47. Oleaceae

The star of the Oleaceae family is of course the olive -- Olea europaea -- one of the oldest crops of Mediterranean civilization. They were brought to California in the 18th century by the Spanish padres, as this sign at Mission San Antonio explains. This beautiful specimen is thought to have been planted "about 1836". There are many, many varieties of olives and this one, curiously, cannot not be matched with any present day European variety.

An interesting member of this family that I encountered in California is Ligustrum lucidum -- also known as tree privet or glossy privet. My first impression was that it was some sort of Ficus, with glossy leaves and bony, reptilian bark. It also has white flowers in dense clusters that become dark blue, bird-friendly berries. When I think of privet, I think of the hedges I grew up around back east -- Ligustrum vulgare, which comes from Europe. Ligustrum lucidum on the other hand comes from Asia, and has spread itself fast enough to be considered invasive. And while the two plants seem very different, they are in fact both privet.

Also in the olive family is the familiar lilac -- Syringa vulgaris -- seen below. These famous ornamental plants have stalked me on both coasts.

46. Nyctaginaceae

This family, the Nyctaginaceae, takes me back to a particular period of my life when I lived in a little house that came with a little landscaping. Included in that landscaping was a bougainvillea growing on the side of the house in a flower bed that was also full of four o'clock flowers. Both plants belong to this family.

Bougainvillea is a genus from tropical America, named after the explorer Bougainville, who circumnavigated the globe with the botanist Commerson, who did the naming. What I will always remember about this plant is that, more than any other in memory, it benefited from my adding coffee grounds to the soil. Evidently the pH was off and the coffee grounds increased the soil's acidity enough to meet the bougainvillea's needs.

Four o'clock flower --  Mirabilis jalapa  -- also comes from tropical America. It has an overall pleasing structure that is very similar to tobacco plants. Are they related? According to Davis Wiki  yes, because the Nyctaginaceae IS the tobacco family. Whereas according to Wikipedia the Nicotiana genus, from which all tobacco comes, is part of the Solanaceae family. I need someone to clear this up for me, because further research is thus far getting me nowhere.

Four o'clock flowers get their name from the behavior of opening in the late afternoon and closing by morning. They self-propagate easily by spreading an abundance of seeds. Not only do the trumpet-shaped flowers come in different colors, but some varieties have multiple colors, and some even change colors over the course of their lifetime.

45. Myrtaceae

I will always associate this family -- sometimes called the myrtle family -- with Australia, where so many of its species come from. While I have never been 'down under', many of its plants have thankfully graced the shores of California, giving those of us stateside a chance to enjoy their quirky beauty. Above all, towering eucalyptus trees (above) make an unforgettable impression, for their height (among the world's tallest), their shagginess (witness the shedding bark), and their nasal passage-clearing fragrance, especially after a good rain. Among the prevalent species are blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus), silver dollar (Eucalyptus polyanthemos), and red ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon).

Above and below: bottlebrushes (Callistemon) at the entrance of San Lorenzo Park in King City, where I was first introduced to them. The name is self-explanatory.

Below, one of the red flowering gum trees (Corymbia ficifolia) of Pacific Grove that I had pondered for years before learning exactly what they were. A striking tree, both up close and from a distance.

Other unforgettable species are the cajeput tree (Melaleuca quinquenervia) -- striking for its thick, spongy bark resembling reams of slightly crumpled paper -- and the pineapple guava (Feijoas sellowiana), a widespread ornamental shrub related to common guava (Psidium guajava).

44. Musaceae

There is one word that sums up the Musaceae family: bananas.

The banana story is an interesting one and there are several good books on it, including "Banana" by Dan Koeppel and "Bananas" by Peter Chapman. For years a member of my family did work connected to the banana industry, and so I consider this topic close to home.  In addition to loving bananas themselves, I have always been strongly biased toward anything banana flavored. Above all, I consider banana yogurt to be among the greatest achievements of human civilization.  

The familiar banana traces its origins to south Asia, where two species -- Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana -- are considered its ancestors. Decades of cross breeding and cultivation resulted in several top-selling cultivars: the "Gros Michel", the "Grand Nain" and the "Dwarf Cavendish". Resistance to various devastating diseases has been the central challenge to the development of commercial bananas.

The global banana industry is one of the giants of agribusiness and its impact on the economies of the developing world has been beyond enormous. Nevertheless, there are lesser known species and cultivars, such as pink bananas -- Musa velutina -- that are still used in the cooking of the developing world, particularly in south Asia. Other species, such as Musa basjoo, are inedible -- to humans at any rate -- but cultivated as ornamentals and for their fibers.

Plantains are varieties of the Musa genus that are starchy and better suited for cooking than eating raw. The only other genus in the Musaceae family is Ensete, which includes the false or Ethiopian banana -- Ensete ventricosum -- which is an important food source in that part of the world.

43. Moraceae

The Moraceae or fig family includes some of the widest trees on earth. Seen here is the famously huge Moreton Bay fig tree (Ficus macrophylla) in Santa Barbara, CA. It is the largest such specimen of the Australian tree in the United States, with a width of nearly 200 feet. It was planted in 1876. Legend has it that the tree is such a well established landmark that homeless people living under its canopy have received mail there.

Anyone who thinks I do not have a fondness for Ficus doesn't know me. I pity the fool that doesn't realize that Ficus elastica is the house plant I've had more success raising, reproducing and reviving than any other. Yes, reviving. I once cut a sickly rubber plant down to the soil and left it fallow while I tried to decide what to use the planter for. Before I could make up my mind, tiny shoots sprung out of the soil and the Ficus elastica was back. The truth is, it is almost impossible to kill them.

This quality of eternal life is appropriate since it was another member of the Moraceae family, Ficus religiosa, that Buddha sat beneath and achieved enlightenment. Not surprisingly these trees, also known as Bodhi trees, are held in high esteem by Buddhists and typically planted at their monastaries. The leaves are unforgettably heart-shaped.

The religious connection does not stop there. According to the book of Genesis, fig leaves served as the first ever articles of clothing. Looking at the leaves of a common fig (Ficus carica), it is easy to see why those leaves were a good choice. Biblical botany is in itself fascinating -- who would have guessed that ingesting the fruit of a member of the Rosaceae family would result in the need to cover one's self with the leaves of a member of the Moraceae family?

Whatever the underlying reasons, plants from this family are very visually interesting. I will never forget the impression Florida strangler figs (Ficus aurea) made on me in the Everglades. The fact that they literally strangle other trees is also remarkable. Even the common mulberry trees I see in California (Morus) have a strikingly subtle sense of symmetry. Other notable members are the banyan (Ficus benghalis), breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) -- the tropical staple of Captain Bligh fame, and Osage orange (Maclura pomifera).

42. Meliaceae

The star of this relatively small, mostly tropical family is the mahogany tree, prized for its wood. There are several African species belonging to the Khaya genus, but probably the best known is West Indies mahogany -- Swietenia mahogoni. The wood, used mainly for making furniture and musical instruments, was a major commodity of the New World colonial era. The first documented use of it was for a cross in Santo Domingo's old cathedral in 1514. The Spanish called mahogany caoba; the French, acajou. With exploding worldwide demand, the dominant commercial species switched to Honduran mahogany -- Swietenia macrophylla -- by the mid-20th century.

Another important species is the neem tree from India -- Azadirachta indica. The oil derived from its fruit and seeds is one of the most effective natural pesticides. There are many other uses -- some medicinal, some industrial, some cosmetic. The tree has long been commercially and culturally significant in India as well as neighboring Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

I can't say I've had a lot of direct experience of any of these trees. One member of the Meliaceae family that I have encountered in the course of my work is chinaberry -- Melia azedarach. Also from Asia, this one was introduced into the U.S. around 1830 as an ornamental and has spread far and wide since then.

41. Malvaceae

It is impossible to argue with the economic importance of the Malva family, which among other things brought us cotton and chocolate. For crying out loud -- where would any of us be without cotton or chocolate? Cotton, Gossypium hirsutum, is one of the top cash crops of the U.S. South, California's Central Valley and probably many other regions of the world. Chocolate, Theobroma cacao, is simply the food of the gods, as the words "Theo broma" translate to in Greek. Above, the blogger is seen holding a cocoa pod at a boutique chocolatier in Belize. Chocolate used to belong to its own family, Sterculiaceae, but that family, along with Bombacaceae, got swallowed up by the Malvaceae to create a mega-family.

There are other familiar products: okra - Abelmoschus esculentus; balsa wood -- Ochroma pyramidale; and Hibiscus, to name a few. Ornamental flowers such as hollyhock also belong to the Malva or Mallow family, as it is sometimes called. Seen below is danish black hollyhock, a variety of common hollyhock -- Alcea rosa. I consider hollyhocks to be both beautiful and humorous, especially when they get very tall. According to the Guiness Book of World Records, the tallest hollyhock was 19 feet 7 inches. Their average mature height is between 6 and 10 feet.

This is a large family containing many species that span the spectrum from cash crops to invasive weeds and everything in between. Among the delightful native California species I have encountered are Lavatera assurgentiflora, originating from the Channel Islands but now growing all over the mainland with its pretty pink flowers; and flannelbush, Fremontodenron californicum, seen below at the UC Santa Cruz arboretum and prized as an attractive, drought-resistant landscaping shrub.

By far the most commonly encountered mallow is Malva neglecta, sometimes called cheeseweed. It is one of the most invasive weeds in the United States, filling up vacant lots coast to coast with shameless abandon. I would venture to say that most people have seen it without even realizing it.

One day I made an extraordinary discovery behind a strip mall in the Salinas Valley: a long row of fabulously weird trees of Australian origin, Brachychiton populneus, commonly known as bottle trees, but also called lacebark kurrajong, a fabulously weird name that somehow fits the strangeness of the flowers and pods seen below. Apparently these trees are used as wind breaks here in CA.

My encounters with notable malvas doesn't stop there. I should mention that when I listed the 76 plant families featured in this blog along with notable representatives from each, there were more species of Malvaceae than any other family. Among the ones I have not mentioned are: baobob trees -- Adansonia, famously featured in the book "The Little Prince"; silk floss trees -- Ceiba speciosa, another tropical beauty; the Confederate rose -- Hibiscus mutabilis, a flower of the South that changes from white to red throughout the course of the day; and the money tree -- Pachira aquatica, a popular houseplant, cultivated in the tropics for its nuts.

40. Magnoliaceae

It is fitting that the Magnoliaceae family should land on a big number like 40 (this being the fortieth family described) since it is the namesake of this blog and the fellow who inspired it -- M. Pierre Magnol. And while this family is not known for its economic value, its cultural value is off the charts.

Alas, I did not grow up surrounded by the famed southern magnolia -- Magnolia grandiflora, but rather some horticultural curiosities that are probably better suited to the north. There were two star magnolias -- Magnolia stellata, right next to my parents' house. This Japanese import had "pussy willows" in the winter, pretty white flowers in the summer (above), and fabulously weird fruits in the fall, all of which were visible from certain upstairs windows.

Next door at Old Westbury Gardens were tulip trees -- Liridendron tulipifera, with their famously tulip-shaped leaves. A true American original, they are native to just about everywhere east of the Mississippi. Liridendroidae is a subfamily of the Magnolia family and consists of only one genus, the Liridendron. The only two extant species of these are found in eastern North America and eastern Asia. According to fossil records, there were at one time other species. Like the gingko family, magnolias have an ancient lineage.

It was in California and Louisiana that my magnolia education was completed. The carefully pruned southern magnolias that line California streets were presented to me in their natural, scruffy state (above) in Louisiana. Both are striking and both clobber you over the head with their unique character. As someone who likes firm, waxy leaves, there is no question these are among my favorite trees.

Another California street tree that I've recently taken note of is the Japanese magnolia -- Magnolia liliiflora, seen below on the verge of blooming. Quite a few ornamental magnolias come from Asia and there is a history hybridizing them. The saucer magnolia, for instance, is a cross between the Japanese magnolia and the Yulan magnolia -- Magnolia denudata, which hails from China. Interestingly, the cross-breeding did not occur in Asia but in Europe, where Etienne Soulange-Bodin, a retired Napoleonic army officer, successfully consummated the marriage in 1820. The resulting tree, Magnolia x soulangeana or saucer magnolia, has since been widely planted in Britain and America.

39. Lythraceae

It's hard to argue with the Lythraceae family, probably best-known for crape myrtle trees, which constitute the Lagerstromia genus. Crape myrtles have many interesting features -- they are from India, they have beautiful, smooth, multi-colored bark, and they remain in flower for much of the year. The most prevalent species in America is Lagerstromia indica, introduced in the late 18th century by French botanist Andre Michaux. The genus itself is named for Swedish merchant Magnus von Lagerstrom. The indica species does well in dry, Mediterranean climates such as California. The specimens above, photographed in a small, dusty Salinas Valley town, are probably indica. Another species, speciosa, is better suited to subtropical climates such as the Gulf Coast and Hawaii.

Lythraceae is a relatively small family. Other well known members are henna, Lawsonia inermis, and pomegranate, Punica granatum. Pomegranate used to belong to the separate Punicaceae family, but that family was determined to be a subfamily of the Lythraceae, and so was incorporated into it.

38. Lauraceae

This is another large family that includes pleasant smelling and pleasant tasting plants. The stars of its portfolio are avocados, Persea americana, and cinnamon, Cinnamomum verum. Avocados! Cinnamon! Who can argue with that? I can't.

Cinnamomum verum translates as "true cinnamon", since the bark of the tree is the traditional source of the spice in its native Sri Lanka. Other members of this genus, however, are also used to produce cinnamon.

Two slightly less famous species that have crossed my path over the years are the camphor tree, Cinnamomum camphora, and sassafras. The first is a Chinese relative of cinnamon that is both the primary source of the substance camphor as well as a common landscaping tree in California. It was explained to me that if you crush the leaves of a camphor tree with your fingers, you get a whiff of its strong, minty aroma. Sassafras albidum is native to the eastern U.S. and was pointed out to me once by my mother. Parts of this tree were used in the original production of root beer and are the source of its distinctive flavor. Unfortunately the FDA discovered that this same substance that provided the flavor -- safrole -- is a potential carcinogen, and so was banned in 1960. Fortunately the flavor is easily enough reproduced using either other plant-based or artificial ingredients.

37. Lamiaceae

It's hard to argue with the mint family, Lamiaceae, which has brought us a smorgasbord of delightfully fragrant herbs, including spearmint, peppermint, basil, lavender, oregano, sage, rosemary, and thyme (but not parsley). The extent to how much this family has worked its way into our everyday lives is astonishing.

This is a good sized family with more than 230 genera and 7000 species. Apparently it is closely related to the verbena family, Verbenaceae, which is also known for its aromatic members, many of which are now considered part of the mint family.

I must admit that the more I look into this family, the more overwhelming I find it. I will mention a couple of species I've encountered over the years. Marrubium vulgare, commonly known as horehound,  is native to the Old World and considered a weed in California. Since Roman times it has been used by herbalists as a respiratory remedy. Callicarpa americana, pictured above, is native to the southeast U.S. and also known as American beautyberry. It was brought to my attention by my associate in Louisiana. Apparently the berries can be eaten, whereas other parts of the plant make an effective mosquito repellent.

36. Juglandaceae

The walnut family is comprised of about a dozen genera and a hundred different species. The best known genus is Juglans, the twenty-one species of which are native to almost every continent and are famous for producing walnuts. The most familiar and commercially important of these are Juglans regia, also known as Persian or English walnut, and Juglans nigra, also known as eastern black walnut. Both are prized for their nuts and their wood.

Walnuts are good food and a big industry in California. Walnut husk flies, on the other hand, are a serious problem when they deposit their eggs into the green, golf ball-sized orbs, turning them into mushy black blobs.

The other important genus in this family is Carya, which includes hickories and pecans. Actually pecans are a species of hickory, Carya illinoinensis. I remember my Dad pointing out hickories while walking around Shelter Island. I also remember my brother pointing out pecan trees while walking around Texas. Who among us has not enjoyed a piece of pecan pie?

35. Gingkoaceae

I was in the tea house at the Chinese Garden in Portland recently and read on the menu that gingko is the oldest tree. That made me pause, since I had always heard that bristlecone pine was the oldest tree. It turns out it depends on what you mean. Certain specimens of bristlecone pine are the oldest "non-clonal" individual trees. Gingko biloba on the other hand is the longest surviving species, tracing its origins back some 270 million years. It is the only surviving member of the Gingkoaceae family, and as such is considered a living fossil.

The unique fishtail shape of the gingko leaf is a sure sign that we are not dealing with any ordinary tree, but one with a rich heritage. Fossils of similarly shapes leaves date back to the Mesozoic Era. Gingko biloba is native to China, where for centuries it has been cultivated for food and medicine as well as for its beauty. Food? The nuts are actually prized in both Chinese and Japanese cooking. Medicinally, herbal extracts are best known for promoting memory and concentration. As with so many herbal remedies, there are conflicting studies and the claims are inconclusive.

Several gingkos were among the only living plants to survive the bombing of Hiroshima. To this day the trees are said to be alive and healthy. If that is not a testament to the power of these trees to persist in the face of the craziest destructive forces that man or nature can come up with, I don't know what is. In a nutshell, gingkos are long term beings hard-wired for long term survival.

34. Fagaceae

If a person were flustered or in a hurry, they might confuse the Fagaceae family with the Fabaceae. But only if they were flustered or in a hurry. The Fagaceae family includes oaks, chestnuts, chinkapins and beeches -- some of the best known and most admired trees in the world. I for one appreciate the way they can resemble huge pieces of broccoli, as this oak in Greenfield, CA illustrates.

Oak trees, long prized for their beauty and their wood, are represented by the Quercus genus and famous examples of them abound. One of my personal favorites is the cork oak (Quercus suber) the Mediterranean native that brought us cork. I stumbled on the trees below in -- of all places -- a Salinas parking lot, which I rank as a spiritual experience. I'm not sure how appreciated they are there, but I do hope they live long and prosper.

I first encountered tanbark-oaks or tanoaks (Notholithocarpus densiflorus) at Point Reyes National Seashore. Their distinct leaves and acorns caught my eye immediately. They are native to the California coast and range as far north as Oregon. When I learned that they are not actually oaks, I felt something akin to disappointment. But in fact they are closely related, so there was no reason to fret. The important thing is that they live long and prosper.

I grew up around beech trees (Fagus genus) and what makes them a thing of beauty for me is their bark, which has the character of elephant skin. There is also something special about the way they reflect light, especially in the winter, which is when the picture below was taken. This little piece of New York state, every molecule of which I know intimately, has lots of decades-old beeches, both the American (Fagus grandifolia) and European (Fagus sylvatica) species. I do hope they live long and prosper.

 

33. Fabaceae

Also known as the legume or pea family, the Fabaceae is the third largest plant family of all, economically very important, and one of my personal favorites. Just about anything with a bean, a pea, or a pod belongs to this family.

I have encountered many notable species over the years. My Dad grew one of the most notable, a Kentucky yellowwood tree (Cladrastis kentuckea) that lived for decades and reached a considerable height before being removed.  It was only in its afterlife, when the wood was chopped (below), that I fully appreciated its name.

 

Also found on my Dad's property are two kinds of locust tree: black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos). The latter is distinctly memorable due to its long, sharp thorns. All three trees -- yellowwood, black locust and honey locust -- are native to the southeastern U.S. 

A thoroughly striking species that I encountered in Texas is mescalbean, Calia secundiflora, formerly Sophora secundiflora, which I think is a better name. Native to Texas and cultivated as a shrub, I was deeply smitten by the form of its pods and their smooth red beans that sort of resemble Peanut M & M's. Despite the name, this plant has nothing to do with mescaline.

On the west coast I was introduced to equally striking Bauhinia genus, named for the Swiss botanists and sometimes called orchid trees. The decisive encounter occurred at the Fullerton Arboretum. A few years later I noticed native California redbuds (Cercis occidentalis) have a similarly shaped leaf. The decisive encounter in that case occurred in Sequoia National Park. Indeed the trees are related, belonging to the same tribe - the Cercideae tribe. Once I became familiar with redbuds, I discovered that there is an eastern counterpart to the western redbud, appropriately named the eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis). The decisive encounter in that case occurred outside my Mom's church.

Out west I continued to encounter one dazzling leguminous plant after another -- the tropical coral trees (Erythrina genus), more common in southern California; the desert-loving palo verde (Parkinsonia genus), unmistakable with its green bark; the curious pods of the locoweed (Astragalus genus), seen growing on the scruffy edges of range land; the unforgettable carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua), source of edible carob but also making a fine street tree; the lovely silver wattle (Acacia dealbata, below), a wonderful Australian import, the only Australian legume that I can think of. 

 

My initial encounter with the silver wattle occurred at the monarch butterfly preserve near Santa Barbara, but I didn't even know its name. That came years later, after multiple encounters in the Salinas Valley, where this particular specimen resides.