Hello Friends and Family,

UCSC Arboretum, Part 3

Link to this year's index by clicking here.

As I continued to stroll around the Arboretum, I seemed to move into regional special areas. For instance, here are the new leaves of a Rosy Tips plant (Callistemon salignus) native to Australia. This is a type of Bottlebrush tree called a Willow Bottlebrush by some. I found it interesting that this tree can tolerate both waterlogged and dry soils. One warning, if you want to add it to your garden, the roots are rather invasive so do not plant them within 30 feet of a building. (I wish someone had given me that warning about Jacaranda trees when I did the initial landscaping outside my townhouse. I later had to rip it out even though I love the look of both the foliage and the flowers.)



Nearby was a Robyn Gordon, a man-made hybrid crossing red silky oak (Grevillea banksii) and fuchsia grenvillea (Grevillea bipinnatifida). Both the parents and the hybrid are found in Australia. The hybrid was created by David Gordon, selecting these two parent plants for their prolific and sustained flowering. The hybrid was named in memory of his daughter who had died in 1969. Note that this plant is in the Protea family which is recognizable by the flowers' similarity to Protea blossoms.



Next up is "Little John" Dwarf Bottlebrush tree (Callistemon viminalis AKA Melaleuca viminalis) native to Australia. The flowers produce abundant nectar feeding many birds, butterflies and bees. The roots become matted which protects riverbanks as well as flat areas from erosion thereby improving water quality in streams and rivers.



This bush looks like it needs a haircut — a Camphor Bush (Triplarina volcanica), also a native of Australia. I could not find much about this bush online so we'll just have to wonder about it.



This lovely bush is called Bonne Petite AKA Rice Flower (Pimelea ferrugineas) — again a native of Australia and New Zealand. It attracts bees and butterflies for pollination. In the garden, it blooms from Spring through the Summer — after blooming, a light trim will bring a second bouquet of flowers.



Next we see a Lesser Bottlebrush (Callistemon phoeniceus) and what seems to be the theme for today, it is also native to Australia. Oddly, Wikipedia describes this plant as having scarlet Bottlebrush flowers but this particular specimen has white flowers. Must be an albino. It is still pretty regardless of the color of the flowers.



Watching over the estate is the guard lizard. He seemed pretty brave and did not move even though I moved closer to get a good photo of him.



At this point in the garden, I moved into an area of plants called Banksia which is in the Protea family. I don't see the resemblance but have to defer to the experts who made that claim. The sign at the beginning of the trail reads, "In the fall of 2008, Bill Harney, an Aboriginal Wardaman tribe elder, visited the Arboretum. He shared stories about how the Aborigines had used Banksia cones as firesticks. Firesticks were important tools used to carry precious, burning embers from place to place. Some Banksia cones were particularly useful for this purpose because they burn very slowly and retain embers inside. Ecologically, the Banksias are no strangers to fires. Like California and other Mediterranean climates, parts of Australia experience hot, dry summers, and late autumn brushfires are a natural part of the landscape. Banksia serrata has incredibly thick bark that helps protect the heartwood from flames and allows it to re-sprout after a fire. Its seed coverings remain closed, even after falling off the tree, but will open after being burned. This is similar to the fire response of some California conifer species, such as the knob-cone pine, which open up after fire allowing the seeds to disperse."



Here we see another species of Banksia but with this one, we can begin to see a family resemblance to the Protea I have already shared with you.



Next up is a beautiful flower-head of Albany Bottlebrush (Callistemon glaucus AKA Melaleuca glauca) which is, of course, native to Australia. As with other Bottlebrush species, this one also attract nectar-loving birds and insects.



This Fire-Adapted Banksia does not even look real to me — more like a man-made figure to scare the kids at Halloween. But it is real and illustrates the ability of Banksia to survive brush fires and repopulate its home after the fires have burned out. Amazing.



Last for today is a Bottlebrush tree that looks like those we have in Arizona as landscaping plants. It is obvious where the name came from since the blossoms look very much like a brush used to clean the interiors of bottles. The long willow-like branches sway in the wind and are a dramatic addition to any property.



To be continued...

Life is good.

Aloha,
B. David

P. S., All photos and text © B. David Cathell Photography, Inc. — www.bdavidcathell.com