Beatrice F. Howitt - talk

© Project SOUND
Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden
Gardening with California Native Plants in Western L.A. County
Project SOUND – 2018 (our 14th year for the series)

© Project SOUND
Beatrice F. Howitt and
her life with wildflowers
C.M. Vadheim, K. Dawdy (and T. Drake)
CSUDH (emeritus), CSUDH & City of Torrance
Madrona Marsh Preserve
January 6 & 11, 2018

2017 was a
challenging year
© Project SOUND
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Cal-Fire-Thomas-Fire-in-Ventura-County-
12407361.php
Returning drought?
Political uncertainties and divisions
Social unrest
https://www.noozhawk.com/article/santa_barbara_santa_maria_break_heat_r
ecords_20171024
http://www.businessinsider.com/las-vegas-shooting-reports-of-
gunman-at-mandalay-bay-casino-2017-10

We need to learn new strategies for coping
© Project SOUND

2018 Season – Gardens that sooth
© Project SOUND
Gardens that heal

During the 2018 season we’ll:
 Discuss evidence linking good
health and exposure to the
out-of-doors
 Learn about the elements of
the out-of-door experience
that most affect our health
 Learn how to incorporate these
elements into our gardens, to
make them even better places
to grow and de-stress
© Project SOUND

Along the way, we’ll meet a few more
persons influential to CA native plants
© Project SOUND
The first of these is Miss Beatrice Faye Howitt

Important CA plantspersons we have ‘met’
© Project SOUND
Kate Sessions (1857-1940)
Blanche Trask (1865-1916)
Lester Rountree (1879 -1979)
Theodore Payne (1872-1963)
Alice Eastwood (1859-1951)
Leroy Abrams (1874-1956)
Katharine Brandegee (1844-1920)
Beatrice F. Howitt (1891-1981)

Beatrice Fay Howitt: 1891-1981
 Born Sept. 23, 1891 in San
Francisco
 Had an older sister and
younger brother
 Grew up in San Rafael, CA; no
major family upheavals
 Had a comfortable life as
daughter of prominent
members of the community
 Belonged to Marin Golf 7
Country Club – in the San
Francisco Blue Book & Club
Registry (1919)
© Project SOUND
The front porch of the Dr. Henry Orton Howitt
residence in San Rafael, California, June 1913

San Francisco Bay region
and Monterey County
 Plays an important early role
for the family – and in
Beatrice Howitt’s life in plants
 San Rafael (early)
 Incorporated 1874
 County seat – Marin County
 By 1910 had courthouse,
Carnegie library,
 Population in 1910 - 5,934
 Muir Woods Nat. Mon. and
Mt. Tamalpais were tourist
attractions in the early 1900’s
 Monterey County (later)
© Project SOUND
http://www.relocationbreakthroughs.com/toppage2.htm

Early exposure to (and
love of) out-of-doors
© Project SOUND
http://contentdm.marinlibrary.org/digital/collection/howitt/id/1/rec/3
Beatrice Howitt and Alice Oge swimming in
the San Rafael Canal, San Rafael, CA,
September 1913
https://annetkent.kontribune.com/articles/6056
 Family and friends loved sports
and getting out of doors
 Hiked, swam, took rides out to
the surrounding countryside and
wildlands (which were close at
hand and popular to visit)

Father was a prominent
early San Rafael doctor
 Harry Orton Howitt M.D.
 Born Guelph Nova Scotia ; 2 brothers
also became doctors
 MD 1887 from Cooper Medical College,
San Francisco (became Stanford
Medical School)
 Practiced medicine in San Rafael,
beginning in 1893 and continued into the
1950’s
 Died at age 90 after over 60 years as a
practicing physician
© Project SOUND
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10729382/stepfather_of_lambie_hodgins_nee/

Father was in some ways
typical for his time
 In the early days, made house calls in
a horse and buggy
 In addition to private practice,
served as county physician and county
health officer for many years
 Installed a few hospital beds in the
family home in early days
 A founder of the old Cottage
Hospital in San Rafael and the doctor
for the Mt. Tamalpais Military
Academy.
© Project SOUND
Dr. Henry Orton Howitt beside his
car in San Rafael, CA, Feb. 914
Cottage Hospital

SAN RAFAEL COTTAGE HOSPITAL IN
ITS NEW QUARTERS [1907]
 Now One of the Most Modern and up-to-
Date Institutions in the Country
 No expense or ability has been spared to
make it an ideal place for the accommodation
of its inmates.
 There is a broad driveway leading into the
grounds where ambulances and carriages can
bring the ill or injured.
 Two operating rooms that are models of all
that operating rooms should be, are at
disposal in cases requiring them. Adjoining
them is a sterilizing room.
 The whole building, speaks of cleanliness
and modem sanitary conditions.
© Project SOUND
Marin County Tocsin, Volume 28, Number 49,
18 May 1907
The hospital is the headquarters for
the Emergency Corps and the best
trained nurses and attendants are
always in charge

Medicine, hospitals and public health
practices were changing in the early 1900’s
 Better understanding of infectious
diseases and contagion; more
emphasis on sterile conditions
 Increased use of laboratory and
laboratory tests – in-hospital
laboratories became more common
© Project SOUND
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:King_George_Hospital,_war
d_(c._1915-1918)_Wellcome_L0024173.jpg
https://cms.www.countway.harvard.edu/wp/?tag=peter-bent-brigham-hospital

Early laboratory
training on-the-job
 As a young woman, Miss
Howitt was a general assistant
to her father, developing an
interest in medical sciences
 Led her to obtain a part-time
job in the laboratory of
Stanford Medical School.
 During World War I, Miss
Howitt virtually took over
operation of the lab.
 Pursued higher education in
laboratory medicine at UC
Berkeley
© Project SOUNDhttp://ww1blog.osborneink.com/?p=8358
http://www.darkdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/library-of-medicine-mouth-pipetting.jpg

 The University of California had its beginnings in the private College of
California, which was incorporated in Oakland in 1855 (opened in 1860)
 1868 marked the actual establishment of the University of California by
the merger of the College of California with a proposed State
Agricultural, Mining, and Mechanical Arts College
© Project SOUND
http://www.berkeley.edu/jump-pages/news/happy-birthday-uc-berkeley-charter-day-
celebrates-our-founding-on-march-23

© Project SOUND
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/62909726020453529/
Doe Memorial Library - 1928
Beatrice Howitt entered as a freshman in 1920
https://slicesofbluesky.com/uc-berkeley-postcard/

The early 1900’s –and WW I - had a profound
impact on medicine – including public health
© Project SOUND
http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/HUMN/8150/01/mm/timeline/publichealth.html
In 1912, Public Health and Marine Hospital Service changed its name to
Public Health Service (PHS). Congress expanded their power to protect
against human diseases such as tuberculosis, hookworm, malaria, and
leprosy. They also began oversight of sanitation, water supplies, and
sewage disposal in the United States.

Bacteriology and Immunology at Cal
 A Department of Bacteriology and Pathology
established in 1911 under the chairmanship
of Dr. Frederick P. Gay.
 Part of the medical school, the department
ministered largely to the needs of medical
students.
 Under Dr. Karl F. Meyer (chairman 1924-
1946), and with the collaboration of Drs.
Max S. Marshall, Ivan C. Hall, Anthony J.
Salle, and Theodore D. Beckwith, the
offerings in bacteriology were broadened
and research programs were initiated in
several areas of microbiology.
© Project SOUND
http://www.aai.org/About/History/Past-
Presidents-and-
Officers/FrederickPGay
Frederick Parker Gay
(1874 –1939)
American bacteriologist who
combated typhoid fever and
leprosy and studied the
mechanisms of immunity.

© Project SOUND
http://digitalassets.lib.berkeley.edu/generalcatalog/text/b100640394_1920_21_v.1.pdf
The course offerings in 1921 were a
little slim!

© Project SOUND
Cal bacteriology faculty studied the major
infectious disease issues of the day
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC379021/?page=1

© Project SOUND
Female faculty were also actively involved
in research and publishing
 Faculty research included studies of new
laboratory methods
 Some early vaccine research was done at
Cal when Howitt was a student

Berkeley science
campus in mid-1920’s
These building would have been
very familiar to Beatrice Howitt
© Project SOUND
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/history/botanyatberkeley/
the Hearst Memorial Mining Building, circa 1925.
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/about/history/lipps4.php
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/Exhibits/physics/checklist.html

Howitt received a sound background in lab
science at Cal in the 1920’s
 B.A. in bacteriology in 1924
 M.A. in proto-zoology the
following year.
© Project SOUND
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/nih_origins/laboratory.html

Protozoology - 1925
© Project SOUND
Note how practical the courses
are.

Charles Atwood Kofoid (1865 – 1947)
 Beatrice Howitt’s Master’s advisor;
taught all protozoal and parasitology
courses at the time Howitt was a student
 Ph.D. Harvard; Chair Zoology at Berkeley
(1910-1936)
 Real interest was in marine protozoans;
developed expertise as a parasitologist
and became interested in public health
during WWI (U.S. Army Sanitation
Corps)
 Established a parasitology laboratory at
Berkeley that employed many young
assistants
© Project SOUND
http://www.itcamefromthepond.com/tag/kofoid/

University of California Botanical Garden
Formally established (1890) by E. L. Greene (first chairman of the
Department of Botany), to form a living collection of the native trees,
shrubs, and herbaceous plants of California, with the intent to gather in as
rapidly as possible those of the neighboring states of the Pacific Coast.
© Project SOUND
http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/the-garden
Moved to Strawberry Hill,
1925

But mostly she worked on her research
 Howitt, B. F. 1925.-The culture of
Endamoeba gingivalis (Gros.). Univ. Calif.
Publ. Zool., 28: 65-126, pls. 10-12.
 1926a.-The effect of certain drugs and
dyes upon the growth of Endamoeba
gingivalis (Gros) in vitro. Univ. Calif.
.Publ. Zool., 28: 173-182.
 1926b.-Experiments with Endamoeba
gingivalis (Gros) in mixed bacterial
cultures; in filtered saliva; on a solid
base; with peritoneal cells, and with
digestive secretions. Univ. Calif. Publ.
Zool., 28:183-202, pls. 16-17.
© Project SOUND
1925
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b4576248;view=2up;seq=4

Graduate work
leads to career
 Miss Howitt’s graduate work in
researching the amoeba of the
mouth led her to work on mouth
bacteria and viruses, primarily
poliomyelitis and encephalomyelitis
 Poliomyelitis and encephalomyelitis
became her specialties.
 In the 1920’s, there was much still
unknown about the ‘filterable
viruses’.
 An important research facility was
the Hooper Foundation, where
Howitt went to work.
© Project SOUND
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0042682205005830
https://www.elsevier.com/connect/remembering-the-dreaded-summers-of-polio

Hooper Foundation for Medical Research
 1913 - first U.S. medical research foundation incorporated into a
university [University of California]
 Key role in public health and infectious disease research/practice
 California outbreaks of botulism, brucellosis, encephalitis, mussel
poisoning, plague, psittacosis, relapsing fever, and other infections
were studied in both the field and Foundation laboratories with
remarkable success.
 Studies on typhoid and parathyphoid carrier states, on the diagnosis
of dysentery, and the bacteriology of Malta fever. Brucella was
identified/named; Brucellosis was identified as an important
infection of packing-house employees.
 During World War I, anaerobes were classified and tetanus spore
carriers were recognized.
 Largely responsible for the investigation that led to the control of
botulism in the commercial canning industry.
 Second Director Karl Friedrich Meyer (B. Howitt’s professor from Cal)
© Project SOUND

 Born in Switzerland
 Inspired by the animal research of scientists
such as Pasteur & Koch
 Veterinary medicine training in Switzerland
and Germany
 Post-doctoral training at Veterinary
Bacteriological Institute in South Africa to
broaden his background in protozoology and
epidemiology
 Taught at U. of Pennsylvania, Cal Berkeley,
UCSF
 Director, Hooper Foundation, 1921-1959
© Project SOUND
Karl Friedrich Meyer (1884-1974)
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/Exhibits/Biotech
/meyer.html

Meyer came to academia at an fascinating time in
the study of infectious disease
© Project SOUND
 First article on filterable viruses (1914) marked the
beginning of his research on the cause of equine encephalitis
(not to be found until 1930 by Meyer and Howitt at the
Hooper). [Howitt isolated from humans in 1938]
 In 1915 (at Hooper) Meyer worked on the problem of
typhoid fever. A spaghetti pie served at a church dinner had
caused the poisoning of one hundred people. Meyer found
that the woman who cooked the pie had given many people
typhoid fever in the preceding six years. The experience
convinced him of the importance of epidemiology in public
health. It also interested him in a study of typhoid carriers.
He demonstrated that the phenomenon of typhoid carriers
could be recreated by infecting laboratory animals.

Meyer’s interests and personality
dominated the Hooper Institute
© Project SOUND
https://academic.oup.com/femspd/article/73/6/ftv039/2467620
 He contributed significantly to the
understanding, treatment, and
prevention of many infectious (and
other) diseases.
 His contributions and achievements
were founded on his holistic, ecological
approach.
 His 1930s Public Health curriculum at
the University of California played a
large role in the creation of the UC
Berkeley School of Public Health.

In some ways, K.F. Meyer was the ‘larger
than life’ persona of the Hooper
 A former student and friend once put it like this: “Meyer
would have won a Nobel Prize if he hadn’t worked on so
many areas of discovery that nobody could keep track of
all that he was doing”.
 Published > 800 articles
 Responsible, among others, for improving laws regulating
hygiene in the food industries and in public health.
 He deserves credit for establishing training programs in
Public Health in California (and the Western US).
 He was famous for being an excellent and inspiring though
very demanding teacher. His lectures, always most
diligently prepared, were all brilliant, dynamic, captivating,
and demanded a great deal from all students. His lectures
were famous and attracted great numbers of students
© Project SOUND

© Project SOUND
Howitt played a vital role in the
studies of viral infections of the
nervous system
https://academic.oup.com/jid/article-abstract/51/3/493/868274?redirectedFrom=fulltext

Howitt developed a
vaccine for polio using
convalescent serum
© Project SOUNDhttps://academic.oup.com/jid/article-abstract/50/1/47/2193173?redirectedFrom=fulltext
 Late 1800’s – first reported
cases (Scandinavia)
 Early 1900’s
 First epidemics in U.S.
 Shown to be a filterable virus
 Late 1920’s – 1930’s
 More serious U.S. outbreaks
 Howitt & others worked on the
polio virus, including the effect
of antibodies in convalescent
serum on polio transmission in
the laboratory

Beatrice F.
Howitt, M.A.
© Project SOUND
https://books.google.com/books?id=mZA1AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA720&dq=Beatric
e+F+Howitt&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjztIukivvXAhUK3GMKHSkeDG44eB
DoAQgoMAA#v=onepage&q=Beatrice%20F%20Howitt&f=false
 Associate in Research Medicine,
Hooper Institute UCSF Medical
School – 1928 until early 1940’s
 Did the lab work for many of the
important studies of that era at
the Hooper
https://www.ucsf.edu/about/history-1

Bigger than life
personality
 Meyer’s personality, his enormous
knowledge combined with his energy
and extraordinary drive were just
what was needed to tackle the many
pioneering tasks.
 That being said:
 He was demanding
 He could be ruthless in his criticisms
(sometimes in front of others)
 He could be set in his ways
 He like to be in charge: all research
done at the Hooper was first
reviewed by Meyer
 He had an EGO
 He liked subordinates (especially
women) to ‘know their place’
© Project SOUNDhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Friedrich_Meyer

 Meyer ‘reportedly wanted to
replace Dr. Beatrice F. Howitt, a
woman scientist deemed too
“independent”, with a genial and
competent male researcher
competent with viruses of the
central nervous system. The
gender biases that pervaded the
scientific community provided
Hammon with a rare professional
opportunity’
© Project SOUND
By the end of the 1930’s, Meyer and
Howitt were increasingly at odds
Selling Science: Polio and the Promise of
Gamma Globulin. By Stephen E. Mawdsley

The George Williams Hooper Research
Foundation – early 1940’s
 ‘Because she was a very
independent lady. At times she
was very, very difficult to work
with, and she was always
getting mad about something
and slipping a resignation
letter under his door. He
decided this time to accept it.’
- Reeves
© Project SOUND
http://history.library.ucsf.edu/1899_photo28.html
Howitt left the Hooper
and worked in private
industry for a few years

USPHS Rocky Mountain
Laboratory, Hamilton,
Montana
 In 1944, the U.S. Public Heath
Service sent her to Hamilton,
Mont., to supervise production of
vaccine for Rocky Mountain
spotted fever.
 Miss Howitt also developed an
influenza gamma globulin vaccine
for the Army during World War
II
© Project SOUND
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/phs_history/contributions.html
Packing typhus vaccine for shipment
http://brewminate.com/how-world-war-ii-spurred-vaccine-innovation/

After the War, helped create and run the
Virus and Rickettsia Lab for the USPHS
 After World War II, Miss Howitt
spent six years at the Health
Service laboratory in Montgomery,
Ala., creating a virus laboratory
there.
 This lab was one of several satellite
labs of the Centers for Disease
Control (CDC)
 Miss Howitt worked at the CDC lab
until the early 1950’s
© Project SOUND
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biocontainment

Late 1940’s and early 1950’s: Breakthrough
studies of Coxsackie viruses
 Discovered by Dalldorf in 1947
 Can cause acute transverse myelitis
 Howitt contributions:
 Lab testing methods
 Description of basic epidemiology,
immunology, clinical findings
 Virus and Rickettsia Section and
Laboratory Services, Montgomery,
Ala./U. S. Public Health Service,
Atlanta, Ga (CDC lab)
© Project SOUND
https://www.slideshare.net/doctorrao/coxsackieviruses-an-update

Recovery of the Coxsackie Group of
Viruses from Human Sources -
Experimental Biology & Medicine - March 1, 1950
 One hundred eight isolations of the Coxsackie group of viruses have been made from the secretions
or tissues of 97 patients from 9 different states with multiple isolations from different kinds of
specimens from 6 separate individuals. Virus was recovered a second time from 9 different
specimens. The strains obtained may be divided into 4 distinct serological types. Two of them
correspond to Types 1 and 2 of Dalldorf; the other 2, tentatively called Types 4 and 5, are
antigenically different. The viruses have been recovered from human blood, Serum, brain, cord,
mouth or nasopharyngeal washings, saliva, sputum, nasal swabs, mouth vesicles, urine and feces with a
predominance of Types 4, 5 and 2, respectively. The highest percentage of isolations was from the
blood, 22 out of 25 (88.0%) specimens being positive. The virus was found also in material from 10
fatal cases and could be recovered repeatedly from 5 of the same specimens. It was easily isolated
from mouth washings during the first week of illness, and on 3 occasions was obtained again from the
same patients during the third week after the onset. The largest number of isolations was from
material obtained during August and September, with another large group collected in March.
Neutralizing antibodies for Types 1 and 2 were found not only in the sera of patients but in those of
a few normal individuals as well. The sera of 7 out of 8 individuals showed neutralizing an tibodies
against their homologous viruses. Type 4 virus has been recovered 3 times from muscle filtrates of
normal baby mice and there is evidence that the Coxsackie viruses may be disseminated in the
laboratory, thus accounting for some of the isolations.
© Project SOUND
Virus and Rickettsia Section and Laboratory Services, Montgomery, Ala., U. S.
Public Health Service, Atlanta, Ga.

In her early 60’s (the early 1950’s), Howitt gave up her
life in virology and moved back to California
© Project SOUND
https://irp.nih.gov/catalyst/v20i5/an-nih-research-dynasty-
in-building-3
http://www.pbase.com/image/70903687
She devoted the rest of her life to California natural history,
conservation and the flora of Monterey County

Why such a radical change? We won’t
ever really know for sure
 Perhaps she missed her longtime
home
 Perhaps she was tired of the fast
pace of biomedical research
 Perhaps she was fed up with the
politics
 Perhaps she needed to rest and
heal after a lifetime of stress
 Or perhaps she still had some
items on her bucket list
© Project SOUND

Del Monte Park
 Unincorporated until 1972; annexed
by Pacific Grove.
 Eclectic mix: old cabins on large lots
to newer homes from 1950’s & 60’s.
 Close to ocean and the natural
areas of the Monterey Peninsula
© Project SOUND
https://www.montereyrentals.com/assets/photos/unit276/slide/photo_
dmp-hillside-terrace_10914.jpg
https://www.tideschart.com/United-States/California/Santa-Cruz-County/Del-
Monte-Beach/
https://trip101.com/article/best-things-to-do-in-pacific-grove-ca

Monterey County
 First explored 1602 (Vizcaino)
 Located on the Central Coast, ~ 45 miles from
San Jose and 106 miles from San Francisco.
 The Salinas Valley extends through the heart
of the County, making Monterey the third
largest agricultural county in CA.
 3,280.6 square miles; 132.7 people per
square mile
© Project SOUND
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterey_County,_California
https://www.expedia.com/Del-Monte-Beach-
Monterey.d6327606.Vacation-Attraction
http://monterey.lafco.ca.gov/

Geographically
diverse County
© Project SOUND
http://www.maphill.com/united-states/california/monterey-county/maps/physical-map/
https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science/condition/mbnms/history.html
 Elevations: sea level to 5,865
ft. (1,788 m)
 13% of County is water; 87%
land
 Relatively long coastline; plant
communities influenced by
ocean
 Much of area included in the
Santa Lucia and Gabilan
mountain ranges
 Large amount of biodiversity

 Marsh/wetlands
 Coastal strand
 N. coastal scrub
 Coastal chaparral
 Gowan cypress woodland
 Coast liveoak woodland
 Riparian woodland
 Monterey pine forest
 Grassland
 Redwood forest
 Monterey cypress forest
© Project SOUND
Plant communities:
Monterey Co.

Lots and lots of
green space
 8 State Parks & Reserves
•Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine
Research Reserve
•Fremont Peak State Park
•Garrapata State Park
•Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
•Monterey State Historic Park
•Moss Landing State Wildlife Area
•Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
•Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
 5 National Parks, Forests &
Sanctuaries
•Fort Ord National Monument
•Los Padres National Forest (part)
•Monterey Bay National Marine
Sanctuary
•Pinnacles National Park (part)
•Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge
© Project SOUND
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/249994143_In-color-online-Monterey-County-
Land-use-plan-designations-re-fl-ect-public
 8 County parks
 Hastings Reservation (U.C.)

Hastings
Reservation:
a special sort
of green
space
 Located in the Santa Lucia mountain range, Monterey County
 A representative ecosystem of about 2,500 acres, established in
1937 to be managed with minimal disturbance for research and
education.
 Encourages a community of researchers to live lightly in the
ecosystem they study.
 Over 3,000 specimens of plants in the Hastings herbarium
© Project SOUND
http://www.pgmuseum.org/museum-events/2017/3/31/gvrwnbrzgoshfqrhdky708yutrzq7k

The Hastings Reserve
is unique
 Located in the Sierra de Salinas, on the most northerly end of the
Santa Lucia Range that makes up the Big Sur wilderness.
 Includes the confluence of three seasonal creeks that feed into Finch
Creek, and then the Carmel River.
 Immediately adjacent are a complex of vernal pools and springs
 Most of Hastings has not been grazed for 70 years; the reserve is
home to several rare, unplowed native perennial grasslands. All this
lends high conservation interest and value to the reserve.
 Within driving distance are redwood forests, coastal terrace
grasslands, central valley foothills, stands of endemic pine and cypress,
and diverse, endemic shrub communities.
© Project SOUND
http://bfs.igb-berlin.de/index.php/biological-field-station-fact-
sheet/hastings_natural_history_reservation.html

Hastings Natural History Reservation
 After moving to Monterey Co.,
Miss Howitt obtained a part-
time job at Hastings Natural
History Reservation.
 Spent six years at Hastings
 It turns out that Miss Howitt’s
timing and skill set was just
right: love of place, passion for
plants, good observation skills,
immense patience
© Project SOUND
The Hastings Reserve was a great place to begin work on
her next big project – a flora of Monterey County

Among the natives Miss Howitt loved
were the geophytes (bulbs & corms)
© Project SOUND

There are 19 Brodiaeas native to CA
© Project SOUND
Many have limited ranges, and some are very rare
Brodiaea jolonensis

© Project SOUND
*Golden brodiaea (Prettyface) – Triteleia ixioides
Beatrice F. Howitt © California Academy of Sciences

 Southern Oregon south to c. California
 Mountain ranges and foothills: Sierras
Nevada, Klamath, N. Coast and Tehachapi
Ranges, from 2000-9000 ft. elevation.
 Dry conditions in various plant
communities (forest margins to scrub) in
gravely or sandy soils
 .
© Project SOUND
*Golden brodiaea (Prettyface) – Triteleia ixioides
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=47357
Gladys Lucille Smith © California Academy of Sciences
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flor
a_id=1&taxon_id=242102031
http://sierrafoothillgarden.com/2015/04/29/the-wildflowers-yellows-and-
whites/pretty-face-triteleia-ixioides-4/

© Project SOUND
Golden brodiaea – a simple perennial
 Size:
 1-2 ft tall
 to 1 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Herbaceous perennial from a
corm
 Foliage usually dies back before
flowering
 Foliage:
 Leaves (one or two) very slender,
grass-like
 Corms: are edible; use like a potato
(starchy – taste like potato)
Gerald and Buff Corsi © California Academy of Sciences

© Project SOUND
Pretty face, indeed!
 Blooms: in spring – Mar-June in
wilds; more often Mar-Apr in
western Los Angeles Co.
 Flowers:
 Lovely, golden yellow with
rust accents
 Flowers in loose bunches –
like a bouquet
 6 tepals (sepals & petals look
the same)
 Flowers up to 1 inch long
 Attract insect pollinators,
hummingbirds
 Seeds: hard, dark seeds; easy
to grow from seed
©2009 Thomas Stoughton
https://www.yosemitehikes.com/wildflowers/pretty-face/gallery-scabra.htm

Easy to grow from corms
 Be sure to order corms early
(summer) as they sell out
quickly
 Corms will be send by grower in
the fall (they harvest, then
send them)
 Plant at ~ 3 times their height
deep (e.g. 4-5 inches) as soon as
soil is soft enough to dig
 Supplement fall/winter rains as
needed
© Project SOUND
©2009 by Ken Gilliland
Corms grown from seed take
3-4 years to reach a size
where plants will flower

© Project SOUND
Plant Needs
 Soils:
 Texture: well-drained soils (sandy
or rocky) best, but any will do
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Part-shade best in most gardens
(dappled sun or afternoon shade);
full sun right at coast
 Water:
 Winter: moist soils; supplement as
needed
 Summer: none after leaves die
back
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils;
single dose ½ strength for container
grown plants
 Other: organic mulch OK

© Project SOUND
Pretty in Garden
 In shady beds, under trees; OK
with occasional summer water
 In mixed plantings with annual
wildflowers and grasses
 On summer-dry slopes
 As an attractive pot plant
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triteleia_ixioides
http://www.greatplantpicks.org/plantlists/view/1580
https://hiveminer.com/Tags/triteleia

Triteleia ixioides ‘Starlight’
© Project SOUND
©2009 by Ken Gilliland
Agave parryi, Triteleia ixioides 'Starlight', Eriogonum
umbellatum, and Allium schubertii in May
 Paler yellow flowers
 Garden-tested; planted a lot -widely
available
 Takes occasional summer water and
heavy soils
http://www.nova.co.at/marsNova/en/insta
nce/ko/Triteleia.xhtml?oid=91278

Triteleia ixioides ‘Tiger’
 Bred from High Sierra ssp.
(scabra)
 Sometimes known as Triteleia
unifolia
 Pale yellow flowers; slightly
broader tepals
 Earlier blooming; produces
lots of long-lasting flowers
© Project SOUND
http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/FavoriteYellowFloweredBul
bsFour

Planting native bulbs helps preserve our
special California natural heritage
© Project SOUND

Mariposas are some of our prettiest natives
© Project SOUND

A number of Calachortus do well in mild,
summer-dry climates like ours
 Calochortus albus
 C. catalinae
 C. flexuosus
 C. dunnii
 C. splendens
 C. venustus
 C. concolor
 C. kennedyi
 C. clavatus
 C. ambiguous
 C. plummerae
 And others
© Project SOUND
Calochortus catalinae

© Project SOUND
Splendid mariposa lily – Calochortus splendens

 Catalina Isl., Santa Monica Mountains, Puente Hills,
San Gabriel Foothills
 First collected in L.A. Co. 1895 (A. Davidson)
 Collected by Leroy Abrams, Katherine Brandegee,
Beatrice Howitt (1955; Hastings Reservoir,
Monterey Co.)
 Calochortus davidsonianus Abrams
© Project SOUND
Splendid mariposa lily – Calochortus splendens
©2006 Steven Thorsted ©2008 Gary A. Monroe
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101494

Was Leroy Abrams correct? Jury’s still out
© Project SOUND
Calachortus davidsonii Calochortus splendens
http://tchester.org/plants/analysis/calochortus/davidsonianus_splendens.html

© Project SOUND
Splendid mariposa: typical of dryland species
 Size:
 1-2 ft tall
 To 1 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Herbaceous perennial from a
bulb
 Plant dies back to the bulb
after flowering
 Foliage:
 Sparse foliage
 Narrow leaves often wither
before flowering
©2006 Steven Thorsted

Calochortus are
true bulbs
 Turban-shaped with many
layers (like an onion); new
layer added each year
 Bulbs often small
 C. splendens has a membranous
coat
 Plants (when available) most
often sold as bulbs; seed-
grown plants take 3-5 years to
flower.
 In wilds, plants only flower
(and grow much) in favorable
years
© Project SOUND
Calochortus bulbs are edible

© Project SOUND
Lovely flowers
 Blooms: mid- to late spring; April
to June depending on weather,
soil moisture.
 Flowers:
 Lovely shade of pink (pale to
magenta) with accents of
paler and darker pink
 Flowers begin with petals
tightly rolled; unroll over time
 Flowers on slender stalks –
wave in breeze
 Many insect pollinators
 Seeds: pale, flat seeds (can grow
plants from seed)

© Project SOUND
Plant Requirements  Soils:
 Texture: well-drained soils
best
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Full sun to light shade; usually
out in the open in nature.
 Water:
 Winter: supplement in dry
winters
 Summer: withhold once leaves
start to wither. Needs to be
summer-dry
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
 Other: light leaf litter is best
mulch

© Project SOUND
Use in dry places
 Great for rock gardens or along
pathways – or on dry slopes
 Combines with other native
bulbs and wildflowers
 As an accent in summer-dry
containers
http://mdia.org/site/component/content/article/2-information/148-
wildflower-guide-blue-purple
https://nargs.org/forum/calochortus-cultivation?page=3

Native bulbs give us a sense of place &
something to look forward to, year after year
© Project SOUND
Brodiaea elegans

Gardens that sooth – Gardens that heal
1. Include something that you
can anticipate, year after
year
Watching seasonal perennials
return every spring gives us a
sense of wonder. It also roots
us to the earth and to the
seasons. Bulbs/corms provide
some of the best – and easiest -
seasonal ‘treats’. They give us
hope for the future.
© Project SOUND
Lessons & guides

Founder, Monterey Bay Chapter, CNPS
© Project SOUND
CNPS asked Miss Howitt to form the chapter

Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
 Est. 1883
 Long-established native
plant garden; mostly
refurbished and enhanced in
2000
 Large collections for such a
small community
 Focus on local area:
 Flora & fauna
 Geology
 Marine biology
 Anthropology
 History
© Project SOUND
https://hitraveltales.com/pacific-grove-museum-area-natural-history-comes-alive/

The museum and Monterey Bay Chapter,
CNPS host an Annual Wildflower Show
 The largest wildflower show in the Northern and Western Hemispheres.
Immerse yourself in a sea of more than 600 species and varieties of Central
Coast wildflowers and learn about the diverse native plant habitats of
Monterey County during this long weekend of botanical fun.
© Project SOUND

Miss Howitt started the Annual Wildflower Show
 Vern Yadon recounted that first spring in 1961 when he worked with Beatrice
Howitt, founder of the Monterey Bay Chapter CNPS, to gather specimens for the
show. "She went out in one direction, I went out in another. We worked all day
naming things we'd collected, putting the show together until midnight. We had
256 different plant species."
© Project SOUND
The show was so well-
received that they
decided to make it an
annual event.
http://northcoastcnps.org/index.php/activities/calendar/42-topmenucontent/home/162-
april12-2017-program

What makes California wildflowers so alluring?
 They are seasonal; coincide
with spring
 They are ephemeral
 They may have unusual
characteristics
 They are sometimes rare
 They come in the most
fantastic colors!
© Project SOUND
What’s not to like?
http://yrekachamber.com/event/wildflower-show/

Wildflowers of the Monterey Area California
 Author: Beatrice F. Howitt
 Published: 1965, Wheelwright Press
 spiral-bound
© Project SOUNDhttps://montereybay.cnps.org/http://bnybt.kingme2016.us/index.php?page=540

The genus Layia provides spring yellows
throughout California
 14 species in CA
 All are annual wildflowers in
Sunflower family
 Most are from N. Coast or the
Sierras; some are rare, local
endemics
 Many gardeners, throughout
the world, use Tidytips to
brighten their spring gardens
© Project SOUND
Layia platyglossa

© Project SOUND
White tidytips – Layia glandulosa

 Deserts, coasts and foothills of western N.
America, from the Pacific coast in central and S.
CA. to B.C. to s.w. ID, s. to NM, AZ & Baja
 Locally: San Gabriels, Tehachapis
 Collected by everyone: Leroy Abrams, the
Brandegees, Alice Eastwood, Roxana Ferris, E.L.
Greene, John Thomas Howell, Beatrice Howitt,
W.L. Jepson, P.A. Munz, the Parishes,
© Project SOUND
White tidytips – Layia glandulosa
http://www.abdnha.org/pages/03flora/reports/current_12042016.htm

© Project SOUND
White tidytips is similar to regular tidytips
 Size:
 1-2 ft tall
 1 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Herbaceous annual wildflower
 Dies after setting seeds
 Foliage:
 More sparse then regular
Tidytips and mostly basal
 Leaves oval to linear, hairy and
sticky-glandular.
 May be scented
©1988 Gary A. Monroe

© Project SOUND
White flowers: nice
 Blooms: in spring (Mar-May in
wilds; often Mar-Apr in local
gardens)
 Flowers:
 Several to 10+ per plant
 In heads typical of Sunflowers
 Ray flowers usually completely
white (sometimes pale yellow)
 Disk flowers golden yellow
 Very pretty – and attract lots
of bee pollinators
 Seeds:
 Typical small sunflower type
with bristles
Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences
©2006 Chris Wagner, SBNF

© Project SOUND
Easy to please
 Soils:
 Texture: any local
 pH: any local
 Light: full sun
 Water:
 Winter: needs good rains or
irrigation from Dec. on.
 Summer: withhold after
flowering to insure good seed
production
 Other: no mulch or gravel or thin
leaf litter – no heavy mulch (seeds
need light to germinate).
©2013 Jean Pawek

© Project SOUND
White’s so useful
 Include in a prairie planting with
other wildflowers & grasses
 Mass for a brilliant accent; use with
brightly colored spring wildflowers
 As an attractive pot plant; use with
colorful contrasting color
©2003 Charles E. Jones
©2013 Jean Pawek
http://wnmu.edu/academic/nspages/gilaflora/layia_glandulosa.html

Annual wildflowers are good for the soul
© Project SOUND
https://grownatives.cnps.org/category/wildflowers/

2. Use annual wildflowers to
provide the colors you love in
spring and summer
Color has profound effects on all
of us (more on that in the future).
Use spots of color to brighten your
days, provide food for birds,
pollinators (even your family) and
teach others about our natural
heritage.
© Project SOUND
Lessons & guides

The Gilias provide some of our best blues
© Project SOUND
Gilia capitata

© Project SOUND
California (Showy) gilia – Gilia achilleifolia

© Project SOUND
California (Showy) gilia – Gilia achilleifolia
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_cpn.pl?GIAC2
https://naturalhistorywanderings.com/2010/05/01/mines-road-wildflowers/
 Coast Ranges from San Diego Co. to Marin &
Contra Costa Cos.
 El Segundo dunes, San Gabriel foothills
 First collected by David Douglas - 1833
 Collected by Leroy Abrams, the Brandegees,
Alice Eastwood, Roxana Ferris, Beatrice F.
Howitt (Monterey Co,)

© Project SOUND
Foliage similar to Globe gilia, but more open
 Size:
 1-2 ft tall
 1-2 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Annual wildflower
 Slender, erect habit
 Plant dies after producing seeds
 Foliage:
 Leaves highly dissected, giving a
lacy appearance
 A bit more open than Globe gilia,
but otherwise similar

© Project SOUND
Old-fashioned Flowers
 Blooms: later spring, usually May
or June in our area, may be earlier
 Flowers:
 Color: blue-violet to lilac
 Small, funnel-shaped flowers
with 5 petals
 Blue pollen
 Attracts butterflies and other
pollinators
 Showy plant – used throughout
U.S.
 Seeds:
 Small, pale
 Loved by birds; save some
©2017 John Doyen

© Project SOUND
 Texture: most local soils
 pH: any local
 Light: full sun to some shade; OK
in light shade under trees.
 Water:
 Winter: supplement if needed
in a dry year. Don’t let small
plants dry out.
 Summer: taper off when
begins to flower
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils;
½ strength dose for pot-grown.
 Other: no or inorganic mulch
best; light leaf mulch OK

© Project SOUND
Touch of blue/violet
 Pretty along pathways or mid-bed.
 Contrast with yellow or white
flowers; mass for drama
 Pollinator garden standby
 As an attractive pot plant
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/773563673467150176/?lp=true
https://plantlust.com/plant_index/gilia

Massing contrasting flower colors creates
a show worth waiting for
© Project SOUND
https://www.pinterest.com/lymmi/ca-native-gardening/?lp=true

The Vascular Plants of Monterey County,
California
© Project SOUND
https://www.amazon.com/Beatrice-F.-Howitt/e/B00IUN3EKM
 Vascular Plants of Monterey County
California with Supplement
Paperback – 1964
 Paperback: 184 pages
 Publisher: University of San
Francisco (1964)
 Supplement
 Authors, Beatrice F. Howitt, John
Thomas Howell.
 Publisher, Pacific Grove Museum of
Natural History Association, 1973.
 Length, 60 pages.

© Project SOUND
Douglas’ spineflower – Chorizanthe douglasii
©2014 Jean Pawek
©2004 Brent Miller
 Endemic to the Santa Lucia Mountains and to the San
Gabilan and La Panza ranges of west-central
California. Infrequent, but can be locally common.
 A single collection made in the Santa Cruz Mountains
(Rowntree s.n., 16 Jun 1929, CAS) may have been
made in Santa Cruz County
 Chorizanthe nortonii Greene

Does planting ‘out of range’ annuals hurt
biodiversity?
 Do you live near natural
preserves? May want to
include only those annual
native to area (from local-
source seeds)
 Do you want to plant a
species that hybridizes with
local species? May not want
to plant it
© Project SOUND
That all depends

 Foothills/mountains of the Coast
Ranges from Monterey County
southward into San Bernardino,
Riverside, and Orange counties.
 Another series of populations on
Santa Catalina Island and along
the coast (L.A. Co.) and
immediately adjacent foothills in
Orange and San Diego counties
 In LA. County: Catalina Isl.;
Malibu Lake; ‘Inglewood Hills’;
Santa Monica, San Gabriel, Santa
Susanna & Verdugo Mtns
 Highly variable
© Project SOUND
Turkish rugging – Chorizanthe stacticoides
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_IJM.pl?tid=19357
Sandy to gravelly or rocky
places, coastal scrub, mixed
grassland, chaparral, pine-oak
woodlands, 1000-4000 ft
elevation

© Project SOUND
Douglas’ spineflower: little annual buckwheat
 Size:
 12-15 in. tall
 < 12 in. wide
 Growth form:
 Herbaceous annual wildflower
 Dies after seed set
 Erect; sparsely branched
 Foliage:
 Relatively few leaves, mostly
basal and simple
 Whorl of leaves mid-stem
 Leaves often shrivel before
flowering
©2011 Chris Winchell

© Project SOUND
Flowers: like Red buckwheat
 Blooms: in warmer months – April
to July; usually April-May in our
area.
 Flowers:
 Color: medium to very bright
pink
 Small, buckwheat type flowers
in a spiny, ball-like cluster
 Very showy – and attracts loads
of pollinators
 Seeds: loved by birds: collect
some to insure continuance in
garden.
Gladys Lucille Smith © California Academy of Sciences
©2004 Brent Miller

© Project SOUND
 Texture: well-drained, sandy
soils best, but pretty tolerant
of clays
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Full sun to light shade
 Water:
 Winter: don’t let young plants
dry out; supplement as needed
 Summer: no water after
flowering begins
 Other: no mulch or inorganic
©2014 Jean Pawek

© Project SOUND
Spineflower pink
 As a filler around summer-dry
shrubs or native grasses
 In bird and pollinator gardens
 As an attractive pot plant; pink
like buckwheat in springBeatrice F. Howitt © California Academy of Sciences
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/6363723

Garden seeds and birds: present a challenge
 Many seed-eaters are winter migrants to
our area
 They come in flocks – and they are hungry
 With decreasing natural food sources, they
naturally come to our gardens
 And they love many annual wildflower seeds
© Project SOUND
http://biology.csusb.edu/birds/species/Zonotrichia_l
eucophrys.php
 Partial solutions:
 Conceal the seeds (gravel or sand mulch; thin leaf litter mulch)
 Collect and store seeds; plant only during rainy periods (and as early
as possible)
 Start plants in containers, then transplant

© Project SOUND
* Large-flower Linanthus – Leptosiphon (Linanthus)
grandiflorus
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-
bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Linanthus
grandiflorus
Seeds are more readily available

 CA Floristic Province,
 Locally: Santa Monica Mtns., Catalina, San
Gabriel foothills
 Collected by Beatrice Howitt (1955) in
Santa Lucia Mtns, Monterey Co.
© Project SOUND
Variable linanthus – Leptosiphon parviflorus
https://borregohiking.com/hiking/2017_crh_soapstone_grade_la_cima_trail.html

© Project SOUND
Variable linanthus is - variable
 Size:
 2-12 in. tall (higher elevations
tend to be shorter)
 < 12 in. wide
 Growth form:
 Erect, herbaceous annual
 Slender and delicate; hairy
 Foliage:
 Leaves palmately dissected; in
whorls
 Leaves may disappear before
flowering
 Roots: taproot

© Project SOUND
Delicate flowers
 Blooms: mid-March-June;
dependent on weather conditions
 Flowers:
 Small flowers in clusters
 Flowers close at night
 Color white, pink, yellow
 5 petals; spiky bracts
 Flowers have a long, narrow
corolla tube with nectar at base;
a bee fly, having a long,
extremely slender proboscis,
may pollinate the flower;
 Seeds: many; tan-colored
©2014 Neal Kramer

Collecting and saving wildflower seeds
 Taper off water when flowering
begins
 Let seeds mature & dry on the
plant, if possible
 Collect dry seeds by hand – or
cut off dead plants and place
upside-down in paper bag
 Store seeds (in paper
bag/envelope of glass jar) in
cool, dry place (cool room is
good) until ready to plant
© Project SOUND
http://www.hazmac.biz/091230/091230LeptosiphonParviflorus.html

Why the color variability?
 Stanford scientists
are trying to
answer that
question
 Color genetics may
be related to
adaptations to
serpentine soils
© Project SOUND
White-flowered Leptosiphon parviflorus growing
on sandstone soil, pink-flowered on serpentine.
Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve

© Project SOUND
 Texture: likes well-drained,
but fine in any
 pH: any local
 Light: part-shade best in most
local gardens; fine in high or
dappled shade under trees.
 Water:
 Winter: supplement as
needed; don’t let you plant
dry out
 Summer: taper off when
starts to flowers
 Other: no, inorganic or very
light organic mulch
Margaret Williams, hosted by the USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

© Project SOUND
Showcase in garden
 Possibly best used in containers,
where small flowers can be
admired.
 In rain gardens (edges)
 Along shady pathways
 Massed with other annuals, grasses
– even around sub-shrubs
https://www.cnpsmarin.org/component/igallery/garden?igtype=category&ighidemenu=1&igchild=1&igtags
=Leptosiphon%20parviflorus&searchAll=1&Itemid=135#!Leptosiphon_longitubus_IMG_0998c2
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tcorelli/4483789019

© Project SOUND
* Lindley’s Blazingstar – Mentzelia lindleyi
http://www.bayesianinvestor.com/pix/2005/hamilton1.jpg
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4990,4994,5008
Pleasing to the eye and easy to
grow – a favorite in European
gardens for years!
 Alameda and Santa Clara counties and
western Stanislaus and Fresno counties
(CA endemic)
 Rocky, open slopes, coastal-sage scrub,
oak/pine woodland below 2500 ft.

© Project SOUND
Lindley’s Blazingstar is a star annual wildflower!
 Size:
 1-2 ft tall
 2-3 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Annual wildflower, altho’ form
more reminiscent of a
perennial
 Upright or mounded & sprawly;
much-branched
 Foliage:
 Medium green
 Somewhat dandelion-like
 Fuzzy/hairy
http://www.eol.org/pages/486817
© Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary's College

© Project SOUND
Flowers are magical!
 Blooms:
 Mid- to late-spring - usually April
to June, but varies with rain,
temperature
 Can extend bloom period
somewhat with judicious water
 Flowers:
 Large – to 3” across
 Brilliant, iridescent yellow –
extremely showy & unusual
 Open in late afternoon with
lovely, sweet fragrance – oh so
Victorian!
 Seeds: many small seeds in dry
capsule – plant in fall/winter as the
rains begin
http://image03.webshots.com/3/9/58/1/3195801FhFOqRSYVH_ph.jpg

© Project SOUND
Growth Requirements  Soils:
 Texture: any well-drained
 pH: any local except very
alkali
 Light:
 Full sun best – like most
wildflowers
 Water:
 Winter/spring: needs good
rainfall – supplement as
needed
 Summer: taper off to Zone 1
as blooming ceases; don’t
over-water in clay soils
– but wildflowers often OK with
some fertilizer
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/2450995819_8a0e50b0f3.jpg?v=0

© Project SOUND
Colorful choice for the
late spring garden
 As an attractive container plant –
large pots and urns
 In a mixed bed with perennials and
other native annuals – particularly
nice with blue-flowered plants
 Most showy when planted in masses
 Good choice for slopes
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_wRUPMHSWQ9c/SGKinOtNUGI/AAAAAAAAAHc/g2xF
OFHNUIw/P6090083.JPG
http://delta-intkey.com/angio/images/breg1831.jpg
http://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/plant_display.asp?pr
odid=676

Growing Annuals in Containers
 Choose the right container: at least
10-12” wide and deep
 Choose a lean medium (cheap
potting soil) and amend if needed to
increase drainage
 Label the pot
 Plant seeds in late fall/early winter
 Barely cover with potting soil – or
lightly rake in
 Keep seedlings watered
 Take photos – get to know the
seedlings
 Enjoy the show
 Collect seeds
© Project SOUND

© Project SOUND
* Common Madia – Madia elegans
 West Coast species –
WA to Baja; B. Howitt
knew it well
 Locally in Santa Monica
& San Gabriel Mtns.
 Dry, open, usually
grassy places, in
shrublands, woodlands,
forests often along
roadsides
 Either coarse or clay
soils – gardeners note!
ssp. elegans
ssp. densifolia
ssp. vernalis
ssp. wheeleri

© Project SOUND
Common Madia is a typical annual sunflower
 Size:
 1-3 ft tall
 1-2 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Herbaceous annual
 Erect
 Foliage:
 Leaves mostly below the
flowers, linear
 Hairy to bristly
 Aromatic – unusual – like
tropical fruits
© 2009 Aaron Schusteff

© Project SOUND
One of our showiest
sunflowers
 Blooms: in summer usually Jul-Sept.
 Flowers:
 Typical sunflower heads; about an inch
in diameter
 Ray flowers often clefted – sometimes
markedly so
 Ray flowers often blotched with
maroon – super showy
 Flowers close at mid-day
 Make nice cut flowers
 Seeds:
 Small, tufted sunflower seeds
 Aromatic seeds were parched and
ground for pinole, flavoring
 Many birds also like these seeds
© 2009 Barry Breckling
http://www.backyardnature.net/n/09/090712mb.jpg

© Project SOUND
 Texture: any well-drained
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Full sun to light shade
 Water:
 Winter: moist soils during
growth period
 Summer: taper off water at
end of flowering
– but can’t hurt them
 Other: save some seeds for
next year – or birds may eat
them all!

© Project SOUND
Madias provide nice
summer color, fragrance
 As a showy, larger
addition to the summer
flower garden
 As a food plant – for
yourself or birds
 In the fragrance garden
– be sure to plant where
you’ll enjoy it
© 2004 George W. Hartwell
http://www.anniesannuals.com/signs/M/Madia_elegans.htm

© Project SOUND
Don’t just limit
sunflowers to the
flower garden….
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1222/813282834_54780bbcc1.jpg
http://greenbrae3.exblog.jp/m2009-08-01/
http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?Genus=Madia&Species=elegans

Forest heritage : a natural
history of the Del Monte Forest
 Editor: Beatrice F. Howitt
 Paperback, 56p.
 Published 1972, CA Native Plant
Society/Del Monte Forest Society
 Contributors include G. Ledyard
Stebbins, James Griffin, Beatrice
F. Howitt, Isabella A. Abbott, Alan
Baldridge and others.
 Topics range from floral areas and
marine algae to intertidal
invertebrate animals and mammals.
© Project SOUND
https://diatropebooks.com/howitt-bf-forest-heritage-a-natural-history-of-the-del-monte-
forest/

Publication record
 Howitt, Beatrice F. – over 40 bacteriology/virology
publications from 1912-1950.
 Howitt, Beatrice F and Howell, John Thomas. 1964. The
Vascular Plants of Monterey County, California. Wasman
Journal of Biology 22:1-184.
 Howitt, Beatrice F. 1965 Wildflowers of the Monterey
area, California. Wheelwright Press, UT
 Howitt, Beatrice F. 1972 [1980] Forest heritage : a
natural history of the Del Monte Forest. Del Monte
Forest Foundation [1980]
 Howitt, Beatrice F and Howell, John Thomas. 1973.
Supplement to the vascular plants of Monterey County,
California. Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
Association
© Project SOUND

Beatrice Howitt was also a conservationist
in Monterey County, 1950’s – 1970’s
© Project SOUND
https://www.seemonterey.com/blog/post/tales-from-the-trail-jacks-peak-county-park/

Point Lobos State Nature Reserve
 Est. as state reserve, 1933
 In the 1970’s, Beatrice
Howitt was responsible for
updating and replacing an
herbarium at Point Lobos
Reserve
© Project SOUND
View of China Beach at Point Lobos

Jack’s Peak
Regional Park
 As secretary of the
Nature Conservancy, Miss
Howitt was a principal
figure in the effort to
establish Jacks Peak Park.
© Project SOUND
http://montereyhikes.blogspot.com/2007/06/jacks-peak-regional-park.html

UC Santa Cruz Fort Ord Natural Reserve
 600 acres
 Miss Howitt was involved in establishing a rare plant reserve at
Fort Ord, for which the military installation received a national
award
 Incorporated into the UC Natural Reserve system in June 1996
© Project SOUND

1. Include something that you
can anticipate, year after year
2. Use annual wildflowers to
provide the colors you love in
spring and summer
© Project SOUND
Lessons & guides

What can we learn from Beatrice Howitt’s
life? Many lessons
 Hard work pays off
 Don’t be afraid to follow your
dreams
 Be strong when the going gets tough
 Don ‘t be afraid to change course in
mid-life
 Share your passions: writings,
teaching, clubs, actions,
photographs - even your own front
yard
 Record your memories
© Project SOUND

Get out and plant some wildflowers…
© Project SOUND
… and come back next month to learn about some interesting
plants from the Sonoran Desert
http://www.saguaro-juniper.com/i_and_i/san_pedro/ecoregions/arizona_uplands.html

Beatrice F. Howitt - talk

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