3/30/12

UC Santa Cruz Arboretum

I return again to be dumbfounded by the largest collection of Protaceae outside of Australia or South Africa.

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I don't remember if I've ever seen a silver tree in bloom before (Leucadendron argenteum). You'd think I'd remember.

Leucadendron argenteum

There is always a lot to take in here.

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Leucospermum

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I feel like the restios have all grown ten feet since the last time I was here.

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Massive things.

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Some of the leucodendrons seemed uncommonly massive to me as well.

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I saw an alligator lizard in the grevillea.

Alligator lizard

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If you visit the Arboretum (and you should--the nursery alone is worth the trip), just down the hill, right at the corner of Mission and Bay, is Donnelly Chocolates. FYI.

3 comments:

Kaveh Maguire said...

Holy smokes! I have wanted to visit UC Santa Cruz to see their Salvia collection but now I want to go see the Proteaceae!

danger garden said...

Okay this is a MUST for my next California trip.

Christopher C. NC said...

I got to the entrance of the UC Santa Cruz arboretum once. It is very nice of you to let me go in and see it. Others were not so generous.