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A new brochure,
Trees: Exotic Flora Walking Tour,
has been compiled
to
allow thirteen
distinctive trees from six continents to be located on
the UCSB campus. |
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An interactive web map and database will allow users to customize their own tour of campus plants. |
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Bree Belyea |
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UCSB exhibits a very special collection of trees. The mild Mediterranean climate of Santa Barbara provides the opportunity to grow plant species from many varied habitats. The monkey’s hand tree (Chiranthodendron pentadactylon) which grows at 7000 to 10,000 feet elevation in its native Mexico, can be found on campus along with Quercus agrifolia, a California native oak found along coastal areas.
There is also a wide range of species with different water requirements, from drought-adapted desert plants like mesquite to Melaleuca linariifolia, an Australian tree that thrives in swampy soils. Some of UCSB's plant specimens have value because of their rareness within the state. One tree (Eucalyptus crenulata) is not known to exist anywhere else in California. Specimens of another eucalypt (Eucalyptus pruinosa) are only found here at UCSB and at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden.
In 2006, the Cheadle Center received funding from the Elvenia Slosson Foundation to initiate the Campus Flora Project. We have just completed the first year of the project, and over 1500 plants have been identified, mapped, and catalogued. A brochure called Trees: Exotic Flora Walking Tour, has been produced to help people locate thirteen distinctive trees from six continents, and this summer, guided tours that follow the path will occur once a week for Family Vacation Center guests. Several academic departments have already used the data gathered in the project to augment their class materials.
The project has received full funding for a second year of the project. Goals for year two include: 1) an interactive web map and database that will allow users to customize their own tour of campus plants; 2) an additional 2000 plants mapped and added to the database; and 3) new brochures with walking tours of the palm collection and medicinal plants on campus. The new interactive map and database will launch before the end of the year on CCBER’s new web site, and the walking tour brochure can be downloaded from there as well.
The Campus Flora Project offers unique opportunities for student workers and interns to become involved — providing employment, education, and skills that can be applied to a variety of future endeavors. Our project provides the opportunity for the campus community and visitors to learn about and enjoy our botanical resources. For additional information contact Bree Belyea. |
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Cork Oak (Quercus suber),
located directly to the left of Davidson Library. |
Mediterranean fan palm
(Chamaerops humilis),
located on the western edge of
the University Center Courtyard. |
Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla), located along the bike path, between HSSB
and the Arts Building. |
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