Front Page News!

Alameda Newspaper Group has several publications - One the front page of my local version was this -
http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus where it is the 1st listing about Endangered Beauty (The link may not last for more than a day or two but the artwork is very nice and the article was on the front page of my local paper) or http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/ci_5056632 which will likely stay up longer. Clarkia franciscana has been on the endangered list for nearly 30 years. The article outlines how a seed made it to some who grew some with success and eventually the plant ended up being sold through Annie's Annuals. Annie has several Clarkia species http://anniesannuals.com/plant_lists/list_search.asp?start=0&type=Any&color=Any&lifespan=Any&availability=Show%20All&view=Pictures&water=Any&sun=Any&count=36&letter=Any&catagory=Any&account=none&searchword=clarkia&Submit=Display%20Results and there is now some whiplash from selling endangered species. Interesting article and noteworthy that is was front page.

Very interesting. I have no opinion who is right though. I wonder if this record cold killed the ones they want to protect and then they may be happy to get some seed from Bob Case.

And for all of the protestations of the curator at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden, the Garden has TWO collections of this exact Clarkia which are grown in the Mexican section of the Garden. If the public growing this Clarkia jeopardizes the wild populations, doesn't the UC's growing of it also do so, especially since the Garden's in the Berkeley Hills, less than 10 miles from the Oakland Hills population?

Marilyn

>>The way the plant could be harmed in the wild is explained like this: Someone buys the clarkia version found in the Presidio and plants it somewhere in the East Bay, like the Oakland hills. Insects or wind take pollen from that clarkia and mix it with the native plants in the hills, creating a mixed plant that is not fit to survive the hills' hot, dry summers.

Yes, I know - I read the article too. As the article explicitly states, the plant is ALREADY ENDEMIC to a small area in the Oakland hills as well as the Presidio. My question was rhetorical.