Many people are familiar with the American elm and its long struggle with Dutch elm disease. However, the genus Ulmus includes 30-40 different species, numerous hybrids and scores of cultivated varieties. Continue reading →

Plants with winter seasonal interest include evergreens of pine, spruce, holly, yew, sequoia, fir, along with diverse others. Another one is Persian parrotia, Parrotia persica. Continue reading →

Bearberry is an evergreen, prostrate growing shrub which in autumn produces bright red fruits, often persisting into early winter that are indeed eaten by bears, as well as by deer, other smaller mammals, and birds. The etymology of the genus name is both Greek and Latin. In Greek, arctos means bear and staphyle is a bunch of grapes. In Latin, uva and ursi mean grape and bear respectively. Continue reading →

Oregon Grape, Mahonia aquifolium is one of 226 pressed and dried extant original specimens in the Lewis and Clark Herbarium at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. Continue reading →