Is there a doctor in the house?

Those of you who have been following my blog for awhile know that I have on several occasions had fun with the common names of plants, offering up lists with (hopefully) amusing comments.
Well, here's a variation on that Name Game. On more than one occasion, an Ace customer has misconstrued my recommendation of the shade plant Glechoma, thinking I'd said 'Glaucoma' (and clearly confused). And that got me thinking that there are quite a few botanical names that sound as if they might belong to the world of medicine. Here is a beginner's list, most of these found in my own garden.
Streptocarpella. As in strep throat. Strep is short for Streptococcal and that makes the two names even closer.
Trachelospermum (star jasmine). Of course the connection is the trachea in our throats.
Gasteria (a type of succulent). As in Gastro-intestinal tract.
Chlorophytum. The connection is the Chloro part (means green), most obviously in the word chloroform. For the medical geeks, there's Chlorpromazine, a tranquilizing drug.
Nephrolepsis (a genus of ferns). This word just sounds scary ("I'm so sorry," the doctor said to Robert "your wife has nephrolepsis. I'm afraid it's fatal." The 'lepsis' part reminds me of things like sepsis, so maybe that's where the scary echoes are.
Dyckia marnier-lepostollei (a spiny succulent). This name reminded me from the moment I heard it of same rare genetic disease.
Doryncium hirsutum. The species name means 'hairy' and it seems like this could be a medical term referring to a disease that attacks the hair follicles or leads to excessive hair growth.
Same for Buddha's Hand citrus. If you've seen the fruit, it gets this common name from the fruit resembling a deformed hand. Shades of Elephant Man.
Sticking with parts of the body how about the botanical name for Mousetail arum? Arisarum proboscideum. All right, give us your best Jimmy Durante impersonation. Of course, proboscis is latin for the nose of a mammal.
Mammillaria. This barrel-type cactus's name is pretty straight forward (ie mammary gland).
Then there's the genus Scrophularia. Here the reference is somewhat obscure. Some of this plant's species reportedly cured scrofula, a disease causing swollen glands in the young.
Glottiphylum (succulent). Do you get the connection? The glottis is the part of the larynx consisting of the vocal cords and the slit-like opening between them.
Fenestraria (succulent). To 'fenestrate' is to cut an opening into something and is a term used in the operating room (as well as a general use term).
Aglaonema (houseplant). For some reason this name reminds me of a certain disease; I just can't put my finger on it. Anyone?
Ampelopsis brevipedlunculata (Porcelain berry vine). It's not the genus but the species name that seems like it has to be part of some medical lexicon. Of course, it should be pointed out that medical and botanical terms are both derived from Latin so they share a common source.
Same with Sarcococca humilis. It just seems like it refers to a medical condition.
And finally, since psychology has links to the world of medicine (mind/body and all that), I offer two curious plant names. The first is Schizostylis and the second Schizophragma. Of course the use of the word 'schizo' doesn't refer to a split personality but to a way in which the plant is in some way 'divided.' In the latter plant's case, it refers to the divided wall of the fruits.

Okay, whew, that was a lot of medical  mumbo-jumbo. Or is that mumbo-gumbo (I think I may be getting hungry).
Here are photos taken in the garden today.

Everybody's favorite 'pocketbook,' Calceolaria 'Kentish Hero.'

The distinctive Coreopsis 'Tiger Stripes' with its pinwheel petal form.

Lilium 'Honey Bee.' Usually the first of my lilies to bloom, this year it waited until mid-May.

Here's it's the little metal butterflies that are the subject of the photo. Found them online. Very sweet.

Annie's has some of the best snapdragons. Here's one, A. 'Chantilly Bronze' in all its glory. 

My Eriogonum giganteum just keeps getting bigger and better. It's hard to pick out in this photo, but it is topped by large sprays of developing flower clusters. I love CA Buckwheats.

The tubular orange flowers belong to an uncommon Cuphea called C. schumannia. Bigger than a cigar cuphea but not as big as those on the llavea (batface) types, it's its own charming creature.

"The Jack is back!" Okay, I can't really patent that phrase but it's appropriate for my dwarf Jacaranda (Bonzai Blue). Like my friend's specimen, it lost all its leaves but then leafed out again in late April. It's now producing its first purple flowers.

My ever evolving front of the Aussie bed. Succulents are gradually finding their way there.

The dangling flowers belong to Tecoma x smithii, looking a bit strange juxtaposed against the house in the background. But there's no mistaking their vivid peachy-orange bells.

Speaking of instant recognition, here are the vivid blue flowers of Evolvulus. It's now in year three and better than ever, proving that yes indeed it is a perennial.

Philadelphus 'Belle Etoile.' Okay, not the greatest photo but it was an excuse to mention this wonderfully fragrant mock orange. I swear, you can practically smell them through your computer.

Arisaema speciosum var. magnificum. Love the Jack-in-the-Pulpits and this is one of my favorites.

Begonia 'Gryphon.' Not a true 'cane-type' begonia but it is a hybrid of one. It has the distinctive spotting of certain angelwing types, only this hybrid will get 3-4' tall and wide! Make room.

A local Botanical treasure

I had the pleasure of visiting the U.C. Botanical Garden yesterday, in part to visit and research the new Julia Morgan Hall and natives plantings for an upcoming article in Pacific Horticulture magazine. Although I didn't need reminding, this world famous botanic garden up the hill from Strawberry Canyon in Berkeley qualifies as a local treasure. The Julia Morgan hall was moved from another university site to its present location in 2014 and in keeping with Ms Morgan's philosophy of buildings fitting in with their natural surroundings (being an integral part of them), it now already seems as if the hall has been there for decades.
I also had a chance to visit parts of the Garden and since I had my camera with me I took a few photos of things that caught my eye. So in lieu of uploading photos of my garden, this week I offer photos of that Garden walk I took. For those wanting to learn more about the Garden, here's the link to UCBG.
So, here are a few of the photos, starting with a photo of the hall.

Julia Morgan Hall. From Wikipedia " When the building opened in 1911, its name changed to Senior Women's Hall. The hall gave women's groups at Berkeley a place to meet and represented a significant step toward gender equality at the university."

Leucospermum grandiflorum. This straight species pincushion shrub's flowers have a slightly different look than many of the hybrids available in the trade.

Ranunculus cortusifolius. This Buttercup from the Canary Islands is a colorful addition to any garden. 

Asian Garden pond and water lilies. This peaceful part of the garden not only is a lovely place to sit and lose one's self but it will eventually be a destination for hundreds of newts.

Water iris. This huge clump of aquatic iris in the same pond seen above is always a welcome sight in the spring. 

This strange sight are masses of seedpods on a Cordyline, possibly C. petiolaris (I couldn't find its ID sign). Quite a colorful and weird sight for a plant that many people never even see flower let alone produce these striking 'fruits.'

Medicinal Garden. This decorative railing leads one down into the Medicinal Garden. Of course taken to its furthest reach, all plants are medicinal (that is, they change some part of our body's biochemistry) but the plants here have been used by peoples in various parts of the world for millennia.

There's big in the plant world and then there's BIG. This Titan arum produces the biggest flower in the world. From the UCBG website "The 'Corpse Flower' is not actually a single flower but an inflorescence (a stalk of many flowers). The flowers are a mixture of tiny male and female flowers held out of sight at the base of the central phallus-like structure (spadix) surrounded by a pleated skirt-like covering (spathe) that is bright green on the outside and deep maroon inside when opened. The female flowers mature before the male (pollen producing) flowers which avoids self-pollination."

If this plant in the Garden's tropical greenhouse looks familiar it might be. It's a Chenille plant (Acalypha hispida). Its common name refers to the soft, fuzzy, tube-shaped flowers. 

Orchid species. I couldn't find the sign for this orchid, though its flowers look a bit like Epidendrums to me. Very pretty!

The Garden is divided into geographic regions and this photo is of the South African hill. When I volunteered at the Garden in 2007, I joined a small group propagating plants from this part of the world (a favorite region of mine). Walking the hill again brought back many fond memories.

Prickly Pear cactus (Opuntia). As many people know, this cactus got its common name from the fruits being edible enough that native peoples included it in their diets. 

This Echinopsis huascha demonstrates how spectacular flowers can be on certain cacti. I sometimes have to remind gardeners coming to our nursery that flowers on many cacti and succulents are must-stop destinations for various pollinators, including hummingbirds.

Euphorbia horrida. This plant, commonly known as African Milk Barrel (there's a common name for you!), isn't horrid at all but rather charming. That said I wouldn't want to fall into it ...

Desert House. This enclosed structure holds an astonishing variety of cacti, succulents and other dry garden specimens. If you like these plants, this is rather like that candy store in the Harry Potter novel.

The In Between

I know it seems as if spring just got here but a look at the calendar gives us the redoubtable truth that it is indeed early May. Which must mean that the spring months of March and April are behind us. Our gardens -- at least some of our gardens -- relay this fact to us. In my own garden, the early spring blooming shrubs such as Camellias and Viburnums are done blooming. Same for my early spring blooming trees, such as dogwoods and magnolias. All of my spring bulbs have finished flowering.
So this is a bit of an 'In Between' period for many of us, as we wait on late spring and early summer blooming perennials, shrubs and trees.
That doesn't mean there isn't a lot going on in our gardens and of course the timing of early, mid and late spring is relative to the zone that one is gardening in.
The plant of the week for me is Mimulus aurantiacus, better known as Sticky Monkey flower. I keep adding new ones (there are so many varieties) and it doesn't take them long to start blooming. They of course like dry heat, though a bit of regular water makes them even more floriferous. Good drainage is a must but given this and enough sun they practically 'run themselves.' Add bees and hummingbirds to the creatures that love them, making this genus/species one of the most popular in our nursery.
Today's flowers are, as always, a snapshot in time of my garden. Again, I encourage everyone to take photos of their garden. It's fun, it's rewarding and one is then blessed with a record of one's work and accomplishments at different times of the year and different years. Heck, these days even cell phones take sharp photos.
Okay here are today's photos.

Dicentra scandens. I've spoken often about this wondrous plant - honorary member of the ten most fabulous plants you can't find to buy -- and here it is scrambling up my new metal trellis.

Passiflora 'Lady Margaret.' This deep red passion flower is a new fave, especially since it hit the ground running! While the flowers aren't large and the corona isn't as showy as some, the intense color of the petals is more than enough.

Double yellow gazania. Gazanias are one of the gardening world's greatest underappreciated flowers. Often taken for granted -- "Oh, them ..." -- they are colorful, tough, adaptive and long blooming. This somewhat unusual double form was particularly appealing.

Though this Sweet Pea may look an awful lot like Cupani, it's actually one from Annie's Annuals called North Shore. Great color combo and the flowers are particularly large. And fragrant of course. 

Pineapple lilies (Eucomis) are one of those plants that I'm surprised isn't in everyone's garden. Super easy to grow, reliable (they return every year), with striking flower columns and in this case of this Sparkling Burgundy exquisite foliage, well, it's one of those 'Checklist' plants (beautiful - check; striking - check; easy to grow - check). 

Though this photo doesn't do justice to the beauty of Papaver 'Lauren's Grape,' one of the very first breadseed poppies that Annie's Annuals propagated, I couldn't pass up photographing the first flower to emerge.

Continus 'Royal Purple.' I once said to a friend and neighbor, about her cat, that she was so amazingly friendly that she must have swallowed the whole bottle of 'Friendly pills.' Well, my Smoke tree is kind of like that this year in terms of its flowering. You can hardly see the leaves under all the 'smoke.' Gorgeous.

Speaking of shrubs that tend to go overboard, that describes my Streptosolen (Marmalade bush). As soon as it warms up and given the occasional deep watering, it's smothered in orange/peach/gold flowers. Not only that but it's an absolute favorite of hummingbirds. I love working next to it because the hummers will zip up to it, sometimes not more than two feet from my face, for a hit of nectar.

Echium Blue Bedder. Where my Marmalade bush is a magnet for hummers, this annual Echium is a must see destination for all manner of bees. That and the true blue flowers mean that I grow it every year. This year I didn't have to buy a new specimen as it self-seeded, producing four plants.

This Echeveria species is taking over the world, just very, very slowly. The 25 or so rosettes all started from one 4" plant.

Forget tea and biscuits, this teacup is growing a Crassula alba v. parvisepala. This crassula is notable for it's dramatically spotted foliage. And like many crassulas it blooms fairly readily.

Though not planted yet, this is a Heuchera 'Fire Alarm.' Here's a tip about the darker-leaved Heucheras -- they need a good amount of sun to hold onto their color. Not midday heat in the warmer climates but a decent amount of sun makes them happy.

Calceolaria 'Kentish Hero.' Everybody's favorite Pocketbooks, at least those who love the color orange, this perennial (not annual like C. mexicana) form forms a small bush and is pretty good at returning each year.

One of the things I like about Mimulus is that there's a certain wildness to them. Here my M. aurantiacus 'Bronze' is scrambling, having initially had to get above some weedy grasses and one of the Echium Blue bedders that I eventually yanked out.

A new addition, this Cistus 'McGuire's Gold' is making a bold statement. I love rockroses, as many do, for their beauty and toughness.

Speaking of gold, here are two more. The larger specimen is Caryopteris 'Hint of Gold' and the low grower to its right is Teucrium 'Summer Sunshine.' When the Caryopteris finally blooms, its purple flowers really pop against that foliage.

Mimulus a. 'Ray's Tangerine. One of my first mimulus and still going strong. In front is a dwarf Buddleja called CranRazz. It's just starting its bloom season.

Though it's not in bloom yet, this Epilobium canum is filling out very nicely and doing a good job of softening the wrought iron railing. A wonderfully tough high ground cover that is showy once in bloom (and spoiler alert, the subject of one of my upcoming SF Chronicle columns).

Clematis 'Niobe.' To my mind, still THE go to clematis for this color. Very vigorous and tough, it's put up with being in a pot for six years (soon to be transplanted).

Duranta 'Gold Mound.' This little known shrub is a tough customer and Gold Mound is a dwarf cultivar. It has yet to bloom but am loving the foliage in the meantime. 

Most people don't think of Campanulas of plants that colonize but this C. punctata has done just that in my garden. It goes deciduous in the winter but returns with vigor in the spring. 

Amorphophallus kiusianus. Related to the Giant arum, this vigorous and unusual plant produces these unusual spathes (the mottled white cup) and the wicked looking black spadix. 

This closeup of Abelia 'Kaleidascope' throws off the perspective of what size it is, shrub or ground cover or ?? Of course, Abelias are shrubs and this is the variegated form tha many people covet.