University and Jepson Herbaria

Pipevine swallowtails rely on one species for survival, California pipevine, Aristolochia californica. Watch the latest Jepson Video to learn more!

Check out the new pod cast from In Defense of Plants - Bruce Baldwin, Curator of the Jepson Herbarium, discusses the silversword alliance from Hawaii and their California relatives. Tune in to learn more about tarweeds and adaptive radiation!

This week the Jepson Videos present a double-header about the genus Primula! Our first video describes two commonly encountered lowland species and the second video takes a deep dive into the morphology and terminology used to describe the species in the Jepson eFlora. Special thanks to Bob Allen (@BugBobPhoto) for producing these videos! https://youtu.be/Uw6AcwbeG8s

Many orchids have a special relationship with pollinators. What pollinates California lady’s slipper? Does the plant offer any rewards like pollen or nectar? Watch our latest Jepson Video to learn more!

The Jepson Videos are now organized into playlists! Playlists are organized by family and by region or habitat. It's also fun to browse the "videos" page where there are thumbnails of each video. Happy botanizing! https://www.youtube.com/c/JepsonHerbarium/playlists

The stately big-leaf maple provides respite from the sun on hot days. These trees have conspicuous two-winged fruit, opposite leaves, and pendant racemes of flowers. The latest Jepson Video describes four of the Acer species that occur in California.

Just announced - our schedule of virtual botanical workshops for the first half of 2021! https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/workshops/ We will miss seeing you in person but hope you can join us online!

The snow plant is part of an elaborate network of connectivity between coniferous trees and fungi. They use a fungus to indirectly steal sugars from conifers. For this reason, snow plants are always found beneath or very close to coniferous trees. Check out our new video for more!

Bilberries, huckleberries, and Western blueberry - all California species of Vaccinium!

Beautiful in all of the seasons - attracting leaf cutter bees, bumblebees, hummingbirds, and butterflies!

Four genera of Themidaceae in one video! Close up photos of the distinguishing features clearly show the key differences and help us understand the revised taxonomy. Also, check out the bumblebee moth at the end!

Hello all! It’s that time of year again: SoCalBot Symposium time! As you can imagine, this year things are going to be looking a little different as we transit...ion to a virtual platform. Our topic, Living on the Edge - Plants in Extreme Environments will still be just as fun to discuss virtually, and we’re so looking forward to chatting with you on Oct 24, 2020. Head to our website to get more info on speakers, registration, and the virtual poster session. https://www.socalbot.org/symposia.php : Mentzelia laevicaulis, by Nina House

A baseline for monitoring extinction in the Anthropocene. Jepson Curator Bruce Baldwin and UC/JEPS Director Brent Mishler contributed to an analysis documenting which plants in North America have already gone extinct. Available data suggest 65 vascular plant taxa from this region have become extinct since European settlement, 19 from California alone. Read the open source paper here: https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com//abs/10./cobi.13621

Rhododendrons are popular horticultural plants but did you know we have three native species in California?

Cucumbers, watermelon, and cantaloupe are commonly eaten in summer. Our native Cucurbitaceae also produce amazing fruit that have many uses by wildlife and insects!

Botany Lunch for Fall 2020 We have gone virtual for the Botany Lunch series this semester. Below is the schedule. To receive notices and the Zoom links, you can sign yourself up for the Botany Lunch Google Group at bConnected if you are a member of the UC Berkeley campus. If not, email [email protected] to be added. Aug. 21: Jennifer Sowerwine, Assistant Cooperative Extension Specialist (ESPM); Curator of Food Plants, University and Jepson Herbaria, UC Berkeley. Bioc...Continue reading

Celebrate California's Biodiversity with the Jepson Herbarium! California Biodiversity Day takes place on September 7th of each year, marking the anniversary of the launch of the California Biodiversity Initiative in 2018. This annual event celebrates our state’s exceptional biodiversity, while also encouraging actions to protect it. Starting Saturday, September 5, 2020, events are being held around the state and online to learn about and enjoy our special state. A ful...l list of events is here: https://resources.ca.gov/biodiversityday2020 The Jepson Herbarium is dedicated to studying and sharing resources about floristic diversity in California. Our Jepson Video series is a great way to learn from home and become inspired by the natural beauty that surrounds us. The Jepson eFlora and related resources allow you to identify and learn about the plants of the world biodiversity hotspot we live in. Jepson Videos are here: https://www.youtube.com/c/JepsonHerbarium/videos The Jepson eFlora is here: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora See more

Heading outdoors this weekend? You might encounter Pseudotsuga - one of 5 California genera in the Pinaceae. Watch to learn more about the special features of this genus.

It's hot outside! Perfect weather for tarweeds : ) Check out this video about blow wives, a spring-flowering member of the tarweed lineage.

Rounding out our mini-series on desert taxa, we have a new video on yellow dome! Monoptilon bellioides (desert star) is also found on desert pavement, check out that video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktQ4R5BiXgI&t=2s

One of the most widespread and characteristic annuals of California’s Sonoran and Mojave deserts!