SLO Chapter News
Exotic Species on the Central Coast Part II
Last month I wrote about my curiosity for the origin and distribution of some of the invasive plants that have become naturalized on the Central Coast. I continue this month with exerts from historical accounts. These come from an article published in the Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences, October 1920, …
Chapter Meeting: Plant Propagation by Elliot Paulson
CHAPTER MEETING Nov. 1st 2018 - Thursday - 7:00 pm Veterans Hall, Monterey and Grand, SLO Mixer and Browse Sales Table 7:00 pm, Program 7:30 pm PLANT PROPAGATION by ELLIOT PAULSON Elliot graduated from Cal Poly in business finance, and horticulture. He established...
Blue Elderberry (Sambucus coerulea or mexicana)
ETHNOBOTANY NOTES: Blue Elderberry (Sambucus coerulea or mexicana) A delicious, wildlife attracting addition to your garden This last year, I have become the Johnny Appleseed of elderberry plants. Although, I plant the elderberry plants and not the seeds. I have been...
Dr. David Keil honored with a CNPS Fellowship
Dr. Keil joins chapter members Dr. Dirk Walters and Dr. David Chipping as Fellows of CNPS. Past Fellows from the chapter include Dr. Malcolm McLeod and Alice and Bud Meyer
Vitis californica (California grape)
As well as reddish fruits, this variety of wine grape produces bright red leaves in the fall. Enter DNA to the story. Several DNA studies proved that the cultivar ‘Roger’s Red’ is truly a hybrid between the native California grape and the European wine grape Vitis vinifera var. Alicante Bouschet.
Invasive Species: Narrow leaf iceplant
INVASIVE SPECIES REPORT by Mark Skinner | Conicosia pugioniformis Narrow leaf iceplant. Conicosia is in the Aizoaceae family. It is a succulent perennial with a crowded basal rosette of smooth, bright green, upright, linear leaves. Clustered with the leaves are stems with brilliant yellow flowers.
2018 Native Plant Sale
Saturday, November 3, 2018, 9am-2pm, Please join us at Pacific Beach High School, 11950 Los Osos Valley Road SLO (at the Target intersection)
Clarkia speciosa subsp. immaculata (Pismo Clarkia)
I chose the Pismo clarkia because it grows in the area surrounding Mardi’s home and nowhere else. It grows naturally in about 20 occurrences from the southern Edna Valley, south through the foothills and valleys of the Southern San Luis Range, ending east of Pismo Beach and Arroyo Grande (Huasna Valley).
Seed Exchange
I know it seems too early to be thinking seeds. Many of my plants are just starting to bloom. I just wanted to remind those who are interested that the seed exchange is going to take place ate the October meeting before the main program. Let a few of your garden...
Plant Associations and the Geology of the Morros
What you are seeing is a display of the underlying geology manifested in the soils that lie above the bedrock. The browning grasslands are floored with ‘melange’ of the Franciscan Formation, a unit composed of sheared shale and bits and pieces of the ancient seafloor that were squished into a subduction zone… kinda like what happens if you try and push a slice of pizza under a door.
Pigs Attack the Saltmarsh of Morro Bay… again
Wild pigs are again active in Morro Bay, causing damage while rooting for the tuberous reeds in the brackish freshwater seep zones close to the high tide line. This time they are at Shark Inlet. We last saw them in 2015 on both sides of the South Bay Boulevard bridge, and neither of the locations appear to have recovered.
Horticulture Blog
Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. aspleniifolius is a mouthful to say but there is nothing edible about this tree. Lyonothamnus is endemic to the Channel Islands of California, where it grows in the chaparral and oak woodlands of the rocky coastal canyons
Hoover Award Honoree Marti Rutherford
The Hoover Committee selected Marti Rutherford as the 2017 Honoree for the significant contributions she has made to our chapter. She has volunteered in many ways to promote the education and conservation of native flora in our county. Marti is an observant person...
SLO Chapter Sends Students to Conference
President Bill Waycott with students funded by SLO Chapter to attend the 2018 CNPS Conservation in Los Angeles. Left to Right: Paul Excoffier, Bill, Molly Vanderlip, Nora Bales. Not shown in photo is student recipient Annaliese Ayers. Annaliese was recognized at the...
President’s Notes March 2018
While volunteering a few weeks ago in the CNPS co-sponsored San Luis Creek restoration project with the City of San Luis Obispo, several of us were removing weeds and planting natives along both sides of the creek in front of the Old Mission Church. This project is...
Viola pedunculata (Johnny-jump-up)
Wild (California, yellow, or grass) violet, pansy or Johnny –jump-up This botanical illustration was created by Mardi Niles using a Micron 005 #1 Archival Ink pen and Prismacolor Verithin colored pencils on Bristol Regular paper. It will be the first of several...
Heteromeles arbutifolia (Toyon)
What native plant has more name recognition than Heteromeles arbutifolia, or some times, commonly known as Christmas Berry and California Holly. It is the sole species in the genus Heteromeles. Back in the 1920’s, people in southern California were drawn to the plant...
Invasive Species: Brassica tournefortii (Saharan mustard)
Brassica tournefortii is in the Mustard family. It is native to the desert areas of the Mediterranean region of Europe. It has expanded its distribution in the sandy soils of Los Osos, most probably spread during the sewer project, and can rapidly overtake other...