NEWSLETTER

June - August 2010

Upcoming Monthly Programs

Monday, June 7, 2010 Doors open 7:15 Program starts at 7:30 PM

Transitioning Flora of the Southern California Salt Marsh Plant Community
Speaker: Eric Zahn, Salt Marsh Botanist
Affiliations: Tidal Influence and CSU Long Beach

Join local coastal ecologist and environmental educator Eric Zahn as we explore the variation,
specialization, and diversity of southern California’s coastal plant communities.

Due to their degradation and resulting rarity, coastal wetlands are of particular interest to botanists like
Eric. His work has been focused on a distinct assemblage of plant species forming the southern California
coastal salt marsh plant community, which ranges from its northern extent at Devereux Slough in Goleta
(just north of UC Santa Barbara) south to Bahia de San Quentin, in Baja California.

Eric is an avid salt marsh botanist and his presentation will explore in detail the often overlooked flora of
Southern California salt marshes and will address the critical need to conserve the remaining wetlands
that support this ecosystem.

This presentation will also highlight local efforts focused on the research and restoration of southern
California salt marsh habitat at Colorado Lagoon and Los Cerritos Wetlands in Long Beach, California.

Location: South Coast Botanical Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Boulevard, Palos Verdes Peninsula,
classroom closest to the garden entrance.
Monday, July 5 - 6 PM
Annual Summer Picnic and Hike at George F. Canyon

Members and non-members alike are invited to join us at for our annual picnic and hike. We are meeting
at 6 PM so we can enjoy the serenity of dusk in the canyon. Pizza will be provided and we will also have
a potluck. After eating, we will take a stroll through the pristine canyon. Our tour guides will point our
native plants and the birds and insects that frequent the canyon.

Location: George F. Canyon is located at the southwest corner of Palos Verdes Drive East and Palos
Verdes Drive North, 27305 Palos Verdes Drive East, Rolling Hills Estates

Monday, August 2, 2010 Doors open 7:15, Program starts at 7:30 PM

California Native Plants in Landscape Architecture:

A Historical Perspective of the Palos Verdes Peninsula
Speaker: Christy O'Hara Principal, M+0 Landscape Architecture

Christy Edstrom O'Hara is an Assistant Professor in the Landscape Architecture Department of California
Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She will present a historical perspective on the design and
development of Palos Verdes, with a focus on the ecological aspects of the landscape.

Christy's presentation will include discussion of the native and adapted plants used in the design of the
planting plan for Malaga Cove Library, where she did restoration work. She will also discuss her
restoration plan for the historic native plant garden at Rancho Los Alamitos in Long Beach.
Location: South Coast Botanical Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Boulevard, Palos Verdes Peninsula,
classroom closest to the garden entrance.

Point Vicente Native Plant Garden

Scenic Gardening Days

Dates to be determined – 9:30 am - noon
Point Vicente Interpretive Center - 31501 Palos Verdes Dr. W., Rancho Palos Verdes

Our native plant garden at the Point Vicente Native Plant Garden in Rancho Palos Verdes is maintained
by volunteers. Join us in sprucing up this lovely garden overlooking the ocean with other members of our
chapter. Bring your gloves, sunhat, and small tools (e.g. clippers and weeders) and perhaps a bucket or
bag to hold weeds and trimmings for greenwaste.

If you are interested in volunteering at this garden overlooking the ocean and would like to be on our
email distribution list, please send email through our web site to be forwarded to Barbara Sattler.
http://www.sccnps.org/

Welcome to New South Coast CNPS Chapter Members

Join us in welcoming the latest additions to our chapter: Hans Grellman and Matthew Sheriff.
 Local Sites and Activities
George F Canyon
http://www.pvplc.org/land/georgefcanyon

• June 5, July 3, August 7- Saturday Morning Bird Walk – 9 am. Open to all levels of birders. Meet
naturalist Loretta Rose at the Nature Center. Binoculars provided. Free.
• June 26, July 24, August 22 – Canyon Night Hike: Held on or near a full moon evening, this walk will
bring you to the top of the canyon for a fantastic view of city lights below. The two-mile round trip hike
will experience nocturnal delights as well as a 300 ft. rise in elevation. Lots of fun!! Bring a flashlight.
$10 per person. Children must be at least 8 years old. Let the guide take you on a gentle walk and
introduce you to the natural history of one of the Peninsula's most beautiful canyons at night. Allow 2
hours for the hike. Start times vary with sunset. Reservations are required.
• June 5, July 3, August 7 – Saturday Hikes - 1 pm. Lovely hike with expert guide into a wonderful
world of curiosity and discovery. The guide will answer questions on habitat, geology, drainage,
wildlife, folklore and more. Allow 2 hours for this walk. $3 per person.

Located at the corner of PV Drive North and PV Drive East in the city of Rolling Hills Estates.

Madrona Marsh
http://www.friendsofmadronamarsh.com/naturecenter.htm

• Tyke Hike - Every 1st Thursday of the Month

• Bird Walk - Second Wednesday of every month
• Nature Walks - 4th weekend of the month
• Senior Strolls - 2nd Tuesday of the month
• Habitat Restoration - Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays
• Out of the Wilds and into Your Garden -- Gardening with South Bay Native Plants
Free Classes Presented by Dr. Connie Vadheim
• Saturday June 5 10 am – 12 pm and Tuesday June 8 6:30 – 8:25 pm - Ponds and Pools
• Saturday July 3 10 am – 12 pm and Tuesday July 6 6:30 – 8:30 pm – Promoting Pollinators

Located at 3201 Plaza del Amo, Torrance

Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve

http://gardenawillows.org/

• Tours on the 2nd Sunday of every month, 1-4 pm

• Volunteer workdays 3rd Saturday of each month, June 19, July 17, August 21, 8-11 am
• Out of the Wilds and into Your Garden -- Gardening with South Bay Native Plants
Free Classes Presented by Dr. Connie Vadheim
Arthur Johnson Memorial Park - Community Room 6:00-7:30 p.m.
• June 10 - Ponds and Pools
• July 8 – Promoting Pollinators
• August 12 - Woodland Wonders: Plants for Dry Shade

Located at 1200 W. 170th Street, Gardena,CA. Between Normandie & Vermont- One block north of
Artesia (310) 217-0681.

Bixby Marshland
http://www.lacsd.org/about/wastewater_facilities/jwpcp/bixbymarshland.asp

• Tours on the 1st Saturday of each month, 8 am to noon.

Located northwest of the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant (JWPCP) near the intersection of Figueroa
Street and Sepulveda Boulevard in the City of Carson.
 Tree Mallow
By Tony Baker

The large Mallow family (Malvaceae) includes many well known and non-native garden ornamentals such
as Abutilon, Hibiscus, and Hollyhock as well as the ubiquitous and unwelcome Cheeseweed. Many
California native mallow species, although not as well known, deserve a place in southland gardens. Of
special interest to coastal gardeners is the Tree Mallow (Lavatera assurgentiflora) also known as Catalina
Rose Mallow, Malva Rosa, and Mission Mallow. Although rare in its native habitat on the Santa Catalina
and San Clemente Channel Islands, this shrub with a “tree like” structure is easy to grow and thrives in
coastal gardens, even tolerating salt spray. An evergreen with a large maple shaped leaf, Tree Mallow is
an excellent choice for the informal garden in full sun and with space to accommodate its size of 8-10 feet
in height and width. It grows very rapidly and needs only infrequent deep watering once established and
occasional shearing or pruning. The downside of its fast growth is a short life span, but many seedlings
sprout around the parent plant and one can be selected to quickly fill the gap.

Pocket gophers are especially fond of Tree Mallow and it’s not usual to find a large wilted specimen with a
gopher hole where the root had been. Many Mallow family plants are edible to animals. The
Marshmallow (Althea officinalis) has been used as food and medicine for over 2,000 years by humans.
The same-named confection probably got it name due to the plants spongy mucilaginous roots. Insects
such as aphids, leaf miners, and spider mites are attracted to feed on the leaves of Tree Mallow.
Because the plant sheds its leaves regularly these pests usually don’t present serious problems. Flocks of
little birds known as Bushtits often sweep through the shrubs, gleaning insects acrobatically as they go.

Tree Mallow stands out in gardens due to the beautiful rose colored flowers striped with purple that seem
to be produced all year long. On garden tours, the flowers that resemble Hibiscus, always attract the
attention and admiration from those seeing them for the first time.

Suitable complementary companion plants could include Catalina Silver Lace (Eriophyllum nevinii),
Purple Sage (Salvia leucophylla), Red Buckwheat (Eriogonum grande rubescens), Blue Wild Rye Grass
(Leymus ‘Canyon Prince’), and Deer Grass (Muhlenbergia rigens).

Lavatera assurgentifolia
A hybrid between Tree Mallow and another species from Baja California known by the cultivar name
Lavatera ‘Purisima” (Lavatera assurgentiflora x L. venetus) was introduced by and is available from Tree
of Life Nursery. With glossy green leaves and showy flowers, this cultivated variety has a more spreading
habit and a deeper purple flower.

Do make a point of stopping by the Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden to see a Tree Mallow/Rose
Mallow specimen in its full glory and keep an eye out for Hummingbirds and Bushtits.

Other suitable native Mallow family plants for coastal gardens include:

Indian Mallow (Abutilon palmeri)

Although it is native to the desert regions of California, the Indian Mallow is quite at home in
frost-free gardens near the coast. With orange/yellow flowers and silvery leaves, this
beautiful, evergreen shrub will grow to 4’ high x 4’ wide.
Checkerbloom (Sidalcea malviflora)
A low spreading groundcover, Checkerbloom is an excellent choice for a naturalized meadow
mixed with a variety of native grasses and perennials. Abundant flowers resembling Hollyhocks
are produced in spring.
Bush Mallow (Malacothamnus species)
Bush Mallows vary, depending on species, with its flower color ranging from pink to lavender
and its foliage green to gray. Growing 4’ to 6’ in height, these plants can develop a large colony,
due to their spreading root system, making them unsuitable for small gardens.
Apricot Mallow (sphaeralcea ambigua)
Also known a Globe Mallow, this desert native is a colorful addition to informal local gardens.
Selected varieties of the species are available with flower colors ranging from apricot to red.
Care should be taken when pruning as small hairs on the leaves can irritate the skin and eyes. In
Baja California, it is known as Mal de Ojo.

Mark Your Calendars

Fall Native Plant Sale

Saturday October 2, 2010
9 AM – 4 PM

Preview Night (Members Only)

Friday October 1st 5 – 7 PM

South Coast Botanical Gardens

 Seaside Calandrinia
By Ivan Snyder

A good year of rain brought forth a nice turnout of wildflowers. As Chairman of Rare Plants I am happy to
report I’ve seen plants which were rare in previous years much less so this year. I found a lot more of this
cute Calandrinia maritima. It is rare, but you would probably miss this plant anyhow as it is so small. What
we might call a belly flower. You practically have to get down on your belly to spot it. I have come across
the plant at three locations on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Caladrinia maritime
Photo by Ivan Snyder
.

Help Us Name our Newsletter

We would like to name our newsletter and we need your help. Please send suggestions to the editor
Chris Martin at ChrisMM@Socal.rr.com by June 30th. Suggestions will be submitted to our board and the
winner we be announced at a future chapter meeting.
 South Coast Chapter Website
http://www.sccnps.org/

Visit our website to see all the updates which provide more information and make the website even easier
to use. Special thanks to our webmaster David Sundstrom.

Each species on our Plant List is now hyperlinked to the Calflora reference site. One mouse click dis-
plays the plant profile, and second mouse click displays the CalPhotos image portfolio for the plant.
Please give it a try at http://www.sccnps.org/local-plants-suitable-for-gardening

Renew Online

As of January 12, 2010 CNPS transitioned online membership processing to NetSolutions by Blackbaud,
They are deactivating the CNPS Groundspring.org profile on May 31, 2010, at which time your personal
Groundspring-CNPS donation account will automatically be shut off.

We kindly ask you to transition your recurring membership to the new system. You can do this now
without charge, even if you have already paid your membership this year, and have your monthly,
quarterly, or annual membership payment automatically applied at a future date. To do this, please
visit http://cnps.org/cnps/join and select "Individual Membership". On the next screen, click on the link to
the right that says "Sign up for recurring membership". This will take you to the recurring membership
page where you can then chose the dollar amount and frequency based on the level of membership you
desire.

South Coast CNPS Chapter Officers

Board Members

President: David Berman

Vice President / Webmaster: David Sundstrom
Secretary/Treasurer: Lynn McLeod
Chapter Council Delegate / Spring Garden Tour: Loretta Rose
Demonstration Projects Chair: Anne Eli Kershner
Gardena Willows Liaison: Rosalie Preston
Horticulture Co-Chair/Plant Sale Coordinator: Ric Dykzeul
Horticulture Co-Chair/ Point Vicente Garden: Tony Baker
Membership Chair: Cindy Kondon
Outreach Chair: Griselda Sasayama
Past President: Barbara Sattler

Chairs
Madrona Marsh Liaison: Carol Roelen
Newsletter: Christine Martin
Rare Plants, Ethnobotany: Ivan Snyder