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SUMMER SELF-GUIDED TOUR

WELCOME to this seasonal tour of the U.C. Botanical Garden. The tour, which highlights a range of
plants from around the world, is a circuit and takes about an hour and a half. It starts in the Plaza at the
Garden Entrance. Look for the red markers to guide you to the featured plants.

The new Garden Entrance and Plaza have been planted with a stunning array of plants that immediately
capture the eye with their fantastic forms, colors and shapes. Look amongst them for:

1. CYCADS (Encephalartos horridus, E. lehmannii, E. trispinosus, E. laevifolius, E. eugene-maraisii,


and E. arenarius)
This particular selection of cycads is from Africa. Cycads belong to a very ancient group of plants.
Indeed, fossil records of cycads date back some 200 million years. Today, cycads in the wild are in
danger of extinction, due in great part to the activities of unauthorized plant collectors.
On these plants, short, thick stems or trunks sprout long leathery leaves in shades of blue, green and gray,
edged with sharp spines. The stems are made of soft storage tissue and contain very little true wood.
These plants can grow in hot, arid conditions - often in poor rocky or sandy soil.

Cross the Plaza, take the lower paved road to the Californian Area and turn right at the first path. On
your left look for the enormous crinkly white petals of:

2. MATILIJA POPPY (Romneya coulteri)


The white petals of this perennial plant in the poppy family (Papaveraceae) surround a circle of golden
stamens, prompting younger visitors to the Garden to nick-name it “the fried egg plant!” It is a difficult
plant to propagate, but once established in a garden it may spread vigorously. Its rhizomatous roots and
spreading habit make it a useful plant to counter hillside erosion.

Return to the main paved road and continue downhill to the stone bridge over Strawberry Creek. On
your right, notice this large spreading tree:

3. CALIFORNIA BUCKEYE (Aesculus californica)


This attractive tree with its spreading branches is related to both the European and Indian horse chestnuts
and produces the typical racemes of white, fragrant flowers in summer. The fruits, each containing one or
two shiny brown seeds, are large and pear-shaped. The tree drops its leaves in late summer, an adaptation
to reduce water loss in our summer dry condition. In the fall and winter, the California buckeye is a
memorable sight with large fruits hanging on bare, silvery gray branches.

Continue on the paved road. Opposite the lamppost on the corner of the Cycad and Palm Garden you
will see:

© 2010 University of California Botanical Garden - http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu


4. EXBUCKLANDIA POPULNEA
This evergreen member of the witch hazel family (Hamamelidaceae) is native to the montane forests of
Southeast Asia, particularly the eastern Himalayas and Java. The large and beautiful heart-shaped leaves
are tinged with pink when young. Exbucklandia populnea is unusual for the growth of large stipules
oriented toward the sky, which hide the bud and developing leaf blade. A relative of Liquidambar, these
trees require a mild climate to grow well.

Continue along the paved road. When you reach the Herb Garden, turn right down five steps and then
left at Bed 301B. At the back of the Tropical House, look for:

5. BANANA (Musa sp.)


Bananas in Berkeley? Yes! Edible bananas originated in the Indo-Malaysian region, and today are grown
in every humid, tropical area of the world. The banana “tree” is actually not a tree at all, but an
herbaceous perennial arising from underground rhizomes. The fleshy stalks or pseudostems are formed by
overlapping layers of leaf sheaths and constitute the functional trunks. Look up into the center of this
plant and you will see a tan-colored, football-shaped structure dangling from a long stalk. Curving red
bracts open up on this “football” to reveal the male flowers hidden beneath them. Further up the dangling
stem you may see the small female flowers and the bananas. Today, banana plants cultivated for their
fruits are sterile, hybrid forms which do not produce seeds. The brown specks you find in the center of a
banana are the remains of ovules, which, in the wild form, would produce dark, hard, inedible seeds.

Return uphill and turn right at the main paved road. On your left on the corner of the Herb Garden, in
Bed 416 "Herbs for Liquor and Beer", locate:

6. HOP (Humulus lupulus)


The hop plant is fast-growing up to 30ft (10m) in one season. Stiff hairs on its strong stems enable the
vine to twine around supports. Hop plants are dioecious: male and female flowers develop on separate
plants. Most of the hop plants grown commercially are female. It is the cone-shaped female flowering
structure (strobile) which is harvested and dried as hops - the source of the bitter flavoring and
preservative used in beer and some natural medicines. The use of hops has a long history in Europe.
Early American colonists also appreciated the plant. As well as using it in brewing (in addition to spruce
bark and sassafras) they ate the young shoots, used the fibers in basketry and fed livestock with leaves
and spent hops. Hop production started in California in the mid 1850's, with important hop yards near
Sacramento along the American River. Hops are used medicinally as a sedative and digestive.
Cosmetically they are used in shampoos and deodorants.

Continue uphill. Take the path to the right in the direction of Mexico/Central America. After a short
walk through the Eastern North American Area, pause at the top of the steps at Bed 352. Look up and to
your right at a group of tall trees with enormous pale green leaves:

© 2010 University of California Botanical Garden - http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu


7. MAGNOLIA DEALBATA
The exquisite and enormous white, sweet-scented flowers of this large-leafed magnolia are highly prized
for ceremonial and festival decorations in their native region of the mountain cloud forests of Veracruz,
Magnolia dealbata is closely related to Magnolia macrophylla of the Eastern US - demonstrating the
linkages between the montane forest vegetation of these two areas.

Along this path on your right (and also downslope) you will see the curiously-named:

8. MONKEY HAND TREE (Chiranthodendron pentadactylon)


Large populations occur in the cloud forests of southern Mexico and Central America. Its curious
common name refers to the unusual flowers. Look on the path for a close-up of the fallen blooms. Out of
the waxy, deep red bracts emerges a yellow and red hand-shaped structure (the stamens). You may also
see the large, woody seed capsules. The Aztecs appreciated this tree for its medicinal uses, which
included relieving inflammation.

Follow this path as it continues around the hill - offering lovely views of the canyon and the Bay beyond.
On the left, below a spectacular agave (Agave wercklei) look for a low-growing plant:

9. SWEET-SCENTED MARIGOLD (Tagetes lucida)


This attractive plant with bright yellow flowers is also known as Mexican tarragon. Its leaves have a
pleasant anise or liquorice flavor, and it is these that are used to flavor sauces teas and vinegars. It is
believed to have been one of the flavorings in "chocolatl", the complex cocoa-based drink of the Aztecs.
It has multiple uses in natural medicine and is also used in traditional shaman ceremonies.

Ahead of you on the left is a magnificent large-leafed shrub:

10. WIGANDIA CARACASANA


In nature this plant often colonizes disturbed sites. It is frost-sensitive, but easily re-sprouts. It produces
striking violet-blue flowers, but take care not to touch its irritating hairy leaves and stems.

Turn right at Bed 369/371. On either side of the path look for:

11. PITCAIRNIA cf. RINGENS


This brightly colored plant is a terrestrial bromeliad. It grows naturally on cliffs and rock piles and thus
requires good drainage in cultivation. Bromeliads are almost exclusively found in tropical America - well
known examples include the pineapple (Ananas comosus) and Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), one
of the many epiphytic bromeliads.

Return to the main path, turn right and continue. Many of the plants in this area have become familiar to
gardeners the world over, such as penstemon, salvia and echeveria. Check the Garden label for their
origin - you may be surprised. Turn right down a few stone steps at bed 375. On your right:

© 2010 University of California Botanical Garden - http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu


12. MANFREDA SP.
Related to the popular highly scented tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa), species of manfreda are also known
for their scented flowers. The flowers are usually in dull shades of brown, yellow and green (in this case
yellow)and nod on tall thin flower spikes rising out of a mound of mottled wavy leaves. Plants are
dormant in winter.

Continue along this path. Turn uphill and then right at the main path. Here you may notice an intriguing
scent of maple syrup, curry or perhaps peanut butter! The odor comes from resins exuded through the
leaves of this evergreen shrub, which is found in the hedge on your left:

13. BARRACO (Escallonia illinita)


Bed 617 contains 6 species of Escallonia, a tough, drought-tolerant plant from the Andes which grows
well in the Bay Area. Flowers are small, in clusters, and range from white through clear pink to red and
crimson in color.

On the right of this path, notice the waving stems of the grass Stipa gynerioides. These provide a soft
background to an otherwise harsh landscape—the South American mattoral, which is considered the
counterpart of our own Californian chaparral. Enter the Crops of the World Garden. On the right look
for the stately tree:

14. CORK OAK (Quercus suber)


This tree, which grows principally in the Mediterranean region, is the source of commercial cork. The
cork is formed from layers of extremely strong and flexible plant cell walls that are waterproof and
airtight. The cork bark is harvested in strips from mature trees approximately every 10 years.

Leave the Crops of the World Garden and cross the main paved road towards the wooden signboard.
The low growing resiliant plants in this area are native to the rocky slopes and shingle slips of Australia,
Tasmania and New Zealand. Turn downhill on the main paved road. On your right, on the corner:

15. ROCK DAISY (Pachystegia insignis)


This low growing shrub is native to rock faces around Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand. It has
thick shiny dark green leaves, whose undersides are covered with soft white hairs like felt. The white
daisy flowers with bright yellow centers open from thick buds held on elongated stems. It is a hardy plant
and ideal for coastal gardens or other exposed locations.

Turn right and continue along the path parallel to the lawn. When you reach the wooden signboard, turn
left down to the lawn (Bed 500), and then right into the wooded Asian Area. On the left look for tall lilies
with thick stems and lush green heart-shaped leaves:

© 2010 University of California Botanical Garden - http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu


16. CARDIOCRINUM GIGANTEUM
These gigantic lilies are native to wet forests of the Himalayas westward to Nepal. Their fragrant white
flowers are tinged with red and purple inside. The Greek word for “heart” is “kardia” and for “lily”
“krinon”, hence the scientific name for this plant.

At the Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) bear left. At the next intersection, look left towards the
lawn and the large planting of:

17. IRIS DELAVAYI


These tall irises were collected from wet meadows of the Cang Shan mountain range in western China
and grow up to 5 feet in height. Their beautiful violet-colored flowers may remind you of the more
familiar California coast iris (Iris douglasiana) to which they are related.

Turn to your right and proceed straight along the path towards Strawberry Creek. Cross the creek at the
stepping stones. Overhanging the creek is:

18. SINOCALYCANTHUS SINENSIS


The large white flowers of this robust shrub are more showy than those of its North American cousins, the
Carolina allspice (Calycanthus floridus) and the Californian spice bush (Calycanthus occidentalis). The
North American spicebushes have reddish brown or purplish flowers. The scent of the plants comes
mainly from the leaves and bark.

Continue on this path. Just before you reach the New World Desert, pause and enjoy the shade of:

19. CLEYERA JAPONICA


This member of the tea family (Theaceae), which is closely related to camellias, produces very fragrant
ivory flowers towards the end of the summer. The tree is considered sacred in Shinto rituals, in which
branches are cut from the tree and made into brooms to “sweep out” the old year.

Leave the cool, dappled shade of the Asian Area, and enter a totally different environment—the New
World Desert. Admire the Garden’s impressive and historical collection of cacti and other succulents and
associated dryland plants. Many of the plants grown here are highly specialized and show wonderful
examples of drought adaptation. Take the upper path and look on your left for the tallest cactus in the
Garden:

20. ECHINOPSIS TERSCHECKII


This plant grows at a fairly high altitude in the Andes of Argentina. Do not confuse it with the Saguaro
cactus (Carnegiea gigantea), native to the south-western deserts, which cannot tolerate the (relatively)
damp climate of the Bay Area. Echinopsis terscheckii produces enormous white flowers fifteen feet up
the stem. The flowers, which are pollinated by bats, open in the evening as the temperature cools, and
close by mid-morning. Perhaps you will be lucky enough to see them!

© 2010 University of California Botanical Garden - http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu


Take the steps uphill to the main paved road. Turn left. On your right, on the sun-baked slopes of the
Southern African Area, admire a selection of succulent aloes, in particular:

21. ALOE STRIATA and ALOE COMPTONII


Aloes are easily confused with both agaves and yuccas. These plants evolved in similar dry habitats and
responded to environmental situations by developing similar structures. For example, rosettes of thick,
succulent leaves store water and prevent evaporation. Aloes are mainly native to Africa; while agaves
and yuccas are native to the Americas. Look for examples of the latter on the other side of the road. Aloe
flowers are usually tubular in shades of red, yellow and orange. The leaves and stems are often
attractively colored and sometimes spotted or mottled.

We hope you have enjoyed this walk through the Garden, and that you will return soon to explore the many
intriguing paths leading you to yet more fascinating plants from around the world. Look for our seasonal
self-guided tour brochures, or one of our special publications, to lead you through the Garden.

Key to Plant Labels:

Family Name Accession #: year.order received

COMMON NAME
Scientific Name

Where Collected
(A red dot marks rare or endangered species)

University of California Botanical Garden


Website: http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu
© 2010 The Regents of the University of California

© 2010 University of California Botanical Garden - http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu

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