Winter visit to University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley

At the end of December, my older daughter and I made our annual winter trek to the University of California (UC) Botanical Garden in Berkeley. This has become somewhat of a tradition, seeing how we did the same thing in 2011 (here and here) and 2012 (here, here and here).

While it’s getting harder to discover something new—especially since I tend to visit the same sections every time—it’s still great visiting old friends.

I love the Yucca rostrata in front of the entrance…

…and the Mexican weeping bamboo (Otatea acuminata ‘Aztecorum’) right inside

The plantings along the perimeter of the entrance plaza are from all other world. I think of them as a “best of” collection.

Unruly ovens wattle from Australia (Acacia pravissima) next to the entrance kiosk

Entrance plaza with Garden Shop

Garden Shop

Huge clump of Agave parryi ssp. parryi…

…with bloomed-out rosette [U.S. Southwest and northern Mexico]

Dying Agave americana ‘Mediopicta alba’ [Mexico] next to the Arid House

This is what it looked like in 2011

Cotyledon orbiculata [South Africa]

Banksia spinulosa [Australia]

Banksia spinulosa [Australia]

European fan palm (Chamaerops humilis) [Mediterranean]

European fan palm (Chamaerops humilis) [Mediterranean]

Agave mitis var. albidior [Mexico] and Encephalartos arenarius [South Africa]

Agave mitis var. albidior (the plant formerly known as Agave celsii var. albicans)

Agave parryi var. huachucensis [Arizona] surrounded by Libertia peregrinans, an iris species from New Zealand

Dudleya brittonii [Baja California]

Aloe nobilis [South Africa]

Just behind the entrance plaza I noticed new construction. I wonder what they’re building here?

Another Mexican weeping bamboo in an area under construction—always exciting to see that something new is being built

The New World Desert is to the left of the main path.

 

Agave flower spikes on the edge of the New World Desert

New Baja California section

Agave shawii var. goldmanniana (left) and “Agave sp.” (right)

Agave sebastiana from Baja California Norte

Agave margaritae from Baja California Sur

Agave datylio

Continuing on the main path, you skirt the Asia section…

Chain fern (Woodwardia unigemmata) from Honshu, Japan

…and get to the Conference Center.

Encephalartos horridus × longifolius from South Africa outside the Conference Center

Next the Conference Center is a small Tropical House…

Bananas and papyrus outside the small Tropical House, whacked back by the recent cold

…and behind that a new cycad area.

Cold damage in the a recently planted cycad bed next to the Tropical House

Encephalartos trispinosus with leaf damage from the cold

The next section you enter is Eastern North America…

Moss-covered steps just as we enter the Eastern North America section on our way to the Mexico/Central America section

…but I didn’t linger here because my real destination was the Mexico/Central America section. This is one of my favorite areas of the UC Botanical Garden. As you will see, it’s rich in the plants I love, like yuccas and—especially!—agaves.

Now we’re in the Mexico/Central America section

Pleopeltis guttata, a small fern from the Mexican state of Hidalgo

Beautiful oaks

Beschorneria albiflora

Beschorneria albiflora

Unidentified palm happily growing in the shade

Beschorneria septentrionalis and Salva mexicana

Nolina sp. (left), Yucca faxoniana (middle), Dioon edule (right)

Nolina sp. (left), Yucca faxoniana (right)

Rain! (actually just the sprinklers running)

Echeveria runyonii

Agave asperrima (previously Agave scrabra)

Agave asperrima and Yucca rostrata

Agave montana

Agave aff. macroculmis

Agave aff. macroculmis (“aff.”, short for “affinis,” means that a species cannot be identified 100% but is strikingly similar to a known species)

Labeled Agave pacifica, this is actually just a coastal variation of Agave angustifolia with very narrow leaves

Agave shrevei ssp. shrevei

Agave shrevei ssp, magna

Agave schidigera

Unlabeled but looks to me like a member of the Agave gentryi complex

Agave gentryi or a close relative

Pine muhly (Muhlenbergia dubia) and unidentified Echeveria sp.

Just labeled Echeveria sp.

Agave aff. striata

Agave wocomahi

Agave filifera

Another Agave montana

Unidentified agaves growing on the hillside next to the path

Unidentified agave and Mexican weeping bambo

Looking back to the Yucca rostrata and Agave asperrima you saw earlier

Roldana lobata,a large shrub native to the cloud forest of the Mexican state of Nayarit

Leaving Mexico/Central America behind, I skipped South America (some day I’ll have to spend more time there) and skirted Australasia. I made a quick stop for the tree ferns, some of which were wrapped against the cold.

Various tree ferns

Tasmanian tree fern (Dicksonia antartica)

Dicksonia antarctica

After a brief stop at the Japanese Pool I exited the Asia section through this lovely gate…

…and arrived at the far side of the New World Desert. It goes without saying that this is another favorite section of mine.

New World Desert overlook

Puya micrantha

Agave americana ssp. protoamericana × lechuguilla

Agave americana ssp. protoamericana × lechuguilla

Agave mitis var. albidior

Sundry agaves

Agave atrovirens var. atrovirens

Agave atrovirens var. atrovirens

Agave vilmoriniana

Mammillaria compressa

Agave parryi var. huachucensis and Agave filifera

Agave parryi var. huachucensis and Agave filifera

Agave parryi var. huachucensis and Agave filifera

Agave parryi var. huachucensis, Agave filifera and Agave xylonacantha (strikingly yellow)

Agave parryi var. huachucensis, Agave filifera and Agave xylonacantha (strikingly yellow)

Agave parryi var. huachucensis and Agave xylonacantha (more normal coloration)

Agave parryi var. huachucensis, Agave filifera and Agave xylonacantha

View of New World Desert

Agave xylonacantha (“normal” look as opposed to the yellow coloration above)

Agave fortiflora

Agave striata

Agave colorata

Agave colorata

Observation deck

The final stop of the day was the Southern Africa section right across the way from the New World Desert. In early spring this is a prime destination for flowering South African bulbs and aloes but it’ll be another couple of months before they are in full bloom.

Cape tulip (Haemanthus coccineus)

Boophane haemanthoides

Aloe plicatilis (covered up)

Aloe capitata var. quartziticola

Aloe perfoliata var. mitriformis (back), unlabeled Aloe (front)

Spiral aloe (Aloe polyphylla)

If you have to use the restroom, like we did, you’ll find two beautiful agaves growing right outside:

Agave × leopoldii

Agave guadalajarana

A great way to end this visit to the UC Botanical Garden!

But I’ll be back in three weeks for the first public sale of the year at the Landscape Cacti and Succulents Nursery. I need some larger agave specimens for a new planting bed. Details to follow.

RELATED POSTS:

• University of California Botanical Garden, part 1 (2011)
• University of California Botanical Garden, part 2 (2011)
• UC Berkeley Botanical Garden: Mexican Collection (2012)
• UC Botanical Garden—Southern African Collection (2012)
• UC Botanical Garden—New World Desert Collection (2012)
• UC Botanical Garden—Asian Collection (2012)
• UC Botanical Garden 2013 spring plant sale (2013)