Published by Daniel Mosquin on July 7, 2017
Bencomia sphaerocarpa is a critically endangered species in the rose family. According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, only 24 known individuals remain in the wild as of 2011. The island of El Hierro, in the Canary Islands, Spain, is home to the last wild Bencomia sphaerocarpa individuals. There are three subpopulations on […]
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on June 29, 2017
This is salmonberry’s third appearance on Botany Photo of the Day. Tamara wrote a comprehensive entry on fruit-colour polymorphism in 2015. And, coincidentally, I posted my own scan of a double-flowered plant a decade ago: Rubus spectabilis Double-Flowered Group. Comparing the two scans, I think you’ll see the patience and skill with which Laara accomplishes […]
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on June 13, 2017
Sometimes considered a distinct species, littleleaf or dwarf mountain-mahogany is typified by (as you might guess) its small, coriaceous (leathery), linear leaves. As noted by the Flora of North America entry for Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intricatus, the leaves are also strongly revolute; the margins of the leaves are rolled downward against the underside of the […]
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on May 29, 2017
Two photos taken with some haste, out of respect for one of the local resident killdeer who determined I was too close to its nest.
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on April 19, 2017
Local readers can likely guess that these photographs weren’t taken this year because of the cloudless blue skies and sunshine. The first photograph is from March 29, 2016, while the second was taken on April 2, 2015. This is approximately the stage of flowering as of today–2.5-3 weeks later than the two previous years.
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on March 27, 2017
Spiraea arcuata is a small woody shrub species native to temperate regions of eastern Asia, specifically India, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, and Yunnan (China). It can be found growing at altitudes ranging from 3000m to 4200m (~10000 to 13750 feet) in forests, rocky subalpine areas and the edges of riverbanks. There doesn’t seem to be […]
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on February 17, 2017
Prunus mume is native to China, Korea, Japan, and the northern parts of Laos and Vietnam. It grows alongside streams, in sparse forests, and on rocky slopes from 1700 to 3100m in elevation. The species is commonly known as mei flower, mume, ume, Chinese plum, Japanese flowering plum, and Japanese apricot.
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