaf bergenia,

saxifrage family, Saxifragaceae

Bergenia cordifolia, heartleaf bergenia, Saxifrage family

• Native to Himalayas• Evergreen, needs shade in

hot climate• Bright flowers in early

spring• Susceptible to strawberry

root weevil damage.• Forms on campus may be

hybrids; leaf supposed to be heartshaped but not

Cercocarpus betuloides, birchleaf mountain-mahogany

rose family, Rosaceae

Cercocarpus betuloides, birchleaf mountain-mahogany

• flowers with no petals; numerous stamens

• Fruit a single achene with a plumose (feathery) tail

• Leaves toothed above the middle, entire on lower half, obovate

• Shrub NATIVE to foothills and mountains of CA

• Drought tolerant

Fatsia japonica, Japanese araliaaralia family, Araliaceae

Fatsia japonica, Japanese araliaaralia family, Araliaceae

• Native to Korea & Japan• Cast-iron tropical-looking

shrub• Needs full shade in

Redding, regular water• Hates soggy soils,

susceptible to snails; plants that set seed self sow

• Good near swimming pools; ‘Moseri’ is compact

Fatsia japonica, Japanese araliaaralia family, Araliaceae

• Flowers in panicle of umbels

• Leaves palmately lobed, evergreen

• Fruit a berry

Ficus carica, fig mulberry family (Moraceae)

Ficus carica, Fig

• Tree to 30 ft• Evergreen leaves, 3-7 deep lobes, surface hairy,

sap milky, plant has a sweet smell• Fruit is a multiple fruit, with many individual

unisexual flowers contained in a fleshy syconium; female flowers mature into drupelets

• caprifigs have male flowers and short-styled females, they are dry and unpalatable; edible figs have long-styled females and produce palatable fruit

• For more fun facts on fig reproductive biology and fig cultivation through history--http://waynesword.palomar.edu/pljune99.htm

Ficus carica, Fig

• Wild figs invade streamsides and moist canyons; the weedy caprifigs pollinate commercial fig crops and ruin the fruit (30% in San Joaquin V!)

• http://www.cal-ipc.org/ip/management/ipcw/pages/detailreport.cfm@usernumber=50&surveynumber=182.php

Hedera halixEnglish Ivy

Hedera helix, English ivy, aralia family, Araliaceae

• INVASIVE—think hard before planting; use only named forms, best in shade, needs moderate water

• Leaves on horizontal growth are different from leaves on vertical, reproducing growth

• (Not seen on campus)

Hypericum calycinumSt. John’s Wort

Hypericum calycinumSt. John’s Wort

• From Bulgaria and Turkey

• Grown in Mediterranean climates

• Invades other plantings if not confined

• Medicinally used for mild depression

Nandina domestica, heavenly bamboo, barberry family, Berberidaceae

Nandina domestica, heavenly bamboo, • symbol of joyful good luck for a newly

established household; used like Christmas holly for Chinese Kitchen Day, Dec. 23.

• native to Asia• Leaves can be more than 3x pinnately

compound• Tolerates low water if in shade, better

growth with more; do not prune, or cut old canes to ground, or lop heads off

• Part or all shade best in hottest climates• White blossoms in branched panicles in

spring; isolated plants often don’t fruit heavily; good fall color

• All parts of plant poisonous, hydrocyanic acid; do not eat berries (but birds can)

Pittosporum tobira ‘Variegata’tobira, mock orange

pittosporum family, Pittosporaceae

• Evergreen or semievergreen (dep on the winter) shrub native to Japan

• ID: arborescent shrub 5-10 ft high x wide; scent of orange blossom in spring

• Iffy north of here, but worth trying• Moderate water, best in part shade;

‘Wheeler’s Dwarf’ good near pools• Forms: plain green, variegated

Pittosporum tobira ‘Variegata’ tobira, mock orange

pittosporum family, Pittosporaceae

Rhododendron spp.Azalea

Rhododendron spp. Azalea

• Bloom season is early• Very showy blooms• Native to many parts

of the world

Teucrium fruticans, bush germandermint family, Lamiaceae

Teucrium fruticans, bush germandermint family, Lamiaceae

• Opposite entire leaves, gray or dark green on upper side, nearly white below

• Flowers strongly bilabiate (2-lipped) with lower lip much larger than upper

• Not particularly aromatic• Flowers pale lavender to azure

blue• Can be sheared (but why would

you do that?

Vinca minor, dwarf periwinkleDogbane family

• Trailing groundcover, shiny oval leaves, lavender blue flowers

• Vinca minor: leaves under 2 in., plant 6 in high; variegated and white-flowered forms

• Shade in Redding, little water• Grows in any soil, competes successfully with

surface tree roots, is invasive in forest settings• Shear or mow in winter before new growth

begins• More restrained than Vinca major. Less Likely to

invade adjacent plantings

Vinca minor, periwinkleDogbane family, Apocynaceae

When periwinkle goes bad…

Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’

Coreposis verticillata‘Moonbeam’

• From eastern and southern United States

• Blooms from summer through autumn

• Attracts butterflies• Plant spreads

aggressively by rhizomes

Cotinus coggyria, smoke tree, cashew family, Anacardiaceae

Cotinus coggyria, smoke tree,

• Multistemmed, deciduous large shrub or small tree

• Leaves alternate, oval, entire

• Green-leaved and purple-leaved forms; flower clusters pale pink to purple

• Flowers & fruit tiny—’smoke’ made of pedicels from aborted flowers

Euphorbia characias, Mediterranean spurge

spurge family, Euphorbiaceae

taprooted, evergreen perennial

Euphorbias

• All spurges exude milky latex when cut—irritating to skin

• Odd flowers with naked pistils, turning into three-lobed capsules

Gazenia rigensTreasure Flower

Gazenia rigensTreasure Flower

• Native to South Africa• Widely cultivated• Naturalized in

Austraila• Flowers in late spring

and throughout the summer

Hemerocallis ‘So Sweet’Daylily

Hemerocallis ‘So Sweet’Daylily

• From tuberous roots• Invasive in some

parts of the United States

• Flowers typically last no more than 24 hours

• Native to Eurasia

Hesperale parvifloraRed Yucca

Hesperale parvifloraRed Yucca

• Native to Chihuahua desert in Texas and Mexico

• Narrow evergreen leaves with fringe of white threadlike hairs along edge

• Red flowers attract hummingbirds

• Drought tolerant

Lavandula stoechas, Spanish lavendermint family, Lamiaceae

Lavandula, lavender

• As mint family members, have opposite leaves, square stems, bilabiate flowers

• Flowers in terminal spikes• Both are evergreen shrubs with

lavender fragrance• Native to the Mediterranean• Main difference is in the flower

spikes—L. stoechas has thick spike with colored bracts on top; L. angustifolia has thin spike with no bracts on top.

Nerium oleander, oleander

dogbane family, Apocynaceae

Nerium oleander, oleander

dogbane family, Apocynaceae

Related to milkweed

Nerium oleander, oleander

dogbane family, Apocynaceae

Mediterranean native

Nerium oleander, oleander

dogbane family, Apocynaceae

• leaves long and narrow, with white midrib, blooms late spring to fall

• Many cultivars • Needs little water once

established,• Takes clay, salty soils, air

pollution

Nerium oleander, oleander

dogbane family, Apocynaceae •prune to guide growth by cutting oldest stems to ground before spring growth, or lop to ground to renew;

•problems = leaf scorch, a bacterial disease spread by glassy-winged sharpshooter insect.

•PLANT HIGHLY TOXIC, DO NOT BURN PRUNINGS

Parthenocissus tricuspidataBoston Ivy

Parthenocissus tricuspidataBoston Ivy

• Vines cling to walls with suction discs at the end of a tendril. Very hard to remove.

• Native to China and Japan

• Ivy League schools used this ivy since English Ivy freezes

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, stonecrop family, Crassulaceae

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’,

• Clump forming perennial, dies back to the ground in winter• Blooms in autumn; pink flowers fade to brick color; flowers in

flat topped branched clusters• Leaves succulent, oval, toothed• Easily propagated by division or axillary sprouts (like brussel

sprouts)

Zauschneria californica, California-fuchsia

evening-primrose family, Onagraceae

Zauschneria californica, California-fuchsia

• Native rhizomatous perennial; dies to the ground in winter

• Tubular 4-petaled red flowers in autumn—attracts hummingbirds

• Inferior ovary• Fruit a 4-parted capsule; seeds

with a tuft of hair for wind dispersal

• Several cultivars available with silvery or green leaves; leaves may be narrow or broad, height from 1 to 3 feet