Re: New House, New Plants to ID

   From: Nicholas Turland <Nicholas.Turland@mobot.org>
   Date: Fri, 27 Dec 2002 08:48:45 -0600

Thanks to everyone who wrote helping me out.

   Some thoughts on your mystery plants...

   > Cherry Tree or ???
   > http://consultclarity.com/gardening/cherry.html

   The upright clustered branching, leaf shape, red fall color, and mottled
   fruit leave me in little doubt that this is a Bradford pear, Pyrus
   calleryana "Bradford." I have one in front of my house here in
   St. Louis.  The fruit are always tiny and inedible, but the fall color
   is superb, as is the white blossom in spring. The down side of Bradford
   pears is their brittleness. All the main branches tend to converge at
   the apex of the trunk, and this seems to be a weak structure because
   branches may break off in storms.

Someone else suggested it might be a flowering pear.  I looked those up and
mostly found Bradfords.  The shape isn't quite right but that probably
doesn't mean anything.  I guess I'll know for sure in the spring :-)

The brittleness sure fits though.  This tree is leaning over so far that we
will have to do some serious bracing or cut it down.  It's leaning over the
garage too.

   > Berry Bush
   > http://consultclarity.com/gardening/berrybush.html

   This looks like a privet, Ligusticum sp. The narrow leaves look like
   those of the European species, L. vulgare, but I don't know if that's
   grown/introduced in California, or if there's a native species. I
   believe the berries of privet are poisonous.

Hmmm...I suppose it could be.  We have several privets (as trees) on the
property and they look very different from this berry bush.  But I am
finding pictures that match.  You typoed though...it's Ligustrum.
Ligusticum is completely different.

Here's a picture of Ligustrum vulgare which doesn't look anything like what
I've got: http://www.giftpflanzen.com/ligustrum_vulgare.html  
The berries are clumped differently and the leaves are too small and also
arranged differently.

These pictures of Ligustrum lucidum (tree privet) look more like the trees
I have but the berries look like the bush.
http://www.rnzih.org.nz/pages/ligustrumlucidum.htm 

Most of the "usual" sources just call the fruit poisonous, but it used
medicinally.  Here's a page on Ligustrum lucidum - Chinese Privet:
http://www.diet-and-health.net/Naturopathy/Ligustrum.html
I don't know if it applies to other Ligustrum sp. 

   "Chinese privet has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over
   1,000 years. The fruit is antibacterial, antiseptic, antitumour,
   cardiotonic, diuretic and tonic. It is taken internally in the treatment
   of complaints associated with weak kidney and liver energy such as
   menopausal problems (especially premature menopause), blurred vision,
   cataracts, tinnitus, rheumatic pains, palpitations, backache and
   insomnia. Modern research has shown that the plant increases the white
   blood cell count and is of value when used to prevent bone marrow loss
   in cancer chemotherapy patients, it also has potential in the treatment
   of AIDS. Extracts of the plant show antitumour activity. Good results
   have also been achieved when the fruit has been used in treating
   respiratory tract infections, hypertension, Parkinson's disease and
   hepatitis.  

   "The fruit is harvested when fully ripe and is dried for later use. It
   is often decocted with other herbs in the treatment of a wide variety of
   ailments and also as a general tonic. Some caution is advised in their
   use, since the fruits are toxic when eaten in quantity.  The leaves are
   anodyne, diaphoretic, febrifuge, pectoral and vulnerary. The bark of the
   stems is diaphoretic.  Young shoots - cooked. A famine food, used when
   all else fails. The shoots contain a glucoside and are probably toxic.
   Known Hazards: The fruit is mildy toxic. Although no other reports of
   toxicity have been seen for this species, it is quite probable that
   other parts of the plant also contain toxins."

But, yes, invasive outside of its native China.  Great, another invasive
weed...sigh... 

   > Ivy
   > http://consultclarity.com/gardening/ivy.html

   This is a Senecio species (family Compositae), but I'm not sure which. It
   looks a bit like S. petasitis.

Several people have told me this is German Ivy (Senecio mikanioides).  A
native of South Africa, it's on the top-10 hit list of invasive weeds in
California.  It crowds out natives, takes over forests, creates fire
hazards by climbing oak trees and then turning brown in the summer, and if
I remember correctly, it poisons waterways too.  At least the flowers are
pretty <g>.

As for...

     > White Ground Cover
     > http://consultclarity.com/gardening/groundcover.html

A couple of people have told me this is bacopa.  Not the aquatic one but a
new variety developed as hanging plants.
Picture here: http://www.igin.com/Landscaping/bacopa.html
At least this one isn't invasive or about to crush my garage!

   Enjoy your new garden!  Nick

Thank you.  I'm really looking forward to it.

Cyndi

_______________________________________________________________________________
Petaluma, California           Zone 9 USDA; Zone 15 Sunset Western Garden Guide
Chemically sensitive/disabled - Organic Gardening only by choice and neccessity
_______________________________________________________________________________
"There's nothing wrong with me.  Maybe there's                     Cyndi Norman
something wrong with the universe." (ST:TNG)                   cyndi@tikvah.com
                                                         http://www.tikvah.com/
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