Science - Portland Botanical Gardens

Home » Science

Science

Take a deep dive into plant sciences and explore our featured resources. Find out what we’re doing for our planet and who’s helping us.

Botany

Conservation

Environment

pdxbot

Plant of the Week - Trillium ovatum Trillium ovat

Plant of the Week - Trillium ovatum

Trillium ovatum, also known as the western Trillium or western wakerobin, is a species of native Trillium found from British Columbia to California. A widespread species having a few subspecies, T. ovatum can be seen flowering from late February into May, depending on location, in shady areas of moist, western forests. Contrary to popular belief, Trillium ovatum does not bloom once every 7 years, but may take many years for the first flower to appear when grown from seed.

📸: @Creative Commons

#PDXbot #PortlandOregon #BotanicalGarden #Horticulture #PBG #PlantOfTheWeek #Planstagram #PlantsOfInstagram #PacificNorthwest #PNW #Fall #Winter #Spring #Summer #Oregon #PlantLife #GardenInspiration #GreenThumb #PlantCommunity #PlantParent #PlantLovers #PlantSoDifferent #SpringBloomer #Native #Trillium #TrilliumOvatum

Plant of the Week - Rhodoleia championii Rhodole

Plant of the Week - Rhodoleia championii

Rhodoleia championii, a little known plant also known as the evergreen rose hazel, is a curious and unique species. A relative to the well-known witch-hazel, R. championii is native to the mountains of China. Hardy to around USDA zone 8, it’s almost reminiscent of a camelia at a distance, blooming in late winter and early spring.

📸: Creative Commons

Happy International Women’s Day! We are incred

Happy International Women’s Day!

We are incredibly grateful for all of the women whose courage, strength, and resilience we witness every day. Let us celebrate women of all identities who continually achieve the impossible.

As a botanical organization we also wish to take a moment to appreciate all of the hardworking women within our nonprofit and in the plant sciences who continuously cultivate our growing world. We could not do it without you!

📸: Lois Elling

#InternationalWomensDay #EmbraceEquality

Plant of the Week - Tecophilaea cyanocrocus Teco

Plant of the Week - Tecophilaea cyanocrocus

Tecophilaea cyanocrocus, sometimes known as the Chilean blue crocus, is an alpine bulb found in the Andes Mountains.

This species is extremely uncommon in its native range. While existing in cultivation for quite some time, multiple sources believed it to have been extirpated from its natural habitat until the early 2000s when it was found again.

This individual is in our co-founder @frootbatt ‘s personal collection. We’re looking forward to seeing it in our own gardens one day!

📸: @frootbatt

Plant of the Week - Erythronium revolutum . Eryth

Plant of the Week - Erythronium revolutum
.
Erythronium revolutum, also known as the pink fawn lily, is a spring ephemeral native to the Pacific Northwest.
.
Growing in open areas, dense woods, river banks, and meadows, its pink flowers offer a vibrant and distinct contrast against its green surroundings. It can be seen in Washington down to California along the coast at low elevations.
.
This species, along with other Erythronium, were consumed by Native Peoples of the Pacific Northwest using a variety of methods such as boiling, drying, mixing with grease, and steaming, among others.
.
📸: Creative Commons
.
#PortlandOregon #BotanicalGarden #Horticulture #PBG #PlantOfTheWeek #Planstagram #PlantsOfInstagram #PacificNorthwest #PNW #Fall #Winter #Spring #Summer #Oregon #PlantLife #GardenInspiration #GreenThumb #PlantCommunity #PlantParent #PlantLovers #PlantSoDifferent #SpringBloomer #ErythroniumRevolutum #PinkFawnLily

Plant of the Week - Eranthis pinnatifida . Erant

Plant of the Week - Eranthis pinnatifida
.
Eranthis pinnatifida is a Japanese species of Erianthus, closely related to the more common garden plants known as “winter aconite.” E. pinnatifida is unique from other species of Eranthis due to its blue-colored pollen-containing anthers that contrast against its white petals.
.
Flowering in late winter (February and March), it’s natively found in Japanese woodlands where it grows in moist, peaty, humus-rich soils in light shade. While not as common as other European Eranthis in cultivation, it can offer a diversity of colors and textures as it spreads throughout a garden or landscape.
.
📸: Creative Commons
.
#PortlandOregon #BotanicalGarden #Horticulture #PBG #PlantOfTheWeek #Planstagram #PlantsOfInstagram #PacificNorthwest #PNW #Fall #Winter #Spring #Summer #Oregon #PlantLife #GardenInspiration #GreenThumb #PlantCommunity #PlantParent #PlantLovers #PlantSoDifferent #Eranthis #EranthisPinnatifida #Japan #Asia #WinterBloomer

Plant of the Week - Dicentra formosa . Dicentra f

Plant of the Week - Dicentra formosa
.
Dicentra formosa, also known as the Pacific bleeding heart, is an herbaceous perennial native from British Columbia to California.
.
D. formosa can be seen blooming from April to June depending on location and flower color can vary from white to pink. They can be seen growing in shady locations along stream banks at low elevations in our moist coniferous forests.
.
Several ethnobotanical uses of D. formosa have been documented being used by Native Peoples of the Pacific Northwest. Some usages include helping alleviate toothaches by chewing on rhizomes and helping to rid the body of parasites.
.
D. formosa also has a mutualistic relationship with ants of the forest floor. Seeds of this species contain a nutrient-rich appendage on which ants feed. After carrying it back to their nest, this appendage is eaten and the seed is discarded. It is here that the seed will germinate and grow. This mutualistic relationship helps feed the ant colony while also helping D. formosa disperse among the forest floor.
.
📸: Creative Commons
.
#PortlandOregon #BotanicalGarden #Horticulture #PBG #PlantOfTheWeek #Planstagram #PlantsOfInstagram #PacificNorthwest #PNW #Fall #Winter #Spring #Summer #Oregon #PlantLife #GardenInspiration #GreenThumb #PlantCommunity #PlantParent #PlantLovers #PlantSoDifferent #BleedingHeart #Dicentra #DicentraFormosa

Plant of the Week - Fritillaria delavayi . Fritil

Plant of the Week - Fritillaria delavayi
.
Fritillaria delavayi is a species of Fritillaria native to the rocky alpine slopes of China’s Hengdaun Mountains.
.
Flowering once per year, bulbs of F. delavayi have been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine. Growing amidst grey-brown rocky slopes, the plant has traditionally been easy to see with its green leaves contrasting against the substrate. An increase in collecting of this species has caused its populations to dwindle.
.
Interestingly, recent research suggests that F. delavayi has been evolving to protect itself from human collection. Grey-brown leafed mutants of this species have been able to avoid collection by humans by blending in with their surroundings, thereby avoiding detection (images 2 & 3). This is an excellent example of an evolutionary process via selection that is happening right before our eyes.
.
📸:
Niu et al., 2021, Current Biology 31, 446–449
January 25, 2021 ª 2020 Elsevier Inc.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.10.078 ll
.
#PortlandOregon #BotanicalGarden #Horticulture #PBG #PlantOfTheWeek #Planstagram #PlantsOfInstagram #PacificNorthwest #PNW #Fall #Winter #Spring #Summer #Oregon #China #Fritillaria #FritillariaDelavayi #Evolution

Plant of the Week - Lupinus pusillus . Lupinus pu

Plant of the Week - Lupinus pusillus
.
Lupinus pusillus, also known as the dwarf lupine or rusty lupine, is a small species of annual lupine that is native to most of the western United States.
.
Growing as much as nine inches tall, L. pusillus can be found growing in desert shrub and pinyon juniper woodland blooming from April until June. Growing as far north as Washington down into Texas and as far east as Kansas, the range of L. pusillus is widespread, consisting of a variety of subspecies.
.
Some records indicate that Meriweather Lewis was the first to collect this species for identification in 1806, and was later named in 1814. The specific epithet “pusillus” comes from the Latin pusilla meaning “very little” or “tiny”. A perfect descriptor!
.
📸: @plants.incoolplaces (image 1), Creative Commons (image 2)
.
#PortlandOregon #BotanicalGarden #Horticulture #PBG #PlantOfTheWeek #Planstagram #PlantsOfInstagram #PacificNorthwest #PNW #Fall #Winter #Spring #Summer #Oregon #Southwest #Lupine #Lupinus #Desert

Plant of the Week - Moraea callista . Moraea cal

Plant of the Week - Moraea callista
.
Moraea callista, a species of what is commonly called moraea, is a tuberous geophyte that grows in the seasonally dry mountains of Tanzania’s Kitulo Plateau. The Kitulo Plateau contains the first national park in tropical Africa that was established to protect its native flora. Locals refer to these high-elevation ecosystems as “Bustani ya Mungo” in Swahili, meaning ‘The Garden of God’.
.
Not a described species until 1977, M. callista is an unusual and not well understood species which can be found at elevations between 1,800-3,000 meters and flowers in January to February. M. callista differs from other species of Moraea with its blue and white flower color compared to the lilac colors found in other species.
.
The genus Moraea is in the Iris family (Iridaceae) and contains over 200 species, many of which are native to South Africa.
.
📸: @peter_zale @longwoodgardens
.
#PortlandOregon #BotanicalGarden #Horticulture #PBG #PlantOfTheWeek #Planstagram #PlantsOfInstagram #PacificNorthwest #PNW #Fall #Winter #Spring #Summer #Oregon #SouthernHemisphere #Tanzania #Africa #Moraea #MoraeaCallista

Plant of the Week - Thelymitra variegata . Thely

Plant of the Week - Thelymitra variegata
.
Thelymitra variegata (syn. T. porphyrostica), also known as the Queen of Sheba orchid, is a species of terrestrial orchid native to western Australia.
.
T. variegata is a cool-growing species that can be found blooming in late winter and spring near coastal areas.This species can be found growing in sandy soils alongside low shrubs or Eucalyptus woodland.
.
The specific epithet “variegata” references its spectacularly colored flowers which showcase multiple colors and splotching patterns.
.
As with all orchids, T. variegata is protected by CITES, which is designed to ensure that trade of wild species does not threaten their survival.
.
📸: @the_humble_orchid_hunter
.
#PortlandOregon #BotanicalGarden #Horticulture #PBG #PlantOfTheWeek #Planstagram #PlantsOfInstagram #PacificNorthwest #PNW #Fall #SpringBloomer #Winter #Spring #Summer #Oregon #Australia #WesternAustralia #SouthernHemisphere #QueenOfSheba #Orchids #ThelymitraVariegata #TerrestrialOrchids

Plant of the Week - Kalmiopsis leachiana . Kalmio

Plant of the Week - Kalmiopsis leachiana
.
Kalmiopsis leachiana is an upright, low-growing shrub native to southwestern Oregon around the Siskiyou mountain range and Umpqua river drainage in the 180,000 acre federally protected Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area. It's a rare but endemic Oregon species.
.
This small shrub—around 1-2 feet in height with pink flowers—can be found blooming in late spring through summer depending on location. Originally a monotypic genus containing only one species, there are now two species: Kalmiopsis leachiana and Kalmiopsis fragrans. Both species are native to Oregon.
.
K. leachiana was first described in the 1930’s when Lilla Leach found them growing in what is now the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in southwestern Oregon. When it was first seen, it was thought to be another form of Kalmia polifera (bog laurel) which is native to the eastern United States. However, it was soon learned that this has its own lineage and is deserving of the genus Kalmiopsis, which means “appearing like Kalmia."
.
📸: Creative Commons
.
#PortlandOregon #BotanicalGarden #Horticulture #PBG #PlantOfTheWeek #Planstagram #PlantsOfInstagram #PacificNorthwest #PNW #Fall #SpringBloomer #Winter #Spring #Summer #Oregon #Nature #Flowers #Kalmiopsis #KalmiopsisLeachiana #KalmiopsisWilderness #SiskiyouMountains