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California Native Plant Society

Santa Clara Valley Chapter

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CANCELLED: Juggling Jewelflowers 
Friday, March 20, 2020 07:30pm
 
Contact Chapter President Vivian Neou at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or the Chapter phone at (650) 260-3450

This event has been cancelled. The Los Altos Library informed us that all public programs in March have been cancelled due to the coronavirus. We will try to reschedule this talk later in the year.

Join us for the latest Chapter announcements and student presentations, meet fellow members and guests and enjoy a program together! Dr. Justen Whittall will discuss the role of flower color in determining taxonomic boundaries, conservation status and restoration priorities for jewelflowers (Streptanthus sp.) on Coyote Ridge in south San Jose. He will provide updates on the “good news” of the reintroduced populations of the white-flowered Metcalf Canyon jewelflower (S. albidus ssp. albidus) atop Tulare Hill nearby.

More recently, his team has turned their attention to the closely related, and comparably rare, pink-flowered most beautiful jewelflower (Streptanthus albidus ssp. peramoenus). They have been investigating the evolutionary and ecological distinctiveness of this controversial taxon. The consistent differences in sepal color and geography between the Metcalf Canyon and most beautiful jewelflowers support continued recognition of these rarities as distinct taxa. Developing a field-ready tool for reliable taxon identification based on sepal color is his team’s next challenge.

Justen B. Whittall was born in Santa Clara; he grew up running trails in the south County and surfing Santa Cruz beaches. He received a BS from Santa Clara University, an MS from Oregon State and a Ph.D. from UC Santa Barbara in Plant Evolution (focusing on North America columbines). Justen has been an Associate Professor at Santa Clara University in Biology since 2007. He has expanded his research to include flower color evolution in arctic mustards (Parrya) and Mediterranean campions (Silene), plus conservation genetics restoration ecology of Strepthanhus and wallflowers (Erysimum). Justen is also the Editor-in- chief of Madroño, a peer-reviewed quarterly journal from the California Botanical Society.

 
Location Los Altos Library Program Room 13 So. San Antonio Road, Los Altos
CNPS General Meetings are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Chapter President Vivian Neou at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or the Chapter phone at (650) 260-3450.
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Upcoming Events

Thu Mar 28 @ 6:00PM - 07:30PM
Ten Easy Steps to Creating a Bird- Friendly Garden, a talk by Vivian Neou
Fri Mar 29 @ 9:00AM - 12:00PM
Friday Edgewood Restoration
Sun Mar 31 @ 8:00AM - 12:00AM
Joshua Tree National Park
Mon Apr 01 @ 8:00AM - 12:00AM
Joshua Tree National Park
Tue Apr 02 @ 8:00AM - 12:00AM
Joshua Tree National Park
Tue Apr 02 @ 6:00PM - 07:00PM
Ten Easy Steps to Creating a Bird- Friendly Garden, a talk by Jennifer Dirking
Wed Apr 03 @ 8:00AM - 12:00AM
Joshua Tree National Park
Thu Apr 04 @ 6:00AM - 07:30PM
California Native Gardening Month by Month, a talk by Helen Popper
Thu Apr 04 @ 8:00AM - 12:00AM
Joshua Tree National Park
Fri Apr 05 @ 8:00AM - 12:00AM
Joshua Tree National Park