NONPROFIT
ORG.
THE
PO Box 577, Gualala CA 95445
$5.00 per year, non-members
Volume 2003, Sep/Oct 03
NE
Printed on Recycled Paper
NEWSLETTER OF THE DOROTHY KING YOUNG CHAPTER
CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
Peg Frankel – 1919-2003
Peg Frankel died peacefully at her San Francisco
apartment on June 18, 2003 from complications of
lymphoma.
A longtime activist, Peg’s professional and
volunteer activities in the 1940s and 50s revolved
around health and welfare causes. She was one of
those all-too-rare people who easily perceive the
connection between human well being and
environmental issues.
After the death of her dentist husband, Peg kept
her coast home near Elk, while maintaining an
apartment in San Francisco. She became known in
both communities for her conservation work and
the determination that fuelled it. Her friends will
also remember Peg for her zestful sense of life and
her unique brand of quirky humor. A great
scavenger, she created a home where the line
between fine art and found objects blurred and
vanished. We can only hope that her “Marilyn
Monroe Chandelier” – an illuminated confection of
pink stiletto-heel shoes and faux pearls – has found
a good home.
Peg loved our coastal California poppy, a low-
growing perennial with bright yellow flowers. She
tried to keep Caltrans from obliterating it along
Highway One, and from replacing it with the
orange, inland version. I think of that yellow poppy
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
GUALALA CA
PERMIT NO.21
CALYPSO
as “Peg’s flower” now, feeling that whenever I
share plants or seeds with someone, I am carrying
on Peg’s work. I hope all of you who knew and
treasured Peg Frankel will remember her whenever
you see the yellow headlands poppy, standing fast
in the face of opposition, just like Peg herself.
Wildflowers – Larkspur Follow-up, and
Paintbrush, too
The Hearn Gulch parcel purchased by the
Redwood Coast Land Conservancy, turns out to
harbor a few botanical treasures of its own. Among
them, a fine population of Delphinium hesperium!
They are growing on a steep slope, as they tend to
do, which saves them from the vehicle incursions
that happen on those headlands.
One might wish that the local paintbrushes –
Castilleja species – were as straightforward. On
the south coast, it can be difficult to impossible to
distinguish between Wight’s paintbrush (C. wightii),
and the rare Mendocino paintbrush (C.
mendocinensis). According to botanist, Peter
Baye, C. affinis gets into the act as well! Better
taxonomic keys would help, but we are also dealing
with hybridization zones. Science and the
regulatory system need to recognize the
importance of natural hybridization and its role in
plant speciation. Something very interesting and
important is going on out there on the headlands,
but whatever we call the plants, our coast
paintbrushes are gorgeous – no confusion about
that!
Weed News
Jake Sigg, weed warrior from the Yerba Buena
Chapter, sent in a report on a video being made
about English ivy. The video is being produced by
Leif Joslyn, producer of other excellent videos on
exotics menacing our flora (such as the one on
jubata grass).
Did you know that the state of Oregon has declared
English ivy to be an official Noxious Weed?
Government funding for weed education, research
and eradication projects has all but dried up, so Mr.
Joslyn could use some financial assistance to
complete his video.
For more details and status report, please see the
contact information below:
Jake Sigg: 415-731-3028
English Ivy Video and Outreach Project:
Phone: 541/552-0470 Email: leif@opendoor.com
Web site: www.xenob.com
Ecovisions Inc.
1550 Oregon St., Suite 3
Ashland, OR 97520
“The purpose of Ecovisions is to foster ecological
literacy. By drawing attention to environmental
problems, ecological realities, and viable solutions,
Ecovisions seeks to improve the human prospect in
the ecosphere.”
State Parks Transition
The local State Parks District Superintendent, Greg
Picard, has retired and moved with his family to
Colorado. Greg will be missed on the coast
because: He genuinely listened to people’s
concerns – we felt he would consider our point of
view; He showed respect to all local constituents –
important in an ideologically diverse community; He
was gracious and articulate in public meetings; He
took the time to become informed about local
natural resource issues.
Our chapter wishes Greg and his family the very
best in their new home in Colorado. We can only
hope that whoever replaces him will also have the
qualities outlined above.
2 Calypso Sep/Oct 2003
Used Plant Books Wanted!
While the DKY Chapter will not keep an inventory
of new books on hand, we will still sell books from
time to time. If the CNPS state office makes
overstocks available to us, we can sell those. We
can also sell used books! In the past, we have sold
used books on native plant gardening, wildflowers,
plant science and lore, as well as lichens and
mushrooms. It’s time to collect those used books
again, for sale at our holiday potluck. Please call
Lori at 882-1655, or refer to the list of chapter board
members in the Calypso and call whomever lives
nearest you to donate books.
OFFICERS 2003
President Lori Hubbart 882-1655
Vice President Bill Maslach 937-5804, X127
Secretary (Acting) Pat Howard 937-4052
Treasurer Mary Hunter 785-1150
DKY Chapter Board Meetings
Our Board meets every other month. The next
meeting is Thurs., Oct. 16, 10:30 AM at the Record
Bldg. in Pt. Arena. Chapter members are welcome
to attend Board meetings. Call Lori at 882-1655 for
agenda details
Readers are invited to submit proposed material
for publication, including text, photos, and graphics.
Please e-mail to orourke@mcn.org, or U.S. Mail to
Jack O'Rourke, POB 335, Manchester CA 95459.
STANDING COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS
CAMPING - OPEN
CONSERVATION- Greg Jirak 882-1655
EDUCATION - OPEN
ESCAPED EXOTICS - Joan Curry 937-1649
HISTORIAN - Ramona Crooks 884-3585
HOSPITALITY - Bev Sloane 785-3184
JUBATA ERADICATION - OPEN
LEGISLATION- OPEN
MAILING - Bobbie Penney 785-9302
VEGETATION - Dorothy Scherer 882-2850
MEMBERSHIP - Bob Rutemoeller 884-4426
NEWSLETTER - Jack O'Rourke 882-2614
(volunteer wanted)
PLANT SALE - Jon Thompson 884-4847
PLANT WATCH - Sue Lease 884-1400
 POSTERS - Mary Hunter 785-1150 prepare for this sale. If you are interested in helping
PROGRAMS - OPEN with the sale call Jon at 884-4847 or Lori at 882-
PUBLICITY - OPEN 1655. A list of plants available at the sale follows at
MEMBER-AT-LARGE Pat Bauer 937-4052 the end of this newsletter. Use it to highlight your
RARE PLANT COORDINATORS - purchase plans and take it with you to the sale.
North - Teresa Sholars 962-2686
Central - Mary Rhyne 884-3043 The Mystery of Redwood Heights Probed
Inland - Clare Wheeler 895-3131
South - Dorothy Scherer 882-2850
The DKY Chapter had planned a usual Fall hike
All phone numbers are area code 707 except into the Gualala redwoods to visit the McCabe
where otherwise noted. Redwood, but unfortunately access is not open to
us this year. Some of you may recall some rough,
trigonometric measurements we made from a
MEMBERSHIP ground baseline one year to estimate the height of
the McCabe Redwood to be about 350 feet. The
Welcome to New Members: great height of redwoods relative to other conifers
raises some interesting questions, which are being
Boyd & Mary Kay Hight Marina Del Rey addressed by research conducted at Humboldt
Cecil J. Soden Gualala Redwoods State Park. This research was reported
Peter Brigham Tokyo, Japan in “Tall Tales from Tall Trees: the Story Behind
(& house in Gualala) Height Growth in Ancient Redwoods,” an excellent
article by Greg Jennings in the summer issue of the
Total DKY Chapter Members: 157 North Coast Chapter of CNPS newsletter,
Bob Rutemoeller Darlingtonia. One of the controlling factors in tree
height is the height to which a water column can be
FALL PLANT SALE lifted within the trunk. From the article:

The answer to the question of tree height

The cool temperatures and regular rains of fall are
can be found in the movement of water.
just what perennials, shrubs, and trees love to help
Certain anatomical characteristics give
them build a healthy root system and become well
redwood a unique means of absorbing and
established in your garden.
transporting water. To understand
redwood’s exceptional mechanism, a little
The CNPS Fall Plant Sale will be held on October
knowledge of the basics of water transport
11th at the Gualala Community Center from 10 am
in trees is necessary. In brief, water is
to 3 pm. Knowledgeable people will be on hand
“sucked up” through the vascular tissue of
with information to help you choose the right plants
the tree much like liquid is sucked through a
for your unique gardening situation. More than 100
straw. The driving force for water
types of California native trees, shrubs, ground
movement is evaporation at the leaf
covers, perennials, and ferns will be available to
surface, also called transpiration.
add beauty and wildlife appeal to your garden.
Transpiration results in water loss, which
generates negative pressure that, in turn,
Our plant stock is looking happy and healthy thanks
exerts a pull on the column of water within
to the dedication of our propagation crew. The
the trunk. This negative pressure is referred
recently constructed propagation greenhouse with
to as tension. Because of the cohesive
automatic misting and bottom heat is working great
properties of water (water molecules are
and rapidly producing plants from cuttings that
polar and stick to one another) the column
previously took much longer to root. Ken
of water under tension does not break.
Montgomery of Anderson Valley Nursery in
Though water molecules adhere together
Boonville, who has been so generous with
quite strongly, too much tension (as may be
donations to past plant sales, inspired the design.
experienced on hot, dry days) can break the
column.
Volunteers are welcome (and needed!) to help
3 Calypso Sep/Oct 2003

The break occurs through the process of
cavitation. Under extremely high tensions
water will change from a liquid to a vapor.
This forms a small pocket of gas, or
embolism, too many of which will
permanently destroy a tree’s ability to
transport water. To protect against
cavitation, trees regulate transpiration by
stomatal closure (the tiny pores on the
leaves through which water evaporates).
This process of stomatal limitation results in
certain trade-offs for plants. By closing their
stomata, they lose access to atmospheric
carbon dioxide, a critical ingredient in the
formation of sugar through photosynthesis.
This means the more water stressed an
individual tree is, the less it will
photosynthesise.
Photosynthetic rates, which are linked to
tension, also vary spatially within individual
tree crowns. The amount of tension within a
tree’s vascular system is governed by two
principles: gravity and friction. While the
effect of gravity on tension is constant
regardless of conditions, the effect of friction
increases with transpiration rate. The
effects are additive and increase with
height, so that tops of trees always
experience the greatest tensions. This also
means that treetops are more frequently
stomatally limited than lower crowns and
have less available time for photosynthesis.
The reduction in photosynthetic production
with height suggests that as a tree grows
taller it has fewer resources available for
additional growth. In an indirect way the
ability to lift water is what limits height
growth in tall trees.
But what of redwoods, the tallest living trees
in the world? How do they lift water to 112
meters (367 ft)? Adaptations to the moist
climate that redwood currently occupies
have provided a different spin on the typical
mode of water transport. Evidence for this
unique adaptation comes from recent
canopy studies on redwood water relations.
The strange case of redwood—The actual
process of studying water relations requires
consideration of the times of day when
4 Calypso Sep/Oct 2003
water transport is operating at its extremes:
afternoon, when tensions reach a peak, and
immediately before dawn, when tensions
are at their minimum. It is also important to
evaluate water status during the heights of
the dry season (October) and rainy season
(January). In the case of redwood some of
the most interesting tension measurements
have been observed under some of the
most miserable climbing conditions: 4:00
a.m. in the pouring rain and complete dark!
The unusual patterns discovered during
these bleak periods of predawn rain and fog
run counter to expectations. Conventional
wisdom among tree physiologists holds that
within a normally functioning tree, any given
height should exhibit at least a certain,
theoretical minimum amount of tension.
This occurs in the absence of transpiration
and is due to gravity alone, which induces 1
atmosphere of tension (-14.7 psi,
remember, this is negative pressure) for
every 10 meters of height. The presence of
a limit makes sense if all the water within a
tree enters through the roots, because after
being drawn up the trunk it must be held in
place by a tension great enough to
overcome the force of gravity.
The author presented a graph of this theoretical
minimum tension vs. tree height, and some actual
tension data he measured at various tree heights
during the day. In the late day, when transpiration
through the foliage was greatest, tension values of -
2 MPa (or -290 psi) were measured. This
enormous amount of tension was needed to
overcome the gravity weight of the continuous
column of water, as well as the friction effect on the
water moving up from the roots. Friction effects
appear to be about equal to gravity effects. But
most surprisingly, when the author measured the
amount of tension at the dark hour of 4:00 a.m.—
when transpiration is essentially shut down—the
tension measurement was less than the theoretical
minimum that was expected as discussed above.
The author concludes:
This indicates tensions far more relaxed
than what is considered possible,
suggesting that water is entering the tree
from somewhere other than the roots. No
observations of this type exist for any other
 conifer species. We now know from
additional experimental evidence that this
unusual pattern is due to redwood’s rare
ability to absorb moisture directly through its
foliage, enabling the extreme height growth
of this species.
Perhaps our walk in to the McCabe Redwood next
year should be about 4:00 a.m., and some intrepid
soul should attempt a few tension measurements to
supplement this fascinating data set?
OFFICIAL FORMS
A contribution of $________ is made in honor
of____________________________________
From:_________________________________
Address: ______________________________
City__________________State____Zip_____
Please send acknowledgement to:
Name:________________________________
Address:______________________________
City/Zip:______________________________
Unless otherwise specified, all contributions are
placed in a separate account and used to support
DKY/CNPS education programs.
Mail contributions to: DKY Treasurer
P.O. Box 577, Gualala, CA 95445
5 Calypso Sep/Oct 2003
CNPS MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
DOROTHY KING YOUNG CHAPTER
Membership in the California Native Plant Society is
open to all. The task and mission of the Society is to
increase awareness, understanding, and appreciation of
California native plants. The challenge is to preserve
their natural habitat through scientific educational, and
conservation activities. Membership includes
subscription to the quarterly Fremontia, as well as our
local chapter newsletter, the Calypso.
Name ____________________________
Address ___________________________
City _________________ Zip _________
Tel ____________ e-mail ______________
I wish to affiliate with the DKY Chapter _______
Or, other chapter _____________________
(Please check, or name one, or Society will make
assignment if none is specified by applicant.)
MEMBERSHIP CATEGORY
Student, Retired, Limited Income $20
Individual, Library $35
Household, Family, or Group $45
Supporting: $75; Plant Lover: $100; Patron: $200;
Benefactor: $500
Make Check out to the California Native Plants
Society; mail check and application to:
Bob Rutemoeller, Membership Committee
DKY Chapter, CNPS
PO Box 577
Gualala CA 95445
Plants for CNPS Fall 2003 Plant Sale

Trees
Abies grandis grand fir
Myrica californica pacific wax myrtle
Pseudotsuga menziesii Douglas fir
Salix lasiolepis arroyo willow
Salix exigua narrow-leaved willow
Salix scouleriana Scouler’s willow
Sequoia sempervirens coast redwood

Shrubs
Aralia californica elk-clover
Arctostaphylos ‘Emerald Carpet’ emerald carpet manzanita
Arctostaphylos nummularia Fort Bragg manzanita
Arctostaphylos uva ursi ‘Point Reyes’ Point Reyes manzanita
Arctostaphylos columbiana Hairy leaf manzanita (prostrate form)
Artemisia californica California sagebrush
Artemisia pycnocephala sandhill sage
Baccharis pilularis coyote bush
Berberis nervosa long leaf barberry
Calycanthus occidentalis spice bush
Ceanothus gloriosus var. gloriosus Pt. Reyes ceanothus
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus blue blossom
Ceanothus spp. blue blossom
Galvezia speciosa showy island snapdragon
Lepechinia calycina pitcher sage
Lepechinia fragrans ‘El Tigre’ pitcher sage
Lonicera involucrata twin berry
Lupinus arboreus bush lupine (purple)
Prunus subcordata Klamath plum
Rubus parviflorus Thimbleberry
Rhododendron occidentale western azalea
Rhamnus californica California coffeeberry
Ribes nevadense mountain pink currant
Ribes sanguinium var. glutinosum pink currant
Rosa gymnocarpa wood rose
Rosa nutkana Nootka rose
Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus snowberry
Vaccinium ovatum California huckleberry

Perennials
Angelica hendersonii coast angelica
Asclepias fasciculata narrow leaf milkweed
Aqillegia exigua columbine
Aguilegia formosa columbine
Arabis blepharophylla purple rockcress
Asarum caudatum wild ginger
Dudleya farinosa live forever
Epilobium sp. California fuchsia
Epilobium ‘Solidarity Pink’ California fuchsia
Epilobium septentrionales ‘Select Matole’ California fuchsia
6 Calypso Sep/Oct 2003
Erigeron glauca seaside daisy
Eriogonum latifolium coast buckwheat
Eriophyllum lanatum woolly sunflower
Eriophyllum staechadifolium seaside woolly sunflower
Erysimum menziesii ssp. concinnum wallflower
Eschscholzia californica California poppy
Festuca rubra ‘Jughandle’ red fescue
Fragaria chiloensis beach strawberry
Frageria vesca woodland strawberry
Helenium bolanderi Bolander’s sneeze weed
Heterotheca sessilfolia golden aster
Heuchera maxima alum root
Heuchera micrantha alum root
Heracleum lanatum cow parsnip
Iris douglassiana Douglas’ Iris
Lobelia cardinalis scarlet lobelia
Lewisia cotyledon Lewisia
Lonicera hispidula var. vacillans honeysuckle
Lotus formosissimus witch’s teeth
Madia madioides woodland Madia
Mimulus aurantiacus (various forms) sticky monkey flower
Mimulus guttatus seep spring monkey flower
Monardella odoratissima coyote mint
Monardella villosa coyote-mint
Oxalis oregana redwood sorrel
Oxalis oregana (white form) redwood sorrel
Penstemon newberryi mountain pride
Penstemon speciosus showy Penstemon
Phacelia bolanderi Bolander’s phacelia
Physocarpus capitatus western ninebark
Prunella vulgaris self heal
Salvia apiana white sage
Salvia clevelandii Cleveland’s sage
Salvia clevelandii ‘Winifred Gilman’ Cleveland’s sage
Salvia melifera black sage (prostrate form)
Salvia sonomensis Sonoma sage
Salvia sonomensis ‘Bee’s Bliss’ Sonoma sage hybrid
Satureja douglassii yerba buena
Sedum spathulifolium stonecrop
Sisyrinchium bellum blue eyed grass
Sisyrinchium californicum yellow eyed grass
Stachys chamissonis Chamisso’s hedge nettle
Tellima grandiflora fringe cups
Tiarella trifoliata var. unifoliata sugar scoop
Vancouveria hexandra inside-out-flower
Viola adunca western dog violet
Whipplea modesta modesty

Ferns
Adiantum aleuticum five-fingered fern
Athyrium Filix-femina var. cyclosorum lady fern
Blechnum spicant deer fern
Polystichum munitum sword fern

7 Calypso Sep/Oct 2003