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Gunnera tinctoria
"Chilean rhubarb, Dinosaur food"
If you've been wondering about that primeval looking plant running along the edge of
the Ancient Garden that has monster-sized leaves, five feet long with teeth on
their undersides, it's called Gunnera, a native of the cloud forests of Central and
South America. There it grows like a weed, taking root in road cuts or any place
where the soil has been disturbed. Its natural armor protects it from foraging
animals.
The fact that Gunnera thrives in our botanical garden, proves how our fog and mild
weather can approximate tropical conditions, making it possible to grow a variety of
plants from hotter, moister areas of the world.
After being trimmed to the ground each winter by the gardeners, Gunnera grows back
furiously in early spring, reaching four feet in a few months. By then, a
spectacular stalk appears in the center bearing exotic male and female flowers.
Contributors: Docents Joanne Taylor and Kathy McNeil
- Archive '12
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- Archive '09
- Archive '08
- Archive '07
- Archive '06
Acer palmatum 'Sango kaku'January |
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Garrya ellipticaJanuary |
Magnolia X soulangeana
February |
Senecio glastifolius
March |
Ribes spp.April |
Oxalis oreganaMay |
Calandrinia grandifloraJune |
Taxus baccataJuly |
Romneya coulteriAugust |
Passiflora parritaeSeptember |
Malvaviscus arboreusOctober |
Monterey CypressNovember |
Aloe arborescensDecember |
Aloe plicatilisJanuary |
Banksia seminuda
February |
Zantedeschia aethiopica
March |
Magnolia laevifoliaApril |
Araucaria heterophyllaMay |
Toxicodendron diversilobumJune |
Clarkia sp.July |
AgapanthusAugust |
BrugmansiaSeptember |
Cedrus spp.October |
Protea repensNovember |
Camellia sinensisDecember |
Thujopsis dolabrataJanuary |
Gordonia longicarpa
February |
Rojasianthe superba
March |
Echium spp.April |
Iris douglasianaMay |
Digitalis purpureaJune |
Felicia amelloides
July |
Ceroxylon quindiuense
August |
Amaryllis belladonna
September |
Ginkgo biloba
October |
Acer morrisonense
November |
Ilex aquifolium
December |
Picea sitchensisJanuary |
Telanthophora grandifoliaFebruary |
Aeonium arboreum 'Schwartzkopf'March |
LeptospermumApril |
Salvia gesneraefloraMay |
Lavandula spp.
June |
Pelargonium
July |
Fuchsia paniculata
August |
Luma apiculata
September |
Luculia
October |
Arbutus unedo
November |
Cycad
December |
Restionaceae
January |
Hellebores
February |
Ceanothus
March |
Rhododendron
April |
Psoralea pinnata
May |
Fremontodendron californicum
June |
Leucadendron argenteum
July |
Crocosmia
August |
Gunnera tinctoria
September |
Pellaea rotundifolia
October |
Fuchsia boliviana
November |
Erica canaliculata
December |
Magnolia campbelli
January |
Magnolia denudata
February |
Camellia
March |
Geranium maderense
April |
Acmena smithii
May |
Eschscholzia californica
June |
Dendromecon harfordii
July |
Romneya coulteri
August |
Eupatorium purpureum
September |
Epilobium canum sp.
October |
Grevillea spp.
November |
Drimys winteri
December |
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