BajaNomad - Baja endemic plants in the home garden

Baja endemic plants in the home garden

Jack Swords - 7-29-2007 at 01:47 PM

The photos show several Baja plants growing well here in Nipomo, CA: Passiflora palmeri, Brahea Brandegeei, Palo de Arco, and Brahea armata. Also we have Acacia farnesiana, Palo Verde, Boojum, Algodon, Devil's claw, Papache (Randia megacarpa), San Diego Sunflower (La Laguna), Cardon, Pitaya Agria, Pitaya Dulce, Garambullo, Biznaga, and Tillandsia. Probably others I forgot. Most were grown from seeds collected while hiking. Surprisingly none are sensitive to our frosts or mild weather. Kinda fun to walk around and connect a plant to an experience in Baja.

Sharksbaja - 7-29-2007 at 01:51 PM

Do you declare or otherwise acknowledge to officials bringing into the US plants from Mex??

[Edited on 7-29-2007 by Sharksbaja]

Mexitron - 7-29-2007 at 04:02 PM

Dudleya candida from the Coronado Islands

Dudleya candida1.JPG - 9kB

Jack Swords - 7-30-2007 at 06:54 AM

Mexitron... Are you familiar with Paul Thomson's book "Dudleya and Hasseanthus"? He has done extensive work on the Dudleya and once had an amazing collection (lost to frost).

Mexitron - 7-30-2007 at 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sharksbaja
Do you declare or otherwise acknowledge to officials bringing into the US plants from Mex??

[Edited on 7-29-2007 by Sharksbaja]

For me its the occasional seed collected...no declaring at the border, I'm botanist enough to know whether its an agriculturally significant import or not.

Jack--out here in Texas Palo de Arco(Tecoma stans) is called Esperanza and is used as an annual since it grows so fast in the summertime tropical heat but can't take the cold winters...and nice Blue Palm!

Don--those Perityle are great garden plants--used them lots in SoCal gardens...there's one that is native out here but haven't experimented with it yet.

shari - 7-30-2007 at 09:55 AM

Have you ever seen horses or burros eating a Biznaga? It's incredible, they paw off the spines then just start biting into it until they finish it several hours later...incredible and looks like they love it. Sometimes we bring them as a treat for our horse and he loves them!

Mexitron - 7-30-2007 at 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jack Swords
Mexitron... Are you familiar with Paul Thomson's book "Dudleya and Hasseanthus"? He has done extensive work on the Dudleya and once had an amazing collection (lost to frost).

Got the book! Good overall view of the species, including some not yet cited; the biogeography, though, is let's say interesting....

I used to have around 60 different kinds of Dudleya I grew from seed, some nice ones from Baja too. Mostly gave them away to UCI ISHA Botanical Garden when I moved...

David K - 7-30-2007 at 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by shari
Have you ever seen horses or burros eating a Biznaga? It's incredible, they paw off the spines then just start biting into it until they finish it several hours later...incredible and looks like they love it. Sometimes we bring them as a treat for our horse and he loves them!

Pigs too!

bacquito - 7-30-2007 at 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mexitron

Quote:

Originally posted by Sharksbaja
Do you declare or otherwise acknowledge to officials bringing into the US plants from Mex??

[Edited on 7-29-2007 by Sharksbaja]

For me its the occasional seed collected...no declaring at the border, I'm botanist enough to know whether its an agriculturally significant import or not.

Salt ceder and Kudzu were brought over here (the U.S.) with good intentions and now look.
However, the photos are interesting.I'm surprised the cerio does good.

Mexitron - 7-30-2007 at 06:26 PM

bacquito--Be kind of cool if Boojum Trees naturalized in California!

I agree with you on the Salt Cedar and other noxious weeds...I don't there's that danger with the Baja plants so presented--they're too fussy!

Interestingly, native plants can become pestulent as well--the Honey Mesquite and the Ashe Juniper have taken over millions of acres of prairie in Texas in the last couple hundred years due to overgrazing and lack of frequent prairie fires....just took a drive into the Panhandle and saw that some ranchers were using herbicide to kill off the Mesquite infestations. Anybody need BBQing wood?

Come to think of it there is one Baja native that has naturalized in California--the Mexican Fan Palm...although I've never heard anyone complain about it.

bacquito - 7-30-2007 at 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mexitron
bacquito--Be kind of cool if Boojum Trees naturalized in California!

Interestingly, native plants can become pestulent as well--the Honey Mesquite and the Ashe Juniper have taken over millions of acres of prairie in Texas in the last couple hundred years due to overgrazing and lack of frequent prairie fires....just took a drive into the Panhandle and saw that some ranchers were using herbicide to kill off the Mesquite infestations. Anybody need BBQing wood?

Come to think of it there is one Baja native that has naturalized in California--the Mexican Fan Palm...although I've never heard anyone complain about it.

NO! the Boojum tree should remain in Baja-it makes Baja that much more unique. Your comment on Mesquite and Ash Juniper in Texas is interesting in that it is in part human intervention that helped cause the problem (over grazing). In the north part of Texas there has been quite a problem with Giant Salvinia in the lakes and waterways.People find it to be an attractive addition to their fish tanks. When the people move or get tired of the fish they empty the tanks in the drain and so begins the problem. I was part of a group that battled G. Salvina when it entered the Colorado River below Blythe.
Don't mess with Mother Nature

bacquito - 7-31-2007 at 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Don Jorge
I get my Baja plants from a local nursery. They collect seeds and cuttings with permits usually in conjunction with the California Native Plant Society. Once you have madrinas in your nursery seed and cuttings are avalable as long as a hard freeze does not kill the madrinas.

This year the freeze killed many of the mother plants at the nursery and plans are under way to pull permits and collect specimens soon. The Palo Blanco is another great ornamental! I like the fairy duster too, palo verde and agave!

I don't think these plants are going to be invasive but you never know with global warming, haha.

Speaking of invasives and prairies, the northern plains also are full of invasive forbs introduced as ornamentals and now considered noxious weeds.

d the carrying capacity of Northern Baja rangelands.A trip into a home grown Baja garden can help ease the Baja withdrawl symptoms, sometimes.

great looking garden!! I recently retired to Ensenada and have a small garden consisting of agave types, dudleye, various types of cactus. I had originally planned on only plants from this area, but my wife wanted a Queen Date Palm and I also planted an Avacado (Haas).
However, if the Cerio begins to show up north of the boarder I will know where it came from :lol:

Does it grow well in your area? I was wondering about growing one in Yuma.

Mexitron - 7-31-2007 at 10:22 AM

This is veering off topic somewhat but I've been thinking lately that one way to help rid areas of invasive species is to get the cellulitic ethanol program up and running--then there's an economic incentive for folks to come in and clear up infested areas and turn it into fuel....

bacquito - 7-31-2007 at 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mexitron
This is veering off topic somewhat but I've been thinking lately that one way to help rid areas of invasive species is to get the cellulitic ethanol program up and running--then there's an economic incentive for folks to come in and clear up infested areas and turn it into fuel....

The problem being that it takes alot of fuel (gas/diesal) to clear brush in order to produce a fuel (ethanol) that is less efficient than petroleum products.
Incidentally, I mentioned earlier about G. salvinia in Texas. Are you aware of its presence? I spent a considerable amount of time on this invasive species of fern that showed up 2000 below Blythe, Ca. in the Colorado River.

Mexitron - 7-31-2007 at 12:52 PM

Well, it takes a lot of fuel to harvest wheat too...but at least perhaps a break-even point could be reached and kill two half-birds with one stone :lol:

No, I'm not familiar with the Salvinia problem except through your notes and what I just read about the problem being solved to some degree by the introduction of a weevil that likes to eat it. I've only been in Texas since October of last year(been a Californian most of my life) so I'm not completely up on everything here yet, although I must say I haven't seen any of that fern in my travels to rivers(Pedernales, Colorado, Trinity, Brazos)and various lakes in the Fort Worth area. I was more familiar with another water pest in California--the Caulerpa algae in Carlsbad...