UBC Botanical Garden

Cercidiphyllum japonicum 'Morioka Weeping'

Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Morioka Weeping’

Published by Daniel Mosquin on March 30, 2020

Like last week’s Philesia magellanica, today’s species is also a member of a family containing only two species. In this instance, though, both species are within the same genus, Cercidiphyllum.

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Anemone pavonina, the peacock windflower

Anemone pavonina

Published by Daniel Mosquin on March 27, 2020

It is likely this plant is just finishing its flowering in UBC Botanical Garden’s E.H. Lohbrunner Alpine Garden, but I can at least revisit it with my photograph from 2015.

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The flowers of Rhododendron thomsonii

Rhododendron thomsonii subsp. thomsonii

Published by Daniel Mosquin on March 26, 2020

Researching the plant featured in today’s photograph seems to have helped resolve much of a long-standing mystery: why is there a Beer Trail in UBC Botanical Garden? And what does that have to do with a photo of Obama in Asheville, North Carolina?

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Looking up through the leaves of Fargesia scabrida

Fargesia scabrida

Published by Daniel Mosquin on March 13, 2020

First scientifically described in 1985, Fargesia scabrida doesn’t seem to have a well-known common name. On the label for this plant growing at UBC Botanical Garden, we’ve opted to tentatively use “orange stem bamboo”.

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Foliage spray of Thuja plicata

Thuja plicata

Published by Daniel Mosquin on February 7, 2020

The overlapping leaves of Thuja plicata are small, only 3-6mm in length (and sometimes as small as 1mm). In quantity, though, they can sustain trees exceeding 70m (230 ft.) in height.

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Close-up of Calceolaria biflora flower

Calceolaria biflora

Published by Daniel Mosquin on August 2, 2019

Species of Calceolaria are variously known as slipperworts, slipper flowers, pocketbook flowers, and lady’s purses. The common names are similar to lady’s slipper orchids or slipper orchids (Cypripedium spp.). Today’s Calceolaria biflora does indeed bear a superficial resemblance to Cypripedium parviflorum, for example, but there are differences. For one, Calceolaria are eudicots while orchids are […]

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Newly-emerged needles of Larix laricina

Larix laricina

Published by Daniel Mosquin on April 18, 2019

Flowers get most of the attention at this time of the year in northern temperate areas, but emerging foliage deserves some as well. The tactile experience of brushing one’s fingers along the needles of a branch of Larix laricina is another delight of spring.

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