LASCA LEAVES 23-26 1973-76 Missour! BOTANICAC ARDun CipRarY QKI L328 ANNIVERSARY ISSUE 4 Raver] WHOA GLOL” OMdY . —— | “See ane es = em - = = P, ‘< Se) a ble ee .* BOARD OF SUPERVISORS LOS ANGELES COUNTY KENNETH HAHN waco 1) =. DEBS 2nd District 3rd District PETER F. SCHABARUM, Chairman 1st District JAMES A. HAYES BAXTER WARD 4th District 5th District DEPARTMENT OF ARBORETA AND BOTANIC GARDENS LOS ANGELES COUNTY Arcadia, California 91006 ¢ ‘Telephone (213) 681-5277 Francis Ching, Director; Glenn Hiatt, Assistant Director; Lee H. Wakeman, Executive Assistant. Los Angeles State and County Arboretum: Frank Simerly, Superintendent; William Hawkinson, Assistant Superintendent; John Provine, Horticulturist; Earl Ross, Orchidist. Descanso Gardens: Mark Anthony, Superintendent; George Lewis, Assistant Edward Hartnagel, Assistant Superintendent. Research Division: Paul Cheo, Ph.D., Chief; Leonid Enari, Ph.D., Senior Biologist, Taxonomy and Plant Records Section; George Hanson, Ph.D., Senior Biologist, Research Section. Education Division: Ger- trude Woods, Chief; Tak Niiya, Education Specialist; George Spalding, Horticultural Consultant; Patricia Warren, Associate Curator, History. Public Services Division: Donald S. Dimond, Chief; Robert Copper, Head Tour Guide. CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC. Arcadia, California 91006 e¢ Telephone (213) 447-8207 BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS: Mrs. Peter L. Douglas, President; William E. Eilau, First Vice-President; Robert E. Paradise, Second Vice-President; Mrs. Dolores K. Hubbell, Executive Sec- retary; Dave W. Paradis, Treasurer; David W. Barnard, Membership and Finance. BOARD MEMBERS: Mrs. Harry J. Bauer, Mrs. Philip Brueckner, Donald Camphouse, Harrison Chandler, Mrs. Robert W. Cheesewright, Mrs. Joseph H. Coulombe, James P. Curry, Mrs. John N. Fehrer, George L. Forman, Mrs. Francis D. Frost, Jr., Mrs. Vincent T. Gilchrist, Mrs. John A. Grivich, Ernest E. Hetherington, Mrs: Miriam P. Kirk, Mrs. Leland E. Larson, Mrs. Thomas H. Lowry, Odell S. McConnell, Mrs. John R. Mage, Mrs. Anson C. Moore, Mrs. Catherine Mundy, Frank J. Regan, F. Harold — Ralph W. Spencer, Joseph A. Sprankle, Jr., Mrs. Forrest Q. Stanton, Robert - Strub, Mrs. Chester L. Williams. EX-OFFICIO: Francis Ching, Glenn Hiatt. HON- sitios TRUSTEES: Samuel Ayres, Jr., Elmer Belt, Fredrick Boutin, Mrs. Ralph D. Cornell, Arthur Freed, Ronald E. Gother, Arie J. Haagen-Smit, Mrs. Alexander King, Mrs. Valley Knudsen, William Lane, Jr., Maurice A. Machris, Mildred E. Mathias, Mrs. Manfred Meyberg, Howard A. Miller, George H. Spalding, Frank Simerly, Lovell Swisher, Jr., William Walkup, Mrs. Archibald B. Youn ng. Rem riseanlcalie Published quarterly by the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., for the Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens of Los Angeles County. SOUTH COAST LOS ANGELES STATE & COUNTY ARBORETUM PESCANSO GARDENS = porANIC GARDEN > Department Notes _ —" A History of the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum — The First Twenty-Five Years 57. Bookshelf Arboretum Weather i) ‘© Back Cover Calendar Editor Donald §. Dimond Cover photo by Francis Ching You are invited to join the CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC. MEMBERSHIP brings you the quarterly publication, Lasca Leaves © Newsletter e Annual Plant and Seed Distribution © Invitations to special events. MEMBERSHIP DUES: Annual, $10; Annual Base sig $25; Annual Busi- ness, $100; Annual Sustaining, $100; Annual Spons $250; Life, $500; Founders, $1,000; Benefactors, $5,000 or more. Cabot are deductible. Make check payable to the California Arboretum papain Inc., and send to headquarters at 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, Calif. 910 ANNIVERSARY BANQUET 6 ey BANQUET marking the 25th an- niversary of the signing of the artt- cles of incorporation of the California Arboretum Foundation, held last Febru- ary 20th in the Mediterranean Room of the Brookside Clubhouse in Pasadena, turned out to be a gala affair. The set- ting was suitable to the occasion, the room, attractive by itself, set off by a num- ber of dramatic container plants bor- rowed from the Arboretum nursery and each table highlighted by a three-foot- high antiqued compote containing roses, mums, babysbreath, and a spray of pea- cock feathers, the work of Mrs. Philip Brueckner, a committee of volunteers, and Mr. John Provine, Arboretum horti- culturist. With Mr. F. Harold Roach, past president of both the California Ar- boretum Foundation and the Board of Governors of the Los Angeles County Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens serving as emcee, close to 175 guests heard Dr. Frits W. Went, found- ing president of the Foundation — who had come over from the Desert Research Institute in Nevada for the occasion — open the program with reminscences of the early days. Dr. Went said he was “amazed and delighted to find so man of the original plans for development al- ready achieved.” Mr. Kay Iizuka, cur- rent president of the Board of Governors, presented on behalf of that body a future pool and fountain, inscribed with a bronze plaque, to be constructed in the Arboretum entranceway. State Senator H. March, 1973 L. Richardson presented a scroll from the State of California, and Mr. Roach pre- sented a scroll from the Board of Gover- nors on behalf of Supervisor Peter Scha- barum who was unable to attend. Of the eleven original signers of the articles of incorporation, three — Dr. Samuel Ayres, Jr., Mr. Howard Miller, and Dr. Frits Went — were on hand to receive honorary life memberships and copies of a limited-edition printing of a history of the first twenty-five years of the Arboretum written by Mr. George Spalding, longtime staff member and cur- rently botanical information consultant. The honorary memberships and num- bered books — the first copy was given to Dr. Ayres to whom the book is dedi- cated — were presented by Mr. John An- son Ford, former county supervisor, who preceded the presentations with some of his own recollections of the founding days and the people who took part in them, ending his remarks with the hope that “this beautiful Arboretum and the city of Los Angeles, to which the Arbo- retum has contributed so much, will serve as models for urban beautification in cities in all parts of the world.” Then he presented books, along with a few gra- cious remarks, to Mrs. Georgina Mage, Mrs. Forrest Stanton, Mrs. Ralph Cor- nell, and Mr. Spalding. He also intro- duced Mrs. Harry Robinson, taking note of her generous offer to the County, de- scribed elsewhere in these notes. Mrs. Peter Douglas, Foundation president, pre- sented copies of the book to former Foundation presidents Dr. Arie Haagen- Smit and Mr. Ernest Hetherington, and to the Foundation’s Executive Secretary, Mrs. Dolores Hubbell, and to Depart- ment Director Francis Ching. Following a few closing remarks by Mr. Ching, Mr. Roach thanked everyone for having come and another milestone in the history of the Los Angeles State and County Arbo- retum passed into the records. Lasca Leaves Left to right: Frits Went, John Anson Ford. Samuel Ayres, Ir. me At the Anniversary Banquet re | Leer F, Harold Roach and Mrs. Peter L. Douglas March, 1973 Howard Miller and John Anson Ford ‘Ss ay = ~*~ - » Mo ¥ - Mrs. John R. Mage Lasca Leaves Francis Ching and Mrs. Harry W. Robinson Samuel Ayres, ]v., and George Spalding Senator H. L. Rich- ardson and Mrs. Peter L. Douglas 8 March, 1973 Mrs. Forrest O. Stanton and John Anson Ford Mrs. Philip Brueckner, John Provine, and Mrs. William Eilau Photos at the Anniversary Banquet: By Mari- lyn Morrison: page 5, top and bottom left; page 7, top; page 8, right. By William Aplin: page 5, bottom right; page 6; page 7, center and bottom; page 8, left. NEW GOVERNORS AABGA MEETING W: WISH to welcome and extend our 1 aes MONTH the Arbortum will be best wishes to new members of the host for the annual meeting of the twenty-five member Board of Gover- the American Association of Botanical | nors. They are Mrs. Marilyn C. Stoke of Gardens and Arboreta. For four days, | Arcadia appointed by Supervisor Pete April 16-19, conferees will be busy with Schabarum, and Mr. Edward Engoron of field trips to other Southern California Los Angeles, appointed by Supervisor gardens and with symposia held at the Ernest Debs. Arboretum. At the talks particular at- tention will be given to the various kinds 7 of educational programs and how they serve the community. Lasca Leaves CONTEST AT SOUTH COAST iS bles DECIDED that its brochures, stationery, posters, and other forms of public communication would be aided by an eye-catching logo of some sort, the South Coast Botanic Garden Foundation has come up with a plan that promises not only to produce the desired result but includes worthwhile side benefits. The essence of the plan, as worked out by the Foundation’s enterprising publi- cist, Helen Pickett, is to tap the imagi- nations and skills of art students in 47 of the area high schools by inviting them to enter a contest for the logo that best represents the Foundation’s purposes. The winning logo will be selected on the basis of design and relevance. The winning school will receive a tree, the winning student a $100 savings bond. The awards will be made following the Sunday morn- ing garden walk on April 29th. The side benefits, of course, are the involvement of students in the concept of public serv- ice represented by the Foundation and bringing to their attention a botanic gar- den they might otherwise pass by. DESCANSO BIRDHOUSE T= Descanso Gardens Guild is the recipient of an award from the San Fernando Audubon Society presented to Mrs. John Crowley, Guild president, at a ceremony last January 21st in the Rose Garden. The award, in the form of a plaque that now hangs on a wall in the library of the Hospitality House, expresses the society’s appreciation for the Guild’s efforts in maintaining and refurbishing the Bird Observation Station. The Guild provided outdoor carpeting so as to muffle footsteps and thus not disturb the birds, new screens and a higher fence, also so as not to disturb the birds, and painted the interior white, this last purely for the nefit of visitors. Planned for the future are weekend staffing by Audubon members, the devel- opment of a small museum, and counter sales of bird-feeders, and the like. Paul Howard, western regional representative of the National Audubon Society, and Francis Ching, Arboreta and Botanic Gardens department director, were among k note of achievements, paired to the Hospitality House for tea. ROBINSON ESTATE = OF the most impressive show- places in Beverly Hills, the eight- and-a-half-acre garden estate of Mrs. Harry Winchester Robinson, may one day become a part of the Los Angeles County Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gar- dens. Earlier this year Mrs. Robinson of- fered to donate her estate to Los Angeles vate garden to the public sector is not as easy as it once was, Mrs. Robinson ac- companied her generous offer with an equally generous offer to provide a one million dollar endowment for mainte- nance of the property. County Chief Ad- ministrative Officer Arthur Will and Ar- boreta Director Francis Ching are in the process of reviewing the offer in accord with a directive of the Board of Super- visors. Mrs. Robinson’s husband was the president of the J. W. Robinson Depart: ment store from 1924 until his death in 1932. Over the years he had collected ferns and rare tropical plants, developing one of the finest collections in the West. In making her offer to the county, Mrs. Robinson, who is 95 years old, said she was motivated by a wish to perpetuate and expand the collections. BONANZA AND A FROLIC Ss DATES and the form have been established for the 1973 versions of two of the California Arboretum Founda- tion’s happiest and most effective fund- raising affairs — the Baldwin Bonanza and the Queen Anne Frolic. The Bonanza will take place on April 1st from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Demonstration Home Gardens. According to chairwom- an Ruth Mary Larson, the event will fo- cus on a plant sale that will include many of the Arboretum’s introductions, and will be highlighted by booths offering gardening consultant service, demonstra- tions on how to plant terrariums, herb, fern, and hanging basket displays, and some select antiques. As an added fillip there will be a Gross Contest in which anyone, for one dollar a guess, can esti- mate the final gross proceeds, the winner to get free libations and food at a cele- bration party after the event. A members- only preview is scheduled for the night before, March 31st. Foundation member Alice Coulombe is chairing the Queen Anne Frolic which, she reports, is an evening affair set for Friday, September 28th. Guided by the most popular attractions of the first frolic, Mrs. Coulombe has plans for tours through the Queen Anne Cottage, rides around the grounds in antique cars, two dance bands, and a barbecued roast beef dinner. UNDERGROUND POWER = YEARS an overhead power line crossing Lasca Lagoon and through the historical section has been an eyesore, a hazard, and a source of inadequate pow- er to the mall area, an area that frequent- ly needs good lighting and outlets for March, 1973 public address systems and other powet- consuming conveniences. Now, through the cooperative efforts of the County Mechanical Department, Southern Cali- fornia Edison, and our own staff, these are conditions of the past. Approximately 3,000 amps are available to the Arbore- tum at several strategically located con- trol panels, and the power line that crossed Lasca Lagoon and other areas !s now underground in a 1500-foot ditch dug by the Arboretum service crew. ATTENDANCE ~ THE history of the Arboretum printed in this issue reveals, attend- ance has increased every year since its in- ception, save for one or two years when extended periods of rain kept people at home. But this past year attendance at the Arboretum reached an all-time high of 637,474, a figure representing the greatest yearly increase, 17.2 percent, to date. Adding together a 35% increase at South Coast Botanic Garden and a 9% increase at Descanso Gardens, total at- tendance for 1972 at the Departments three gardens came almost to 1.2 million. ANNUAL MEETING Pg THE annual meeting of the Cali- fornia Arboretum Foundation next clothes of the Baldwin era all the way from coats, dresses, and boas down to the unmentionables, plus a collection of func- tional garden clothes that the models themselves will wear when they toil in the Arboretum’s new Garden For All Seasons. Lasca Leaves 11 A HISTORY OF THE LOS ANGELES STATE AND COUNTY ARBORETUM THE FIRST 25 YEARS B+ » . ' , By GEORGE H. SPALDING Edited by Davis Dutton with a Foreword by W. W. Robinson Lasca Leaves 13 FOREWORD One man’s good idea caught fire, and the result was the development in Southern California of the Arboretum at Arcadia, today a complex of great botanical and historical fascination and importance. The year 1973 marks the Arboretum’s twenty- fifth aniversary, the articles of incorporation of the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc. having been signed on February 20, 1948. The idea and the dream of an Arboretum go back even farther. George H. Spalding, the Arboretum’s first superintendent and a member of the staff almost from the beginning, tells the story from the Hawaii-born idea of Dr. Samuel Ayres, Jr., up to the present. He tells it as an eyewitness of the activities of all the individuals who have shared in the fruition of Dr. Ayres’ idea, including the officers and staff members and specialists who have contributed their knowledge and their skills, and the volunteers who have lent happily their thinking, their time, their labors—and their funds—to furthering the purposes of the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum. The story is not only a botanical one, but one that enters the field of California history, for the Arboretum’s 127 acres lie on historic ground that was once part of a Mexican land grant—Rancho Santa Anita—the best known owners of which were the Southern California pioneer, Hugo Reid, and the Cali- fornia tycoon, E. J. “Lucky” Baldwin. Buildings representing both these men and their eras are on the Arboretum grounds. My own close experience with the Arboretum came through serving as secretary (with Lindley Bynum as ‘“‘co-secretary’’) on Susanna Bryant Dakin’s historical committee. Supplementing George Spalding’s account, I should mention that this gently persuasive woman of wide interests, and her longtime Pasadena friend, Georgina Hicks Mage, as ‘co-chairman,’ plus the other committee members, the ri existing historic buildings. Meetings were held mostly outdoors in the fairyland setting developed by the various nineteenth-century owners of Rancho Santa Anita, beneath the shade of towering eucalyptus trees or alongside Baldwin Lake. Under Susanna’s deft administration the meetings were extremely informal, were closed with food and drink, and occasionally were supplemented with cocktail parties at the home of Georgina Mage or at the Valley Hunt Club. My first minutes, covering the first meeting, were dated March 19, 1949. It was a rainy day, and the meeting was held on the porch of the Hugo Reid Adobe. The last meeting of this committee was held on December 16, 1960, my minutes revealing that Dr. Stewart was re- questing, in the budget, the creation of the position of “historical curator’ and concluding with the phrase ‘‘whereupon the Committee adjourned to New Almaden sherry and cookies assembled by Mrs. Elsie Murray.” George H. Spalding’s broad coverage of the Arboretum’s history comes at the celebration of the Arboretum’s Silver Jubilee Year. To those of us who, like George Spalding, have been associated with its development from the beginning, and to the many who have given of their time and talent along the way, there is a tremendous satisfaction in viewing the results as we see them today. W. W. Robinson Los Angeles, 1972 14 March, 1973 PLANTING THE SEED The First Twenty-Five Years H~’ Dip the idea, the dream of an Arboretum for Southern California, become a reality? For the next few years Ayres devoted himself to his practice and, as time permitted, pursued his own horticultural interests. Then, in 1939, came the Hawaiian Islands trip. More than thirty years later, Ayres recalls that trip and its return vividly: “When we got back from Hawaii I looked around and said, ‘My God, some- thing ought to be done about this.’ Our return to California only emphasized the monotony and lack of color in our own landscape. I'd drive for miles in this wonderful climate without seeing a single flowering tree or shrub in either a front yard, a park, or along the streets. It was an unfortunate situation. I didn’t know how to correct it, but every time I thought of Hawaii and all that natural color, I felt it had to be corrected.” Sam Ayres thought about the problem for several years; the idea of a botanical garden or arboretum began to loom larger in his thoughts. Lasca Leaves 15 “I didn’t know where, I didn’t know how, but the idea took hold of me. - Obviously, such a place couldn’t be built around the same kinds of plants used in the Islands because of the differences in climate—they’re tropical and we're Mediterranean. But by proper selection it seemed possible that we could reproduce all the color and beauty of the tropics by introducing and planting flowering trees, shrubs, and other colorful plants for non-tropical areas—areas with mild climates like Australia, South Africa, Mexico and parts of South America and Asia. “The most likely way to bring about such a transformation in our landscape would be to establish an arboretum where new plants could be introduced, studied and planted so they could be seen and admired by the public. Then, with the creation of a demand for such plants, the arboretum could make them available to interested nurseries.” And the nurseries, in turn, would make them available to that interested and that demanding public . . . Ayres discussed the idea with friends 4nd associates. One such friend was Dr. George P. Clements, who, in the 1920s, had been involved in the California Botanical Foundation and its short-lived botanical garden in the Mandeville Canyon area of the Santa Monica Mountains. “I received many good ideas from Clements —useful groundwork. I was greatly encouraged by some of the things I learned from him.” But the war came, other duties and preoccupations intervened, and not until 1945 was there a chance to seriously begin to work and plan toward that dream of an arboretum for Southern California. Ayres at this time was an active member of the Southern California Horticultural Institute, a dedicated organization of pro- fessional and amateur horticulturalists founded in 1935. Here, he felt, was the organization best qualified to undertake a venture of the scope and magnitude he envisioned. “One night at one of the institute’s meetings,” Ayres recalls, “I rashly sug- gested to my friend Henry Davis, then president of the group, that a committee be formed to study the feasibility of establishing an arboretum. Henry said, “Why don’t you raise a motion?’ ” Ayres did make such a motion. It was carried unanimously, at which point, according to Ayres, “Henry pointed a finger in my direction and said, ‘All right, you'll be the chairman and will select your own committee.’ ”’ And so, a committee was formed. With the formation of that committee the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum, although it had yet to find a name or a home, was born. An Arboretum Committee of active, interested horticulturalists was selected. Under Ayres’ leadership, this group began to investigate possible sites. ““The first one we looked at,” says Ayres, “was the Will Rogers ranch. Mrs. Rogers would have been willing to give us the property, and we probably would have taken it, but fortunately we had a soil expert from UCLA go out there and analyze the soil first. He discovered that the ground was hardpan. We would have had to blast holes in order to plant the trees, so we turned that one down.” Shortly after- ward, another ranch not far from the Rogers’ property was considered, but before action could be taken it was sold. “We were about a week too late on that one.” 16 March, 1973 Then began months of fruitless search: a parcel at the top of Western Avenue; another property in Whittier Heights; a piece of land near Hansen Dam; a a of the Huntington Estate in San Marino. All were evaluated carefully; all this section of the Sunset Demonstration om Ga raens. March, 1973 II LUCKY’S DOMAIN History and Horticulture Side by Side O tell the story of the Arboretum in terms of flowers and trees is to tell only part of the story. The Arboretum is more than a botanical and horticultural in- stitution. It is also a museum of history — an outdoor museum consisting of land- marks from several major eras in the history of California. First, there is the Hugo Reid Adobe, a small ranchhouse originally built in the 1840s and typifying the “hide and tallow era” when California was still a part of Mexico. Then there are . Queen Anne Cottage and the Coach Barn, dating from 1881 and 1879, respectively, and symbolizing California’s “gilded age,” that opulent period following the ie covery of gold in the West. In addition, there are examples of Indian habitation on the grounds to give the visitor some idea of the aboriginal life-style in Southern California. Finally, there is a railroad station — an authentic depot dating from ~ oa decade of the nineteenth century. Around all this is the modern Arboretum of today. One of the prime movers in the development of the Arboretum’s historical area was Mrs. Richard Y. (Susanna Bryant) Dakin, a recognized historian (author of A Scotch Paisano: Hugo Reid’s Life in California, 1832-1852) and one of the original incorporators of the California Arboretum Foundation. Mrs. Dakin success fully urged establishment of a committee to plan, raise funds and oversee the restoration of the historic buildings present on the grounds. She began working toward this goal in 1948, developing an outstanding list of members for the Histori- cal Committee — an all-star roster of historians, planners, designers and interested citizens as each selected for his or her special knowledge and willingness to assist in the project. A resolution was adopted at a 1948 Board of Trustees meeting giving the historical ‘Committee authority for the planning, development, maintenance, and use of the historical premises, subject to general review by the Board. The first committee meeting took ss at post until 1960, and the minutes he kept are a faithful pte erate. pevord of the considerable accomplishments made by the com- minutes of that alle ile S eye for detail is evident in an excerpt from the : rs convened on the rch of th : 4 chairs ther Kaen : porch of the Hugo Reid Adobe. From their a ed to Chairman Susanna Bryant Dakin explain who was who and why Lasca Leaves 39 and watched rain spattering the dark waters of the lake, ducks racing across the surface, a background of aquatic plants, palms, eucalyptus trees, and distant, somber mountains... “The Chairman promised that a mysterious Mrs. X, former nurse to Lucky Baldwin, would be available for consultation, as would member “E. J.” Fawcett who is Baldwin’s nephew . . . Full cooperation, too, is being given by MGM which plans to do a picture on Baldwin’s life with Clark Gable playing the leading role . . . “Dr. Robert G. Cleland’s motion that the lake be stocked with fish for the exclusive use of the Committee was lost for want of a second — whereupon the Committee adjourned for sherry and fruit cake . . .” A master plan for restoration of the historical section was completed and approved by the Historical Committee and the Foundation Board early in 1951. Harry Sims did the master plan and Charles Gibbs Adams prepared the landscape plan, based on historically accurate plantings. Under the leadership of Mrs. Dakin, the Historical Committee launched an extensive program of planning and fund-raising which resulted in the complete restoration and refurnishing of the Queen Anne Cottage in three years. Maurice Block, formerly with the Huntington Library and Art Gallery, was in charge of the Project. More than $60,000 was raised, and spent, by the Historical Committee to restore and refurnish this ornate “cottage” — some $15,000 more than “Lucky” Baldwin had spent in the original construction. During Baldwin's lifetime the cottage and its lakeside setting had formed one of the showplaces of Southern California. Historian H. H. Bancroft, visiting Baldwin in 1891, reported: “The scene is one of fairy-like loveliness; not only the little dzjou residence and its surroundings, but the entire estate, with its groves and vineyards, its golden fruit and waving harvests, its shaded drives and vistas of mountain peak and valley, cattying the beholder into an ideal region, calm and peaceful as the fabled realm of Rasselas, where soft vernal airs, induce forgetfulness of the din and turmoil, the ctowded streets and selfish intensity of city life.” The Queen Anne Cottage had been vacant since Baldwin’s death in 1909 and was in very poor state of repair, but the upper walls and ceilings of the rooms at least retained enough of the original paint to make an accurate interior restoration Possible. An elderly German carpenter who had worked on the building seventy years before was able to recall many details with remarkable accuracy. He also recalled one of “Lucky” Baldwin’s more alluring feminine visitors (of whom it is said, there were many), the beautiful actress Lily Langtry. At the time of Baldwin’s death the doors, stained glass windows, floor tiles in the entrance hall, and marble facings for the fireplaces had been removed by the family and crated for storage in the nearby Coach Barn. When the State and County P ‘ the property, these treasures were returned, making possible a completely Original restoration of the building, at least in the visible elements. Philip Gresham was selected as contractor to do the work. His interest in the reconstruction went far beyond that usually required of a mere contractor. The cottage tower, leaning more than a foot and a half off center, received priority attention. The minutes of the Historical Committee for May 9, 1952, tell why: “Mr. Gresham, the contractor, spoke with enthusiasm for what had been accomplished, told of how he found the tower and its condition now. His talk was filled with references to termites, dry 40 March, 1973 rot, and fungus and was illustrated with horrible examples of the infected lumber. ‘If nothing had been done,’ he said, ‘the building would not have stayed up another year and the tower would have fallen during the recent earthquake.’ The tower has now been righted, timbers restored, roof shingled in the original style, and the bees coaxed out leaving behind some 75 Ibs. of honcy.” Also mentioned at this meeting was the fact that “Lucky” Baldwin’s tallyho — then at Fallen Leaf Lake — would be delivered “to the committee as soon as the roads are open, which will be about June ist . . . The committee then adjourned to see the good results accomplished in the restoration of the Casino and enjoy refreshments of sherry, Dubonnet, beer and cookies served on the greensward.” Concrete pillars were installed beneath the tower and all structural members at ground level were replaced with treated timber to prevent a recurrence of the termite and dry rot damage evident at the start of work. Work on the rest of the cottage progressed at a steady pace and restoration was completed in June, 1953. Original color schemes for each room, determined by the stained glass windows in that room, were adhered to as much as possible. The refitting of the fireplace facings — many marble pieces packed in the cartons without any pattern — pfe- sented a challenge quite similar to that of a complicated jig-saw puzzle. They were a simple matter, however, when compared with the floor tiles in the entrance hall. These intricate tiles had been removed and simply packed in containers with no pattern to guide in their reconstruction. During the initial phase of the cottage restoration, the cement pad on which the tiles were originally laid had been removed and sent to the dump. Then, someone sudenly realized there was a pattern — the discarded cement! A search party raced to the dump on a retrieval mission. Luckily, a full quarter section was found and from this the tile pattern was pieced together perfectly. cottage refurnishing had been a lengthy process and is still going on. It e was the consensus of the Historical Committee that all furnishings, if not original, should recreate as much as possible the appropriate feeling and style of the Baldwin who had been in charge of furnishing the nearby Huntington the initial furnishing of the cottage. During the time he was » Many people have donated articles or made items available for ceremonies for the Queen Anne Cottage were held on the after- 54, with Samuel Ayres, Jr., presiding. State Historian Aubrey the cottage as State Historical Landmark #367. From the minutes noon of May 18, 19 Neasham dedicated ‘At four o’clock the guests assembled outside the gleaming red and white oe Mrs. Richard Y. Dakin and Mrs. John R. Mage, co-chairmen of the Jo sia committee, with Maurice Block who had charge of restoration, Supervisor nson Ford, and Dr. Russell Seibert participated in the rites which marked Lasca Leaves 41 the first triumph in this preservation of the romantic and colorful past. A great granddaughter of Lucky Baldwin, granddaughter of Anita, was present to view the splendor of the Cottage as it stood in its heydey. Lavish furnishings of the period, with restoration of some of the original marble, made the rooms opulent and resplendent, all that might be expected to be found within such a dazzling exterior. The Victorian garden was charming in the light and shadow of late afternoon. The pretty sight of the red-and-white costumed young girls offering songs of the Lucky Baldwin era, and the regalement at an attractively appointed out-door table ... . revived an atmosphere of hospitality akin to that of the entertaining for which the Rancho was renowned in earlier days . . .” The exceptional manner in which the Queen Anne Cottage was restored led to the decision by the State to undertake the restoration of the Coach Barn and Hugo Reid Adobe. Susanna Bryant Dakin and Russell Seibert made a number of trips to Sacramento for hearings and meetings with committees of the state legislature. These appearances assisted materially in obtaining favorable action on a bill to provide funds for the restoration when it reached the floor. The Coach Barn, dating from the early 1880s, was the first building to be restored with State funds and under State direction. A considerable amount of ter- mite damage had occurred in the structure and the entire floor of the carriage area had to be replaced. Great care was taken to hide any evidence of modern improve- ments. Lighting fixtures were recessed in the ceiling and the switches placed incon- spicuously in the walls. The circuit-breaker units were concealed in the wall of the stable area. To enhance the Coach Barn restoration, W. W. Robinson had suggested to unanimously approved by the Board of Trustees, to restore the building as closely to determine the original floor plan. Expert specialists in history and archit were consulted . All later additions, including the frame west wing added by Bald- 42 March, 1973 win wete razed. Several nearby trees which had not been available in Southern California at the time the adobe was built were removed. Before work began, a large roof was built over the entire structure as protection against wet weather. Then came the complete rebuilding, not a mere restoration, of the adobe itself. This included walls, roof, windows, doors, flooring, using original materials and methods whenever possible. W. W. Robinson’s minutes for the Historical Committee meeting of March 19, 1959, give some idea of the exacting nature of the adobe restoration: Adjourn- ing to the Hugo Reid Adobe area, the Committee, under the guidance of Mr. Orvel Johnson, State Supervisor of Restorations and in charge of the adobe project, watched actual reconstruction work. “Stepping inside the adobe walls, they looked up to the roof being constructed. They saw canes being laced on the horizontal poles with strips of rawhide. The poles had come from the Angeles National Forest. Part of the cane had been obtained from the San Fernando Valley and part from the Rio Hondo. The hides themselves — 15 of them — had been bought at the China Institute and then cut with butcher knives. Upon the laced-down canes grass is to be placed, then a layer of mud, then an unseen half-inch of plywood — this last a concession to modern practicality to prevent leakage. On top of this will be placed brea from La Brea Tar Pits. Watching all this intently, Dr. M. R. Harrington was heard to comment: ‘That is the way it was done in the old days.’ “The thresholds and lintels, Mr. Johnson informed the Committee, were hand- hewn from Arboretum logs. The completed structure will have many of the original adobe bricks. “Stepping outside, the Committee watched the actual making of adobe bricks. Mud for 5000 bricks came from a slope above the flower garden. Sand and wheat straw (and a little cement) were added, mixed together, and put in rows of wood forms. At the end of a day the forms can be removed, leaving bricks 10x20x41/, inches. 2700 had been finished and ready for the encircling wall. The house itself will be whitewashed, as shown by samples.” And then, characteristically, ““The Com- mittee adjourned to refreshments of sherry and cakes.” Plans also called for an adobe-walled patio adjacent to the west and south sides outdoor oven, a cooking area, wine press and dining space. Cuttings from one of the old mission grapevines were obtained for the ramada from Rancho Santa Ana ents were primarily handmade, and much effort was s to copy. Throughout the construction period the and Parks took considerable motion picture footage minute color film entitled ‘‘Heritage.” The film }s programs for Arboretum volunteers and to other which was edited into a thirty- still shown during orientation interested groups. Furnishing of the adobe was accomplished by the Pasadena Committee of the National Society of Colonial Dames of America in California, with Gregor Norman- Wilcox supervising the acquisition and arrangement of the pieces. Formal dedi- Lasca Leaves 43 cation of the completed structure took place on May 5, 1961 — Cinco de Mayo — and the well-attended ceremony was carried out with an early California-Mexican theme and decorations. Soon after, a Victorian rose garden was created adjacent to the Coach Barn in order to display properly those roses which were available during the Baldwin period. On each side of this charming rose garden were planted orange trees. If subdivision continues at its present pace, this may be among the few remaining citrus groves in this area for the younger generation to see. A final major addition to the Arboretum’s historical area came about through the acquisition of the original Santa Anita Railway Depot, built by “Lucky” Baldwin in 1895. For many years the old brick depot sat abandoned on the north side of Colorado Boulevard, just across the road from the Arboretum. When it was an- nounced in 1967 that the depot was in the direct path of a proposed freeway, the Arcadia Historical Society, Arcadia Chamber of Commerce, California Arboretum Foundation, and a gtoup of concerned citizens banded together to raise funds to save the station and move it to the southeast corner of the Arboretum in the Hugo Reid parking lot. A fund raising campaign spearheaded by a group of hard-working citizens brought in about $32,000, but this fell short of what was needed. Neverthe- less, with some donated labor and some additional help from the County and the Foundation the project was accomplished. The original plan involved moving the building as a unit, but it soon became apparent that the brick structure had deteriorated to a point where it would fall apart if moved: The bricks were soft and the old mortar was crumbling. The struc- ture was dismantled and divested of all wooden window and door frames and all other wooden parts still in good condition. Then the depot was taken apart. The original bricks were cleaned, transported to the historical area, and the depot was put back together again — a prodigious feat. Formal dedication ceremonies were held September 25, 1970. The reconstructed station is a tribute to the many people who donated money, time, knowledge, and fine workmanship to the project. 44 March, 1973 Ill SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS Research Projects at the Arboretum ince the Arboretum gates were first opened to the public, millions of visitors have passed through the grounds, viewing the plant displays, enjoying the historical buildings, being amused, perhaps, by the antics of the birds, or struck by the loveli- ness of the specimens inside the orchid greenhouse. What most visitors do not see, however, are the many research projects being carried out at the Arboretum. Scientific research has been conducted at the Arboretum for more than twenty years and i one of the institution’s primary responsibilities under the original list of objectives drawn up at the time of founding. Since it was the lack of color in the Southern California landscape that had originally inspired Sam Ayres with the idea of creating a botanic garden of atbo- return that would make possible the scientific introduction of flowering plants, this aspect of horticultural research has received major attention. : The first official introduction was Felicia ‘Santa Anita’ originated by Quinn Buck, Arboretum plant propagator. One hundred seedlings of Felicia amelloides, commonly called a marguerite, were treated with colchicine, and when they bloomed, three were judged worthy of further consideration. Of these only one plant, given the cultivar name of ‘Santa Anita,’ was finally selected for introduction in 1958. In 1953 Sam Ayres brought back seed of the floss silk tree (Chorisia speciosa) from a trip to South America, which the Arboretum then propagated and grew on the grounds. Up to this time only a few of these trees were available, but with the spectacular flower display produced each year from early September through November, the tree has become a favorite in Southern California. : The Arboretum seed bank received a major addition in 1958-1959 when Supet- intendent George Spalding spent six months in Australia for the United States Department of Agriculture on a plant exploration trip which produced 137 acces- sions, mostly acacias and eucalypts. Further additions were made by Director William Stewart in 1959-60 when he spent six months in Australia and New Zealand on a Fulbright Fellowship, again in 1961 when he spent another four months in South Africa, and finally in 1964 when he received a second Fulbright Fellowship and taught at the Balwant Rajput College near Agra, India. From the large number of plants grown and tested at the Arboretum, 58 species and varieties have been considered worthy of introduction. 1ong the more colorful and widely used are the golden trumpet tree ( Tabebuia chrysotricha), crown of gold tree (Cassia excelsa), gold medallion tree ( Cassia lepto- Lasca Leaves 45 phylla), all from South America; the blue hibiscus (Hibiscus huegelii) and flaxleaf paperbark tree (Melaleuca linariifolia) from Australia; and the trailing African daisy (Osteospermum fruticosum) and cape weed (Arctotheca calendula) from South Africa, In 1965, 19 lilac hybrids developed for Southern California weather conditions were introduced by the Department through its Descanso Gardens facility in La anada. From the time the first packet of seed was received in 1949, to the end of 1971, accessions have totaled 42,848 as of December 31, 1971. Of these, 5,973 have been added to the Arboretum’s permanent plantings. The longest research program, started in 1950 and still continuing, is that of testing plants for their fire-retardant properties, an investigation of great potential benefit in the dry, hilly areas of Southern California where nearly every summer or fall at least one disastrous fire occurs. By means of lectures, publications, and news stories to the press, the fire-retardant and erosion-control properties of 30 tested plants have been made available to the public. Testing of fire-retardant species has also been done in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service and the Los Angeles County forestry and fire officials in various areas of Southern California. Often equally amaging as the fires themselves are the floods and landslides that follow an tesulting work at the Arboretum in the field of erosion control has proven of great value to the property owners of Los Angeles County. Experiments using gibberellic acid on Thompson Seedless rapes to increase size of fruit and promote better spacing were conducted by William Stewart and Francis Ching in 1956 and 1957. This original research work was later used suc- cessfully by the Riverside Citrus Experimental Station. Impact on grape production in California was considerable. In 1966 the research division inaugurated a study of Armillaria mellea, the oak root fungus that is destroying many native oaks and other trees and plants. It is now believed that some 90 percent of the ornamentals grown in Los Angeles County as well as 700 species of plants throughout the world are susceptible to this disease. At least three chemicals have been shown under Arboretum laboratory conditions to control this disease without harm to plants. More testing is planned. The Arbore- plant pathologist has also initiated work on resistance to virus infection in Plants, Turf 8fass research was begun in 1950 and, in addition to the establishment = maintenance of test plots of various grasses, has included studies in - ton control; improved management practices for hybrid bermuda, dichon : other lawn grasses; selective herbicides for control of crab grass, dallis grass an 46 March, 1973 kikuyu grass; studies of the use of fertilizers, soil amendments and soil penetrants in lawn care. Over the years the Arboretum has engaged in cooperative research with many governmental groups and private companies. One such project in 1952 was the testing of Monsanto’s Krillium Soil Conditioner, a product which had been developed to improve soil textures, particularly heavy clay soils. The tests did not show Kriltum to be particularly effective, but they did successfully demonstrate the product’s uses and limitations. Another research project which took place in the early 1950s was the test program, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture, on the relative hardiness of thirteen species of Strophanthus, a potential cortisone-producing genus of plants from a region more tropical than Southern California. The US was interested in finding areas suitable for growth in the United States. A total of 113 plants were received from U.S.D.A., but only one species survived the first winter outdoors, and it was not one of those desirable for cortisone production. The project did, nevertheless, eliminate one major climatic area from the list of possible growing sites. The development of a plant breeding program began with the formation of a Camellia Research Committee, a group of private citizens with special interest in camellias, who banded together to raise funds to support a camellia project. Ihe program had three objectives: The improvement of resistance to cold; the broadening of the color range, with particular emphasis on introducing yellow as a basic color; and the development of fragrance. This program will continue. Thus far four camellias have been introduced to the nursery trade from among 20,000 seedlings. The cold-hardiness program has now been transferred to Longwood Gardens 1n Pennsylvania, and the color program has been de-emphasized as yellow pigments have not been detected. With the employment in 1968 of a full-time geneticist new programs are under consideration aimed at improving plants now being grown, and at developing im- proved forms by hybridization, selection and artificially introduced mutation. The future appears bright for development of better varieties of trees and other plants for gardens, parks and streets in the community . ; On June 4, 1970, the long awaited and much needed research laboratory build- ing was completed, thereby consolidating research efforts under one roof. Offices and laboratories are situated around an inner court with a large lily pool open to the sky and complemented with Rhapis humilis palms and cycads. Over 8,000 square feet of office and laboratory space containing the latest equipment is available for projects involving soil science, pathology, virology, air pollution, taxonomy, breeding, genetics, plant physiology and plant ecology. Some years ago, space was made available at the Arboretum to house an embry- onic herbarium which has now grown to include 10,000 mounted and 20,000 un- mounted specimens. The herbarium is, in essence, a library of plant specimens — dried, pressed, mounted on sheets, labeled and identified. It is a basic source of in- formation for botanic and horticultural research and a vital part of the collections, providing taxonomic identification of all plant materials on the grounds. Field labels sometimes are lost and without the herbarium, identification of some plants would be difficult. Occasionally, seeds and plants are received which have been incorrectly iden- Lasca Leaves 47? tified at the source, and it is only through a check of existing literature and compari- son with herbarium specimens that accurate identification can be made. The herbarium also provides a specimen of all Arboretum plants which have been grown, discarded or have died, so it is a complete record with sample of plant for exact identification. The Arboretum’s herbarium is a major horticultural herbarium specializing in the subtropical, woody, introduced plants that now comprise virtually all of the cultivated landscape material found in Southern California. In the past several years, the collection of pressed plants has been utilized by taxonomists writing papers on Acacia and Erythrina, and others who are doing research on Eucalyptus, Myoporum and the cultivated trees of Southern California. It has also been used extensively by students. Arboretum research projects for the 1970s have been broadened to better serve the public and the needs of an area of seven million people. This means research pro- grams geared to community problems and concerns. It means further investigation of erosion-controlling and fire-retardant plants, and the development of greenbelts on Southern California hillsides. It means even more intensive studies into plants and air pollution; into pesticides and ecosystems; into the development and introduc- tion of colorful ornamental plants; into the practical uses of waste effluents and reclaimed water in the development of parks and agricultural areas. It also means better uses and broader understandings of the plant world around us — a world upon which our survival depends. A8 March, 1973 IV FRIENDS ALONG THE WAY Foundation and Community Support i HOUGH the Arboretum is a public, tax-supported institution, it could not have developed to its present size, scope and importance without aid from the private sector. Most of that aid has come by way of the nonprofit California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., and that organization’s many members and friends. Through the Foundation has come the necessary funding and the support for programs which otherwise might never have existed. No chapter, no book, can adequately describe or pay tribute to the hundreds of Foundation members and friends whose time, energy and gifts have assisted the Arboretum over the years. Fund-raising by the Foundation has taken many forms, and gifts have ranged from large to small; from outright monetary donations, endowments and bequests, to gifts of land, art works, buildings, furnishings and plants. Foundation-sponsored events have included the garden tours of the early 1950s organized by Mrs. William D. Shearer, to social gatherings, flower shows and plant sales, right up to the very recent “Baldwin Bonanzas.” The Foundation’s gift shop : eating facilities, donation boxes — even the nickel vending machines where visitors can buy corn to feed to the insatiable peacocks and ducks — have produced revenues to sustain Arboretum activities. One noteworthy land gift of the 1950s was the 156 acres in Cloverleaf Canyon in the foothills above Monrovia, given to the Arboretum by Dr. George P. Lux. The valuable acreage is now called the Lux Arboretum and used primarily for Arbo- retum experimental programs. ong some of the important donations also made in the mid-1950s was the gift from Lyman McFie of several large and valuable Phoenix reclinata palms, to- gether with funds to cover the cost of moving them. These are now a prominent feature near the main Arboretum entrance. Later, McFie also donated other plants, including a very large clump of Chamaerops humilis. In 1955, Samuel Mosher of Dos Pueblos Nurseries, Arthur Freed, and Lyman McFie made gifts of Paphiopedilum ( Cypripedium) orchid plants to the Arboretum. Of necessity they were housed under the benches in the propagation house — there was nowhere else to put them. The same year McFie also donated funds to con- struct the first units of a planned four-house orchid range which, when completed, would provide proper growing conditions for the orchid collection — certainly a0 improvement over the propagation house benches. The family and friends of John y F. Douglas donated another orchid house, Mr. and Mrs. John Garland a third, and Lasca Leaves 49 Mrs. Archibald Young a fourth. Each of these glasshouses is 16 by 40 feet, and each provides different temperature and light environment. Mrs. Young also pro- vided the Italian stone pines lining both sides of the forecourt turf panel and framing the entranceway vista. Not long after this, the Southern California Chapter of the American Begonia Society donated an 18 by 50-foot glasshouse with fully automatic controls to house begonias. A sizable portion of these funds came from Mrs. Elvira Slossen and, later, from her estate. The Begonia Society's San Gabriel Valley Branch, in particular, donated numerous begonias to provide the Arboretum with a fine collection of these popular plants. In 1958, Mrs. Harry J. Bauer, an active, longtime member of the Board of Trustees, accepted chairmanship of the Board of Councilors, a body established under Foundation bylaws to assist the Trustees in any manner requested. Over several years the Councilors contributed in many ways to the improvement of the Arboretum. In 1960, artist Millard Sheets was commissioned to draw up an ambitious, dramatic design for an entranceway area. The plan called for a pool at the east fence with adjoining marble walls, and a grass panel planked by walks leading to the central feature—a large, square pool at the center of which was a single, sixty-foot-high water jet. The plan then provided for another grass panel bordered by walks that led to a final pool and terrace at the west end. In memory of Mr. Bauer, Mrs. Bauer do- nated funds for the central pool and a marble terrace surrounding it, and Lyman McFie donated the entranceway pool with its marble walls. Both of these projects were completed in 1967. In 1960, the Santa Anita Highlands Garden Club donated funds to design and construct a small stream on the north slope of Tallac Knoll. A series of steps descends the hill beside the stream which ends in a small pool, all constructed of Palos Verdes stone. The following year the club also provided funds for an attrac- tive glade with a bird feeding station and bench as a memorial to Mrs. Gretel Bertholet, member and organizer of the Garden Club and an active supporter of the Arboretum from the early days. Although the day-to-day management of the grounds was relinquished in 1953 to the County, the increasing activities of the California Arboretum Foundation made it evident by 1955 that a full-time executive secretary was needed. In 1955, Mrs. Lee Wray Turner, for many years in charge of arranging film locations on the gtounds — scores of motion pictures, including some early Tarzan films, TV shows and commercials have been shot at the Arboretum — was appointed first executive secretary of the Foundation. She was succeeded by Mrs. Dolores Hubbell in 1960. Over the years the Foundation has expanded its activities and it now has a staff of four full-time employees handling an ever-expanding workload in its administration and support of many projects — visitor facilities and grounds transportation, film location supervision, plantings and gardens additions, publications, and research grants. _ In January, 1967 a group known as Las Voluntarias was formed primarily to assist in the maintenance and upkeep of the Arboretum’s historical buildings. As the official volunteer Organization of the Foundation, the membership now consists of more than 150 women working in all divisions and sections of the Arboretum. New volunteers remain provisional members until they have worked a certain Petiod of time and have completed the orientation course in the fall of each 50 March, 1973 year. Membership in the California Arboretum Foundation is a requirement for all volunteers. This does not include provisionals. An auxiliary of Las Voluntarias called Los Ayudantes (the helpers) was formed in 1968 for volunteers who wished to help at the Arboretum, but who could not fit their schedules to that of the parent group. Members of Los Ayudantes have given many hours to the volunteer program at the Arboretum. The death of Manfred Meyberg in 1956 brought to a close a life devoted to horticulture and allied interests. Meyberg, a Foundation Trustee, was owner 0 Germain’s Seed Company and active in the Southern California Horticultural Insti- tute and the International Flower Shows held at Hollywood Park. Following his death, Mrs. Meyberg and friends of the family set up a memorial fund to be used at the Arboretum. In 1969 a waterfall, named in his memory, was constructed on the north side of Tallac Knoll and has become one of the more popular features on the grounds. The main fall is twenty feet high and, with adjacent cascades, is a spectacular sight. After the completion of the main fall, Mrs. Meyberg and family gave additional funds for development of the Aquatic Garden on the knoll above the falls. This project was completed in 1971, and so constructed that the entire area — garden and falls — appears to be a single unit. A new project has been started that will complement the Meyberg Falls and add new beauty and horticul- tural interest to the area. It is a combined meadow and 1,000-foot brook that will start from the base of the falls and follow a winding course to an outlet near the present upper pond that is nine feet lower. Constructing the stream bed, contouring the land and preparing it for the varied plantings that have been planned add up to a major project for which Los Angeles County and the California Arboretum Foun- dation have supplied the funds. It reflects the even greater role the Foundation si playing in developing the Arboretum through the initiation and execution of fund-raising events that bring pleasure to the public and significant help to the garden. Lasca Leaves 51 V GARDEN OF KNOWLEDGE The Arboretum as a place of Publishing, Teaching and Learning (i of the original aims of the Arboretum was to publish pamphlets and brochures of a horticultural, botanical, and historical nature. In 1950, a com- mittee appointed to develop a publishing program recommended the publication of a quarterly journal, setting October, 1950, as the date for the first issue. The title of the new quarterly was Lasca Leaves (Lasca being drawn from the initials of the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum). The California Arboretum Foundation was to provide financial support for the new publication which would contain many useful and informative “leaves” as the years went by. Volume I, Number 1, appeared on schedule in October, 1950. Lasca Leaves, now in its twenty-third year, is still going strong. The first issue, something of a collector's item today, was a modest eight pages. On its green and white cover was a delicate drawing of the Ginkgo biloba leaf, and inside were six articles, beginning with one on the Arboretum itself by Director Russell Seibert. This was followed with a discussion of the historical buildings by Susanna Bryant Dakin, a piece on Washingtonia filifera by William Hertrich, an article on Arboretum birds by W. Dan Quattlebaum, the first in a series of “Grow- ing Notes” by George Spalding, and an unsigned cover story on the ginkgo. Also included in this maiden issue was a list of gifts from various donors, received between October 1, 1949 and June 30, 1950. Among these gifts were more than 150 books and pamphlets (including 35 books on roses), some 100 plants, 315 Packets of seed, one manuscript on New Zealand trees and shrubs, several original drawings and paintings, two plant urns, slides, a projector and screen. Also listed Were two bags of Georgia peat, one sack of sponge rock and three bags of steer manure. Useful gifts all! Russell Seibert was Lasca Leaves’ first editor, producing the initial two volumes and the first issue of volume three. Janet Wright, the Arboretum’s part-time librarian took over the editorship in April, 1953 (at which time the Southern California Horticultural Institute became a co-sponsor of Lasca Leaves). She Continued as editor until October, 1955, resigning both of her positions to enter 2 religious order. The first issue of Volume VI (1956) was edited jointly by Mrs. Rusella McGah, the first full-time librarian, and Louis B. Martin, Arboretum plant physi- Ologist and later chief of the Education Division. Martin assumed sole editorship inning in 1960 and continued in this capacity until the summer of 1963. 59 March, 1973 The last issue edited by Martin (Volume XIII, No. 2) in 1963, was also the final issue to be published jointly with the Southern California Horticultural Institute. Thus, Lasca Leaves again became solely a California Arboretum Foundation publi- cation. A search began to find a new editor and Maria Stewart, wife of Arboretum director William Stewart, volunteered her services in the interim. Robert Atkinson, garden editor for The Los Angeles Times, was appointed editor, effective with issue No. 3 of Volume XIV (Summer, 1964). Dr. Atkinson introduced issues devoted to a single subject in the interest of bringing a more thorough examination of whatever was selected. As interesting as these issues were, however, Atkinson lived and worked in an area of the county some distance from the Arboretum which presented problems in reviewing copy, checking proofs and other details of publication. At the end of his second year’s contract it was decided to seek an editor closer at hand. In the summer of 1966, Davis Dutton, the newly employed head of Arboretum Information, was selected to edit Lasca Leaves which he did until he left the Arboretum to give attention to a family business. Later, he became editor of W estways magazine. Then, in 1968, Donald Dimond, chief of the Public Services Division, took up the editorship, bringing about changes in format and design which were the start of a continuing effort to enhance and update Lasca Leaves without changing its fundamental character. A new masthead, two new departments, and an editorial page were added. In 1971, Lasca Leaves became a publication representing the Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens and each of its facilities throughout the County of Los Angeles. Still published by the California Arboretum Foundation, Lasca Leaves currently features articles on horticultural subjects by staff and guest writers, guest book reviews, and notes on department activities written by the editor. In addition to Lasca Leaves, the publications committee also provided for occasional and special publications by authorizing a series to be called Lasca Miscellanea. The first to be issued in this series was an index for the book, 4 Botanist in South Africa, by John Hutchinson. The index was prepared by George Spalding and was printed by the A. B. Dick Company in an edition of 200 copies. About 150 of these indexes were sent to other botanical institutions, the balance being offered for sale by the California Arboretum Foundation. Lasca Miscellanea numbers two through five were annual reports of the Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens. ; One of the earliest projects undertaken by the staff was the editing for publi- cation of the notes left by the late Peter Riedel of Santa Barbara. Riedel, one of the horticultural pioneers of Southern California, was compiling data for a book b: ed on his experiences at the time of his death. A grant from the Harvey Fous- dation of Santa Barbara made possible the editing and publication of these worth- while research notes. It was the Arboretum’s good fortune that its organizing director, Frans Verdoorn, had considerable professional knowledge of books—both as publisher and bibliographer in the fields with which the Arboretum was primarily concerned. During his brief tenure , apptoximately one thousand volumes were assembled 4s the nucleus of an Arboretum library. A library committee was appointed in July, 1950. The committee’s first job Lasca Leaves 53 was to review lists prepared by the Massachusetts Horticultural Library and select books suitable for the Arboretum. The library was developed primarily to assist the staff in their work and research, specializing in horticultural and_ historical materials that pertain to the Arboretum that are also of value to the general public. It is open and available to the public for reference every weekday. In the years since the library was established, a number of valuable books all the literature on begonias published throughout the world. This was the research material on which Mrs. Krauss based her book Begonias for American Homes and Gardens. There ate only two copies of this compilation in existence, the other being in the library of the New York Botanical Garden. The library today contains 17,000 books and pamphlets, and regularly receives some 525 periodicals, running the gamut of botany, horticulture and allied subjects. Some of these come through subscriptions, some in exchange for Lasca Leaves. It would not be inaccurate to say that every activity at the Arboretum ultimately falls under the heading of education or public services or both. Education takes many forms, ranging from simple but informative plant labels to beginning and advanced classes in horticulture for young people and adults. Public services range from daily informational services and narrated tram tours (over 150,000 passengers a year, a figure limited only by the availability of personnel and vehicles), to carefully structured school field trips. School field trips began on a modest scale in 1950 and have since grown steadily, becoming a basic part of the curriculums of school districts throughout the area. Field trips are conducted by trained tour guides in the Public Services Division and by members of Las Voluntarias. More than 25,000 school children from 60 Southern California cities now attend tours each year — a most impressive increase Over the 1,750 children conducted through the grounds the first year. A high per- centage of these children are from inner city and ghetto schools, and the Arboretum 1S continually seeking ways to develop tours and enrichment programs designed for the special needs of these students. A formal youth education program was inaugurated early in 1959 by Gertrude Woods, currently chief of the Education Division. After-school and Saturday work- shops were offered for children from six to fifteen years of age and have included short courses in nature study, weather, lagoon life, birds, botany and gardening. The old, “temporary” administration building served, and still serves, as a class- foom. Garden plots were developed near the building, and in 1960 the Casamajor Greenhouse (given by the family of Robert Casamajor in memory of the longtime Foundation member and president of the Board of Trustees) was donated along with an anonymous gift of $1,000 to further develop a children’s education facility. The children’s program has been a phenomenal success. In fact, its popularity has created Space problems and consistently forced limitations on enrollment — in all cases classes are oversubscribed before they open. During a recent period sixty Workshops covering eighteen subjects were offered for children from six to sixteen years of age. Seven-hundred and forty children were accommodated. As usual, many 54 March, 1973 children had to be turned away due to limited space and a lack of funds for additional teachers. Once again, only limited classroom space keeps this program from growing even larger. Special classes have also been scheduled in conjunction with various govern- ment programs for training the unemployed, including the Work Incentive Program of the Department of Human Resources, the Manpower Development Training Act and the programs of the California State Department of Rehabilitation. This six- month training period consisted of a lecture phase, demonstrations and work assignments under the supervision of Arboretum staff and gardeners. To date, up- wards of fifty men have received vocational training in garden maintenance. In 1957, the California Arboretum Foundation - Sunset Magazine Demonstra- tion Home Gardens were started on one acre north of the administration building. On a visit to the Arboretum, a Sunset editor mentioned that it was possible to go anywhere in Sotuhern California and see a furnished model home, but nowhere was there a furnished “model garden.” This observation led to a decision by Sunset and the Foundation to develop a group of demonstration gardens to provide home Owners with ideas they could employ in their own gardens. Sunset made a survey of readers in the Arcadia area. Based on the results, Sunset prepared a write-up of four hypothetical, composite families with differing life-styles. A contest was held in which landscape architects could design a garden suitable for each of these families. The contest turned out to be a draw between plans submitted by Owen Peters and Bettler Baldwin. It was decided to award Prizes to each and have them jointly develop a new plan incorporating desirable features of cach of their original plans. The gardens were completed and dedicated in the spring of 1958 and were featured in a cover story in the June issue of Swnset. Following the opening of the Demonstration Home Gardens, Arboretum attendance doubled almost immediately and continued to increase rapidly for several years. Today it is gratifying to see homeowners inspecting, photographing, sketching and taking notes and ideas home with them. Each garden is updated periodically in design, plant materials and furnishings. ee nate ro wel nae assistance is available through the office of the Botanical aan tis Say xe to anyone who visits the Arboretum or inquires by gs ood ask ice Handles approximately 2,500 queries per year. Additional horticul- _juormation is furnished the public through a “Plant-Of-The-Week” column P sone Sunday in the Pasadena Star-News, a column now in its eighth yeat- n 203 &@ committee was appointed to investigate the feasibility of printing 2 flowering tree booklet, in full color, to ia bist Bice Angeles vesidents~-home Lasca Leaves 55 owners or professional landscapers—with the variety of colorful trees that could be grown in the area. e California Arboretum Foundation, Southern California Horticultural Institute and Los Angeles Beautiful agreed to underwrite the first printing. Before the flowering tree booklet was even completed, the idea of a series of booklets covering flowering shrubs, vines and ground covers was presented, and favorably received. At the same time it became clear that the returns from one booklet would not always be sufficient to finance the next one. The three sponsoring organizations then agreed to underwrite an additional $1,000 each to assure publi- cation of the next booklet. To date, five booklets have been published and current plans call for a hardcover book incorporating all of the material in the present five booklets with some additional pictures and text. The late Ralph Cornell, one of the original incorporators and former president of the Foundation, furnished the color transparencies which were used to illustrate the five booklets. The selection of the additional transparencies had just been completed when this dedicated friend of the Arboretum died on April 6, 1972. In response to the demand for literature on horticultural and related subjects, especially during the last several years, a long and varied list of brochures and other publications has been planned. Among those already published is a twenty- page booklet titled “Fire Retardant Plants for Hillside Area.’ About 20,000 of these have been distributed so far, the greatest number following the fires that tavaged Southern California hillsides in September of 1970. Others, like “Beneficial Insects,” “Insecticides Around the Home,” ‘Poisonous Plants,” “Home Vegetable Gardening,” and a “Guide to Pond Ecology,” also remain in steady demand. Nearly all of these publications have been produced at modest cost, but their usefulness is incalculable. More are planned for the future. _ Still another recent educational program that is expected to grow with the times is the new approach to Arbor Day, an approach designed to make the day one of meaning and significance. Traditional Arbor Day school ceremonies had become almost a matter of form with little value except the taking home of a seedling tree. Starting in 1972 (the one-hundredth anniversary of Arbor Day), the Education Division, with the assistance of Las Voluntarias, prepared a packet of resource information for teachers containing materials on the history of Arbor Day and information on trees, conservation and environment. This packet was distributed by the Arboretum to schools wishing to take part in the program. After studying various aspects of Arbor Day in the classroom, each school was given a tree in a five-gallon container to be planted with appropriate ceremonies. With some 400 schools taking part, it was estimated that more than 200,000 children ap new insights into the world of nature and its place in their lives. It is expected increasing numbers of the 1.3 million students within the school districts of Angeles County will be served in the coming years. a a very recent and popular, educational innovations are the “Mini Courses,” ba y Morning Garden Walks and the Sunday Afternoon Lectures. The Mini fses are billed as “Intensive, short horticultural classes for the busy adult.” . 8 -~ devote an entire semester to a subject, the “busy adult” can now get € heart of the matter by signing up for three 3-hour sessions in any of several Subjects—container gardening, indoor plants and terrariums, holiday decorations, 56 March, 1973 propagation, pruning ornamental plants, orchids, and hanging baskets. These inten- sive sessions involve concentrated learning and doing, and are proving quite successful. Sunday Morning Walks give the visitor a chance to stroll through some desig- nated portion of the Arboretum grounds, such as the Demonstration Home Gardens, the Aquatic Garden or one of the geographic plant sections, in the company of @ staff expert who describes, explains and interprets along the way. The Sunday Afternoon Lectures are planned expressly for the home gardener and those interested in the environmental factors surrounding the growing of plants. Here, too, 1s 4 chance to spend several hours with a specialist in fields such as plant propagation, azalea growing, home vegetable or container gardening, or Australian plants suit- able for Southern California. In terms of numbers, millions of people have in some way benefited from Arboretum research, educational and public service programs — formal or informal, scheduled or unscheduled. Periodically updated and broadened, these programs can be expected to serve a future, larger population likely to be increasingly concerned with the urban environment. Presidents of the Board of Trustees of the California Arboretum Foundation Frits W. Went 1948 - 1952 Samuel Ayres, Jr. 1952 - 1955 Frits W. Went 1955 - 1958 Robert Casamajor 1958 - 1960 Ralph D. Cornell 1960 - 1963 F. Harold Roach 1963 - 1967 Arie J. Haagen-Smit 1967 - 1970 Ernest E. Hetherington 1970 - 1971 Donald Camphouse 1971 - 1972 Alice Douglas 1972 - The photographers of the early pictures of the Arboretum which add so much interest to this history are, regrettably, unknown. For the rest, we wish to thank William Aplin for his picture of the entranceway (opposite the Foreword), and for the picture on page 24 of the Santa Anita Depot as it is today. We wish also to thank Milt Bell of the Arcadia News Post for his pictures of the fire shown on page 27. We wish to thank Francis Ching for his color pictures on page 36 and for the view of the Demonstration Home Gardens on page 37. Finally, we wish to thank H. Byron Churchill, a generous contributor to Lasca Leaves, for his picture of the Coach Barn on page 38. Lasca Leaves 57 “| @ sal= | = z all 7 | Ue = S = Fa. NARCOTIC PLANTS by William A. Em boden Jr., The Macmillan Company, New York, 1972; es — Illustrated, 95 color plates. $12 enturi ies man has | made use of various ing properties. He em in ee i the future, ing with the deceased, receiving ection a the gods or transcending the rigors of a harsh environment. Dr. Embode “a has written a historical, bo- tanical, song mical account of these pla nts, which inclu ae iid: peyote, opium pop- Py, sacred mushrooms, tea, coffee, mate, cocoa cola, coca, betel, night tshades, datura, drake, and numerous lesser-known species term “narcotic” in its broadest m for plants falli der this a, probably shoal’ be “psyc cree is su by the U. Public Heal and not ak. Nes: cotics as gener; ally Glenna and defined are drugs that lessen sensibility, relieve pain and produce profound sleep, that when used con- Stantly cause habituation, a that in pee a produce euphoria, stupor, coma and yes mboden writes engagingly, his ag is ascinating, and the illustrations by Mts. Frances Runyan are excellent. It is only unfo Ortunate that the eee fica. sath book | is not as vate or oblong, but are ers On the ee illustrated on clake No. 57. ae is also oo. that none of the plant dexed at: On page 141 to 161 are in- shore Srna do rig difficult to find _—_ than a in a plan a. Enari RECENT ACQUISITIONS TO LASCA LIBRARY VEGETABLES AND FRUITS, James Under- wood Crockett. Time-Life Books, New O pp. color photos and il- lustrations. MONOGRAPHIE DES MENISPERMACEAE e 1962. Black and white illustrations. INDOOR AND OUTDOOR AIR POLLUTION RELATIONSHIPS, Ferris B. Benson, pts Printing Office, Wash., D.C., 1972. 73 p RESULTS OF A BOTANIC EXPEDITION TO ARABIA IN 1944-45, Ahmed Khattab and M. Nabil El-Hadidi, Cairo University Herb- arium, 1971. pp, no illustrations. WATER THE WONDER GUIDE Rutherford Platt, Prentice-Hall, glewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1971. black and white photographs. E. |. DU PONT, BOTANIST. Norman Wilkinson, The University Press of Virgi- nia, 1972. 139 PP.» black and white and color photographs CONTIN sch ADRIFT, Scientific American, man o., New York, 1973. Black ier ale cine ain ons. ECHEVERIA, Eric Walther, California Acad- emy of Sciences, San Francisco, Califor- nia, 1972. Black and white photographs. NONSEED PLANTS: FORM AND FUNC- TION, William T. Doyle, Wadworth Pub- lishing Co., Inc., Belmont, California, sie ‘mie pp., "hace and white photo- gra OF. -LIFE, Inc., En- 74 pp., READING THE LANDSCAPE OF rer slog May Theilgaard Watts, Harper and R New i 1971. Black and white illus. tratio CACTI AND SUCCULENTS INDOORS AND OUTDO : draw! THE DELPHINIUM, — Bishop, Collins St. James Place. , Lo 1949. 144 pp. color and Bleck "and white photographs. ORGANIC GARDENING AND FARMING, Joseph A. oe Arco, New York, 1971. 147 p pp., — and_ white photographs and ings. March, 1973 58 An Arboretum is for people . . . People visit an arboretum for different reasons — to study, to get ideas for their own gardens, or maybe just to enjoy the peace and quiet of beautiful surroundings. Engineers, landscape gardeners, nature lovers, children, and photographers are just a few of the people who can find good reasons to see the Meyberg Falls at the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum. Southern California Edison Company Lasca Leaves 59 Arctotheca calendula (L.) Levins, Cape weed, Cape dande- lion (Cover) A low-growing perennial or sometimes annual herbaceous plant from South Africa The leaves are pinnately lobed, ——— in the degree of incision, up to 3 in, wide, green and scabrous above, white or grey-woolly beneath, petioled. The flower-heads are ae yellow, up to 21% in. across, radiate, long-scaped, solita tary, terminal or axillary. € pappus is of small translucent scales. The fruits are Asi with dense silky hairs. The original plant was received in 1963 from Sima Eliovson from South Africa. Eliovson is a well-known author - several books on the wild flowers of Sout aie: including South African Wild Flowers for the Gardens. The offsprings of this lant: were distributed bo the Foundation members at wool si annual meeting. In e€ same year they were also made available to the nurseri an extremely fast-growing phe cover. When planted nches on center, it will provide a full within six nths, This plant will grow wall in less than favorable conditions, does equally well on slopes, flat areas or moun best in full sun. Establishing this plant is relatively easy as cuttings can be directly planted into the ground, or rooted cuttings fr f m t ill Occasionally kill tops but the plant will recover quite rapidly as soon as the ter r Plants s tart to flower in late Febru oom copiously 9 March, established planting may be subject to root rot and occasionally to ephide, mites, retail and snails, but will usually sustain or recover from such blights without any reatme CALENDAR — Continued from page 60 April 29—9 a June 3—9 a S unday Morning Garden Walk Sunday Morning Garden Walks “Plants in Flow i. Sectio Armand Sieinine, superintenden Armand Sarinana, superintenden Edward Hartnagel, Assistant Sic Riward Hartnase pene cee pa aa eS May 5, 6—10 to 5 p.m June 17—2 South Bay Bromeliad Associates Show Sunday Pi shia Lecture May 6—2 p.m. “Lawns and Ground Covers Sunday Ane ‘Lecture cas yaa superinten “Composting” Edward Hartnagel, assistant superintendent Edward fetes assistant superintendent June 22, 24—-10 to 5 May 19, 20—10 to 5 p.m. SCBG. —— Fiesta at Costa Verde Silver Spur Garden Club Flower Show Flowe ARBORETUM WEATHER Long. 118°02’59” W. Lat. 34°08’48” N. Elev. 571.28 ft. Weather season: Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 eee December January February Average daily maximum temperature 64. 66 ; Average daily minimum temperature 40.5 40.6 48.7 Highest temperatur 85 82 79 Lowest temperature 29 30 40 Number of clear d 19 19 15 Number of partly cloudy days 9 11 Number of days with rai 3 10 Rain during the mon 2.05 3.86 9.87 Total rain since October 1 5.90 9.76 19.63 Calendar’ April - May - June ARBORETUM (Note: — a res and walks Arbor Payne Pandan lectur April 7-8—8 to 5 cage Spring Flower Sho —— by the Arboretum District of n Clubs, I April 16. 19 American — of sar erg Gardens and Arboreta Annual Meeti April 15 — 2 ee m. Sunday Afternoon Lectu “Poisonous & Medicinal “Plants” Dr. Leonard Enari, senior biologist April 21, 22—<8 to .m. Iris Sh Sponsored by the So. Calif. Iris Society Sponsored by ‘th e So. Calif. Hemercallis & Amaryllis Society April 29 — 9 to 11 oe nce Poe thd Walk “Talla oll” ard Enari, senior biologist Frink reeset Arboretum Superintendent May 1 Youth Education Classes Su nai session sri June 18 Write now for infor May 8— pe 0 4 ae m. California Arboret m Foundation A Meeting & Fashio on Show Sponsored — the Epiphyllum Socie ig 20-2 Piphy ty rmeld Af ree al Lecture “Lawns and Groundcovers John paths Hortucultrist May 26-28 —8 to 5 p.m. reo ponsored gu = Santa Anita Bonsai Socie June 3—2 — Ses day Fearon Lecture “Propagation’’ Don Fitch , Arboretum oo ~ 2 10 9 to 5:30 p.m Sponsored, by the Pacific Rose Socie Jun ce ge ath —~8 to 5:30 p.m : Sponsored by the National — ae u —=8 to 5:30 d Enari, senior biolo Frank § “omer Arboretum is and the minicourse series ate sponsored by the California m Foundation which also serves as cosponsor of flower es.) shows and Theodore June 30—8 to 1l Hugo Reid Round U June 29, 30, -— ane to 5:30 p.m. Cactus Soo by the — & Succulent Society of Americ ape DESCANSO GARDENS April 1 — 2 p.m. Sunday Afternoon Lecture “Compostin Mark Anthony, superintendent a and George Lewis, assistant superintendent April 5 > Mrs. Pig Taft 790-6545 April—9 a Sunday Moe rning Garden Walks “Native Plants, Flowering Fruit Trees” Mark Anthony, superintendent George Lewis, — ceperiotendel April 10 — 1-4 p Field trip to Herold Lloyd Estate (Write Guild for information April 11 —8 p.m Theodore Sieidaeg Foundation Lecture “Native April 29 — 4 ne USC Brass - Choir Concert +9 5 Field trip to Protea Gardens in Escondido May la Con _ Glendale Symphony Orchestra e3 ce) O p.m. nr festival on oe lawn June 10 — Sunday Scion Gaes Walk “Roses and Annual — Beds” Mark Anthony, superintendent eorge Lewis, assistant Se peainiendent June 27 —all day California Association of Nurserymen a COAST BOTANIC GARDEN April 14, 15—10 to 5 p South _ Cactus & aie Society Sho — me 29 —_ 10 t e Gar deneers nt Pub Flower Show (Continued on page 59) 0 4 > c a x 4 he . ‘ = avrg AD i a " =] ied 4 # BOARD OF SUPERVISORS LOS ANGELES COUNTY KENNETH HAHN ERNEST E. DEBS 2nd District 3rd _ District PETER F. SCHABARUM, Chairman 1st District JAMES A. HAYES BAXTER WARD 4th District 5th District DEPARTMENT OF ARBORETA AND BOTANIC GARDENS LOS ANGELES COUNTY Arcadia, California 91006 ¢ ‘Telephone (213) 681-5277 Francis Ching, Director; Glenn Hiatt, Assistant Director; Lee H. Wakeman, Executive Assistant. Los Angeles State and County Arboretum: Frank Simerly, Superintendent, William Hawkinson, Assistant Superintendent; John Provine, Horticulturist; Earl Ross, Orchidist. Descanso Gardens: Mark Anthony, Superintendent; George Lewis, Assistant Superintendent. South Coast Botanic Garden: Armand Sarifiana, Superintendent, Edward Hartnagel, Assistant Superintendent. Research Division: Paul Cheo, Ph.D., Chief; Leonid Enari, Ph.D., Senior Biologist, Taxonomy and Plant Records Section; George Hanson, Ph.D., Senior Biologist, Research Section. Education Division: Ger- trude Woods, Chief; Tak Niiya, Education Specialist; George Spalding, Horticultural Consultant; Patricia Warren, Associate Curator, History. Public Services Division: Donald S. Dimond, Chief. CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC. Arcadia, California 91006 e Telephone (213) 447-8207 BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS: Mrs. Peter L. Douglas, President; William E. Eilau, First Vice-President, Robert E. Paradise, Second Vice-President; Mrs. Dolores K. Hubbell, Executive Sec retary; Dave W. Paradis, Treasurer; David W. Barnard, Membership and Finance. BOARD MEMBERS: Mrs. Harry J. Bauer, Mrs. Philip Brueckner, Donald Camphousé, Harrison Chandler, Mrs. Robert W. Cheesewright, Mrs. Joseph H. Coulombe, James P. Curry, Mrs. John N. Fehrer, George L. Forman, Mrs. Francis D. Frost, Jr., Mrs: Vincent T. Gilchrist, Mrs. John A. Grivich, Ernest E. Hetherington, Mrs. Miriam P- Kirk, Mrs. Leland E. Larson, Mrs. Thomas H. Lowry, Odell S. McConnell, Mrs. John R. Mage, Mrs. Anson C. Moore, Mrs. Catherine Mundy, Frank J. Regan, F. Harold Roach, Ralph W. Spencer, Joseph A. Sprankle, Jr., Mrs. Forrest Q. Stanton, Robert P. Strub, Mrs. Chester L. Williams. EX-OFFICIO: Francis Ching, Glenn Hiatt. HON: ORARY TRUSTEES: Samuel Ayres, Jr., Elmer Belt, Fredrick Boutin, Mrs. Ralph D- Cornell, Ronald E. Gother, Arie J. Haagen-Smit, Mrs. Valley Knudsen, William Lane, Jr., Mildred E. Mathias, Mrs. Manfred Meyberg, Howard A. Miller, George H. Spalding, Frank Simerly, Lovell Swisher, Jr., William Walkup, Mrs. Archibald B. Young. Vol. XXIII No? Published quarterly by the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., for the Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens of Los Angeles County. LOS ANGELES SOUTH COAST STATE & COUNTY ARBORETUM DPESCANSO GARDENS = poraNiIC GARDEN re. ee 64 Department Notes 72 Plants to Look For 75 A Popular Ground Cover 77 Carnivorous Plants 86 Bookshelf 87 Gazania rigens (Cover) 87 Arboretum Weather Back Cover Calendar Editor Donald S. Dimond Cover photo by Francis Ching You are invited to join the CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC. MEMBERSHIP brings you the quarterly publication, Lasca Leaves ¢ Newsletter e Annual Plant and Seed Distribution © Invitations to special events. MEMBERSHIP DUES: Annual, $10; Annual Contributing, $25; Annual Busi- , $100; u i Founders, $1,000; Benefactors, $5,000 or more. Contributions are deductible. Make check payable to the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., and send to headquarters at 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, Calif. 91006. AABGA MEETING ee no poll was taken, there seemed to be a consensus among the 100 registered delegates from the United States and Canada that it was one of the busiest and most tightly organized meetings the American Association of Botanic Gardens and Arboreta had ever held, and though the timing, April 16 through April 19, was not the most con- venient for those conferees thinking about planting back home, it did afford an op- portunity to see a number of Southern California botanic gardens at the height of their spring season. For those who ar- rived ahead of schedule, there was a special all-day field trip on Sunday to selected areas within a 90-mile radius of Los Angeles to see fields of lupin, coreop- sis, and other California wild flowers that were particularly magnificent this year owing to the heavy rains. The proceedings began Monday with an early morning trip — 5 a.m. — to the Los Angeles Flower Market where Frank Kuwahara, general manager and a delight- ful host, served his visitors fresh orange juice, sweet rolls and coffee while telling them they were in the midst of a $40 mil-. lion a year business supplied mainly by gtowers in California, Oregon, and Wash- ington, but also from as far away as the Netherlands — tulips, of course — and Latin America. After about an hour of seeing superb specimens of cut flowers — Easter lilies, azaleas, caladiums, lilies-of- the-valley, everyone was bused to the Huntington Botanical Gardens for a sit- down breakfast followed by a brief his- June, 1973 tory of the gardens presented by curator Myron Kimnach and botanist Fred Boutin These gentlemen then cach led a half o the group on a tour of this magnificenl beautifully cared-for garden. i After the Huntington, the conferees were bused to Descanso Gardens whet Anthony, superintendent, ge Lewis, assistant superintendent. In ne afternoon, Dr. Mildred Mathias, dire 0 of the botanical garden and herbarium al the University of California, Los Angeles presided over a lively symposium q plants of Southern California with lan scape architects Philip Chandler and "a Lang, former South Coast Botanic Gar superintendent Don Woolley, Arboretut botanical consultant George Spalding rare plant collector Paul Hutchison, 7 plant specialist Dave Verity, and botan Fred Boutin showing and discussing specimens representing their special - ests. That evening, something new W® tried at the dinner in the Ramada e Banquet Room. Conferees were especially hanging baskets. It would seem this use has many possibilities for interesting treatments. A mass of any of the species or varieties cascading over a wall is a sight to remember. They are also particularly effective on moderate slopes where the full impact of the flower dis- play can be seen. This wide use has been possible because of the ease with which the plants are propagated by cuttings, and the ease of culture. The literature says that they grow best in an open, sunny position in light soil. This is undoubtedly true, but along our many miles of free- way, the soil is often far from light with very little organic content, yet Osteosper- mum appears to be thriving. I say it ap- pears to be thriving because the oldest plantings are only two years old and that is not sufficient time to make a reliable appraisal. Today, Osteospermum fruticosum and its hybrids are readily available. Their value as fast-growing ground covers, and their ease of culture, have created such a White and purple Osteospermum fruticosum Photo by William Aplia demand that all of the major whl growers of this type of materia 4 a them. As mentioned earlier these P a will grow in a wide variety of te al one thing to watch out for 1s ove lanting is kept constantly wet. badicalnsty wi of older plantings “a there has been some build-up © ‘ash and old leaves. The recommended . 18 ing distance for plants from “7 A to 24 inches apart. It is best to P ache staggered rows. When planted 18! val apart, 100 plants will cover 225 ae feet, and at 24 inches apart, 100 P will cover 400 square feet. . George Spalding is a bontcalta with an intimate knowledge of the cal mental plants that grow in Southern 1a fornia. During his 25 years on the ot retum staff he has written numer” articles for this magazine. | Lasca Leaves CARNIVOROUS PLANTS Katsuhiko Kondo The term “‘insectivorous plants’’ was introduced by Charles Darwin in 187 in his famous text by that name. In 1942 F. E. Lloyd called these plants carnivorous plants, since insectivorous plants digest not only insects but also small animals, like fishes, birds, and mice. Carnivorous plants are always included among those higher vascular plants which produce their own foods by photosynthesis and have trapping and digesting mechanisms. Car- nivorous fungi have trapping and digest- ing mechanisms but lack a photosynthetic machine and are, therefore, excluded from the carnivorous plants. Some higher vascular plants which have a trapping apparatus but do not have digesting mechanisms (e.g., Roridula, Triphyophyl- lum) also are excluded from the carni- vorous plants. The identifying aspects of carnivorous plants, then, are their trapping apparatus, and their digesting mechanisms which always include enzyme activities. h enzyme system that digests small animals in a strongly acid medium which does not allow putrefaction. Thus, they can use organic nitrogen from the small ani- mals directly as a nutrient. It seems that 1 nitrogen in this way and use it directly and economically as a nutrient, they are well adapted to regions with barren soils. Table 1 shows Lloyd’s names for all kinds of traps exhibited by the carnivor- ous plants Table 1. Traps of carnivorous plants named for their obvious analogs among human devices (after Lloyd, 1942) Kind of trap Genus Common Name Pitfalls (passive Heliamphora <_< American traps) the tcher plant sinar lait Sarracenia pitcher plant Chrysamphora cobra plant Cephalotus Western oa pitcher pla Nepenthes Asiatic Love pitcher plant (monkey cup) Lobster pot Genlisea (passive trap) Bird lime or fly- per trap Passive Byblis rainbow plant Drosop m Active Pinguicula _ butterwort rosera undew Venus’ fly trap Steel-trap (active) Dionaea Aldro waterwheel plant wanda Utricularia Mousetrap bladderwort Pitfalls do not show any active move- ment. Their trapping mechanisms are highly specialized structures. Most all pitcher plants have pitfalls (e.g., Nep- enthes, Sarracenia) which produce nectar from glands located around their mouths or lids. Insects or small animals take 78 nectar produced by the glands and move around the traps or entrances, sometimes losing their balance and slipping into the pitchers. Sarracenia, Heliamphora, Chrys- amphora, and Cephalotus have well-de- veloped downward-pointing hairs. It is very easy for prey to slip on the hairs and be forced downward toward the bot- tom of the pitchers. The pitcher of Chrysamphora is very unusual. The tube is tapering, widening upward. At the top the tube spreads sud- denly, and at the same time is bent sharp- ly forward to form a dome, bringing the mouth into a horizontal position under- neath. Small animals crawl around the mouth of the pitcher and enter inside, then they fly or go to the top of the interior of the pitcher because of trans- lucent areas there. Finally the prey lose their way in trying to get out and fall downward into the liquid within the pitcher and die. Nepenthes (Figs. 3 to 7) has a little different mechanism: the pitchers do not have any downward- pointing hairs but instead have colorful, slippery mouths around the entrance. It is believed that the pitcher of the pitcher plants arises by fusion of the leaf margin. The liquid in the pitcher has a high specific gravity and is sticky thus making it doubly difficult for the victims to get out of the pitcher. Five or ten minutes after their careless mistake, they are often ead. The lobster pot found in Genlisea is another passive trap which basically has the same mechanism as the pitcher plants. The trap is Y-shaped. Structurally this consists of an epidermis enclosing a very extensive intercellular air space of lysigen- ous origin. During elongation, each arm of the Y-shaped part of the trap becomes twisted as a result of rotatory growth: one on the right, clockwise, the other part counterclockwise. The funnel-shaped entrances are formed by the occurrence at certain distances of two large clear June, 19; 3 cells which lie one upon the other, and which may be called prop cells. i” are merely the end cells of the rows of trapping hairs. There is a row of p cells on only one edge, and the prop cell is only the middle cell of a three-celled Genlisea. Bird limes or flypaper traps of caf vorous plants are of two types: the p sive and the active trap. Byblis (Fig. and 14) and Drosophyllum are the amples of plants with passive flypa traps. Many glandular hairs and sess glands are found on the leaves of genera and they produce a sticky, 4 liquid containing an enzyme. But glandular hairs and the leaves do show any movement in catching animals. This explains why these st tures are called passive traps Of flypa traps. Small animals are caught ae sticky liquid produced by glands ont leaves (flypaper traps) and then the pF die in the same position and are 4! by a certain digestive enzyme. In trast, Drosera and Pinguicula have glandular hairs and leaves which ie twist, hold, fold and roll victims t° center of the leaves. Thus, these called active types of flypaper traps: glandular hairs consist of a tapering . topped by an oval gland. The 1 aw Lasca Leaves 79 Fig. 3-8. Examples of pitfalls: Fig. 3. Nepenthes vettchit Fig. 4. N shewtiet x hookerian Calbia ay Fig. 5. Nepenthes x trichocarpa Fig. 6. N epenthes x hookest jana (wild type) Fig. 7. Nepenthes ilis &raci Fig. 8. Heliam- phora nutans ig. 9-11. Examples . active flypaper Tap: Fi g. 9. Drosera Menz1eSit Fi g. 10. Drosera drummondii 1g. 11. Drosera stolonifera 80 June, 1973 Fig. 12. Digestive glands of Aldrovanda vesiculosa . 13-15. Examples of passive fly r trap Fig. 13. ore liniflor, Fig. 14. Shoot apex oO Bypblis liniflora Fig ote obellis lusitanicum Ho 16-19. Active fly paper trap— Pingutcula: Fig. 16. Vegetative arts of Pinguicula (P. lusitanica) Fig. 17. Flower of P. colimensis Fig. 18 and 19. Glandular hairs of leaf Lasca Leaves 81 Examples of mousetrap (wfricularia): Fig. 20, U. caerulea; Fig. 21, U. menziesii; Fig. 22, U. multifida. arises from the leaf surface as a mass of tissue including all elements of the leaf structure — epidermis, parenchyma, and vascular tissue. Many leaves roll back on themselves from the apex toward the base. The glandular hairs are capable of movement, often being bent like a bow, a very useful movement for catching small animals. In addition to the stalked glands, there are very numerous, small, sessile glands. The origin of the sessile glands is purely epidermal. Sessile glands of the concave leaf surface are alone capable of absorption; it should be noted that those of the dorsal surface are small and usually have lost their terminal cells. The active glands display cytoplasmic changes during the absorption of nutri- ents. If small animals are caught around on the edge of a leaf blade, long, margi- nal, glandular hairs start bending and carry the prey slowly to the center of the blade. Then, the leaf slowly folds and tolls the apex toward the base. The ad- vantage of this behavior is that the en- tire surface of a victim is covered and digested by enzymes from glandular hairs and sessile glands. The steel-trap type is found in Aldro- vanda and Dionaea. This trap is very active, and is the outer part of the leaf (the blade), which consists of two lobes, trapezoidal in form with fringed margins and united along the middle line by a thick midrib. The two lobes act like the jaws of a steel trap. The two lobes form an angle of 40 to 50 degrees when they are widely open. They are clothed with a distinctly firm epidermis of straight- walled cells, elongated and parallel with the veins, but become somewhat wavy toward the margins, which lends a sur- prising stiffness to the trap. The inner surface of each lobe in Dionaea is sup- plied with many glands and each has three trigger hairs which exhibit sensitive cells at the base. There are two physiological kinds of glands, digestive and alluring. The alluring glands are situated in a narrow zone just within the fringed mar- gin and secrete a sweet liquor. The di- gestive glands are rendered conspicuous by their deep red color and are responsi- ble for the evident red color of the inner surface of the trap. In contrast, the alluring glands contain no pigment. However, small animals seem to be at- tracted by the honey or sweet liquor produced by the alluring glands, and in moving around must touch the sensitive trigger hairs at least twice to “spring the trap.” The most interesting feature of this steel-trap mechanism is the method by which water moves during the closing responses of the leaf-lobes. The move- ment of the lobes seems to be due to the loss of water through pores in the proto- plasm. Indeed, there appears to be rows 82 of extremely minute pores of globules in the protoplasm of the parenchyma cells of the motile tissues. The mechanism is similar to that in the pulvini of the sen- sitive plant, Mimosa, in which the leaves and leaflets fold together due to a rapid loss of turgor in the cells of the pulvini. There are two steps in the closing of the trap which may be referred to as ‘‘shut- ting” and “harrowing.” The first makes the initial catch of the prey, and the sec- ond more tightly clasps the victims, pre- venting their escape and forcing them into contact with the digestive glands (Fig. 12) near the center of the trap. The last to be described is the mouse trap which is found in Utricularia, an aquatic genus. The trap is called a blad- der, which it resembles in shape. The entrance is guarded by two valves, larger, the door, and a smaller membra- nous one, the velum. The door is at- tached to the trap along a semicircular line on the dorsal part of the entrance, its free edge hanging and in contact with a firm, semicircular collar or threshold. Against these are numerous longer or shorter, stalked mucilage glands, secret- ing mucilage and sugar, which are said to be attractive to small animals and so act as a lure. The door bears four stiff, tapering bristles attached near the free, lower edge. These comprise the tripping mechanism. The surface of the threshold, against which the door edge rests, is covered with a pavement epithelium of glandular, sessile cells secreting mucilage. Along the outer edge of this pavement there is attached a thin but firm transpar- ent membrane, the velum, which lies against the lower edge of the door, filling in the chink between this and the thresh- old. The internal surface of the trap has many glandular hairs, called bifids and quadrifids. In response to small animals touching hairs on the door, the door opens. Since the pressure inside the blad- der is lower than that outside, by inward p June, wal movement of water small animals are closes. The prey are killed and decom- — posed with bacterial help in the bladder. Glandular hairs in the bladder produce ; enzymes which assist in the digestion of | the animals. The soluble nitrogenous — compounds are then absorbed into the — plant. -* I wish to discuss further the digestive enzymes produced by carnivorous plants. Formerly, the protease in carnivorous | plants had been suspected to be pepsin: like, since it acts within essentially the same pH range as does pepsin. The pte ent studies show the acid protease which carnivorous plants have is different from pepsin. The acid protease, named _nep- enthesin (Nakayama, ef al., 1968), 18 the common digestive enzyme in carnivorous — plants. Nepenthesin is predominantly , specific to aspartic acid residue at its cat boxyl side or at its amino side, and ; apparently specific also to tyrosine an¢ — alanine residues at their carboxyl side. The protease seems to be an endopept- dase. The mechanism of digestion 1 — volves cooperation between protease am some other enzyme, such as a chitinolyti¢ enzyme or chitinase (Amagase, ¢ aly 1969, 1972). . It is still unknown how foods are absorbed through the cytoplasmic mem branes in the glands of carnivorous plants after enzyme activity. Changes in the nitrogen content, or nitrogen movement in the leaves given protein have been ob- served by various methods (e.g., Sibata, et dl., 1972; Heslop-Harrison, e¢ #» 1971). Especially the work of Heslop: Harrison, ef. al., (1971) is very interest: ing. After placing 14C-labelled ser on the glands of a leaf of Pingwicula, gestion on the leaf surface and abso of the products has been investigate? autoradiographically. Within two _ digestion products enter the leaf an¢ move towards the margin in the vasculat Lasca Leaves system. Within twelve hours movement out of the leaf begins. Thus, carnivorous plants in some ways seem to have similar digestive mechanisms as those in animal stomachs. At least 450 species of carnivorous plants representing thirteen genera and six families are taxonomically known. All genera are shown in Table 1. Each fam- ily and each genus belonging to it are discussed below: 1. Family Droseraceae (Sundew family) The family consists of the genera: Drosera, Drosophyllum, Dionaea, and Aldrovanda. A). Drosera. Drosera consists of ap- proximately ninety species in the world: about sixty species grow in Australia. The name “Drosera” moist with dew. Thus, the common name in English for Drosera is ‘‘sundew.” They grow mostly in moist pinelands and sandy roadside ditches in savannahs. They thrive in acid soil (pH 3.5 to 4.0) and in air and soils with a high humidity. Figs. 9 to 11 show some examples of Drosera. B). Drosophyllum. The name “Dro- sophyllum” is a compound word of ‘“‘dro- sos” (dew) and “‘phyllon (leaf). How- ever, Drosophyllum means leaf with dew. This genus is monotypic: the single species Drosophyllum lusitanicum (Fig. 15) is found only in Portugal, Spain, and orocco. C). Dionaea. The name ‘“Dionaea”’ in English for Dionaea is ‘‘Venus’ fly- trap.” This genus is monotypic and a very rare endemic: the species Dionaea muscipula is found only in North and South Carolina in the United States. The North Carolina state government protects this interesting plant by law. D). Aldrovanda. Aldrovanda was named in honor of N. Aldrovandi, an 83 Italian botanist. Aldrovanda is another monotypic genus and is distributed from Japan, Australia, through India, to East- ern Europe. It is a floating, aquatic plant. 2. Family Sarraceniaceae (Pitcher plant family) The family consists of Chrysamphora, Heliamphora, and Sarracenia. A). Chrysamphora. The name ‘‘Chrys- amphora” is a compound word of “chrysos” (golden) and (bottle). Because of its leaf shape, this plant is locally called “cobra plant.’’ This genus is monotypic and endemic to the Siskiyou Mountains of Oregon and Cali- fornia. B). Heliamphora. The name ‘Heli- amphora” is a compound word in Greek of “helos’ (sun) and “amphora’’ (bot- tle). This genus, which is the most primitive type in the Sarraceniacaea, con- sists of six species all endemic to the mountains in Venezuela and Guiana of South America. Fig. 8 shows a species of Heliamphora, H. nutans. C). Sarracenia. Sarracenia is based on Tournefort’s original description (1700) of a plant sent to him by M. S. Sarrazin in Canada. Sarracenia was named in hon- or of M. S. Sarrazin, however, and it was later adopted by C. Linnaeus (1737). Sarracenia consists of eight species: S. oreophyla, S. sledgei, S. flava, S. drum- mondii, S. rubra, $. minor, S. psittacina, and S. purpurea. Natural hybrids in the genus ate very common. They are dis- tributed in the eastern United States and Canada. 3. Family Nepenthaceae (Tropical pit- cher plant family) The Nepenthaceae consists of only one genus Nepenthes. A). Nepenthes. Nepenthes is a com- pound word in Greek of “ne” (no) and “penthos” (grief). This genus is found scattered throughout the tropics of the Old World from the Philippines as far south as northern Australia and New Caledonia, and westward to Madagascar and Seychelles. They grow only in moist situations in lateritic acid soil. Figs. 3 to 7 show some examples of Nepenthes. 4. Family Byblidaceae (Rainbow plant family) The Byblidaceae consists of only one genus, Byblis. A). Byblis. Byblis, which is endemic to Western Australia, consists of two species: B. gigantea and B. liniflora (Figs. 13 and 14). 5. Family Caphalotaceae (Western Aus- tralian pitcher plant family) The Cephalotaceae consists of only one genus, Cephalotus, which is monotypic 6. Family Lentibulariaceae (Bladderwort famil The Lentibulariaceae consists of three genera, Pinguicula, Genlisea, and Utri- cularia. A). Pinguicula. Pinguicula comes from the Latin word “pinguis,” which means Pinguicula consists of 46 species scattered around the world. Pinguicula grows in wet places often with mosses; in chinks of wet, dripping rocks; on hummocks in swamps; on wet sand, and on other wet substrates. Figs. 16 and 17 show some examples of Pinguicula. B.) Genlisea. Genlisea consists of about 20 species growing in western Africa, and in Brazil and Guiana in South America. C). Utricularia. The name “Utricu- laria” originally came from “‘utriculus” which in Latin means “bladder.” Thus, the common name for Utricularia is blad- derwort. Utricularia is found as a free- floating or anchored aquatic, or an epi- phyte among mosses, or a terrestrial plant on moist to wet sandy soils. The genus consists of approximately 310 species in many parts of the world. Figs. 20 to 22 shows some examples of Ufricularia. June, 1973 LITERATURE CITED Amagase, S., S. Nakayama, and A. Tsugita. 1969. Acid protease in Nep enthes. II. Study on the specificity of nepenthesin. Journ. Biochem. 66: 431- 439. 4 Amagase, S., M. Mori, and S. Nakay ma. 1972. Digestive enzymes in in a? vorous plants. IV. Enzymatic digestion Drosera pelaata extract: Proteolytic and chitinolytic activities. Journ. Biochem: 72:765-767. teoec cl. Lloyd, F. E. 1942. The carnivorous i plants. Chronica Botanica, Waltham, f Mass. Nakayama, S. and S. Amagase. 1968. Acid protease in Nepenthes. Partial purification and properties of the en zyme. Proc. Japan Acad. 44: 358-362. Sibata, C., and S. Komiya. 1972. ho of nitrogen content in the leaf bs Drosera rotundifolia fed by protel™ Bull. Nippon Dental Coll. 1: 55-75. Katsuhiko Kondo is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Botany at the = versity of North Carolina. eo interests are carnivorous plants and mellia, with particular reference 10 ” ciation and hybridization. Mr. Konae the author of the book, “Carnivorow Plants,” published by Bunken Publishing Company, Osaka, in 1972. Lasca Leaves 3 a. ie ce P Ty a pe * . pe eS Ay ; te ah rie a y Ny ig ra tala win Aa tendaF v ee wh OL han © ge ao. SOR 2B Oe =a + if Want 2" a Ra Field of Gladiolus tristis at Los Angeles State and County Arboretum. An Arboretum is for people... That means service. At the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum it takes many forms, such as research, youth and adult classes, lectures, and publications. Research is directed toward the study, development, and introduction of plants that serve a useful role — absorption of air pollution, erosion control, beautification, or combinations of these and other Purposes. Lectures, classes and publications provide a better understand- ing of the plant world around us. And survival depends on plant life. Southern California Edison Company 86 | June, 1973 TRAVELER IN A VANISHED LANDSCAPE The Life & Times of David Douglas, Botan- ical Explorer, by William Morwood, Cark- son N. Potter, Inc./Publisher, New York, 1973; 221 pages; line drawings and maps; $7.95 This biography of the horticulturally trained Scot who changed the landscaping habits of Europe by gathering seed of California annuals — which became the “carpet bedding’ of Eng- lish gardens — is a highly entertaining adven- ture sto The prologue san epilogue could stand alone as one of Morwood’s New Yorker short stories, concerned as aie are with the violence and mystery of Douglas’s death, which might have been murder, suicide, or a simple accident resulting from the naturalist’s curiosity about a cattle trap in Hawaii. Although necessarily somewhat superficial, a vast amount of geography and history are and the formidable bibliography at- tests ne fie research. Morwood’s vivid report- ing (with occasional surmising) brings alive the world of the elite (later ‘Royal’) Horti- cultural Society, the vigor of New York and Philadelphia, the brashness of Hudson’s Bay om Haw Douglas’ 35-year life hig ee: ohaa’ a rare his- torical perio ycho eu cal and social insights into the the author's keen contribution, validated by Scot’s poor education made him ill-at-ease among upper-class Lon- tk of classifying his own collec- tions. The discoverer and namer of the Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana) believed he had found 340 new species among the 500 or so he collected in California. Botanists credit him with 68. He was jealous of his personal journal, wanting to rewrite it himself for publi- ; being unable, he refused help stashed it away. It was not found and finally published until 1914. But his contributions were considerable. The author puts it succinctly: botany was as a practical explorer, 4 field specialist who sought out and brought back for study and cultivation plants never known be- fore in Europe. In this work he was supremely successful.” He collected more than 2000 fers in Hawaii for Sir bleeg Hooker, the first director of Kew Garden The vanished marae of the title is of concern to os Nigga The Columbia Rivet area which the twenty-five-year-old David Douglas was sent to explore no longer exists, much of it being under water behind huge dams. It was from here that Douglas brought saa cue there was so muc them and they assumed the rest would remain. In California the original grasslands were not described in detail. It is only recent brilliant botanical detective work on some of the first adobe bricks which shows how many annul were displaced by the vigorous . (Avena fatua) which thrived on the result nitrogen-rich soil. : No credits are Jase for fine black and white me of the helpful maps are signed ‘Palacios.’ This book is a happy contributicn to ge eral literature, as there is almost nothing . print about this atwict individual i whom more plants have been named than any othet person in the history of botany — Nancy tien Zabriskie RECENT ACQUISITIONS TO LASCA LIB hard MANUAL FLORA OF MADEIRA, 2 poe oes Lowe, John van Voorst, ’ Pp. USEFUL NATIVE PLANTS OF uel Joseph Henry Maiden, Turner & CO-, "1889, don, Turner & Henderson, Sydney, 696 pp. Lasca Leaves 87 Gazania rigens (Cover) Gazania rigens hybrid ‘Sun Gold’ and ‘Sun Burst’ are new introductions from the Department of Arboreta & Botanic Gardens. They have many fine attributes that lead us to belieye they will be one of the more popular ground cover plants in the near future. Both cultivars have gray foliage. ‘Sun Burst’ is a deep orange color in the center, shading to a lighter orange at the edges. ‘Sun Gold’ is a deep buttery-yellow in ee center with a lighter yellow at the tips of the petals. oth have flowers that measure just under two inches in diameter. The plants ee well making an = ground cover yet are restrained enough so that they are easy to keep o areas where they are unwanted. They have a long blooming period which oon in the spring and continues throughout the warm months the year with the heaviest bloom being for about an eight week period in the spring. hey pe all of the good points of Gazania uniflora leucoleana and none of the bad points. They bloom better, grow with more restraint, and seem to be more disease resistant. There are large plantings at the Arboretum that have been in place for two years, and none of them show the deterioration that is often noted in gazania plantings and that is generally caused by one of many soil funguses. Gazania ‘Sun Burst’ and ‘Sun Gold’ are excellent pati cover plants, can be useful in borders, and may even be grown in containers successfully. TEMALPAKH-CAHUILLA INDIAN KNOWL- ORCHIDS OF EAST AFRICA, Frank pie EDGE AND USAGE OF PLANTS, Lowell J. J. Cramer, Germany, 1968, 304 pp., bla " a ’ s, Ba Ja , pp., black and white ; Sickaanebe. Closkey, Boys’ Club of Pasadena, Calif., SOIL MICRO-ORGANISMS, T. R. G. Gray 1971, 136 pp., black and white photo- & S. T. Williams, Hafner Publishing Co., graphs. New York, 1971, 240 pp., black and white THE FLORA OF KARACHI, S. M. H. Jafri, photographs. Book Corp., Lin pt 1966, 375 pp., black PRACTICAL TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT, and white drawin John H. Madison, Van Nostrand Reinhold FLOWERS OF THE ‘BAHAMAS, Hans Han- Co., New York, 1971, 466 pp., black and nau & Jeanne Garrard, Hastings House, white celascaks, New York, 64 pp., color photographs. ARBORETUM WEATHER Long. 34°08’48” N. Lat. 118°2'59” W. Elev. 571.28 ft. Weather season: Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 March April May Average daily maximum temperature —_-_- 68.2 76.5 78 Average daily minimum temperature 43.6 49 2 Highest TAN 79 89 106 Lowest POONA 38 42 45 Number of clear da Ne 6 15 11 Number of partly cloudy days 15 13 17 Number of cloudy De eg. pie Mie ES ENE Gua sano atte duc easa Se aaoee Ibs 9 0 3 Rain during Ot i 455 .02 T To aa i 26.18 26.20 26.20 Leste Calendar’ July - August - September ARBORETUM, ARCADIA June and Ju et pee ae children. eae red by California Arboretum Foundation. Register by oe 10. Call 447- 8207 for loreahon. July 1— 8 to 5:30 p.m. Cactus Show Sponiered te Cactus & succulent Society of July 13 Anniversary Ball for members of the — — Aiea um Foundation, 8 p.m 0 p.m., Demonstration ates Gardens fe 2). ye to 5:30 p Begonia Sponsored a San Gabriel Valley Begonia anges Augus tee opens for fall Youth or — Write now for informa Septem sera of fall semester, Adult Education classes. Schedules available August 20 SOUTH COAST BOTANIC GARDEN, PALOS VERDES PENINSULA September 2 — 1:30 to 4 p.m tiga Associates meeting, open to the Mic tatedeae 9—1:30to4p.m Sou ay ctus “ Succulent Society meeting, open to the public September 23 — 1:30 to South Bay Herb Saiciety meeting, open to the public September 27, 28, 29 Flower Show Judges school DESCANSO GARDENS, LA CANADA July 22—3 p —— sy Glendale Community Symphony Orches September 23 Bonsai Sho Sponsored — Descanso Bonsai Society BIRDWALKS DESCANSO og and 4th Sunday of each month at 8 a.m. cg sored by San Fernando Audu- bon iety. SOUTH COAST 3rd Wednesday of each month at 8 a.m Sponsored by South Bay Audubon Society. *Co-sponsored by California Arboretum Foundation Beptember 7o7 3 Rol. SERUM we. 3 --+ K JUN 21 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS LOS ANGELES COUNTY KENNETH HAHN ERNEST E. DEBS 2nd District 3rd District PETER F. SCHABARUM, Chairman lst District JAMES A. HAYES BAXTER WARD 4th District 5th District DEPARTMENT OF ARBORETA AND BOTANIC GARDENS ~ LOS ANGELES COUNTY Arcadia, California 91006 ¢ Telephone (213) 681-5277 Francis Ching, Director; Glenn Hiatt, Assistant Director; Lee H. Wakeman, Executive Assistant. Los Angeles State and County Arboretum: Frank Simerly, Superintendent, William Hawkinson, Assistant Superintendent; John Provine, Horticulturist; Ear! Ross, Orchidist. Descanso Gardens: Mark Anthony, Superintendent; George Lewis, Assistant Superintendent. South Coast Botanic Garden: Armand Sarifiana, Superintendent Edward Hartnagel, Assistant Superintendent. Research Division: Paul Cheo, Ph.D. Chief; Leonid Enari, Ph.D., Senior Biologist, Taxonomy and Plant Records Section George Hanson, Ph.D., Senior Biologist, Research Section. Education Division: Ger trude Woods, Chief; Tak Niiya, Education Specialist; George Spalding, Horticultural Consultant; Patricia Warren, Associate Curator, History. Public Services Division: Donald S. Dimond, Chief. CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC. Arcadia, California 91006 e Telephone (213) 447-8201 BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS: Mrs. John A. Grivich, President; George L. Forman, First Vice-President Mrs. Leland E. Larson, Second Vice-President; Mrs. Dolores K. Hubbell, Execull Secretary; Frank J. Regan, Treasurer; Mrs. Peter L. Douglas, General MembershiP Chairman aie September 1973 Vol. XXIII No. 3 Published quarterly by the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., for the Department of Arboreta and Hetinic Caras of Los Angeles County. LOS ANGELES SOUTH COAST STATE & COUNTY ARBORETUM DPESCANSO GARDENS — goTANIC GARDEN 92 Department Notes 99 Plants to Look For 101 Notes on E. J. Baldwin and his Santa Anita Rancho 107. Fall Color in Southern California 110 Mites Attacking Pines in Los Angeles County 112 Bookshelf i) 115 Arboretum Weather Back Cover Calendar Cover: Flower of i Chorisia speciosa, Editor See article page 99. Donald S. Dimond Photo by Frank Simerly You are invited to join the CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC. MEMBERSHIP brings you the quarterly publication, Lasca Leaves * Newsletter * Annual Plant and Seed Distribution © Invitations to special events. MEMBERSHIP DUES: Annual, $10; Annual Contributing, $25; Annual Busi- ness, $100; Annual Sustaining, $100; Annual Sponsor, $250; Life, $500; Founders, $1,000; Benefactors, $5,000 or more. Contributions are deductible. Make check payable to the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., and send to headquarters at 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, Calif. 91006. ’ epartment NEW OFFICERS The annual election of officers of the Board of Trustees of the California Ar- boretum Foundation was conducted last June 19 following a Trustees dinner held in the Demonstration Home Gardens. The short, efficient meeting resulted in the election of Mrs. John A. ( Tootie) Grivich, president; Mr. George L. Fore- man, first vice-president; Mrs. Leland E. (Ruth Mary) Larson, second vice-presi- dent; Mrs. Ralph G. (Dolores K.) Hub- bell, executive secretary, and Mr. Frank J. Regan, treasurer. The new president established two new posts on the board, a business membership chairman to which she appointed Mr. Foreman, and a gen- eral membership chairman to which she appointed outgoing president, Mrs. Peter L. Douglas. For the past ten years Mrs. Grivich, or Tootie as she is called by just about everybody, has been a member of the International Fern Society and the American Begonia Society, serving as show chairman for the latter for the past two years. A native Californian, Tootie has been growing begonias in her San Gabriel Valley home for a decade and in this time has collected over 400 blue rib- bons and 50 trophies for her plants, all grown in containers. Her most recent honor as a plantswoman came during the begonia show last July at the Arboretum when her entry won the best-in-show award. 2 September, 1973 — ihe on tl Outgoing president of the rs 7 Arboretum Foundation, Mrs. de Douglas, left, and new president, John A. Grivich. chats add ANNIVERSARY BALL From 8 to nearly midnight on i ning of July 13, approximately 40 ral bers of the California Arboretum a dation and the Arboretum staff ae ; gether for an al fresco party, one ie yearlong series of events me Foundation’s 25th anniversary. — Home took place in the Demonte fing Gardens and in front of the deck eae to the Garden For All Seasons. The ee itself served as a bandstand i a groups of musicians—the Arca ef ied blers, a five-piece dixieland er by Dexter Jones, a lawyer by ae che and trumpet player by eocl= aol three-piece (banjo, guitar, ‘A rboretul country music group 0 a Lasca Leaves 93 rah left: Mrs. John A. Grivich, Dr. and Mrs. Samuel Ayres, ]r., and Mr. Francis F : a groundsman Bruce Dustman, who in ad- dition to doubling on violin shared the Bruce said “‘our style is ‘blue grass,’ but I guess it would be simpler to say we play hillbilly music which is basically oldtime jigs and reels in modern form.” The highlight of the evening was the cutting of the anniversary cake, a six-tiered, four- foot-tall confection in white, ornamented with palm trees, peacocks, flowers, and a large 25 in candied numbers on top. While Dexter Jones and his band played the Anniversary Waltz, Helen and Sam Ayres, representing the founders of the Foundation, followed by Tootie and John Grivich, Elaine and Francis Ching, Do- Photo by Milt Bell lores Hubbell, Edna Kettle, and Hilda Sademan representing the present and the links between, successively cut the cake. The knife that was used was lent by assistant director Glenn Hiatt for the occasion—a wicked-looking machete that had seen service cutting through the South American jungle on botanizing trips. It was observed that Dr. and Mrs. Ayres handled this weapon with elegant ease, making the first incision with an expertise that suggested they were old hands at cutting anniversary cakes. Dur- ing the serving, Elmer Sademan, the con- vivial master of ceremonies, traced the milestones in the Foundation’s history and the part those on hand played in its development. 94 PLANT PHYSIOLOGIST In 1971 Dr. Wayne Loescher took his doctorate in plant physiology and bio- chemistry at Iowa State University and followed this up with a two-year research project aimed at obtaining a hybrid be- tween corn and sorghum. Then, with his wife, Judith, who has a doctor’s de- gree in phycology, he came west to join the Research Division of this Department. We asked him how he classified himself in his field today and what would be his major activity here. This is what he said: “I generally tend to think of myself as a botanist, although with today’s em- phasis on specialization, I should _per- haps call myself a plant physiologist. Plant physiology is a branch of botany that is concerned with the functions of living plants. In its present context, this means the functions of plants from the level of atoms and small molecules to that of the entire organism. The plant physi- ologist may be as concerned with the structure of a macromolecule as he may be with the response of an entire plant to some environmental stimulus. These different concerns mean that some plant physiologists may also be biochemists or biophysicists while others may also be ecologists. " particular interests have been concerned primarily with the factors con- trolling growth and development. Prior to joining the staff here at the Arbore- tum I was involved in a study of the factors required for the growth of plant cells and tissues when isolated from the intact plant. One of the objectives of this kind of research is to be able to induce small parts of a plant or even single cells to grow so that complete and intact plants are reformed. It is, in other words, a type of propagation, although more complicated than taking slips and cuttings and inducing them to root. The process, when successful, means that from September, 1973 Dr. Wayne Loescher a small part of a particularly i plant one can obtain progeny ical characteristics. se am currently primarily interest how growth hormones anf other x stances present in plants interact to 1a roots to form at sites on leaves af aA where they are ordinarily absent. In sa root or bud formation at stem cuttings are taken. : these processes will occur only me a cutting has been treated with supP Mati of various growth regulators. ee plants will not form buds of a sup cuttings regardless of the use of su ad the plements. Species of eucalyptus a a Ponderosa pine are in this ane thet an immediate project is to try to g¢ oil to root from cuttings by determining controlling the limiting factors. HERB SOCIETY J A common denominator among a societies is the sin le-minde re nee which they pursue their interest. | Lasca Leaves quality which makes possible successful planning and production of a major event like the 39th Annual Meeting of The Herb Society of America, which began last June 12 and ended four days later with an annual banquet at which Dr. Mil- dred Mathias, professor of botany and director of the Botanical Gardens at UCLA, was the principal speaker. In be- tween, the 185 registered members from all parts of the country were taken on trips to private, public, and commercial herb gardens in the area and were guests at several luncheons at which herbs, of course, were the featured condiment. The Southern California Unit of the society was the host for the meeting and also the producers of the public weekend exhibit June 16th and 17th at the Arboretum which turned out to be one of the most attractive and well-attended this energetic group has ever put on. Continuing the meeting theme of “Renaissance of Herbs,” visitors were educated and entertained by a record number of exhibits—the Herb Garden at the Arboretum, maintained by the Southern California unit, contains Over 400 varieties—and at booths where visitors could smell or taste the cooking and fragrance herbs, or watch the making of herbal cosmetics and soup. GIFT SHOP Visitors to the Foundation gift shop at the Arboretum will note a new accent on merchandise directly or indirectly related to plants. An attractive new redwoo platform just outside the shop now dis- plays containers and_ various specialty p ants not generally available at local fufseries. On the inside is a 95 teers who not only contribute their time to this work but do so in the understand- ing that profits from the sale of their handicraft are used to assist the many Arboretum projects not funded by the County. SOUTH COAST BOTANIC GARDEN The 11th annual Fiesta de Flores at South Coast Botanic Garden held last June 22, 23, and 24, attracted 4,500 peo- ple, a figure that would have been con- siderably larger had it not been for a big brush fire in adjoining areas that broke out on opening day and caused the closing of a number of access roads. Those that came over the weekend saw some of the most colorful displays yet seen at this yearly affair. One part of the Fiesta, the Carnival of Flowers, presented by the Costa Verde District of California Gar- den Clubs, had five competitive divisions open to both amateur and professional exhibitors. At the risk of singling out one division at the expense of another, the flower arrangement division attracted lots of attention with its designs bearing such titles as Cake Walk, Tunnel of Love, Big Top, and Box Office. According to competition rules, all were composed of at least some fresh plant material. Treated or dried plant material was permissible; no artificial flowers or foliage were al- lowed. Other highlights of the Fiesta were the tea ceremony presented four times Saturday and Sunday in a Japanese Garden setting prepared by Mr. Yama- shiro; a group of strolling musicians playing flutes, recorders, and guitars; and a series of lectures. Dr. Paul Saffo, president of the South Coast Botanic Garden Foundation, had reason to be proud of all the talented and hardwork- ing people who planned and executed the show. 96 DESCANSO GARDENS The Descanso Gardens Guild, respon- sible for so many cultural events at Des- canso Gardens, has provided visitors with an unusually varied bill of fare in recent weeks. Each presentation took place on the expanse of lawn near the entrance, giving an atmosphere much like that at Woodstock, New York, and other east- ern pastoral sites of summer concerts. An art festival in early June brought together the works of some 75 Southern California artists expressed in conventional and un- conventional media, the latter category including some stunning ceramic-on- stitchery, and art photography composed mainly of plant and bird time-shots. On July 22nd the Glendale Community Sym- phony Concert gave its second concert of the year at the Gardens, attracting an audience of over 3,000 people, a good part of whom heard the concert from vantage spots among the oaks where they had spread out their blankets. Earlier in the month the La Canada Players _pre- sented an evening performance of Anouilh’s “Antigone” to over 500 ple, and on August 11 and 12 gave per- formances of five playlets for children. Jean HERBARIUM VOLUNTEERS Not so much in the public eye as some other members of Las Voluntarias who work at the Arboretum, the herbarium volunteers are a key group who perform their special tasks in the quiet atmos- phere of reference works and micro- scopes. Nancy Zabriskie, leader of the group and a longtime member of the California Arboretum Foundation, pro- vided us with the following description of their work. “What do two pretty young matrons, a great-grandmother, and a college stu- September, 1! uy dent have in common? Since they at among the members of Las Voluntarits and a few unaffiliated volunteers at the Arboretum, you would expect them : share a love of plants, but more pafticr larly, because they share an interest ; the form, structure, and infinite variety 4 living plants as well as the botanical a guage which describes them, they re tribute many hours of work in the barium under the guidance of curatot eannette Huber. - “The great-grandmother, who ie known as ‘Mama Flower’ during a rican safari from which she bona seed for our neighbor institution, ©” ington Gardens, has collected plant . mens from Alaska to the Arroyo Se® Patadena. At the Arboretum $ aise spent most of her time at the glut in the herbarium mounting dried, : a specimens of ornamental plants 7 scat by others, and filing finished he al sheets in the large, gray cabinets : they are kept for ready cefeeas al “The student spent a great past time on the Arboretum grounds this spring collecting and pressing sar of shrub at careful notes on size, color, tion, and other pertinent data from “| : after checking reference literature , wil library, he wrote the labels whic e accompany the specimens when they : mounte ; “The two young women come -_ week, working together to curate @ able old plant collection, confirming e identification of each specimen PY jee ination under a microscope for chara ole istics of the flowers, fruits, stems ©. leaves for conformation to the mf e ate technical descriptions as foun f of ing the in an authoritative ee ‘ the region where the collection w4s hed In difficult cases they may need to. bo- further by consulting monographs 19 tanical periodicals. { af Lasca Leaves “Other tasks undertaken by members of Las Voluntarias working in the her- barium include the application of strong plastic to woody portions or to fruit, seeds, or large leaves which cannot be held down by glue alone; statistical work; helping with the inventory; and filing. This last activity requires more than just knowledge of the alphabet. On its label a specimen is named by genus and spe- cies, but the sheet must be put into the genus folder filed with others of its fami- ly. Therefore, one must locate the family the particular genus belongs in; then, if it is a new genus for this herbarium, a new folder must be labeled. If there is al- teady a genus folder, the particular spe- cies may be filed alphabetically among the other species in that folder. It’s nice if you already know the family, but the non-botanist usually needs to refer to our well-thumbed copy of Willis. A faulty memory can lose a Catalpa quickly and semi-permanently if it permits tucking elsewhere than into BIGNONIACEAE. Happily, families are arranged alphabeti- cally, with a few exceptions such as the ferns, the conifers and the special weed collection. _ “Inventorying involves listing each item of Acacia, for example, where it was collected, whether it was from a LASCA collection or an exchange, and how many sheets of each collection number we may have. One of the founding mem- bers of Las Voluntarias is engaged in this statistical work and even though she is a longtime gardener, has become impressed with the tremendous variety and the many variations of Acacia and Eucalyp- ‘us. A new project for her has been many Australian plants for trial, demon- stration, and introduction, differences in 97 their native elevations and climates have a bearing on choices made among them. “With increased public concern about the natural environment and the interest in edible weeds, poisonous plants, fire- or smog-resistant plants, and so forth, more taxpayers are bringing their questions to the office of the horticultural consultant. It is interesting and gratifying to be of occasional assistance in some problem in- volving plant identification. The her- barium is the reference tool by means of which we learn to do this. In this re- spect, and because it contains positive records of what grows on Arboretum grounds, the herbarium provides all of us members of Las Voluntarias who work there an education we could hardly find anywhere else.” EDUCATION Although schools are generally no longer “out” for summer, fall is still the season when young and old alike renew their educational pursuits. It is also the time when educators introduce new courses and refurbish old ones. latter category are the fall schedules of youth and adult classes at the Arboretum, Descanso Gardens, and South Coast Bo- tanic Garden. These are essentially basic classes in gardening, landscaping and bo- tanical art for which there is a continuing demand. Two new classes added last year and repeated this year are a class in herbs and one covering poisonous plants of the area. Last fall a number of mini-courses were introduced at the Arboretum under the sponsorship of the California Arbo- retum Foundation. These proved so suc- cessful that the number of courses offered has been doubled for the 1973-74 season. 98 courses as Terrariums and Holiday Deco- rations. All the courses are three-hour ses- sions starting at 9 o'clock in the morning. They meet anywhere from one to five times. All are available to members of the California Arboretum Foundation at 20% discount; one course, Botany I, is free to members. Schedules of the regu- lar adult education classes and the mini- courses are now available to the public. Foundation members will receive their copy in the mail. BRIEFS — After delays that seem inevitable in the construction business, the new Informa- tion Center is nearing completion. In addition to the existing steps, the public will have easy access to the information window and the rotunda above by means of two ramps ascending at an 8.33% rise, or one foot every twelve feet. This is lesse than a 4° grade and is in conformi- ty with state regulations — Close to 200 Foundation members and their children attended the Hugo Reid Roundup on June 30 held in the patio of the Hugo Reid Adobe and nearby areas. Carol Brayshaw supplied the te- corded Mexican music for this family affair and checked on the games played in the Hugo Reid period which included bubble blowing, a form of musical chairs, a Mexican hat dance, and, for the little Ones, amusement in the form of a num- ber of simple Mexican instruments. The menu included Ayevos rancheros, tor- tillas, frijoles, chocolate, and pan dulce with department director Francis Ching, Mrs. Ching, Arboretum staffers Jess To- mory and Calvin Allen, and volunteers Mrs. Chester Wiliams, Mrs. Gordon Julien, Mrs. C. G. Morris and Helen Jenkins serving in the kitchen — The second Queen Anne Frolic is com- a i September, 1973 ing up on Friday evening, September 28. Alice Coulombe, the Las Volutarias mem: ber organizing the event, reports the fol- lowing: Once again there will be tours by vintage cars and horsedrawn cartilage. Our own trams will take guests to Tallac Knoll where all the paths, the Meybetg Falls, and the nearly completed meadow: brook will be specially lighted so they je: stroll about or walk back to the centta scene of activity—the mall in front of % Queen Anne Cottage — without a bling in the dark. The Cottage ao Coach Barn will be open for guided tous ‘= i oe: + as i isd 7 ho oe : At the Hugo Reid Roundup, i: we Darwin, Belle, and Mike Denna: Frances Deliman; Dr. and Mrs. Ro Chris. Fo Carlson and son ' Deliman; Martha phote Sea Bell The dixieland band of Dexter Jones the string band of Bruce Dustmaa, val, heard during the recent anniversary ; will supply the music. There will be! ni barbecued beef dinner, with Fra 2 bers. vitations will be mailed to all we 1 Hours for the Frolic are 6 p-™ d fot script at the reservation desk he Coa other light duties. Please call Ali lombe at 796-4165. | Lasca Leaves 99 Plants to Lock For Frank Simerly One of the most spectacular fall flow- on the Arboretum grounds. The tree has been aptly described as a giant strawberry ice cream cone when it is in bloom. The flowers are large, almost hibiscus-like, with showy petals that may be light or dark pink and are borne in great masses. The center of the flower will often be white or cream colored. The tree is con- sidered evergreen, although it will lose most of its leaves just before flowering and then regain them shortly afterwards if the weather hasn’t turned too cold. when Ower, by its green bark that Stays with age and which is often covered with thorns that may be one inch or more in diameter at the base. The presence or quantity of thorns is apparent- ly a variable characteristic, as some trees are thornless or nearly so. In addition to the beautiful flowers and interesting bark, Chorisia speciosa Photo by William Aplin 100 mature trees may develop curious fruit about the size and shape of an avocado. When ripe, the fruit bursts open reveal- ing the seeds embedded in a mass of kapok, hence the common name. Through the years the Arboretum has discovered that chorisia trees don’t care for the shallow watering given lawns and that good drainage is the key to vigorous Seed pod of C. speciosa showing silky floss enveloping seed. gtowth. A significant seedling variation in flower color, thorniness, and height has also been noted. As result, several gtafts have been made of desirable selec. tions. One of these, known as ‘Clone Z. is shown on the cover of this issue. It will be available in the nursery trade soon. Some can be seen on the north Baldwin Avenue planting and on top of Tallac Knoll. Th ng effect as a result of this Operation, and because the Chorisia Spe- September, 1973 ciosa is too large for the small home gar den, this technique may have value. The Arboretum also has Chorisia insig- nis planted in several locations. You will find trees of this species north of the Bauer Fountain, on the east edge of the lagoon, and on top of Talac Kool insignis has cream-colored flowers be apparently a more diminutive gfo 3 on si gms. White flowers and seed pods of C. 151¥ e Photo by William Ap s not as its habit than C. speciosa. C. insignis } as well known or as widely plante more colorful relation. However, fe have been made using selections oa speciosa on the root stock of C. #8 Ke This could be another way of a pe C. speciosa down to a size suitable small garden areas. Increased use and _ interest on chorisia trees by the Arboretum has a doubtedly fostered their wider pai as availability. The Arboretum s ae ments in selection and grafting shout. crease their usefulness. Be sure to Fé his fall South Coast Botanic Garden and in “a locations at the Los Angeles State County Arboretim. in thesé Lasca Leaves E. J. Baldwin By Mr. Fraser Notes taken during a visit to his Santa Anita Rancho. (Editor's note: In August of 1891, a Mr. Fraser visited the Santa Anita Rancho of E. J. Baldwin for the purpose of taking some notes for use by his employer, the historian Hubert H. Bancroft, in a book entitled, ‘Chronicles of the Builders of the Bancroft used very little of Mr. Fraser's material. A few months ago, duri Bancroft Library on the University of California campus at Berkeley, Patricia Warren, Arboretum's historical curator, uncovered the notes in their original form. We felt As it turned out, ing a visit to the Commonwealth.” r readers might enjoy them, not only for their historical association with the Arboretum, but for the innocent view they present of a past era when a life style reminiscent of a feudal baron could be widely accepted. We wish to express our thanks to Mrs. Warren for bringing these notes 40 our attention and to the Bancroft Library for their kind permission to print them here. was a level plain, covered with beautiful- ly laid out orchards, vinyards, pastures, etc. This plain lies on a bench at the foot of the Sierra Madre mountains, with a gradual slope of about 40 feet to the mile. _At the base of the mountains the land is rolling; small low hills with a scattered growth of oaks making a very pretty natural border to the land under cultivation. Mr. Baldwin has very wisely decided that these rolling hills shall be - left in their natural wildness, as he con- Siders that he has sufficient land to spare a few acres to delight the eye and en- hance the beauty of the landscape. They are indeed a pleasing contrast to the more Payee Precision of the adjacent arti- : — 8toves of fruit and ornamental e S we made our way on foot to the : Perintendent s house we entered one pete Main avenues of the ranch, of we could see no end, a lovely natural shade of light green peppers set off by a background of dark eucalyptus on the right and a plantation of Palm ferns on the left. The avenue is about 40 feet wide, and affords a cool retreat from the rays of a southern California sun, besides being a delightful rest to the eye. About a furlong from the depot we came upon the house of the late superintend- ent, a pretty rustic residence, which is now used as an eating house for the white laborers of the ranch. Some little dis- tance further on and to the left is a small settlement consisting of a few huts in which live the Chinese, who board them- selves. ‘Following the avenue for another quarter of a mile we arrive at the Ranch- store and post office, a long rambling one story building in which Mr. Baldwin has everything for sale that his employees may need: clothes, hardware, meat, pro- visions, etc., etc. A printed notice in a conspicuous place informed us that no liquors would be dispensed to any of the employees. The store-keeper, a polite and friendly German, gave us what informa- 102 September, 1973 The ranch company store. tion he considered consistent with his duty, and referred us to the general man- ager, Mr. H. A. Unruh, for full particu- lars. This is a typical California general merchandise store, and it is here that Mr. Baldwin may occasionally be seen taking a friendly glass with his employees, or indulging in a quiet and snug little game of cards, (penny limit). Our carriage having now arrived we got on board and started off to visit as many of the places of interest on the ranch that our limited time would allow. Our first objective point was the stables of the thorough- breds under the management of Mr. B. F. Wood. Taking the cross-road to the right we passed through an avenue of stately poplars through which we caught occasional glimpses of pastures of Ken- tucky blue grass, alfalfa, and Australia tye grass, extending for about a mile parallel with charges. As we went along we on a the underground streams by ~ vel green strips of the vegetation. : an soon at the stables and our driver ; ie made us acquainted with Mr. v7 latter gentleman proceeded to intro ee to the noble animals under his cate. en Baldwin raises and trains his mere “ tirely for the money there 1s 1m me displays excellent judgment in ee i the sires and dams for his stud - fort amply borne out by the brilliant epee ances of his racers in the various sion in the east, on more than one Ae plat his stable having carried off the his ribbon of the turf. Mr. B. ae horses as runners and not 4s a those that he has in his stud mp ting records he keeps solely for Pf urposes. el : “Out first introduction was to ee Miller by Wilson’s Blue ye as 10 chestnut of such beautiful symmetry steed remind one of the famous Arabian Lasca Leaves of history. The next was a mare, Kitty Wink, with a trotting record of 2.231, and to two other dams, Los Angeles and San Diego. We then interviewed the fa- mous Emperor of Norfolk, who at the whistle of his master came trotting to- wards us to be caressed and fondled. This noble animal has one of the finest rec- ords in the annals of American horse- flesh, having won the American Derby, the Drexel, and Sheridan stakes all in the same year, and is the only horse that has ever accomplished this feat. He was raised by Theodore Winters and Mr. Baldwin gave $2,000 for him when a two year old. He is a beautiful light bay weighing about 1100 pounds. Then came other horses of less importance: the Hook, 20 years old and still in the stud; Omega by imported Prince Charlie, a light chestnut 4 years old, Grinstead, an Australian horse. All the above are kept for breeding purposes, and at the present time there are 43 brood mares on the tanch. Mr. Baldwin has a stable of 20 ee year in the east doing battle ti his colors. In purchasing horses or his stud, Mr. Baldwin selects them by their general record; he will not buy : horse that makes one brilliant per- ormance and then disappears like a meteor, but takes that one that keeps up his record from the beginning to the end of his racing career. ety slow paymast d é paymaster, and at — Lg time owes something like oe to his employees. There is no © in getting their money when they ee 103 jw +. Eucalyptus Walk at the Baldwin ranch and mission bell used to call ranch hands. Photo courtesy of L.A. County Museum of Natural History come to leave his service, and they usual- ly have quite a little sum of money com- ing to them; for instance, the other day two of his hands quit his service, one a boy and the other a man. The former re- ceived a check, for wages due, of $750, and the latter, $550. A man does not need much money on the ranch, however, as he can get all the clothes and little luxuries at the ranch store and of course he is boarded free. His wages go on right along, and if he is modest in his requirements there will not be much to deduct for his store account, and he can 104 "Tae 4 be ¥ take their cue from M “Mr. B. is b oak trees and ditch where today there is a road on Tallac Knoll. September, 1973 employs a large number of people on this ranch, mostly single men, though there are 4 or 5 white famil ; families and quite a number of Chinese He furnishes houses for his married em at his store. A remarkable feature of this tanch is the abundance of water. 1H place is full of natural springs; thea there is the pipe line that brings the wa ter from the mountains, one of the a nels being bored 380 feet into the — gtanite and being 12 feet wide an 1 feet high. a After leaving Mr. Woods, we tufn back down the avenue of poplars and again avenue we first entered for abou a mile passing an enormous feed ue where all the work horses of the raf are stabled; continuing through the ave nue of bright green peppers we could se , Lasca Leaves laid out on both sides interminable stretches of orange groves, plantations of ornamental shrubs, nurseries for all kinds of trees, and orchards upon orchards of different fruits, and vineyards, etc., etc. Some distance farther on to the right we came upon a miniature deer park full of pretty green knolls spotted with graceful Shade trees, and at the farther end of which was an artificial lake and salt-lick for the 30 odd occupants of the park, nearly all of which were raised on the place. Directly after leaving this and to the left we found, hidden in a wall of ever-green hedges, and surrounded by Semi-tropical foliage, Mr. Balwin’s pri- vate coach house, in which he has stored 14 carriages of different styles for his Private use. At this point the avenue sud- denly opens into a vast expanse of lawns laid out with brilliant colored flower- beds, and dotted with ornamental trees and ferns, conspicuous among which are the graceful weeping willow. Some dis- tance in front of us we see Mr. Baldwin’s Ptivate residence nestling in a bank of foliage, affording a perfect shade from the rays of the sun. Around the house are smaller lawns, and a perfect galaxy Of flower-beds in which the gardenet’s art has displayed all its cunning and in- 8enuity, interspersed with superb weep- ing willows, ornamental trees, ferns, etc., combining to produce a scene larger lawn is an old log cabin which I Presume is a reminiscence of Mr. Bald- : foofing of old Mission tiles; it is a bell tesian well, supplying a small pond with its steady flow of water, sain 105 like sheet ice in its clearness. Now we have the house immediately in front of us; it is a quaint one story building of Japanese design surrounded by a low porch hung with lanterns, to which we ascend by a flight of marble steps at the foot of which are two artesian wells, one on either side bubbling up from the bowels of the earth, and overflowing into a marble aqueduct running around the cottage, and almost hidden by bright colored flowering creepers. Walking round the porch, as the doors are all locked we have to content ourselves with peeping through the windows, and can dimly make out a sleeping chamber with a gold-plated and luxuriously covered bed in the centre, old fashioned furni- ture, and pictures of half nude Venuses and cupids on the walls. The windows are of plate glass, with a border of strained glass on which the female form is depicted in all its voluptuousness. On geting round to the rear of the house we find it to be surrounded on three sides by an artificial lake, 7 acres in ex- tent, the banks of which are covered with a luxuriant growth of natural foliage, rising out of which is an occasional weep- ing willow. This sweet little bijou resi- dence with its surroundings of romantic scenery is like a page out of fairy-land, and one almost fancies he has found the home of our friends the elves. In order that the odor of the kitchen shall not invade the perfume-laden air, Mr. Bald- win has his dining hall and kitchen in a separate building about 40 yards to the left of the dwelling house. Having al- ready lingered too long in this enchant- ing spot we reluctantly retraced our steps to the carriage, and instructed the driver to convey us to the winery as the next point of interest. On the way we passed the dairy. Mr. B. has 150 milch cows, and supplies both his ranch and hotel with cream and butter. A little to the rear of the dairy is the brickyard, where he 106 makes his own brick, sells to the public at $10 per thousand, has a railway track laid from his brickyard to Santa Anita depot. Passed his slaughter houses, cattle corrals. Has large herds of cattle, sheep and hogs, kills his own meat and retails it to the public at 10 to 12 cents per pound. Ships carcasses to his hotel in San Francisco. “Having reached the winery, of which Mr. Sweitzer has the management, we were shown over this establishment by his son, Mr. S. being sick with rheuma- tism. Mr. Baldwin raises all kinds of grapes and manufactures nearly every variety of wine, besides brandy, for which this vineyard is quite famous, and orange champagne; this latter drink is becoming very popular, and Mr. Baldwin retails considerable quantities over the bar at the Baldwin hotel; the oranges are pressed and the liquor fermented at the Santa Anita winery; it is then put into casks and shipped to San Francisco to be made into champagne. The liquor as it leaves the winery is perfectly colorless like wa- ter and has a strong orange flavor. The orange seeds are collected and sold for a dollar and a quarter per quart. “Here he has one large brick building entirely devoted to the storage of sherry, and three wooden buildings for his other wines and brandies, each containing about 50 enormous casks, which hold 1500 gallons a piece. In one buiding he has stored 800 55-gal. barrels of brandy. We saw some fancy casks Mr. Baldwin is having constructed to send to the World’s fair in 1893. He has a very fine muscat wine that he keeps specially for his lady friends; it is 8 years old and worth at least $5 per gallon. Mr. Baldwin does all his own bottling, and in the rear of the manual labor, coopering, etc., being done by chinamen. Mr. Sweitzer informed us that they had about twenty acres of Mis- bi September, 1973 sion vines all destroyed by some animal culae that came down from the moun- tains, and they had to pull them all up to prevent it spreading to the other vines. Behind the distillery was an enormous bank of cactus about 12 feet in height and covered with fruit which looked very much like prickly pears. Mr. Sweitzer said that Mr. B., whenever he can, leaves nature as it is. Keeps as much a scenery as possible about the ranch. a not allow any of the native trees to cut down; if they want wood, have to into the mountains and collect drift: wood. There is nothing wasted on ee ranch; orange seeds are collected ‘ sold, drift-wood gathered up, cattle hea and refuse given to the hogs and = thing is carefully watched and tl to some account. Bananas and limes W! grow here, but they don’t reach oi as this is a semi-tropical climate, 0 tropical one. There are 2500 tons of hay nie the ranch, of which we feed 800 tons our own stock and sell 1700 tons. © land is sown in hay one sie § the next, so as to give it a rest. Mr. Baldwin sold about 1100 oc land in the Sierra Madre range — be years ago, and the land turned out a so productive that there 1s mie a up there of 500 inhabitants; it ' er Sierra Madre. They are talking * (te ing a railroad up to Wilson's Pe pee highest point that overlooks the - 6,000 feet above sea level), an 1000. Baldwin has offered to subscribe $ a There is to be an observatory there W HS is to out-rival the Lick. The glass bse 36 a 40 inch, while the Lick 1s only inch glass. Me Unruh drove up to the winety be invited us to take dinner with the ee hands and then meet him for 2 dicts We accordingly repaired to ~~ eer ouse and partook of an excellen' of plain wholesome food.’ Lasca Leaves 107 et / Cite af Saithas California Ross Goodrich _ A great number of trees and shrubs in Southern California make a good show of fall color. Because the changes appear over a long period, some get little notice from those who must have a spectacular display all at one time. To expect fall color here such as there is in Vermont, New Hampshire and New York is asking a lot. There, most of the color is in broad forests of native trees that respond quickly to the temperature changes of coming winter, ive a magnificent show for a few weeks, then are gone. Here, when we plant the same maples, oaks, and other trees we temperature drops early enough in the season to color them up. And, we can’t &tow them in large areas where there is no summer water. It’s the climate. _ OF our commonly planted trees, the Reape is very en It is de: = : for a long display of red, yel- thie a Orange — sometimes with all ie “i Ors on the same tree. Others are i €sto ash, the tulip tree and the ri Sige ch turning yellow. And 3 > : ns ten overlooked in regard to fall Z - € pomegranate, the crape myrtle : © common snowball are very good. pe Pomegranate turns a briliant yellow while it holds on to some green leaves, the crape mrytle gives a good show of yellow although it often loses its leaves. rather quickly, but the snowball holds on for a long time with dark red leaves. Though not widely planted in this area until the last two decades, the gingko needs mentioning here. Its yellow leaves stay on the tree a long time, shimmering in each little movement of air just like the aspen. The large ginkgos near the Coach Barn in the Arboretum have be- come landmarks and attract much atten- tion each year. These particular trees were grown from seed gathered by Elias J. “Lucky” Baldwin on a trip to the Orient. Factors that affect the variations in fall color can be the soil and its pH reading, the feeding and watering, and the weath- er that sparks the immediate change in color. Our unpredictable hot spells in early fall can cancel out a color change or shorten the duration of it, but this has also happened off and on in the New England States. Temperature records in the recorder’s office at the Arboretum show that for the months of October and November the first low temperatures usually come in late October, or at least from the middle of the month on in the years these color observations were made. 108 The list of trees and shrubs that have years: 1956 to 1961, 1963, 1968 and 1971, with off-and-on observations in the intervening years. It should be mentioned that some of these plants were not with us over the entire period, and those con- sidered too immature for a fair judgment were simply ignored for this report. Acer buergerianum, Trident Maple— varies, both yellow and red sometimes on same leaf, late November early Decem- ber Acer capillipes —brilliant red, some- times turns all at once but lasting only a week; other times changing from the top of the tree to the bottom, slowly, late November early Dece Acer diabolicum, Devil Maple—mixed yellow and green with red, November. Acer griseum, Paperback Maple—good dark red, slow to turn, November to early December. Acer grosseri, Grosser’s Maple—most- ly bright yellow, some orange, mid-No- vember to December. Acer macrophylla, Bigleaf Maple — good yellow, Novem er, December, Acer morrisonense — bright red, late November. Berberis julianae, Wintergreen Berberis —ted, November, Decembe Betula platyphylla japonica — yellow, late November. Betula nigra, Red or River Birch—yel- low, October; not good all years, Caltis wildenowiana, good yellow, No- vember. Cornus kousa, Kousa Dogwood — red, fairly good, November, December. September, 1973 Cornus officinalis, Japanese Cornel Dogwood—dark red, November. ; Cotinus co geyeria (Rhus cotinus), Smoke tree—good orange, red and green, Ginkgo biloba Lasca Leaves all at the same time, November, Decem- ber Cotoneaster cooperi, Cooper’s Coton- easter—dark red, spectacular a few years, other years no, November, December. Cotoneaster harroviana, Harrow Coton- easter—moderately good dark red, No- vember, December. Firmiana platanifolia (F. simplex) Chinese Parasol tree—good even yellow, November. Fraxinus chinensis rhynchophylla, Ko- rean ash,—even light yellow, November. Fraxinus velutina, ‘‘Modesto” ash, — orange to light yellow, November. Ginkgo biloba, Maidenhair Tree—yel- low, November, December. Hydrangea quercifolia, Oakleaf Hy- drangea—dark red, December. Koelreuteria apiculata, yellow, Novem- ber to mid December. Koelreuteria formosana, yellow, No- vember, December. Koelreuteria integrifoliola, yellow, No- vember, December. Lagerstroemia indica, Crape Myrtle— effect is mothly orange but includes red, yellow and green, November. Liritdendron tulipifera, Tulip Tree — yellow, November, December. Liquidambar formosana, Chinese Sweet Gum—mostly yellow, November, December. is Liquidambay orientalis, Oriental Sweet nm—some trees yellow, some trees red, November, December. Ph se Styraciflua, American Rte NC sia trees yellow, some red, Deki 8, some mixed, November, Malus prunifolia, Pearleaf Craba : pple— sth bright red, November, mid Decem- Morus alba White Mulbe: i , try—bright yellow but doesn’t turn all at once, No- vember, December. Nyssa Sinersis, Chinese Tupelo—a really 109 bright red, November, mid December. Nyssa sylvatica, Sour Gum or Black Tu- pelo—brilliant red and orange, Novem- r Pistacia chinensis, Chinese Pistache — a few years yellow, one year red, just so- so, November to mid December. Punica granatum, Common Pomegran- ate — good bright yellow, turns slowly then drops fast, November. Pyrus calleryana, fairly good orange with some red, November. Quercus alba, White Oak — the past year was its best — red all over, other years only partly turned, November. Quercus rubia, Northern Oak—bright red for short period, November. Quercus palustris, Pin Oak — red with brownish red, November. Rhus typhina, Staghorn Sumac—bril- liant red, November early December. Sapium sebiferum, Chinese Tallow Tree—yellow but some leaves turn red, November, December. Ulmus crassifolia, Cedar Elm — good orange yellow, November. Viburnum dentatum pubescens, ted, fair, November mid December. Viburnum opulis cv. Roseum, Common Snowball—good red, November. Viburnum prunifolium, Black Haw— some are brilliant red, some yellow, some mixed, November. Viburnum rufidulum, Southern Black Haw—consistently good deep red, No- vember, December. Vitis californica, California Grape— some brilliant yellow, some deep red, November, December. Wisteria sinensis and W. floribunda, yellow, November, December. Zelkova serrata, Japanese Zelkova — dark red, sometimes reddish brown, No- vember, December. Ross Goodrich is an Arboretum gardener re sponsible for the Asiatic-North American sec- tion. 110 September, 1973 Mites Attacking Pines Richard ]. McCrea A tiny mite, Oligonychus milleri, has been doing serious damage to our pines. This small tetranychid mite, scarcely larg- er than a speck of dust, is reddish in color with small black areas showing through dorsally. Its eggs are salmon to reddish with a darker area on top of the eggs. Eggs are laid at the base of needles and on small twigs. First symptom of damage is a speckled mottling of the needles caused by the tiny punctures of the feeding mite. The mote obvious symptom is the dead and browning of the tip growth normally called “flagging.” By the time “flagging” has been noticed, a heavy infestation of the mite is inevitable and treatment is necessary. Probably the easiest way to in- spect for this mite is to slap the suspected pine branch end on a clip board covered with a white sheet of paper. The small mite can be picked up with a small brush dampened with alcohol. Oligonychus milleri McGregor was first found and named o acres in the Castaic Dam area were found to be infested with Oligonychus milleri and Essigella califor- nica, Monterey pine aphid. Most of these trees will be treated by helicopter in April with a mixture of Kelthane and Meta-sys- tox-R. Many of the Aleppo pines in Los i geles County are infested with this ~ blesome mite. One street planting © Aleppo pines in the town of er shows extensive flagging damage by ih 1970, we found infestations of he gonychus milleri in our San se ick Mountain pines indicating how W spread these infestations are. axonomy Adults of Oligonychus millert ” the dorsocentral settae successirei : creasing in length, the first pair a short, the second pair lone an third pair much longer than ( Fig. “ ). The distal end of the — is very long, from two thirds to and as the dorsal portion of the shaft Pau Fi b . s e Vi v ie at / /J Y, AY i. aA ViV —] +4 f ae ary x BP, SA aed - A ors Fig. 1. Olyigonychus millert: dorsal aspect of female. Lasca Leaves _—__ Fig. 3. Oligonychus milleri: tibia and tarsus I of female. there is a very broad curvature of the shaft (Fig. 2). Tibia I has six tactile setae and tarsus I setae as described by Prichard and Baker, 1955, (Fig. 3). Control Kelthane (dicofol) is generally accept- ed as the insecticide that will best control this pest. Follow instructions on the label for safe usage of this chemical. To simplify information, it is some- times necessary to use trade names of products or equipment. No endorsement of named products is intended nor is criticsm implied of similar products not mentioned. Literature Cited Prichard, E. A. and E. W. Baker, 1955, A Revision of the Spider Mite Family Tetranychidae, Pac. Coast Ent. Soc. Memoirs Series Vol. 2:279-281. Tuttle, D. M. and E. W. Baker, 1968, Spider Mites of Southwestern United States and a revision of the family Tet- ranychidae, Univ. Ariz. Press, Tucson, Ariz. 119 p. Richard ]. McCrea is an entomologist in the Laboratory Services Division of the Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner. has one tactile setae proximal to duplex S @eoe Gi l natural dried uncommon living plants in containers Peacock Pavilion = Gift: « Book Shop California. Arboretum Fe ' undction Tnx 301 N- Baldwin Avenue , petals Phoue ©8)-—5277 Sot cre | ROR RRR mea 112 MODELS OF DOOM, A critique of THE LIMITS TO GROWTH. Critique edited by H.S. D. Cole, Marie Jahoda and K. L. R Pavitt; with a reply by the authors of THE LIMITS TO GROWTH. Universe Books, New York 1973. Early in the 19th century Thomas Robert Malthus advanced the theory farms became smaller and smaller by division with each generation, until none of them “doomster” but a forecaster; one who assesses probability of certain outcomes in the light of the data obtainable. A forecast may always be altered as events occur either through man’s will or fortuitously. Working with these, the so-called “MIT Group,” authors of E LIMITS TO ROWTH, attempted to ans the ques- = September, 1973 politicians and the general public must unde stand their work and make plans for altecag the system, they published their book. he with it there was needed evaluation and cr cism by scientific personnel. This is prone by the book, MODELS OF DOOM, wilt by thirteen members of the Science Policy 7 search Unit of Sussex University, En f Like LIMITS TO GROWTH, it is written fe ; the general reader. The criticism is severe — nswer you get from a computer, a Susesx group points out, depends on a sumptions you make when you feed data int % . ur a it; these in turn are influenced by 3 pa («'5 | characterize the study as ‘Malthus with — puter,” paraphrasing the sneering , ae “gigo,” (garbage in, garbage out), bis with thus in, Malthus out.” Their differences stem the authors of LIMITS TO GROW chai even more from principles than from t reat a and technology in the late 19th cen there are, indeed, reasons why happen. It follows that we should ty ate a civilization of stable equilibrium. aa paint a picture of the possible pleasantn a such a civilization, if we will alter our 9 somewhat, and secure a more even dit a of wealth. There could be food pee = “[to- to ct today - -- pian,” scoff the critics. The MIT _ by the Club of Rome, Lasca Leaves 113 ey Be — ~ e- G ee Garden For All Seasons, Los Angeles State and County Arboretum. An Arboretum is for people . . . One of the many advantages offered by the temperate climate of Southern California is the opportunity it affords for growing flowers and vegetables in the spring, summer, fall, and winter. At the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum the home gardener can see and learn how easily this can be done in the Garden For All Seasons where colorful flowers and vege- tables grow side by side throughout the year. (== Southern California Edison Company 114 Dennis Meadows of the U.S. headed the team, which was international and interdisciplinary. The team cho that Prof. Jay Forrester had pioneered in sys- tem dynamics and worked out a “world model” which he later improved and called World 2. Meadows’ team made another model incor- porating far more data, and called it World 3, A world model is a representation of the P. 102, and the complete models, World 2 and World 3, appear in MODELS OF DOOM, Pp. 17 and 20. From these it appears that food production, industrial output, and Population have been €asier for those who see this accept the idea, probably, than The Sussex group, authors of MODELS OF DOOM, themselves experimented with World 7 September, 1973 2 and World 3. With World 3 they managed, y changing the assumptions and assigning different weights to certain data, and increasing the negative feedback, to get a printout show- ing that growth could continue indefinitely, of at least with no sign of collapse, by 2300 AD. and with only a leveling off of resources some what before that. In these changes of assump tions they feel that they have compensated for Meadows’ pessimism with their own optimism, so that the results should be free of this bias, at least. r optimism is based in part om mans tion and the have represented in the programming. It is di : to see how it could be quantified, but it coul form part of a “mental model,” which e feel is in ways superior to the models — are so severely limited to the physical. team is also interdisciplinary; its coor _ Prof. Jahoda, is a social pyschologist. The a does agree that many social P uld of to underdeveloped countries, national and prestige objectives. — uch subjective material is inclu eo MODELS OF DOOM. In one sense wee on part of both teams may be epoch Me Ber because it is very seldom that Pa * pf so closely. It seem seal hands of Koestler’s Yogi and Commissat- and departure straightforward objective reasoning ee? this book more interesting to the non- reader. < we fa For as a readable book, Mon e high; its style has pace and spirit an ht bem one along through material that mig made it ponderous, but did not. — sso We are left in the sadly familiar pe of not k entist awaiting more knowledge, console ° oo Rosten put it, “Rome burned in a day.” —Marcella Juhren Lasca Leaves WSF ASD AS TES OS ED eS . SF SD 115 RECENT ‘0 gata TO CPE EOE OE OEE OS LASCA LIBRARY ‘ , WOODY PLANTS OF THE MORTON AR- HELP WANTED ~~ a" . BORETUM, Walter Buh Lisle, Ill., @ 1972. 250 p. No illustration ‘ GROWERS WEED IDNTIFICATION HAND- @ 1. Collectors of dried plant BOOK, University of California Agricul- ) material, etc., for gift shop tural Extension Service, Berkeley, Calif. é : 1973. Color photographs. k items. LIMITS TO GROWTH, Donella and Dennis ¢ Meadows, New American Library, Inc., N.Y. 1972. 207 p é MODELS OF DOOM, A Critique of The j Limits To Growth, edited by H. S. D. Cole, Christopher Freeman, Marie Jahoda, and / N. All Seasons. 4) 2. Workers in the Garden For . Pavitt. Universe Books, 1973. 245 p. ' INTERNATIONAL CHECKLIST OF CULTI- VATED ILEX K. ad ernment Printing Office, Washington, D.C. ‘ 1973. 85 p. No photographs. } other horticultural pursuits. ¢ ’ FLOWERING PLANTS OF JAMAICA, C. D. Adams, University of the West Indies, (@ Mona, Jamaica. 1972. 848 pp. No illus- trations. /) TREES OF SOUTHERN AFRICA, he Pal- ' mer, Vol. 1. Balkema, Cape Town, S. A. Pp. Black and white and color illus- ° trations, Maines and photographs. GLADIOLUS, G. J. Lewis, Purnell, Cape own, S. Africa. 1972. 316 P. Black and N . a g. , ae ee Green thumbs interested in bY » G. K. Eisenbeiss, U.S. Gov. @ propagating (plants) and in ’ No Pay, But Lots of Thanks. @ ’ Work Your Own Hours. . , Apply At Foundation Office ) | | —_s white and color illustrations SSP totes ARBORETUM WEATHER Long. 34°08’48” N. Lat. 118°02’59” N, Weather season: Elev. 571.28 ft. Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 fii June July Average daily maximum temperature _______----------------- 93.1 91.8 Average daily minimum temperature ——--.------------— te a 56.9 ee aie 111 110 Lowest Me 50 52 Number of clear ee 16 17 Number of partly cloudy doys $$ $—$_______ 12 14 sector ee a 1 : sth during i tee 0 Total rain since ie 26.20 20.20 Meeting and Lunch- : ation) — News* BOARD OF SUPERVISORS LOS ANGELES COUNTY ERNEST E. DEBS oer ce 3rd District PETER F. SCHABARUM, Chairman lst District BAXTER WARD _— Raa 5th District DEPARTMENT OF ARBORETA AND BOTANIC GARDENS LOS ANGELES COUNTY Arcadia, California 91006 ¢ Telephone (213) 681-5277 ive Francis Ching, Director; Glenn Hiatt, Assistant Director; Lee H. beams hes Assistant. Los Angeles State and County Arboretum: Frank Simerly, — carl a William Hawkinson, Assistant Superintendent; John Provine, Horticulturist; Assistant Orchidist. Descanso Gardens: Mark Anthony, Superintendent; George Le ae Superintendent. South Coast Botanic Garden: Armand Sarifiana, rae 0, Ph.Ds Edward Hartnagel, Assistant Superintendent. Research Division: Pau fe cacti Chief; Leonid Enari, Ph.D., Senior Biologist, Taxonomy and Pant ae George Hanson, Ph.D., Senior Biologist, Research Section. Education Horii ie trude Woods, Chief; Tak Niiya, Education Specialist; George Spalding, es Division Consultant; Patricia Warren, Associate Curator, History. Public Servic Donald S. Dimond, Chief. CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, ae Arcadia, California 91006 e Telephone (213) 440m BOARD OF TRUSTEES ident; . i e-President OFFICERS: Mrs. John A. Grivich, President; George L. Forman, Megs Executive Mrs. Leland E. Larson, Second Vice-President; Mrs. Dolores K. Hu | MembershiP Frank J. Regan, Treasurer; Mrs. Peter L. Douglas, Genera BOARD MEMBERS: Mrs. Mrs. Robert w. Cheesewright, Coulombé : er, Elmer Glenn Hiatt. HONORARY TRUSTEES: Samuel Ayres, Jr., Mrs. Harry J. Bau’ | ey Belt, Fredrick C. Boutin, Mrs. Ralph D. Cornell, Arie J. Haagen-Smit, ward Knudsen, William Lane Jr i Ho ; Jf D. Mildred E. Mathias, Mrs. Manfred MeyBerg «te, A. Miller, Frank Simerly, George H. Spalding, Mrs. Forrest Q. Stanton, Lo Jr., Mrs. Archibald B. Young. med tdglediic Published quarterly by the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., for the Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens of Los Angeles County. SOUTH COAST LOS ANGELES STATE & COUNTY ARBORETUM DESCANSO GARDENS = goTANIC GARDEN 120 Department Notes 125 Plants to Look For 129 Callistemons as Landscape Subjects in Southern California 135 Koelreuteria 138 Bookshelf 139 Callistemon (Cover) 139 Weather Back Cover Calendar Editor Donald S. Dimond Cover photo by Francis Ching You are invited to join the CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC. MEMBERSHIP brings you the quarterly publication, Lasca Leaves * Newsletter * Annual Plant and Seed Distribution © Invitations to special events. MEMBERSHIP DUES: Annual, $10; Annual Contributing, $25; army Busi- ness, $100; Annual Sustaining, $100; Annual Sponsor, $250; $500; Founders, $1,000; Benefactors, $5,000 or more. Contributions are gta Make check payable to the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., and send to headquarters at 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, Calif. 91006. RETIREMENT Br THE beginning of the new year this Department will have lost through retirement six longtime em- ployees. They are Glenn Hiatt, assistant director; Gertrude Woods, education chief; Mark Anthony, Descanso Gardens superintendent; —_ Jess Tomory, senior equipment maintenance man; Karl Roth, tractor operator; and Henry Noerdlinger, tour guide at South Coast. Although institutions get their recog- nizable form from buildings and other landmarks, their essential character comes from people. When even a few leave a change takes Place, a change that arises not only from the absence of a familiar face, but from the loss of an individual style and a distinctive approach to a job. These are the things we miss, even while anticipating the arrival of new faces, new styles, and new approaches. Glenn Hiatt will be remembered for implementation of the De artment’s most tmportant capital projects, which he in- ness and tact, qualities not easily replaced. Gertrude Woods has brought an energetic and innovative style to her 16 years of S€tvice in various fields December, 1973 of education. It was she who established the Department’s youth education pro- gram, so admired and imitated actos the country. By continuously cont menting her own teaching experience wi the latest knowledge developed by . ricula specialists, she has aided ‘ partment immeasurably in its schoo a trip program. Over at wee : superintendent with the classic “7 : left a 20-year imprint on that gat - : soon forgotten. A horticulturist a fr special interest in camellias, “ a thony can justifiably claim a aie al of the credit for the world ” of the garden’s camellia forest. a accurate title for Jess Tomory, ‘a of 18 years of County service, F ie jack-of-all-trades and master 0 2 From laying underground aa ‘ electrical circuits to accomp me veiling uld retum 00 trades, no one at the Arbo nis wal leave more lasting evidence ee vor el In part, the same can be — voohll Roth, whose manipulation of a ad the ized earth-mover has literally chang® h to full-time tour guide would be enoug establish a certain pattern for tion; being Henry Noerdlinge came a tour guide only a : following retirement from a long @* in the motion picture industry r, who ne ears 490 ver Noerdlinger has presided Oa number of public service 10 ee notably the introduction of — reresting Post-retirement plans are ! th and varied. After 17 yeats Re his County, Karl Roth is a has 186-acre farm in Indiana, a farm hut been in the Roth family Zs dred years. Today it po corn, and soybeans. Thoroug a mated to Southern California, *” acd y Roth Lasca Leaves 121 will wait until the end of winter before Gertrude Woods is looking forward to freedom from clocks and calendars” and plans to weigh and consider at her leisure a number of options in the teaching and teacher-training fields. Glenn Hiatt ex- Tomory, who has been with the De- partment for nearly 18 years, says that his plans are indefinite, but that some extensive travel is likely. Mark Anthony has the immediate goal of visiting all the public botanic gardens in the country this coming spring, ending at Churchill Downs in time for the Kentucky Derby. Henry Noerdlinger will retire to his home in Irvine where, as befitting a lifelong bibliophile, he is already a member of the U.S. Friends of the Library. He ex- pects to continue his periodic trips to Mexico to collect bromeliads and orchids, and will continue to donate to the De- Partment specimens of special interest. New Arboretum entrance. Photo by William Aplin NEW ARBORETUM ENTRANCE = MANY years, the steps leading up to the rotunda of the Arboretum were the unused, if inviting, entry to the garden. Local residents who were steady visitors were accustomed to entering through the turnstiles alongside the gate- house. But first-timers would tend to automatically walk up the steps only to find locked gates and a cul-de-sac requir- ing that they walk back down again. Now, those steps are being used as originally intended, facilitated by a gently rising ramp alongside. Midway up is the new Information Center which will function the same as the old gatehouse, now serv- ing as headquarters for Las Voluntarias. The change will bring visitors immediate- ly into key areas——the Demonstration Home Gardens, the Garden For All Sea- sons, the Juniper Garden, and, directly off the rotunda, the library and adminis- stration offices. One other innovation is the use of electric-eye counters instead of turnstiles. 122 CAPITAL PROJECTS | irae YEAR at budget time the direc- tors of the 56 departments that pro- vide the citizens of Los Angeles County with most of the services common to nual operating budgets, are not easily implemented, however well justified. This Department is fortunate in having done well this year in this area. The Board » Ollices, space for youth and adult education classes, and a new entryway. Another a Pproved project at So, th Coast calls ie : for the completion of a grid So Gardens, approval has been given for demonstration gardens including a nightlighting system that will assure the i i ights and Fountains, a | month-long event that always attracts q December, 1973 | thousands of visitors. The cost to exhibi- tors of setting up a basic lighting system each time had become prohibitive. The Arboretum has received approval for the development of a new entrance: way including the construction of a new roadway, parking, fountain and landscape lighting. Already completed by mer engineers are plans for a new “a greenhouse to be built just west of ° present orchid houses. Construction "4 begin as soon as final plans are appfo and bids awarded. CHRISTMAS HE DESCANSO GARDENS Guild pi ai sented its annual exhibit of Chast mas decorations in the Hospitality House during the first nine days of " if leaving thousands of visitors plenty | time to buy, cut out, weave or othe a create some of the items they saw “a show. The range was wide. There table settings, wall hangings, Ea decorated live trees, wreathes of all a children’s doll houses, and Chil scenes and objects typical of 0 ries. Over at the Los Angeles vy * County Arboretum, Christmas will Aa served more modestly. The SF sents Cottage, Hugo Reid Adobe, oe Anita Depot will be decorated in ding with the period these historic b bs represent. The decorations w! : view from December 18 throug ary 6. ther coul- Th a je AYRES AWARD © hes 900 delegates to the Intero al Shade Tree Conference m il Boston last August to discuss . esti jects as the Federal Environmenta cide Control Act, whether or - athe should be planted along city streets) AU yg state of commercial arboriculture. ‘ Lasca Leaves were presented during the annual banquet on the last evening, among them an hon- orary membership to Dr. Samuel Ayres, Jr., in recognition of his pioneering work in introducing many flowering trees to Southern California through the Los An- geles State and County Arboretum which, of course, came into being 25 years ago chiefly through his efforts. < ~ oe 4 fe g Historical curator Patricia Warren and page-turner Carol Brayshaw, chairman o history volunteers, at century-old piano in Oueen Anne Cottage. QUEEN ANNE FROLIC P ROVIDENCE SHINES On worthy enter- prises. At least it did on the Queen Anne Frolic last September 28th when 900 guests began to arrive at the Arbo- fetum around 6 o'clock in the evening. The weather was pleasantly warm, there was nearly a full moon. For most of the month it had been gray, windy, and definitely on the cool side. A few days efore the event a 90° hot spell arrived; a few days after it left, the Frolic happily sandwiched in between. It would be im- Possible to single out a highlight during the evening. Frolic chairman Alice Cou- olmbe, the Board of Trustees of the California Arboretum Foundation, Mrs. Anne Frolic Alice Coulombe, chairman. fever W coutens PPE oth Vintage cars and vintage costumes sil- houetted against Queen Anne Cottage. Coulombe’s Las Voluntarias colleagues, the Foundation business staff, and the Arboretum staff worked together to pro- duce an excellent, beautifully served din- ner, tours of the historical buildings, tours of the grounds by trams and by vintage cars from the California Horseless Carriage Association, music for dancing by the dixieland band of Dexter Jones and the string band of Bruce Dust- man, and a special presentation by the Arcadia Chapter of the Society for Preser- vation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America. It was, of course, a fund-raising as well as fun- having affair and the results were happy in this category too—net profit was over $4800 124 GARDEN KITCHEN T= a kitchen in a Stately, 35-year- old mansion, remodel it according to the ideas of a &toup of energetic gar- den-lovers, and end up, if all goes well, with a contemporary version of the old farmhouse kitchen, remembered for its warmth, its island tables, windowsill] herb Pots, and lots of counter Space. This is what the Descanso Gardens Guild did € area. The all the latest applian: Preparation of lunch at which good tenkiac: : will also Serve as qa if December, 1973 kitchen herbs and other plants, grown in hanging containers and in a _ ter-top planters, can brighten and at work that goes into the daily ~~ preparing meals. The Guild is —_ 7 with its project that it has create 2 of kitchen docents who one tours every afternoon of the wee 1 to 4 UPCOMING — ALDWIN BONANZA IV will . & B sented by the California At pe Foundation next April 7, a ‘ni man Mrs. Vance Gerry of we a reports that although details a available at this time, this Bona a have a greater concentration i _ There will still be sections on ¢ ll hanging baskets, ciways a with the gardening public. me will be staged in the Demonstra ae Gardens and a special preview night before. os A home gardenin E field day, subtitled “Spring Extravagit and the California Arboretum 2 next May 18 and 19. — oil ec rae) the public into se societies Car he Asbo d two days: . f Z niques 0 The art of bonsai and the panes nt plant societies will — nhoe ties either in the lecture hall, si pe 4 or Garden For All Seasons, 4n oe basil information center will cover fertilize subjects as plant identi fire fe pest and weed control, plants lant see tardance and erosion control, Pp tion and ground covers. Lasca Leaves 125 Plants ts Look For Frank Simerly Te GENUS Acacia, a member of the legume or pea family, comprises a large group of shrubs and trees mostly from the tropics or warm temperature re- gions. It has been estimated that there are more than 500 species of this genus, over fifty percent of them from Australia. The Los Angeles State and County Arbo- retum has 124 species and 11 varieties of acacia, the largest collection in the United tates. Acacia leaves are usually bipin- nate, but frequently the leaf-like structure that we observe is actually a leaf stem, or peticle, that has assumed the shape and activity of a leaf, and is called a phyllodia. Flowers are mostly yellow and generally appear in the late winter and early spring. Acacias found their way into California about the same time as the gold rush, more than one hundred years ago. Since that time, they have come to be one of the most valuable ornamental plants in the California landscape. They can be found in beach plantings, growing on hillsides, and along our freeways, in addi- tion to the multitude of uses they have in the home garden and in park land- scapes. It would be impossible in a short article to mention all of the acacia species and varieties that can be seen in the Los Angeles County area, or especially the numerous ones found at the Arboretum. Pi shise: here are some species to look The most common of the acacias seen in the California area is Acacia baileyana which is prized for its blue-gray foliage and yellow clusters of flowers that appear profusely in January and February. It is a prominent plant in all of our facili- ties. Acacia longifolia is frequently seen in freeway and home plantings and is a large rounded shrub that blooms in early summer. On your visits this spring to the Arbo- retum, Descanso Gardens, and South Coast Botanic Gardens, we suggest you look for some of the more unusual acacias. For example, all three facilities have excellent specimens of Acacia pen- dula. \t is a weeping acacia that has an interesting structural form and a graceful character that makes it attractive to all who see it. Its mature height is about 25 feet, foliage is a blue-gray with leaves to four inches long. It blooms erratically with small yellow flowers in pairs or clusters that appear usually in April or flowers are not, however, the redeeming feature of this plant; it is its graceful weeping habit that makes it so attractive. There is a fine mature speci- men of A. pendula in the Rose Garden at Descanso Gardens. Several small, but well-formed specimens can be seen at South Coast Botanic Garden just a short the walk approaching the Demonstration 126 Acacia cardio phylla This specimen in the Australian Section of troduced to the nurs- ery trade by the Arboretum in 1961. A. cardiophylla Photos by ip william AP ACACIA SPECIES RECOMMENDED BY ARBORETUM HORTICULTURISTS SPECIES GROWTH LEAVES FLOWERS USE A. armata Shrub 10 to 12’ Small, light green Few, single, Feb.-Mar. Thorny branches, good barrier. A. baileyana Tree 30’ Finely cut, blue-gray Profuse, fragrant, Garden landscape and street tree Jan.-Feb. A. baileyana Tree 30’ Finely cut, lavender-gray Profuse, fragrant Garden landscape and street tree ‘Purpurea’ A. cardiophylla Shrub 10’ Fern-like, small Numerous, small yellow Long arching branches. flowers in spring A. cultriformis Shrub 15’ Small gray Clusters, March Screen or on banks. A. cyahophylla Tree or shrub 30’ Long, narrow, blue-gray Profuse, dark yellow. Mar. Home garden or on banks. A. cyclops Shrub 20’ Narrow, dark green Small inconspicuous in Screen, graceful foliage. Mar.-Apr. A. dealbata Tree 50’ Feathery, silver-gray Fragrant clusters, Feb.-Mar. Hardy, fast grower. A. dentata Shrub 6’ Small, tooth-shaped Profuse, Jan.-Feb. Low hedge. A. elata Tree 80’ Long, dark green Clusters. Spring Fast growing. A. farnesiana Tree 20’ Fine, deciduous Fragrant, Jan.-Apr. Thorny, good in desert. A. florabunda (retinoides) Tree or Shrub 20’ Large, light green Small clusters, unpredictable time. Good screen. A. glandulicarpa Shrub 8’ Small, green Fragrant, very profuse in Mar.-Apr. Compact, good in home garden. A. longifolia Large Shrub to 20’ Long, bright green Profuse in summer. Fast, tolerant of moist conditions. Good screen. Lasca Leaves A. pendula ‘Tree25' Weeping branches, gray Erratic flowering. Graceful, weeping habit. foliage Excellent. A. podalyriaefoli Tree 20’ Silver-gray Numerous, Mar.-Apr. Fine for home garden. A. saligna Tree 20’ Long, dark green Profuse, March Fast growth, nice weeping habit. A. subprosa Tree 25’ Soft green Moderate bloom, Jan.-Apr. Excellent. Weeping habit. A. verticillata Shrub 15’ Dark green, needle-like Small spikes, Apr.-May. Low screen, good at coast. A. vestita Shrub 6’ Bluish, grayish-green Rich yellow, lemon color Rounded, well-filled shrub. 128 Home Gardens. There are two fine young specimens that are an integral part of the Aquatic Gardens on top of Tallac Knoll, and other plants of this species can be found in the Australian section of the Arboretum. A. pendula does not seed readily and consequently is not found as frequently in the trade as it should be. However, it is a favorite with landscape architects and with plantsmen who are familiar with its habits. Another beautiful acacia species that the Arboretum highly recommends is A. podalyriaefolia, commonly called the ‘Pearl Acacia.’ Also a small tree achiev- ing a maximum height of something like 20 feet at maturity, it has a rounded head, the foliage is again a silvery-gray, soft and lovely to the touch as well as to look upon. The flowers are large, fluffy, and a very clear light yellow born in far gteater numbers than on A. pendula. A. podalyriaefolia could be a large shrub as well as a small tree and is desirable be- cause it is one of the earlier acacias to come into flower, sometime beginning as early as December depending on the area and climate. The oldest planting of A. podalyriaefolia at the Arboretum was in t creamy yellow flowers, It has a weeping December, 1973 habit and extremely soft green foliage. The foliage is the attractive feature of the plant. It is a multiple trunk tree that s worthy of your attention. ba hatied acacia that you should look for this spring is A. cardiophylla. This acacia was introduced by the Arboretum in 1961 and is an excellent plant for banks and screens. It should be a valtr able asset to freeway planters. It grows 12 to 14 feet in height and almost the same width, branching right down to ie ground making extremely dense and han some screens. Flowers may appear be! : where from January through April de! may find this Arboretum intron growing as a screen along the Floo ae trol Channel at the western edge 0 f Australian/South African sections, Re also growing as a screen around a Po he nursery area. ; : it Fs Seeauians that with the literally hundreds of handsome acacia pen | exist, the nursery industry lists only i or four on the average. If a person an | interested in seeking out a fe twelve may be located. When you ee ardens to see the acacias, youl! ae ae to find many not mentions : this article that are truly outs ff horticultural specimens, and one W why they are not available. point that influences the av the fact that nearly all acacias e tively short lived. By this we M"" they may live for only twe A i years; however, they compens@ cath diy feature by being generally very (Fy. growing plants. So, fot Fe podalyriaefolia may grow 11 ald years to a mature size. This wer spi tainly compensate for its short : Arboretum Frank Simerly, 4 to tendent is a regular contributor Leaves. jas ne Lasca Leaves 129 Callistemons as Landscape Subjects in Southern California Carlos D. Jativa Several species of the genus Calliste- mon R. Br., commonly known as bottle- brush, are found as well established land- scape subjects in the Southland. This genus is comprised of 34 species of plants native to Australia, Tasmania, and New Caledonia. Some Australian and Tas- manian species have been cultivated in California for about a century. But in spite of their popularity these ornamentals are often poorly identified not only in the nursery trade but also in parks and €ven in botanic gardens. Although at first glance all bottle- brushes seem to look alike, a closer analy- sis of their morphological details would reveal the subtle differences between the Species in this genus. Yet, in spite of their diversity all these plants share the same type of inflorescence so reminiscent of the utensil known as a bottlebrush. — bottlebrush type of inflorescence, ver, 1s not unique to these species alone for it is also found in the genus Melaleuca L., Kunzea Reichb., and others in the family Myrtaceae, and even in un- at are shrubs or small trees . a ternate and almost sessile leaves Watch vary in shape all the way from grit- ty and needle-like to smooth and broad. € brushes themselves are formed by sessile flowers which are spirally arranged along the stem axis forming either loose or dense cylindrical spikes. Inflorescence and leaves alternate along the stem giv- ing the characteristic appearance of the bottlebrush (Fig. 1). The sessile fruits remain attached to the stem for many years and do not release the minute brown seeds shortly after flowering, as is the case in most of the flowering plants, but retain them for several years. The most conspic- uous part of a flowering bottlebrush is formed by the male sex organs (techni- cally known as stamens). The filaments of these organs, in the great majority of the species, are elongated and quite dis- tinct. This characteristic has been used to differentiate this genus from its closest relative Melaleuca. In the latter genus a bundle of filaments is found opposite each of the five petals. It should be pointed out, however, that there are at least two species of Callistemon in which the stamens are definitely united into bundles. One of them is the popular weeping bottlebrush and the other, with a great potential for the nursery trade, is the showy or Albany bottlebrush. Culture Bottlebrushes are well adapted to Cali- fornia’s climate which is not very differ- ent from the climate found in their native habitat. These ornamentals prefer to be in a sunny site and require minimal care after they are established. These qualities make Callistemon a most desirable eco- nomical subject for street tree planting programs in California. Callistemons can withstand severe pruning, a feature which 130 December, 1973 ; 4 - — Fig. 1. Close-up of the inflorescence of C. ‘Jeffers’ Mlustrating the sin tween the bottlebrush type of inflorescence and the utensil known As Coil House This picture was taken near the Figueroa entrance to the old County in Santa Barbara. Ne Pes ae or aang ,' is : - ctyeet trees Fig. a Standards of C. citrinus var. Splendens Stapf planted as sireeé Huntington Drive, South Pasadena. Lasca Leaves 131 Le ae ae rs Ge see men of C. viminalis used a a very effective shade tree — Twelfth Avenue, Ingle- The tree is about 40 fet val and has a spread of ; 2 - Fig. 3a. A rather interesting use of a young specimen of c. viminalis in a raised bed next to the sidewalk. Its graceful bon- Sat-like appearance harmoniously blends with its surroundings. 132 makes them ideal for shaping or training as standards, espaliers, and topiary subjects. Bottlebrushes are very easy to propa- gate from seeds and stem cutings. Propa- gation from seeds is recommended when a lot of variation is desired, since by this means new forms or hybrids can be ob- tained from open pollinated flowers. When working toward a specific desirable combination of characters, however, it is required that the flowers used as the male parental line be bagged before the anthers release their golden pollen grains. This is done to avoid mixtures of pollen grains from other bottlebrushes. The flowers from the female parental line should be emasculated (cut off the stamens) before their anthers release the pollen grains. Immediately after pollination (putting the pollen grains from the male parent plant on the stigma of the female parent flow- ets) the inflorescence is covered with a bag to prevent the insects and humming birds from bringing in pollen from other flowers. The seeds can be sown in a moist planting medium such as_ vermiculite where they will germinate in about 6 to 17 days, depending on the species. Pro- pagation from cuttings is mandatory when exact replicas from a given plant are desired. When using this method the following procedure is done: Select healthy stem tips about 3 to 6 inches long containing semihard or hard wood, and sever them with a sharp knife just below the point where the leaf is at- tached to the stem. Dust the cut end with any commercially available rooting hor- mone and insert it in a 50:50 moist mix- ture of medium grade perlite and peat moss. Keep the cuttings moist at all times by intermittent mist sprays. Root- ing will usually occur within one to two months after treatment, Landscape Uses The following bottlebrushes have prov- en worthy of cultivation in California. December, 197 They are listed in decreasing order 0 opularity. : a aaplle bottlebrush (C. @ (Curtis) Skeels) This species is planted through California. It makes a 10-to-15-foot shrub or small tree with lemon-s¢ leaves and crimson brushes. The le bottlebrush is quite versatile as 4 scape subject. It is commonly se screening shrub along freeways an formal hedge in private gardens. 3 also common as a standard in front yal and as a street tree in patkways a traffic islands (Fig. 2). The nursery fock known as improved C. lanceolatus is : nomically known as C. citrinus vas. Spl ens Stapf. a : 2. Weeping bottlebrush (C. hee: (Soland. ex gaertn.) Cheel) (Figs. 3, and 3b). The weeping bott to 40 feet tall, but more ofte in parkways. iss of the mpl bot the long drooping branches, 7 ed ae ‘dieu and the red one | ing off from the flower as @ “a The nursery stocks known as a folius, C. ‘Dwarf’, Be citrinus wor li’, C. McCaskillii, and “Captaie belong to this species. 3, Occ! bottlebrush ( C. R. Br. 4 a species is characterized bY arching branches which give t (ig : natural umbrella-like appearance on It is common as an accent shrub yards and as a screening shru planting. It flowers in spring 20°" 4. Willow bottlebrush (C. °°” (Smith) D.C.) The most remarkable this bottlebrush are the spond bark, the willow-like branches ™. pink young growth. This spect - pape characterishS y 133 Fig. 3b. Standards of C. viminalis used to screen a rot ing center parking lot, Grand Avenue, Covin Fig. 4. An rent dome-shape ed old spec: terey Blud. and Hunt- ington Dr., San Marino. Fig. 5. snp d plantings of C. linearis on the left side of the ramp connect- ing Olympic agit ulevard and Avenue of the Stars in Century City. 134 adapted to both swampy areas and to well drained hillsides. As a landscape sub- ject it is mainly used as a shade tree in front yards. 5. Narrowleaf bottlebrush (C. /inearis (Smith) DC.) This species at first glance would ap- pear to be indistinguishable from C. rzgi- dus. But it differs from the latter in hav- ing an erect spreading habit and leaves which are U-shaped in cross section and have obscure veins. This bottlebrush is usually found in group plantings (Fig. 5). It is also found as an accent shrub in front yards and as a screening shrub in parking lot landscaping. In addition it is also found as a single specimen in front rds. 6. Callistemon ‘Jeffers’. Also known in the nursery trade as C. ‘Jeffersii’ and as purple bottlebrush. The nursery stock sold under this name can be recognized by its reddish purple filaments, its scaly bark and its grayish- green flat foliage (Fig. 1). This bottle- brush has been reported to be of hybrid origin. It is usually found in group plant- ings forming screens. It is also found as a street tree standard. 7. Scarlet bottlebrush (C. macropunc- tatus (Dum. - Cours.) Court). - The most outstanding characteristics of this bottlebrush are its ascending-spread- ing much entangled and sometimes arch- ing branches, its thick and flat gritty leaves, and its roseine-purple filaments which are tipped with greenish-yellow anthers. This species used to be known in the nursery trade as in the technical literature as C. rugulosus, including sev- eral varieties, and as C. Coccineus, also including several varieties. It is found as a landscape subject in group plantings forming hedges and screens. 8. Prickly bottlebrush (C. brachyandrus Lindley ). This is one of the most lovely and December, 1973 graceful of the bottlebrushes. It is char acterized by its very short cleat red fil ments (less than one cm. long) hae with greenish-yellow anthers and "a grayish-green needle-like foliage. a species is well adapted to desert or * desert conditions. It is mainly 7 : group plantings as a screening sh Be parking lot landscaping and as an gardens, and on university ee throughout California. A @ ov over twenty different species ia brushes can be found on the Bn ' the Los Angeles State and pe eeturn in Arcadia. Iwo = from this collection are now * we tract with local nurseries to be in nie in the near future. One of ees C ported sibling of c. ‘Jeffers pb '‘Rosea’ and the other 1s C. iy ta Cheel var. viridis Cheel (See ofers | ‘Rosea’ is very much like C. I Te ot the filaments of the former bnish ot pink when young obtaining 4 eal at maturity. C. ‘Rosea’ can D® C. pi screening shrub or as 2 ss oi phyllus var, viridis da a yellow-apple-green filamen an an smooth narrow leaves. This ye C. be confused with the ee he Hal pinifolius (Wendl.) DC., | texte has narrower needle-like gn Ting role as a screening shrub 1s 00 nee - tnotst im Carlos D. Jativa, an wie ee 1, the Department's researe we and currently engaged in a 1ax -alsivatel horticultural study of the : Callistemon. ; Lasca Leaves KOELREUTERIA George Spalding _ Would you like a tree that provides a light filtered shade in summer and lets the sun through in winter? One that is not troubled by disease or insect pests? One that is not messy except briefly in the fall when the leaves drop and then usually blow away. If you do, maybe one of the koelreuterias is your tree. They are not fussy about soil as long as drain- pe is good, and they grow best in full un Koelreuteria is a small genus of decid- uous trees native to southeastern China and Formosa, with one or two species in the Fiji Islands. It was named in honor of Joseph G. Koelreuter (1733-1806), professor of natural history at Karlsruhe, Germany, Three of the eight or so species are available to southern California garden- ers. Kolreuteria paniculata, the Golden Rain Tree, (not to be confused with La- ' In its native habitat it can reach a height of 40 feet with an equal spread. However, it 's usually not over 20 to 30 feet tall in southern California with a slightly larger spread. K. henryi is usually sold in nurs- eries as K. bipinnata and it is found un- der this name in much of the literature. bani is slightly taller than See: but the differences are chiefly Pies * - For example, K. paniculata has rk brown bark, notched leaflets, and Ee oe capsules, while K. henry? a ark gray bark, leaflets not notched, founded fruit caspules. Both these K. paniculata vat. apiculata species are listed in the catalogs of sev- eral wholesale growers so should be readily available. The third available species, K. integrifoliola, was introduced by the Arboretum in 1958. It has grown for a year or two in one wholesale nurs- ery but is only available from the Arbo- retum at this time. All of the koelreuterias are round- headed trees with compound leaves com- 136 posed of 7 to 15 leaflets. The leaflets of two of the species (K. paniculata and K. henryi) are serrated; those of K. imtegri- foliola are entire. The whole leaf is often 1 to 114 feet long. In July or August the trees are covered with large terminal panicles of small yellow flowers. While the individual flowers are small the flow- er heads are large and showy. These are followed by bladder-like seed pods which somewhat resemble inverted Japanese lanterns. They are light green when young in K. paniculata and K. henryi, and deep rose pink on K. integrifoliola. As the fruit matures it turns brown on the first two and becomes a much lighter pink on the third. As previously mentioned, this group of trees is not at all fussy about soil as long as there is good drainage. One feeding a year is adequate in all but the poorest soils and the only pruning needed is whatever may be required to shape the tree to the grower’s taste. Any pruning that is done should be done during the dormant period. Most of the cool climate trees, such as koelreuteria, do not seem to reach their maximum size in our warmer climate. To date, there are no mature trees of K. December, 1973 integrifoliola at the Arboretum; the oldest one is about twenty years old so the ult more upright in growth, and appeats be as easily grown as the other two. The koelreuterias belong to the soap berry family, Sapindaceae. This is @ fam” ily of about 125 genera, mostly trees which is spread throughout the tropical regions of both hemispheres. Other mem | bers of this family which are vety well known in southern California are Me) carrotwood tree, (Cupaniopsis amma dioides), and the hop bush (Dodonaea viscosa). One thousand K. integrifoliola “ cut rently growing in 5-gallon cans @ Los fiver State and County wer for ultimate distribution to those s 4 in Los Angeles County participaaaa this Department’s 1974 Arbor Y project. re rrently serving © curt 7 ye Last George Spalding, horticultural consultant at t has been a periodic contributor 10 Leaves for over twenty years. Order f rom calif ja 91006 California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., 301 North Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, California Color for the landscape A compilation of the most spectacular flowering plants for year-round color in sub-tropical climates Lasca Leaves 137 White and purple South African Trailing Daisies (Osteospermum fruticosum), and yellow Cape Weed (Arctotheca calendula) at Baldwin Avenue and Interstate 210 in Arcadia. A few years ago, these colorful ground covers were rarely seen in Southern California. Today, they are widely planted along freeway approaches, at freeway intersections, and in other public areas where color, low maintenance, erosion control and hardiness are important considerations. They come to us from South Africa through the plant introduction program of the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum. Ever since the Arboretum was formed — this year is its 25th anniversary — the introduction of useful, ornamental plants has been one of its principal community services. So far, 60 n€w ground covers, shrubs, and flowering trees have helped to beautify the Southern California urban landscape. More are coming. Southern California Edison Company 138 cf December, 1973 GARDENING FOR GOOD EATING by Helen M. Fox; Collier Books, New York. Recently re-published in a paperback edition, this book was written for the “victory gardeners” of World War II to help augment the food supply during wartime. It is just as up-to-date and needed now as then. Mrs. Fox is the author of many books on gardens, garden- ing and herbs. All of her advice comes from years of study, research, and prac- tical experience in the growing of every vegetable and plant mentioned. The prac- tical teachings offered with such enthusi- asm will stimulate all readers to want to g0 out into the garden and grow their Own crops, rush the harvest to the kitchen and personally cook and eat it at its per- fection. gardening are all here—soil care, seeding and planting, and what to do about pests and other troubles. In addition, all the usual and unusual vegetables are described plants. in a pleasant, happy style that mirrors the author’s joy in the gtowing of her vege- tables and all plants. “Gardening For is well worth reading by both experienced vegetable gardeners and the fast expanding group of novices. THE YEARS IN MY HERB GARDEN by Hei- en M. Fox; Collier Books, New York. Ten years after writing “Gardening t Good Eating” Mrs. Fox published a delightful collection of easy-to-read €ssays on her many years of experience the growing and collecting of herbs. Incidentally, she states clearly that she does not drop her “‘haitches!”” She prefers to pronounce the “‘h” in herb as has been done in England since the nineteenth cer- tury. The book is not meant to be @ complete herbal by any means. It i really practical advice on the cultivation and uses of the major herbs suitable for American gardens. Written from . point of view of the horticulturist an landscape gardener, with a dash of botany to aid in the descriptions of the plants, it gives clear growing and maintenant instructions for each plant mentioned Mrs. Fox is honorary president-at-large of the Herb Society of America and § known as an authority on garden design, herb lore, culinary and medicinal usés of herbs. Yet there is only the se casual mention of Old World uses ee folklore in this book. Emphasis 1s Pe - best way of growing herbs. Pal change from year to year and net “ their responses to good care and é fe culture. So the advice presented me author is as applicable today er of was. This paperback reprint wl value to the amateur bo a PRINCIPLES OF TURFGRASS cuLTUr ohn H. Madison, Van Nostrand illus: N.Y. 1971. 420 p. Black and whl rations. ; ses WITH TERRARIUM GARDENING, 1 Crown, i d George A. Elbert, color 1973. “144 p. Black and white and photographs. oO BIOLOGICAL CONTROL, Proceedings ae symposium, edi "511 p. ker, wanan Press, N.Y. see 51 PLANT PHOTOSYNTHETIC é Manual of Methods, edited by re The J. Catsky, and P. G. Jars, | jiystra Hague, The Hague. 1971. 818 P- tions. HABI- MUSHROOMS IN THEIR NATURES cress, TATS, Alexander H. Smith, tions. N.Y. 1949. 626 p. No illustra Lasca Leaves 139 CALLISTEMON PACHPHYLLUS CHEEL VAR. VIRIDIS CHEEL (COVER) Callistemon pachyphyllus Cheel var. viridis Cheel, a future introduction by the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum, is a small upright shrub that invites use as a screen or specimen plant. At the Arboretum, specimens brought back from Australia 14 years ago by then superintendent, George Spalding, have reached a height of 5 feet and a spread of 6 feet. In its native habitat the plant is usually smaller. Edwin Cheel, a specialist in the genus, named this variety in 1925 from specimens he had been studying in the Melbourne Herbarium. The leaves are smooth and alternate, either green or more often grayish- green, linear or slightly oblanceolate 34% cm to 6% cm long and 242 mm to 6mm broad at maturity. The flowering spikes (brushes) are 412 cm to 8 cm long and about 4 cm to 5 cm broad. The filaments are a yellowish apple-green in color. Several hundred plants have been obtained from rooted cuttings. They are now at the one-gallon-can stage and will be available only to members of the California Arboretum Foundation at the annual meeting next May. This intro- duction appears to be as tolerant of diverse weather conditions as the more commonly used bottlebrushes, although not as rampant or vigorous. It will thrive best in a sunny location. Tenn te oO PE aeae E i ARBORETUM WEATHER long. 34°08'48” N. Lat. 118°02’59” N. Weather season: Elev. 571.28 ft. Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 oe el Rea Sept Oct. Nov Average daily maximum temperature — 6 86.8 77 Average daily minimum temperature _____------ 58 fo) 4 45.3 Highest ee 104 100 Lowest temperature Beg ee ame EN = 47 36 PO OE 8 22 7 Number of partly cloudy S66 20 ‘é ie umber of a 1 2 : Rain during this month eee ee ee ee 0 0 1.88 a Total ene ties CM tek 0 1.88 _—_—— eet Calendar January, February, March January 11 —8 p.m a Theodore Payne Founda tion Lecture “‘Solv- ing Problems in the Preservation of Cali- focus Native i James Roof, director, Regional Parks Botanic G atden, O Oakland January ee — 10 to 12 noon Sunday Morning Garden Walk “ Austr. shes Section Dr. Leonid Enari, senior biologist January ea 20—8to5p.m Tris : : : Sec by the Southern California Iris Society* January 26, 27 —8to5 p.m. Bonsai Show Sponsored by the Baikoen Bonsai Kenkyu- kai Society* February 3 — 2 p. Sunday Afternoon Lecture Vegetable Gard : Tak Niiya, Arborei education s scr Sponsored vag the California Ar Foundatio February 9, los to 5 p.m. Camellia Show Secmeerey| "a Temple fr Camellia Society* February 10 — 10 to unday Morning Garden" Walk “Asiatic-North Amer can Section” Dr. Leonid Enari, ‘ee biologist lifo ot - the California Arboretum Foundation March 3 — serge unday SF ald Garden Wa “Tallac Knoll-Aqu uatic — Spon b Califo ene Arboretum Foun March 15 — Theodore Pine Foundation Lect Ow Plants Improve the Peal SS of the Earth” onnie C. Tem let of botany, L.A. Pils ta — Curator Don Fitch, Arboretum nurs: 3 by the Coking Arboretum Foundation apie eos = —8to5 p.m. aca by Aril ome International* March 31 —10to Su atricia Warren, historical] curator Sponsored _ by the California Arboretum Foundation April Lege 5 p.m. Doe s Sponsored es the California Aboot Foundat DESCANSO a eee La! February 10 — 10 to Su atch Morning Garden Walk ia est” Prasat ee assistant superintendent February 15 p- Theodore Payne Foundati see te “Indian Uses of California paps Edith Cowper, pe schola bruary 19 — 2 : es pail Gardens Guild annual and tea February 23, 24 — 8 to 5 p.m. ow marcicand by Camellia Count March 23, 24—8to5p dil §S ot ee by F Southert California so Otol2n A ril 7— i Sunday Morning Carden ering Fr te Plants and Flower: . George Lewis, assistant supel April 12 —8s8 Theodore ‘Payne Foun March 10 — 10 to 12 noon Armand Sarinana, superintendest eee Afte — ah Eivend te assistant superimem BIRDWALKS - | O GARDE and and 4th Sunday of Bes ve 8 a.m. Sponsored by San e Soc SOUTH COAST sor GAR Sponsor Wednesday - —_ mi yee ston oR tety. wae *Cosponsored by California Arbo: dat astaulediiGs BOARD OF SUPERVISORS LOS ANGELES COUNTY PETER F. SCHABARUM ERNEST E. DEBS 1st District 3rd_ District KENNETH HAHN, Chairman 2nd District JAMES A. HAYES BAXTER WARD 4th District 5th District DEPARTMENT OF ARBORETA AND BOTANIC GARDENS LOS ANGELES COUNTY Arcadia, California 91006 Telephone: (213) 681-5277 Francis Ching, Director; Roy Ito, Assistant Director; Frank Simerly, Acting Assistam Director; Lee H. Wakeman, Executive Assistant. Los Angeles State and County ute retum: William Hawkinson, Assistant Superintendent; John Provine, Horticulturist Earl Ross, Orchidist. Descanso Gardens: George Lewis, Superintendent: South - Botanic Garden: Armand Sarinana, Superintendent; Edward Hartnagel, Assist@ Superintendent. Research Division: Paul Cheo, Ph.D., Chief; Leonard Enari, PhDs Senior Biologist, Taxonomy and Plant Records Section; George Hanson, Ph.D., — Biologist, Research Section. Education Division: Tak Niiya, Education Spee $ Patricia Warren, Associate Curator, History. Public Services Division: Donald Dimond, Chief. CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC. Arcadia, California 91006 Telephone: (213) 447-8201 BOARD OF TRUSTEES hig Mrs. John A, Grivich, President; George L. Forman, rs. Leland E. Larson, Second Vice-President; Mrs. Dolores K. Hu Secretary; Frank J. Regan, Treasurer. First Vice-President bbell, Exectt! BOARD MEMBERS: Harrison Chand cesewright, Mrs. WHat Clayton de. Shas ndier, Mrs. Robert W. . % Douglas , F. Harold Roach, Ralph W. Spencer, Mrs. Hh Sprague, Joseph A. Sprankle, Jr., Robert P. Strub, Loran whit a J. ester L. Williams. HONORARY TRUSTEES: Dr. Samuel Ayres, Jr. M Haage™ Meyberg, Howard A. Miller, Mrs. Forr Swisher, Jr. veer » Mrs. est Q. Stanton, Lovell Swisher, ~l actor bald B. Young. EX-OFFICIO: Francis Ching, Director; Roy Ito, Assistant P Frank Simerly, Assistant Director. a Grevillea nematophylla (Cover) Grevillea nematophylla, or waterbush, as it is commonly known in its native Australia, is one of several species of the genus to be tested at the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum. Four have already been introduced to the nursery trade of Southern California. G. nematophylla has now proven itself to be well- adapted to its new habitat and, as a consequence, will be introduced to the public in the near future. The species may be described as a drought-tolerant shrub or small tree having grayish-green, needle-like leaves, fragrant creamy-white flowers, and reddish- brown fruits. It may be grown as a potted plant, in which case it will do best in well-aerated, porous media such as coarse sand or perlite. In the garden, it will grow in ordinary soils that are adequately drained. The species is highly recommended for the desert and semi-desert areas of Southern California, but will also grow vigorously in chaparral and foothill coastal areas. Growth rate in the field is about one foot per year. Under optimum conditions, young plants may flower during their third year. Once they have begun to flower, they will bloom yearly; in Southern California from June through July. Plants are Propagated by sowing seed in a mixture of 3 peat moss mixed with % Propagation grade *2 Sponge Rok. Germination takes place in 10 to 14 days ata minimum rate of 35%. To prevent loss from damping off, seedlings should be pricked off and moved outside as soon as possible. G. nematophylla offers a number of esthetic and practical uses. It can be used 9S background shrubbery highlighted by the beautiful, ornamental flowers that | . _ mit a sweetish, somewhat fruity scent. It can serve as a screen for privacy and wind control. Its stiff, needle-like leaves can, at the same time, act as a deter- rent to unwanted foot traffic. Vol. XXIV 1 Published quarterly by the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., for the Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens of Los Angeles County. LOS ANGELES SOUTH COAST STATE & COUNTY ARBORETUM PESCANSO GARDENS = aoTANIC GARDEN oO mf ie.) Department Notes 10 Plants to Look For 13 Waterbush — A New Ornamental for Southern California 18 Oak Root Rot Disease and Possible Means of Control 22 Bookshelf : 23 Arboretum weather Back Cover Calendar Editor Donald §. Dimond Cover photo by Francis Ching You are invited to join the CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC. MEMBERSHIP brings you the quarterly publication, Lasca Leaves * Newsletter Anoual Plant and Seed Distribution © Invitations to special events. MEMBERSHIP DUES: Annual, $10; Annual Contributing, $25; Annual Busi- hess, $100; Annual Sustaining, $100; Annual Sponsor, $250; Life, $500; Founders, $1,000; Benefactors, $5,000 or more. Contributions are deductible. Make check payable to the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., and send to headquarters at 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, Calif. 91006. = — ae @ jepartment GEORGE H. SPALDING vs NINE o'clock every morning the telephone would start ringing in the small office at the rear of the Arboretum library building. It would signal the start of George Spalding’s twice-a-day tele- phone service: two-hour periods in the morning and afternoon given over to taking calls from homeowners seeking guidance, advice, or just reassurance on the buying, planting, or care of a plant. This was George Spalding’s daily routine for the past seven of his 25-year-associa- tion with the Arboretum. It was no won- der that to thousands of amateur and even some professional gardeners he was the Arboretum question or problem be satisfactorily resolved would prompt him to pursue the matter beyond a yes or no fesponse to whatever point he felt would leave the caller with the feeling of having found direction and resolution. To the serious gardener these are important March, 1974 considerations as George Spalding re Two other facets of George Spal e long career with the Arboretum “a : contributions to this publication phi intimate knowledge of ee knowledge that — — ra last year that was published just s ‘a for the gala anniversary — a February. That book and articles June and December Leaves were the last age George Spalding died on January 1 , result of a lung infection flari pe a long history of respiratory 4! “a passing was hard to believe. ciel unreal not to encounter his fa jovial figure around the gre held days later a memorial service in the Arboretum lecture me bers of the staff and many © Mrs. wo close relatives: his sister, ade and his brother, Dea ia of whom had flown out i by De The service began with 4 me of Holmes Ambrose of the loc the Shepherd, followed oY ee a silent prayer. Then, Dr. had selected a hymn that Mrs. Darrow cui fol Arboretum director, ero : lowed with a few remarks pre ing of a poem. Dan a by Gent ot recorder who had been ae 1, ob Spalding 18 years earlier, Es pie ee solo in his memory. 1W° are group co-members of a longtime ! seat Bates of plantsmen called Rese me spoke Elmer Lorenz and Philip ae Fe fondly of their friend. br. Holme hymn and benediction by a Del the service ended. Mrs. — the Arbor man Spalding adjourned oo net tum’s Seminar Room W are us George’s friends and et ee de familiar surroundings, 2% with ‘ous! cumstances, they talked gracious!y Lasca Leaves George H. Spalding each person and one could see and appre- ciate the effort they were making to help €veryone carry the loss more easily. _ George Spalding was a bachelor at the time of his death and it would be no unkindness to any of his friends to say that his closest companion was his dog, Maggie. Robert Erny, a part-time Arbore- tum tour guide who had ‘shared his home for a period, and who had visited him in the hospital the night before he died, stayed at his apartment for a few days so the dog would not be uneasy. Maggie has now found a home with two of George’s friends, Elmer and Hilda Sade- man who works in the California Arbore- tum Foundation office. George would have been pleased with this arrangement. Elmer J. Lorenz, one of George Spald- ings oldest friends, gave the following on at the memorial service on January I consider it a real privilege and great honor to have been asked to partici- Pate in this memorial service for George. However, at a moment such as this, what does one Say about such a close and trea- sured friendship as I had with George? How can I express the real feeling of loss? Words are merely utterances that we make—they are without emotion or feeling and cannot possibly express what one really feels within. I know that the few words I speak here today will fall far short of expressing the real friendship | had with George and its joy and meaning to me. “We all knew George in different ways, some as members of his family, others as co-workers, those who had _ business dealings with him, and some as friends with mutual interests or just friends that George loved to chat with. So, no matter what our relationship with him was, we all had one thing in common and that was a great love and fondness for George, and we all treasured his friendship. ‘Taking the Book of Time and thumb- ing back through the years to almost 23 years ago, I still can recall very vividly my first meeting with George in the pink house on Old Ranch Road that served as the office for the Arboretum. My wife and I had often heard and read about the ‘new’ Arboretum and decided one beau- tiful California spring day to visit it. At this first meeting with George we learned that he was the director, horticulturist, propagator, publicity man and in charge of any other duty that might happen to come along at any given moment. After talking with George for a while about the new Arboretum, we tramped over the grounds of the still undeveloped area. It was then I first realized George’s vast knowledge of plant. materials and his great enthusiasm for the future of the Arboretum. He was vitally interested in the dual role the Arboretum should play in the botanical and horticultural world. “As time passed, our bonds of friend- ship became stronger and I realized more and more that the Arboretum was much loved by George; it was a vital part of his whole being. He gave much of him- self to these beautiful grounds. George has served more years than any other famous Wayside Gardens in Mentor, Ohio, and the well known, but no longer existing, Paul J. Howard’s and Eastgate Nurseries. He served many years on the Board of Directors of the Southern Cali- fornia Horticultural Institute and was its president for two years, George was also active in the Iris and Geranium Societies. However, his favorite called the ‘Leaf Eaters’ who gather monthly at various member's homes for dinner and talking ‘shop’ — that’s plants, of course! - “George contributed much to the hort | cultural world through his lectures and writings, his last being, ‘A History of The Los Angeles State and County Ar boretum—The First Twenty-Five Yous: ' He was frequently referred to as Mr. Arboretum. a “During World War II, George serves with the Marines in China. While setv- ing in China he adopted a smal boy. After the war, George mim Oi send support for his ‘son, but On the years the communists took over adil George lost all contact and never a. from his ‘son’ again. E. In later years, as illness bee velop George, more and more he ee less active with plants and was ie “a attend meetings of large groups © aia because of the danger of his nae the respiratory infections and the to his lungs. 3 Stamp collecting, and particule pe | lecting Plants on Stamps, i Coiled portant activity in Georges li ee ae ing Plants on Stamps became 4 $ a for George’s previous activities aa plant world. Although this nt Ppl | gardening could not one . the old activity, it did help. te : I would go on plant hunting af nee in various stamp stores looking ties. We pored over Br looking for a new ‘species. re these Paintba: books of a fot tramping over barren ground lo es in 4 a plant treasure. Every once oa a we would be rewarded by findin | em, 1c Oe ‘ The years are racing on ~ bee ings, memory may grow dim on ™ ip of we will never forget the fia George H. Spalding and al 4 f us. ge aoe as the Book of To George, we won't say ape Shalom, and may God be w! 4 we meet again.” Lasca Leaves ROSS GOODRICH ES DEPARTMENT lost another of its able employees last December with the death of Ross Goodrich, an Ar- boretum gardener for nearly 21 years, the last six spent in the Asiatic-North Ameri- can section for which he was responsible. A private, reflective man with a lively sense of humor, he approached plants and writing philosophically as well as practically, demonstrating both these ap- proaches in the many articles he wrote for this magazine. As he cared for the plants under his charge, so he cared for the words he wrote, selecting, arranging, and fretting over them as would any pro- fessional, These qualities, the practical and the philosophical, are perhaps best revealed in the article he wrote on seed- lings in the March, 1970, issue. It merits rereading on any grounds. DESCANSO GARDENS XMAS SHOW Ame the event is three months old, this is our first opportunity to record a few notes on the Christmas ex- hibit put on by the Descanso Gardens Guild, Under the theme, “‘Christmas In- Spitations,” it represented the work of 100 amateur and professional decorators brought together by show chairman, Mrs. John H stained glass, ceramics, hangings, candles, and a much-admired gingerbread house. Attendance for the nine days the show fan was 22,000, the largest yet for this happy annual event. ARBOR DAY OR MANY years the Department’s ob- Servance of Arbor Day was pretty much a parochial affair consisting mainly of a tree-planting ceremony somewhere on the grounds of each garden to which students from nearby elementary schools were invited. Following the ceremony youngsters would line up with their par- ents to receive a seedling tree. It was clear that the principal student “‘involvement”’ was in the lineup for the plant. Two years ago a new plan was devel- oped that would reach elementary stu- dents throughout the county and that would involve the schools in the com- munity in an observance of Arbor Day that was more than ceremonial. The es- sence of the plan was the preparation of environmental and tree-planting resource material was designed to provide teachers with background information and ideas for classroom projects. Participating schools would also receive an Arbor Day tree from the Department for a tree- planting ceremony on ¢herr grounds. The plan was an immediate success. This year over 900 schools in 52 school districts representing 500,000 students are participating, and the prospect is for even wider participation next year. The trees—this year Koelreuteria integrifoliola (Golden Rain Tree )—were grown in five- gallon cans at the Arboretum. The yeo- man job of gathering and putting to- gether the resource material was under- taken by the Arbor Day Committee of Las Voluntarias, the hardworking volun- teers of the California Arboretum Foun- dation. WALKS AND LECTURES IT DEPARTMENT'S annual series of Sunday morning walks and Sunday afternoon lectures began at the Arboretum last January 13 when Dr. Lee Enari led a record number of walkers — close to a 100 —through the Australian section. The only change in the series this year is the advance in the starting time of the walks to 10 a.m. Lectures will continue to start at 2 p.m. Two corrections have been made in this year’s printed schedule which, incidentally, is available by mail or at the information window of each gar- den. On April 21 at the Arboretum, Dr. Enari’s discussion of poisonous and me- dicinal plants will be presented in the form of an afternoon lecture instead of a morning walk. John Provine’s lecture on turfgrasses and ground covers, scheduled for May 19 at the Arboretum, has been cancelled in order to present the two-day “Spring Extravaganza.” For those wish- ing information on lawns a MEMBERSHIP GOALS J UST TWO years ago we reported on the California Arboretum Foundation’s membership goal of 1003 by ’73.” That goal having been reached, it followed that “2004 by ’74” figure. That number having been reached, the new slogan, Programs. The why is that people are concerned about their en- vitonment, and the Arboretum is a logical place to express their concern. Also, be- coming a Foundation member is a good buy. New members immediately receive a packet of Department brochures on various gardening and environmental top- ics, and thereafter receive new brochures as they come out. They also receive the Foundation quarterly bulletin, this maga- zine, a yearly Arboretum plant introduc- ion, and invitations to Previews and spe- cial field trips. Any of ing goes, would be admission. March, 1974 — Joan DeFato LIBRARIAN APPOINTED Oe NEW plant science —_ a etum is Ms. the Arbor a a Def me H ere York a ie d Fato, appointed late last comes to us from New College, then . botany from Barnard ie M.S. degree in library science lumbia University. ; : Following two years of work in a — ical library, she joined the Boyce via son Institute for Plant Research 10 aa ers, New York, where she remain head librarian for fourteen Te ae DeFato was a member of the pub - ag committee of the Institute's wee ee nal, ‘Contributions from Boyce 74, the son Institute.” Discontinued in Fu : journal contains research a wide of some forty Ph.D.’s engage wee in range of projects, mostly pee by 0" nature, supported in great pa enty-fout ernment grants. The entire eee ia volumes of the journal are av a the Arboretum reference library * Fato is now presiding over. Lasca Leaves Roy Ito ASSISTANT DIRECTOR APPOINTED R. Roy Ito, a veteran of 20 years of county service, was appointed assistant director of the department last December. In making the appointment, director Francis Ching chose neither a botanist nor a horticulturist, but a man with extensive administrative experience. Mr. Ito’s service with the county includes five years as the personnel officer for the Department of Public Social Services, and five years as chief analyst in the Chief Administrative Office. Among county de- partments he has worked with as a budget analyst are District Attorney, Probation, Sheriff, Superior and Municipal Courts, Public Defender, Public Administrator, Personnel, Data Processing, County Coun- sel, County Clerk, and Flood Control District, Mr. Ito has a B.A. degree in industrial Psychology from the University of Cali- fornia at Los Angeles, and a M.S. degree In public administration from the Uni- versity of Southern California. i. NG some 7 ae a4 Z éde 0 George Lewis NEW SUPERINTENDENT 6 eee GEORGE Lewis was appointed superintendent of Descanso Gar- dens last January 11 he became the third superintendent in the Gardens’ 20-year affiliation with this department, succeed- ing John Threlkeld and Mark Anthony. His own affiliation has been almost as long. Starting at the Arboretum 17 years ago as a “park maintenance helper,” a category that no longer exists, he ad- vanced to Arboretum gardener in 1958, to nurseryman in 1959, and to senior gardener in 1968. In 1970 Mr. Lewis moved over to Descanso Gardens upon being appointed assistant superintendent, the position he held until his recent pro- motion. Mr. Lewis’ professional associations in- clude membership for the past 10 years in the California Association of Nursery- men, member of the State Certification Board that licenses nurserymen, member of the Southern California Camellia Coun- cil and member of that organization's board of directors. Mr. Lewis received a B.S. degree in ornamental horticulture at Hampton Col- lege in Virginia. 7 10 March, 1974 Plants to Look For Frank Simerly There are so many beautiful plants growth of the plant when it should be that flower in the spring that it is diff- trained to a single trunk 6 to § feet. cult to select one group and suggest that Very little pruning is required once the the visitor seek them out. However, the tree has been properly trained. te genus Tabebuia is such an outstanding are no problems with diseases Of insects group that when they are in flower they so there is no worry about the need for command attention. This group of small use of chemicals, al trees is native to the tropical Americas You may find T. chrysotricha a has been grown in the southeastern — three of the Department's facilities. The United States for some time. The spe- oldest, about 20 years, and probably mos cies that grow in Hawaii and Florida are beautiful specimen is at the Arbo too cold tender to be grown in southern in Arcadia. It can be seen tot California, and so it wasn’t until recently of the walk as you approach the Demon that other more hardy members of this stration Home Gardens. Other plantings genera were introduced into the southern can be viewed on Baldwin Avenue is California atea by the Los Angeles State you approach the Santa Anita and County Arboretum. Tabebuia chry- from the south, along the tram saul sotricha, or Golden Trumpet Tree as it jacent to the South African plantings is popularly called, was introduced to and where there are several fine $ the nurseries by the Arboretum in 1964. mens. The best specimens of T. as It is a medium size tree that grows tricha to be found at Descanso V" slowly to about 20 feet. The bright are located to the east of the Hosp oe golden yellow trumpets are borne in large House at the south edge of the ar a showy clusters beginning in March and forest. These are youns trees that W continuing into April. The tree becomes planted about five years ago # ¢ the deciduous just prior to bloom which bloomed well every year in spite 0 allows for a display of large masses of young age. At South Coast Botanic flowers without the distraction of foli- den you may see 4 T. chryso age. Although T. chrysotricha will grow the Youth Education Centef. on in a wide range of soil, it prefers a good T. chrysotricha typically has dark g - soil with adequate drainage and will re- foliage with rominent veins a spond to frequent watering and feeding. tawny fuzz that covers the young ee It must be grown in full sun and will and leaves. These are thea > it tolerate temperatures as low as 23° F. teristics that identify it and SOP New growth on the tabebuias is typically from T. umbellata which 38 oo in pairs. This dichotomous growth habit now in the nursery trade in lim! + ot : makes for a very interesting tree struc- tities. T. umebellata seems to ee ture, but it also requires care in the early attributes of T. chrysotricha other a Photos by William Aplin chrysotricha Ss = SS % 3 NN ia impetiginosa (T. ipe) Tabebu its pubescence and fewer flowers. T. umbellata can be seen at the Arboretum on top of Tallac Knoll near the T. chry- sotricha where the two can be compared. You may also find the species wmbellata in the plantings adjacent to Colorado Boulevard and Baldwin Avenue at the approach to the 210 Freeway. The largest, most handsome specimen of T. avellanedae is on the south side of the Arboretum tram waiting area. Speci- mens of T. avellanedae can be found at South Coast Botanic Garden among their oldest plantings which are at the northeast extremity of the garden, and there is a handsome young tree at Des- canso Gardens on the so wever, he new location after it has become established. There are several specimens of T. av- . flowered ellanedae v. paulensis that ae = at the Arboretum and psa A pete lavender with a yellow me ine) st men of T. impetiginosa Ca on th blooms dependably can be see north side of the Peacock nal xe a moderate-sized tree can he Home Demo north edge of the Gardens. The Arboretum has sev cies of tabebuia mostly P Aquatic of Tallac Knoll east of the on dens. Many of them have ae t ered. Included there 1s T: yal T. ler donnell-smithii, T. Mi reported coxyla, T. ochracea which ‘o> whid had yellow flowers, T. Y rr, seri has had rose-colored blooms, ; flowers with yellow spots, = has had rose colored bloo: = lia, T. vellosoi, and T- ee folia, the tabebuias : ever simultan ral visits acu eral other SP on top Janted Ge We though most of the spring, they do not flo ee ously, so it will require = for you to look for and — ed with this very interes plants. Lasca Leaves Waterbush—A New Ornamental for Southern California George P. Hanson and Carlos D. Jativa species, ture leaves, fragrant creamy-white flow- nematophylla is commonly known in its native Australia, The genus Gre- t ed in honor of Charles reville, a found former vice- President of the Royal Horticultural So- ciety of London. The genus Grevillea includes a large and varied group of trees, shrubs, climb- ers, and creepers. Members of this genus could be used exclusively as ornamentals around a home without producing mo- é Although the Los Angeles State unty Arboretum has growing on species Grevillea, it has bedecrtatincs = tall fS—G. robusta (silk oak tree), shrubs —G, banksii forsteri, and ground covers —G. hybrid ‘Montezuma’s Cloak.’ Some and its Arboretum species have red flowers (G. rosmarinifolia), some have yellow-orange blossoms (G. robusta), and some have pale yellow inflorescences (G. juniperi- na). For range of flowering times, we have G. Ailleana with a short blooming season (July), G. juniperina with a long- er range of floral display (February through July), while G. /anigera blooms the year round. Horticultural Uses Grevillea nematophylla is well adapted to its new habitat in Southern California. As a potted plant it will grow best in well- aerated, porous media such as coarse sand or perlite, but in the garden it will grow in ordinary soils, rocky soils, or even in filled-in soils (South Coast Botanic Gar- den) that are adequately drained. This ornamental thrives in a sunny site and requires minimal care after it has become established. It prefers relatively dry con- ditions, and can even tolerate long peri- ods without watering. This species is highly recommended for the desert and semi-desert areas of Southern California, but it will also grow vigorously in chap- arral and foothill coastal areas. e growth rate of G. nematophylla in the field is about one foot per year. With optimal growth, young plants may flower during their third year. Under less fa- vorable conditions, however, they may not flower until their sixth year. In either case, once they have begun to flower they will bloom yearly. The species name, nematophylla, very appropriately describes the adult leaf shape which resembles round worms or nematodes (nemato=nematode, phylla= leaves). This leaf character is no doubt partially responsible for the exceptional hardiness of waterbush (no explanation of its common name has been found). It is frost tolerant and has on occasion withstood low temperatures to 10° F. without showing any damage. In Aus- tralia it grows as a xerophytic shrub or small tree in the desert or sandy plains where it attains a height of 6 to 18 feet at maturity. When grown properly, this Species is relatively free of pests and diseases. Grevillea nematophylla can be grown as background shrubbery or screens for privacy and wind control. Its stiff, nee- dle-like leaves would act as a deterrent to unwanted foot traffic. In Australia the waterbush displays its floriferous ra- cemes during November, whereas ji Southern California its creamy flowers appear in June and the flowering period extends through July. Flowering speci- mens ate outstanding for their great aesthetic qualities (Figs. 1, 2, cover). The highly ornamental 1 =) t 3 to 4 mm long) attached to the axis of the inflo- March, 19H rescence. In figure 4, one of these bud shows a lateral split in the perianth tue through which the stalked ovary and the style can be clearly seen. Next, the elongates and since the ovaty and the stigma are still retained within a anth, the style arches outward through lateral split (Fig. 5). The four periat segments (technically i ws the at the time of tepal separation wei enclosure broken into two distin grain (Fig. located on the concave 1 9, tepal lobes as can be seen phe 4 Following fertilization the ee (Fg . : b leaving the stalked pistil y 10) and exposing a persistent fc Fig lar gland at the base of the s ' sega 11). This gland and the one "is are used by taxonomists to SepO" te : . tives 10 species from its closest rela vi rous ovary, the style and the a ti shown in figure 11. The ee to ripen and by September = and begin to split open (Fig. aig. whi are usually two winge re escape through the split eae ecpail one edge of the follicle ( ee » exil name for this type of fruit). A by BF reddish-brown fruits are a a a plant throughout most of ¢ ge tation provide a very attractive orn when the plant is not 1n bloom. iments Horticultural Experimen™ In order to obtain the best “ys teal nation percentage, onde ve be ments, several experimen cars, Othe performed in the last two Y | 4 Fig. 2 Fig. 4 Fig. 6 Fig. 8 experiments have been concurrently done © determine the best container - soil - mixture for bringing the young seedlings to the one-gallon-can stage © tnree-week-old seeds averaged a relatively low percentage of germination. However, when older seeds were used, the percent of germination increased and remained constant for up When both seeds from each 43%, 48%, and 43% by using 4-month, 8 - month, and 12 - month - old seeds re- March, 1974 5 ile Cla amen ination In the course of our er eg experiments we observed ee seeds were equally gs * * morph mind the possibility of peer var 15 logical marker which ' 4 select viable seeds, we GC s another group with no seeds, Only one seed from group produced a seedling. seed group, however, ee: 3 healthy seedlings. we ses about one-half of a give red that & always viable. We suspe ate viable fruit might contain one P non-visbl seed and one non-plump, ‘sas asst fruit. : ture Gas enede while ail in te ma ss Lasca Leaves Of the 129 fruits observed, 108 had one plump and one non-plump seed; three fruits contained two non-plump seeds, the remaining 18 fruits had two plump seeds per follicle. In order to establish the optimum phys- ical conditions for seed germination, we performed several experiments using dif- ferent planting media. The water reten- tive UCC mixture (University of Cali- fornia System mixture C) was the best, and the very porous, pure propagation grade Sponge Rok (perlite) was the poorest. Other planting media used were: pure sand, and 1:1 mixtures of perlite with peat moss, UCC with peat moss, and UCC with pure sand. The procedure we have found thus far for obtaining a large number of seedlings can outlined as follows: the seeds are planted in a plastic pot containing moist UCC soil mixture. The seeds are evenly spaced on top of this mixture and then covered with a loose thin layer of it. This layer is then slightly com- Pressed and the mixture is water saturat- d by means of mist spray or subirriga- tion. The are then covered with a Piece of clear glass and placed in the Bteenhouse away from direct sunlight. Germination usually occurs within two weeks after planting. _ Other experiments performed were de- signed to test the effects of various plant- ‘ng mixtures upon seedling growth and Survival. Two variables were chosen for investigation: The degree of acidity or alkalinity (pH) and the porosity of the media. We used dolomite to raise the PH and propagation grade Sponge Rok (perlite) to increase the porosity of our standard mixture UCC II (the II indi- cates a specific fertilizer formula used in C mixture). The experiments _— indicate that the best growth rate a G. nematophylla is obtained in a ightly acid planting mixture. In an early experiment, four pH levels ranging from 6.6 (unaltered UCC II) through 8.2 were used. The seedlings in the mix- ture with a pH of 6.6 had the fastest growth rate (27 cm in 9 months). The seedlings in the mixture with a pH of 8.2, on the other hand, had the slowest rate (22 cm in 9 months). In a second experiment, 5 - month - old seedlings had grown an average of 13 cm at a pH of 6.6, but only an average of 7 cm at a pH of 8.2. The experiments testing the effects of the porosity of the media indicate that G. nematophylla requires well-aerated soils for optimum gro We made three different planting media by using UCC II and 2 mixtures of UCC II with the porous propagation grade perlite in proportions of 34 UCC II: 1, perlite, and 14, UCC II: % perlite. The plants were grown in a greenhouse with low relative humidity and were watered only when the soil appeared to be very d (approximately once a week and “as needed”). The results showed that the seedlings grown in pure UCC II had the poorest growth rate and those grown in the mixture consisting of 1/; UCC II and perlite had the best growth rate. us, the average growth of surviving 7-month-old seedlings was 11 cm in the pure UCC II and 18 am in the 14, UCC II: 24 perlite. In 11-month-old seed- lings, the average was 27 cm in UCC II and 29 cm in the second mixture. More- over, the mortality rate was 50% higher in the seedlings grown in UCC II as compared to that of the more porous mixture. George Hanson, senior biologist, and Carlos Jativa, biology assistant, are mem- hers of the Department research staff who have collaborated on a number of taxo- nomic studies of plant species having a potential for introduction to the nursery trade. Ys Th 7 March, 1974 Oak Root Rot Disease and Possible Means of Control P. C. Cheo and James E. Doty Armillaria mellea, the oak root rot fungus, is one of the most common root tot diseases of ornamental plants and orchard trees in Southern California. plants reported from all parts of the world. Most of our ornamental shrubs and tacks living and dead substrates readily if they contain sufficient quantities of starch or simple carbohydrates to give it a start. If it is well established on a decaying stump or tree it may spread far, estroying litter and fallen or standing timber as well as living hosts. There are reports that Armillaria “ is a mycorrhizal fungus on 2 few eer of tropical saprophytic orchids, a Gastrodia elata and Galeola sepler nalis. As mycorrhizal fungus, its ml tion benefits host plants by = them with needed nutrients. The g pi: cycles of these orchids can only ee pleted in nature with the help " tion by Armillaria. Uninfect will not form flowers. The fe parasitizes the dormant tuber an a is kept in control by digo growth of the flower shoot P cil Armillaria is capable of di tit plex organic compounds, and the of can then in turn peg : from the fungus. Thererors, * as a saprophyte and symbiont . a the important members of meer in tropical and temperate se maintaining the balance of ni voald parasitic activity of this fungus . a result of human plantation be gent vation which had _ introduce a changes of both a <7 local areas in a sudden Way: i Armillaria infection is cosmopolita®: In the case of the oak tree, the fungus is first isolated an maple few trees in these areas — Oe free from its infection. Natu ee s however, will not threaten be native oak trees. A few . Honey Mushrooms (Armillaria mellea) that have blossomed from tree stumps or buried infected roots in late November after the first heavy They are edible, but their presence indicates trouble for your vain. shrubs and trees. infected, but the tree is able to replace these with new growth. This balance can be maintained throughout the life span of the tree without serious damaging ef- fects, unless the balance is tipped in fa- vor of the growth of the fungus and unfavorable to the growth of roots. Sur- face watering of surrounding lawns and shrubs during the warm summer months softens the main roots and root-crown area, and this condition favors the pro- gress of the fungus. The death of many oak trees in this area results mainly from the weakenin tree uercus agrifolia in the Australian at of ae ike was topped down during a wind orm in the fall of 1969. That tree had str foliage display that year, and if it of Pes been for the weakening of one ca ; anchor roots, the Tarzan tree could ; ¢ lived for many more years. The tall Hams tree (Platanus racemosa) in pan of the Queen Anne Cottage suf- the same fate a few years later. a Many smaller flowering trees or shrubs, especially grown close to the lawn area where constant watering is needed dur- ing summer months, may totally collapse due to the girdling of the crown or main trunk area by Armillaria infection. The fungus invades and destroys the cambium area between the bark and wood, there- fore, when completely girdled it chokes off the connection between branches and roots. Armillaria infection sometimes can be traced in the trunk area 8 to 10 inches above the ground level. Plants that are in vigorous condition as a result of favorable climatic condi- tions and sound cultural practices, usually demonstrate high degrees of resistance to this disease. Otherwise, under condi- tions that are unfavorable to the growth of a plant or under a stress condition, they may succumb to the infection. The physiological condition of a tree may be the predisposing factor for Armillaria in- fection and development. The chemical content in roots, especially the reducing sugars, fatty acids, some amino acids and even gro hormones, are important factors in relation to root infection by Amillaria. Therefore, plants grown under different conditions, vary in their resist- they are growing under conditions to 20 which they have adapted and which are culturally optimum, they are generally healthy and resistant to Armillaria infec- tion. So far no definite report has been made concerning immunity in plants against Armillaria infection. Plant resistance to Armillaria infection is further complicated by the occurrence of many physiological strains of the fun- gus. These strains not only differ in their growth patterns when cultured on arti- ficial media, they also differ in patho- genicity with different hosts. Therefore, depending on the presence of different strains involved in an infection, the se- verity of the disease may vary. One spe- cies of plant may be relatively resistant to strain A, but not to strain B. The predominance of different strains in dif- ferent geographic areas will affect the telative resistance of plants in that area. Some plants may be resistant when grown in One area and susceptible when grown in another area. This may be due to either growth conditions of plants, or the difference in the predominant strains of Armillaria in that area, or both Practical control of Armillaria root tot disease can be attained with proper cultural practice. The method of soil fumigation will not be discussed here. Soil fumigation with methyl bromide is effective in a large-scale operation, but it is expensive and is not recommended for home gardens, street plantings, or al- teady infected trees. A valuable tree can be saved if its trunk and anchor roots can be protected from extensive infection. With good fertilization programs to keep up the vigor of the tree, these infected trees can live to their normal ages. Ex- posing the anchor roots in the immediate area of the trunk for a circumference of one yard to air-dried conditions during the summer months is highly recommend- ed for oaks and other susceptible trees. Deep watering is recommended when watering is needed. Surface watering, March, 1974 especially the wetting of the trunk » anchor roots area should be avoided. An effort has been i at the 00> retum to find chemicals that are spect ally effective in inhibiting the growth 0 Armillaria and which can then be plied to exposed areas for further P _ tion. Many systemic chemicals that @ be transported by plants have been ai Actidione (cycloheximide), an esta) ed fungicide, (2) Diuron (3 lorophenyl) - 1 - 1 - herbicide, and (3) 2,4-dich acetonitrile, a new chemical ated to 2,4-D. a | : At present, actidione 1s —_ baer at the Arboretum for practical “Pr, tions in the field. The active in ' in actidione is cycloheximide, a inhibitor in protein synthesis. mide completely inhibits the pee Armillaria at concentrations Oo sahibe in culture medium tests. Strong of 10 tion still exists at a concent a pp. A solution at a strength 7 ae 300 ppm of cycloheximide = 1 plied to oak trees without fects to the tree. lorop enoxf closely ? Waldwick, New Jersey, for we 102 of Dutch Elm disease. er ee pressure injector provides 2 e pee < effective means of injecting 7” inj acting into trees. It is hoped that v4 je cycloheximide into the crow? yi that root areas, further fungus ap oan area can be stopped and we his oB saved from further damage de af ease. Experiments with Par : plications will be carried ou eal yr Gardens. The results can oli catio®- for the effectiveness of the 4P F Lasca Leaves 21 > fl ie ‘, be. al VICTORIA REGIA, Royal Water-Lily An Arboretum is for people .. . The aquatic garden at the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum is an ecological wonderland, equally utilitarian, educational, and beautiful. It contains edible plants like the water-chestnut, fish that eat mosquito larvae — the fish Gre collected and given to the public during the summer for use in home ponds — and plants of rare beauty like the royal water-lily, Victoria regia. This native of the Amazon and its tributaries consists of a fragrant white flower, green platter-like leaves three to six feet in diameter, and long cable-like leaf stalks. During its flowering period in warm weather, the flower opens in the evening and remains open until the middle of the following morning. The leaves have been known to sustain weights of up to 200 pounds. sce Southern California Edison Company 22 March, 1974 New acquisitions to LASCA Plant Sci- ence Library GENERAL THE ABC OF INDOOR PLANTS, Jocelyn LANDSCAPE, Mildred Mathias, ed. Los Angeles Beautiful, and others. 1973 COMMERCIAL FOREIGN WOODS ON THE AMERICAN MARKET, David Kribs. 2nd ed., rev. Dover, N.Y. THE COMPLETE BOOK OF HOUSEPLANTS, Charles M. Fitch. Hawthorne Books, N.Y. 1972. 308 p. Black and white and color photographs, DRIED FLOWERS, The Art of Preserving and Arranging, Nina de Yarburgh-Bateson. Scribner’s, N.Y. 1972. 169 p. Black and white and color photographs. DRUGS AND FOODS FROM LITTLE- Altschul. 1973. 366 p. DYES FROM PLANTS, Seonaid M. Robert- son. Van Nostrand Reinhold, N.Y. 1973. 144 p. Black and white and color illustra- tions. EDIBLE NATIVE PLANTS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, H. D. Harrington. University exico Press. 1967. Witham. San Diego Society of Natural History. 1972. 72 Pp. Black and white photographs. FLOWERS OF SOUTHWEST EUROPE: A Field Guide, Oleg Polunin and B. E. Smy- pte Oxford University Press, London. 973. THE FOREST AND THE SEA, A Look at the Economy of Nature and the Ecology of Man. Marston Bates. Vintage Books, N.Y. 1960 GREENHOUSE GARDENING, 2d ed., Henry and Rebecca Northen. Ronald Press, N.Y 1973. 3. Black and white photo- graphs. HAWAII: A Natural History, Sherwin Carl- quist. Natural History Press, Garden City, -Y. 1970. Marks i ’s N.Y. 1971. and William Beatty. Scribner's, MEDICINAL AND FOOD PLANTS an NORTH AMERICAN _ INDIANS: aoa graphy, Lothian Lynas. New Yo ical Garden. 1972. THE OXFORD BOOK OF ee PLANTS, Frank H. paige ity Press, London. . > PLANTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT ie ERN MEDICINE, Tony Swain, a _ University Press, Combe PLANT NAMES: COMMON Now YORI MON. Sonia Wedge, comp. New ical Garden. 1973. IDS, i wunuex OF THE SLIPPER spi= Hugh and Catherine wi 0. Bl i" Press, Shelby, N.C. Pris) and white and color illustra : i ceil THE TERRARIUM BOOK, po rss and Roberta Lee Pliner. Ran N.Y. 1973. |mer TREES OF SOUTH AFRICA, fas aaa and North Pitman. Vol. 2. . 1972. th WILD EDIBLE PLANTS OF Yes i UNITED STATES, Donald by ck a graph, Healdsburg, Ca. 1970. white illustrations. 23rd 3. THE WORLD OF LEARNING, ie a ae ed. Europa Publications, Lon 1972. TECHNICAL NT LIFE, AIR POLLUTION INJURY TO Pon isc Donald cott. piers Assn., Washington, i pi and Marks and ‘y. 1973 ts of identification of the vascular oie ity of island, Benjamin C. Stone. o Guam. 1970 (Micronesia, SpECIMENS 9 PREPARING HERBARIUM c. smith, It VASCULAR PLANTS, eas S. Dept: Agricultural Research Service, 1, No. of Agriculture. Informaiton 348. 1971 MAGAZINES nthly DY PLANTS’ ALIVE. Publishes a Plants, Inc., Seattle, Washi Lasca Leaves 23 ARBORETUM WEATHER Long. 34d 08’ 48” N. Lat. 118d 02’ 59” N. Weather season: Elev. 571.28 ft. Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 Dec. Jan. Feb Average daily maximum temperature _.._. 70.5 63.4 72.0 Average daily minimum temperature _.______. 43.2 43.4 43.3 Highest temperature 85 80 83 Lowest temperature 34 33 37 Number of clear days 20 15 24 Number of partly cloudy days 7 6 3 Number of cloudy days 4 10 3 Rain during this month 91 9.21 .09 Total rain since Oct. 1st 2.88 12.09 12.18 HOME GARDENING €-HORTICULTURAL FIELD DAY EXHIBITORS + DEMONSTRATIONS QUESTION -AMD-ANSWER BOOTHS SPECIAL EVENTS + OPEN HOUSE PLANT SALE Spi ///-S Yijii * Russell Seibert. 80 white, and sometimes mottled. The outer bark often peels in small papery flakes. The wood is soft and porous, but nev- ertheless very durable. Mummy-cases made of it over 3000 years ago have been found still in good condition in Egyptian tombs. The leaves are ovate (egg-shaped), equilateral, entire, somewhat wavy, up to 6 inches broad, stalked, mid-green, shiny, and rough to the touch. The fruits are globular, depressed, about 1 inch in diameter (larger in culti- vated trees), densely hairy, green, yellow or pink in color, and carried either in dense branched clusters on the main branches or singly in the axils of the leaves. Originally, those trees bearing axillary figs were separated as Ficus gnaphalocarpa (Miq.) A. Rich, but they have now been included in Ficus sycomor- us L. All the species of the figs have fruits, or more properly, “fruits’’ with the same structure—a fleshy receptable containing hundreds of tiny male and female flowers which are pollinated by insects entering the receptable through a small opening at the top. This opening is known as the ostiole. The pollination of the sycamore fig in the natural habitat has been studied by Professor J. Galil of the University of Tel Aviv in Israel. According to his ac- count, pollination is effected by a small wasp, Ceratosolen arabicus. When the female flowers in a fig mature, the scales which seal off the ostiole part slightly al- lowing impregnated female wasps to en- ter, lay their eggs, and die there. The new generation that emerges from the eggs completes its life-cycle in about five weeks, which is immediately after the male flowers have matured. The young males appear first and pierce holes in the galls, which have meanwhile formed around the female insects in order to fer- tilize them. Because the ostiole has closed again, the males begin eating hole through the outer wall of the fruit in the zone immediately below the ostiole, which is where the male flowers are attached This causes the pollen sacs to rupture. At this stage, the life cycle of the male wasps is completed and they die. The females, however, exit through the “ eaten by the males carrying pollen on their be and enter the po young fig by the slight ly opened ostiole, so pollinating the young , flowers inside. The sycamore fig has been an ee , tant article of food among the people the Near East since the very dawn civilization. However, since the figs are inferior quality they are used ree the poor who cannot afford anything De ef. It is customary for the cultivators of the sycamore fig three of four rae fore gathering, when the fruit ts : inch in diameter, to pare OF scrape art of the center point, Of | : canenee with a sharp pointed ins | Unless this cutting or piercing opera : ruit is performed on evety vg fig, the f a secrete a quantity of watery juice an not ripen. | The tree can be propagated by a : of well-matured yi _ methods used. One is to plant pec | 3-to-6-inches long in the grown iat only the tip ex he the ground will no 2 of branches tings are rooted. cuttings in the nursery 47 transplit them later. At the Los Angeles State and — Arboretum a sycamore fig ee Fe P12 atop Tallac Knoll, a“ 2 Pa voted to the plants of the Gis n was received from the Tanuary, 1953, was planted | location two months — she frit, bearing fruit for several yeats- ne however, falls before reachi Lasca Leaves Garden ©! or a LA Sets Donald §. Dimond It goes back to the fall of 1966 when a small group of history volunteers formed a committee that would be responsible for placing fresh flowers twice a week in the Queen Anne Cottage and Hugo Reid Adobe. At the time, it seemed no great problem. The flowers would come from the display garden and other sections of the Arboretum and, maybe, from a few Private gardens. As it turned out, the Principal source proved to be the nearby McCaskill Nursery whose co-owner just happened to be the committee chairman, Mrs. Billie McCaskill. But unforseen problems arose. As the Arboretum grew, so did the demand for fresh cut flowers. They were needed for ‘mportant luncheon meetings and for a variety of special events. And, it was nice to have them available every month of the year, even though that was beyond the capacity of most gardens. Then, the display garden was temporarily removed to make way for the new meadowbrook Project; no more flowers would come from that source for awhile. A few years later, the volunteers—or Las Voluntarias as they had become known under their corporate title — had an idea and an Opportunity at the same time. Chewing the matter over one day at an informal Meeting, the idea popped out. Why not &row our own? The question seemed as Obvious as it was logical. Like many good ideas, the real question was the implementation. Manpower and land houses had been more or less fallow for some time. It was available. In October, 1972, John Provine, then chief horticulturist at the Arboretum, asked Jane Buck, chairman of the volun- teers’ flower-arranging committee and a three-year member of the California Ar- boretum Foundation, to set up the gar- den. He gave her three weeks to do the job. It was just as well; Jane was eight- months pregnant at the time. But, having lived on a farm all her life, she knew how to get a horticultural job done. With help from the Ortho Chemical Company, which donated flowers, vege- tables, fertilizers and other materials, she laid out the garden, deciding what and where to plant. The timing was just right. The day after helping to plant the first flowers she had her baby. Occupied today with motherhood, Mrs. Buck has had to limit her volunteer activities. But, she still arranges flowers each week in the Demonstration Home Gardens with the assistance of a committee of five, only one less than the number of people she had helping her in laying out the entire Garden For All Seasons. Anne Lanselle took over after Jane Buck had her baby. At the time, it was intend- ed that the garden be just a cutting gar- den, judiciously planted so that fresh flowers would be available the year round. But if flowers could be grown through- out the year, why not vegetables? South- ern Californians could come to the Arbo- retum any time of the year and see flow- ers and vegetables growing side by side, the esthetic and the practical in perfect compatibility. So, during 1973, Anne 82 Lanselle led the development of the gar- den and it was she who got the vege- tables going in addition to furthering her interest in planting one-of-a-kind of rare or unusual plants. In January of 1974, Louise Phelps and George Jack took over as co-chairmen. Louise had been a Foundation member for eight years and had taught classes in the Youth Education program along with * / kad en y, George Jack an. Diane Martin when Gertrude Woods was head of that section. Gertrude later be- came chief of the Education Division. She retired last year. Diane is now teach- ing a vegetable gardening class in the Department’s Adult Education-Pasadena City College program and maintains, with the help of Vito Amato, another volun- teer, the vegetable plots located just north of the Garden For All Seasons that are used in her class work. Louise credits Gertrude Woods for her basic training in gardening. This experience, plus ex- periments in her own gafden and classes with Lydia Birt Williams, member of the Adult Education teaching staff, have made her a very knowledgeable gardener. mits Ae me d Louise Phelps, co-ch , September, 1974 George Jack is a retired telephone executive who did his first gardening while he was living in Hempstead, Long Island. As a daily commuter to Kennedy Airport where he was overseeing the business aspects of a highly complicated telephone installation, he had plenty of time to plan his watering and planting schedules. George joined Las Volum tarias in January, 1973, and became # airmen of Garden For All Seasons: tarias. George Jack speak softly, work hard, an - ‘ak must be the most democratically ; ug unteer group ever £0 the rostel rkers on There are about 20 wo os ene a : es, they women. For all practical purpos an and so much to ¢0 stipe done, that if ot ae wants to water, ee another to plant, all can be Lasca Leaves a me enone oe oO ad “3° THEN . the benefit of the garden. In any case, no one gets any direction unless it’s asked for. The workers, for this is what they are, average one day a week, four hours a session. Both George and Louise are happy to “pay to work,” as George has observed, more hours than this. It is a little more difficult for Louise because she now lives in Long Beach. But to balance it out, George represents Louise at the Las Voluntarias board meetings and takes notes. Any of the volunteer gardeners can suggest something to plant and, if it’s possible, John Provine will get it. Very little seeding is done; most of the plants come in pony packs. During lunch, notes are made in a looseleaf binder on the work done during the morning — what was planted, how new plants are doing, what is blooming, and so on. It is a fascinating record. Reviewing it one learns that smog ruins daffodils, that the peacocks are the biggest problem — fly- ing into the gloriosa daisies and nesting in the calendulas — and that watering is a problem because, first of all, two hoses have to be dragged out, the watering is practically all ground watering, which is time consuming — there is very little overhead watering — and the area, being partial adobe and never before planted, is hard to work and slow to absorb wa- ter. The railroad ties put in last fall by Frank Simerly, then superintendent and now an assistant director, helped to make watering easier. The entries in the notebook reflect the progress of the garden and the coopera- tion with the staff. The Garden For All Seaons is totally maintained by the vol- unteers, but when help is sought it is given. An entry on June 29, 1973, reads: “Bill Neubauer (staff nursery- man) showed us how to plant seeds. Helichrysum, etc.” The April 10 entry reads: “Removed one row of daffodil bulbs on path edge of plot N in order to September, 197! widen path to uniform width. Left on row of mixed gladiolus bulbs next © dianthus.” And, Jater in the morning: “Started restaking with permanent in square stakes at corner of all beds. Ob tained 100 48” stakes from shop and sledge-hammer to pound them in. Latty Geerer (staff grounds maintenance maa came to help install them. Pounding the hard dirt broke and splintered the stakes, so Larry got a postnole digget This was very slow work, and we olf finished plots P., N., and O. Asked George Jack said, “Of course, like : : us, I enjoy gardening. But I also the companionship — We , con sail group working here e and ie retired and this keeps me in g00 In how good a § 7 this pai: entry of November My, moved rocks and turned over SO! : ‘ 1 and 2. Lots of rocks and hard ep break up . . . Aes 2 bails of peat Mm to bed 1 and raked it in. rain-bird for 1 hour. HARD i The ratio of flowers to vegetab fun along with the care. May a ie “Harvested 2 — round radishes from a. uesd May 7th (workdays are sad Fridays) ‘Harvested beets e + 3-4” in diameter . - aici full of slugs, renovated the gre Bel bait . . . planted eggplant, 3 and 2 pepper plants tional attraction, partment and to 4 teers who created — Lasca Leaves Educational and Public Service Programs Tak Niiya In the Los Angeles area there exists an intense interest in horticulture and gardening as evidenced by the prolifera. tion of garden clubs and horticultural or- ganizations. There are also numerous community colleges and state universities which offer a broad range of courses in the life sciences. Despite the abundance of plant-related organizations and institu- tions, the Arboretum’s educational and public services programs are enthusiastic- ally supported by the public. The Arbor- etum’s success may be attributed to its responsiveness to public demands and interests. Garden clubs and horticultural organi- zations generally are restricted in the geo- gtaphic area and the number of people they can actually service. On many occa- sions, the focus of these clubs may be too specific (the club may be concerned with only one genus of plants) for the aver- age home gardener. Often these groups do not have the funds to publicize the existence of their services, so in a large community like Los Angeles the major- ity of the public is unaware of their efits. Attracting young members can = be a problem if the membership of ne apd or horticultural organization is established within a senior age group. Universities and colleges, on the other hand, deal primarily with a young- er clientele and therefore have diffaulty primarily academic rather than practical. The Los Angeles County Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens be- lieves that the Arboretum is for people and has its educational and public serv- ices to reflect the needs and interests of the people that live in Los Angeles. In an attempt to meet the public’s need for plant information, the Arboretum pro- vides educational services in the form of formal and informal classes and work- shops, guided tours, special walks and lectures, garden displays, informational services, and special programs such as an Arbor Day program for schools. ADULT EDUCATION The average homeowner has become eager for plant-related information and, therefore, most of the courses in the Adult Education program are planned to meet the horticultural interests and needs of the average homeowner through series of lectures, workshops, and field trips. The curriculum offered in the Adult Edu- a September, 1974 Ben Suzuki, founder of the Akebono Bonsai Society, con- ducts evening class in advanced Bonsai 4 ee ame Ltt a 3 John Provine teaches a very popular mini- course in container gardening. A. morning class ® home gsm nn W illiams cation program is revised annually in ac- cordance with public demand, public re- sponse to previous courses, and the avail- ability of instructors and facilities. Although these classes are designed for the homeowner, a surprising number of teachers, druggists, and doctors attend the thirty-six non-credit classes scheduled each year. Ten of these are morning work- shops; the others are evening lectures or a combination of lectures and workshops. Several include one or more field trips. Class size for the workshops are limited to thirty-five students and 1,354 students are registered for the current year. Classes are co-sponsored with community col- leges. Registration and supply fees vary by class. Day & Evening Classes Number of 3-hour Subject Sessions per class Beginning Bonsai 16 Advanced Bonsai 16 Container Gardening 16 Environmental Flower Arrangement 16 Herbs 18 Home Gardening Basics 18 Home Gardening, Advanced 18 Home Horticulture 14 Intermediate Bonsai 9 Plant Identification 18 Poisonous, Medicinal, and Edible Plants 16 Sketching and Painting 10 Vegetable Gardening 12 87 Minicourses Short and intensified classes emphasiz- ing the practical aspects of a subject have become very popular with home garden- ers who want to know more on a specific horticultural subject, and people in the trade who desire a refresher course on problem areas. Small class size gives stu- dents the advantage of getting into dis- cussions with the instructor on individual problems. Twenty-three morning and three night minicourses are scheduled. These workshop courses range in length from one three-hour session, to five three- hour sessions. Minicourses are con-spon- sored with the California Arboretum Foundation and taught by staff members. Registration is limited to fifteen students and fees vary from twelve to twenty-five dollars. Foundation members receive a 20% discount. Subjects Botany I Botany II Edible, Poisonous, and Medicinal Plants Chaparral Plants Hydroponics: Gravel Culture Plant Diseases Indoor Container Gardening Terrariums Plant Propagation Carnivorous Plants and Terrariums Pruning Trees and Shrubs Holiday Decorations Hanging Baskets California History Patio Container Gardening Plant Breeding and Hybridization 88 YOUTH EDUCATION The Arboretum, realizing that most schools are unable to provide adequate time or facilities for classes dealing with horticultural and botanical subjects, has attempted to fill this gap by scheduling guided tours for school field trips and by implementing an out-reach service in the form of an Arbor Day Program and a ‘“Taking the Arboretum to the Schools” program. For students interested in horti- culture, gardening, and nature study, workshop classes are offered that are not easily obtainable in other institutions. This program is designed to expose the maximum number of children to the eco- logical values and importance of plant life, so as adults they will have a better understanding and be more prepared to handle environmental problems and will appreciate the value of having a botanic garden in the community. Scheduled Classes The Department has a program con- sisting of workshops and lectures, sched- uled the year round for children, ages six to fourteen. During the fall and spring, classes are held after school and on Satur- days. Morning and afternoon classes are held during the summer. There is an education assistant at each garden who is in charge of teaching these classes, and in the summer student teachers provide additional help in classroom instruction. Twelve subjects are taught in all, and seventy workshops are scheduled per year. The Department enrolls nine hundred children in the Youth Education program each year. Contributions of three to five dollars are suggested to defray expenses and 80% of these contributions are col- lected. This rotating fund is deposited with the California Arboretum Founda- tion and used for workshop supplies. September, 1974 Youth Education Programs Subjects Grades Hours Sessions Indoor Gardens 1&2 14% 6 Plant Adventures 1&2 1% Exploring Nature 3&4 1% 8 Container Gardening 3&4 1% 8 Gardening Skills 3&4 1% 8 Gardening 5&6 2 3B Plant Propagation 7-9 2 12 Art in Nature 5-7 2 Pond Life 5 - fogs 6 Flower Gardening 6-8 2 12 Nature Craft 7-9 228 School Taking-the-Arboretum-to-the- Program = . was This program (see previous issue) developed because of the need by ; for professional advice on the hie ate cultural techniques for growing in the classroom and for gro is od and vegetables outdoors. In - Gardening Program, eee? a : f ode é discuss propagation fe “aso he consultation on soil f techniques in the gat fot tard practices a teacher - beck st a successful school garden. Edu ee sistants are available in the and 0 consultants to elementary was an visits are made to the schoo: program. Lasca Leaves Tree planting on Arbor Day at the Mayflower School in Monrovia. The importance of trees to everyone. —Photo by Walt Mancini 89 Arbor Day Program For many years, Arbor Day and Con- servation Week were observed separately by schools, city parks, and the Arbore- Three years ago, with the Arbore- tum’s change in philosophy, the Arbor Day Program was changed to assist the many schools which had requested help in developing a meaningful program for the entire school. Each participating school receives a fe- source packet of teaching aids containing eighty-four trees were accepted by schools this year. | s Students on field trip to Arboretum enjoy waterfall September, 1974 while learning about aquatic plant life. School Field Trips Since its inception, the Department has had many requests from schools for plant science field trips. Since field trips are very popular, they are scheduled well in advance to insure that field leaders are available. As with many public institu- tions, the Department is always short of permanent staff, therefore eighty percent of the field leaders are specially trained docent members of Las Voluntarias. Without the help of volunteer tour guides the Department’s three gardens 000 able to conduct est children on scheduled fiel would not be plant environment and th : point out and describe the sa a fall field leaders at the three ee atf0- a training seminat to pert? Geld trip duce new guides to ~ Kore feld trips ‘nety ) rogram. Ninety nee sofa ee rs Dr. Leonid Enari leads walking tour of Australian Section at Arboretum. PUBLIC SERVICES The public visits the Arboretum for pleasure and to obtain horticultural, bo- tanical, and taxonomic information on plants of all kinds. The information may of an academic nature or it may be purely practical; the point is that it is available, Public Tours i ee tram tours are offered daily at ch garden. They give the visitor an overall view of the garden while ac- quainting him with a little of its history, plant collections, programs, events an alls May tours serve as an introduc- eect € garden, inviting the visitor to hea. gain and again to examine areas eee, more closely. Approximately They nt take these tours annually. st free of ‘charge, although passen- 8€fs are invited to donate to a tram fund. Sunday Morning Walking Tours Ransome morning walking tours are for People interested in a more thorough, if leisurely, exploration of a particular sec- tion of the garden. The two-hour walk- ing tours, led by staff members, usually take a group to areas not normally visited by the public, such as plantings with in- teresting highlights, or garden displays that can not be fully appreciated by the public without an explanation by a guide. Walking Tours Australian Section Asiatic Section North American Section Camellia Area Tallac Knoll Aquatic Gardens Historical Buildings Displays and Greenhouses rb Garden Poisonous & Medicinal Plants Roses & Annual Flower Beds Native Plants & Flowering Fruit Trees Sunday Afternoon Lectures The horticultural lecture program is designed for people unable to attend the regular classes offered at the Arboretum m director. Sunday afternoon lecture by Frank Simerly, Arboretum assistant or who feel that an afternoon lecture would be adequate for their immediate information needs. Normal attendance for a lecture-demonstration is between 200 and 500. Lectures are on popular subjects regularly inquired about by the homeowner. Sunday Lectures Vegetable Gardening Composting Foliage Plants Kitchen Herbs Propagation Container Gardening Turfgrasses & Groundcovers Lawns & Ground Covers Spring Extravaganza Recent programs and activities plan- ned for the public are frequently so suc- cessful that they quickly become inade- quate to reach the growing number of interested people. This year’s first Spring Extravaganza—two horticultural field days for the home gardener—was — ue take care of large numbers of 9: et to provide practical answets to bie ceivable gardening aa Extravaganza, demonstrat ; (3 & 5 were set UP ral categorie e question-and-answet D covering specific horticu oe The Extravaganza had an Je. two-day attendance of 28,000 peoP Consultant Service The Arboretum provides gee i horticultural informatio ere tempts to identify — aa answer a wide rang’ 1 ae questions, and give ~~ amples of daily questions a one eliminate wie toxic ingredients? Wha with my Meyer lemon! €. insects? The along with other staff Lasca Leaves over 20,000 calls and visits annually. A “Plant of the Week” feature column is published in the Pasadena Star News to inform the public of various outstanding plants currently in bloom at the Arbore- tum. Publications A logical sequence to the hundreds of requests for information from the public is to produce printed materials on some of the more popular subjects. A publica- tions program produces a steady flow of brochures reflecting the results of field and laboratory research. The material is uniformly presented in a form designed to provide the reader with easy-to-under- stand and easy-to-follow directions. Bro- chures published recently by the Arbore- tum are: Home Vegetable Gardening, In- secticides Around the Home, Poisonous Plants of Southern California, Beneficial Insects, A Guide to Pond Ecology, and Green Belts for Brush Fire Protection and Soil Erosion Control in Hillside Areas. Additionally, the Informaiton Cen- ter offers monthly calendars, maps, class schedules, and horticultural bulletins. Library The Arboretum library contains 20,000 books and subscribes to 525 periodicals in the following subject areas: air pollu- tion, botany, plant breeding, conserva- tion, ecology, floras of the world, fores- try, genetics, horticulture, landscape architecture, plant physiology, soil sci- ence, and taxonomy. Among the refer- ence items are Bailey's Standard Encyclo- pedias of Horticulture, and the Gray Herbarium Card Index of Plants. A small tare book collection, copying services, and a file of nursery and seed catalogs are also available. The library is non-circu- lating but is open for reading and re- search from 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. 93 Horticultural Displays A large number of people visit the Department's three gardens with the in- tention of gleaning information that will assist them in improving their own sur- roundings at home. A number of demon- stration gardens and displays are speci- fically designed and developed to aid the homeowner. The Sunset Demonstration Home Gar- dens consist of a series of patios designed for homeowners who desire to spend a considerable amount of time in outdoor living. Here, a homeowner can compare different types of construction materials for decking, screens, and shade covers. He can also see a garden work-center, a small greenhouse and a great variety of plants in containers and planters. Ground Cover, Lawn, and Juniper Displays A collection of sixty different ground covers, seventy junipers an grasses are labeled and planted for easy comparison. Junipers are a particularly favorite plant for landscaping and yet nowhere else in Southern California can the homeowner see so many different varieties growing side by side. The or- of these and the ground covers and grasses makes it easier for the homeowner to make an appropriate choice. Garden For All Seasons During the last few years because of the great rise in food prices and public awareness of the need to beautify the urban environment, the cultivation of an- nuals and vegetables have become popu- lar hobbies with the public. The Garden For All Seasons is designed to demon- strate that blooming flowers and vege tables can be grown side by side through- out the year in Southern California in a manner attractive enough to be used in a front yard flower bed. 94 Herb Garden The Herb Garden at the Arboretum covers 1.2 acres and contains about 425 different herbs used principally for add- ing flavor to foods, for fragrance, and for their real or imagined value as medi- cine. The Fragrance Garden is part of the Herb Garden and was designed primarily for the blind. It contains aromatic herbs, plants with fragrant blossoms, and plants with unusual and interesting leaf textures. Blind visitors may walk along a 75-yard path that has a railing on one side and a 31/,-foot wall on the other. Along this wall, within easy arm’s length, are the plants that make up this garden. Plant names are printed in braille so that blind visitors may identify as well as feel and smell the plants. The Herb Garden is planned and maintained by members of the Southern California Unit of the Herb Society of America in cooperation with the staff of the Arboretum. The Society holds regular meetings at the Arboretum, which are open to the public. Members work in the garden every Thursday. Orchid and Begonia Collections The growing of orchids and begonias is a popular hobby in Southern Califor- nia. The Arboretum orchid collection contains approximately 10,000 plants comprising 185 genera, 1,000 species, and the remainder hybrids. It is one of the largest municipally-owned orchid col- lections in the country. The begonia fam- ily is a very large one, with hundreds of hybrids and species grown all over the world. The begonia greenhouse at the Arboretum contains an outstanding spe- cies collection which, like the orchid col- lection, affords the interested home gar- dener an opportunity to study and com- pare with his own greenhouse efforts. Historical Section The Arboretum has four buildi historical value: the Hugo Reid A the Queen Anne Cottage, the | Barn, and the Santa Anita Railroad ready on the grounds when the tum was established. The buildings period. All artifacts belonging to partment are identified and access The historical curator, with the aid ¢ volunteers, offers guided tours to seb groups, provides information fo VJ relating to the history of the building : and land, besides maintaining oul displays. Tours are available through : : historical section by appointment =~ CONCLUSION sf The growing of plants can a by everyone and the ability to snes Bi educational means for ee : terest is a great challenge. € i st | that the Arboretum is for the peop. we know we must continual a all of the programs Ni oa needs of the people 0 Since the educational programs a“ offered to the public are s° subscribed, we must meee 7 grow as well as change. 7 rod and leaflets will be foe & “il f he sis in programs and a me displ changed, and new hortt ted of educational value me be ae fe to sustain the trust an confid to serve people have shown !n our efforts them. : A member of the Depa Education Division ~~ "eh Tak Nitya was pate of the division last J - jit Key The Queen Anne Cottage Sandy Snider and Patricia Warren Many Arboretum visitors are im- built the cottage beside the spring-filled see by the architecture of the Queen lake. He hired architect A. A. Bennett, nne Cottage and by the fact that the Arboretum, basically a botanical garden, should have historical buildings on the grounds. . Los Angeles State and County tboretum is located on what once was sie Anne” was a style of architecture in the ranch from Harris Newmark and United States which combined shingles, 96 half-timbering and towers. It was popu- lar in California in the nineteenth cen- tury. The appellation, “Queen Anne” re- fers to this style of architecture, not to the English sovereign Queen Anne (1702-1714) or to a type of furniture called Queen Anne. “Lucky” Baldwin built the cottage as a retreat from the busy life in San Fran- cisco and for his third wife, Jennie Dex- ter, and their daughter Anita. Jennie died, however, before the completion of the cottage. The Queen Anne Cottage was then used as a guest house for Baldwin's out-of-town visitors while Baldwin him- self preferred the adobe, a modern eight- room house at that time, when he came down from San Francisco. All of the cooking was done in the adobe and brought over to the cottage. You will look in vain for a kitchen in the Queen Anne. When Baldwin died in 1909, his daughter Anita had all detachable inte- gral parts of the Cottage crated and stored in the Coach Barn. In 1948, when the Arboretum was established, the his- torical buildings, having been neglected for years, were in need of restoration. The beautiful stained glass from Eng- land, the white marble fireplaces, the black walnut doors, the tiling for the front hall, and the marble of the outside walkway were replaced to reflect the orig- inal charm of the Cottage. A German carpenter who had worked on the Queen Anne when it was first built recalled de- tails of trim, interior colors, and the furnishings with amazing accuracy. In- deed, he had been on hand for the arrival in 1881 of the flowered carpeting, crystal chandeliers, and the long gilt mirrors from San Francisco. Many of the original Baldwin furnishings had disappeared over the years, but with the aid of gener- ous donations these articles were replaced with similar furnishings of the period. Actual restoration of the Queen Anne September, Cottage began in February, 1952, undet the direction of Maurice Block, former curator of the Huntington Art Galley, and Susanna Bryant Dakin, chairman of the Historical Committee of the Califor nia Arboretum Foundation. The wotk was completed in June of 1953 a8 cost of $75,000 in donated funds—aeatly $30,000 more than Baldwin originally spent in constructing the cottage. Today as visitors walk around the porch of the Cottage, they can enjoy viewing the fully furnished house. In the bedroom at the southwest cor- ner of the Cottage is a surprising featute wall-to-wall carpeting, in Us evea then. On the early looms all — woven in strips twenty-seven inches wie (this being the length of the ms rr) ol measuring unit known as an me then sewn together. Broadloom a is a modern invention. The three? ais- bedroom set is of the poplt a bed is six feet long—the massive ' frame makes it look small rooms of the Cottage; these i ao only sources of heat. ba a burning, for Baldwin refu for firewood. eft, the Circling the building to — ” the next room on view ! the ge sill 2 merits of indoor plumbing a people believed it unsanttaty- ipes into umped through the pipes "te of ni it functioned on the principle : . Again moving 0 ra affords a good view of Lasca Leaves landscape painted in oils by H. H. Cross in 1889, showing a bearded E. J. Bald- win, his daughter Anita (who was named for the Rancho Santa Anita), and their mastiffs. The picture also shows the Queen Anne Cottage standing across the eral Store (no longer standing). This painting hung in Baldwin’s San Francisco tel and was one of the items rescu when the hotel burned in 1898. The ar- tist, a personal friend of Baldwin’s, re- stored the painting after the fire. In the large secretary below the painting are several books printed in the 1800's. In- cluded are Clement Moore’s The Night Before Christmas (1893), an 1869 Web- ster's dictionary, and the twenty-nine vol- ume Encyclopedia Britannica of 1879. The two stained glass windows are of Keats (north window) and Shakespeare (east window). Overlooking the lagoon is the music room. The unusual chandelier is made of elkhorn and Favrille glass. The Erard harp (circa 1810) is made of lovely bird's-eye maple with a gold leaf em- bellishment. The square rosewood grand Plano was made by Decker and Son (1856-1862) and on it is the music of the period. Near the door and over the melodeon (a miniature organ) is a 1912 Portrait of “Lucky” Baldwin himself (done from a photograph). The elegant parlor is dominated by the ted brocade set of furniture. Comple- oe the upholstery is the lavender ustre tea set of Staffordshire china. The walnut stereoptican provided unlimited visual entertainment; stereoptican pictures Were the predecessor of the modern slide lpia Highlighting the parlor (on the wall over the settee) is a striking oil Dexter, ‘‘Lucky’s” 97 is also Jennie—she was only twenty-two at the time, but she had aged consider- ably due to what was probably tubercu- losis. She died at the age of twenty-three. As you finish your circle of the Cottage, notice the stained glass in the entrance door—the welcoming lady is again Jen- nie Dexter Baldwin. The formal garden, beautifully re- stored by members of the Pasadena Gar- den Club, the deep artesian well which doubles as a decorative fountain, and the giant clam shells brought back by “Lucky” from the Great Barrier Reef, complete the fairy-tale setting of the Queen Anne Cottage. Patricia Warren is the curator of the historical section at the Arb- oretum and Sandy Snider is a part- time worker there who has a spe- cial interest in early California history. BIBLIOGRAPHY Baird, Joseph Armstrong, Jr. Time's Won- drous Changes. i San Francisco: California Historical Society, 1962. Davidson, Marshall B. The American Heritage Book of American Antiques the Civil War o World Wa merican Heritage Pu lishing Co., Inc., 1969 Devlin, Harry. To Grandfather's House We Go, A Roadside Tour of American Homes. New Y Parents’ Magazine Press, 1967. Gebhard, David, and Von Breton, Harrietta. Architecture in California, 1868-1968. Santa Barbara: University of California Press, 1968. —, Winter, Robert. A Guide to Archi- tecture in Southern California. Los Angeles: m of Art, 1965 Glasscock, C. B. Lucky Baldwin, the Story of an Unconventional Success. Indianapolis, Indiana: s-Merrill Co., 1933. Kirker, Harold. Califoria’s Architectural Fron- tier. San Marino: The Huntington Library, 1960 Spalding, George. A History of the Los An- and b 98 outh Coducation September, 19 Karen Asher 4 Horticultural education for your child —is it important? I am a little preju- diced, and you who are members of the California Arboretum Foundation must be to some degree or you would not have joined that organization. Maybe if more of us had been exposed to horticulture when we were children our cities would be a little more pleasant to live in today. Certainly an appreciation of healthy growing plants at a young age will help to prevent acceptance of a concrete world as an adult. One of my goals as an in-. structor is to help students understand the importance of plants in our lives while teaching them how to grow them. What do your children do when they come to the Arboretum to take a class? In the fall and spring there are four basic gardening and horticulture classes offer- ed: Indoor Gardens, Container Garden- ing, Vegetable Gardening, and Plant Propagation. In the summer we broaden the program, which I will talk about later. The Indoor Gardens class is for first and second grade children. This class is our beginning step with the children to introduce them to the world of plants. We discuss, “What is an Arboretum?”, “Why are plants important?”, “What do plants need to grow?” I have discovered that when students stop to think about these questions they can answer most of them with little help from me. We have three projects in Indoor Gardens: grow- ing succulent cuttings, rooting them and transferring them to a container to be taken home; making a terrarium, which is an enjoyable project for the students and a valuable learning tool, as it vividly eo illustrates the water cycle; and planting? ee seed. We discuss where seeds come from. This question stumps the students more than any other. I think it is ~ portant they do not simply a | come in a packet from the store, wi their seeds germinate and ing the roots produced by cuttings, excites the students to a good deal of bragging and compet ing. pe Catan Gardening for me re fourth grade children shows pa fe they do not need a piece of Jan aa a garden. The projects in this a all grown in some type Forcing bulbs in sche After we tell the students ae soil is one of the essential food it needs. Making a coleus hanging proven interesting to Pee plant tis learned what a tough Mt Pe The students make ase a remove the | or four leaves at th When we get ne : in the greenhouse they pe have been to battle pete my : d speak gently to 1 Ae praca: flowering annuals is a third project. Hanging Baskets , Harvest: 100 plant the seed for their container I al- ways have them plant extra seeds for the flower garden next to our building. I have learned to make this point very clear at the beginning of this project. The first time I had the students do this I didn’t explain they were planting extra seed, so when it came time to transplant the seedlings everyone wanted to take all of their seedlings home. When I told them what I had planned to do, they went along with it but they were not too happy about it. The semester-long Vegetable Garden- ing class is eagerly anticipated by many of the younger students. This course for the fifth and sixth grade student offers them a chance to plant, raise, and harvest their own 50-square-foot vegetable gar- den. The students learn how to prepare their soil for planting, what makes a good soil, and why these things are im- portant. Planting day arrives and the fun begins. Students are shown how to plant their seed and are advised not to over- plant as this makes for a lot of work when it comes time to thin out the seed- lings. For some the temptation not to plant every seed in their pocket is too great, and only when thinning time comes do they see the error of their ways. Fortunately our gardens have been relatively insect and disease free so the harvest is plentiful. Sometimes a little too plentiful. After harvesting three or four heads of lettuce two weeks in a row I hear comments like “My Mom says she doesn’t need any more lettuce this week.” After the gardens are planted and be- gin to grow the students soon learn the three steps to a good garden: weeding, watering, and cultivating. Although I get the usual moans and groans when they realize there is work to do, they do a very admirable job and keep their gar- dens looking attractive and growing well. juniper started from cuttings. cold storage (stratification) of have the seed coat roughened in some mans ent soil mixes to be ne seeds, and potted plants. We work wit bulbs learning which to use at what x of year, growing some in containers am some in our gardens here. There number of house plants we propagate also made totem pole planters pothos or syngonium. them actively interested until ace to attend the adult classes- ogi we will be able to put such 4 P together within the next La : The four classes I have jt a ‘all are the classes offered during and spring at the Ab foe tte mer session meets twice a orojeds - weeks, and most eer seal acto the summer depend to 4 “> obit one on the instructors. We try we ( continued on page An Arboretum is for people . . . Wherever they live — home, apartment, condominium — most residents of Southern California like some kind of outdoor living as part of their daily life. The Demonstration Home Gardens at the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum are designed to show the possibilities in terms of plants, decking, furniture, ponds, fountains, lighting, shade, fencing, and walks. These elements Gre arranged in various patio settings which can be copied or altered according to individual taste and situation. And, o course, the horticultural know-how for growing plants in hanging baskets and other containers is available from Arboretum experts. Southern California Edison Company 102 September, 1974 New acquisitions to LASCA Plant Science Library: PROPAGATING HOUSE PLANTS, Arno and si Inc., 2, 1971, '292 p Black and white illustrations. DWARF RHODODENDRONS, Peter A. Cox. Macmillan Publishing Co., New York. 1973. 296 . Black and white and poh illustra- USING WAYSIDE PLANTS, Nelson Coon. Hearthside Press, Inc., Gre at Neck, New bie Bl 1969. 287 p. Black and white illus- rat BOUQUETS THAT LAST, Emily Brown. Hearthside Press, Inc., New York. 0. 175 tn Color and black and white illustra- tion GREENWORKS, Judith Handelsman and Sara Baerwald. Macmillan Publishing Co., New York. 1974. 182 p. Black and white illustrations. AUSTRALIAN EUCALYPTS, Mervyn ne Landsdowne Press, Melbourne. 1969. 1 p. Black and white and color + tustrations A FARMACOPEIA beads a étno- B. botanico, Paulo 2 . rag Fh Frikel. Belém, razi Emilio Goeldi. 1973. 157 Pp. tPubicabe avulsas no. ENTS FATE AND EFFECTS OF TRACE ELEM IN SEWAGE SLUDGE WHEN APPL oe AGRICULTURAL LANDS, A. L. Pag! oe cinnati, U. S. En vironmental Pro Agency. 1974. 98 p GROWING BONSAI, Washington, D. C., U. ture. 1973. '21 p. ‘arewasiene garden bulletin no ) s, WEEDS, HANDBOOK OF WILDFLOWER 0 WILDLIFE, AND WEAT THER OF THE Pa VERDES PENINSULA, Donald The Author. 1974. Iliustrations. TERNA: h, IN PROCEEDINGS OF THE 18t ns TIONAL HORTICULTURAL ONGR 1970. Tel-Aviv. 1972, 5 vol. Cat Pago M. Agric: "(Home and ae (continued ages page 100) or two extra people to teach classes dur- ing this period so we may offer a wider range of classes and can accommodate as many of the applicants as possible. For the past two summers we have offered classes such as Plant Adventures, Lege menting with Plants, a Study, Art in Nature, and Life in the Lagoon. In the six meetings we oat we manage to put together some nice projects, having fun and learning at the same time. I feel “having fun” is one of the main reasons I enjoy teaching the classes at the Arboretum. While the children are basic- ally here to learn, they should also have a good time; we know that as long as are they are enjoying pane they very receptive to lear. Teaching these cases there are enough pfo in entertained. Otherwise teach classes can be verty some e basic infor ed a greatet sense mation or have acquit fa of the plant life around greta y is an Arb h Karen Ashe hi worked in the pe section for the past Lasca Leaves 103 COMBRETUM FRUTICOSUM (COVER) This is a handsome, scrambling evergreen shrub that is most usefully trained as a vine. It is native to the tropics and is a recent Arboretum introduction. It will grow in most soils including heavy clay if ample drainage is provided. Exposure can be either full sun or partial shade although flowering is encour- aged by full sun. The flower begins as a lime color that deepens to a most attractive shade of orange and is extremely showy, resembling a profusion of large orange cater- pillars. Plants at the Arboretum have withstood severe frost with only moderate damage. They can be seen growing in the sunken garden near the entrance to the Demonstration Home Garden. Botanically, the plant is described as a scrambling shrub with leaves ovate to elliptic, entire, petioled, opposite or whorled, dark green and glossy above and lighter green beneath. Inflorescences are golden yellow, becoming orange to reddish orange, showy and extending beyond the foliage. When the plant blooms in August, it is one of the most spectacular plants in the garden and never fails to attract visitors’ attention. We expect it to be a Popular addition to the California landscape. ARBORETUM WEATHER Long. 34d 08’ 48" N. lat. 118d 02' 59” Ww. Weather season: Elev. 571.28 #. Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 See ee June July August Average daily maximum temperature — _ 92.4 94.3 89.1 Average daily minimum temperature ____ 56.6 59.6 60.5 Highest remnetre 107 105 97 Lowest temperature ea 50 fe 53 Number of clear Oe a ee 19 20 Number of partly cloudy days __-..-..___. 11 10 20 Number Of Citdy dows 0 1 0 Rain iin teenth .02 .07 Total rain ance Oct ist 17.49 17.56 17.56 eee | : | C ‘9 le n da ar October. November, December ARBORETUM, Arcadia DESCANSO GARDENS, La October 5, 6 — 8 to 5 p.m. October 25—7to9p.m. | 5 vert Chrysanthem 2 Akebono Bonsai Society ——_ Qctober 26, 27 — 9 to 4:30 : ee 7 rysan um Show™ | >. Presented by Glendale Ci Society i December 6— 1to Red Carpet Preview ( Christmas Decorations BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ) LOS ANGELES COUNTY PETER F. SCHABARUM EDMUND D. EDELMAN Ist District 3rd District KENNETH HAHN, Chairman 2nd _ District JAMES A. HAYES BAXTER WARD 4th District 5th District DEPARTMENT OF ARBORETA AND BOTANIC GARDENS LOS ANGELES COUNTY Arcadia, California 91006 Telephone: (213) 681-5277 Francis Ching, Director; Roy Ito, Assistant Director; Frank Simerly, Assistant Director; Wakeman, Executive Assistant. Los Angeles State and County ; John Provine, Superintendent; William Hawkinson, Assistant Superintendent; Eatl Ross, Orchidist; Charles Lee, Horticultural Consultant. Descanso Gardens: a Lewis, Superintendent: South Coast Botanic Garden: Armand Sarinana, Superin- tendent; Edward Hartnagel, Assistant Superintendent. Research Division: Paul Cheo, Ph.D., Chief; Leonard Enari, Ph.D., Senior Biologist, Taxonomy and Plant Records Section; George Hanson, Ph.D., Senior Biologist, Research Section. Education Dive sion: Tak Niiya, Chief; Patricia Warren, Associate Curator, History. Public sone Division: Donald S. Dimond, Chief. CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC. Arcadia, California 91006 Telephone: (213) 447-8207 BOARD OF TRUSTEES ied drcreles Mrs. John A. Grivich, President; Mrs. Leland E. Larson, Fi resident; Frank J. Regan, Second Vice-President and Treasurer; Mrs. sate Hubbell, Executive Secretary. rst Vice res K. BOARD MEMBERS: Harrison Chandler, Mrs. William Clayton, Jr., Mrs. Coulombe, J. Lyle Cunningham, James P. Curry, Mrs. Peter L. Douglas, M. Dunbar, William E. Eilau, George L. Forman, Mrs. Francis D. Frost, Jr, N. Fuelling, Mrs. Vincent T. Gilchrist, Ernest E, Hetherington, Mrs. Louis W. Jone i ry Catherine Mundy, oh Elizabeth Price, F. Harold Roach, Ralph W. Spencer, Mrs. Richard W oseph A. Sprankle, Jr., Robert P. Strub, Loran M. Whitelock, Mrs. Ches HONORARY TRUSTEES: Dr. _ Harry J. Bauer, Dr. Elmer ; 3. Young: Forrest Q. Stanton, Lovell Swisher, Jr., Mrs. Archibald pr ry, December 1974 Vol. XXIV No. 4 Published quarterly by the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., for the Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens of Los Angeles County. LOS ANGELES SOUTH COAST STATE & COUNTY ARBORETUM DESCANSO GARDENS — goTANIC GARDEN 108 Department Notes 117 Smog-Tolerant Petunias 120 Plant Portraits: Sequoiadendron 123 Hydroponics, Principles and Guidelines 129 ‘Tall Tree and Test Tubes 136 A Landfill Botanic Garden 13 oo Bookshelf 13 \o Stigmaphyllon affine (Cover) 139 Arboretum Weather Editor Donald S. Dimond Cover photo by Francis Ching. You are invited to join the CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC. * Annual plant and Seed Distribution * Invitations to special events. MEMBERSHIP brings you the quarterly publication, Lasca Leaves * Newsletter MEMBERSHIP DUES: Annual, $10; Annual Contributing, $25, Annual Busi- ness, $100; Annual Sustaining, $100; Annual Sponsor, $250; Life, $500; Founders, $1,000; Benefactors, $5,000 or more. Contributions are deductible. Make check payable to the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., and send to headquarters at 31 N. Baldwin Ave. Arcadia, Calif. 91006. VIRGINIA ROBINSON GARDENS RECEPTION and dinner to honor Mrs. Harry W. Robinson in recog- nition of her generous gift of her six- acte Beverly Hills garden estate to the people of Los Angeles County, was held last September 10 in the Arboretum’s Demonstration Home Gardens, On a bea ginia Robinson Gardens,” to the County. Among those involved were Mrs. M Richmond Bittner, president of the Board of Governors; Mrs. Rodney Rood, presi- dent of the Descanso Gardens Guild; Mrs. John A. Grivich, president of the California Arboretum Foundation Board of Trustees, hosts of the event; and Fran- cis Ching, department director. Repre- senting the Board of Supervisors was Supervisor Peter Schabarum accompanied by Mrs. Schabarum; and William Martin, representing Supervisor Ernest Debs in whose district the Property lies. A key figure in handling the legal aspects was Mrs. Robinson’s attorney, Odell McCon- nell. It was he who arranged for a mil- lion-dollar endowment to be part of the gift, which led to the acceptance of the gardens by the Board of Su rvisors. The evening ended with a toast to Mrs. Robinson by Bill Martin and every- one singing Happy Birthday to this re- markable lady who would celebrate her 98th birthday later in the month. December, 1974 ISLAND PLANTING HE latest segment of the new Arbor 40 etum entranceway to be completed is the triangular island just east of the Information Center. Combining function with beauty, it provides a head-in le ing section on one side and a walk provides easy pedestrian access and egress to the eastern section of the panne plex. The area has been teplanted; 3 sunnier area to the west with two ne of Gazania rigens, ‘Sun Gold’ an a Burst’, introduced by the — about a year ago, and the ee area with potentilla. Six benc — been strategically placed in this . 4H,0 “e 3 Sequestrene 300 Fe si Mix the iron chelate thor . small amount of water before the calcium nitrate concentrate. cium a *If commercial agricultural -_ wn trate (Norsk Hydro) is use® 88.8 g/L=59.3 oz./5 gai we 1 ectontist on FE, Dr. Berry is a soil screntts cial i partment research sta with 4 SP Oilae trient terest in the efficiency 0] MH | gut sie by plants. He is the “—, wf pe sal ber of technical publications ject. s Lasca Leaves 129 Tall Trees and Test Tobes Wayne Loescher A RESEARCH program recently begun at the Arboretum involves growth of plants under unusual conditions (Fig- ures 1 through 5 illustrate some of these conditions). Small pieces of tissue are re- moved from intact plants and placed in sterile culture flasks and test tubes contain- i complex mixtures of minerals, sugars, ttamins, and other substances. The in- tent is to determine the conditions neces- rd for continued growth of the isolated ’ epi and also to regulate the direction and extent of that growth. Our objective in doing this here at the Arboretum is to oe rit related procedures to develop pee: ag miques for plant propagation — oo cultivated plants. The ey ne used and the techniques : rth £v% Oped represent applications of pe Plant science called plant cell ye — culture. its Hig plant cell and tissue culture bi nly in recent years begun to attract PPort and to show potential in solving eral ea He felt that the results of such i ooo should give some in- cells, wean into the properties of Tiesite seal also felt that the experi- the oo information about mships and influences to which cells within multicellular whole or- ganisms are exposed. Haberlandt’s experiments were not en- tirely successful. Although his isolated cells did survive for a short time and oc- casionally increase in size, they did not go on to divide or to develop further. Nonetheless, his paper was a milestone in botanical research, for it represented a first attempt that opened the way for development of what is now a useful tool for probing basic biological questions, and for what promises to provide solu- tions to important horticultural and agri- cultural problems. For two decades after Haberlandt’s pa- per appeared, there was little success in plant cell and tissue culture. But in the early twenties, two researchers, one of them a student of Haberlandt, independ- ently succeeded in growing isolated roots for some weeks in mixtures of mineral salts in solution. In the thirties, Philip R. White, an American, in another study of the nutritional requirements of isolated roots, demonstrated that with the use of carbohydrates and vitamins in addition to mineral nutrients, isolated tomato roots could be grown potentially indefinitely. The roots that he started were continued in culture for three decades. At about the same time, White, in an- other study, and two Frenchmen, Gauth- eret and Nobécoutrt, all independently be- gan studies of the growth requirements of masses of cells isolated from carrot roots. In the late thirties, each developed complex mixtures of nutrients which per- mitted indefinite growth of the tissues in 130 culture. The unorganized tissues, or callus as they are sometimes called, were the first true tissue cultures in the strictest sense of that term. Some of these callus cultures are still being maintained in laboratories around the world. Since these early pioneering studies, a great deal of work has been done on the nutritional requirements of isolated plant tissues. Many more tissues from a wide variety of species have been cultured. Improvements in techniques and compo- sition of the nutrient media—the mix- tures of substances on which the tissues grow—have permitted smaller and small- er pieces of plant tissues to be cultured, making it possible, over half a century later, to accomplish what Haberlandt set out to do in 1902, namely, to induce single isolated plant cells to grow and divide. That success was not achieved sooner is not surprising if one considers the state of botanical knowledge in Ha- berlandt’s time. The essentiality of some of the inorganic elements or minerals re- their effects on growth of isolated plant tissues. Many were found to be essential for growth and their use facilitated fur- ther progress. Spe represented the ultimate in vegetative Propagation, with nearly every cell in a desirable plant having the potential to December, 1974 become another intact plant. Although for some these experiments seemed little more than laboratory cuti- osities, bordering on science fiction, they were more than that. The experiments illustrated how certain chemicals, plant hormones called auxins and cytokinins, regulated the direction and extent of plant development. Unorganized tissues treated with relatively high concentrations of auxin and low concentrations of cytoki- nin would develop roots, while those treated with relatively high concentrations of cytokinin and low concentrations of auxin would develop shoots. Intermediate levels of both hormones would result 8 continued growth of the unorganized tissue. Similar experiments provided in- sight into how other compounds were if volved in the growth of plant tissues. Modifications of the procedures in- volved, and use in more applied pto- blems, has resulted in a technique | : shoot apex culture. In this poor shoot tip consisting of the tiny wr : dividing cells at the shoot's ape ce few of the very small undeveloped a adjacent to the apex, is placed on 4 plex nutrient medium. Un ree ditions, the shoot tip 1s induce the tinue growth and to develop wise a technique, sometimes incorrectly ri to as meristeming Of nei es been used to propagate such econo important plants as strawberry, : woe orchid, gladiolus, and carna o ‘soaieel chids the technique has revolu the marketing of certain rar vale clones. For example, shoot ape of a single orchid plant, = cealting ti i hree plants. : yield only two or t : There is considerable interest : ing these and related proc Lasca Leaves plant species. Woody plants, including many ornamentals and most economically important forest trees, often cannot be propagated from cuttings; outstanding specimens must be propagated from seeds, and there is no guarantee that seed- propagated progeny will have all the desirable characteristics of their parents. Also, some species before they begin pro- ducing seeds may be 30 to 50 years old, a long time to wait for a plant breeder or forester who has only one lifetime to make significant progress in the improve- ment of a species. Some problems remain, however, be- fore these techniques can become routine. Often each plant species and sometimes each variety within a species has to have Specific requirements met before it may stow in tissue culture. Unfortunately, Progress in this field has not yet reached the point where one can predict with certainty how a particular plant will re- ond. Thus, it is not only necessary to : sea to adapt existing techniques to = ai but also to investigate the me : 1c problems of how a plant grows evelops. If the exact conditions were as years. In that time, however, i hav : dous ; ques have permitted tremen- 's increases in the yields of many econ- 131 is called a yield plateau. For example, when hybrids first came onto the agricul- tural scene, potential yields of some crops increased at the rate of ten to twen percent every few years. Nowadays, yields of those same crops are increasing, at most, at the rate of one to two percent annually, or somewhat less than the rate of increase of the world’s population. Plant breeders are now at the point where their major efforts are concerned with modifying existing varieties in response to better and better adapted pests. The result is not an increase in yield, but in- stead an attempt to maintain current yields with the use of new and resistant crop varieties as the old varieties become susceptible to new strains of fungi and nsects. Plant breeders thus feel the need for an infusion of new techniques and knowl- edge. Bypassing the traditional methods and utilizing plant cell and tissue culture may be the answer. Plant tissue culture has already been of some value. For a number of years, when some potentially valuable plant hybrids were difficult to obtain due to incompatibility between the prospective parental stocks, removal and culture of the developing hybrid embryo as a kind of test tube offspring permitted obtaining a viable hybrid. More recently, techniques have been developed which allow not just cultiva- tion of single cells, but the isolation and culture of naked protoplasts, plant cells from which the cell wall has been dis- solved by enzymes. Such naked proto- plasts can reform new cell walls and go on to make entire plants. They can also be induced to fuse or to engulf particles like viruses( chloroplasts, and DN. strands. The implications are immense. Fusion of protoplasts from different plant species, thus bypassing the normal sexua process and all its incompatibility bar- riers, could result in new and valuable hybrids. This is not as far-fetched as it - December, 1974 Figure 1. A small piece of tissue, in this case a section of twig, is treated to te- move bacteria and fungi, and then placed in a test tube with a nutrient gel contain- ing the minerals essential for growth, 4 carbohydrate for an energy source, ome or more plant growth hormones, and 4 number of cofactors, 1.., vitamins and other complex substances. Figure 2. If the right minerals, carbohy- drates, growth substances, and cofactor are present, and if they are present in 7 right amounts, cells in the tissue will at vide and grow forming 4 callus. sub- Figure 3. The callus can then be k mix- cultured, 1.€., transferred to fresh - j : 4 Vie tures of nutrients which will st further growth. Lasca Leaves se Figure 4. Adjustment of the kinds and amounts of nutrients added will deter- mine how the plant grows. In this case the tissue has been induced to grow as single cells. Figure 5. Other combinations of nutrients tion of organized tis- may result in initia as in this case, r00ts. sues like shoots Of, 134 May seem; it has already been achieved between two different species of tobacco. Instead of transferring all the informa- tion from one species to another and creating a new hybrid, it may become possible to improve existing species by selective transfer of only part of the ge- netic information of another species. Plant Physiologists now know that some plants are photosynthetically much more effi- cient than others. Among the efficient plants are corn and crabgrass; inefficient December, 1974 Figure 6. The intent is to obtain an intatl plant with the leaves and roots that can be transplanted to soil to develop normally. cannot utilize the sugats lactose. But if strands of e pape lated from a bacterium tha pa: x these sugars, and if the ere : are then incorporated HS sity to 8 . cells, the cells develop the f sugars. ‘ sen sal oe not as x beoN A to transfer functional ena here from one higher plant 0 pee” considerable impetus to a ae food plication could involve crops: corn, wheat, fice ? Lasca Leaves These crops require considerable amounts of nitrogen for their growth; they can- not, however, utilize the free nitrogen gas in the air, they can only use fixed nitrogen, nitrogen combined with other elements. Legumes such as the soybean have the ability to accommodate in their roots a bacterium which can convert free nitrogen to fixed nitrogen. There is tre- mendous interest in transferring this bacteria’s ability to the major food crops. Although such a transfer would not in- crease the maximum yields now available, it would reduce the fertilizer inputs re- quired. These fertilizer inputs are not only monetarily expensive, sometimes prohibitively so to farmers in underde- veloped countries, but they are today also expensive in terms of the amounts of energy required for their production and application. The nitrogen fertilizer need- ed to produce 150 bushels of corn on an acre requires for its own production ap- proximately 3,000 cubic feet of natural _ To the farmer in an undeveloped Suntty, a grain crop requiring no nitro- gen fertilizer would mean increased yields; to some in this country it could @ warmer swimming pool. a Potentially useful breeding au ie using tissue culture avoids trans- i genetic material. Most plant tis- €s are diploid. That is, they contain a. chromosomes, one set derived Pa parent. In diploid tissues a a eit mutation Occurring in one set —- Mosomes is often not detected eas = being masked by the normal ne Fe the other set of ‘ - For this reason mutations arp to spot in diploid tissues. In Ploid tissues, those where there is onl One set of chromoso ee a: problem. mes, this is not a oe now be obtained through 0s ictal e cultures. Haploid cells thes a in the life cycle of : 8 gamete formation in the 135 sexual process. Tissue culture under cer- tain conditions stimulates those cells which ordinarily would develop into pol- len grains to develop instead into a callus-like haploid tissue. When cultured on the right combination of plant growth hormones and other substances the hap- loid tissue may develop into a plant or it may be induced to grow as single cells or as more callus. If haploids are grown as single cells and exposed to radiation, ultraviolet light, or certain chemicals, mutations can induced. When so treated a single culture plate with thousands of individual cells may contain a significant number of mu- tations. These can be screened and an- alyzed for their potential usefulness. Al- though such procedures have been em- ployed for years in microbiology, they are only now being applied to higher plants. Some potential applications of the method include screening mutants for re- sistance to toxins produced by disease organisms, or for resistance to or toler- ance of herbicides or common environ- mental contaminants like the heavy met- als zinc, cadmium, and nickel. As a tool to help unravel the complexities of bio- chemical pathways within the plant, the method could prove to be unsurpassed. No one today seriously argues the po- tential of the techniques being developed in plant cell and tissue culture, but many problems do remain. What progress that has been made can now be applied to only a very small number of species. A tremendous amount of laborious expeti- mentation will be necessary to extend the range of these procedures, and to realize the potential promised by the pioneering achievements in this field. Dr. Loescher is a biologist in the Department's research division. His special interest is plant physiology, in particular the development of new techniques in plant propagation. 136 ay) Landfill Totanis Garden Armand Sarinana From rubbish dump to garden is the story of South Coast Botanic Garden. The entire story cannot be told in a sin- gle article, but this will serve as a be- ginning of a series of articles about South Coast Botanic Garden. In 1960, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors realizing the values of ar- boreta and botanic gardens in both cul- tural and environmental needs of the comunity, took action which resulted in the formation of South Coast Botanic Garden. This botanic garden, located on the Palos Verdes Peninsula would, as studies showed, serve over a million people. : Much of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, and especially the site of South Coast Bo- tanic Garden, was once part of an area covered by the Pacific Ocean in which lived microscopic algae called diatoms. When the ocean receded, it left behind their silicified skeletons in astronomical numbers forming the Principal compo- nent of the native soil. The area present- ly the site of South Coast Botanic Garden Proved to be so rich in diatomaceous earth that it was commercially mined for its use in the manufacture of industrial filters. Mining ended in the early 1950's when the yield became unprofitable. At this time the Los Angeles County Sani- December, 19 r tation Districts purchased the land for a sanitary landfill. The Sanitation District is concerned with all types of waste material p by a county of seven oi a Among its many problems, soli has been an increasing problem 4s = refuse cannot be burned due to ait tion considerations. Once a sanitaty ir fill has been completed, the epee yr what use it is put to arose. The Department of : gardens, as well as many 1m : zenry, garden clubs, and horticultural Qe ganizations all ee a an tensely. Finally on Aptt! © Je monies were held with over ie people present in which the first five turned over to the Departmen lanted. brought P Over the years, many P “s cr tat about by the decompost ie have had to be dealt with. ple, on two separate sen vesatilf veloped lake bottom has peri the lake in having to completely ara yy. In both instances, the oe the tricts has assisted mere repay this #8 lake. Through the well as other related aire e Coss relationship exists be Dis Botanic Garden and the tricts. Photo by Frank Simerly. An Arboretum is for people... . = Coast Botanic Garden, a division of the Los Angeles County Department rbor se ¢ Gardens, people have been served in a very chitin more than ten years ago, the present garden site consiste Y of a huge hole filled with million tons of trash — in other words, dump. Oday, it is q f top soil, b horticulturists a Southern California Edison Company 138 December, 1974 New — to LASCA Plant Sci- ence Libra cHEMOTAXONOMY OF FLOWERING PLANTS, R. arnley Gibbs. McGill- r goes S University Press, Montreal. 1974. A DICTIONARY OF THE FLOWERING PLANTS AND FERNS, J. C. Willis, rev. by . K. Airy Shaw. 8th ed. Univ. versity Press, Cambridge. 1973. 1245 p A FLORA OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, Philip A. Munz. re Tk = f California Press, Berkeley. 1974. FLORA OF THE SAN ae AND Rosa Mountains, jo eb Bryant. The Author, 1973. 12 p. FLORA OF THE WHITE SON TAS. AND NEVADA, Robert M. Lloyd and Richard S. Mitchell. University of California Press, Berkeley. 1973, 202 Illustrations, GRASSES IN Wersity of Calor Beecher Crampton. lack and white A HANDBOOK To hers IN VICTORIA. Vol. 2. Dicotyledons, James H. <9 Melbourne University | Press. 1972. 832 INTRODUCTION TO Seipflos ala Ornduff. “Ay ga of tnia Press, Berkeley. 1974. is illustrations. HYDROPONIC GARDENING; the ‘ magic’ of ne hydroponics for the home garden- - Woodbridge Press, . 1974, 224 p. Illustrations. 0 IDENTIFY MUSHROOMS (7 USING eh Digereuy FEATURES, David Largent. Mad Pres Press. Eurepa, Cine 1973. Illustrations. HOW TO b of the BA: a wax-producing shru Plot ese Literature roan annotated bibliography, Wade Po feo e an we ep peels Office . Arid Lands Studi Tucson. 1974. 141 KNOW YOUR Oise Pend ede sonous plants found in field a of Pub Wilma Roberts James. Perper ps sso Healdsburg, Calif. 197 e and color illustrations. - NE NATIVE SHRUBS OF THE ster pennis 2 DA, John Hunter Thomas ie oraik vee, vot ‘oe white Berkeley. and color Bien : Cann PHLOEM TRANSLOCATION, * 973. 0! University Press, Cambri idge. p. Illustrations. legal 7 Fast bbe be hristopher D. big 102 P Inc., Los Altos, Catitenas . La ‘ SIERRA WILDFLOWERS: Myiehaus. Uti Kern Canyon, Theo ross, Berkel =i ay orn and eo tions, JNSU- CAPE PENINST WILD sini bd Bas ‘oxford Ua ay procs, ¢ Cape Town. 1973 pe dbo ns. Lasca Leaves i STIGMAPHYLLON AFFINE (Cover) Stigmaphyllon affine is a vigorous-growing evergreen vine native to Brazil. It is a current introduction of the Arboretum and is available there on a limited basis. Mature plants can be seen on the east fence of the Demonstration Home Gardens and in the Sunken Garden at the approach to the Demonstration Home Gardens. The clusters of yellow flowers measuring up to four inches across are numerous and are borne in the fall when color is at a premium and, occasionally, a second time in the spring. Sometimes referred to as the orchid vine because the flowers resemble certain species of orchids, the flowers are well displayed against a dark green background of leathery, almost heart-shaped leaves. The vine prefers a sunny location with a well-drained soil, but will withstand a variety of soils and exposures. It may be damaged by frost when the tempera- ture falls below 26°F. for any extended period; young plants, therefore, may need Protection until established. Stigmaphylion is a strong grower that will establish quickly if it is located in a “6 situation. It develops into an excellent screen when used on trellises or ences. ARBORETUM WEATHER long. 34d 08’ 48” N. ze 118d 02’ 59” w. Weather season ev. 571.28 ft. Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 eee daily maximum temperature on 90.5 78.6 Hi — daily minimum temperature = s—t 59.8 55 "er ee 102 1 is -ediorgl ee ee 52 x — Ee Ce 14 a iy er of Ty Oe ae 16 13 : 1S. > 2, eae ISRO ere ete Sa ES 0 . ee ee 17.56 BASSAS OE Nn eee . 95 ae aa rar stares alendar’ December, January, February, March ARBORETUM, Arcadia ~ Februa re ary 14—8p hheodore Payne Foundation Lec espace 14, 15 — 8 to Spm... “California Succulents, Their ia Show? " 7 ry eae Setien be mia Camel ; mga ‘s. Joyce L. Tate, lecturer, January 18, a 1 to Board of Duet B ps 5 “a5 m. lent Society of America Iris Show* | March 1, 2 — Sat. 1-5 Southern California Iris Soc. ; Sun. 8-5 p. January 19 — 710 ee Annual Camellia Festival ers ay og ae ae Presented by South Dr. Leonid Enari, senior biotonis : ‘March 16 — 10a _ January 25, 26 — 10 to 5 5p. — Morning Walk® Bonsai ‘Show* — e Plants and Flowering Baikoen B ee nie snperinteaa *Sponsored by Descanso Gardens _ SOUTH COAST BOTANIC | Palos Sages Peninsaa 15- Seiolideys in the Garden” Christmas exhibits in the mi ter. The public is tae preview and tea on Dec. BOARD OF SUPERVISORS LOS ANGELES COUNTY PETER F. SCHABARUM EDMUND D. EDELMAN 1st District 3rd District JAMES A. HAYES 4th District KENNETH HAHN, Chairman BAXTER WARD 2nd _ District 5th District DEPARTMENT OF ARBORETA AND BOTANIC GARDENS LOS ANGELES COUNTY Arcadia, California 91006 ¢ Telephone: (213) 681-5277 Francis Ching, Director; Roy Ito, Assistant Director; Frank Simerly, Assistant Director: Lee H. Wakeman, Executive Assistant. Los Angeles State and County Ar = dent; Ear Geo Ps Oo 2) =, ® — cag @ ° 4 a m - ® = 0 ~ Oo i“) @ = fe) ~s wo 2 re) ga a a er Py x fe) = re) = < © 3 a Section; George Hanson, Ph.D., Senior Biologist, Research Section. sion: Tak Niiya, Chief; Patricia Warren, Associate Curator, History. Publ Division: Donald S. Dimond, Chief. ic Services CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC. Arcadia, California 91006 « ‘Telephone: (213) 447-8207 BOARD OF TRUSTEES irst Vice OFFICERS: Mrs. John A. Grivich, President; Mrs. Leland E. Larson, aps K. President; Frank J. Regan, Second Vice-President and Treasurer, Mrs. Do Hubbell, Executive Secretary. Jo BOARD MEMBERS: Harrison Chandler, Mrs. William Clayton, Jt wee warren u ' : r as Coulombe, J. Lyle Cunningham, James P. Curry, Mrs. Peter L-. Do * p. Frost, Jr-, M. Dunbar, William E. Eilau, George L. Forman, Mrs. Francis — w, Jones: N. Fuelling, Mrs. Vincent T. Gilchrist, Ernest E. Hetherington, Mrs. Louls pr S. Jr., Mrs. Miriam P. Kirk, D. Ramsay Lawson, Mrs. Thomas H age Mrs McConnell, Mrs. John R. Mage, Mrs. Anson C. Moore, Mrs. Kennet paradise Catherine Mundy, Mrs. Nicholas Niciphor, Dave W. Paradis, Robert F sahil Mrs. Elizabeth Price, F. Harold Roach, Walter R. Schoenfeld, Ralph aa white Mrs. Richard W. Sprague, Joseph A. Sprankle, Jr., Robert P, Strub, peaigt lock, Mrs. Chester Williams. HONORARY TRUSTEES: Dr. Samuel Ayres, Jr., Mrs. Harry J. Bauer, Mrs. Ralph D. Cornell, Dr. Arie J. Haagen-Smit, Mrs. Valley Knudsen Dr. EImet Oe ‘niiam Will! nas rs. Tho! Jr, Dr. Mildred E. Mathias, Mrs. Manfred Meyberg, Howard A. Millet p. Young: simetly J. Moore, Mrs. Forrest Q. Stanton, Lovell Swisher, Jr., Mrs. nena EX-OFFICIO: Francis Ching, Director; Roy Ito, Assistant Director, Assistant Director; John W. Provine, Superintendent. “= Jbosba Jdalite Published quarterly by the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., for the Department of Arboreta and * ietic Gardens of Los Angeles County. LOS ANGELES SOUTH COAST STATE & COUNTY ARBORETUM DPESCANSO GARDENS = goTANIC GARDEN eee (See 4 Department Notes 13 Plant Portraits: Bo Tree 15 Living Safely In The Hillis 26 A Landfill Botanic Garden 30 Bookshelf WW — Beaufortia sparsa (Cover) Wy Arboretum Weather Back Cover Calendar Editor Donald S. Dimond Cover photo by Francis Ching. You are invited to join the CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC. * Annual plant and Seed Distribution * Invitations to special events. MEMBERSHIP brings you the quarterly publication, Lasca Leaves * Newsletter HP DUES: Annual, $10; Annual cuemigoatiag $25; Annual ne mals ; Annual Sustaining, $100; Annual Sponsor, $250; Life, $500 ounder, $1,000; Benefactors, $5,000 or more. (aatitetioas are deductible. , and send to headquarters at 31 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, Calif. 910 Po ee HALL OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION de. steady rise in attendance at the Arboretum has inevitably brought with it a demand for facilities adequate to serve the number of people interested in the programs offered. As noted else- where in this section, 761,000 people passed through Arboretum turnstiles last greater number of students were turned away for the same reason. To resolve this situation, a Project program plan has been developed calling for the construc- tion at the Arboretum of a Hall of En- vironmental Education. cultural activities, a potting shed, a green- house, and essential office space. The CAF has Pledged to raise $500,000 of March, 1975 the estimated $1.4 million cost of the building. RECORD ATTENDANCE A rea at the Arboretum reached a new high in 1974 when 761,000 visitors passed through the tum stiles. The figure represents a 21 percent increase over 1973. Our director, Francis Ching, attributes the increase to a col bination of greater public interest in proving their surroundings and the f- boretum’s strong effort to provide pro- grams of practical value. He cited y and adult education classes in botaty, horticulture and related subjects, mir arden walks, courses, Sunday morning § ' Sunday afternoon lectures, and 2 Fs events like the Baldwin Bonanza a0 be Spring Extravaganza, as examp': v other index of the public's genuine” f terest in the various programs, he re is the increase in membership in the a fornia Arboretum Foundation ies g00 grown in three years from 700 to + members. TROPICAL GREENHOUSE ONSTRUCTION of the tropical red © house at the Arboretum 1s ri to be completed early next er ee f greenhouse will feature a sm. sheee fe one end that will spill two ye ‘enh into a winding stream running fe sil of the building. Pedestrian P# will be follow the stream and the at” . contoured in a way to permut a natural setting for the various P ae size of the greenhouse and lig ca will necessarily place some fe i kinds of plants, but visitors wo * see a variety of tropical ferns, ee species of the orchid family, ria, among others. sit Lasca Leaves AE Sie, siD¥ > (<7 ~ /, pense a o lee Angeles State and Country Arborerum PREHISTORIC GARDEN AND JUNGLE is a the questions-asked list these rangle? eg, eat ate you doing in the ing iran’ ell, the immediate work be- L-shaped a aa the clearing for the tewing and display platform a saan jungle area from the road h oe with entry and exit gates at ‘ Nenerally speaking, the jungle Prehistoric Garden Deck area will extend west from the viewing platform and north to the road, eliminat- ing the lawn area where the weather sta- tion is presently located. This lawn and other areas will be planted with new ma- terial that will both broaden and main- tain the jungle character. The prehistoric garden promises to be a significant educational resource for the thousands of students who regularly make field trips to the Arboretum. It will not interfere with the existing bird habitat which will be left largely untouched; it will be protected by some fencing de- signed to prevent young people from damaging both bird and plant life. HORTICULTURIST APOINTED M R. Tim LORMAN was appointed Horticulturist at the Arboretum last December 2, taking the position for- merly held by Arboretum Superintendent John Provine. A young man who has long had a special interest in tropical plants, Tim came to the Arboretum from the Sherman Foundation Garden in Coro- na Del Mar where his main responsibility was the new Tropical Plant Conservatory for which he collected and displayed or- chids, bromeliads, ferns, and koi. With the Los Angeles International Fern So- ciety. At the Arboretum, Tim will be re- sponsible for the test stations in collecting tropical plants, especially showy, variegated cane March, 1975 Photo by William Tim Lorman cies of bromeliads. This interest ; with a chance visit ae be Nursery of Dave Barry, Jf. of a extensive collections of - meliads, and was further stim@” trips the past two years to i nel he explored botanical gardens a h lush valleys of the islands, return colle additions to his already extensive ; tion at home. a In addition to helping oon vil forthcoming Baldwin Bonanza, nue also give lectures at the cae oh te ganza, lead Sunday walks ~ ae greenhouses, and teach a a ae bromeliad identification and BALDWIN BONANZA V exceed rhetoric by 4 Asked for information 08 how P. Lasca Leaves Photo by William Aplin “Livin J pe 2? i Pei nga hanging pieces of driftwood, palm, manzanita and cork oak Bonanzg at faa 2 bromeliads, will be offered for the first time at this year’s sowing in ain ee Pictured are some bromeliads (Tillandsia ionantha) = held in place ss cork oak (Quercus suber), the roots covered by sphagnum Ssture g i te nd as ges preg surface allows bromeliad roots to adhere easily. “midity is higher but t “" ie Bonanza will learn that they do best indoors where freezin & weather. Th ey will survive outdoors as long as they are not subjected to : ey have purplish flowers that bloom for several weeks. progressing for the forthcoming Baldwin onanza, she supplied the following: “The fifth annual Baldwin Bonanza will be held at the Arboretum on Sunday, April 6, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., accord- ing to Mrs. Todd Taylor, chairman. In essence, a botanical fair, the Bonanza is sponsored by Las Voluntarias, the volun- teer arm of the California Arboretum Foundation. Most of its over 200 mem- bers have been hard at work for many months potting plants and making craft items. “Highlight of the Bonanza will be the sale of many Arboretum introductions, among them Tabebuia chrysotricha (Golden Trumpet Tree), Hibiscus hue- gelii (Blue Hibiscus), Cassia leptophylla (Gold Medallion Tree), Xanthorrhoea quadvangulata (Australian Black Boy), Stigmaphyllon affine (Orchid Vine), Chorisia ‘Los Angeles Beautiful,’ Gazania ‘Sun Gold’ and ‘Sun Burst,’ and Koelreu- teria integrifoliola. Other plants to be offered include ferns, sinningias, bego- nias, herbs, palms, pelargoniums and or- chids, plus dry arrangements, craft items, and hanging baskets. “New this year will be the “living sculpture” creations. These are hanging pleces of driftwood, palm and manzanita, planted with ferns and bromeliads, An- other popular item will be the vegetable th where vegetables that can be suc- cessfully grown by the home gardener will be available in pots and flats now being prepared by volunteers. “Donations are needed for the ‘collec- tables’ booth — such items of interest to collectors as old photographs, old laces, linens, doilies, any crochet or needlepoint, clothing of the 1920’s or before, Vic- torian glassware, china and silver, de- Pression glass, unusual bottles, old Pieces of music, books on California history and the West or on horticulture and chil- dren’s books of any period. Donations March, 1975 | may be left at the Santa Fe Depot at the Arboretum, or call the California Arbor ) tum Foundation, 447-8207, to artangs for pickup. : = “Las Voluntarias members are comets ing a raffle for prizes to be aw pi the Bonanza, including a set of - Jordan patio furniture and a patio house from Southern California Gf house Manufacturers. Tickets may purchased from members of by _ the Foundation office. Foundation ms j tions to a special Bonanza ee ; Saturday, evening, April 5, from 01% proceeds from this year's Boot a ; toward the biggest project to Hall of Environmental Education. SPRING EXTRAVAGANZA ah at ess year’s Spring Extravagan2# 2 * the Arboretum attracted nan 000 people during its two-day * with by placing it more of less in ple ft the Baldwin Bonanza (Oe ae one day) as the — ge a j the year. This year's Spf ' za, vhedaied for Saturday and Sundi May 17 and 18, can be ex well or better, given ner gre range of activities planne ee jointly by the California on i Foundation and the oe and bot consists of two home gt > to fost ticultural field days — exhibition’ main categories: plant cHn™ : pet : and demonstrations and lectures, events. Vise The plant clinic speaks ae itself prob tors bring their plants—° whet lem alone — to the fon ks a panel of experts will a services and corrective rec Lasca Leaves The Arboret. um attr ; ; ag dial. Ui ea large audiences as can be seen in this picture showing Tak Nitya, , explaining, and Ron Call, education specialist, demonstrating. This year, two he Pi additional vegetable gardening demonstrations will be off two day e vent , ° . . asl ) plus lawn-planting demonstrations in the same area conducted by Ar- mand : : Sarinana, superintendent of South A dozen plant : societies will st ibi- tions of their ame age a specialties: hemeroca ctu ‘S: vegetable gardening, cut- goes and layering, composting, rare r tpt: and hanging baskets, ” » Toses, la cre, = Pent wns and diolus, ; st ~~ plants and terrariums, Coast Botanic Garden. Special events will include open-house sessions in the Arboretum’s plant science library, research laboratory, orchid and begonia houses, tropical greenhouse, and nursery and growing houses. Displays will include the Sunset Demonstration Home Gardens, groundcovers, turfgrasses, For All Seasons, and mulches and soil amendments. Finally, there will be a limited sale of Arboretum introductions and specialty plants. All in all, just about everything the home gardener might wish to see or learn about will be available for his consideration. May 17 and 18 are dates to save! 10 VOLUNTEERS M 1rzI Moore, president of the Arbo- retum’s Las Voluntarias, wel- comed 46 new volunteers last January 13 at the first of three orientation sessions that acquaint newcomers with Arbore- tum programs, staff, and facilities. At the end of the orientation, all shed their pro- visional status and became full-fledged members of Las Voluntarias except one, a gentleman who joined Los Ayudantes, the all-male volunteer contingent which presently has ten members. All together, the volunteer corps now numbers over 0. SHADE TREE CONFERENCE thee Southern California regional meet- ing of the Western Chapter Interna- tional Shade Tree Conference and the Street Tree Seminar, Inc., was held in the lecture hall of the Arboretum last Janu- ary 10. Some 200 members gathered for an all-day session of addresses and dis- cussions with breaks for coffee and lunch. Arboretum Director Francis Ching led off with a talk on “The Arboretum In These Changing Times,” followed by a talk by Dave Dyer, deputy agricultural commissioner for Los Angeles County, on “Understanding the Current Pesticide Rules, Regulations, and Regalia.” Victor B. Youngner, professor of agronomy at U.C. Riverside spoke on the “Use of Sewage Effluent For Landscape Irriga- tion,” N. Keith Abbott, city manager of Whittier, spoke on “Management Train- ing,” and Sigmund Arywitz, president of the AFL-CIO Los Angeles County Fed- eration of Labor, wound up the formal part of the proceedings with a talk on “Labor Looks These Changing Times.” Louis Hernandez, park superin- tendent of the City of Orange, presented a scholarship award by the Street Tree March, 1975 Seminar, Inc., after which most of the members took a tram tour of the Arbo- retum and returned for the traditional hospitality period which concluded the meeting. Las Voluntarias of the CAF were the hosts for the meeting, taking care of registration, coffee, luncheon and hospitality. FIESTA AT SOUTH COAST Le annual Fiesta de Flores at South Coast Botanic Garden will be held month and a half earlier this yeat — May 10 and 11, to be exact — for rea- sons having mostly to do with weather and horticulture. The South Coast Bo- tanic Garden Foundation, which 1s pf senting this major event of the year at People.” flower-arrangement demonstraliisy tures on gardening and plant sales, Re artists and craftsmen will display a wares; the Amigos del Jardin, gar volunteers, will conduct walking yrs and story-telling sessions for young port dren, musicians and dancers 19 the ‘t ini-concerts, and fin ly, an outdoor cafe will be 5 vide visitors with sustenance ; tion between events. Zs ‘ appointed i resident, : Foundation Pp +o coordinate the staging of the Mrs. Helen Hillman. DEMONSTRATION pATIOS CONTRACT has beet awarded by A the County Board of _ vt for the construction of two exhi per at Descanso Gardens. Part . a ill stration garden development ‘a used as models similar to a Lasca Leaves Last year’s St yee te te years plant sales at Fiesta de Flores was Mr : Hee tie frs. Peggy Ishimine, center, shown haset Demonstration Home Gardens at ri aki for flower shows, and Dotted ae demonstrations. landscape : re Department’s consulting one will b, renutects, Lang and Wood, Ruy ee tri-level, 1,800 square foot Wok ce floor and wood lattice- €rhead; the other will be approxi- ize, single level, but decking. Two other Gardens Staff, the other Oka, owner of the asadena, who als als. Plans for a fj nated by landsc Tom Matsu- Fair Oaks Nursery in © supplied the materi- fth patio have been do- ay rail lable. Al] the patios will be located Sale chairperson del Jardin. will be repeated this year. with co-members of Amigos in the area that was formerly the site of the famous Descanso night-lighting festivals and placed so as not to interfere with garden landscaping and plantings. NATIONAL ARBORETUM HEN the National Arboretum was y\ established Washington in 1927. the act that brought it into being the ap- in included an authorization for pointment of an Advisory Council whose function would be to “counsel and ad- vise on the most critical needs and to sug- gest methods of accomplishing the Arbo- retum’s immediate and long-term objec- tives in the areas of research and public education.” The recommendations of the Council, : : on : which meets for a 2-day period once a year, are directed to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture under which the National Arboretum operates. Members of the Council serve for two years and are generally drawn from the staffs of leading botanic gardens around the country. Secretary Earl L. Butz, who currently heads the Department, has in- vited our director, Francis Ching, to serve as a member of the new Council being formed which Secretary Butz believes faces some unique challenges in view of the environmental problems that exist everywhere in the country today. March, 1975 ENTRANCEW AY F URTHER progress in the development of the vehicle entranceway to the Arboretum has been achieved with the completion of the fountain set in the curve of the entrance road off Baldwin Avenue. Designed by Lang and Wood, the landscaping and environmental plan- ning firm responsible for laying out the entire entry complex, the fountain and pool are totally automated. Lights and operational periods are determined by a preset timer and a wind sensor shuts the fountain off when winds get too high. > ———o Ss rr Pasir ® ‘ * — eo \ = . < — Los Angeles Stare and Counry Arborerum Lasca Leaves PLANT PORTRAITS ISo Oree Leonid Enari enc to tradition, it was under a bo tree in the village of Uruvala (now Buddh Gaya) in central Bihar in northeast India, that Siddhartha, an In- dian prince, meditated for seven weeks on a couch of grass, facing the east, until he obtained enlightenment and_ perfect knowledge of Nirvana, from which time he became known as Buddha. This may Of may not be true, except that Siddhar- tha existed, lived about 2,500 years ago, was the son of a rajah, and is the founder of Buddhism, a religion which originated in India and later spread to China, Bur- ma, Japan, Tibet, and parts of Southeast Asia. e bo tree, or the peepul fee as it is sometimes called, is held sacred both by Buddhists and by the Hindus. It is con- sidered asin for any devotee to cut it down, harm it, or utilize — of it in any manner. ; en Dr. W. S. Stewart, the rmer director of the Los An- Seles State and County Arbor- take a cutting ce the Arboretum, his request st Politely but firmly refused. ae he was given a few ranches and leaves al Separated from the eco € _ that grows to 100 feet. = sa hort, erect, and, trees, with ridges, knobs > and hollows. The branches are long, crooked, and spread widely in all direc- tions. The lower branches are nearly hori- zontal and are sometimes supported by thick roots that serve as additional trunks. The bark is fairly smooth and grayish and peels off in roundish flakes of ir- regular size. The leaves are somewhat egg- or heart-shaped, smooth, deep-green above but paler beneath, shiny, leathery, with long pointed tails and slender pen- dulous stalks. They are adapted for life in very wet climates because the tail causes raindrops to drain away quickly FICUS RELIGIOSA it is often married, the ) quadrats L/10 and 0/13. It is a sight to see their Poplar-like pendant leaves nated to the Arboretum in 1951 in a March, 1975 Photo by William Aplit ll. Bo tree located in Tropical Garden atop Tallac Kno dit, five-gallon container by Dr. Ira l= : author of ‘‘Ficus, The Exotic of artment Horticulture, ; Riverside. It was planted in the 5 location in 1952. The accession mei is the cutting taken from the donate in 1951. an author is much indebted t0 oo Paty Lawson, a member of the pee tum’s Las Voluntarias, for the | she made for this article. Lasca Leaves Iving Safely in the Hills Kenneth R. Montgomery Ue development in Southern Cali- ia ge prior to the 1930's was con- ae or the most part to relatively well- etined cities and towns located on the Coastal plain and in the coastal and mild- = interior valleys. The various commu- al were separated by large areas of aay ne covered with native oaks, grass : calle flowers or planted to citrus and In -vaalgaie of other agricultural crops. age years, particularly since World haar ag in large numbers from Se € country have immigrated to ern California. The most dramatic pores increase has taken place in ; hy County. From slightly more ee Se lion people in 1934, the num- eases to 6 million by 1960 (Ford (Salitor to about 7 million in 1967 “tore 1967). To accommodate such in sible Soy of the flat, easily acces- shopping centers, roads and schools. © Pace at which the countryside has tvided is staggering. In the mid-19 evelo id- : d 1950's, for example, a land elop- er boasted that during the preceding year an average of 1,000 trees per day were removed from Los Angeles orchards to make way for new homes. (Ford 1961). By progressive elimination of open space, the pattern of urban growth in the greater Los Angeles area has resulted in the creation of a sprawling megalopolis fin- gering its way over several thousand square miles. As the valleys and coastal lowlands filled up and as people began to look for an escape from crowded city life, urbani- zation has pushed relentlessly into the foothills of the surrounding mountains. Large-scale subdivision in these areas has set the stage for an almost unprecedented confrontation between man and the nat- ural environment. At the very heart of the confrontation is the fact that the foothills — because of the nature of the vegetation, climate and topography — are not well suited, and are, in reality, haz- ardous, for urban development. The dominant vegetative cover on the slopes of the Southern California moun- tains is composed of dry, evergreen Sorin Becca Two Home Gardening and Horticultural Field Days for the General Public PLANT CLINIC - EXHIBITS DEMONSTRATIONS - LECTURES SPECIAL EVENTS MAY 178.18 690m. 10.5 p.m. shrubs known as chaparral. One of the most conspicuous features of chaparral is its high susceptibility to recurring fire (Hanes 1971). The climate of the foot- hills, the density of the cover and the oily nature of the plants combine to make chaparral one of the most explosively flammable vegetation types in the world. The ecological significance of these fires and their relation to man have been dis- cussed in a previous Lasca Leaves article (Montgomery 1972). The important point to emphasize here is that wildfires in the chaparral pose an enormous threat to the lives and property of hillside resi- dents. When chaparral-covered areas were sparsely settled, fires were not much of a problem. With increasing urban Pressure, however, the situation has be- come critical and continues to worsen each year. Conservative estimates are that over one-half million people in Los An- geles County alone live in areas of mod- required to release this energy is a care- sion playing with In addition to fire, the extreme steep- ness and instability of the mountains con- tribute to the danger of living in the hills. There is a continuous, often rapid movement of soil, fractured parent rock and organic debris down the slopes, eith- er carried by surface water runoff or in Fesponse to gravity (dry creep and land- Slides). The deep, extensive root sys- tems of chaparral shrubs help anchor the Slopes, and the vegetative cover provided by the plants serve a vital function in March, 1975 controlling water runoff and soil erosion. When the protective cover is disturbed by fire or by construction activities, disis trous floods and mud slides during wit- ter rain storms frequently occur. The resulting loss of human life and propetty in the hills and in the canyons and val- leys below can be very great, with dam- ages known to equal or even exceed those of major brush fires. Because of the hazards that chapattal areas pose, fundamental questions have been raised concerning the wisdom of undertaking extensive urban development in the foothills. These questions wet brought into sharp focus at 4 meeting held at the University of Cali- fornia, Riverside in the spring of 1973. The meeting, entitled “Symposum Living with the Chaparral,” was pn sored by the Sierra Club, the US. ' Service and the California Drvisiot 5 Forestry. Proceedings of the sympost at have recently been published Gsge 1974). Although thet was Pes sity of ideas expressed, Opimiols ©" rh ae around whether — gat in the hills should be pote ether by zoning restrictions oe witha: we should — : modify the chaparral environmen some way to more safely accommod: urbanization. oe From an idealistic point ¢ bi s might be nice to think of the foothil being off-limits for urban But the fact is that large : a ready been ; the largely unplanned, this growth, the zone 0 co! - face between homes an e wildlands is alarmingly meri must face the reality that hillst e pre’ ment is here to stay and phe cal a to increase in the future. . cafe {0" sue is how to make it relatively while, at people to live in these — a Lasca Leaves the same time, insuring that impact on the chaparral ecosystem is as small as possible. A basis for living safely in the hills lies in two distinct, yet interrelated, con- siderations — a) proper construction practices and b) modification of the vege- tative cover at the urban-wildland inter- face. As Youngner (1970) points out, the first step is to build all structures us- ing nonflammable or fire-resistant ma- terials. Only tile or asbestos composition toofs, for example, should be allowed in fire danger areas. Roofs constructed of construction requirements that should be established to help reduce the wholesale destruction of hillside homes in brush tes. These requirements, many of which are related to architectural design and to the positioning of a structure (e.g. in a mie oe or at the top of a ridge) . é paras € scope of the present dis- Modification of the vegetative cover around hillside homes and other struc- ye as important for living safely in eats = aS proper construction prac- aria eis approaches to modifying ee S will be examined in the fol- ies Patagraphs. The primary objec- ; Of each is to physically separate urban Si ova from the highly flammable — At the present time, fire safety Peis ances in Los Angeles County call for sunimum clearance of 100 feet around bony in which all brush must be si. Or the first 30 feet and reduced Inches in height for the next 70 feet. When the native vegetation on the slopes is removed or substantially re- duced, however, the danger of soil ero- sion and excessive water runoff increases dramatically. Clearly, plant cover of some type must be maintained. Biologists at the Arboretum have been concerned with this problem for over 20 years. The idea of using plants of low flammability (‘‘fire retardant”) for land- scaping around homes and for planting in wildland areas along roadsides and around campgrounds was proposed as a means of reducing the danger of fire while at the same time providing vege- tative cover (Martin and Juhren 1954, Ching 1959, Ching and Stewart 1962, Montgomery and Cheo 1969). During the past four years, our efforts have been concentrated on developing the concept of green belts (Montgomery and Cheo 1970, Montgomery and Stallings 1970, Montgomery 1973). A “green belt” is defined as a protective zone at least 100 feet wide around structures that have been completely cleared of the native chaparral vegetation and landscaped with low fuel- volume, fire-retardant plants (Fig. 1 and 2). The planted area must then be watered regularly during the dry season and maintained by weeding, re- moving plant debris and renovating peri- odically to keep the fire hazard low. Green belts have proven to be highly effective in slowing or stopping the spread of brush fires and in reducing the inten- esity of the heat produced. Even a rela- tively small decrease in the rate of fire spread or intensity can be of great impor- tance because it gives firemen more time to save lives and property. A good ex- ample of the value of green belts is pro- vided by the fire in Rolling Hills. A number of homes escaped damage due, in part, to the presence of well-watered-and- maintained ground cover vegetation, notably various types of iceplant and Al- March, 1975 20 cd ‘- es th i SANTHEMUM Sp.) Sere FiGuRE 1. A green belt landscaped with iceplant Spesieges> MN to separate this hillside home from flammable shrubs and we the slope. 2 1973 but FiGuRE 2. This home in Rolling Hills was surrounded 4) ¥ ‘- Serious damage, in part, because of a well-maintained - ee d in the lower (HEDERA CANARIENSIS). Burned areas can be seen on the left an hand corner of the photo graph. Lasca Leaves gerian ivy (Hedera canariensis). In more than one case the fire died out in the fire-retardant vegetation before reaching structures. Establishment of an effective green belt involves considerably work on the part of the homeowner to clear the brush Fy suena : i pa CURE 3. The vegetation around this structure has been modified according to the 21 for use immediately around homes where it is most realistic to install irriga- tion systems and where residents are willing and able to give the amount of care necessary to maintain the planting. Another approach to modification of the vegetation in hillside residential Jeu. wy co : ‘ ‘ 7 mere of landscaping with natives. Many chaparral shrubs were allowed to remain ed erosion control and for their beauty. Part of the area also has been planted w at drought-tolerant, low fuel-volume shrubs. : €n water Pca ae control and for removal of po build-up of dead plant fuels i Y mMcrease. Because of these fea- Pet ie ing belts must be characterized as ely high-maintenance approach to fuel : : Modification. They are best suited areas has been popularly called “land- scaping with natives.” Here the native chaparral cover is not completely removed from around a structure. Instead, the vegetation is thinned by selective removal of certain shrubs and by pruning and shaping those that are allowed to remain (Fig. 3). The result is to break up the community of the plant cover and reduce the overall quantity (volume) otf fuel available for burning, therebly lowering the fire hazard. It is often considered desirable to get rid of all individuals of highly flammable species such as chamise 22 (Adenostoma fasciculatum) and black sage (Salvia mellifera) while retaining as many individuals as possible of somewhat less flammable species such as toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) and manzanita (Artostaphylis spp). Areas between shrubs are kept clean and free of weeds by a program of routine maintenance. Since native species are well adapted to the harsh climate and poor soils of the foothills, no supplemental water is pro- vided during the dry season, and ve litle care is required for the plants to hrive. The concept of landscaping with na- tives also includes interplanting with low- Srowing, drought-tolerant native and exo- tic species between the remaining chapar- tal shrubs. Among the best natives are dwarf coyote bush (Baccharis pilularis vat. prostrata), creeping sage (Salvia sonomensis) and certain species of Cea- nothus and manzanita. potential and can add to the beauty of hillside landscaping. By comparison with green belts, land- Scaping with natives represents a low- maintenance approach to fuel modifica- ton. “"Low-maintenance zones” created in this way are more compatible with the environment of the foothills and, there- ore, are generally easier to establish and cheaper to maintain. They are best suit- ed for large areas where irrigation can- not be provided and on very steep, un- stable slopes where it is impractical or even undesirable to clear and hand plant with ornamental cover Species. The ma- jor shortcoming of low-maintenance March, 1975 zones lies in the fact that direct protec- achieved with green belts. Maite Goodin (1967) summarize this point by saying that although unwatered land: scapes can be prevented from becoming a fire hazard, they will not equal the safety of watered areas landscaped with ground cover plants, especially succulents. In addition to green belts and low: maintenance zones, the use of trees in the landscape might also be considered in hillside residential areas. It has : served that a grove or row of well - tained trees can be of value ue tain conditions in protecting re brush fires (Maire and Goodin fac The trees, acting much like a wind pe can provide a vertical barrier to P me fire brands from landing on and ign a roof. In addition, the mee helps divert the enormous a ra up and away from structures. e . tiveness of this approach 1s = pendent upon the location, 1 ' care of the trees. Of algae se es and that lating. surface litter be kept from Fe ae They should be placed near » parte hanging or touching @ eee more, they must be eae sired the structure and the pro ee irect of a fire. Little is known age ‘er, but most others for use as a fire wie species of pines and a We 2 lity, approach to fuel this involves the crea of defense against brush green belts of some —_ nce “ik mediately around homes * ae are surrounded by low-matn tion of 4 Lasca Leaves e ‘Gace x! a = : vy Vy 4 nee “34° 3%) ta AT biaf fi, “| P 4. 2 sae oa Z Bel iss xe A, oy 3 Voy: OG és iY Vy Cy Le oh Drawings by Ray Robinson SS ao ae illside residential Ficure 5, d In this drawi ng an “integrated zone” around homes in ah evelopment 1S shown as it might appear from the air. i ‘gnite it. extending outward for an additional dis- tance. The general concept is illustrated in Fig. 4 and 5. the area around structures that is to be modified. There is gtowing evidence that example of the effectiveness of a green belt separating homes this photograph, taken toward the end of the Rolling Hills fire referred } did 1 text, the fire burned up to the well-irrigated ground cover vegetation but aia March, 1975 rom chaparral In o in {he at actually should 00 feet usually der of 200 safety zones around homes be much wider than the 1 specified—perhaps in the or pe tead of trying to exten 500 feet. Instea ry gh Jow-mainte rotection afforded by green belts. adifvind Primary responsibility for m “ kill. the vegetation around ioe oe side areas lies with the individua poe owner. But a homeowner ae 7 control usually over only a fn fis of land is severely limited of oo tance away from structures t pespi modify for fire hazard rohi all efforts, he may not be able - "ovit a safety zone sufficiently wide ea she adequate protection for event of a large brus of hillside develop are interspersed with unde aderelor held by speculators. These Lasca Leaves areas are often allowed to become over- grown with weeds and brush, thus posing an enormous fire hazard and increasing the danger to nearby homes. A great deal can be done to help over- come these problems. First of all, a share of the responsibility for living safely in the hills should be placed on developers by requiring that they establish fire pro- tection zones around their housing proj- ects. A related step would be to require absentee landowners to clean up their property to keep the fire hazard at a min- mum. Citizen groups of the type organ- ized since the 1961 Bel Air fire have proven to be highly effective in workin for legislation to better regulate hillside development and in reducing fire hazards by conducting neighborhood clean-up campaigns and fuel modification pro- grams. In addition to these steps, we ulti- mately need to consider the possibility of establishing wide “fuel breaks’ that wouldseparate entire communities from the wildlands. Zones of this kind would i only serve in fire hazard reduction ut also have recreation potential as linear parks (Los Angeles County Forestry Di- vision, personal communication). Golf courses and trails for horseback riding and hiking, for example, would form an ‘ntegral part of such a fuel break system. pe approaches discussed here to fuel tit cation around homes can help make ia ea the hills safer. The most impor- chek "8 Now is to move forward as eas mid as possible to effectively apply rie owldege in high fire danger areas. face! Set each year find themselves dood : oe gtim realities of fire, the a mud slides. By understanding ure of the threat, and following 3 guidelines set forth here, they can Ives immeasurably in avoiding the & pal re: a destruction that has been enc in x California, recent years in Southern Kenneth Montgomery is a biologist on the research staff at the Arboretum with a Special interest in plant ecology. LITERATURE CITED Ching, F. T. 1959. Slow-burning plant re- search project — a progress report. Lasca Leaves 9:75-80. Ching, (FoT: Stewart. 1962. Re and W. S. search with slow-burning plants. J. Forestry 60:796-798. Ford, John Anson. 1961. years in Los Angeies County. Huntington Library Publications, San Marino, California. 232 pgs. Hanes, Ted L. 1971. Succession after fire in the chaparral of Southern California. Ecol. Monographs 7-52. Maire, Richard G. and J. Landscape for fire protection. Univ. 0 Calif., Ag. Extension Service AXT-254. 15 pgs. Thirty explosive R. Goodin. ~~ Martin, L. B. and M. C. Juhren. 1954. Czstus and its response to fire. Lasca Leaves 4: 67. Montgomery, Kenneth R. 1972. Brush fires in Southern California: their ecology and rela- tionship to man. Lasca Leaves 22(2): 34-42. Montgomery, Kenneth R. for brush fire protection and control in hillside residential areas. County Departmental Booklet. 40 pgs Montgomery, Kenneth R. and P. C. Cheo. 1969. Moisture and salt effects on fire re- tardance in plants. Amer. Journal of Botany Montgomery, Kenneth R. and P. C. Cheo. 1970. Fire-retardant plants for fire preven- tion in hillside residential areas. Lasca Leaves 20(3):56-58, 67. Montgomery, Kenneth R. and Russ Stallings. 1970. Fire-retardant plants for hillside areas. L.A. County Departmental Brochure. 12 pgs. Murray (Ed.) 1970. Symposium n ng with the Chaparral Proceedings. Sierra Club Special Publications, San Fran- cisco. 225 pgs. : Rosenthal, on Livi res uture. Dou Garden City, New York. 624 pgs Youngner, V. B. 1970. Landscaping to protect homes from wildfires. Calif. Turfgrass Cul- 2 ture 20(4) :28-32. 26 March, 1975 A Landfill Botanic Garden OUTH Coast BOTANIC GARDEN is unique in its geological history. Fif- teen million years ago the Palos Verdes Peninsula, where the Garden is located, was part of an undersea ridge which was gradually sinking as a great rim of moun- tains was rising and forming a basin. The mountains and the Channel Islands. The basin is, of course, our Los Angeles Ba- sin. Thirteen million years later, or approxt mately two million years ago, the alos Verdes Hills began their emergence from the ocean, and one million years later stabilized their position as a large island in a beautiful bay. “ Imagine this bay extending from base of the Santa Monica mountains east to the Hollywood Hills, southeast t the Puente Hills, and then southwest 10 le zuna’s San Joaquin Hills, with + a of beautiful small islands consisting ° PACIFIC OGEAN ernie aa SAN GABRIEL i Abiatey iY SAN Gae@ete “a MouNTAINS wala ve : : 7 Peninsul Sketch showing former and present coastline of Palos Verdes Lasca Leaves Photos courtesy of Hi-Rel Laboratories, Inc. 27 28 Algae the simplest of green plants. They are humerous and widely distributed, primarily aquatic and can be unicellular like the diatoms, or multi- cellular like the seaweeds. This group of plants manufacture their Own food frm inorganic substances and development and maintenance of aquatic animal life would have been impossible without them. The great importance of this algal food chain can be further appreciated when we realize that this planet was once a water covered mass. After the develop- ment of the one cell] plant that was able to manufacture its own food Diatoms have played a crucial role in the life-cycle food chain of this earth ig March, 1975 since life began. Their skeletal rems have also proved to be of great indus importance. role in our daily lives, especially i @ filtration of liquids. Many familiar com mercial products would be er impossible to produce without aia filtration. Examples are sugar, ant oe beer, swimming pool filters, and - fluid recovery, all requiring various a sroduction, a ee as a filler in the nae paint, pesticide, paper, and ra on of equal importance ts its role — kilos saving insulation material 1n ov : and furnaces. The exceptional heavy de tomaceous earth were recogniz its of dia- P zed by the mined this future gar until 1954. The a a urchased in 1956 by - firs ge Sanitation Department. se load of trash was deposited ” on February 15, 1965 at ne last load was deposited. Thre depths of half million tons of trash 19 This is another in a Se a by Armand Sarinana, 5 sg “ten, til of South Coast cere “ ing the ovigin and develop garden. Lasca Leaves 29 Photo by Francis Ching An Arboretum is for people . . . This early-morning view of a spring-fed lagoon at the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum embodies the best meaning of the words ecology and conservation. The: lagoon serves as a haven for resident water birds, as a rest Station in an urban area for migratory birds, and as a nesting place within its reed-lined shores for a number of endangered species. In turn, the birds keep the fish population in check, helping to clean the cae H algae, and afford pleasure for thousands of visitors, young Gnd old. The Queen Anne Cottage is a California state historical landmark vo Preserved for future generations. The Mexican Fan Palms, seen all over Southern California, are the tallest of any in the United States. Southern California Edison Company 30 March, 1975 THE BOOK OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN by H. Stuart Ortloff and Henry B. Raymore; William Morrow & Co., New York. This book was written for the nonpro- fessional and as such it generally fulfills its puropse, although it seems somewhat dated, having first been published in 1959 and reissued last January in paper- back form. The information presented is excellent, the summary of the history of landscape architecture being particu- larly concise and complete. I was in agreement with the statements regarding design and composition, but not with all examples given to illustrate these prin- ciples. The authors are definitely schooled in the formal school of landscape archi- tecture and tend to relate design princi- ples in that direction. With few excep- tions, most chapters of the book seem un- necessarily long, the authors making the same points over and over. It is this repe- tition that makes the book read like a compilation of the author's talks to garden clubs. Indeed, the book appears to have been written not just to the individual homeowner with guidelines for the land- scaping of his home, but for members of garden clubs and the areas of activity that garden clubs might be involved in. In this respect, it is very helpful in deal- ing with probliems having to do with community ordinances and the like. The book contains a number of photos and quite a few drawings which, though probably adequate, are not as effective as they might be. HOW TO PLAN AND PLANT YOUR OWN (@) PROPERTY by Alice Recknagel | LA William Morrow and Co. New ig es ew : A book strictly for the beginner, and on this level very good. The homeowner is led step by step through three divisions of landscaping in a text that is perhaps more descriptive than necessary. The te lationship between the many photographs and adjacent plans is excellent. One mi nor limitation is that the plans and draw- ings look outdated, as if they were made thirty years ago. A more serious fault ss that too many of the pictures and plants are not identified to a region. Lawrence Reed Moline, A.S.LA. Other new acquisitions to LASCA Plant Science Library: N, John A. Naegele, Hs Chemical Society, Washington, D.C. 12 137 p. (Advances in chem 122) TS Y OF GREEN PLANTS: THE BIOCHEMISTRY Fe David W. Krogmann. wood Cliffs, N.J. . 239 p. re, Van BIOETHICS: bridge to the futu cae Renssalaer Potter. Prentice-Hall, wood Cliffs, OTAN: N.J. 1971. 205 P. . BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY os INSTI ISTS REPRESENTED IN THE dar at Insti TUTE PORTRAIT COLLECTION, Fu K. e f i mentation. Hall, Boston. 1972. p. HE THE BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY OF [, UMBELLIFERAE, V. H. Heywo trations: demic Press, London. 438 P. ean societ (Botanical journal of the Linn . ; aisel. BIOLOGY OF HALOPHYTES, va WO5 P Academic Press, New York ti s. Paul F. THE BIOLOGY OF MYCOPLASMAS, 1971. Smith. Academic Press, New . Illustrations. iFICA CHEMISTRY IN BOTANICAL CAS ress0t TION, Gerd Bendz and Jona York. 1973. eds. Academic Press, New ' NORTH THE . COMMON _ INSECTS rca as & AMERICA, Lester A. Swan 4 & i] Se] pert J. ; sat i ECOLOGY 0 fae aie n, eds: bg, i a . 6 oS a4 y York. 1974- 605 d lustrations. Lasca Leaves 31 BEAUFORTIA SPARSA (Cover) Beaufortia sparsa is a heath-like plant indigenous to West Australia that looks somewhat like a bottlebrush (Callistemon) to which it is related. It is much more open than most callistemons and the orange-hued flower heads, though similar, are larger. Botanically, it is an evergreen shrub growing to 8 feet, leaves ovate to elliptic, entire, alternate or sometimes apparently opposite or whorled, crowded, sessile, thick, leathery, and small. The cultural requirements of Beaufortia sparsa are also similar to those of the bottlebrush in that it prefers light, well-drained soils, a mod- erate amount of moisture, and a location in full sun. It is not subject to disease and is apparently free of insect pests. Without shaping or pruning it grows nat- urally into a relatively well-formed shrub that is higher than it is wide. The orange- red flowers are made up mostly of stamens and appear in many clusters in the late spring. Beaufortia sparsa is particularly well suited for use against walls and fences. The Los Angeles State and County Arboretum will be introducing this plant to the nursery trade in the near future. Interested parties may call the Arboretum su- Perintendent for further information. ARBORETUM WEATHER long. 34d 08’ 48” N. lat. 118d 02’ 59” Ww. Weather season Elev. 571.28 ft. Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 WS ee November December January rae daily maximum temperature 72.4 67.2 68.4 Hi frage daily minimum temperature 41.0 44.4 42.4 ts ga temperature _—_ 91 80 “erg temperature st 42 33 32 or aad of clear OO 19 25 24 oe of Partly cloudy days 8 5 4 “on during this month ss” .06 1.01 19 ‘Oi 846. 555 a Saulediics BOARD OF SUPERVISORS LOS ANGELES COUNTY KENNETH HAHN EDMUND D. EDELMAN 2nd _ District 3rd District PETER F. SCHABARUM 1st District JAMES HAYES BAXTER WARD 4th District 5th District DEPARTMENT OF ARBORETA AND BOTANIC GARDENS LOS ANGELES COUNTY Arcadia, California 91006 ¢ ‘Telephone: (213) 681-5277 Francis Ching, Director; Roy Ito, Assistant Director; Frank Simerly, Assistant i ee H keman, Executive Assistant. Los Angeles State and County Ar noe W. Provine, Superintendent; William Hawkinson, Assistant Superintendent; "ea Ross, Orchidist; Charles Lee, Horticultural Consultant. Descanso Gardens: eorge Lewis, Superintendent: South Coast Botanic Garden: Armand Sarinana, Superin- tendent; Edward Hartnagel, Assistant Superintendent. Research Division: Paul Cheo, Ph.D., Chief; Leonid Enari, Ph.D., Senior Biologist, Taxonomy and Plant met Section; George Hanson, Ph.D., Senior Biologist, Research Section. Education sion: Tak Niiya, Chief; Patricia Warren, Associate Curator, History. Public Serv Division: Donald S. Dimond, Chief. CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC. Arcadia, California 91006 ¢ Telephone: (213) 447-8207 BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS: Mrs. John A. Grivich, President; Mrs. Leland E. Larson, President; Frank J. Regan, Second Vice-President and Treasuref, Mrs. Hubbell, Executive Secretary. First Vice Dolores K: BOARD MEMBERS: Harrison Chandler, Mrs. William — eho aan Coulombe, J. Lyle Cunningham, James P. Curry, Mrs. Peter L. Dougie | al M. Dunbar, William E. Eilau, George L. Forman, Mrs. rane D. Frost, ~~ Jone’ N. Fuelling, Mrs. Vincent T. Gilchrist, Ernest E. Hetherington, Mrs. E Schoenfeld, Ralph W. Spencer, Mrs. Richard W. Sprague, Joseph A. sok. William H. Stitt, Robert P. Strub, Loran M. Whitelock, Mrs. Chester we Belt. HONORARY TRUSTEES: Dr. Samuel Ayres, Jr., Mrs. Harry J. Baue o. Lane, Mrs. Ralph D. Cornell, Dr. Arie J. Haagen-Smit, Mrs. Valley crude ines _ Mrs. Jr., Dr. Mildred E. Mathias, Mrs. Manfred Meyberg, Mrs. Thomas J- Forrest Q. Stanton, Lovell Swisher, Jr., Mrs. Archibald B. Young: EX-OFFICIO: Francis Ching, Director; Roy Ito, Assistant Director, Frac Assistant Director; John W. Provine, Superintendent. k simerty © JRaScaleates Published quarterly by the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., for the. Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens of Los Angeles County. LOS ANGELES SOUTH COAST STATE & COUNTY. ARBORETUM DESCANSO GARDENS = goTANIC GARDEN 36 Department Notes 43 Plant Portraits: Ginkgo 47 Living Off The Land: The Gabrielinos 51 Growing Paphiopedilum Orchids Outdoors 54 A Landfill Botanic Garden 58 Bookshelf 59 Kunzea pulchella (Cover) 59 Arboretum Weather Editor Photo credits: Cover, — Ching. : Pages 37 and 38, Harry Laugharn, Donald $. Dimond all’ the rest by William Aplin. You are invited to join the CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC. een Plant and Seed Distribution + Invitations to special events. EMBERSHIP brings you the quarterly publication, Lasca Leaves * Newsletter ee DUES: Annual, $10; Annual Contributing. $25; Annual Busi- $100; Annual Sustaining, $100; Annual Sponsor, $250: Life, $500; Founders $1,000; Benefactors, $5,000 or more. Contributions are deductible. ake check payable to the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc. and send to headquarters at 31 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, Calif. 91006. ae “oe ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER (72008? BREAKING ceremonies were held at South Coast Botanic Gar- den last May 21 marking the start of construction of two one-story buildings that will house the long-awaited Admin- istrative Center. County Supervisor James Hayes, in whose district the garden is lo- cated, Dr. Paul Saffo, president of the South Coast Botanic Garden Foundation, Mrs. Mary Bittner, president of the de- partment’s Board of Governors, and Fran- " + ‘al: . : be. 2 Ne * de’ ‘ es | saad : er South Coast Botanic Garden Administrative Cent June, 1975 welcoming remarks to the people gath- ered at the building site, among them Alice Quiros of the South Bay Bro- meliad Association, Jerry Curtis of the South Bay Herb Society, and other long: time supporters of the garden, Mr. a began his introduction of the notab present by recognizing 4 lady who, observed, needed no introduction—Ms. Frances Young, remembered by everyons for her many contributions to the gat : since she first helped to bring it i existence. In a similar category was the mayor of Rolling Hills; 20? bs drickson, chief architect for the pro} Lasca Leaves 37 Ke, a 8, A . eo srageedeaeezes 1igseeeseeeSeeees iii ity a aeeees q . it From left : nee : ‘ ae a aoa. :O Don A de F rances Young, Supervisor Hayes, Mary Bittner, Ed Harrison, n, Francis Ching, Hiam Barmack, and Merrill Cate. 38 June, 1975 From left: Department Director Francis Ching with Supervisor James Hayes recess $20,000 check from Foundation President Paul Saffo. Be ie: eS ee Mae ove Ground-breakin day, May 21. 1975. “We were ther p a Lasca Leaves oO teeny office space for the superin- ras rie oe arene a general office oa re Space for a reading room. The lt ei will consist mainly of hea tum of 7,000 square feet, of hurd a Square feet can be converted wae . by means of folding _. *he plans also provide for park- ik ibs Cafs, a tram-loading area, a sting 2 Re the new facilities to the tage System, and a new main en- tenshaw Boulevard. ANNUAL MEETING Tez aamat membership meeting of the May 29. Ornia Arboretum Foundation on and thei was attended by 400 members half } 't guests who in about two and a tram tours Starting at 5 p.m., enjoyed Picnic buff of the grounds, a twilight Sneak... v_ brisk business meeting, a Jungle Pai Of the Prehistoric and den, and the membership plant 39 distribution, consisting this year of two melaleucas introduced by the Arboretum, one a large shrub with crimson flowers (M. elliptica), the other a medium-sized tree with showy white flowers ( M. /inarii- folia). The buffet and meeting were held in a corner of the Arboretum’s Mediter- ranean Section so that everyone had only to walk across the road when it came time to see the Prehistoric and Jungle Garden. Still under development, this new project received enthusiastic praise, particularly the just-completed viewing and display deck. Mrs. John Grivich, Foundation presi- dent, presided over the meeting, which she opened with a warm welcome to her guests, Mrs. Mary Bittner and Mrs. Marilyn Stokes, president and member, respectively, of the Board of Governors, and Mrs. Rodney Rood, president of the Descanso Gardens Guild. The meeting continued with the tradition! financial re- port, the nomination and election of new trustees, and remarks from Francis Ching, director, and then was adjourned for the preview of the new garden. DESCANSO GARDENS SPEAKER fhe Descanso GARDENS GUILD has announced the availability of a new spokesman for the gardens. She is Mrs. Edith Sawyer, a ten-year member of the Guild whose interest in the gardens has led her into lecturing. Mrs. Sawyer’s pre- sentation covers all aspects of Descanso Gardens, including its activities and his- torical background, and is highlighted by the showing of color slides. Program chairmen for interested organizations can arrange for a speaking date by calling the Guild office at 790-5414. There is no charge for Mrs. Sawyer’s services but do- nations to the Descanso Gardens Memo- rial Fund are welcomed. 40 FIESTA DE FLORES T= Is evidence everywhere of the gtowth of South Coast Botanic Gar- den, but nowhere more basically expres- sed than in attendance which increases week by week and event by event. A case in point is the 13th Annual Fiesta de Flores, held last May 10 and 11. Always the major event of the year at South itors, a thousand more than last year. Great credit is due the South Coast Bo- a ~ 7 Om a igh ny Visitors pause to view the b June, 1975 The plant sale was one of the busiest events of the Fiesta. tanic Garden Foundation whose ae organized and carried off a vari : i gram that delighted everyone. be fee gram was a happy balance of ente : ment in the form of singing groups a instrumentalists; horticultural —_ = demonstrations — vegetable x oe bonsai, herbs; plant exhibits of a and plant sales. They were pb ie sist by two days of sparkling ir with a garden that never looked pee colorful ground covers, flowering and the clear, newly-filled lake. Ye mee eons C) ees se romeliad display. Lasca Leaves 41 Suspended on euca- lyptus lodgepoles, the Arboretum’s Pre- historic Garden red- wood-and-fir view- ing-deck commands views of the Oueen Anne Cottage and H. id Space are redwood display cases contain- N& graphic descrip- ‘tons of the evolution of plants. The Begonia House at the Arboretum was recently reland- scaped under the di- rection of Tim Lor- man, horticulturist. ed white-rock path bor- dered by sections of yailroad ties was con- structed and the plants were terraced so as to afford vist- tors a better view of the 80 begonia spe- cies and 200 varie- ties represented in the collection. oe : ae ee. 2 Be fe io nap &onia house at the Arboretum. 42 June, a : — eal a= ae ah: = ola oo — we = af . pos " ei This 6,000-square-foot shade area at the Arboretum was built to pr 5 > 3 rm can h e cover for outdoor events. It is designed so that the saran na os put up or taken down easily and quickly according to the wea requirements of the event. HOWARD MILLER OWARD A. MILLER, one of the origi- nal signers in 1948 of the articles incorporating the California Arboretum Foundation, died after a brief illness in Huntington-Memorial Hospital in San Marino on April 28. Mr. Miller, a resi- dent of San Marino for 38 years, will be remembered for his many years of service on behalf of the Arboretum. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation from its inception until his death, serving as treasurer until five years ago when he became an honorary mem- ber. He was also a member of the Board partment, serving from July 1, 1953 to June 30, 1974. Mr. Miller belonged with that group of per- e Metropoli- tan Water District and assistant manager of the Los Angeles Chamber of Com- mertce—he was selected to make the pre- sentation to the Board. It was a wise selection, for Mr. Miller impressed the supervisors with the desirability of the Project, leading those gentlemen to lend their weight to subsequent on C) S. SS cherry, cattail, sunflower, grass, and other seeds were similarly ground into meal for use in soups, white bulbs, yucca buds, tule potatoes, plant stems, and pine cones (they popped open when roasted and the pine nuts were shaken out) among other things were roasted in pit ovens lined with leaves and hot stones to form a sort of steam cooker. California was a land of plenty in which an abundant, year-round food supply precluded the necessity of organized agriculture. € Gabrielino woman, as sewer and weaver, made use of other plant fibers. Rubbed on the thigh to make twine ets were used to carry in the acorn crop, while the gatherer’s forehead was ” June, 1975 protected from the strap of the carrying net by a basket cap. Handmade baskets served as sifters, seed-beaters, winnowess, storage containers, and even watertight cooking vessels. With a looped stick, he stones were placed in the boiling basket and stirred carefully to heat the acom soup without burning a hole through the flammable material. The boiling baste! then metamorphised into a communal pol in which all members of the family dip ed their fingers. = : Into every ne ‘*hand-to-mouth = ence a few germs must fall, but the rielinos were ready for almost any ms Pinyon resin could be chewed to eclien sore throat or be applied hot as @ -_ for sores, cuts, and insect bites. A made from buckwheat stems and ee eased bladder troubles, while white bark tea helped check diarrhea @ \ drinking bad water. Manzanita i. tion worked wonders on poison a flammation, while juice from er : stems, leaves, - roots = for warts and ringworm. fetes a sense, it was ironic that thes people who had lived off 2 ; many years, who had adapt be to the many whims of nat ee struck down so quickly by the ware ft of civilization. Nature had 10 aol the white man’s smallpox, m&>™ cattle syphilis, no answers when tains. Become Spanish or die ae mate choice. Gf the 5,000 Gi reported in a 1770 estimate, ie : ful survived through the 7 a tury. The last full-blood eo ibe died about fifty years 48% “ill is now officially considered ‘ ; ek Sandy Snider 1s an ng aie historical section currently engas” i : research project on the life the Gabrielino Indians. 2 Lasca Leaves 51 Growing Paphiopedilum Orchids Outdoors Earl Ross Rs orchid family is a large one, com- prising over 500 genera, at least fifty times as many species, and countless hybrids. They grow in many different parts of the world, at high altitudes and low, in shade and sunlight, and are basi- a ‘S oN Paphi opedilum orch cally either epiphytic or terrestrial. The best known and the most popular are the epiphytic cattleyas which are essentially greenhouse plants outside of tropical merica. Less difficult for the home gar- dener to grow are the paphiopedilum or 52 lady-slipper orchids, terrestrial plants that can be grown outdoors in Southern Cali- fornia with proper care. There are two types, one with solid green leaves found at high altitudes and the most suitable for outdoor growing, the second with mottled green leaves found at lower alti- tudes and in warmer climates. Both re- quire abundant rainfall and grow on an accumulation of decaying vegetation on ledges partially shaded by overhanging cliffs or trees. Paphiopedilums have a broad color spectrum that ranges from whites through greens and mahoganies. Many have petals that are striped, spot- ted, or splashed. The most common color in modern hybrids is probably in the ma- hogany shade. The rarest would be pink. Cultural requirements for growing paphiopedilum orchids outdoors in South. ern California are as follows: Light — 1. Shade throughout the year, more in summer than winter. 2. About 10% to 15% of direct light from the sun should be adequate. 3. The foliage should remain dark &teen throughout the year. Temperature — 1. Optimum growing temperature is 54° at night and 750° day. 2. Plants can tolerate temperatures of 28° for short periods of time. 3. Place plant in protected area if tem- perature is anticipated to drop be- w 28°. Humidity — 1. Mist over plants daily, before noon if possible. June, 1975 2. Excessive moisture on leaves late in day encourages disease. 3. Keep plants at ground level and away from dry breeze. Watering — 1. Potting medium should never dry 2. In summer water about three times per week. 3. In winter water infrequently but as often as plant requires. Feeding — a 1. Feed plants with weak oe a complete fertilizer such as pe 30-10-10. Apply according to a tions on label. The 30-10-10 re ss of course, to the three primary" trient elements: nitrogen, — ‘ us, and potassium, _ that order on fertilizer labe s re mmediately utrients in the content for paphiopedis a and isfy the needs of both the P bark Potting — af con 1. Pot soon after flowering : ig crowd "has decomposed Oe plan ed d 2. Compost shoul drained, such as two bark and one part spe four parts fir bark, Lasca Leaves (The home gardener will find it more convenient to buy this compost ready-mixed, rather than buying the parts separately and mixing it him- self.) 3. Divide plants to not less than three growths. Larger plants flower bet- ter. 4. Remove all dead leaves, dead roots, and all old compost. 5. When selecting a pot for the plant, allow space for two new growths to edge of pot. Plastic pots are su- petior to clay pots because plastic does not dry out as rapidly as clay and salts from water and fertilizer do not build up as rapidly as in clay pots. 6. Place base of plant about one half inch below top of compost. If the plant is set too deep, the base may fot. Location — 1. Lath house, under trees, in raised beds or on north side of house. 2. Leave plants in pots and sink pots 'n ground, leaving rim of pot ex- Posed. ravel und dicate gravel under pot for Flowerin oat 1. Plants start flowering in early De- cember and can be in flower as late : the end of June, depending on € number and selection of plants One wishes to maintain. i Flowers are borne singly on a single Of on spikes with multiple ts, as in the P. glaucophyllum Sroup. Spikes form one or two flow- €rs at a time which can last 3 to 4 53 weeks; the spikes continue to pro- duce flowers for about 4 months. Pests — 1. Plants are relatively pest free. 2. Slugs and snails should be controlled with a granular metaldehyde bait. 3. Mealybugs and scale can be con- trolled with malathion sprays. Propagation: Because of their pouches, laymen commonly think of paphiopedil- ums as being insectivorous plants. They are not, although the pouch is a trap. What it does is trap an insect which, in order to get out, has to crawl up the back side of the pouch using the fine hairs as a ladder. In so doing, the insect picks up pollen which it then transfers to other plants, thereby assuring cross pollination. In nature, propagation is mainly through wind-blown seed. A paphiopedilum pod can contain as many as 100,000 seeds, which are about the size of dust. When the capsule splits, the seeds are carried for some distance. If they are lucky enough to fall in the right spot where there is enough moisture and food, germination will take place. After germi- nating, it will be a long hard life of as much as twelve years before the first flowering. For the home gardener, it is impractical, although not impossible, to start with seed. The best way to obtain plants would be through a specialty nursery. A strong plant in flower can be the best buy; it will flower depending on their size when pur- chased. Earl Ross has been the orchidist at the Arboretum for the past seven years. June, 1975 A Landfill Botanic Garden Armand Sarinana hes AREA along the northern border of the Palos Verdes Hills was once one of the richest sources of diatomaceous earth in California, yielding more than a million tons between 1929 and 1954. When the marketable supply became ex- hausted after a quarter of a century of mining, the companies involved followed the standard practice of mining com- panies everywhere—they simply left, leav- ing gaping, unfilled holes in the ground. The last to leave was the Great Lakes Carbon Company, which mined the area now occupied by South Coast Botanic Garden. The first commercial mining of diato- maceous earth in the Palos Verdes area was started in 1929 by the Decalite Com- pany, using mules and wagons to remove the deposits. The Decalite Company be- came the second in the world to manu- facture a full line of diatomaceous earth products on a commercial basis. The principal use of diatomite over the years has been in the filtering of liquids. Two modern uses are in the manufacture of beer and swimming pool filters. But long before it was put to any industrial use it was used as a white body paint by trade item with nearby tribes, notably the Catalina Island Indians. In 1956, two years after the Great Lakes Carbon Company had left, the Los Angeles County Sanitation i chased the site for a sanitary w : having been attracted by the vacat mines. : ee Sanitation Districts’ main an is how to dispose of the waste P ei of our affluent and growing “— rin a concern that led to the use Of ® i landfills as a means of nie i pollution. By the end of Wor hae the amount of smog in eee ‘ Basin had increased enoug! re i designat The entire county was | Pollution Control District for os = of investigation and abatemen : Studies soon disclosed that contaminants. Elimination © producing factor was turned bee Sanitation Districts who ae pls with developing a compre _ for collecting and ipa er tible rubbish with minke ge oF and without interfering W! ee lectors or with private gig puschas Their studies resulted 1 ae af of potential sanitary Jan aa Palos which the former mune he xr Verdes was one of the seal mining sition of the unsightly, aban ; to the sed by the as O : sadieaacents fearful of havin’ e Lasca Leaves 55 - > ty = "7 View of the ik sheploted full area (light sae in 1965, 3, eal i use. The Pacific Ocean is seen in the distance. In foreground, sect pt since 1960. bage dump in their neighborhood. After many meetings, discussions, and disagree- ments, the plan was approved with the proviso that the filled area had to be developed as a regional park or golf course. The decision to convert this parti- cular 87-acre parcel into a botanic garden came on March 1, 1960, when the Board of Supervisors approved the recommen- dation of citizen and government groups. The Sanitation Districts has since been needed, the Sanitation ee ka ag been extremely helpful. e development of South Coast Bo- tanic Garden on a former landfill has proved that the elimination of trash can matee. Property course, the thought of having a dump- site close to one’s home instantly creates a negative attitude with just the opposite conclusions. As a consequence, the Sanita- tion Districts has had to work very hard, not only to find new sites for — i s, but also to ov i ump: residents of their necessity and fo the increasing To sanitation ene : amounts of household nei trash present a real problem, ¢v' thie Since burning and a : i ae either limited or forbidden, cover method is the only option, thou e most with the energy shortages, ne indicate landfill wells wre foe w bonus in the form of m st st in homes and autos. At P uals i tanic garden has tw0 1 pe which the rate of trash Tien an : in the presence of a ae sulting methane produ : studied. a ofa ; jes This is another in 4 sert Sout Armand Sarimana, Garden apr Mg and development 0 of th , x F + i ¥ : ; ‘ oie “le. “ ae ) ee ae = g; a ax 5 : i A . wtih 4% Pe *, '~ Gia : C3 iat ! ¥ , Saws, | = eM Bee ~~ “% eG Tae - aoe @ see tif’ ot a ae Baew or a we > es a ty + o-oo” .« $4 Raat * >» * Forest of Quercus agrifolia at Descanso Gardens. An Arboretum is for people . . . California native oaks like those at Descanso Gardens in La Canada live about 500 years in their natural state. In cities and towns, how- ever, their lifespan is often shortened by a root disease (Armillaria mellea) that develops from uncontrolled artificial irrigation. To help homeowners keep oaks on their property healthy, horticul- turists in the Los Angeles County Department of Arboreta and Botanic ardens have prepared a bulletin outlining maintenance procedures. For a copy, write to Public Services, Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia 91006. Southern California Edison Company 58 June, 1975 HOW TO MAKE CUT FLOWERS LAST by Victoria R. Kasperski; William Morrow Co., New York 1975. Paperback. This book is a must for the novice in floral arranging. It is especially good for the self-instructed aspirant entering a lo- cal show. A basic and important need for this kind of book has been met by this author. Put to practical use, it will enable the reader to fulfill his desire to win ribbons or satisfy his or her own GARDENING FOR FRAGRANCE by Nelson Coon; Hearthside Press, New York 1970. €ar to everyone's He classifies the characteristics of these odors. He Stresses the awareness of scents, the how and why, the use in re- ligion, sex, and control of objectionable Odors such as sm i The including scented of plants are dis- cussed. The use of fragrances to give pleasure to the visually handicapped is only one facet which he covers. The need of distances to dilute overpowering odors and plants which must be inhal at close range to enjoy are also per Nighttime scents and nosti odors plus the many odors of roses are few mentioned, including fragrances from the wild and the roadside. This book is a welcome change from the usual f n fragrant plants. volumes o g p ie a ther new acquisitions to LASCA Plant Science Library: SES, THE DIAGNOSIS OF PLANT ae Rubert B. Streets, Sr. Un, ee Press, Tucson. 1972. 226 Pp. ne GARDENING WITH WILD LOWS vo ces Tenenbaum. Scribner s, snd colt 9 206 p. Black and white illustrations. 200K THE INDOOR LIGHT GARDENING 1973 George A. Elbert. Crown, New oe ‘ystre 250 p. Black and white and c tions. TREES: THE INTERNATIONAL BOOK OF. of vt a guide and tbe a Johnson. 5: ens, iedonped F edaster New York. 1973 p. Color illustrations. - THE IVY BOOK; the gro orerot Mac: ivy and ivy topiary, Suzanne stration’: millan, New York. 164 P- a uouse THE NEW YORK TIMES _ Quadrangle PLANTS, Joan Lee 7 and white New York. 1973. 274 p. Bla and color illustrations. - scientific ORCHIDS: scientific. Withner. ed. Wiley-Interscie 1974. 604 p. Illustrations. ae sextbook PLANTS AND ENVIRONMEN Dauber of plant autecology, ve x 1974: 422 3rd ed. Wiley, : 2 Illustrations. i. n TROPICAL CROPS: monocotylen York: Purseglove. Halsted Press, 972. 2 v. Illustrations. a ool ai WILD FLOWERS OF juagei itd., sidneh Lewis J. Clark. Gray . illu a B.C. 1973. 591 p. Colo care of L dies, Carl a New Yow Lasca Leaves 59 KUNZEA PULCHELLA (Cover) Kunzea pulchella is a medium-sized shrub that reaches a height of 10 feet. It has a spreading, fountain-like habit that is graceful and makes it valuable for an accent plant. A native of western Australia, this evergreen shrub is particularly suited for small gardens. The leaves are small, about %-inch long, with rounded ends and a gray-green color. The growth rate is moderate and it seems to tolerate a variety of soils except those that are heavy and poorly drained. It should be planted ina location receiving full sun. The flowers of K. pulchella are extremely showy, dark red, and reminiscent of eucalyptus or bottlebrush flowers in that it is the stamens that are showy. The contrast between the gray foliage and the red flowers is striking. It is not yet available in most nurseries, but can be acquired in limited quantities from the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., located at the Arboretum in Arcadia. Nurseries interested in growing the plant for sale may acquire cutting stock by contacting the Arboretum superintendent. ARBORETUM WEATHER Lat. 34°08’48” N. Long. 118°02’59” w. Weather season: Elev. 571.28 ft. Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 Wesco a February March April Average daily maximum temperature 66.5 66.4 68.1 Average daily minimum temperature s———téS4‘«~WS 44.5 44.3 Highest ee i ne 79 83 Sr ee 34 35 32 ee tee dy tO 13 6 Number of partly cloudy days 12 10 WW Number of Goudy dass 3 6 10 Rain during this month Total rain since Oct. Ist [tami Te PR LE een aaa a Roeeesaeneeeeen Calendar — June, July, August, September — ARBORETUM, | Arcadia June 1 —10am Sunday Morning Walk* ‘Tim Lorman, horticulturist june 41, 22 — 8 = 5:30 p.m. G lus orem by ot Southern California Gladiolus Society — se ste 5, 6 —9 to 5:30 : : actus Show* ee _ Breed by the C the Cactus and Succulent = 12, 13— sat 14 crepes iel Sent 21 — 2pm, Lecture “Decorative Plants from Dinner Tak Niiy. iiya, chief of Education Division DESCANSO GARDENS, La Canada June 1 —$to = p.m. estival S and ie: guests. June 22—3p La Canada Folk Dancers June 29 —3p eae Sens ¢ Ouartel july 13 —3p Pos tase iy Strings | July 19, 20 — = La Canada RSE ies July 26, 27 —3p Gle ndale Community S) SOUTH COAST some Palos Verdes Peninsula June 8 — superintendent ae sored by South - : f-aencacee BIRDWALKS ARBORETU ist ay of each DESCANSO 2nd and 4th Sunday o at 8 a.m. S Sponsored by San Fer Society os SOUTH COAST BOTAN South Cos TRISTE IRE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS | LOS ANGELES COUNTY KENNETH HAHN EDMUND D. EDELMAN 2nd District 3rd_ District PETER F. SCHABARUM lst Distri JAMES HAYES BAXTER WARD Ath District 5th District DEPARTMENT OF ARBORETA AND BOTANIC GARDENS LOS ANGELES COUNTY Arcadia, California 91006 e Telephone: (213) 681-8411 Francis Ching, Director; Roy Ito, Assistant Director; Frank Simerly, Assistant Director; Lee H. Wakeman, Executive Assistant. Los Angeles State and c John W. Provine, Superintendent; William Hawkinson, Assistant Su Ross, Orchidist; Tim Lorman, Horticulturist; Charles Lee, Horticultural Descanso Gardens: George Lewis, Superintendent: South Coast Botanic vial Armand Sarinana, Superintendent; Edward Hartnagel, Assistant Su ae Research Division: Paul Cheo, Ph.D., Chief; Leonid Enari, Ph.D., Senior ree Taxonomy and Plant Records Section; George Hanson, Ph.D., aril Research Section. Education Division: Tak Niiya, Chief; Public Services Donald S. Dimond, Chief. oun perintendent; E2" Consultant. CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, ING Arcadia, California 91006 « Telephone: (213) 447-8207 BOARD OF TRUSTEES ws irst OFFICERS: Mrs. John A. Grivich, President; Mrs. Leland E. Larson, ae K. President; Frank J. Regan, Second Vice-President and Treasurer, Mrs. Hubbell, Executive Secretary. joseph BOARD MEMBERS: Harrison Chandler, Mrs. William Clayton, Jt» a E Coulombe, J. Lyle Cunningham, James P. Curry, Warren M. Dunbar, ling, Eilau, George L. Forman, Mrs. Francis D. Frost, Jr., Thomas - ie Miri Vincent T. Gilchrist, Ernest E. Hetherington, Mrs. Louise W. Jones, - mage, MIS: P. Kirk, D. Ramsay Lawson, Mrs. Thomas H. Lowry, Mrs. John Ms w, Paradis Kenneth Mullen, Mrs. Catherine Munday, Mrs. Nicholas Niciphor, Dave gchoenteld Robert E. Paradise, Mrs. Elizabeth Price, F. Harold Roach, Walt william H. Ralph W. Spencer, Mrs. Richard W. Sprague, Joseph A. Sprankle, Jf Stitt, Robert P. Strub, Loran M. Whitelock, Mrs. Chester Williams: Elmer Bel HONORARY TRUSTEES: Dr. Samuel Ayres, Jr., Mrs. Harry J. Bauet, OY“ rigred & Mrs. Ralph D. Cornell, Dr. Arie J. Haagen-Smit, Mrs. Valley Knudsen g, stanton 2 Mathias, Mrs. Manfred Meyberg, Mrs. Thomas J. Moore, Mrs. J Lovell Swisher, Jr., Mrs. Archibald B. Young. ak simert a patshandeacais Francis Ching, Director; Roy Ito, Assistant Director 7 Assistant Director; John W. Provine, Superintendent. Ba ne a a ar are SS | September 1975 Vol. XXV No. 3 Published inlet by the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., for the Department of Arboreta and See Gardens of Los Angeles County. LOS ANGELES SOUTH COAST STATE & COUNTY ARBORETUM | DESCANSO GARDENS QT ANIC GARDEN ccsssseseneeeseesssneemeememeemeeeese LT 64 Department Notes 69 Plant Portraits: English Oak 73 Agapanthus 77 California Living — The Ranchero 81 A Landfill Botanic Garden 86 Gene Banks 87 Grevillea cv. Poorinda Peter (Cover) 87 Arboretum Weather me Editor Photo credits: Cover, Francis Ching; all others nald $. Dimond by William Aplin You are invited to join the CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC. * Annual plant and Seed Distribution * Invitations to special even MEMBERSHIP brings you the quarterly publication, Lasca Leaves * eles MEMBERSHIP DUES: Annual, $10; Annual Contributing, $25; Annual Busi- erg 0; Annual Sustaining, $100; Annual Sponsor, $250; Life, $500; Contributions are deductible. 0; Ben ors Make check payable to = California Arboretu tigers Inc., and send to Bien ee en BOARD OF GOVERNORS ide BoarD OF GOVERNORS of the De- partment of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens elected Mrs. Marilyn C. Stoke its new president, succeeding Mrs. Mary M. Bittner who had completed her term. Mrs. Stoke will serve on the Department’s co- ordinating committee made up of the presidents of the Descanso Gardens Guild, South Coast Botanic Garden Foundation, and the California Arboretum Founda- tion. She will also serve on the Depart- ment’s Building Committee. The County Board of Supervisors ap- pointed one new member to the Board of Governors, Mr. Thomas E. Smith, and reappointed Mrs. Ruth Mary Larson, a resident of Pasadena as is Mr. Smith. Mrs. Larson is a past president of Las Volun- tarias, volunteer organization of the Cali- fornia Arboretum Foundation, and is cur- rently first vice-president of the Founda- tion’s Board of Trustees and chairman of its Gift Shop Committee. She has been very active in recent years in just about all of the Foundation’s affairs, notably this year in the Baldwin Bonanza and in the preparation for the forthcoming Queen Anne Frolic. Mr. Smith, a mem- ber of the Foundation for the past two years, is vice-president of Community and Public Affairs for California Federal Savings, a member and vice-president of the California Museum of Science and Industry, and a member of the Tourna- ment of Roses Committee. September, 1975 | FOTA CONTEST Wi THE idea that a contest would be challenging fun for photog — raphers looking for new locations to cp ture on film and at the same time afford ) new visitors the opportunity to gain? — closer look at the plantings and programs of the Arboretum, the California Arbore tum Foundation last year introduced i first FOTA contest. One of the basic rules was that all pictures had to be taken at ' the Arboretum, hence the name “FOTA, an acronym for “Focus on the Ashore tum.” The contest was so enthuse same rules prevailing—o le: subject so eG as it is taken i Arboretum grounds, in color of black white. Prizes totaling twelve hundred . lars will be awarded the winners various categories and set i i ns, ues, awards include ribbo ’ ae of | merit. those accepted for hang ited for a week in the raphers are invit - containing eligibility and wee =. ments at the Arboretum Center. ’ Members of the California five separate ahs are: eer illiamson, Mr. am . hain Mrs. E. Mudd Marv, pe Mage, Mrs. Harty E, Laugh a sore L., Mrs. Preston Hotchkiss, Charis, Mr. and Mrs. Hari OO Mrs. Merrill Bittner, an Armstrong. This wi ted will be the South Coast Botanic Garden 7,000-square-foot auditorium. Main nce (not seen) will be from the right. PROGRESS REPORT Haast construction of the new i Size, cost, and other basic facts re Sa on in our previous issue. is the be, Be aspect of the construction plait ai sheet of plastic permanently building 5 pele the entire auditorium sedi ORs part way up the sides a barrier against the vapors of waee es product of trash decom- ER ts remarkable, incidentally, €ar the adult education vegetable plots a few small fissures from which gas vapors are noticeably escaping and at the entrance road. 66 September, 1975 : + is mak : ing class 15 A favorite take-home project for youngsters in Container Gardening their own terrarium. EDUCATION T# FALL schedule of classes in this Department will essentially repeat the popular educational programs estab- lished in recent yeats. Youth Education will offer six identical classes at each gar- den, beginning September 30 at the Ar- boretum, October 1 at Descanso Gardens, and October 16 at South Coast Botanic Garden. Classes in Indoor Gardens will and harvesting their own individual plots. In Plant Propa- gation students will explore simple and advanced Propagation techniques and the function of greenhouses, and will take part in practical class Projects. Exploring ing study, and Container Gar all aspects of growing gai ers. These are classes yee ‘oth grade They meet for an hour urs Sat utes after school and for two hor day mornings. The classes i filled quickly, so parents ee gee rolling their children 1n ee Educt- advised to write at once to stig tion at the garden nearest them vee 0) - istrati chedule a registration and class $ classe Adults can choose — git 2 at the Arboretum, four at three at South Coast. At the Arboretum there pe and advanced classes 1n ore . parle ng gardening classes, one oo ci ae class focusing on fruit an are began! we Lasca Leaves and one class each in plant identification and vegetable gardening. The fruit-and- berry-culture gardening class will be of- fered at Descanso along with classes in home gardening, home horticulture, and poisonous, medicinal, and edible plants. Classes at South Coast are in home gar- dening, container gardening, and bonsai. Classes at all gardens are sponsored either by Pasadena City College or Los Angeles ame College, and all require a modest fee. Complete schedules may be obtained at each garden by calling or coming to the Information Center. The first class at the Arboretum and at Descanso starts Septem- ber 15; at South Coast September 17. Three years ago the California Arbor- etum Foundation introduced a series of minicourses that, judging from the re- sponse, filled a sizable segment of public “a 67 interest. Then as now they were intensive courses in both practical and academic aspects of botanical and horticultural sub- jects meeting in three to five three-hour sessions, mostly in the mornings. This fall, minicourses will be offered at the Arboretum in Indoor Container Garden- ing, Poisonous, Medicinal, and Edible lants, Growing Bulbs in Containers, Hanging Baskets, Patio Container Gar- Shrubs, Terrariums, Plant Propaga- tion Workshop, Bromeliads, Plant Dis- eases, and Plant Propagation. All in- structors are from the Arboretum staff. he courses are available to members of the California Arboretum Foundation at a 20% discount. Complete schedules of he minicourses are available at the in- formation window at each garden. . | : . . - on learn to rec ognize over 100 plants in Dr. Leonid Enari’s Plant Identification SOUTH COAST ry PauL SaFFo, having completed three active years as president of the South Coast Botanic Garden Foundation, was succeeded by Mr. Cliff Graham, a vice-president and member of the Board of Trustees for two years, president of the Palos Verdes Unified School District, and active in recent years in Palos Verdes community affairs. During his term of office Dr. Saffo was instrumental in gain- ing approval for the new South Coast administrative complex and had the satis- faction of seeing the buildings become a reality. QUEEN ANNE FROLIC N THE SOUND theory that a success- ful program should not be tampered with, this month’s “Queen Anne Frolic’ (Friday, September 19) will largely du- plicate the Frolic of 1973 that was so thoroughly enjoyed by members of the California Arboretum Foundation and their guests. Nevertheless, Wendy Tay- lor, CAF member who is co-chairing this year's event with fellow-member Jane Buck, reports on one addition certain to be popular, namely, a raffle of two round- trip tickets to Hawaii donated by Western Airlines. Further, she said, the sale of raffle tickets will be limited to 1,000 by way of increasing the chances of winning. For the rest, the entertainment will again includes rides around the grounds in vin- tage cars, paddle boat rides, tours of the Queen Anne Cottage, and music by the Temple City Senior Citizens Kitchen Band, the Arcadia Gaslight Choir, and the dance music of Dexter Jones and his or- chestra. Ruth Mary Larson reports that the menu will feature Director Francis Ching’s barbecued roast beef along with rice pilaf, cheese rolls, bean salad, and coleslaw, and will end with fresh fruit compote and Ruth Mary’s own homemade September, 1975 cookies. Tickets, available as always only to CAF members and their guests, ate $15 for one and $25 for a couple. Stat ing time is 6 p.m. | HORTICULTURAL HONORS ; Le ARBORETUM staffers, Jack Me Caskill of the Plant Records Section and Bill Hawkinson, assistant superinten- dent, won awards recently for theit work in hybridizing iris. Jack, whose specialty is California iris, won an Honors Mention Award for his hybrid ‘Casildd. Bill, whose specialty is aril-bred iris, woe the C. G. White Award for his hyPt ‘Grand Vizier’, the highest award an aril bred iris can win. Bill also received Hom orable Mention awards for three other B brids: ‘Carioca’, ‘Enchanted Hour, ‘Temple Veil’. NEW CHAIRMANSHIP a M*™ Joun NICHOLAS eer member of the Califou retum Foundation Board of pas 1967-1973, and State President a ah fornia Garden Clubs, ine gee 14, recently been appointe a Arboreta and Botanical Gardens, * national chairmanship, by me a pe L. Connor of Mount Dora, F ze : dent of the National Couna Garden Clubs, Inc. : Mrs. Fehrer’s goal in this new nation chairmanship 1s, in her own ofthe assist the fifty state fede | National Council of State 2 : in building bridges for eich tion between garden clu arbo and botanical gardens to fit of both organizations Pe Besides her new a the i in active Fehrer will apace: piece Altades : ” lia Guild Chapter 20, an District of California 4 : pgs = 4 fox \ er A *¢ Men on th ee England. Willing to fight and die for The Ww above grace the oak was preferred ts for shipbuilding in Eng- ar Souk PLANT PORTRAITS English Oak Leonid Enari land because of its many admirable quali- ties. It is hard, strong, tough, durable, tolerably flexible, not too heavy, and not readily penetrated by water. Also, when struck by a cannon ball it did not splinter, so that any hole made through the hull was consequently easy to plug. English oak (Quercus robur) is a large, majestic tree holding the same rank among the forest trees of the temperate 70 The flowers appearing with the leaves in the spring are of two kinds, male and female, but occur on the same tree, The male, or pollinating flowers, each consist- lous catkins. The female, or fruit-bearing flowers, each consisting of a six-lobed calyx and a pistil are in one-to five- flowered spikes. The calyx is surrounded y the numerous overlapping scales or bracts, which afterwards form the cup of the fruit. - The fruits, usually known as acorns, are ovoid to cylindrical, one-seeded, smooth, glossy and enclosed about 1/4, or 1/3 by the cup. The acorns were much empered with water, and made into bread read. Those who cut down an oak tree in England in the seventh century were fined thirty shillings, and those who felled a tree under whose shadow thirty hogs could stand were fined sixty shillings, the very sound of the axe being sufficient for conviction. Like most long-living trees, the oak is ols haps only every 5 to 6 years: Dr. Loescher is 4 biologist i partment’s research a al interest is plant physiology, Or iguts in : the development of new plant propagation. Lasca Leaves Pai fornia A iving The Ranchero Sandy F ROM EARLY TIME, man has been at- and County Arboretum. First to settle on this rich land were Stone Age Shoshone Indians, whose primitive way of life abruptly gave way in 1769 to the greater plans of the King of Spain. Fully two hundred years after discovery taids demanded a free range of view. ci tee Reid Adobe. During the early rancho period, flowers and shrubber) € 4 rare sight around the houses of the Californians — the threat of Indian Snider by Spanish explorers, Franciscan padres collaborated with soldiers of the Crown to establish religious, military, and economic footholds in Alta California. Arm in arm, Church and state gently persuaded, and often coerced, the native Indian popula- tion to relinquish their primitive free- doms in exchange for the security and comfort of the mission complex. 78 September, 1975 a, , MONROVIA GRANDVIEW e 4, Soy, Py Se "Ce FAinrOINT oh ee \ ere e ee 9 Salt The map shows the boundaries of Hugo Reid’s original 1 3,316-acre Ranch Anita and the present-day cities that land grant embraced. Lasca Leaves Mission San Gabriel (1771) claimed a good many converts, Indians who would theoretically acquire Spanish cul- ture and eventually enter society as new Spanish citizens. To implement their theory of total conversion, missions be- came more than simple centers of faith. Charged with instructing the natives in everything from the sacraments to brick- laying, the padres gradually became mas- ters of strong economic units—missions became self-sustaining ranches complete with orchards, irrigation, livestock, and industries. ; Rancho Santa re included in the possessions of the ‘ssion; the former of these has been assigned by the padres for the sole pur- ae of domesticating cattle, and is lo- ier some leagues distant, in a secluded i a oe the mountains: the latter is aa ivation, and is one of the fairy telly be met with so often in Cali- Vike cpg vast acreage and free In- martin r, the ‘Mission system reached mae A eo in power and influence ee i. carly years of the nineteenth Sider: a S successful revolt against Pe “i marked the beginning of eas i mission domination, however, cuir €w government insisted that the and lands of the missions be turned over to missions, completely removing them from Si fe granting their former fo California pace- oo Anita almost literally became or the asking to any Mexi- can z OF naturalized citizen who promised 79 to obey the laws of Mexico, embrace the Catholic religion, and bend the ear of the right government official. In 1839, Hugo Reid, native of Scotland, Cambridge grad- uate, veteran of several years of trade in South America, newly naturalized Mexi- can citizen and Catholic, husband of the beautiful Mission Indian, Victoria, adop- tive father of Victoria's four Indian chil- dren, pioneer anthropologist who later recorded primary information on the rap- idly dying Gabrielino Indian culture, in short, a versatile and ambitious adven- turer, applied for and two years later re- ceived provisional title to the 13,316-acre Rancho Santa Anita. To verify his intentions, Don Perfecto, as he was called, began construction of a ranchhouse, “flat roof’d and corridor’d,” in the typical Los Angeles style. Hand- made, sun-dried adobe brick walls, and a roof smeared with brea (from the tar pits of the Pueblo) to keep out the rains, constituted visible evidence of intent to settle. Though the Reids continued to live in their more pretentious San Gabriel home (Uva Espina), there were frequent visits and visitors to Rancho Santa Anita. The gracious hospitality found through- out California during the rancho period was equally evident at Santa Anita. Reid's wife, Victoria, a successful product of the mission theory of total conversion, was a model of Castilian gentitlity. Visitors were “surprised and delighted with the excel- lence and neatness of the housekeeping of the Indian wife, which could not have been excelled.” Readers today are often equally ‘sur- prised and delighted” to discover the epicurean paradise that could be found in rancho life. Guests at Santa Anita re- corded, “We feasted daily on good food. For breakfast we had honey (the produc- tion of the land, and in fact everything we ate was), fresh eggs from the poultry yard . . . coffee, with rich cream; choco- 80 late and tea; ‘chino beans’ (curley beans) . . . tortillas made of flour or corn; but no butter, strange to say, with hundreds of cows on the place, but however this was characteristic of the ranchos at that season of the year.” The midday meal of “beef steak with or without onions, broil- ed beef, stewed chickens, or hash made of carne seca (dried beef) with scrambled eggs mixed, seasoned with onions, toma- toes, and a sprinkling of red pepper, beans prepared with plenty of gravy .. . homemade bread, California wine, and finished with black coffee’ was surely enough to loosen the belt of the hardest working ranchero. Still to come, though, was dinner ‘‘of chicken soup, roast ducks, guisado de carne richly flavored, sweet potatoes grown on the land, frijoles, chicken salad, and lettuce. This fine din- ner was served with old wine of the make of the Mission of San Gabriel, and cus- tard and pies and coffee.” Harris New- mark, one of the lucky visitors, justly concluded that ‘The hospitality shown to McKinley and myself, not only by Reid himself but by his Indian wife, was sump- tuous. A Castilian lady of standing could not have bestowed on us any greater at- tention or graciousness than was extended to us as I have described at the ‘Santa Anita’.”’ In his role as a working ranchero, Don Perfecto sought to further strengthen his land-grant petition and noted, “I have sown 10 fanegas of wheat—cleared ground to put in a vineyard of 10,000 vines and 1,000 fruit trees. I have put on the farm . . . 62 mares and in April in- tend putting on my stock of cattle.” _ The cattle stock, almost without excep- tion, was the staple of the rancho econ- tanza’” (steer slaughtering) provided a first-hand lesson in ranchero economics. From July through September, some fifty to one hundred (at a time) of a ranchos fattest steers were butchered to produce fifty to one hundred “California leather dollars” (hides), seventy-five to one hun- dred pounds of interior tallow for ship ment, forty to fifty pounds of highet grade surface tallow (‘‘manteca’) for do- mestic cooking purposes, and some {Wo hundred pounds of beef, cured and dried for local consumption. Hides and tallow, carefully prepared for shipment, eS rancho currency, used in trade with . eign shippers to obtain household ‘ manufactured items not available in dusty pueblo stores, while the still be carcasses, stripped of their cash Vv. _ were left to spoil in the sun, banquets buzzards. % The rancho period in Califomian se has been commonly acknowledged * of pastoral simplicity. Rich in land a i omic cattle, sustained by a — — i was a provin until the discovery of gol Mf influx of “Americanos” was t eal unduly disturbed by the wof a his Boundaries. Lured to oo j [ in a puff of gold te and a Land Commission sible for allowing of dis vaple and Mexican land grants paces undemanding life of the i pi se te of pacesetting were hand he Aes new California phenomenon, can businessman. allowing Sf —— ‘stant im Sandy Snider is an assistant : rerum torical section at the Aree 1 the Ht : ject 0 engaged in a research pre] ta oo a of the Gabrielino é September, 1975 ue tines ; Lasca Leaves 81 A Landfill Botanic Garden Armand Sarinana Ys ESTABLISHMENT of South Coast Botanic Garden over a sanitary land- fill was one of the first such attempts in the Western Hemisphere. The garden was conceived as an outdoor botanic labora- tory for the study of horticulture under landfill conditions in a diatomaceous earth medium. Therefore, problems in plant culture and soil engineering were expect- ed. Solving them was the challenge. - — uniqueness of this challenge served : orm a working partnership between € Sanitation District and the Depart- ment of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens, a eeehip which continues to this day. : n the second half of the eighteenth : ntury, Portuguese whalers made twice- ee Visits to this coastal area to capture mi oe Stay whales. The nauseat- rh rid of boiling whale blubber that it ihe their iron kettles at Portuguese i floated out over the Palos Ver- #0 : . could have been an omen of the at om the odor disturbed the i dian civilization as well as the white settlers in the area. Aisi centuries later the Sanitation Dis- ne ag to persuade local residents — za - sanitary landfill, were faced i — ar odorous gases, not to men- Pagina rg he decaying garbage and S —s decomposition of refuse is always age Panied by the production of gases, Y methane and carbon dioxide. Lowe % . concentrations of the more notice- able odorous gases, or as they are specific- ally called, mercaptans, are also included as byproducts of this decomposition. This chemical process is accompanied by heat generation and increased pressures. The Arboreta Department’s concern is prfi- marily with the heat and pressures and the resulting soil subsidence and high soil temperatures. The first problem anticipated was the possible pollution of the neighborhood with odorous gases. Previous laboratory studies had shown the efficiency of soil as a filtering agent, and field testing proved the odors generated within a fill would be effectively controlled by main- taining a soil cover on the surface. The lateral migration or movement of decom- position gases within and adjacent to the fill was controlled by the establishment of horizontal, gravel-filled collection ba- sins with vertical upright exhausts. A constant program of inspection, mainten- ance, and monitoring is followed to as- sure continued control of odors and other landfill decomposition gases. The south- ern and eastern boundaries of the garden, which are adjacent to residential areas, are protected with this type of system. Last July, the Sanitation District and the NGR Nu Fuel Company of Newport Beach concluded a joint study which had as its objective the feasibility of collect- ing, purifying, and selling methane gas created in a landfill. The 172-acre sanitary landfill across Crenshaw Boulevard from 82 South Coast Botanic Garden was their test site. The major problems centered around collecting and purifying the gas. The results of their study were positive and today the area, known officially as Landfill #1, has become very possibly the first facility in the world in which refuse gas is taken through a system that can pump it into a pipeline for direct sale to a utility company. The anticipated daily production is one million cubic feet of pure methane, an amount equal to the daily requirement for 4,000 homes. The two 100-foot wells in the garden were not established for commercial methane production but rather for the study of trash decomposition in the presence of moisture. As previously mentioned, the Arboreta Department’s main concern is the study and solution of plant growth in abnormal soil conditions. Areas of extreme soil temperatures, 120° to 160°, are localized in the garden; more general areas of lower temperatures are common through- out the garden with the average range 70° to 90°. The average home garden soil temperature in the vicinity of this facility averages between 55° to 70°. The same type of venting system used by the Sanitation District for odorous gases is used to vent these abnormal temperature areas where plant growth is initially im- possible. Once soil temperatures are re- duced, shallow-rooted plant material, such as gazanias or alyssum, is established. As temperatures continue to drop, deeper rooted perennials are introduced, such as Catisa, junipers or cassias. The ultimate goal is to plant the deeper rooted trees and shrubs. Characteristically, most established trees and large shrubs have lateral root systems limited to the three-foot top-soil cover. Therefore, the periods of greatest danger to these specimens are during the March winds when the soil is saturated September, 1975 from the winter rains and tree support § vital. Due to the higher temperatures 0 the lower trash decomposition zones with the maximum top soil cover of three feet, the development of deep toot 9 tems is impossible. These higher soil temperatures destroy of burn the be developing rootlets which must at cooler, tolerant temperatures. In the localized zones of greatest 9% heat, and pressure activity, fissures serve as escape vents. Several main fissures ee verse the garden and since soil pat? tures are the highest at these pra all plant growth is impossible. pe areas are therefore designated re points of trash decomposition a visitor. Differences in solid and i can also cause fissures, especially i is i d. An example is great weight is involve poe = ce 0 waterproofing membr, of the lake to rupture. recommendation that the Jake po be reduced, thereby bane aa a margins over non-trash fil away from the fissure 20n¢- The more common problems tered are due to settling, cad a problem of the by ti variation Subsidence is caused wed 20d id : tc de it ? the density of debris vate. It difference in decomposition "ited 5 in terrain ve from this subsidence. An — ante s oon-shaped sma : oaade which has ae gioal tet spot for photographers. a yonly te mot , rain was almost level, wi re tt for drainage ve necessary slope Lasca Leaves These pictures show a large fissure at 84 originally gtaded to a level terrain have developed graceful, moderate-sized depressions. Because of the subsidence factor, all : mote common yet equally serious problem resulting from subsidence is the ee polyvinyl Plastic Pipe, which has greater flexibilicy en Seay to repair “Ai efieet io panko September, 1 r This photo shows the sinking of the land around the foundation of the current ; ir ala office. Because it was set on pilings, the office floor remain Stable. this system more flexible and durable under constant study. The third problem du at South Coast is drainage. Terracee Ke must be corrected periodically to a the proper drainage necessary for . ful horticulture. The accumulate ps water accelerates settling, "0 doubt = m =S) Loe J m ~~ = o go! } cs om 3 n cr less al for percent, a figure nor the ordinary garden. : Se picid This is another in 4 sertes 4 pen of by Armand Sarinana, spre she South Coast Botanic Gar we ahh origin and development of that § An Arboretum is for people . . . Harvest time is a happy time for young people enrolled in the vege- table gardening classes at the Los Angeles State and County Arbor- stum in Arcadia. During the summer months they have planted and cared for their own vegetable plots, learning the basic facts of horti- culture while Preparing to take home the fruits of their labor. This fall, the Education Division of the Los Angeles County Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens is offering many other educational °Pportunities for students of all ages. Schedules may be obtained by writing or calling Arboretum Education, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, CA. Telephone: 68] -8411. Southern California Edison Company 86 September, 1975 Gene Banks Need Deposits For Later Withdrawals 1 ORIGIN of many of our plants has been confused through the centuries by the intentional intervention and ma- nipulation of plant people. We have taken plants from the wild, cultivated them, crossed, recrossed inter- esting forms; and selected variants of the original for special uses. Through gen- erations of selection, many new character- istics have been uncovered. When a signi- ficant change occurs, only then do plant people attempt to propagate the mutant plant—trying to preserve in its progeny the unique, new characteristics. Since many of our plants are woody perennials, asexual propagation methods have become the major way to preserve the desired plant form. The genetic vari- ability of seedling-grown material is too great to warrant the large scale growing of the progeny. Only annuals and a few other types are grown from seed. The so-called warring between the ex- otic named and the hybrid coded cultivars must end. We must seek ways to con- serve and preserve as many plant varieties as possible and take advantage of their potential characteristics. The collection, identification, Preservation and redistribu- tion of the vast range of plant material must create centers to maintain our gem- future generations a genetic base to create new plants. We can never tell when a new strain of a disease will appear and threaten to wipe out all susceptible plants. We can expect that an introduced insect will find a new host range and wipe out entire clonal varieties of economic plants. We . . re f ft The article on this page # an ext? p must create centers to maintain our get plasm pools. We must have evety - cerned plant person recognize eae curing in our landscape which are 0 and useful variations of a vi variety. Our plant societies must prov! educational leadership. from an editorial writen by Dr. pe M. Cathey, president of The ae : Horticultural Society, in the — cent issue of American Hortic ; ; the Society's of ficial publication: vl reprinted here throug hee AHS and out of shared recogn the aims of the Soctety Data Center to which ee director of the Los Ange c ea Arboreta and Botanic Gardens, cently named a member. to We must urge responsib'e Ae This maintain living collection aa a és ul le the use 0 expensit : , st fields of pat tain areas, banks will help reduce tions of maintaining V4 materials. We must utilize the the Plant Sciences Data [ full resources ° Cente, to f the oC Lasca Leaves 87 GREVILLEA CV. POORINDA PETER (Cover) Grevillea cv. Poorinda Peter is a handsome evergreen shrub that was brought back from Australia in 1971 by former Arboretum Superintendent George Spalding. The Australians have spent a great deal of effort in selecting fine cultivars from their choicest native plants and Grevillea cv. Poorinda Peter is one of the finer introductions among them. lt has an open growth habit to 6 feet or more in height. The evergreen leaves have 8 to 12 pairs of sharply pointed lobes (pinnately lobed). They are stalked, alternate, glabrous, thick, dull green when adult, reddish or brownish when young and up to 1 inch wide. Overall, the leaves resemble small, lobed, oak leaves, and the copper color found on new foliage and stems is one of the primary attractions of the plant. Flower clusters are coral with a purple shading, particularly in the unopened buds. The flowers are conspicuous and are borne in good quantity in the late summer. Plants prefer well-drained soil in full sun but will likely adapt to many growing situations. ARBORETUM WEATHER Lat. 34°08'48” N. Long. 118°02’59” w. Weather season: Elev. 571.28 ft. Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 [ May June July Average daily maxiumum temperature _ 78.6 81.6 94.4 Average daily minimum femperaiure. .....-—--——- 50.8 54.7 60.3 EE ee 94 99 te a A Se Number of clear PE ay ated Cos ne cele 18 7 15 Number of partly cloudy days Eee 18 eg Number of er ee eu 7 6 0 ee 21 10.20 Peet ia re _ 14,98 15.08 15.08 Calendar’ September, October, November, December es ea Arcadia Sept. 19 —6 ee ig n Anne F Presented by See Arboretum Foun- dafion for members and their guests. ere p. se unday A Afternoon Lectur “Decorative Pate sand Dinner Left- Vv ers” Tak Niiya, chief of Education Division Sept. 28 — 10 a.m. Sunday Morning Walk* “Asiatic/North American Section” Frank Simerly, assistant director Oct. 4, 5— 10 to 5 p.m nsai Show ‘Presented by A “te cas Bonsai Society sant Monies Walk* “Lawns and Ground Covers” Gana tee obra aia consultant oe 19— 2 unday Po sconledes Lecture* “Vegetable Gardenin Ronald Call, education assistant Oct. a .m. Theodore Payne Foundation Lecture** ae in Diplacus (Monkey Flowe David Verity: Botanist, Herbarium and Botanic Garden , UCLA Nov. 8,9 —9 a 5 p.m. roe 5 Baily on Foothill Arts Society Suindey 3 Morning Walk* “Gree nhous im pain horticulturist Nov. 16 — 2 Sunday Afternoon Lecture* “Shade Plants ohn easy oo Nov. 22 oe 9to5p.m FOTA e a by California Arboretum ° Presented by Southern California Camellia Council ae ie bits California Arboretum Foundat DESCANSO GARDENS, “el Canada Sept. 27, 28 — Sat. 12to5p un. 8to5 si vie Pecan by ete Bonsai Society Oct. 25, 26—9to 5 _ hrysanthemum Sho ’ Presented by Glendale Chrysanthemum i ciety . Nov. a 4 Theodore pyeites Foundation Lecture** 4 “Basic California Flora” 4 Helen Carswell, protons rose consultant and naturalist Dec. 5 — 1 to 2s p.m Red Carpet Tea (members only) Christmas Decorations Exhibit* Dec. 6-14 — 9:30 to 4:30 p.m. Christmas Decorations Exhibit Presented by Descanso Gardens a *Sponsored by Descanso Gardens G SOUTH COAST BOTANIC GARDEN PALOS VERDES re 9 to “ lle Sa eee eae Clubs d eed by Oe ve District Soe t 2 y reer Miornote Lecture* “Outdoor Container r Gardening’ Edward Hartnagel, assistant eo en. ae ¥ nc nd oh se ne Fou Lecture 2 N tives in Canyo California Na a potographet “Aquatic Edward ae assistant n Foundat with the Biieccge ” cooperation, yon f BIRDWALKS TUM 8 a. sar BR isy of each month at DESCANSO oe month Ind and 4th Sunday 8 a.m. Sponsored by, San Fane Society SOUTH C COAST ach month at § of € hie : 3rd sooner uth Coast Garden Seoul yeni sag BOARD OF SUPERVISORS LOS ANGELES COUNTY KENNETH HAHN EDMUND D. EDELMAN 2nd District 3rd _ District PETER F. SCHABARUM 1st District JAMES HAYES BAXTER WARD 4th District 5th District DEPARTMENT OF ARBORETA AND BOTANIC GARDENS LOS ANGELES COUNTY Arcadia, California 91006 e¢ Telephone: (213) 681-8411 Francis Ching, Director; Roy Ito, Assistant Director; Frank Simerly, Assistant yesone: Lee H. Wakeman, Executive Assistant. Los Angeles State and County Fad John W. Provine, Superintendent; William Hawkinson, Assistant Superintendent; f Ross, Orchidist; Tim Lorman, Horticulturist; Charles Lee, Horticultural a n rdens: George Lewis, Superintendent: South Coast — ndent Armand Sarinana, Superintendent; Edward Hartnagel, Assistant Superinte st Research Division: Paul Cheo, Ph.D., Chief; Leonid Enari, Ph.D., Senior pase Taxonomy and Plant Records Section; George Hanson, Ph.D., Senior peat Research Section. Education Division: Tak Niiya, Chief; Public Services sss Donald S. Dimond, Chief. CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC Arcadia, California 91006 « Telephone: (213) 447-8207 BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS: Mrs. John A. Grivich, President; Mrs. Leland E. Larson, President; Frank J. Regan, Second Vice-President and Treasurer, Mrs. Hubbell, Executive Secretary. First Vice Dolores H _ Joseph BOARD MEMBERS: Harrison Chandler, Mrs. William Clayton, Jt, wes Coulombe, J. Lyle Cunningham, James P. Curry, Warren M. Dun as Kenneth Mullen, Mrs. Catherine Mundy, Mrs. Nicholas Niciphor, Dave schoenteld _ Sch Robert E. Paradise, Mrs. Elizabeth Price, F. Harold Roach, Walter i once Ralph W. Spencer Mrs. Richard W. Sprague, Joseph A. Sprankle, ” Stitt, Robert P. Strub, Loran M. Whitelock, Mrs. Chester Williams: - Ime a HONORARY TRUSTEES: Dr. Samuel Ayres, Jr., Mrs. Harry J. Bauer ye Mild Mrs. Ralph D. Cornell, Dr. Arie J. Haagen-Smit, Mrs. Valley Kn Q. stanton Mathias, Mrs. Manfred Meyberg, Mrs. Thomas J. Moore, Mrs- pe Lovell Swisher, Jr., Mrs. Archibald B. Young. crank simett! i ra EX-OFFICIO: Francis Ching, Director: Roy Ito, Assistant — Assistant Director; John W. Provine, —— 00CCt eenaeeennensnenmene mem edstaulediits Published quarterly by the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., for the Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens of Los Angeles County. LOS ANGELES SOUTH COAST STATE & COUNTY ARBORETUM DESCANSO GARDENS — goTANIC GARDEN 92 Department Notes 99 Plant Portrait: Coast Redwood 103 Prehistoric and Jungle Garden 108 A Plant For A Contained Atmosphere 110 Rancho Santa Anita — The Trials of Ownership 114 A Landfill Botanic Garden 118 Bookshelf 119 Acacia conferta (Cover) 119 Arboretum Weather Back Cover Calendar Photo credits: Cover, Francis Editor Ching; p. 93, aie ge pert Do : p. 95, Carlos ativa; all others nald S. Dimond by William Aplin. You are invited to join the CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC. a plant and Seed Distribution * Invitations to special events. ERSHIP brings you the quarterly publication, Lasca Leaves * Newsletter Se aSHIP DUES: Annual, $10; Annual Contributing, $25; Annual Busi- age Annual Sustaining, $100; Annual Sponsor, $250; Life, $500; Mak ts, $1,000; Benefactors, $5,000 or more. Contributions are deduc hea € check payable to the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., and send to dquarters at 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, Calif. 91006. Eee Dec Propo posed Hail ; of Environmental Education FUND RAISING FOR A CA USE whew $5,000, and S totaling almost $50,000 in the following This start toward the etum Foundation’s million dollars for clear that people ing to projects meaning matter what the ¢ the day. this Californt pledge to rai e have 2 W ful t conomic ©O ember, 1975 fe six-week perio’ a Arbor raise alt # Hall makes © nc pone ray of res o them ™ nditions a apervisid The Council of Advisors SUE = has devised the fund-raising effort attractive and sensible bre akdow® of oom Lasca Leaves ponent parts of the Hall that will enable large and small donors, organizations and individuals, to contribute and receive rec- ognition for their own segment of the building. Thus, an auditorium is tabbed at $250,000, classrooms are $50,000 each, a covered patio costs $25,000, a seminar room $60,000, all round figures, of course. Additionally, there are plaques at $15,000 for miscellaneous elements and donor’s plaques for $1,000 and over. The ball is rolling now, everybody is invited to join! A more worthwhile source of tax deduc- tions would be hard to imagine. QUEEN ANNE FROLIC 24 HE QUEEN ANNE Frolic last Septem- ber 19 was enjoyed by 800 members of the California Arboretum and their og The weather was perfect, as it has “sen each of these biennial affairs, y making the paddleboat and vin- . = tides particularly enjoyable. Peo- 2 “ai until curfew time to the mu- Ico Dexter Jones and his orchestra after Te earlier in the evening of Direct- eg Ching’s barbecued roast beef, st “aa carved and served by a brigade Allen ag personnel led by Calvin ae se €re was hardly anybody on the ah “onabeaps the volunteers who did yg = in some way to the success aid folic, but deserving of special a f are these members of Las Volun- Ruth : ov Buck, who chaired the event; a nal Larson, food; Peggy Dorsett, Pin ean Crawford, script; Marilyn is tn , reservations; Eileen Hume, en- €; Marilyn Bochte, Queen Anne Copley, publicity; Nancy Cole, €nt; Frances Burnett, refresh- , Cleanup; and » Las Voluntarias eee the food; and Tootie dation president, who faising kickoff for the 93 Mrs. Samuel Ayres, ]r., with Mrs. Jeanne Trepanier whose husband, Bob, brought a number of vintage bicycles and tricycles from his famous collection to the delight of Queen Anne Frolickers. Hall of Environmental Education. On the staff side, superintendent John Provine was very much in evidence before, dur- ing, and after. The winner of the two roundtrip raffle tickets to Hawaii was Phyllis Chapman, active member of Las Voluntarias, who is planning with her husband to make the trip during the com- ing Easter vacation. MRS. JOHN R. MAGE HONORED A FAITHFUL supporter of the Arbor- etum for nearly a quarter of a cen- tury has been honored by the Garden Club of America Conservation Commit- tee “In recognition of her dedicated ef- forts and her many contributions to the preservation and restoration of historic- tury has been honored by the Garden fornia.” Mrs. John R. Mage was co 94 chairman with the late Susanna Dakin of the Historical Committee of the Califor- nia Arboretum Foundation. She played a key role in obtaining funds for the restor- ation of the Queen Anne Cottage, the Coach Barn, Boat House, and Hugo Reid Adobe, and over the years has contributed directly and indirectly to many of the most prized furnishings in the Cottage. An original member of the Arboretum’s Board of Councilors, a member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees since 1955, and a member of the Board of Governors for twenty years, she retains, as a confirmed history buff, her interest in and support of the objectives of the Com- mittee. It is a particular pleasure to re- port the honor given her by the Club. DEPARTMENT AWARD a HE NATIONAL Association of Coun- ties has presented an Achievement Award to this Department for its public service programs. Supervisor James Hayes accepted the award on behalf of the De- partment at the NACO convention in Hawaii last July. In the case study re- quired of all award applicants, the De- partment based its presentation on its underlying philosophy, ‘‘The Arboretum is for People,” and translated into prac- tice by programs geared to serving the day-to-day needs and interests of the pub- lic. Examples cited were the Arbor Day program, which in reaching a thousand schools throughout Los Angeles County provided nearly a half million students with classroom study materials that would bring them a deeper understanding of their natural environment and the need for conservation; the annual Spring Ex- travaganza (horticultural field trips), which attracted 25,000 people on a single weekend who saw displays and demon- strations on just about every horticultural topic; Sunday lectures and walks, a pro- December, 1975 gram that brings in-depth examination of plant collections to visitors and prac tical guidelines for home gardeners; 4 horticultural information service that an- swers hundreds of inquities each week; and a series of booklets and bulletins dealing with such public-interest topic as brushfire control, poisonous plants fungus disease, and _ insecticides. The award, in the form of an attractive plaque, was one of twelve won by Los Angeles County in the annual competition sponsored by NACO. CHRISTMAS DISPLAYS o hen YeAR, Christmas displays at Arboretum are centered in Queen Anne Cottage and the ne the entrance. The Cottage has a ly been decorated in typical turn-of century style and will be again pete making use, as always, of as much 2 plant material as possible. Tn the ee visitors will see a poinsettia tree fi of about fifty individual plants—@ pei they may wish to duplicate at h o hanging baskets of Christmas ect floral arrangements using flowers 4 is from Southern California dens ie time of the year. One of the cases in the rotunda will oy ge ri postcards from the first “— adit ue century, the other a display © aths. pene December 21 through ee at South Coast (except on sit an “Open House and Christmas ‘a is scheduled at the building - : known as the Club House or In ormati Center. In any case, with th : istrative complex pe will be the last year te | will be so used. At this writings ee for traditional displays utl as possible, cuttings from pinetum and other Chri tions. the ‘- as-plant = + ilizing, a Lasca Leaves 32 east : ron eit * Pisces pea Seeeeeert eessses aoe eens * Wseesstiepeceieees Weenie teen ett ts 4t2 APPOINTMENTS z se BIOLOGISTS have been appointed ) the staff of the Department’s Re- Car i iin oS native of Washington who ‘ is doctorate in botany this year the De 2a > . pare Pattment’s plant introduction and D 10n programs. tr. Wa rita llace has a special interest in we mp . its broader aspects, one babies udes such considerations as evo- Plant ieee Somena, geography, and ecological oo ety in relation to settee cs istribution. Dr. Deardorff has a. sts of interest. His college ma- Plant taxonomy and part of his Dr. David Deardorff and Dr. Gary W allace. 95 has been as a e University of Washington in general biology and plant professional experience teaching assistant at th taxonomy classes with considerable activ- ity in leading field trips and in the collec- tion of plant material. for use in the Los Angeles area. The pub- lic good from this objective will be the introduction of more ornamental plants to the Southern California landscape. The testing and introduction of plants from different parts of the world has, of course, been a major function of the Department. In 18 years, over 60 plant introductions ibuted to making Los have greatly contr S the most colorful and Angeles one of t 96 beautiful cities in the United States. In many cases there have also been practical advantages through low-maintenance ground covers and through the use of special plants for erosion control and for limiting fires. CAMELLIA SHOWS Ds" GarDENS and the Arbo- retum will be the scenes of three camellia shows within a period of less than three months, shows that will cover most of the varieties and just about every horticultural aspect of this highly popu- lar genus. Although there are already several thousand named varieties of ca- mellias, there is still a great potential for hybrids in a wider range of colors and sizes, a potential which diligent breeders are making inroads on each year. The difference among the forthcoming shows is more than a matter of locales. In the world of camellias, there are early, mid-season, and late bloomers. And then there are mid-season and late bloomers that bloom ahead of their normal time as a result of being treated with the growth hormone, gibberellic acid. The first show of the season, presented by the Temple City Camellia Society at the Arboretum on the weekend of December 13 and 14, will be primarily for “gibbed” camellia blooms and will include demonstrations of the technique involved. The second show of the season, also at the Arbore- tum, will offer a conventional, full-scale competition over the weekend of February 14 and 15. Arthur Krumm, a longtime camellia fancier from Temple City, is the chairman of both shows. The third show will be presented at Descanso Gardens on Saturday and Sunday, February 28 and 29, by the Southern California Camellia Council. e Descanso show is not only the major flower show of the year at that garden, it is also one of the major floral December, 1975 events in the country. Melvin Gum, pres- ident of the 20-year-old Council, reports that visitors can expect to see in cut-flower form three to four thousand varieties plus, of course, the 100,000-odd bushes that make up the Descanso camellia forest which will be at peak flower at that time. Regular features of the show will include question-and-answer booths, demonstri- tions of propagation by grafting, and dis- plays of new hybrids and seedlings. NEW DESCANSO SERVICES HE DESCANCO Gardens Guild his + planned two new public services for 1976 aimed, as are all Guild meee familiarizing greater numbers of people with the virtues of the Gardens. The firs is “A Day At Descanso,” offered “ Tuesday during the first six months 1976. For $7.50 a visitor will receive tram tour, a catered luncheon 10 the Hos pitality House, and an illustrated pet on the history of Descanso and its ef 3 ons. The four-and-three-quarter-n0"1F gram starts at 10:45 a.m. and 1s per to a minimum of 25 persons and an e mum of 80. Garden clubs, senior pe a and other interested groups are oe . call the Guild office (790-5414) fF ervations and further information. | he The second service will provide visit to the Hospitality House with ee pa manned information desk on tee from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. In ee other volunteers will staff the pe shop just off the Gun Room we offer a variety of garden-orien Gail selected during the past eee 7 att member Mrs. Claude ba a days and Sundays similar pa aeat purchased from the Pink Gate House from 1 to 4 p-™- ordinators for both the pe Cart, Miss Helen Burt and Doro nteets- Lewis, will welcome new volu Lasca Leaves ARBOR DAY je HE Los ANGELES County Department of Arboreta and Botanic Garden's Arbor Day program on March 7, 1976, has been named an official Bicentennial Program by the County Bicentennial Com- mission and the Board of Supervisors. Under the theme “Trees: Our National Heritage,” the Education Division of the Department has prepared the most ambi- tious and wide-reaching program in its 20 years of advancing the concepts of Arbor Day—conservation and tree-plant- ing—throughout the community. An important feature of the program is an information packet containing valu- able resource material tracing the role of trees in the building of the nation and illustrated by life-like pen-and-ink draw- ings by well known local artists. The Packets are intended to provide the basis TREES: OUR NATIONAL HERITAGE ‘ € : <2 my ao % Sead of Department's Arbor Day 97 for yearlong classroom study aimed at cultivating student interest in environ- mental and conservation matters. Their attention will focus on the indispensable role trees have played in the nation’s development, among them the white oak, used in shipbuilding; the sugar maple, used for making furniture and for its syrup; the eastern white pine, used for ships’ masts; the shagbark hickory, used for covered wagons; the Douglas fir for telephone poles; and the western hemlock for paper products. California’s most famous contributions to the nation’s heritage of trees are the two great redwoods: Sequoia sempervir- ens, tallest of the world’s trees, and Se- quoiadendron giganteum, the most mas- sive in the world; and the best specimens of the oldest living trees in the world, the bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata), known to reach an age of 4,900 years. As many as 500,000 children from 2,000 county schools and youth organiza- tions are expected to participate in the Bi- centennial-Arbor Day program through- out the County which will include the planting of two thousand 7-foot living trees carefully nurtured at the Arboretum for this Bicentennial observance. The De- partment has been growing the trees and assembling the packets for the program for the past year, assisted by Chairman Marilyn Llewelyn of the Volunteers of the California Arboretum Foundation and by a donation from the Oak Tree Founda- tion. As an added touch to stress the value of trees to the country, each of the trees to be planted will be tagged with a red- white-and-blue label giving both its popu- lar and scientific name and appropriately designated as part of the official Bicenten- nial-Arbor Day program. 98 December, 1975 Baldwin Bonanza Special Preview Night for Members and their Guests (Reservations Required ) Saturday, April 3 5 to 8pm. All proceeds from this once-o-year specid! plant sale will go towards construction of the Hall of Environmental Education. Featured will be: Arboretum Plant Introductions Plant Sculptures House Plants Hanging Baskets Kitchen Herbs Craft Items And a special selection of CYCADS from the collection of Mr Loran Whitelock. ao Lasca Leaves Plant Portrait... . Coast Redwood Leonid Enari Dr. Paul A. Zahl describes the discovery of a new world’s tallest tree, a coast red- wood. He tells how, in October 1963, he ‘ame to towering trees along Redwood Creek in the northwestern part of Cali- ‘ornia’s Humboldt County, how he meas- ured the seemingly tallest tree in the 8tove, how his computations resulted in 370 feet, how he had doubts about the accuracy of his computations, and how he finally hired professional surveyors to check his figure. He was right. When three Sutveyors a few days later finished k, their computations completely the tree world’s hall of fame tallest trees in the grove, as at- the surveyors’ jointly signed Spy , Showed heights of 367.8 feet, Thi, fet, 364.5 feet, and 352.3 feet. pee tanked them as the first, second, itd, and sixth tallest trees in the world. feller € ig of a coast redwood in Rocke- rest, thought so far to be the World’s tallest, is only 356.5 feet, ranking 't Now as the fourth. 100 The principal home of the coast red- wood lies in a narrow belt ten to thirty miles wide along the coast of the Pacific from Curry County in the southwest cor- ner of Oregon to Monterey County in California. The area is distinguished by frequent fogs in summer, heavy rainfall in winter, and mildness of temperatures. In Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, where the fogs are thickest and the rains heaviest, the coast redwood forests are the mightiest. Grove of coast redwoods at Descanso Gardens. December, 1975 As the redwood slopes are relatively open, there is a dense undergrowth of salil huckleberries, Oregon grapes, thimble- berry, salmonberry, rhododendrons, ferns and others. Even poison oak has ound places to grow, clinging to the bark of trees and climbing from 50 to 150 feet. long, flat limbs, or of a mass of . branches reaching from the ground to top of the tree. The wood is clear red-brown in © 4 lor, Lasca Leaves 101 soft, brittle, strong, and most important, type; that is, it contains trees of widely extraordinarily resistant to rot and insects, varying ages and keeps itself stocked by qualities possessed in like measure by few _ production under its own shade from other woods, not even that of the Big seeds and suckers. As the seed requires Tree of the Sierras. It is used for construc- more light to germinate and grow than tion, finishing, shingles, railroad ties, tele. the forest usually affords, the stands are phone poles, and many other things. The chiefly maintained by suckering from old chief difficulty in working redwood lies in _ trees. The suckers manage to survive year the seasoning process. The tree absorbs after year by connection with their parents so much moisture that the butt log will and to make a slight increment of wood. sink in water. Left in the sun, logs re- When the old trees are felled, more light quire three to four years to dry. is let in and the suckers shoot up with all The leaves are flat, sharp-pointed, stiff, their native vigor. They will endure a of unequal lengths on the same twig, an astonishing amount of shade. In stands measure from one-third to about one inch. of second growth, so dense that not a ray The foliage is of a bright, deep yellow- of sunlight can enter, saplings 6- to 8-feet gteen. Each season’s growth remains on high can be found growing from stumps, the tree for about three or four years. bare of branches or foliage except for a Cones are small as compared to the — few inches of pale-green crown at the top. size of the tree. They mature in one year In very dark, damp places in the virgin and open and shed their seeds starting in forest one may find clumps of suckers as September. white as sprouts from a potato in a cellar. The redwood forest is of the selection The enemies of the coast redwood are % Sy % My a) WN AN To ‘ Y\y Oy Ny "4 W NZZ SN i \ Z 7 ‘ SVN A \ 4 LAD \¥\ he SD \ gual) Za | N i ? v4 43 = {h, | Se ae Ww S| | y SV } tf # SS a , ij SEQUOIA SCMPERVIRENS Branch of coast redwood. (Drawing by Patty Lawson) 102 few and it suffers from these less than other trees. Wind can only rarely uproot them, and fire, the greatest enemy of all trees, though it may kill whole stands of young growth, is unable to penetrate the fireproof sheathing of shaggy bark with which the old trees protect themselves. In the damp northern part of the redwood belt the forest is too wet to burn. Farther south, during August and September when the land is dry from lack of rain, fires are frequent. Even then, however, unless the conditions are exceptional, they seldom are a threat to the old coast red- woods. The coast redwood was first reported by Fray Juan Crespi, the chronicler of the Portola expedition which had been sent from New Spain (Mexico) to establish missions in what was then called Upper California. In the diary of the expedition, he mentions that on October 16, 1769, the expedition traveled over plains and low hills, well-forested with very high trees of a red color, and that because none of the expedition recognized them, they were named redwoods, Specimens of a coast redwood tree were taken to England in 1795 by Archibald Menzies, a surgeon and botanist of the Vancouver expedition. When Aylmer Bourke Lambert, an English botanist, finally examined them in 1823, he placed the new species into the genus Taxodium and called it Taxodium Sempervirens. The name, however, was changed by Stephan Lambert represented a genus distinct aie Taxodium. He gave it the genus name Sequoia but retained Lambert’s species name. It is stated that Endlicher chose the generic name Sequoia to honor Sequoiah, the son of a Cherokee woman by a German colonist, who invented a Cherokee alphabet and taught many of his people to read and write their own language. December, The National Park Service estimates that of two million virgin acres of cows redwoods, only 15 percent is left. And of these 300,000 acres, only about 50,000 acres lie within public parks and groves. At the present rate of logging, all the available virgin growth may be cut in in the next fifty years. It seems like the danger of losing this forest, which we old when the world was young, !s comung closer and closer. To replace it will ta hundreds if not thousands of yeats. Entering into a virgin coast He forest is an unsurpassed experience. a world of darkness, silence, and tran quility where time has no —— where one feels the closeness of the 7 ator. The impact is almost spiritual, , believers and for nonbelievers oe natural range. One of the best ~~ places is in, or directly next = ae Away from lawns, the trees 9 peg summer watering at least for the years. At the Los Angeles Arboretum, coast redwoods quadrants N/7, N/8, N/9, sat NI The largest specimen is 1n qué (east of the Coach Barn). It ee 3" high and its three trunks m A foat 8’6”, and 6’4” in circumference. mis trunk was cut off some time 7B i byE tree is believed to have been plant J. Baldwin in the 1880's. Coast can also be observed at Descanso ak in La Canada and South eer Garden on Palos Verdes Penn of * is 4 search division, teacher, and author of 4 books on botany. Prehistoric Walter hee OF the lagoon lies a confusing Wee tangled plant community popu- io a erred to as the Arboretum’s ‘“jun- €a. Recently developed and enlarg- ers > exclusive look at plants from the S extensive collection of over 300 newly con facility On varj its rel, tum’s = ‘aa observation platform, a ioe - ers informative displays ehatle . : s of plant evolution and Saag :2 to mankind. The Arbore- scores the Plants and Man” under- Nita — development, the Pre- nd Jungle Garden. These ancient coon - Ransom lants, their history of development or failure, outline the successful and unsuc- cessful environments of the past. This in- formation may be used by all to help guide man’s fluctuating respect for his own vital and precariously balanced en- vironment. Essentially, the new garden is an attempt to illustrate ongoing elements of change and how well plants adapted to this phenomenon Of, somehow, escape m it. From fungi to flowers, plants have in- creased dramatically in their structural complexity over a period of two billion years, 2 slow and gradual process called 4 evolution. The first land plants probably —, + 2) 104 evolved from seaweeds growing along the shoreline over 425 million years ago. Gra- dually establishing themselves within the tidal zone, these primitive seaweeds even- tually adapted to the periodic recession of water before the slow migration inland. Other early land plants may have emerged from great inland basins. As these fresh- water basins slowly dried out, the endur- ing plant forms were forced to either de- velop roots or perish. Once on land, vege- tation apparently exploded. This was the Paleozoic era, a period of time which be- gan over 500 million years ago and lasted for about 300 million years. Gen- erally this was an age of transition, of violent geologic and climatic disturbances which ended only with the coal age. Many of the Prehistoric Garden’s specimens first evolved during this period. Dense jungles of gigantic clubmosses, horsetail, tree ferns and ground ferns flourished in end- less jungles. Later, more advanced cycads, dawn redwoods and maidenhair trees emerged, all vying for space and sunlight. evolution? Why did Remnants from these ancient jungles baal December, 1975 that survived have been collected by the Arboretum and are on exhibit in the Pre historic Garden. Representatives such a the cycads, with a lineage in excess of 28) million years, dominate one area, while maidenhair trees, giant redwoods, swallp cypresses, dawn redwoods, and other pt- mordial specimens are circled about. - by, displays of horsetail (Equisetum) 4 clubmoss (Lycopodium) ate veiled in cool shade. Bizarre plants, they have ef dured over 145 million years, survivitg eons of change and evolution. a primitive gathering of ferns (Filicales surround the observation platform . add to the air of prehistory. From © observation deck, a one-way P® guide the visitor through the Pr Garden, returning only for a com ere stroll under the Jungle Garden s am sometimes impenetrable vegetative opy. Plant communities are defined 4 not by nature, and plants ees a the rather rigid limitations = ae man; however the jungle area ts j ian plant community. A uni ye? oft to be sure, the “Jungle” is comp shuts wide variety of water-loving er ees and trees from all over the “a d. inclu nant plants in the Jungle Garaen i palms from Mexico, out own ee wstralis Asian bamboo, eucalyptus a eetspi swamp cypress from Florida, from China, native wild grape, Mic: honeysuckle, cattail, catalpa from an plat west, and the black walnut. Ripatt ide) communities, or stream-side (SPIN tropical rainforest is 1 1 like appearance, espec wild BP months of summer, when in tick bamboo, and honeysuckle Pe fina if green curtains reminiscent 0 ee rainforest clearings. yet i mit a the trail, movement is res Lasca Leaves most impenetrable wall of plant life throughout the Jungle Garden. Not onl are the trees so crowded that intertwined foliage restricts vision, but also the under- and not a tropical rainforest, - obvious similarities do allow compariso While the Arboretum’s jnale provides a showcase for ancient and recent plants, rainforests of the world remain the most ancient of all plant organizations. Tropi- cal rainforests represent the purest form of plant development under ideal condi- Observation deck containing exhibits. 106 December, 1975 View across Lasca Lagoon from obser eck. vation a Ae oe 4 feature ° tions. A prehistoric plant organization, rainforests. The remarkable entratio® : A ; nc rainforests flourished as far north as Can- these ancient forests 1s the © ada and Greenland during the coal age, of so much plant lif 300 milion years ago. Later, in the face In the Brazilian rat =] = is . i : Cc cc o of advancing glaciers, these massive plant many as 300 species of ee jntens : ; ve A 8foups retreated south, leaving the more a square mile. Some bets ation 1% adap table temperate vegetation to the growth is yet another = The su™ whims of seasonal sun and snow. Now plant variation and evol ges occurtiné restricted mainly to 10° north and south bers are so many thi ly de- of the equator, a constant and stable sup- and successful genetic ™ ply of moisture and heat supports the velop. As an ecosystem, Lasca Leaves 107 Path through “iungle.” fores a fepresents an ancient plant organi- which, by virtue of its environ- , yet is also, as an ecos ou — , ystem, ty . to man and his pollution. and man do not liv Se acter t live apart from systems 8 ie is an ecosystem. Eco- sittple-and € of any size from a jar of Sst ty primitive algae to the most —. a rainforest. Whatever the tne oe cose operates as a whole quality of its Ich is very sensitive to the ‘atta environment. be oo among other animals has Iitiecdaeies ong the natural laws and tel neces iS Own ecosystem by his ty. Man alone has the ability to preserve, alter, or waste entire ecosys- tems. In his fascination with the “struggle for existence,” and survival of the ‘‘fit- this might change our environment can be considered against the backdrop of the Arboretum’s Prehistoric and Jungle Gar- en. Walter Ransom is a student pro fession- al worker who has been doing research on the Prehistoric and Jungle Garden project for the past year. 108 December, 1975 A Plant for A Contained Atmosphere John Provine aoe in the nineteenth century, Dr. Nathaniel Ward, an English botanist, discovered plants growing in a few sealed bottles stored in his basement. This dis- covery led to his experimenting in ship- ping plants across the sea in glass cases which eventually became known as War- dian cases, our first terrariums. people now think of a terrarium as a landscape in a glass container while single plants in a glass container are referred to as growing in a contained atmosphere. The subject of this series of articles deals with selected plants especially adapt- ed for use in a contained atmosphere. One of the nicest and easiest to grow is Begonia prismatocarpa — prismatocarpa meaning prism-fruited. Begonia prismato- carpa 1s an epiphyte which was first found growing on rocks and trees on the small island of Fernando Po off the coast of West Africa at an elevation of 3,000 feet. It was discovered by Gustov Mann and was first published in Curtis’ Botanical Magazine of 1862 Vol. 18. Begonia pris- matocarpa became very popular in Cali- fornia as a plant for a contained atmo- sphere in the early 1970’s because it is 4 compact plant requiring a small sized container, almost ever-blooming, and re- quires little care. The compact plant grows to a height of about two inches and spreads slowly with new rhizomes filling the bowl nicely. The stems or rhizomes are herbaceous, rounded and hairy. The hairy leaves are green from one-half ind to two inches long with long petioles The great abundance of yellowish-oranlS flowers, most of the year, 1s “ j this such a desirable plant to nave Steps in growing Begonia prismaio- carpa in a contained atmosphere: wall 1 1. Select < clear glass or plastic P 10-inch or larger. : _ Clean the bowl thoroughly ie : tergent and rinse with bottle ¥ - Cover the bottom of the pe with chips of charcoal to alt drainage. . ; ix, The Arbo- Add moist growing oe fo one half Pt N We a Remember this plant 1s an € so about one inch of growing is needed. Plant begonia in the g Cover your container wi Stretch ’n Seal. Selecting a place ore as office is one © the mos f steps. Without the ee re ight Nw ™~ ing ¢ may not be getting a, . Another very importan” nas watering. As the containet a ie) Lasca Leaves The as sh the in Nea o~ size of Begonia prismatocarpa wn in this photo graph demonstrates nee, it 7 d to grow it ina compact area. drainage, distilled water should al- ways be used. A baster should be 7 by pointing the open end : ie number of hands. ene wnels, : spite their personal stren me ea were subjected yi! “ Tigo oi transition, and, often, the an the price. tee owe Henty Dalton, the io a ai? after Reid, was an Ene foal in 1945 after a successful business ee 4d invet Peru. Funneling capital vf sumed ments, Dalton at one porn cae than 45,000 acres of the rich Ans? Valley. From his h his Rancho, Don Enriqu te the 1 spread holdings, inclu ita, pt acre Rancho Santa Ant ‘ agricultural units. ieee : absentee administrator Lasca Leaves 111 Henry Dalton Thomas Dibblee a Harris Newmark William Wolfskill iz tested, though, as political pressures from the new American government (statehood was achieved in 1850) began to usurp the time, money, and energies of all hold- ers of Spanish and Mexican land grants. According to the newly formed Land Commission, the burden of proof in land grant claims in California lay solely with the owner, and land which was not officially claimed or on which the grant was declared invalid, became public prop- erty. Henry Dalton’s last years thus be- came a long and costly tangle of research and litigation. Early in this frustrating period (1854) he was forced to sell a neglected and deteriorating Rancho Santa Anita in order to raise money for further litigation. The Santa Anita grant was “easily” confirmed some four years later, but a demoralized and impoverished Dalton spent another twenty years secur- ing title to his other properties, including the Azusa homesite. Dalton finally won the proverbial battle, but lost the war — title to Rancho Azusa was confirmed in 1876, but by 1881 he had lost the home- site in a mortgage foreclosure. Dalton’s successor at the Santa Anita Rancho, relieved of the financial burden of proving title, exercised a liberal hand in the maintanance and improvement of the neglected property. Joseph A. Rowe, Owner and star equestrian of Rowe's Olympic Circus (the first such entertain- ment in California), paid $33,000 cash for the land on which he planned to make his permanent home. An additional $6,000 went into rebuilding the crumb- ling Hugo Reid Adobe; the old tule and brea roof was replaced with tiles and shingles and a new five-room wing was added facing the lake. This auspicious beginning was quickly lost in the quag- mire of Rowe’s financial mismanagement and ranching inexperience, however, and 2 national recession that drove money into hiding finished the ranching career December, 1975 of the only owner to actually lose money on his investment in Santa Anita In 1857, Rowe borrowed $12,500 at 24% interest to cover his debts, and when that proved insufficient he managed to find a bidder for the ranch itself, an investment partnership that paid a mere $16,645 for title to Rancho Santa Anita. Joseph Rowe quietly left for Australia after clearing $2,300 on his $33,000 land investment The unlikely combination of Albert Dibblee, San Francisco vigilante coordi- nator, and William Corbitt and Mr. Bat- ker, Los Angeles promoters, had put chased Rancho Santa Anita sight unsess from the floundering Rowe. Albert ye lee entrusted mach of the ran to his younger brother, Thomas, pane i San Francisco earning mone) for capital expenditures and pane telligently and creatively for the pt development of the ranch. yee | seen the property,” he wrote, pei all agree in describing it as one oO ranchos in the Southern coumiy == Santa Anita is admirably suited for gtP* growing. Every fruit of the e zone flourishes there and most © etc., of the tropics — oranges, almonds, etc. ” con- “My idea of the property, he ‘ tinued, “is that it should gee sae account for stock raising - - - pare of cattle here would be about mis 8 that is 80 calves to 100 on . to be by far the ot ae ot : state in the Union .- - Catt se ‘ worth $15 to $18 each 10 faably 86! Co. Also sheep can be ie: oe fot pblee We plans of Albert De year 1862 began wi continuous rainfall, but almost three years of de d cal ranching that put an en ttle ie vastating ame Lasca Leaves Southern California. Starved for green grass and water, cattle (and sheep, too) died by the thousands, their emaciated carcasses left to rot in the sun. As the spring-fed lake at Santa Anita dried and shriveled into little more than a marsh, so too did the plans of Albert Dibblee shrivel into oblivion. In 1865 the partnership made the first of what would become many divisions in Rancho Santa Anita, selling the land in two sections. The smaller, 2,000 unim- proved acres in the west, was sold to a German merchant and entrepreneur, Leonard Rose, at $200 an acre, while the heart of the rancho, 11,319 acres sur- rounding the homesite, went to ex-trap- per, William Wolfskill for $20,000. In time, with patience and extensive irri- este Rose created his highly-touted nyslope estate with experimental i quality citrus fruits, and prize- a. horses his particular BS day seemed to be at hand for poe "8 Rancho Santa Anita. As agri- ma he seit superseded cattle ranching William, ifornia economy, names such as he Wolfskill took on increasing Wot a A Pioneering Kentuckian, piace ll had arrived in Mexican Cali- ie 1831 and quickly established bee as a land investor and budding sucuiturist. A Pioneer in the earl wine industry. h : : fee Eating 8 a won an award in 1856 sien % t vineyard in the state; sr of the commercial orange in- Ba aa he owned in 1862 plana: irds of all the orange trees a i n the state; an intrepid culti- fruit anid Planted numerous kinds of apple. a trees including peach, pear, on his f nd, chestnut, and persimmon Wolfskill os properties. William eit tought knowledge, experi a longtime ch val : siege A Anite: ws oe ‘hantment with Rancho in 1865 he moved into 113 the old adobe near the lake. In 1866 he was dead. He had had time only to plant from seed (another first) a number of the then recently introduced Australian eucalyptus trees. A fine old blue gum, the “Wolfskill” eucalyptus, still stands near the homesite, a poignant reminder of many men’s dashed dreams. As Wolfskill’s son, Luis, assumed ownership of Rancho Santa Anita, the transition from Mexican to American ways, from cattle ranching to agriculture, from single crop to diversified farming, seemed assured. With increasing stability, land prices rose to lucrative levels, and Luis further subdivided the ranch to gain maximum profits. Alfred Chapman purchased 1,740 acres (the section now known as ‘‘Chapman’s Woods”) for $19,500, skyrocketing Santa Anita’s mar- ket value to over $11 an acre. The balance of the ranch (now reduced to 8,000 acres), including the homesite, was offered for sale in 1870 at $9 an acte, in 1871 for $10 an acre, and again in 1872 at $10.50 an actfe. Luis Wolfskill found his buyer in 1872 in Los Angeles merchant, Harris New- mark. A shrewd man, Newmark realized that it was only a matter of time before the railroads would complete their lines into Los Angeles, thus opening the area to national markets and inevitably boost- ing the value of land. Beating the South- ern Pacific to the scene, however, was Elias Jackson (“Lucky”) Baldwin, home- spun Yankee capitalist, who in 1875 paid investment pay, and in doing so fulfilled the bright promise so many before him had also seen in the “fairy spot of the Valley.” Sandy Snider is an assistant in the his- torical section at the Arboretum. 114 CU Landrill Botanic December, 1975 arden Armand Sarinana . HE PROBLEMS of establishing a bota- nic garden over a landfill are due primarily to the limiting characteristics of any completed sanitary landfll—subsi- dence and abnormally high soil tempera- tures. Horticultural challenges result from these characteristics and their resulting offshoots such as sprinkler-line break- age, interrupted drainage, and soil un- suitable for root growth. One additional Paizee Once the dahlia garden, this area near the entrance vé and very crucial factor of this challenge at the South Coast Botanic Garden is the nature of the native soil. pe From the twenties until the mid-fities the area was considered one of the = native soil, then, is diato composed primarily of the tons of unicellular aquatic algae maceous ? silicified skele ee. mains one of most photogenic at South Coast Botanic Garden. Lasca Leaves diatoms. Though this soil is very valuable as an industrial filter, carrier, and insu- lator, it is devoid of any organic matter so essential for plant growth. In 1959, when the idea of transforming the landfill into a botanic garden was finally accepted, the amending of this na- tive soil began. It was the first step neces- for the development of a garden. anure was donated by the local horse- — residents, chips were brought in ots the Southern California Edison Ompany s tree-trimming operations, and — was donated by the Kellogg na These materials were all used ® form a much needed compost. As por- tions of the landfill were completed in rae with the contoured terrain speci- y the Department of Arboreta and a Gardens, the final three feet of Ba : soil was added and stabilized. This aoe was then amended with the pre- Kiss 2 78 08 compost. The incorpora- a. Ss Compost corrected the organic tee Aa deficiencies of diatoma- eaeiaae : Fertilizers were later added ca € the final ingredient in creating io € medium for plant growth. Two i aenege factors in good landscap- a. by the nature of diatoma- ie aaa’ at this garden are soil drain- Hass eae The native cover soil mea i tden has a tendency due to its rian i. to resist water penetration, Fatih tend Sania surface is wet, . ae 10N requires prolonged ex- : “pts : fr; Therefore, the addition . € matter is necessary to change oak ee ve soil and permit verti- principle of se a and drainage. The tions is ia f long-interval irriga- i to provide deep moisture ie Toot development. The necessity Qual deep irrigati ae : ep irrigation thus becomes plant life Tucial factor in maintaining : €te at South Coast. €velopment of any garden must 115 have direction and objectives, usually provided by a master plan flexible enough to meet any changes in priorities, budget, or philosophy. The Department's aim is to establish three botanic gardens each different from the other but developed to emphasize the flora most adaptable to its localized climate and soil conditions. The original planting concept of this garden required that the design allow for a continuity of plantings of special genera in groups consistent with the overall de- sign. For example, erythrinas could be featured in a particular area for interest, comparison, and study, and with as many different varieties as feasible, but should be distributed in such a manner within a small area that the structure of the trees and blooming habits would conform to the landscape design. Other plants or trees could be blended into this grouping to give continuity of planting. The circling tram road and auxiliary paths throughout the garden with plant- ings of ground covers, shrubs, and trees, as well as color of annuals and perennials, would be designed to allow for groupings of trees and complementary open areas and vistas. This concept has been followed and expanded to the extent that the compati- bility of plants, trees, and ground covers will be emphasized. This compatibility or harmony of plants will be houseowner- oriented in order to serve as a guide for landscaping and as a horticultural exhibit of beauty and interest. The official birth of the South Coast adopted an order approving a recommen: ty Landfill #1 as a botanic garden. The offici tion took place on April 20, 1960, at the future Crenshaw Boulevard entrance when f officials representing the De- a group 0 iting . of Arboreta, Sanitation, Engi- partments 116 neering, and the Board of Supervisors, met with representatives of the interested citizen groups who had initiated the bo- tanic garden idea. Three ginkgo trees were planted during the dedication. An initial three and one-half acres of completed slope were turned over to the Department of Arboreta. On Saturday morning, April 6, 1961, the first mass planting ceremony took place. Again, representatives of the De- partments of Arboreta, Sanitation, Board of Supervisors, County Forestry, and State Forestry met with representatives of citi- zen groups such as the California Feder- ated Garden Clubs, and the California Association of Nurserymen. The Manhat- tan Beach Youth Band provided the mu- sic while the colors were presented by the South Bay Girl Scout Mariners. This planting of the three-and-one-half-acre filled-in slope facing Rolling Hills Road was planted to provide color, quick cover, and erosion control. Over 25,000 plants were purchased and furnished by the Ar- retum, mostly ground covers and some shrubs. A few hundred plants were do- nated by the local nurseries, and over 5,000 were donated by garden clubs, pri- vate citizens, and children. The total of individual plants was 40,000. In this initial planting project, 153 flats of ground covers were used, consist- ing of white trailing iceplants (Delo- sperma ‘Alba,’ and Malephora purpurea- crocea), periwinkle (Vinca major), trail- ins gazanias (Gazania lencophylum uni- flora), Hall's honeysuckle (Lonicera japo- nica ‘Halliana’), lantana (Lantana monte- vidensis),, Asparagus Sprengeri, verbena, knotwood (Polygonum Capitatum), and many other perennial ground covers. Shrubbery and trees were also added in. cluding eucalyptus (E. citriodora, E. ery- thronema, and E, erythrocorys), acacias ( A. verticillata, A. retinodes), xylosma callistemons, Strelitzias, nandinas, cessive December, 1 7 ; Mexican cypress (Taxodium mucroné tum), and the dawn redwood ( sequoia glyptostroboides). { In November, the second four-acté filled-in area was seeded with hundreds of pounds of donated wildflower seeds and additional donated and purchased shrubbery and trees. Other plantings cluded over 4,000 cactus and succulent varieties; palms such as erytheas, livis - as, and sabals; corals such as Erytt caffra; orchid trees (Bauhinia blakeana); and over 200 roses donated by the = Scout troops in the area. 4g The two most distinguishing pats ® this landscaping were the giant Girl ee emblem outlined in purple vetch —_ center of California poppies; and 3 planting of the still-existing elephant Fi. Umbu tree (Phytolacca dioica), alll j by the local 4H Club for the a Arbor Day celebration. 4 The Dahlia Society trial plots an . trial garden 1 year new varieties were sen tested, and rated. The distinguishing dawn redwood a8 Acacia retinodes at the — eli Rolling Hills Road still greet Placed the interests of science above those of Combat, and the natu- talist's boxes and notes he called Eucalyptus globulus, to the rest of the world. To date, the blue gum has established itself, outside of Australia, in Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, China, Corsica, Cyprus, Equador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Greece, Guat- emala, India, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Rhodesia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanganyika, Tripolitania, Tunisia, Union of South Africa, Union of the Soviet Socialist Re- publics, the United States, Uruguay, Zaire, and probably other areas. The blue gum is a medium size to | Drawing by Patty Lawson large tree reaching to 200 feet in its native habitat. The bark is bluish, green- ish, greyish or brownish and shedding in long, thin strips. The leaves are lanceo- late, usually sickle-shaped, petioled, alter- nate, leathery in texture, equally green on both sides and very aromatic when ctushed. The leaves of the young seed- lings and of sprouts from the mature trees, however, are quite different, being ovate, wider, sessile, Opposite, softer in texture and conspicuously light bluish. The flowers are white or creamish-white, usually solitary, axillary in the leaf axils, and sessile or nearly sessile. The caps, (the operculums) which cover the flowers in bud and which are pushed off when they open, are flat. The fruits (seed- capsules) are warty, ribbed, blue-gray and with thick disks. The tree reaches its greatest develop- ment along coasts and river beds where the annual rainfall is 15 or more inches and foggy days are common. Under these conditions it increases its height very rapidly and is one of the fastest growing trees in the world. Norman D. Ingham, in his Eucalyptus in California (published In 1908), reported on blue gum trees 8rowing on the Forestry Station grounds at Santa Monica. At the age of four-and- a-half years, these trees averaged over 40 feet in height, and two of the specimens even 531/, feet. At the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum, blue gums are found in quad- fants D/7, D/8, K/9 and N/7. € specimen in quadrant N/7, in front of the Queen Anne Cottage, is 160 feet tall, which makes it the tallest tree on the Arboretum gtounds. It is known 7 ' March, 1976 © unlikely, however, that this tree was it fact planted by Wolfskill. Harris New mark, in his book Sixty Years in Souther California, published in 1916 in Los An- geles, mentions that when he bought th Rancho Santa Anita from Wolfskill’s so Louis, in 1872, there were five blue gus growing near the house. It was his unde standing that these were planted by Wil liam Wolfskill from seed sent to him by a friend in Australia, and pat were the first eucalyptus trees in Southern fornia. When Nee told about the house he meant the Hugo Reid = since this was the only house of rancho at that time. The Queen aod Cottage was built fe years later ( 1881) by E. J. Baldwin. hee: oe reason to doubt that bie skill’s blue gums were growing a the adobe when Newna ee rancho, but they certainly are anymore. Jack McCaskill, i od Recorder of the Arboretum pas si President of the San cr ba Society, recalls that many 0 aa trees eee in the Arboretum hee ia down in the late 19405 OF aye and hauled away truckload - gut load. Were the Wolfskill me hg among them? There 1s 90 way this out. of planted many blue gums : iod he owned the rancho. 1880 os probably took place <7 yea old which case the tree is NOW of artist seo! on plants at the Arbors si a biologist in the Depry poate division, taxonomtst, of and author of a number °. botany. Lasca Leaves A Prehistoric Garden Loran M. Whitelock ie could step into a time machine = oo back through the ages od Hg red million years, what fantastic Pei could we expect to see? We would ares zi “ag quite different from that rena : Aa are familiar. Most notice- ri _ e the giant dinosaurs roaming leetet "Lh Soaring overhead, ptero- ware e flying reptiles and predeces- aie = present day birds, look down - sie e climate is warm and dry over a ri earth and the land is covered ae “nag These forests give us our a coe liar link with the future. They oo predominately of gymno- eas plants and large numbers of % es 2 nan a Sree, : — ee ee ee OE ie . . site of lake ge —_— ; -eoround); § Beginning of Yata flowering deciduous orchard (foreg , etter); and beginning of pinetum (background ). 28 reds and variegated peppermints and ter- minated by the large flowered pink ‘Helen Borcher’s’ peach. In addition, the rich color of purple leaf plum varieties such as Prunus cerasifera ‘Atropurpurea’, P. ‘Krauter Vesuvius’, and P. bliretana adds to this rainbow. A small representative deciduous fruit- ing orchard was planted in 1973-1974 directly east of the meadow and the deci- duous flowering orchard. The purpose was to exhibit the similarities and differences in both types of trees to the visiting pub- lic. This orchard is to be used as a pru- ning demonstration area in January in the Department’s Sunday lecture-demonstra- tion series. This small collection consists of five varieties of apples, four varieties of peaches, two of nectarines, four vari- eties of apricots and pears, two varieties of figs, three varieties of almonds, and two varieties of plums. Several dwarf varieties of peaches and plums divide both orchards. Additional varieties of ber- ries are planned. Another successful horticultural collec- tion is the pinetum, started in 1965 and completed in 1968. Though consisting of only 17 species, it is an important part of South Coast. The main grouping is lo- cated on the hill east of the stream but specimens are found throughout the gar- den. At an elevation of approximately 350 feet above sea level, this main group is in a rather reduced smog area which accounts for their very healthy condition. € most prominent and numerous of the seventeen species of pines in the garden are the Canary Island Pine (Pinus canari- ensis), Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata), Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) and the Italian stone Pine (Pinus pinea). Some of the other species prominent in the garden are the Mexican Pinon pine (Pinus edulis), Coulter or big cone pine (Pinus coulteri) , Japanese red pine (Pi- nus densiflora), Jeffrey Pine (Pine jef- March, 1976 — freyi), Bishop pine (Pinus muricaia), 4 Austrian black pine (Pinus nigra), and ‘ Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergil). ’ Other collections which have also flour- ‘ ished in this Mediterranean-like environ — ment are the ficus group consisting of ie proximately 15 genera. They are divided into two main sections, one on the east — slope facing Rolling Hills Road, planted in 1965-68, and the second facing Cren- shaw Boulevard, planted from 1968 through 1970. This group consists Pf marily of the large tree forms such as the rubber tree (Ficus elastica) and Indian laurel fig (Ficus retusa). The eastern col- lection is more exotic with its bo tee (Ficus religiosa), rustyleaf fig (F. rubigi- nosa) and Moreton Bay fig (F. mate" phylla). . The palm collection of 16 se 7 : 29 species, though massed pra the northwest part of the garden, ‘ have specimens throughout the ay Since palms do so well here, pes ticipate enlarging this collection. i plans call for developing the He fo 20-plus acres on the west side of the aa den. This area will complement the w buildings and entrance on Crens : icnic area also contain a PI : Boulevard and a stream’s west slope, anticipated, a small main objective, then, is ae pa si dent into a unique plant epi ay duplicating the fine plant ¢ pe of the Arboretum and Descanso articles 3 ; vies of This is another in 4 SOU© ll of by Armand Sarinana, a, wracitl the South Coast Botanic Gar / a a garden icin and development 0 origin a P : oes wa Satin” ail ms “ne C oun Arboretum f 4 e: ty 4 State and f on Los Angel Ss r n ecti ’ ican $ Sou h A le ive An Arboretum is for peop learn ney nty Arboretum he year if les State pel arden throughout the and Visitors to the Los Ange ing in their ga for spring © the Arbore- can have flowers pt il Two xe growing In for 6 to 8 they select the nignt any photograph anaes will prgeees from lompranthus, pee | ie These succu easy-to-grow 'um's South “ices as the many Weeks or longer and a re i ent mo vironm ban en our ur he world that help make Sttractive. j Company thern California Edison Sou 30 Recent acquisitions to LASCA Plant Sci- ence Library: AIR POLLUTION EFFECTS ON PLANT GROWTH, Mack Dugger, ed. American Chemical Society, Washington. 1974. p. AMERICAN anata dba nd LORE, Carolyn Niethamm Macmillan, New York. 1974. 191 p. Biack hah sted a trations. CACTI, Frank D. Venning. Golden Press, New York. 1974. 160 p. , ilustrations CALIFORNIA MUSHROOMS; guide ss oletes, Harry D. Thie - afner New York. 1975. 261 p. Color mi- eheke illustrations COLOR IN THE SKY, Edwin A. Menninger. Horticultural Books, Stuart, Fla. 1975. 260 p. Black and white and color illustrations. CTl OF THE baggie N : mil- n, New York. 1974. 236 p. ieee aluatee: rit THe DICTIONARY OF HOUSE PLANTS, H . New 97 24 p. FIRE. AND ECOSYST TEMS, T and C. E. igren, eds. Academic Press, ea York. 1974, 542 p. Black and white illustrations. FLOWERS OF GUATEMALA, ag Rogers Chickering. Univ. o , Nor EATING, Stanley Books, New York. 197 ear ). 326 p. Black and white illustra- HANGING PLANTS FOR HOME, TERRACE, AND GARDEN, John Philip Baumgardt. Si- mon & Schust York. 1972. 128 p. EY TREES AND WILDFLOWERS OF THE MOUNTAINS OF SOUT THERN CALI- FORNIA, Barbara Collins. California Lutheran College, Thousand aks, Calif. 1974. ats p. Black and white illustrations. PLANT DISEASE, — ssell B. Stevens. Ron- ald bg New “task 1974, 459 p. Black and white tentemen PLANT PROP, AGATION: principles and Practices, Hudson T. Hartma E. Kester, 3rd ed. Prentice-Hall, Englewood sar dN N. * tacehen 662 p. Black and white March, 1976 a = =| va ES = is Fs % Fs S , and ture’s miele olants William H. Hylton, ed. Rodale Press, Em maus, Pa 4. 653 p. Black and white illustration TREES OF “SANTA BARBARA, Katherine K. Muller, Richard E. Broder, and Will Beitel. Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Santa Bar- bara, Calif. 1974. a p. Black and white and color illustration FERNS TO KNOW AND GROW, F. po ta Foster. Hawthorn, New Aiea 1971. 258 P Biack and white and color illus FLOWERS OF THE SOUTHWEST DESERTS, N. Dodge. pag 1973 FUNGAL PATHOGENICITY AND PLANT’S RESPONSE, R. J. W. Bye ad Da Cutting, eds. Academic Press, don. 1973. 499 p. Illustrations. GARDENING FOR THE HANDICAPPED, Be Massingham. Shire Pune rs 5 dead England. 1972. 59 P. bi ES, GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT x ~~ rs T.T. Kozowski. ceo Press, 1971. 2 v. Illustration EN GUIAS BOTANICAS DE EXCURSION MEXICO, weg or aalfobe otanica 19 p. Ilustratio ae THE HABITAT GUIDE 70 eg O74. s P. McElroy, Jr. Knopf, New or 257 illustrations. EC A HIST Y OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITY TURE — the selationshiE lag” a et ronment, George , il pots Elsevier, New York. 1973. 305 P- lustrati AND HUMAN "POISONING FROM WAT nes CULTIVATED PLANTS, 2 ae Univ 94 p. ations. MYCOPLASMA LIKE "AGENTS CASES. ANIMAL, AND PLANT Di academy 532 p. Illus N.Y. Academy © T, PLANT DEVELO Men Taylor A. Steeves ond len a 1 1972 P5302 : 4 PIR RATION: O AOTOSYNTHESIS, PHOTORES? al zeit AND PLANT PRODU UcTIVITY, i ai. 347 & Academic Press, New Lasca Leaves 31 CASSIA SPLENDIDA (Cover) A number of cassias have proved to be successful in the Los Angeles County area and have been introduced by the Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens. Five species have been made available to the nursery trade and four are being investigated for their potential value. Cassia splendida first came to the Arboretum in 1951 when Elmer Lorenz shared seed with the Department. Dr. Samuel Ayres, Jr., added another plant 10 the collection in 1959. It is one of the more spectacular cassias because of the large size of the individual flowers and the deep butter-yellow color. The plant Originates in Brazil and is a dense, rounded shrub or small tree to 15 ft. in height. Leaves are compound—even pinnate—consisting of four leaflets. The yellow flowers appear in terminal clusters in late summer or early fall. The Arboretum propagated plants by cuttings in 1966 and subsequently in May of 1967 the plant became an Arboretum introduction. In that year Plants were given to Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo and a large specimen was made available for use in the Civic Center Mall planting. This is perhaps one n made available Os eee ARBORETUM WEATHER lat. 34 deg. 08’ 48” N. Weather season: long. 11g deg. 02' 59” w. Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 Eley, 571.28 ft. Gey ee ae i mbnrenet es (1976) Nov. Dec. Jan. . 4.1 Average daily maximum temperature _____._------------- 74.6 70.0 7 449 «42.5 41.0 Average daily minimum temperature __..____._--- Highest ii. 2. ME 88 88 88 PS iemperciure —_ — pe 33 32 ie Number of clear days Bs ec 22 30 Number of Partly covey days. 9 8 Number of don. Be 1 ! : Rain ee .09 7 Calendar’ May, June ARBORETUM, Arcadia Apr. 4—9 to aan Baldwin - Presented by Cai “Arboretum Foundation. Apr. 11—10 a Sunday Morais Walk* “Lawns and Ground Cov Charles Lee, horticultural consultant Apr. 17, 18—Sat., lto5p _ Sun., 9 to 3 oe ris Show Presented _ S Cait Iris Society Apr. 2 25—Sat. a 2 to S p. te Amaryllis ‘Show es _ Presented by S. Calif. Hemerocallis _and Amaryllis Society — ec 1, —— it 5. p.m. oe ee m. o- Dr. Leonid E Fi nid Enar May 16-—Sun 9 ¢ i, senior iologist Epiphyllum Bons ee resen: E Il May 22, 23—sat.9 to eee of America. un., 9 to S p.m. Spring Extravaganza’ Present: May 29, 30—Sat _ Sun «9to i Sh 5 pm. Bonsa : hae ed rs ‘Sus Anita nsscieas soy: e5, &—Sat., Sts pm ! Tak Ni h a in a i Education Division Sunday Morning Walk* | _ “Greenhouses” _ June 26, 27—Sat., Azto 5pm. - Glad = Sun — Ba resented ee Calif. ‘Gladinles Soc ies I by C Soe Foundation. 90 ) GARDENS, la Canada May UW *Sponsored by ee eos ‘Guaew Guild SOUTH COAST BOTANIC GAR : : by Cal. Arboretum ae _ May 2— oe Cactus and Succulent Show ~ BIRDWALKS ing in Barranca Del Cobra, Mexico” athryn Sabo, show chairman, Cactus and ce atert oo of America Squ uare Dan Sponsored ce La Canada Square Dance Group June 6—9 to 5 D.m emerocallis Show* : S Presented by Hemerocallis Society of uthern California. June 9 to p.m. Annual Art Festival eo Presented ae Descanso Gardens Guild June 13——3 “Excerpts fon Show Presented by —— oles Players Palos Verdes Peninsula Iris lectur John el iris ees ser Four Berne nature ogra —10a Sunday Morning oo “Flowering Plant Armand Sarinana, superntende : 5 p.m May 15, 1 pes > Fiesta de Flore oe a d by = Co ast Botanic Gar y 29, 30, and ai Set oe Presented by South Coast Cactus Succulent Society ** Presented cooperation ment of Arboreta and Botanic = sae ARBORETUM a {st Sunday of each month at 8 _DESCANSO- Se = ond = 4th Sunday of each 8s. 3rd Wednesday of each Ganorn he BOARD OF SUPERVISORS LOS ANGELES COUNTY KENNETH HAHN EDMUND D. EDELMAN 2nd District 3rd District PETER F. SCHABARUM 1st District JAMES HAYES BAXTER WARD Ath District 5th District DEPARTMENT OF ARBORETA AND BOTANIC GARDENS LOS ANGELES COUNTY Arcadia, California 91006 e Telephone: (213) 681-8411 Francis Ching, Director; Roy Ito, Assistant Director; Frank Simerly, Assistant Director Lee H. Wakeman, Executive Assistant. Los Angeles State and County A * John W. Provine, Superintendent; William Hawkinson, Assistant Superintendent; Earl Ross, Orchidist; Tim Lorman, Horticulturist; Charles Lee, Horticultural Consultant. Descanso Gardens: George Lewis, Superintendent: South Coast Botanic Gua Armand Sarinana, Superintendent; Edward Hartnagel, Assistant Superintendent esearch Division: Paul Cheo, Ph.D., Chief; Leonid Enari, Ph.D., Senior Biologist Taxonomy and Plant Records Section; George Hanson, Ph.D., Senior Biologist Research Section. Education Division: Tak Niiya, Chief, Public Services Divisio™ Donald S, Dimond, Chief. CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC. Arcadia, California 91006 * Telephone: (213) 447-8207 BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS: Mrs. Leland E. Larson, President; James P. Curry, Robert E. Paradise, Second Vice-President; Warren M. Dunbar, Treasu Dolores K. Hubbell, Executive Secretary First Vice-President rer; Mrs- J. Lyle Cur Fuelling, Mi Roy | arri . i k : Mrs. Nicholas M. Niciphor, Dave W. Paradis, Mrs. Elizabeth Price, Richard Regan, F. Harold Roach, Walter R. Schoenfeld, Ralph W. Spencer, gion Mrs: W. Sprague, Joseph A. Sprankle, Jr., William H. Stitt, Robert H. pig Raymond Todd Taylor, Loran M. Whitelock, Mrs. Chester L. Williams. . B HONORARY TRUSTEES: Dr. Samuel Ayres, Jr., Mrs. Harry J. Bauer, ois pate Mrs: rs. Ralph D. Cornell, Dr. Arie J. Haagen-Smit, Mrs. Valley Knite"? cect John F. Llewellyn, Dr. Mildred E. Mathias, Mrs. Manfred Meybere, 1 ™ Q. Stanton, Lowell Swisher, Jr., Mrs. Archibald B. Young. , «nett EX-OFFICIO: Francis Ching, Director; Roy Ito, Assistant Director, Frank SI Assistant Director; John W. Provine, —— a ,"—7 my June 1976 Vol. XXVI No. 2 Published quarterly by the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc. for the Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gisdens of Los Angeles County. LOS ANGELES SOUTH COAST STATE & COUNTY ARBORETUM DESCANSO GARDENS — BOTANIC GARDEN oy at SS ei eater ea —_—_———. 36 Department Notes 43 Washingtonia robusta, the Mexican Fan Palm 46 Coffee 50 The Baldwin Legacy 58 Bookshelf 59 Lagerstroemia fauriel (Cover) 59 Arboretum Weather Back cover Calendar r, Francis ypongect i Photo credits: Cove . pia 48 Frank Simerly; p. 40, Glort ink Donald § Di ley; pp- 36, 37, 38, 44, 47, Will _ Aplin You are invited to join the CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM ON INC. * Annual le plant and Seed Distribution ° Invitations to speci@ M istribution einer EMBERSHIp brings you the oe publication, Lasca ves News . MEMBERSHIP DUES: Annual, $10; Annual Contributing, $25; vr — * $100; Annual pee $100; Annual oe $250; 48° és ctible. “i $1,000; Benefactors $5,000 or more. Contributions are dedu f ‘ eat Inc., and sen 006. head payable to the California Arboretum quarters at 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, Calif. 91 eS ) epartment SOUTH COAST DEDICATION A S BOTH Department Director Francis Ching and longtime supporter of South Coast Botanic Garden Mrs. Frances Young observed, official ceremonies con- ducted outdoors at the garden have al- ways been blessed with good weather, no matter how many black clouds preceded June, 1976 the event. At 8 a.m. on Friday, May 7th, there was scattered rainfall in the Los Angeles Basin, including Palos Verdes Peninsula. By 10 a.m., when some 200 guests had assembled for the formal dedi- cation of the new Administrative Center, the sun was shining and the air was fresh and clear. With this good omen, Mr. Cliff Graham, president of the South Coast Botanic Garden Foundation and emcee for the dedication, got the pro ceedings underway with the pledge ot allegiance led by Scout Troop 850 from nearby Manhattan Beach. Then, Dr. Charles Heuser, pastor of The Neighbor: hood Church, of Palos Verdes, which is right next door to the garden, gave the invocation. Mr. Graham then successively intto- duced Mr. John A. Anderson, mayot of nors; Cliff Graham, Chace; eta and Botanic Gardens. Participating in the ribbon-cutting ceremony were, from piso; president, Board of Governors; John Anson Ford, former county super® : over Young, founder-president, SCBG Foundation and former member, mee president, SCBG Foundation; Supervisor Hayes; hert Beverl): John Anderson, mayor, Rolling Hills Estate; Assemblyman ee Dr. Paul Saffo, former president, SCBG Foundation; Francis Ching, Stoke, ance. the left: Marilyn director, Lasca Leaves In th : Donald ef Pe the dedication was of South Co oolley, first superintendent ly Sgonsibl. st Botanic Garden and large- maturi pore for the many plantin 6 uring at the garden gs now Dr. Paul Saffo, former president of the -. Garden Foundation, to Supervisor James Hayes while Assem- blyman Robert Beverly, 46th district, beams his approval of the achievement. Francis tors to the r complex. tive Cente 38 June, 1976 A “” ee yary ths \ J , , ae? YSN ‘ ~ ater GANS ‘ f \ - {) ‘ AN ASL ¥ ae% A 4 a ey re ew ah’ : See . a maviacht Following the dedication ceremonies, the audience, serenaded by a 4 band, entered the courtyard to begin a tour of the new facilities. Rolling Hills Estates, Mrs. Marilyn C. Stoke, president of the Board of Govern- ors of the Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens, and Mr. Francis Ching, department director. Each expressed ap- propriate remarks concerning the new center and how it represented the culmi- nation of years of cooperative effort. The dedicatory address was delivered by the Honorable James A. Hayes, supervisor of the fourth county district in which the gar- den is located. Supervisor Hayes, in addi- tion to expressing his appreciation for the collective effort that helped to bring the center to realization, reminded his listen- ers that he had “gone out on a limb” in persuading his fellow supervisors to auth- orize construction of the buildings and hoped that the South Coast Botanic Gar- den Foundation, the South cont and the many garden groups 4p ge who would utilize the centet, wou so in a way to justify his faith. After the traditional — = ceremony, everyone was invite a. of plore the new facilities 4 refreshments supplie at they saw was the Frances Young Hall of and other rooms that collecttv most inviting place fo poses and, wit ors, tasteful light standar graphics, in harmony wit. ing environment. ds an d attractive t Lasca Leaves CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION ANNUAL MEETING A FINE SPRING rain greeted the an- nual meeting of the California Ar- boretum Foundation last May 5, causing the luncheon to be moved indoors but ape ae no disruption or lessen- of enthusiasm i rh for everything else on Following a box luncheon in the lec- ture hall, the business meeting got under way with the election by the general oe of new officers to the Board . “ig for the regular three-year . - Mr. Warren Dunbar, chairman of > ong committee which includ- : “ Edward Chapman and Mr. Wal- apa presented the candidates. fobn eng Mrs. Thomas Moore, Mrs. thi ter, Mrs. Varick Martin, Mrs. i. sy Mrs. Raymond Taylor, and ais fl - Kackly. Re-elected to their Kirk Me €-year term were Mrs. Miriam Gtivich - Chester Williams, Mrs. John om «4 Robert Strub, Mr. Ralph jad » Mr. Ernest Hetherington, and 8¢ Joseph Sprankle, Jr. ia. . the activities of Las Vol- SS Thon, € past year was given by bes ..: Moore, pinch-hitting for oa fias president, Mrs. John y =e who was unable to attend. Ks re was presented with a plaque PPteciation of i : a hast mn of her accomplishments a. sigalg of Las Voluntarias, to N increase in m i Be eiicens tees 5 ces, embership iy _- Ramsay Lawson, on the Hall of Frank :.. Education, and treasurer Profit from ee reported that the net Was $33 794 € recent Baldwin Bonanza —. °* - six thousand dol- Mrs. Lel ast year’s Bonanza. Of the . Larson, first vice-president : Board of a and a member of the i Vvernors, gave a summary of Mrs. Leland E. Larson the many activities at the Arboretum last ear. Director Francis Ching extended his welcome to the members and expressed his appreciation for their support of the Foundation and their invaluable help, particularly Las Voluntarias, in all areas of Arboretum activity. Special guests at the meeting were Mrs. Marilyn C. Stoke, president of the Board of Governors; Mrs. Mary Bittner, mem ber of the Board of Governors; and Mrs. Nancy Dunn, new pr canso Gardens Guild. Voted to top offices effective July 1, were Mrs. Leland Larson, president; Mrs. James Curry, 1st vice-president; and Mr. Robert Paradise, 2nd vice-president. Mrs. Larson appointed Mr. Warren Dunbar to the post of treasurer. Although the rain prevented the run- bers had the pleasure Tropical Greenhouse and then, for the annual plant distribu- tion, had the choice of two plants; Calli- stemon pinifolius, the bottlebrush with 40 yellowish-green flower spikes, or Vibur- num rigidum, a species that does better in this area than most viburnums. NEW GUILD PRESIDENT M*™ Nancy N. DuNN of Pasadena was elected president of the Des- canso Gardens Guild at the Guild’s an- nual meeting last February, succeeding Mrs. Nancy N. Dunn Mrs. Rodney Rood who had setved a two-year term. Mrs. Rood will automati- cally become a member of the Guild Ad- visory Board and will also setve on a number of committees. During her long association with Descanso Gardens, which extends over twelve ears, Mrs. Dunn has directed most of her efforts toward the development of the Guild’s corps of volunteers. She is credited with forming the first docent Program at Descanso in 1965. In addition to Serving as chairman June, 1976 of this program, she has served on nu- merous other community agencies, among them the Sierra Madre Girl Scout Coun- cil, the Pasadena branch of the NAACP, and the Washington Girls’ Project under the Community Planning Council. Mrs. Dunn is currently a member of the Descanso Gardens Guild Board of Trustees and the Red Cross Youth Ad- visory Committee in Pasadena. She 1s also a member of the Junior League. After raising six children, Mrs. Dunn earned a B.A. degree at Occidental Col- lege in 1974 and is now working on 4 Master’s degree in sociology at Cal State, Los Angeles. Among the projects Mrs. Dunn sa to see completed during her term 0 office are a new classroom and exhibit hall for lectures and flower shows, com pletion of a plant reference library - the Hospitality House, and further de- velopment of the Tuesday Gardens Tours. New officers serving with Mrs. Dunn are Mrs. Lelamae Adams, vice-president in charge of the Project Boe Merideth Wills, second vice-president: Mrs. Gerald J. Wells, recording sort tary; Mrs. Melvin D. Burt, <— ing secretary; and Mrs. Jack Danz, rer. AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF BOTANICAL GARDENS peed ARBORETA AWARDS PRESE iDe MILDRED MATHIAS, -_— tired director of bo ie trustee and £ the Calt herbarium and_ professor of UCLA, and for many years 4 currently an honorary trustee © noe fornia Arboretum Foundation, _ a presented with an Award of ea we American Association of bo dens and Arboreta for her many sii =. Leaves a in the world of botany and horti- The presentation was made by the aia at its 1976 annual meeting in ngton, Delaware. om presenting the award, the AABGA = sean of ‘Dr. Mathias’s academic en a ich includes A.B., M.A., and a; : a from Washington Univer- : re several positions at the a .< California at Los Angeles, _ meee vice-chairman and then id 7 of the department of i oe ve years as director of bo- ae om and the positions from Ba ai: as just resigned; her long , : : ications; and her service on be- rad umerous professional organiza- Incl: i Sagglen the latter is her service as onal the Southern California a a € Nature Conservancy, con- Mythology . University’s Folklore and wesiy’s °C a member of the Uni- oi.. . <9 to Administer the Ser. “a seca Illustration, con- Oey, membe €partment of pharmacol- for ah of the General Committee a sie of the International ber of veh om Taxonomy, and mem- sey Pier in the Japan Cooperative Foundation am of the National Science The AA Dr BGA took particular note of : as’s tbuti of the Adas contributions as a member ag a Membe t of th Sek ne Hiones eae of Directors of Sita i. Mathias, the AABGA pre- Voight for of Merit to Mr. John E. Beemer p wicship in making the 20 “institut ay Gardens in Milwaukee high standar nationally known for its ds o a f taste and maintenance.” 41 4 Dr. Mildred Mathias on of the in 1971, the yeats given to horticultural man for The National Conventi American Horticultural Society and has generally over much time and energy organizations. An Honorary L highest award bestowe was presented to Dr. Fred Bixler Wid- moyet, Jr., “in recognition of his long standing devotion to our organization. Widmoyer joined the ife Membership, the d by the AABGA, secretary-treasuret. he has 42 future of our organization and to guide us toward that vision.” And finally, an Award of Merit was presented to the Pennsylvania Horticul- tural Society, under its president, Ernesta D. Ballard, “in recognition of its many bi- centennial projects for the public good through horticulture.” W. QUINN BUCK eo HE HORTICULTURAL community, the Arboretum and other area botanic gardens lost a longtime friend and con- tributor with the passing of W. Quinn Buck last February 29 at his home in Arcadia. Mr. Buck was 67 when he died and had devoted the last 25 years of his life to the world of plants, centering his attention on plant propagation and, in particular, on developing new kinds of daylilies. As a youth in his native Texas, he was exposed to the journalistic world through a weekly newspaper published by his father and to the world of plants simply by the flower gardens he saw, every one of which fascinated him. He majored in English and art at Texas Christian Uni- versity in Fort Worth and, following graduation, summa cum laude, in 1929, went to Philadelphia to study painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. It was while working nights as a proofreader on The Philadelphia Inquirer that problems developed with his eye- sight which were to force him, six years later, to leave the field of journalism and give up printing permanently. Oculists advised him to live in a warmer climate, and so he moved to California. During his student years he had always found time to attend horticultural lectures and experiment with growing plants, so that when he came to California he already had both experience and technical knowl- edge in plant propagation. June, 1976 He arrived in California early in 1942 and worked for a year with Cecil Houdyshel, a bulb grower in La Verne. Then, he went to work as a technician in the floriculture greenhouses at UCLA, where he remained for seven years. He became the head plant propagator at the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum in 1950 and held this position until his retirement in 1965. In 1951, he established the first test garden at the Arboretum. It consisted of over 200 named varieties of daylilies and reflected his experiments at the Arbor etum, and in later years at his home, in the production of tetraploid ena (plants having twice the normal comp " ment of chromosomes in their cells) a0 other ornamental plants through the use of the chemical colchicine. His 0g in this area resulted in the production © new races of garden daylilies having superior form and lasting qualities. colchicine-induced tetraploid blue daisy, Felicia amelloides ‘Santa Anita’, obtain from his 1951 experiments, was given i Award of Merit by the California Ho . cultural Society and was commercia x propagated by the thousands for etl the Los Angeles and San Francisco “it In 1969, the American Plant Life a ciety presented Mr. Buck with ee ciety’s William Herbert Medal os oe nition of his outstanding contribu : toward advancement of p ants a “a amaryllis family, particularly for 4 gf a neer work of the tetraploid gee Many of his plant creations are . pee today at Descanso Gardens, seit Botanic Garden and the Arbore st Mr. Buck was a member of nume™” horticultural societies a! participant in the American ! pa American Hemerocallis Society, nd the briel Valley Orchid pegesc ‘ Southern California Heme Amaryllis Society. Lasca Leaves 43 PLANT PORTRAITS Whshingtonia Kobe ta The Mexican Fan Palm David Deardorff TI I - Sapa fitting in this bicenten- highligts = ora plant-portrait article to 7 os in a distinctive genus . al fan palms named after the Washing, our country”. The genus is : i: age it is comprised of just two : it - sll the only palm native bine n United States, and W. Th : Washingtonia was used by ‘hag ie 1818 for sweet cicely, a oe... 5 the carrot family. Later i. y Wendland for the fan aha — once used for the ra) ie Ording to the International ge aan Nomenclature, no two oldest vi ave the same name, and the ity. Since ed name has prior- Oe anyon Nesque used the name be- f € else, sweet cicely, not the tonia, cae be named Washing- et, Parish undred years later, how- Oa a taxonomic mono- eg palms (Bot. Gaz. 44: -). In this study, he de- staph 34 cided that the fan palms should retain the name Washingtonia. He made this decision based on what he considered to be sound nomenclatural grounds and also the fact that by this time the use of the name for the palms was solidly entrench- ed in the literature and in the nursery robusta, the Mexican fan to northwestern Mexico been introduced to Cali- as the eighteenth century by the mission fathers. It has been noted that Prudhomme grew this palm at his home near San Gabriel and apparently trade. W ashingtonia palm, is native and may have fornia as early tensively planted, however, un 1870. E. J. Baldwin introduced it in his Rancho Santa Anita in the 1890's. This planting still exists near the Queen Anne Cottage on the grounds of the Los An- geles State and County Arboretum. Sev- eral of these magnificent old palms e€x- ceed 100 feet in height and one tops at June, 1976 tie oe ‘ .tee Rm — bin . ne . ae Si 7 Al Hae : . - at the Los A grove of WASHINGTONIA ROBUSTA adjoining the historical section ¢ State and CG. ounty Arboretum. gel és Lasca Leaves them all at 121 feet. This grand old palm at the northeast corner of the Queen Anne Cottage may well be the tallest palm in the continental United States. Under ideal conditions of good drain- = ample soil moisture, and fertile soil, ¢ Mexican fan palm gains an average of two feet per year in height. At least one record reports a vigorous growth tate of six feet in a single year. It is apparently the ultimate height of the exican fan palm which earned it the _ epithet of robusta, since in every gl respect it is smaller and more grace- - . the relatively massive California Si W. filifera. The smaller leaves, _ and narrow trunk of the | . palm result in a graceful es ca, eau by the extreme ale of the Mexican fan palm . palmately divided, the divisions ex- a olla one-third of the distance « r of the blade. The leaves are . | as four feet long, including the ay petiole, and are persistent for .. 2a The functional life of the es ae Se year after which it saa omes reflexed, dangling Ba cs a the trunk in a skirt or petti- ioe 5 atch. The skirts of old leaves T years unless pruned away de- dead leaves are deliberately S leaf bases which remain i. ty attractive basket-weave tex- Y much of the length of the trunk. ue os of the Mexican fan palm a whitish, borne in large the leave. ag which hang down below drupes ey e fruits are small blue-black flesh, a large seed and very little small ota germinate readily and up Sai fan palms often spring > Wr tee, Y around reproductively ma- fative Americans of the southwest 45 utilized the California fan palm in a variety of ways and, although no specific information seems to be available for the Mexican fan palm in this regard, it may have been used in a similar fashion. The fruits were roasted and eaten or were ground into flour. The trunks were squared off and used as timbers or were split into poles for ramadas and corrals. The leaves provided thatch for roofs and fibers to bind the thatch in place. Thus it may have been for partly utili- tarian rather than strictly ornamental pur- poses that the Mexican fan palm was originally imported by the mission fathers. Whatever the original reasons for its importation, the Mexican fan palm is highly regarded today as a hardy, adapt- able, ornamental palm performing well under a wide variety of climatic and cul- tural conditions. The plants are hardy to 24 degrees and will withstand drought and poor soil, although growth is faster under better conditions. The most widely planted palm in southern California, the Mexican fan palm is now cultivated in Mediterranean and_ subtropical regions around the world. It is certainly the most abundant tree in the urban landscape of southern California, dominating the sky- line of cities and towns from the coast to the desert. It is a stately street tree and, especially when silhouetted against the setting sun, is quite capable of trans- forming the most mundane urban land- scape into a panorama of genuine beauty. Even more than most trees, however, it achieves its true potential when planted ‘a informal clumps and groves in a park- like setting. The magnificent grove of Mexican fan palms near the Queen Anne Cottage on the Arboretum grounds is an excellent example of their quiet grace. ae member of the de- Dr. Deardorff #5 4 aff involved in taxo- partment research Sst nomic studies. 46 June, 1976 Coffee Leonid Enari Aa OLD ETHIOPIAN legend tells that coffee was discovered by a goatherd- er and his goats. The herder noticed that whenever the goats nibbled berries and leaves from a certain shrub on the hillside in the evening they pranced happily and noisily around all night giving him no chance for a well-deserved sleep. When he tried some of the berries himself, he became so excited over the resulting alertness and wakefulness that he took a few of the berries to the mullah. The mullah listened to his story, tasted the berries, and decided that they were exact- ly what he needed to keep the faithful from falling asleep during the long eve- ning services. In about 800 A.D., coffee was used as food. The whole ripe berries and leaves were crushed and molded into balls held in shape with fat. One of them, about the size of a tennis ball, made up a days ration and sustained a man on a long march. There are a few wandering tribes in Africa who still use them. The habit of coffee-drinking seems to have started in Arabia in the 15th cen- tury. All available evidence suggests that the people of Mocha, Medina, and Bag- dad did not know of coffee before this date. Coffee is not mentioned in the Koran, nor is there any allusion to it in the Hebrew Scriptures. The first beverage made from the ber- ries of the coffee plant is believed to be an alcoholic liquor. The pulp of the berry is succulent and contains a fair amount of sugar. If a decoction made from it was allowed to stand for a short time, it would become alcoholic and might even be distilled into spirit. The beverage made from coffee berries would not only be intoxicating, but also stimu- lating because of the caffeine in it. The art of roasting the seeds (beans) and then preparing a decotion from them was apparently a more recent discovery. There is no record of when the process was discovered. From Arabia, coffee spread to Egypt Damascus, Aleppo, Persia and then to Europe where coffee houses sprang UP 3 Italy, France, England, Germany Z other countries. These European coltee houses became centers of literary, artistic and political activity. The most one were found in London in the 17th inpacoage but soon after » ‘ne will, the younger Anita , iiterests and quickly and alled i a livestock ranch, oo. sat Breeding Farm as both © her father’s life and as a sound business venture of her own. The Queen Anne Cottage was closed, its marble walkway, black walnut doors, fire- places and tilework, and its magnificent stained-glass windows carefully crated and stored, as Anita oversaw the con- struction in 1913 of her own three-story, fifty-room Anoakia home at the corner of present-day Baldwin Avenue and Foothill Boulevard (the name Anoakia was coined by combining the first two letters of Anita’s first name, the ‘‘oak’’ tree of the family crest, plus an -ia for euphony). Completed at a cost of over a quarter million dollars, Anita’s Anoakia home was as modern as the Queen Anne Cot- tage was old-fashioned. The Pasadena Daily News of 1915 noted that “a more beautiful spot would be difficult to find. The house is a massive structure of con- crete, built on the open square plan, and every room on the lower floor opens with long French windows or doors, into the patio . . . The beautifully kept kitchen, with its white tiles and shining enamel, copper and aluminum ware, pre- sided over by the white coated chef; the immense enamel ice boxes and serving room; the thousand-and-one conveniences that go to make the up-to-date home; the basement with its wine cellars; the 1ce- making plant, furnaces and storerooms; the stately dining room with paneling to the ceiling and handsome cut-glass fix- tures and ornaments—all carved with the oak design by Pasadena people — the dainty breakfast room, light and airy. - - the place is absolutely complete. Att work, almost entirely by Californians, filled the house; of particular note were the four Indian murals executed by Wes- tern artist, Maynard Dixon. Beyond the house were tennis courts, gymnasium, 2 white-tiled swimming pool, Parthenon- style bath house, a garage complete with its own machine shop, terrapin and frog i ‘aries, stables, and the ponds, apiary, aviaries, June, 1976 in’s Anoakia S is wimmi ool at Anita Baldwins A Parthenon-style” bathhouse and outdoor swimming p home. famous dog kennels housing Anita’s ptize-winning airedales and Russian wolf- hounds. Animal-lover and businesswoman both, Anita concentrated her energies on stock- raising rather than the general farming is had the of her father’s day. In 1915 had orange groves and vineyare 7 sak Drive filled the land north of Huntingt0® fo rooted out to provide pee" feed, HO vasturage and raising gene weft Father's old wooden ranch but e Ba : M Baldwin 1. at the old Baldwin house (above) and : : bey OUle Sets were c ] were common during the 1940s ake (Lasca Lagoon) (below ). torn down and replaced with what a writer of the day described as modern structures of “reinforced concrete, with ventilation, sanitary plumbing, and con- veniences of every kind, electrically light- ed, and steam heated in winter.” The dairy barn received special attention: ‘No expense or care will be too great to pro- vide the best for these fine cows. The milking stalls will be in two parallel tows, twenty-four stalls to a row, facing each other. Between the two, an electric tunway will bring in the feed direct from the silos or grain barn. There will not be a board in the place. Every possible harboring spot for vermin will be elimi- nated so that the cows may be kept as clean and sweet as well-cared-for chil- dren. The ultimate intention is to give to Los Angeles and the surrounding cities and towns the Opportunity to secure milk of such delicious and tich quality and perfect purity that the most fastidious will be able to use it with a feeling of security too often lacking in these days of hurry and indifference.” Anoakia was both a working livestock ranch and a breeding farm of unusual quality. Quoting from Anita’s 1916 Pri- vate Catalogue of Rancho Santa Anita and Anoakia Breeding Farm, “It can be conservatively said that there is not an- other fertile spot on the Pacific Coast, nor in the great Southwest, more suitable or naturally adapted for the raising of purebred livestock than this portion of Los Angeles County . . . Shaded by five thousand or more beautiful oaks, centu- ties old . . . this region, generously en- dowed by nature, yields forth almost gra- tuitous service to every application of man’s intellect. Here, where the elements and all the laws of nature are in harmony with human endeavor, the greatest devel- opments are possible, and here it is that expert attention is devoted to raising Thoroughbred, Arabian and Percheron June, 1976 horses, Mammouth Jacks and Jennets, Holstein-Friesian cattle, Berkshire and Po- land-China swine.” As shy and retiring as her father was vociferous and publicity-conscious, Anita emphasized that “The ranch is no longer a show place; we are conducting it on a purely business basis as a business propo- sition.”” As the years went on, however, the raising of purebred stock became more of an expensive hobby than a profit able enterprise, and by 1923 Anita de- cided to retire from the stock business. Except for certain of her pet horses « dogs, Anita, according to her lives ; superintendent, Percy Bonebrake, gave the thoroughbreds, Arabians, and CLOss- breeds to the Remount Division of the Army; some of the Percherons, jacks - jennets, cattle, and hogs she gave to agt cultural colleges and boys’ clubs; the mainder of the stock was quickly sol, and within a year liquidation was com lete. : Through the late 1920's and Fp thirties Anita retained a tenuous ho her lands in the Arcadia area. A ree | sion economy, though, more - re frequently put the need for cas ead her emotional commitment to the and so she began to sell Magi re as home and business sites. In ge a engineering necessary changes ee ied ing laws, she sold to the newly 0 — : Los Angeles Turf Club el re within a year became the ae ae a new Santa Anita Re iat ‘e Anita and other piecemeal sales, 0 ot of ee remained delinquent in Pe G vst three city taxes, and on July 1, 193 i the years before her death), ee a re maining 1300 acres of the ae (excepting only her 19- "cate head homesite) to a real estate ee Angeles ed by Harry Chandler of the i eres ded in the Chandlee puma After guj guittin ere she 7 g the ranchi . is show inching busine : CIRCA oe Oak her bari ss, Anita Baldwin traveled extensively abroad. ng party on a visit to the Great Pyramid ‘in Egypt, Anita Baldwin ith t winning English bulldog, one of many purebred animals sb raised ana owned. 56 all previously unsold land north from the Pacific Electric tracks near Hunting- ton Drive to Colorado Boulevard and from the rear line of the Santa Anita Avenue properties west to Michillinda Avenue. Today’s Los Angeles State and County Arboretum, including the historic lakeside houses, was an integral part of the purchase. As Anita passed from the scene, so too did her reservations about opening the ranch to strangers. Through the late thir- ties and forties, Chandler’s Rancho Santa Anita Corporation often rented the pic- turesque Baldwin lake and surroundings to motion picture companies brave enough to venture off the studio back lot. Tar- zan swung through the jungle trees dur- ing this period; Humphrey Bogart strained to pull the African Queen through the marshy lake; and elephants, lions, and apes brought in to add a touch of realism frequently became too realistic. “Iam told that Dorothy Lamour made a picture there some years ago,’ wrote Percy Bonebrake, “and her leading man was an ape, a chimpanzee . . . This pic- ture was being made at the old ranch ~ house, by the lake, and among the trees there . . . The picture was completed, and a few stills were taken, to be used on the advertising posters. One of them depicted Dorothy and the ape sitting side by side in two canvas chairs. He was posed very nonchalantly, his legs crossed and one arm thrown over the back of the actress’ chair, and a few seconds later he bopped Dorothy a terrible blow on the neck and nearly killed her. This laid her up for weeks.” The motion picture business, though exciting, was only a sidelight for the new ranch owners. Organized as the Rancho Santa Anita Corporation, Chandlet’s real estate syndicate made plans to subdivide June, 1976 and sell the old ranch lands in several residential districts. Sales, in fact, were brisk and visitors many. One satisfied owner invited friends out both to view his new Arcadia lot and enjoy a picnic lunch at the lake. The friend, dermatolo- gist and horticulturist Dr. Samuel Ayres, Jr., had recently been appointed to head a Horticultural Institute committee seeking possible locations for a southern Califor- nia arboretum. “‘I’d never heard of Lucky Baldwin,” wrote Dr. Ayres, “but we thought it would be a nice outing, so we accepted. We drove out there and when I saw it, I said to myself, ‘This is it.’ Up on Tallac Knoll there was a real estate tract office—street maps had already been drawn, stakes were placed, and they were about to put the lots in the knoll area up for sale. I told the tract manager, hee ley Davies, what I had in mind an ’ said he thought a few acres might be : aside for our project. I told him I wasa talking about a few acres. I was talking about the whole thing!” In Jan , 1947, the State : a7 eons) of Los Angeles i purchased from the Chandler sy? a 111 acres in the heart of the old ee 8 The $320,000 sale price was well what could have been realiz arket, but at $2,882 an acre, Amine 15,000 times the twenty rsa acre Hugo Reid had received in it Rancho Santa Anita sale (to Henty ton) one hundred years earlier. ae ; pistor?- Sandy Snider is an assistant in the cal section at the Arboretum. > "eae An Arboretum is for people ... “ih botanic gardens have a number of plant environments not mally found around the home. An exciting example may be the new Tropical Greenhouse at the Los Angeles State and Gnd |j etm. By means of controlled humidity, cc. .. t intensity, the environment created in this green f i lally the same as that found in equatorial latitudes, thus making It . : . tr Ele to grow such exotic plants as the yanilla vine and cocoa ce Southern California Edison Company 58 THE FRAGRANT YEAR by Helen Van Pelt Wilson and Leonie Bell, 95 drawings; bib- ors have wr e to flowering plants of particular fragrance. After would appeal to the bing of smell as well as the sense of sight. Joan De Fato Recent acquisitions to LASCA Plant Sci- ence Library: ATIC AND WETLAND PLANTS OF SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES, D. S. and H. B. Correll. Stanford Univ. Press, R. Poveda A. Centro dge and L. J. : an José. 546 p. Illus- 2 Cientifico Tropical, trations. THE AVANT GARDENER; a handbook and sourcebook of all that’s new and useful in gardening, T. and B. Powell, , Mifflin, Boston. 1975. 263 p. Illustrations. OMPL HOUSEPLANTS UNDER LIGHTS, C. M. Fitch. Hawthorn, 5. 275 p. Illustrations. HANDBOOK OF PRUN- ING, R. Grounds, ed. Macmillan, New York. 1975. 157 p. Black and white and color il- lustrations. CYCADS OF SOUTH AFRICA, C. Giddy. Purnell, Cape Town. 1974. 122 p. Black and white and color illustrations. EXPERIENCES WITH PLANTS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN, F. C. and Cc. W. Gale. Pacific Books, Palo Alto. 1975. 117 p. Illustra- ions, June, 1976 . | ae a = Ld = Fe) 4 FERN GROWERS MANUAL, B. J. Hoshizaki. Knopf, New York. 1975. 256 p. Black and F PLANTS, V. F. and G, A. Elbert. Bow 1975. 168 p. Black and white and color illustrations. HERBS; a selected annotated bibliography, D. Schwartz, comp. New York Botanica 1974. p. ; ine, Jr. KNOW YOUR WOODS, A. Constantine, Rev. ed. Scribner, New York. 1975. 360 . Illustrations. : LITTLE PLANTS FOR SMALL lip to select and grow mini plants an cae indoors and out, E. Mebonee vis New York. 1974. 192 p. Black an and color illustrations. : MAKE YOUR GARDEN NEW AGAIN; how Foster. Rodale Press, Emmaus, Pa 305 p. Black and white and co ions. ORNAMENTAL GRASSES, dacoeae? en r home and garden, M. H. gg aa ner, New York. 1975. 136 p. white and color pocpalgagres Be ine PLANT AND PLANET, A. Huxiey. oe Press, New York. 1975. 432 P- Illust tions. A PLANT GROWTH AND DEVELOPMED!, my C. Leopold and P. E. Krieger ee e illus: McGraw-Hill, New York. 1975. . trations. K. THE POSTAGE STAMP GARDEN be : Newcomb. Tarcher, Los Angeles. 150 p. Illustrations. HYBRIDS, icultura! D. 75. H WOODY PLANTS INT SEE STATES, U. S. Forest Service. i974. pt. of Agriculture, 883 p. Illustrations. ; 4 practice, WEED SCIENCE: principles ene wiley: Klingman and F. M. gee p, Illus: Interscience, New York. 1975. trations lor For . as 0 NOTE: A second printing of cane This the Landscape” has just Dew ve volun ttracti ; in the Pea will shortly be available Arboretum. P. Lasca Leaves 59 LAGERSTROEMIA FAURIEI (Cover) Lagerstroemia fauriei is a handsome small tree reaching a height of 25 to 30 feet. The tree has an interesting structure highlighted by a cinnamon- colored bark through the summer months. The bark patterns, pictured on the co is maintenance problem with the common crape myrtle, and the treelike form is natural and diminutive, making the plant an excellent subject for parkway and small garden usage. The plant seems to take most soil conditions from relatively heavy to well drained and will do well in most sunny locations with reasonable care. Excellent introduction for Southern California, plants and seed will be made available to the nursery trade. a! nan ARBORETUM WEATHER Lat, 34d 08’ 48°'N. long, 118d 02’ 59” w. Weather season: Eley, 571.28 ft. Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 Feb. Mar. Apr. Average daily maxiumum temperature —..----—--— a 7 7 Average daily minimum epee 44.0 46.0 Highest Ee ee _ 86 91 » ee hc! UC Ur CC Number of clear days : a 13 15 12 Number of partly cloudy days _.-----——-—-- 9 14 i Number of ESE a eee 6 2 : Rain during this ee 4.59 2.58 1.39 Total rain since Oct. 1st ie ee 5.63 Calendar’ June, July, August, September ARBORETUM, Arcadia June 5, 6—Sat. 10 to 5 p.m. a. 9S Pin Satsuki and Azalea Show Presented by Satsuki ai Azalea Society June 13—2 p.m Sunday Afternoon Talk* Eocanoyipie Plants from Dinner Left- Tak ‘Niiya, chief, Education Division June 20—10 a Morning Walk* Tim Lorman, horticulturist June 26, 27——Sat. 12 = 5 p.m. un o5p.m. Gladiolus Show Presented by 5. Calif. Gladiolus Soc. ol > 4-—9 to 5 p.m. Cactus Show usenet by - st eee and Succulent Society of America July i Sunday g Walk* “Historical Boi y Snider, curatorial aid Pais 14, 15—Sat. 12 to 5 p.m. Sun. 9to 5 p.m. Begonia pele Presented by the San og Valley American Hegoni a Societ “Plants in Home Environment” Dr. David Deardorff, botanist “Sponsored by Cal. Arboretum Foundation DESCANSO, La Canada June 6—2 p Annual Ari Vedver “Excerpts from : Show at Giendale College Music Theater, Milton Young, director June 26, 27— Robert Hackman, director July 3, 4—3 p “Symphony es the Verdugos”* Glendale Symphony Orchestra esley Cease, conductor July 10, 11— Children’s Plays presented by anada Pla Robert aos Meacten September 12—-10 a.m Sunday Morning Walk* “ “Rose Garden and Annuals eorge Lewis, superintendent SOUTH COAST BOTANIC GARDENS, Palos Verdes Peninsula June 6—2 Sunday pcb Talk* “Indoor Container Gardening” re Edward Hartnagel, asst. superinten September 19-—10 Sonda Mornin walk “Fall Flowering Plan ; Jeffrey Hook, aon assistant September —S — apse — t r lo a asst. —- o *Sponsored by South Coast Botanic G : Foundation ; BIRDWALKS ARBORETUM ist Sunday of each mon th at 8 am DESCANSO . 9nd and 4th Sunday of cach month at 8 a.m. COAST se aon Weebeadsy of each month at é o BOARD OF SUPERVISORS LOS ANGELES COUNTY KENNETH HAHN EDMUND D. EDELMAN 2nd District 3rd_ District PETER F. SCHABARUM Ist District JAMES HAYES BAXTER WARD 4th District 5th District DEPARTMENT OF ARBORETA AND BOTANIC GARDENS LOS ANGELES COUNTY Arcadia, California 91006 e Telephone: (213) 681-8411 Francis Ching, Director; Roy Ito, Assistant Director; Frank Simerly, Assistant Director; Lee H. Wakeman, Executive Assistant. Los Angeles State and County Arboretum: John W. Provine, Superintendent; William Hawkinson, Assistant Superintendent; Earl Ross, Orchidist; Tim Lorman, Horticulturist; Charles Lee, Horticultural Consultant. Descanso Gardens: George Lewis, Superintendent: South Coast Botanic Garden: Armand Sarinana, Superintendent; Edward Hartnagel, Assistant Superintendent. Research Division: Paul Cheo, Ph.D., Chief; Leonid Enari, Ph.D., Senior Biologist, Taxonomy and Plant Records Section; George Hanson, Ph.D., Senior Biologist, Research Section. Education Division: Tak Niiya, Chief; Public Services Division Donald S. Dimond, Chief. CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, INC. Arcadia, California 91006 ° Telephone: (213) 447-8207 BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS: Mrs. Leland E. Larson, President; James P. Curry, First vice Nene Robert E. Paradise, Second Vice-President; Warren M. Dunbar, Treasurer, N"™ Dolores K. Hubbell, Executive Secretary. BOARD MEMBERS: Mrs. Dennis W. Buck, Mrs. Joseph Coulombe, J. Lyle Cun- ningham, William E. Eilau, Mrs. John N. Fehrer, Thomas N. Fuelling, Mr Kackley, Mrs. Miriam P. Kirk, David L. Knutson, D. Ramsay Lawsom Thomas H. Lowry, Mrs, John R. Mage, Mrs. Varick D. Martin, Jr., I J. Moore, Mrs. Kenneth |, Mullen, Mrs, Catherine Mundy, Harris N sip Mrs. Nicholas M. Niciphor, Dave W. Paradis, Mrs. Elizabeth Price, pete Regan, F. Harold Roach, Walter R. Schoenfeld, Ralph W. Spencer, Mrs. slag W. Sprague, Joseph A. Sprankle, Jr., William H. Stitt, Robert P. Strub, Raymond Todd Taylor, Loran M. Whitelock, Mrs, Chester L. Williams. HONORARY TRUSTEES: Dr. Samuel Ayres, Jr., Mrs. Harry J. Bauer, Oe st Ralph D. Cornell, Dr. Arie J. Haagen-Smit, Mrs. Valley Kner at John F. Llewellyn, Dr. Mildred E, Mathias, Mrs. Manfred Meyberg, Mrs- Q. Stanton, Lowell Swisher, Jr., Mrs. Archibald B. Young. EX-OFFICIO: Francis Ching, Director; Roy Ito, Assistant Director, Assistant Director; John W. Provine, Superintendent. Frank simerly, Published quarterly by the California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., for the Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens of Los Angeles County. LOS ANGELES SOUTH COAST STATE & COUNTY ARBORETUM DESCANSO GARDENS = ROTANIC GARDEN 64 Department Notes | Ww Plant Collecting 79 Plant Portraits — Montezuma Cypress 82 A Plant For A Contained Atmosphere A Visit to The Arboretum Herb Garden [e/2) Qe 87 Callistemon ‘Red Cascade’ 8 ~ Arboretum Weather Back cover Calendar Frances Ching; PP 65, 79, 83, 84 William Aplin; p. 79, Editor 64, 65, 79s . 70, i Del Amo; pp. 74, 77; Loran Whitelock; pend p. 76, Ed Carlson; p. 85, Don Gra ——— re You are invited to join the CALIFORNIA ARBORETUM FOUNDATION, * Annual plant and Seed Distribution * Invitations to special events. MEMBERSHIP brings you the quarterly publication, Lasca Leaves ° Newsletter MEMBERSHIP DUES: Annual, $10; Annual Contributing, $25; — 6: ness, $100; Annual Sustaining, $100; Annual Sponsor, — 250; Li nd net Founders, $1,000; Benefactors, $5,000 or more. Contributions are “4 u : . - check payable to the California Arboretum | Inc., and sen warters at 301 N. Baldwin Ave. Arcadia, Calif. 91006. INC. SPRING EXTRAVAGANZA 1976 HE THIRD Spring Extravaganza was this Arboretum event attracted thousands of home gardeners who came to see the exhibits, watch the demonstrations, hear he | run. Pictured on this and the adjoining page are some of the things they saw. - * - ni ot S ‘ - : : hak Manning the plant clinic were, left, Charles Lee, staff horticultural consu John Van Dam, turf expert, Farm Advisor office. September, 1976 i as =) California Arboretum Foundation volun- teers signed up 125 new members. nur Cli and Lasca Leaves | Many visitors were sur- prised to learn that the _ with no more gardening | &perience than they have. Orchid, fern, and brome- liad fanciers enjoyed the new Tropical Greenhouse. Fifteen : Varieties of ji Wi . Sonthe Played “a at Society " California Iv y 66 Mrs. John Grivich, building chairwoman, received check toward new Hall of En- vironmental Education construction from r. William Marcussen, vice-president affairs, Atlantic Richfield HALL OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RS. JOHN A. GRIVICH, immediate past president of the California Arboretum Foundation and currently Building Fund Chairman of the Board of Trustees, has announced the receipt of a $10,000 grant from the Atlantic Richfield Company toward the construction of the Arboretum’s Hall of Environmental Edu- and a seminar room arranged around a Spacious, covered patio. Present inade- September, 1976 quate facilities consist of a 1948 pre-fab temporary administration building that is used for classrooms, and a 150-seat base- ment room for flower shows and special exhibits. The new structure will serve the increasing number of people who come to the Arboretum each year to attend classes, lectures, nature walks, field trips, flower shows, educational exhibits, special events, and meetings of garden clubs and horti- cultural societies. The California Arbore- tum Foundation has pledged to aise at least $500,000 toward the realization of this $1.4 million project, says Mrs. Gri- vich. BOARD OF GOVERNORS R. F. HAROLD ROACH was unafl- M mously elected president of the Department’s Board of Governors - May 11, succeeding Mrs. Marilyn oo who will continue her membership 1 : 15-person appointive body. Mr. Roac has been a member of the Board ~~ the Department was created in 1953 a had previously served two terms, iste 1972, as its president. His associa 8 with the Arboretum goes back to 19 when as a member of the Arboretum Mr. F. Harold Roach — Lasca Leaves Committee of the Southern California Horticultural Institute he participated in the search for an Arboretum site. In 1955, he became a member cf the California Arboretum Foundation Board of Trustees, serving as its president from 1963 to 1967. A resident of Arcadia for the past 36 years, Mr. Roach is perhaps best known as the longtime publisher of the Arcadia Tribune and associated newspapers. Dur- ing this period, 1940-1974, he also served for ten years as the director of the Los Angeles Newspaper Service Bureau and 4s a board member of the California Newspaper Association. Always active in Civic affairs, Mr. Roach has served as the director of the Arcadia Chamber of Com- merce, director and president of the Santa Anita Family Service, and continues to Serve today as a trustee of the Methodist ete of Southern California and as Member of the United Way Budget Committee. ed “ RUTH MARY LARSON [ 1968, BEFORE the Arboretum’s offi- e, ih Organization, Las Volun- aes x — formed, a notice was placed the volunteer Opportunities” column in : : Angeles Times inviting women f Start of a new, extracurricular Fran i. hse and Arboretum Director look bat ing and the Arboretum staff one of “os it as the happy beginning of tribut; Most effective volunteer con- of "8 the garden has had the benefit a 8 her first three years, Ruth Mary 67 served as a school field trip leader, add- ing, for the last two, service as vice- president of Las Voluntarias and chair- manship of the membership committee. Board of Trustees and, two years later, present post. on the addi- tional Gift Shop where she set about Ap the inventory, adding garden-relate items and eliminating mos the souvenir category. As president of the evar Ag ae th ooks for- tum Foundation, Ru we ie 7 e Arboretum. e said, ‘that bers we will be for funds to bui ) mental Education wit sO. x Ruth Mary Larson 1s almost, but not quite, a native daughter. Born in Rawlins, Wyoming, she has lived ip this area since she was four years of age, growing up in Whittier where she raised her three chil- dren and where she attended Whittier the Arboretum for any of the special ser- vices she has willingly undertaken, such as baking a batch of brownies for a luncheon for which she will also serve as hostess, or filling in at the sales counter of the Gift Shop. GIFT OF CYCADS rea LARGE CRATE containing cycads na- tive to South Africa was received at the Los Angeles State and County Ar- boretum last May, a gift of the National Botanic Gardens of South Africa, Kirsten- sch. The plants were sent by the Na- tional Botanic Gardens as a contribution to the Arboretum’s newest educational re- 7 humilis, lehmanii, friderici-guilielmi, tri- Spinosus, arenarius, longifolius, alten- Stein, latifrons, and natalensis. Some of September. 1976 With Loran White- lock, Arboretum trustee and cytad collector looking on, in a unique garden a and cane - da ers to study lants that have survived in m | deaaed form for two hundred oe years. In addition to observing the tea specimens, visitors will be able » : sa plants that have evolved throug Agee of exhibits in the observation deck W the Prehistoric and Jungle gaint Because cycads are very slow-gt toh it takes many months for page Gn to their ee ne bs val habitat ent location 1° Jungle Garden; Jant- ed in the ground. CAF TRUSTEES EW MEMBERS of the Board of Trust N ees of the California pee se Foundation not reported in eo as are Mr. Harris Newmark and Mr. Lasca Leaves L. Knutson. Mr. Newmark, a stockbroker is drawn to the Arboretum through his me background. He is the grandson of oa Newmark, onetime owner of : ' 3 Santa Anita and the author of the . ighly-prized book, “Sixty Years in California.” It was the present ag eee father and uncle, Marco a . Newmark, who served as : 4 of the first edition of the book. pi a s horticultural ties are : Z is mother’s brother, Manfred a - the late president of Germain’s = ompany who is remembered for his i ms to community beauti- tice os whose wife made possible s., oo of the waterfalls at the Sines 2 Mr. Knutson is president of pee Company, vice-president of ay Seed Association, and has ar iplagy with the seed business tend since his graduation from the : i. of California, Berkeley, with oul i agricultural economics. Mr. Married and has four children. Board es are brief profiles on new previ Mbers whose elections we had Susly reported. the ea (Mitzi) Moore came to M in 1972, and, like Ruth volunteer- ee as president of Las ag Itzi, her husband, and — also as a result of a time in y ?mes. She worked for a in the . greenhouse and Schoo], and then served as a cr ve leader. She was the highly airman of the 1975 Baldwin 69 Bonanza. Wendy and her husband have a six-year-old son. Mrs. John (Ellamae) Fehrer was first a member of the Board of Trustees from 1967 to 1973. She was state president of the California Garden Clubs, 1972-1974, and last year was appointed chairman of Arboreta and Botanical Gardens, a new national chairmanship of the National Council of State Garden Clubs. She is active in a number of local garden clubs having state or national afhliations. Mr. Roy L. Kackley and his wife, Ade- line, joined the Foundation las year. Mr. Kackley is a vice-president of the Parsons Corporation and project manager of the company’s engineering activities in Al- geria. Because of the nature of his work, he has gardened all over the world. His horticultural activities include the intro- duction of peanut growing to his friends in Iran. Mrs. Kackley is 2 volunteer in the Gift Shop. Mrs. Varick (Diane) Martin has been a member of the Foundation since 1965. An avid gardener, she teaches vegetable gardening in the Arboretum’s adult edu- cation program. Her ties to the Arbor- etum are further strengthened through her mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Stanton, who is an honorary trustee of the Foundation and who was one of the original Arbore- tun Councillors in 1950. Mrs. Martin and her husband live in Pasadena. They have a son and daughter. Mrs. Dennis (Jane) Buck has been a member of the Foundation since 1972. Formerly a teacher in Los Angeles and South Pasadena schools, and currently a member of the American Association of Mrs. Buck serves 4s for Las Voluntarias, retum events, in ts in the ments for special Arbo cular the flower arrangemen on Home Gardens. n live parti Sunset Demonstrati Mrs. Buck and her husband and so in Arcadia. FIESTA DE FLORES 12 14TH ANNUAL Fiesta de Flores at South Coast Botanic Garden last May 15 and 16 was a particularly gala event since it coincided with the public opening of the new Administrative Center. Over 7,000 people came to enjoy the “Discovery Walk,” the plant exhibits, the twice-a-day garden lectures in the new lecture hall, the plant sales, and the South Bay and Peninsula musicians and painters who added sound and color in the inner patio. EUGENE D. HILLMAN M* EUGENE D. HILLMAN of Man- hattan Beach was elected president of the Board of Trustees of the South Coast Botanic Garden Foundaiton at the organization’s annual elections last June. A semi-retited lawyer, Mr. Hillman and his wife, Louise, are charter members of the Foundation and have been active in promoting the garden since its beginning in 1963. They have one daughter and two grandchildren. The new president, chairman of the Foundation’s Adult Education Committee since 1968, joined the Board of Trustees September, 1976 Ben Suzuki, noted bonsai instructor, gave numerous demonstrations at the Fiesta sponsored by the South Coast Garden Guild. in 1972. He was one of three general co- ordinators for the past two Fiestas de Flores held each year at the garden. An active resident of the beach city, ov Hillman planned the landscaping for : Manhattan Beach Community Church 0 which he is a longtime member. A ve tive Californian, he received his sii degree from the University of i oe California and his law degree #10 Southwestern University, Los Angeles. IRIS AWARD . in- Bu HAWKINSON, assistant Raa 3 a tendent at the Los An e fancier, was presented with th White Memorial Award ast June. The aware for the best aril-bred iris of Aes G. Bill had named ‘Grand Vizier . ae White Award is the highest yee Ba 8 to the aril species of iris, equ? pees the Society’s Award of Merit for tional iris. os Although Bill’s breeding — teat been centered in the developmen fag aril-bred iris, he also breeds tal pre dwarf bearded, and other types Lasca Leaves Among American Iris Society awards won by his aril-bred iris are at least five Hon- orable Mentions, numerous Exhibition Certificates, and one Queen of the Show. Outside the iris family, he is active in the breeding of daylilies (Hemerocallis) and has been successful in converting di- ploid Hemerocallis to tetraploids. Bill is a charter member, and currently vice- orem of the Aril Society Interna- ne and a member of several iris so- QUEEN OF SHOW A CAMELLIA hybrid, ‘Lasca Beauty’, de- - veloped during a genetic research . conducted at the Arboretum from a x 1967, won the Charles Seiden- om Award for the most outstanding €r in the Dallas Camellia Show held coal * he project had been cospon- cate oe Southern California Camellia * any omens and the Los and County Arboretum. a, . had begun under the leader- tp ag Albert Longley and Dr. Clif- sae with Dr. Parks and a research the = inuing the work from 1963 to elt ject’s conclusion. Hundreds of being =~ — crossed, three ultimately ld ed for introduction. One was int, _ Los Angeles State and eter : retum and named ‘John An- ote in honor of the former county ~ Petvisor who had played a major role the R, en Committee of the Northern “ria Camellia Society. One was its pee The other was ‘Lasca » 4 pink, very large flower that is between C. reticulata ‘Cornellian’, this cross were given to the maine TEAHOUSE ANNIVERSARY CF SUNDAY, October 17, at 2:30 p.m., the Descanso Gardens Guild will be the host for a celebration marking the tenth anniversary of the dedication and gift of the Oriental Teahouse at Descanso Gardens to the County of Los Angeles. The program, planned by the Japanese- American community, will include a fash- ion show featuring Japanese ceremonial kimonos with Mme. Kan Sum as com- mentator, Western-style and picnic-style tea ceremonies with comment by Mme. Sosei Matsumoto, and an Ikebana demon- stration. The cutting of the anniversary cake will conclude the program which will be held on the main lawn and will be open to the public. The teahouse and adjoining Japanese Garden are the result of a long-term fund-raising effort started by Mrs. Judge Smith, a founder and first president of the Guild. Co-chairmen for the event are Mrs. Meredith Wills and Mrs. Judge Smith, assisted by Messrs. Melvin Burt, Richard Smith, Samuel Ayres, Jr., James Hawkins, and Mrs. Nancy Dunn, president of the Guild. In charge of the program are Messrs. Katsuma Mukaeda, Masao Mita- mura, Frank Kuwahara, and Kay Iizuka. Mr. Charles J. Detoy, former vice-presi- dent of the Guild board of trustees who was in charge of the original teahouse project, will again serve as mastet of ceremonies as he did at the dedication ten years ago. Among the guests invited to attend the celebration are the members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the Consul General and Mrs. Yukio Taka- beer Arboreta and Botanic Gardens di- rector, Dr. William Stewart and Mrs. Stewart. 72 LOS ANGELES BEAUTIFUL WARDS 1 ae TROPHIES, 13 certificates of com- mendation, six youth certificates of commendation, and nine letters of com- mendation were presented to Southern California civic and beautification groups by Los Angeles Beautiful, Incorporated, at its awards program and picnic at Des- canso Gardens last June 30. Los Angeles Beautiful is the nonprofit volunteer organization founded in 1949 when Mrs. Valley M. Knudsen was asked by the Los Angeles Chamber of Com- merce to create a committee made up of community leaders that would respond to the growing concern over an increas- ingly dilapidated Central City area. Trees, shrubs, and flowers were being replaced by asphalt and concrete as the metropolis of Los Angeles expanded. The commit- tee, known as Los Angeles Beautiful, grew and flourished as it responded to the problem. Over the years, Los Angeles Beautiful has won the highest award presented by Keep America Beautiful for the “most ’ and has received recognition from former President Dwight D. Eisen- hower, a citation from former President and Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson, and the Governor's Trophy at former Governor Ronald Reagan's Bicentennial celebration. The March 1962 issue of Reader’s Digest carried the story of Los Angeles Beauti- ful (‘‘Civic Beauty is Good Business’’ ), which inspired many others to join the crusade. Trophy winners and their categories at the Los Angeles Beautiful awards pro- gram at Descanso Gardens were: Ingle- wood Women's Beautification Association for Best Use of Color: Natural Beauty Program of San Bernardino for Outstand- ing Effort on Behalf of Environmental Quality; Seal Beach ‘‘Heritage Park” for Consistent Quality in Use of Plant Ma- September, 1976 terials; Brengle Terrace Park, Vista, for Outstanding Community Effort; “Spirit of ’76 Park,” City of Paramount, for Most Innovative Design; California Con- servation Project for Outstanding Youth In Education Achievement; Storm Cen- ters—Los Angeles for Outstanding Plant Project by Youth; and South Gate Cham- ber of Commerce Beautification Commit- tee for Outstanding Achievement in Pro- moting Community Awareness of Envit- onmental Quality. A special trophy award was presented to Mr. Ruben Juaregui, president of the board of directors of Plaza de la Raza, in recognition of extensive restoration of buildings at Lincoln Park—in particular the Lincoln Park boathouse—and for the development of new cultural facilities there. Mrs. Eddie (Margo) Albert, 4 member of the Plaza de la Raza board, interracial community project promoting understanding and g SECOND PRINTING SECOND printing has been annout- A ced of olor se the Landscapé; the one-of-its-kind 210-page book . lished under the auspices of Los em Beautiful, the California Ar - : Foundation, the Southern California . ticultural Institute, ss om Guild, the South Coast Botanic Foundation, and the eod Foundation for Wild Flowers 4 Plants. In a text edited by Dr hs Mathias, and in 204 color pee ae scribes and provides horticultural . lines for hundreds of flowering ee shrubs, vines, ground covers, ealiforni plants suitable to sou Aboretuil The book is available in the Gift Shop. Lasca Leaves 73 Plant Collecting Loran Whitelock W: TOILED our way down the moun- tainside. It was a steep and treach- erous landscape made up of jagged lime- stone and mats of rotting leaves. We had to be careful to step only on the rock outcrops as the soft beds of leaves often ep deep crevasses which formed inl for the unwary. Even the rocks € sometimes loose, presenting the dan- i of tripping or sliding into the can- yon below. We had to be very cautious we carried cycad trunks weigh- Ppfoximately 100 pounds each. Even Weather worked against us. The tem- a Was over 90°F. and the humidity i port Sweat blinded us, mos- ig and ticks fed on us, and it seemed ¢very plant had spines or thorns to . Sin Yaidro = oN . = samy ~as*% tear at our clothes and flesh. Such are the joys of plant collecting! The uninitiated think of plant collect- ing in foreign countries as a romantic and exciting adventure. It can at times be exciting and often an adventure, but it is very seldom romantic. Plant collect- ing is hard work. The day starts at 3:30 or 4 a.m. when the alarm goes off. The first order of business is to boil water for coffee, get dressed, and put cameras, bi- noculars and other equipment back into the car. After a couple of cups of coffee and filling the thermos we're off. The area to be worked will usually be a two- to four-hour drive away. When it is reached, the footwork begins. Scanning the hills with binoculars and questioning aN MEXICO & , f * s A ae \ . Nuevo Laredo ‘ he Ht a NUEVO LEON ‘ a } ‘ oe f to ee bee ne | Linares a pee nS TAMAULIPAS \S \ 3 at ‘ a Mazai aS f At ae SAN LUIS POTOSI! .o% Cc J BS Fiche OO ag VE ied Tampico if “nee 4 . if Guadalajara = he ff ie Beha a ek AK SYR VERACRUZ fT Mexico City nc? Me ha he eee: ruz a eal Lal ' *. ts Ne x ’ PUEBLA = ramen ne fe re eee Acapulco OAXACA » eames : A des ""0ws trace route taken by author on planting-collecting trip to Mexico Mature female cone of Dioon sp. found near Jacala, Hidalgo, Mexico. the Indians are the usual ways of locating the desired plants. If the plants are lo- cated, which can sometimes take hours or days, then the real work begins. They must be dug, labeled, and transported back to the car, hard work since the car is parked sometimes miles away. The col- lecting usually lasts until dark at which time the long drive back to camp starts. Finally back, the car must be unloaded and the plants properly protected. Then a shower, dinner, pressing the herbarium material, writing up collection notes, and Planning the next day’s search. Thus ends ed Not September, 1976 Dioon sp. and Ed Carlson near Rito Verde, San Potosi, Mexico. the typical 16- to 18-hour collecting day! Early last year I had agreed to collect plants in Mexico for the —— new Tropical Greenhouse and _ its Prehis- toric and Jungle Garden. At the same time I would be collecting data on some of the Mexican cycads and herbarium specimens. The departure time was set . late November. Ed Carlson, a friend an plantsman, was to accompany me to oi in the work, and hopefully some of the discoveries. It had been decided that the states : Vera Cruz, Oaxaca, and Puebla cee be the target areas, with some i pie collecting on the east coast on se ce south. Information was collecte a studied along with detailed maps © . areas to be worked. The — Z cycads was to take precedence <— nem plants since they would be the ee 2 cult to locate and collect. Our . . operations was to be at sea oe Flores, Vera Cruz, a distance 0 rei 2,400 miles from Los Angeles. pe tion of the trip was to be nee . weeks. To keep our families Le oe eciding eed and then getting it all on that nothing would be for,