Plant List Week 06 Flashcards
Achillea spp.
Yarrow
Asteraceae
Look For:
- gray-green and finely divided foliage,
- tiny composite flowers made up of a few ray florets and disk florets,
and - flat-topped clusters of yellow, orange, red, or white flower heads (capitula) on tall stems.
Gazania rigens var. leucolaena
Trailing Gazania
Asteraceae
Look for:
- low, gray foliage along trailing stems,
- simple, elliptic leaves with smooth margins and no petiole,
and
- yellow flowers in the summertime.
Gerbera hybrida
Transvaal Daisy
Asteraceae
Look for:
- gray-green foliage on woody stems,
- small yellow flowers that form little balls above the foliage,
and
- composite flowers composed entirely of disk florets.
Santolina chamaecyparissus
Lavender Cotton
Asteraceae
Look for:
- gray-green foliage on woody stems,
- small yellow flowers that form little balls above the foliage,
and
- composite flowers composed entirely of disk florets.
Senecio cineraria
Dusty Miller
Asteraceae
Look for:
- leaves with deep, rounded lobes, like those on a valley oak,
- very pale, white flower stalks and leaf undersides,
and
- small, bright yellow flowers in the summertime.
Buxus microphylla var. japonica
Japanese Boxwood
Buxaceae
Sarcococca ruscifolia
Red Berry Sweet Box
Buxaceae
Look for:
- a small shrub with waxy, dark green foliage,
- alternate, ovate or elliptic leaves with pointed tips,
- tiny fragrant blossoms in the wintertime,
and
- small, 3-pointed fruit that ripen from green to red in the autumn.
Euphorbia characias ssp. wulfenii
Spurge
Euphorbiaceae
Look for:
- linear, blue-green leaves arranged around the stem,
and
- showy clusters of bright green cyathia (cups) in the summertime.
Euphorbia leuconeura
Madagascar Jewel
Euphorbiaceae
Look for:
- one or more upright, 5-sided stems with fringes on the angles,
- large oblong leaves with some red on the sides of the petioles,
- small white flowers appearing in the uppermost leaf axils,
and
- explosively dehiscent fruits.
Euphorbia pulcherrima
Poinsettia
Euphorbiaceae
Look for:
- a medium-sized houseplant with multiple stems,
- dark green leaves with irregular lobing and pale leaf veins,
- red petioles,
- small, yellow flowers,
and
- distinctive bright red bracts underneath the inflorescence.
Fuchsia hybrida
Fuchsia
Onagraceae
Look for:
- simple, ovate to lanceolate leaves that are opposite or whorled,
- pendulous flowers borne either singly or in clusters,
and
- (on each flower) four narrow, spreading sepals above four broader, shorter petals.
Gaura lindheimeri
Butterfly Fountain
Onagraceae
Look for:
- stalks of flowers that grow 2-4 feet high,
and
- zygomorphic white or pink flowers with four petals, eight stamens, and a single pistil with four stigmas.
Oenothera speciosa
Mexican Evening Primrose
Onagraceae
Look for:
- a spreading plant with soft, light-green foliage,
- many fragrant, 2-inch, light pink flowers,
and
- (on each flower) four petals, eight stamens, and a single pistil that splits at the top into four stigmas.
Begonia Rex Cultorum Hybrids
Rex Begonia
Begoniaceae
Look for:
- A begonia grown for the foliage, rather than the flowers.
- Has bold, multicolored leaves.
- Needs to be indoors or in a greenhouse in Davis to keep enough humidity.
Begonia Semperflorens Cultorum Hybrids
Bedding Begonia
Begoniaceae
Look for:
- A perennial bedding plant with small waxy leaves.
- The individual flowers are small, but each plant produces many of them.
- Has many cultivars with various colors of leaves and petals.
- A common landscaping plant in Davis.
Begonia Tuberhybrida Hybrids
Tuberous Begonia
Begoniaceae
Look for:
- A begonia grown from tubers.
- Has large, showy flowers.
- Can be outside in a container or hanging basket in the summer, but the tubers are usually dug up and brought inside for the winter.
Cornus mas
Cornelian Cherry
Cornaceae
Look for:
- a shrub or tree,
- opposite, elliptic leaves with arcuate venation,
and
- small, elongated fruit that turn bright red in the fall.
Cornus walteri
Korean Dogwood
Cornaceae
Look for:
- A medium-sized tree,
- bark with distinctive, vertical ridges,
- opposite leaves with arcuate venation,
and
- many small white flowers in the springtime.
Agloanema nitidum ‘Silver King’
Silver King Aglaonema
Araceae
Look for:
- Perennial houseplant.
- Very tolerant of low light conditions.
- Often used in businesses where there is little interior light.
Anthurium andraeanum
Flamingo Flower
Araceae
Look for:
- large, dark green, oblong leaves,
- a yellow or white spadix,
and
- a bright, glossy spathe that’s usually red but can be pink or white.
Dieffenbachia amoena
Big Leaf Dumb Cane
Araceae
Look for:
- An evergreen indoor foliage plant.
- Can grow to be 6 feet high or more.
- Broad, dark green leaves have narrow, slanting, pale stripes on either side of midrib.
Epipremnum pinnatum ‘Aureum’
Pothos
Araceae
Look for:
- a vining houseplant with leathery, light green leaves,
- leaf shapes that are elliptic to ovate, and leaf bases that are truncate to cordate,
- scars or shriveled “wings” on either side of a groove in the petiole,
and
- no bracts at the joints of the vine.
Monstera deliciosa
Split-Leaf Philodendron
Araceae
Look for:
- an indoor plant that is sometimes trained to grow up a post,
- large, dark green, leathery leaves with holes between the leaf veins,
and
- smooth leaf margins (except where the holes reach an edge).
Philodendron bipinnatifidum
Philodendron
Araceae
Look for:
- a large shade plant growing on the north and east sides of buildings in Davis,
- shiny, dark green leaves with deep lobes and bipinnatifid margins,
and
- thick, round trunks with scars where the older leaves have fallen off.
Philodendron scandens spp. oxycardium
Heartleaf Philodendron
Araceae
Look for:
- a vining houseplant with long stems,
- strongly heart-shaped leaves, up to 6 inches long,
- smooth petioles that are flattened (but not grooved) on one side,
and
- bracts at the younger joints along the stems.
Spathiphyllum CVs
Peace Lily
Araceae
Look for:
- a houseplant growing in moderate light with roots in soil or water,
- one or more large, white spadixes, each subtended by a large, white spathe,
and
- large, elliptical, dark green leaves.
Zantedschia aethiopica
Common Calla
Araceae
Look for:
- large, glossy, arrowhead-shaped leaves,
- vertical flower stalks topped with showy, white spathes,
and (inside each spathe)
- a slender yellow or orange spadix with male flowers at the tip and female flowers at the base.
Festuca glauca
Blue Fescue
Poaceae
Look for:
- Produces basketball-sized mounds of blue grass.
- Very commonly used in landscaping.
Miscanthus sinensis
Eulalia
Poaceae
Look for:
- Tall clumps of green grass with long flat blades.
- Each blade has a central white midrib and regular sawtoothed edges that only cut one way.
- Can be variegated.
Muhlenbergia rigens
Deer Grass
Poaceae
Look for:
- a porcupine-like clump of grass,
- tall, stiff flower stalks,
and
- long, flexible leaf blades that are smooth on top but have about 10 ridges underneath.
Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’
Red Fountain Grass
Poaceae
Look for:
- upright, arching clumps of grass about knee-high to waist-high,
- long, narrow leaves that are green at the base and burgundy-red toward the tips,
and
- fuzzy, dense, cylindric inflorescences that look like the tails of a dozen purple cats.
Phyllostachys nigra
Black Bamboo
Poaceae
Look for:
- New growth turns from green to black in second year.
- Vertical stalks are shiny and dark and generally have a flattened side.
- Needs afternoon shade in Davis.
Sasa palmata
Japanese Running Bamboo
Poaceae
Look for:
- Broad, bright green leaves (15 inches by 4 inches).
- A rampant spreader. Needs to be contained.
Stipa tenuissma
Mexican Feather Grass
Poaceae
Look for:
- Has many thin stems that divide and grow thinner toward the top of the plant.
- Starts green and turns golden.
- Looks good in large plantings where it can blow in waves.
