An Australian genus of 300+ species well suited to dry conditions and poor soils like here in San Diego. Local nurseries are selling more and more varieties so try one out. They come in many sizes and flower colors to fit any space in your garden. In Australia they are a favorite of honeyeater birds so I presume that our hummingbirds will go crazy for these. Photo credit; C. Bell (Geelong, Australia)
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Fritillaria bifloraFritillaria biflora
With all the rain this season flowers are starting to bloom around Miramar lake. This lily (Chocolate Lily) is native to Baja and southern California but I do not recall seeing it before in this location. Send your photos in for our 2023 Wildflowers of 92131 and they will be posted in the Gallery.
Plants that sustained the British EmpirePlants that sustained the British Empire
There are many plants that fit this description, e.g. tea, anyone? or cinchona the source of the anti-malarial medicine quinine, but here is one I did not know. Gutta percha. By the late 1800’s the British Empire was the largest to have existed, spanning the globe from England to India, Malaya, Australia and Canada. Communication by boat took weeks or months. The invention of the telegraph and the unique properties of Gutta percha enabled the empire to remain manageable well into the 1900’s.
Enjoy this short video from the BBC
Chaparral Monkey FlowerChaparral Monkey Flower
I bet there are many so called “monkey flowers” around the world and despite the absence of monkeys in southern California this is our bush monkey flower, Diplacus aurantiacus. It is perhaps our most common and distinctive flowering plant in the coastal chaparral. Photo courtesy of S. Castellana.