Thursday, March 12, 2015

California Landscape Contractors Fund Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer Research




As the grave nature of the consequences of the current Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer infestation become clearer another organization with a stake in plants the pest attacks are donating money for research into methods to control it. Up until now the California Avocado Commission has been the biggest donor, but recently another organization that might have much more to lose, the California Landscape Contractors Association, is funding research. With the majority of the plants being attacked by this pest being important elements in landscape design here, this funding makes good sense for the organization whose members rely on them as the fundamental building blocks of their industry.

Plant Identification Class Tomorrow, March 13th at 1:30pm.

Here is a post to the Plant Identification Blog that talks about tomorrow's lesson.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Plant Identification Class (With Emphasis on Non-Native Ornamental Plants) Syllabus

This is the syllabus for tomorrow's plant identification class. The class runs for four Fridays this month, 3/6, 3/13, 3/20 and 3/27. There's still time to register for this class, or you can register at the door. Hope to see you there. 
Instructor Information

Frank McDonough, L.A. Arboretum Botanical Information Consultant
Office phone: 626 821-3236
Office hours: Tuesday-Thursday 9:00-10:00 a.m.; 3:00-4:30 p.m. Please call or e-mail me as sometimes I am out in the field (a common botanist’s excuse).
Website: http://laarboretumplantid.blogspot.com/  Course materials will be posted online.

Course information

Prerequisites: A willingness to stare at very small things for more than a minute.
Meeting time and place: Lecture/Lab Friday 1:30-4:00 p.m. Education Greenhouse Classroom

Course Description: Key and description driven plant classification and taxonomy with emphasis on identifying orders and families, and using web resources in able to identify non-native horticultural plants with or without knowledge of their origin or provenance.

Goals of course:
·        To familiarize you with the Arboretum collection in terms of the identification of plants in it and the relationship of those plants to other plants in the same family and order.
·        To give you an introduction to the terminology of plant organs and structures, and how you can use this knowledge to identify unknown plants.
·        When you are finished with this course you will never look at plants the same way ever again.

Required texts: How to Identify Plants, H.D. Harrington and W. Durrell
Required Equipment: Lighted 10-15x hand lens, or non-lighted lens and a bright headlamp, scalpel (will have one to share first class), gloves if needed (may be provided), wipes, dissecting needle (nice to have but not necessary)

Date
Subjects Covered
Taxon Covered
May 6th
Introduction to Taxonomy, Plant Classification Hierarchy, Flower and Inflorescence Terms
Mint family, Acanthus family, Magnolia family, Poppy family, Grass tree family and possibly others TBD
May 13th
Leaves and Surfaces Terms
TBD
May 20th
Roots and Stems Terms
TBD
May 27th
Using Order to ID Unknown Families, Using the Internet to ID Plants
TBD

Hipster Horticulture Links


Hipster Horticulture

Below are links to plants I mentioned in the 3/4/2015 class on newly introduced plant product foods:

Kalettes, Broccoflower And Other Eye-Popping Vegetables For 2015 : The Salt : NPR
From Broccoli Leaves to Kalettes, New Vegetables to Cook and Grow in 2015 | Susie Middleton
Wood Sorrel, A Woodland Plant With FlavorEat The Planet | Eat The Planet
Unusual Vegetables. Oka.
How to Grow Oca (New Zealand Yams) | Thompson & Morgan
Oxalis tuberosa "Oca" - Buy Online at Annie's Annuals & Perennials
Pacific Bulb Society | Oxalis tuberosa
2015 NGB New Varieties: vegetables
Rediscovering the Lost Crops of the Incas - NYTimes.com
Lost Crops of the Incas
Lost Crops of the Incas: Little-Known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation
Radix: Crap Crops of the Incas: my on-off-on affair with Andean root crops 4) Pachyrhizus - ahipa useless junk?
Radix: Crap Crops of the Incas: My on-off-on affair with high altitude Andean root crops 1) Oca
Radix: Crap Crops of the Incas: My on-off-on affair with high altitude Andean root crops 3) Mashua
Radix: Dioscorea japonica
Wetting the Beds: Ulluco: Crop of the future or Inca practical joke?
Ullucus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Papalisa/Ulluco/Ullucus tuberosus | Zoom's Edible Plants
Ulluco (Ullucus tuberosus) | Cultivariable
Dioscorea alata - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Purple yam (Dioscorea alata)
Ullucus tuberosus Olluco PFAF Plant Database
Plants Profile for Dioscorea bulbifera (air yam)
Air potato | Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants
Ahipa (Pachyrhizus ahipa [Wedd.] Parodi): an alternative legume crop for sustainable production of starch, oil and protein
Pachyrhizus ahipa (Ahipa) - Practical Plants
Amaranthus caudatus Love Lies Bleeding PFAF Plant Database
Quinoa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The International Year of Quinoa | Global 3000 - YouTube
Quinoa History and Nutrition - Superfoods - YouTube
Yacón - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
All About Yacon: What It Is, and What It May Do for Weight Loss - ABC News
Yacon - Peruvian Ground Apple growing information
Raintree Nursery for Yacon Plants
Yacon and Oca from Nichols Garden Nursery - Fine Seeds & Herbs for the Gardener Cook
Yacon* (Polymnia sonchifolia) potted plant, organic
Samphire Seeds
Shungiku Seeds
Quinoa Seeds
Mizuna Seeds
Sorghum
Lamb's Quarters
Job's Tears Seed
Camelina Seeds
Bitter Melon Seeds
Amaranth Seeds
Yacon for Sale
mashua, yacon, oca: growing edible andean tubers, with help from peace seedlings - A Way To Garden
Yacon | Eat The Weeds and other things, too
Moonridge Farms Yacon
Pouteria lucuma - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lucmo
View crop
LUCUMA Pouteria obovata (Lucuma obovata)
10 ancient grains to watch: from kamut to quinoa
Plukenetia volubilis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eragrostis tef - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Is Teff The New Superfood?
Growth Products - Catalog
Helpful Hints: Serenade® Garden and Lawn Disease Control sold by Northeast Nursery in Peabody, Massachusetts.
Golf Courses: Fertilizers and Biological Fungicides
www.northeastnursery.com/files/SGlawn.pdf
Stover Seed Company: Contact Us
UFEI - SelecTree - Attribute Information
Eat The Weeds by Green Deane, the most watched forager in the world

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