Dr. Lew Feldman, Garden Director What are knots and knotholes and how do they form? Knots are visible imperfections in wood. They are typically circular and darker than the surrounding wood area and when the knot separates from the surrounding wood a knothole form. Let’s consider how knots and knotholes originate. The explanation begins by…
Dear Garden Community: Many of you have reached out to express concern about the care of our collections during shelter-in-place. We appreciate your messages and are deeply touched that you have kept the Garden in heart and mind during this extremely challenging time. Please rest assured that the Garden is being well looked after. A…
Dear Friends of the UC Botanical Garden, As many of you know, we intended to keep the Garden open with free admission during the coronavirus pandemic. However, in light of new requirements from public health officials we have temporarily closed the UC Botanical Garden. I am deeply saddened by this development, since the Garden offers…
Dr. Lew Feldman, Garden Director In the natural environment, it is not unusual to come upon a leaning tree or branch showing a surprising degree of bending. Such a situation frequently is the result of a landslide, which alters the normal vertical orientation of the tree, or could be a consequence of winds continually blowing…
Lewis Feldman, Garden Director Beginning Monday, March 2nd, the Tropical House will close to the public through early 2021. The Tropical Touse closure will allow horticultural staff to properly prepare for the renovation that is slated to begin this summer. The glass panels will be removed and a new, protective, transparent “wall” will be installed….
Lewis Feldman, Garden Director The UC Botanical Garden has recently been notified that one of our main Garden buildings, Julia Morgan Hall, is among the 2020 WoodWorks’ U.S. Wood Design Award winners, presented by the Wood Product Council. The WoodWorks award program “celebrates excellence in wood building design…the winning projects are a kind of bellwether for…
Dr. Lew Feldman, Garden Director The genius of Charles Darwin was his ability to predict systems of interactions that take place in the natural world without seeing them for himself. One such case is the orchid plant Angraecum sesquipedale, commonly known as Darwin’s Orchid. Darwin observed this orchid on an expedition to its native habitat…
Lewis Feldman, Garden Director Former Garden Director Watson “Mac” Laetsch died in the early morning of January 5th. He was 86 and had accomplished much during his nearly 30 years at Berkeley, including serving as Botanical Garden Director from 1969-1973. As Mara Melandry notes in her book, The History of the University of California Botanical Garden…
Dr. Lew Feldman, Garden Director Epiphytes are plants that grow on other plants and thus their roots are not connected to the soil, but rather are often in direct contact with the atmosphere. Consequently, the only opportunity these roots (aerial roots) have to obtain most of their moisture is when it rains, which, in the…
Vanessa Handley, Director of Collections & Research Here at the Garden, dead plants are generally not cause for excitement. But the fossilized remains of a plant that lived – and died – millions of year ago certainly are. We are therefore delighted to announce the incorporation of our newest (and oldest!) accession: a petrified tree…