Marmalade Bush

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Scientific name: Streptosolen jamesonii

Date collected: April 18, 2011

Location collected: on campus of UCLA in Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: The Marmalade Bush comes from the Andes mountain range, where the climate is mild all year.

Nativity: Streptosolen jamesonii is not native to California, it is actually native to Southern America (Columbia, Ecuador, Peru).

Special notes: The blooms can appear nearly all year in mild-winter areas, but the heaviest flowering is from spring through fall.

Resource(s):
 -http://www.strangewonderfulthings.com/164.htm
 -http://www.freebase.com/view/en/streptosolen_jamesonii
 -http://www.mundoandino.com/Colombia/Streptosolen-jamesonii

Alkanet

Scientific name: Anchusa azurea

Date collected: April 18, 2011

Location collected: on campus of UCLA in Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: Sides of arable fields, waste places, roadsides and steppes on stony hills.

Nativity: Anchusa azurea is not native to California, it is actually native to Southern Europe, Mediterranean region.

Special notes: Edible parts: flowers (raw), tender young leaves and young flowering shoots can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable. A red dye is obtained from the root. This was at one time used as a basis for some cosmetics. The dried and powdered herb is used as a poultice to treat inflammations.

Resource(s):
 -http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/perennials/Anchuaz.htm
 -http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net/herbs/a/anchusa-azurea=anchusa.php

New Zealand Christmas Tree

Scientific name: Metrosideros excelsa

Date collected: April 18, 2011

Location collected: on campus of UCLA in Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: oceanside locations

Nativity: Metrosideros excelsa is not native to California, it is actually native to New Zealand.

Special notes: New Zealand's national tree's Polynesian name: Pohutukawa ("sprinkled by spray"). An edible nectar is obtained from the flowers. Wood - dense, compact, heavy, durable, very strong. Used for ship-making, bearings, machine beds etc. Medicinal uses: Astringent. Used in the treatment of dysentery.

Resource(s):
 -http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2008/07/tree-of-the-week-the-new-zealand-christmas-tree.html
 -http://server9.web-mania.com/users/pfafardea/database/plants.php?Metrosideros+excelsa

Cluster Fig Tree

Scientific name: Ficus racemosa

Date collected: April 18, 2011

Location collected: on campus of UCLA in Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: Moist areas, beside rivers and streams, occasionally in streams; 100-1700 m.

Nativity: Fiscus racemosa is not native to California, it is actually native to Asia and Australia.

Special notes: The fruit of Ficus racemosa is 3/4 inch to 2 inches long, circular and grows directly on the trunk.

Resource(s):
 -http://www.ehow.com/facts_5144477_ficus-racemosa-tree-description.html
 -http://zipcodezoo.com/Plants/F/Ficus_racemosa/

Mediterranean Fan Palm

Scientific name: Chamaerops humilis

Date collected: April 18, 2011

Location collected: on the campus of UCLA in the Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: It can be found growing in habitat along the Atlantic coastline of Portugal and Spain as well as the Mediterranean coasts of Spain, France, Albania, and Italy. Also, it occurs naturally in NW Africa and many of the islands of the Mediterranean. 

Nativity: Chamaerops humilis is not native to California, it is actually native to Europe. It grows in southern Europe (Italy, Sardinia, Spain) and North Africa (Morocco).

Special notes: There are 3 distinct stages in development:
  -seedling stage: lanceolate undivided leaves
  -juvenile stage: fan leaves on a very compact fist-size trunk
  -trunk stage: vertical growth

Resource(s):
 -http://culturesheet.org/arecaceae:chamaerops:humilis
 -http://www.chillypalmtree.com/chamaerops.html

Kaua'i Rosemallow

Scientific name: Hibiscus clayi

Date collected: April 18, 2011

Location collected: on the campus of UCLA in the Mathias Botanical Gardens

Habitat: Kaua'i Rosemallow is endermic to dry forests in the Kaua'i-Nounou Mountains onthe island of Kaua'i.

Nativity: Hibiscus clayi is not native to California, it is actually native to Kaua'i, Hawaii.

Special Notes: The Hawaiian name for hibiscus is Koki'oke'o.

Resource(s):
 -http://plants.usda.gov/java/nameSearch
 -http://www.gardenguides.com/118056-endangered-flowers-hawaii.html
 -http://www.usbg.gov/plant-collections/conservation/Hibiscus-clayi.cfm

Leopard Plant

Scientific name: Farfugium Japonicum 'giganteum'

Date collected: April 18, 2011

Location collected: on the campus of UCLA in the Mathias Botanical Gardens 

Habitat: rocky slopes by the sea

Nativity: Farfugium Japonicum is not native to California, it is ASIA-TEMPERATE:
  -China: China - Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan
  -Eastern Asia: Japan - Honshu, Kyushu, Ryukyu Islands, Shikoku; Korea; Taiwan

Special Notes: In Japan, the stems are boiled with soy sauce and served as a side dish; known as Kyarabuki.

Resource(s):
 -http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?446933
 -http://www.freebase.com/view/en/farfugium_japonicum
 -http://homepage3.nifty.com/plantsandjapan/page042.html