July 2009 - The Arboretum
Lightscape Tickets!

What’s Blooming August

Amaryllis belladonna is a bulb found wild on the southern side of the Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa. Its habit of producing solitary stalks of pink flowers at a time when its only other above-ground parts, its leaves, are dormant and nowhere to be seen has given it a rather racy common name -the ‘Naked lady.’
Its penchant for ‘nudity’ and its fragrant long-lasting flowers have made this plant a favorite of hobbyists since the late 19th century, and as a result ‘Naked ladies’ have been crossed so many times over the years that determining the parentage of some of them is impossible. The Arboretum's mass plantings of Amaryllis belladonna are located near the southwest corner of the African section, and should be in full bloom by mid-to-late August. 

Amaryllis belladona in bloom at the Arboretum.
Stenocarpus sinuatus, commonly called the 'Fire wheel' tree, is native to Australia and New Caladonia. It's radial blooms are a bright crimson orange. Its flowers attract hummingbirds, and in its native Australia, bats. A copious producer of nectar, Stenocarpus flowers were sucked on by the aborigines as a source of sugar. Stenocarpus sinuatus is located on the eastern tip of Tallac knoll just south of the herb garden.

Your Plant Questions Answered

I’m Frank McDonough, botanical information consultant here at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. I get thousands of questions every year about plants, landscapes, and trees. I’ve started this blog to share with you some of the more interesting questions I receive every week, as well as news and information that has to do with your Southern California garden.

July-25th, 2009
Lead and Ash Trees
Who do you recommend one contact about testing the Lead content of soil adjacent to the house I rent, which was built in 1923 or so, and had numerous coats of such paint.  I garden vegetables/edibles intensely about eight feet away, but only container/pot garden within that distance. Is there any commercial value for ash trees?  I have a huge ash tree that produces tons of seedlings.Is there an online plant keying taxonomy guide which I could use to ascertain which Fraxinus it is, pennsylvanica or what? Thanks,JeffHi Jeff, A local laboratory can do that testing for you, I wouldn’t worry, even if you have relatively high levels in your soil, lead translocation into plant tissue should not be a problem in our alkaline, calciferous soils (according to Inorganic lead exposure: metabolism and intoxication b y Nicoló Castellino, Pietro Castellino, Nicola … – 1994 – Science) this is because lead in the soil is not as mobile as in acid soils.And what about your ash seedlings? There is no commercial value to ash seedlings, unless you can sell them yourself; try Craig’s list. Personally I would not wish an Ash tree on my own worst enemy; their damaging roots and messy seed production are complimented by their production of copious amounts of allergy-producing pollen. To identify an ash tree to species I would use the Royal Horticultural Society’s Dictionary of Gardening. This is not a cheap set of books, so instead of purchasing them you can drop by our library and reference that same edition here. If you do, bring a sample of the tree’s leaves, seeds, and or flowers and stop by the plant information office. We’ll be more than happy to take a look at your tree and try to identify it.

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© 2023 Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Gardens

Phone: 626.821.3222

301 N. Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA, 91007