Published by Daniel Mosquin on September 5, 2019
Lilies certainly have a high rank among the groups of plants with the most cultivated (named) selections, with over 3000 entries in the RHS Horticultural Database. If anyone has the inclination to do so, it’d make for an interesting discussion in the comments about which genera have the most cultivars, particularly by plant groups (trees, […]
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on July 25, 2018
Many species of lilies are commonly called “tiger lilies”, but this species is perhaps the best one to bear that moniker. After all, before the plant taxonomists determined it should properly be named Lilium lancifolium, the scientific name most in use for this species was Lilium tigrinum.
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on May 7, 2018
Instead of counting sheep to fall asleep, plant enthusiasts should count tulip cultivars. There are upwards of 2400 cultivars listed in the RHS Horticultural Database. It is doubtless that there are many more, including some that have been lost to cultivation.
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on May 1, 2018
Spring is now arriving throughout most of the Northern Hemisphere. For those of us in this part of the world, it’s nice to know that we can begin to enjoy blooming flowers not only on our computer screens, but also in person. For me, it is also satisfying to put a name to a plant […]
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on April 19, 2018
Slinkpod. California fetid adder’s tongue. Brownies. All are common names for this early spring bloomer of coastal California. This photograph by Sandy Steinman was taken in early February of this year; by now, this plant has likely set its seed and perhaps even gone dormant until next winter.
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on April 9, 2018
Streptopus amplexifolius is an understory species occurring in moist soils of montane and subalpine forests in the Northern Hemisphere. Most widely referred to as clasping twistedstalk, some other common names hint at its edibility: wild cucumber and watermelon berry.
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on February 28, 2018
Fragrant fritillary is endemic to the San Francisco Bay region of California, preferring “open hilly grasslands at altitudes less than 200 meters (650 ft.) in elevation”. It is perhaps unsurprising that its preferred habitat conflicts with urban development pressures and agriculture; as such, it has been proposed as a candidate for listing as a federally-endangered […]
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