Dogwood

1.     Common Name: Dogwood

Scientific Name: Cornus Florida

Clade: Vascular flowering seed-producing angiosperm

Date Collected: 4.19.2011

Location Collected: Stanford University Campus

Habitat: Lives in moist, shady conditions, and does not do too well when exposed to excessive amounts of sunlight. It has low tolerance for salinity and typically likes acidic soil

Nativity: Not native to California, lives in parts of the East coast such as Maine and in southern parts like Florida, as the name suggests

Special notes: Most of the time the flowers of Dogwoods are white, however sometimes they can be pink or red. They flower in the springtime, mostly in April and May but can also last into June and other parts of summer.

Resources: http://www.floridata.com/ref/c/cornus_f.cfm

Nephrolepis brownii

1.     Common Name: Nephrolepis brownii

Scientific Name: Nephrolepis brownii

Clade: Vascular seedless Fern

Date Collected: 4.21.2011

Location Collected: UC Berkeley Campus Botanical Garden

Habitat: Lives in Terrestrial habitats, but can’t live at high elevations

Nativity: Not native to California, typically lives in Hong Kong and even some wet parts of Africa

Special Notes: Nephrolepis brownii has become a invasive species to California. The midvein of the pinnae on upper side of the plant is very hairy, and like most seedless vascular plants it uses pollen to carry sperm in order to reproduce.

Resources: http://www.saintlucianplants.com/fernspecies/lomariopsidaceae/nephbrow/nephbrow.html

Papyrus

1.     Common Name: Papyrus

Scientific Name: Cyperus Papyrus

Clade: Vascular Seed-producing Angiosperm Monocot

Date Collected: 4.21.2011

Location Collected: UC Berkeley Campus Botanical Garden

Habitat: Lives in subtropical or tropical locations in shallow waters. It can form swamps and marshes and lives in the wet areas of Africa

Nativity: Not native to California, found in parts of Africa such as Egypt

Special Notes: Famously used for papyrus paper, where the stem of the plant is used to make the paper. It is still used in industry to make products such as baskets, hats, and fish traps, and it is also used for decoration in many parts of the world, such as parts of Africa where it lives.

Resources: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Cyperus_papyrus.html

California Nutmeg

1.     Common Name: California Nutmeg

Scientific Name: Torreya Californica

Clade: Vascular seed and pollen producing Conifer

Date Collected: 4.21.2011

Location Collected: UC Berkeley Campus Botanical Garden

Habitat: Lives in Coast habitats where it can be subject to frequent moisture

Nativity: Endemic to California

Special Notes: The California Nutmeg can grow up to 25m tall. It is not truly related to Nutmegs as the common name might suggest. The male cones which use pollen are are grouped in rows along the underside of the shoot, and the female cones, or the seeds, are ordered together on the short stem of the plant.

Resources: http://www.torreyaguardians.org/california.html

Creeping Sage

1.     Common Name: Creeping Sage

Scientific Name: Salvia sonomensis

Clade: Vascular seed-producing angiosperm

Date Collected: 4.21.2011

Location Collected: UC Berkeley Campus Botanical Garden

Habitat: Grows best on dry hillsides and woodlands generally not too dry

Nativity: Endemic to California

Special Notes: Salvia sonomensis can be used as a mild stimulant when smoked. The plant is easy to grow and cultivate as it can live in many different kinds of soils and environments except where it is too moist. It is also used frequently on Thanksgiving as a cooking herb and is used as stuffing, as well as in other more common meats.

Resources: http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/salvia-sonomensis-farmar-bower

Coast Redwood

1.     Common Name: Coast Redwood

Scientific Name: Sequoia sempervirens

Clade: Vascular Seed-producing gymnosperms

Date Collected: 4.21.2011

Location Collected: UC Berkeley Campus Botanical Garden

Habitat: Usually grow near the coast where ocean moisture is plentiful, as it can’t take dry habitats.

Nativity: Native of California, as well as parts of Oregon.

Special Notes: Coast redwood reproduces both asexually by a variety of ways, such as the sprouting of buds or layering, and sexually by seed. It is a very common conifer in California and coastal areas along the west coast in general.

Resources: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=22257

Microlepia platyphylla

1.     Common Name: Microlepia platyphylla

Scientific Name: Microlepia platyphylla

Clade: Vascular Seedless Fern

Date Collected: 4.21.2011

Location Collected: UC Berkeley Campus Botanical Garden

Habitat: India and south east Asia to the Philippines in forest areas where moisture is available

Nativity: Not native to the state of California, it is found in India

Special Notes: While plentiful water is usually needed, moderate drought can be taken, and it can also tolerate root competition. It grows from a rhizome, and can spread out quite far with it's ferns. 

Resources: http://www.seedhunt.com/ppfern.html

2.   

Siebold's Maple

1.     Common Name: Siebold's Maple

Scientific Name: Acer Sieboldianum

Clade: Vascular seed-producing Angiosperm

Date Collected: 4.21.2011

Location Collected: UC Berkeley Campus Botanical Garden

Habitat: Found in Japan and best suited for forest environments

Nativity: Not native to the state of California, it is found in Japan

Special Notes: In autumn, the leaves turn from green to bright orange or red, and it’s smooth bark and yellow flowers are what distinguishes it from its close relative Acer Japonicum

Resources: http://www.greatplantpicks.org/display?id=2213&searchterm=all

Matucana Pujupatii

1.     Common Name: Matucana Pujupatii

Scientific Name: Matucana Pujupatii

Clade: Vascular Seed-producing Angiosperm

Date Collected: 4.21.2011

Location Collected: UC Berkeley Campus Botanical Garden

Habitat: Found in Peru in arid and dry conditions, not suited for wet or tropical environments.

Nativity: Not native to the state of California, it is found in Peru

Special Notes: It is part of the Eudicot cladus and is a member of the Cactaceae family.

Resources: http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?434990

Madagascar Palm

1.     Common Name: Madagascar Palm

Scientific name: Pachypodium lamerei

Clade: Vascular seed-producing Angiosperm.

Date Collected: 4.21.2011

Location Collected: UC Berkeley Campus Botanical Garden.

Habitat: Found in Africa regions such as Madagascar. Best suited for very dry, arid regions, such as the circumstances Africa presents.

Nativity: Not native to the state of California, it is found primarily in Madagascar.

Special Notes: Despite it being called the Madagascar Palm, the plant is not a palm at all. It is a stem succulent that rarely branches and that is covered with sharp spines.

Resources: http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/PACHYPODIUM/Pachypodium_lameirei/Pachypodium_lamerei/Pachypodium_lamerei.htm