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Re[2]: new subscriber

 Sean had written:
>An interesting list!  I'm looking for the 'thread' that runs 
>through such a collection.  Perhaps you should explain to the 
>group why these are interesting to you - many are unfamiliar to 
>me, though looking them up has made me curious . . . 


Hmm, a thread to all this? I'm not sure I'm so focused.
Here's what I like about these species:

Aesculus californica  - 'Obviously' a california native
         - California Buckeye. Beautiful flowers. Somewhat
        drought resistant. Seeds make excellent sling-shot ammunition. Very easy
        from seed, which I just happened upon a few miles from my house.        
        Poisonous enough to deterdeer and those Thomomys pocket devils. It's    
        said our aboriginal forebears knew howto prepare the seeds to render    
        them edible.

Banksia integrifolia - A South Australia native? I'm expecting beautiful flowers
                       on this medium tree.
        
Combretum padoides: A pretty South African shrub I think it's supposed to have  
                    very nice autumn colors; I will soon find out..

Dovyalis caffra A pretty South African with edible fruit

Euphorbia ingens  Another south African, but this one's a big cactoid and       
                probably not quite cold hardy in N. California.

Phacelia bolanderii A California native wild flower - easy from seed.

Carissa haem.(?) A South African, quite similar to its very well-known          
                genus-mate, C. grandiflora (Natal Plum) This one's got smaller  
                leaves, almost like yew needles.

Callitris rhomboidea A pretty Australian cedar- should be drought tolerant?

Cupressus macrocarpa  Our native Monterrey Cypress - quite easy from seed. (If  
        you like little 15 cm tall trees! 8)  )

Ephedra nevadaensis  Mormon Tea - a great anti-allergy (and weight control)     
                herbal remedy

Testudinaria elephantipes A pretty disappointing 'caudex' (partially-exposed    
                tuber) forming  member of Dioscorea (sp?) (Yam family, I think)

Asclepias syriaca   Common milkweed  - My wife tolerates the flowers (... "But  
                     they're not roses!")
                     And I'm trying butterfly husbandry, too.

Umbellularia californica (I've got dozens of these guys)  California Bay.
                A native, beautiful, useful tree. Leaves are a good seasoning,  
                seeds are said to be very tasty when roasted (but I haven't     
                tried it.) I found hundreds of the seeds scattered about the    
                ground last winter near the Pinnacles ( rocky hills south of    
                 here)

Chrysolepis chrysophylla  Giant Chinquapin - native nut tree, quite easy from   
                the outrageously expensive seeds.

Celtis australis  (southern) European Hackberry - reasonably                    
                 drought tolerant. - Fruits said to be edible (perhaps just less
                 in-edible than those of North American Hackberry. ) 

Gardenia spatuifolia - Another South African, I believe, Looks somewhat like    
                it's well-known cousin.

Euphorbia lathyrus (sp.?)This plant amazingly protects any plant near it from   
                the ubiquitous pocket gophers( Thomomys )

So the theme is, that of the many kinds of things I've tried from seed, these 
things actually are growing.For example, I've several times to raise Dendromecon
rigida and Romneya coulteri but I cam'tget the devils to sprout. Oh yes, to 
continue my list of success plants (and why I like them):

Araucaria araucana - I just like the way Araucarias look
Araucaria bidwillii - ditto
Clivia - (supposedly with yellow flowers) - $2 / seed surely beats $50 / bulb
and finally some kind of Meconopsis with orange flowers.

In any event, the only thread I can think of is that I am a plant nut.
karl.
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