A program of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS), Yerba Buena Chapter.
Plants are the primary producers in nearly all ecosystems and their ability to derive sustenance from inorganic matter and solar radiation makes them paragons of self-sufficiency. Yet species from a diverse collection of California plant families have adapted to bend the autotrophic rules: Enter the mycotrophs and parasites of California. In this wide-ranging presentation, Kipp McMichael will introduce the concept of mycotrophic and parasitic plant life-strategies and will also briefly cover the natural history and biology of non-autotrophic plants. Familiar plants like the mistletoe of yuletide doorways are only the beginning: We’ll view some of California’s most beautiful wildflowers in sunny meadows and chaparral slopes and then move-on to ghostly apparitions lurking in the shadows of the forest. Our subjects will also range from just above the waves of high-tide to the arid arroyos and sand dunes of California’s deserts. The talk will include the author’s photographs of native plants.
See the Calendar of Events webpage for additional information.
Location: San Francisco County Fair Building
9th Avenue & Lincoln Way
in Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, CA