Leaves. Leaf – from Old
English, related to Dutch loof and German laub – is
typically an organ of a vascular plant and is the lateral appendage
of the stem. Foliage – from Latin folium – refers
to leaves collectively. My existence has been filled with myriad*
millions of leaves, and probably every cell in my brain is stuffed
with leaf encounters – memories, my autobiography so to speak. I
was born with a special relationship with leaves – it's not a skill
at all, it's just the way it is – or how else would you explain my
forte for finding four-leaf clovers, possibly more than anyone else
on earth? More accurately, I don't find them, they find
me; they sing out: "here I am, here I am," which delights
my children and is the principal reason why my happy wife fell for
me.
*Myriad, from Greek myrias,
is technically the number for 10,000, but today it can be translated
as a hell-of-a-lot or a shitload.
 |
| Ouch! |
I tease my second child Laura, now
thirty, married and successfully employed, that perhaps someday she
would like to take over the reins of Buchholz Nursery, to keep the
viable enterprise in the family. But she replies, "Ya know Pops,
I'm just not into leaves the way you are." Being into
leaves can become a hellish responsibility, as in trying to keep
them all green with this year's brutal summer heat. We failed in some
cases, with green turning to brown...then to a crisp-blonde, a
situation that will not be redeemed with any autumn "color."
The American Maple Society will visit the nursery on October 30, and
I wonder if any leaves will still be on the trees at that time.
 |
| Woodwardia unigemmata |
We have planted a new garden this
summer in what was formally the basketball court, and the location
was selected for ferns, dwarf Rhododendrons, Epimediums and the like,
all happy under 50% shade cloth. Today my favorite of the hundred or
so plants is Woodwardia unigemmata, as the new growth is mahogany-red
and glossy. The species is from mountain forests of China, Japan and
the Himalayas, with the limitation that it is hardy to only 14
degrees F according to The Plant Lovers Guide To Ferns by
Richie Steffen and Sue Olsen. Sue's previous book, The
Encyclopedia of Garden Ferns, single-handedly turned me into a
Fool For Ferns, but it is puzzling that it took me so long.
The Woodwardia genus resides in the Blechnaceae family, and
was named for the British botanist Thomas Woodward by another
botanist, Sir James Edward Smith. The species name unigemmata*
is due to the single – usually – bulbil which forms at the tip of
the frond, from which one can propagate a new plant.
*Gemma is Latin for a "bud"
or "jewel," hence gemstone."
 |
| Schefflera delavayi from Far Reach Farm |
 |
| Schefflera delavayi |
Schefflera macrophylla at the Rhododendron Species Foundation
Another leaf that caught my eye this
past spring was the highly-indented Schefflera delavayi grown by Far
Reaches Farm in Washington state. My plants of the species, grown
from seed, occasionally show some indentation, but never like theirs.
S. delavayi was introduced from China by Edward Needham in the early
1990's, and of course the specific name honors Pere Armand David, the
French missionary who toiled for years in China. The genus was named
for Johan von Scheffler (born in 1739), a Polish physician and
botanist, and it is in the Araliaceae family. S. macrophylla is a
species with enormous leaves, but unfortunately it is not as hardy as
delavayi. The photos of S. macrophylla above were taken in the
conservatory at the Rhododendron Species Foundation, and I noticed
this past spring that they had severely reduced their tree because it
had grown to the top of the structure, and probably every three or
four years they'll have to whack it back again.
Magnolia macrophylla
 |
| Magnolia macrophylla |
 |
| Magnolia macrophylla leaf underside |
Magnolia macrophylla ssp. ashei
I cannot mention leaves without
bringing attention to Magnolia macrophylla, since the
tropical-looking appendages are magnificent in size, especially
attractive in autumn when the leaf undersides reveal distinguished
veins. My daughter takes the leaves to school in October – about 25
of them – and distributes the foliage to her classmates. Naturally
the female teachers become obsequious over the leaves, or rather over
the special father who supplies them. Alas, the school boys fight,
swat and tear their leaves to shreds, but the girls admire and
protect theirs. I know that I'm placing the kids into stereotypes,
but it happens every year. Hillier calls M. macrophylla
"awe-inspiring," and I can't imagine him ruining a leaf. My
tree is planted at the base of a hill, down by the creek, which was
intentional to keep the wind from damaging the foliage. It has a
companion, smaller in all respects, M. macrophylla ssp. ashei,
and if you get them mixed up, wait until flowering, for ashei will
have the outer 3 tepals blotched with purple. Hillier again, "It
is strange that a plant [of ssp. ashei] of this quality, growing in a
country enjoying western civilisation [sic] was not recorded in
cultivation until 1933."
 |
| Victoria amazonica leaf underside |
 |
| Victoria amazonica |
 |
| Guyana President Coat of Arms |
 |
| Guyana Coat of Arms |
 |
| Queen Victoria |
 |
| John Lindley |
Victoria amazonica is a genus in the
Nymphaeaceae family, and the family name is derived from Greek
nymphaia which meant "waterlily," inspired by the
nymphs of Greek mythology. The non-hardy Victoria is native to
the shallow waters of the Amazon River, and in fact it is on the
Guyanese coat of arms as it is their national flower. The leaves of
this largest of all waterlily can grow to 10' in diameter, and
photographers love to place a toddler on one to illustrate how
amazing is our plant world. Flowers – pollinated by beetles – are
white the first night they are open, then pink the second, and they
can grow to 18" in diameter. The flowers, that is, not the
beetles. John Lindley 1799-1865 was the English botanist to first
describe Victoria, and presumably that made a great impression on the
newly ascended British Queen and Empress of India.
As legend has it, a beautiful
Amazonian Indian girl refused to marry, preferring instead the
Warrior of the Moon. One night she saw a reflection of the moon on a
lake and was convinced that he had descended to earth to bathe, and
sadly she fell for the illusion and drowned. The Moon Warrior grieved
for the girl who gave up her life to be with him, so he transformed
her to the plant which blooms at night. Legend continues that the
Victoria only flowers during a full moon and when the sky is
cloudless, and that allows her to see her true love, the Warrior of
the Moon. Ahh.
 |
| Gunnera species at Holehird |
 |
| Johann Ernst Gunnerus |
I don't know for certain the species of
the Gunnera (above), but the photo was taken at Holehird in the Lake
District in England. The photo of my "grandfather" acting
goofy was taken at Harlow Carr, also in England, and again there was
no species identification. The genus contains about 40 species, with
perhaps manicata, from southeastern Brazil, growing the
largest, to nearly 11' in width. These "Giant Rhubarb"
leaves are supported by large succulent stalks which are botanically
considered petioles. The tiniest of the Gunneras is albocarpa
from New Zealand with leaves less than an inch long; and from
southern South America, G. magellanica features leaves 2-4” wide on
stalks 3-6” long. The genus was named after the Norwegian botanist
Johann Ernst Gunnerus (1718-1773) who was also the Bishop of Nidaros,
and interestingly the Holy One was born in Christiania, Norway.
Gunnerus corresponded with Linnaeus, and even further from botany, he
was the first to suggest that the Northern Lights were caused
by the sun, and that there must be auroras around the moon,
Venus and Mercury. Polymaths such as Gunnerus remind me that I am
exceptionally shallow in comparison, but thankfully I am better
looking.
Plant and leaf examples of Ginkgo biloba 'Munchkin'
I love Ginkgo biloba, and I grow the
smallest-leaved form imaginable, G. b. 'Munchkin'. But maybe I should
defer to its discoverer, Crispin Silva of Oregon, who originally
named it 'Chris (or Chris's) Dwarf' after his son. Apparently Silva's
former nursery employer got ahold of the selection and renamed it
'Munchkin', and while that is a catchy name, it was a rather arrogant
thing to do. But since it is now firmly known in the trade as
'Munchkin', that is the name I use since I'm not on a mission to
right the world's wrongs. In any case the leaves on my oldest plant
vary in size as photographed above, and they turn butter yellow in
fall just like a regular Ginkgo. At my home I have planted 'Munchkin'
next to an Ilex serrata 'Koshobai'; the point is to demonstrate that
the Ilex with the tiniest of berries pairs well with the Ginkgo with
the diminutive leaves, as if both took an anti-growth pill.
 |
| Acer palmatum 'Saiho' |
 |
| Acer palmatum 'Saiho' |
Also notable for its tiny leaves is
Acer palmatum 'Saiho'. Are they smaller than Acer palmatum 'Hanami
nishiki' or Acer palmatum 'Beni hime'? About the same I suppose, but
Saiho is very pretty in spring with yellow leaves tipped in
reddish-brown. By summer the foliage evolves to yellow-green, and it
is always a bright ball in the landscape. In fall the foliage can
range from yellow to orange to red, and the bush is ablaze even
though the leaves are tiny.
 |
| Begonia 'Fireworks' |
 |
| Begonia 'Escargot' |
I keep a fun plant around in a wood box
in GH20, Begonia 'Escargot', and I've had it for over ten years. We
used to propagate it by leaf cuttings, where a piece of the leaf
placed on damp soil will magically form roots. These plants sold well
– and why wouldn't they? – until I discovered that the damn thing
was patented and propagation was not allowed. One of my customers was
called out about it, but he didn't “remember” where he got his
'Escargot', and neither of us was fined or imprisoned but I did
discontinue production. 'Escargot' is a “Rex” begonia which means
it is a member of the Rex (or King) Cultorum group, and the cultivars
which are marketed – as annuals primarily – feature wild
coloration. The Begonia genus was named for Michel Begon (1638-1710),
a French botanist who discovered the plant on the Island of Santo
Domingo (Dominican Republic) and introduced it to Europe. Escargot
is a French word, somehow derived from Vulgar Latin coculium,
and means “edible snail,” and the slitherers are native to French
wine areas like Burgundy where they feed on grape leaves.
 |
| Helwingia chinensis male and female forms |
Helwingia chinensis is an interesting
shrub, for it features its flowers on the upper surface of its
leaves, botanically known as epiphyllous. Most of the visitors to
the nursery don't know anything about Helwingia and are
unimpressed...until I point out the position of its flowers.
Helwingia is the only genus in the Helwingiaceae family and it is
native to eastern Asia and the Himalayas. The name honors Georg
Andreas Helwing, a German pastor who was an expert on his native
flora, although the good reverend never set foot in Asia or ever saw
a plant of Helwingia. The genus was introduced into Europe from Japan
by Philipp von Siebold in 1830, long after Helwing had died.
Helwingia will root from softwood cuttings in summer under mist, and
we grow the male Broad-Leaved-Form and the female
Narrow-Leaved-Form. These “forms” were acquired by Dan
Hinkley of the former Heronswood Nursery from the late J.C. Raulston,
and I suppose the narrow female clone is the one I prefer as I am a
fan of the skinny.
 |
| Eucalyptus haemastoma |
 |
| Eucalyptus haemastoma |
Eucalyptus deglupta
Eucalyptus ficifolia
There are some plant leaves that I
don't particularly care for, like Eucalyptus, so I don't have them in
the collection even though I admire their trunks. Where hardy, most
arboreta contain the genus, and they are perfectly sited...anywhere
but in my garden. The E. haemastoma (photo above) glowed in the
spring light at the Santa Cruz Botanic Garden in California. This
species is native to coastal hills near Sydney, Australia. E.
deglupta was photographed in Los Angeles, and it is the only species
found naturally in the Northern Hemisphere – in New Guinea, Seram,
Sulawesi and Mindanao in the Philippine Archipelago. Not surprisingly
it is commonly known as the Rainbow Eucalyptus. E. ficifolia was
named because its leaf supposedly resembles that of a fig, although
it doesn't look like any fig that I have seen. After this blog you
can visit the photo library on our website to see more Eucalyptus
species. The genus name is derived from Greek Kaluptein –
“to cover” – because the unopened flower is well (eu)
covered (kaluptos).
I don't care for bamboo leaves either,
but my children's pet Panda sure likes to eat them. I enjoyed a
recent punctuation book, Eats, Shoots and Leaves, by Lynne
Truss. We are asked to consider her joke that a panda walks into a
cafe, orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two
shots in the air. She also says “The rule is: don't use commas
like a stupid person. I mean it.”
Good bye, it is time that I leaf
you.
