76. Zygophyllaceae

Admittedly this is a strange note to end on, but it must be pointed out that this blog is alphabetical. And so, of course Zygophyllaceae comes at the end, although the common name "calptrop" would have placed it closer to the beginning.

There were various points where my life and the Zygophyllaceae intersected. When I worked in south Monterey county, I was told to mind the puncture vine, Tribulus terrestris. This was good advice, as the spiked seed pods are sharp and strong enough to cause a flat tire. One was encouraged to remove this low-lying weed whenever possible. Appropriately this plant is also called caltrop, after the brutal puncturing weapon.

Perhaps better known is the creosote bush, Larrea tridentata, one of the most widely distributed plants in the Mojave Desert. The name is due to the smell of the plant, which brings to mind creosote, a class of chemicals related to tar. A ring of creosote bushes in the Mojave Desert (the "King Clone") is considered to be one of the oldest living organisms at over 11,000 years old.

Also notable is the Guaiacum genus, which along with several members of the Bulnesia genus comprise what is known as "Lignum vitae", some of the hardest wood on earth, so dense it will sink in water. These natives of the American tropics have had numerous industrial applications in modern times, from ships to clocks. They also have had various medicinal uses over the years, from treating syphilis to sore throats. The widely used expectorant Guaifenesin is derived from the chemistry of Guaiacum trees. Guaiacum officinale is the national flower of Jamaica; Guaiacum sanctum is the national tree of the Bahamas.

Another species, Zygophyllum fabago, is also considered a noxious weed in the western US, although without the destructive potential of Tribulus terrestris.

There are approximately twenty other genera along with the five mentioned here, with a grand total of nearly 300 species for the whole Zygophyllaceae family. All in all this is a small but notable family, with species that seemed to have gone out of their way to distinguish themselves.

75. Vitaceae

Vitaceae is significant above all for grapes -- Vitis vinifera, and by extension, wine. It is great example of a massive global industry based mainly on one species of plant -- a species with as many as 10,000 varieties! Grapes are the number one crop in California, and California is one of the world's five Mediterranean climates -- along with Australia, South America, South Africa, and of course the Mediterranean -- where viticulture thrives.

Vitis vinifera is native to Europe, however there are some 60 species of wild grape that grow throughout the world. Vitis is one of approximately fifteen genera in the Vitaceae family, most of them vines. Perhaps the second most famous member of this family is Virginia creeper -- Parthenocissus quinquefolia. Although native, this vine can spread to the point of being destructive to other plants; on the other hand it is sometimes deliberately grown like ivy to cover walls. I am familiar with the sight of it taking over my parents' garden and have memories of pulling it out of the ground, off of trees, and out of shrubs that its fast growing tendrils would latch onto.

74. Tiliaceae

I'm not sure how this family got on my list. For some reason, I was wrongly associating the Tilia genus with the tulip tree, Liriodendron tulipifera, which actually belongs to the Magnoliaceae family. I wish the tulip tree was in this family, because then I could mention that it is the tallest non-conifer in the eastern U.S., something I did not realize until now.

But this family is not about the tulip tree, but rather the linden tree, Tilia americana. The linden is a very common tree of the northeast and midwest with toothed, heart-shaped leaves (above) that resemble that of a poplar or cottonwood. I think the reason I listed this family is that my Dad has one of these trees on his property. They never registered in a big way for me, so maybe I slipped them onto my list in a effort to get to know them better.

Linden actually seems to be the German name for these trees (there is a boulevard in Berlin called "Unter den Linden") whereas they are also called basswood in the US and lime in the UK. My great-grandfather, who was from Ohio, was named Lindenberg, which is German for "Tilia tree hill".

According to the present day APG system of classification, Tiliaceae isn't even a family anymore; it has been merged into the Malvaceae family -- the mega-family that also swallowed up the Sterculiaceae (chocolate family) and Bombacaceae (a fascinating family that included baobabs, balsa and durian).

73. Theaceae

How is it possible to argue with tea, Camellia sinensis, one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world? That is what the Theaceae family has brought us, along with a nice assortment of ornamental trees. The Camellia genus of course goes both ways, serving as the source of the beverage and as ornamentals -- the latter consisting of cultivars of the japonica, oleifera and sasanqua species. All are natives of Asia, but are so long established established in America that they are not regarded as foreign; for example, Camellia japonica is the state flower of Alabama.

The Theaceae family currently has about eight genera, although in earlier times there were thought to be as many as forty. Probably the best known after Camellia are Stewartia and Franklinia, valued as ornamentals. Old Westbury Gardens has Stewartia and I will always remember my Mom pointing them out to me.

Whether it's the Camellia House in New Haven or the Camellia Grill in New Orleans, the Theaceae or tea family has always been there in my life in a some way, shape or form. Above, a "brick" of tea from a tea house in San Francisco.

72. Taxaceae

I grew up around lots of yew bushes, which is not surprising since the local nursery specialized in them. The hybrid varietal known as the "Hicks yew" -- Taxus x media Hicksii -- was the work of Henry Hicks, a Cornell-educated botanist whose family business was Hicks Nurseries in Westbury, NY. Taxus media is a hybrid of Taxus baccata (English yew) and Taxus cuspidata (Japanese yew). Henry Hicks was considered a leader in hybridizing plants, and his contemporary Frank Meyer (the USDA explorer of Meyer lemon fame), when traveling around the world, would send specimens both to the USDA's research center in Beltsville, MD and Hicks Nurseries.

Above, a "wall" of evergreen yew hedge frames a covered statue at Old Westbury Gardens in mid-winter. Tiny pine cones are visible in the top photo. Other times of year there are small, bright red berries. Hedges like these were one of the specialties of Hicks Nurseries.

Taxaceae is another small family with seven genera and less than forty species. The best known genera are Taxus and Torreya. What is notable about these evergreens, which are used primarily for landscaping, is the presence of a poison called taxol. This substance, derived commercially from Taxus brevifolia -- the Pacific yew -- is used in chemotherapy and is effective in treating a variety of cancers. This is a classic example of a plant providing the key to treating a human disease. For this reason and many others, we owe a huge debt to plants.

71. Tamaricaceae

 

While exploring the scruffy banks of the Salinas River one day I could not help noticing these shrubs everywhere with beautiful, floppy, pink and white flowers. Actually I had encountered them once before, in San Diego county, and knew them to be the famous tamarisk, Tamarix ramosissima, the notorious Eurasian invasive that chokes waterways throughout the American west. This is a classic case of a noxious weed being seductively beautiful.

Tamaricaceae is tiny family consisting of four genera, Tamarix being the best known. Also known as salt cedar, there are over fifty species of tamarisk growing throughout the world. This is a fiercely adaptable plant, reproducing both sexually and vegetatively, resisting fire, and sinking its thirsty roots as deep as they need to go to suck out copious amounts of water. The US National Park Service has had some success combating its spread in North America by releasing tamarisk beetles (Diorhabda carinulata), a natural predator from Asia.

70. Strelitziaceae

 

The traveller's tree, Ravenala madagasceriensis (seen above), is one of nature's curiosities. As the name suggests, it's a native of Madagascar, but nowadays grows throughout the tropics. The above photo was taken by the blogger on Bannister Island, Belize. As a result of allopatric speciation, Madagascar has produced more than its share of unique, eyebrow-raising organisms, and the traveller's tree is a fine example.

Strelitziaceae is a small, tropical family, closely related to the banana family (Musaceae). The most famous member is bird-of-paradise, Strelitzia regina. Along with Ravenala and Strelitzia, there is only one other genus, Phenakospermum. The single species in this genus -- Phenakospermum guyannense -- is as weird and exotic looking as its name suggests.

69. Solanaceae

This is a major family: tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, nightshade, tobacco - need I say more? Who can imagine a world without tomatoes and potatoes? Although there are nearly a hundred genera in this family, one in particular - Solanum - towers above the others for economic importance, as it includes tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), and eggplants (Solanum melongena). 

Also important is the Capsicum genus, which encompasses the peppers - bell, chili, jalapeno and so forth - and the Physalis genus, which includes edible tomatillos (Physalis philadelphica) and ornamental Chinese lanterns (Physalis alkekengi). Another famous ornamental genus is Petunia.

Additionally this family, which is frequently called the nightshade family, is known for various toxic and mind altering plants, such as deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), mandrake (Mandragora officinarum), and Jimson weed (Datura stramonium).

And speaking of toxic, one cannot overlook the impact the Nicotiana genus has had on the human race. Named after the French diplomat Jean Nicot, who introduced recreational tobacco from Portugal to the rest of Europe, Nicotiana tabacum is native to tropical America. Its area of cultivation is, of course, much greater, and its use rivals coffee and tea for global reach. As fascinating as all that is, I am happy to interject that tobacco products are pure evil and I wouldn't mind if they went away forever.

Paradoxically, the flowers are beautiful and are increasing planted in gardens for their ornamental value. Perhaps this is the true destiny of Nicotiana. A few years back I stumbled upon a fantastic display of ornamental tobacco at Old Westbury Gardens that showcased their many colors - seen here in the photos above.

A roadside weed called tree tobacco, Nicotiana Glauca, caught my eye while driving the rural back roads of California. I was intrigued to learn that this weed crept all the the way up from South America. Probably the first tobacco plant I got a close look at was Indian tobacco, Nicotiana quadrivalvis, a native of the American West. I was struck not only by its classic tobacco form but also the stickiness of its leaves.

My most recent and intriguing encounter with a Solanaceae plant was this Solandra maxima seen trellised on the side of California's First Theater in Monterey. Native to Mexico and Central America, these delightful flowers belong to a plant that - not surprisingly - goes by the common names Cup of Gold Vine and Golden Chalice Vine.

68. Simaroubaceae

Simaroubaceae is a small family, the best known member of which is the tree-of-heaven, Ailanthus altissima. This native of China was brought to Europe and North America as an ornamental in the 18th century without awareness of how aggressively it would sucker and spread. Consequently it is possibly the most frequently encountered "weed tree" in New York and many other places. It is particularly associated with New York because of the 1943 novel "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith. In the book, the tenacious, indestructible nature of Ailanthus is used as a metaphor for human persistence in the face of adversity. Not surprisingly, the tree is so well established in the United States that it is unlikely to ever be eradicated.

Two more obscure genera are noted for their chemical constituents. Both are from tropical America. In the 18th century, French explorers discovered that Simarouba was helpful for treating dysentery. Similarly, Quassia was determined to be an effective natural insecticide, also helpful in treating intestinal parasites. Equally interesting is the botanist who discovered this: Graman Quassi, a freed black slave from the Dutch colony of Suriname. Evidently his talents as a healer won him his freedom, a ticket to Holland, and a place in botanical history.