PAPAVERACEAE. Showy annuals and perennials of western N. America, providing an abundance of brilliant bloom in sunny dry areas.
Eschscholzia californica: 'CALIFORNIA POPPY'.
'CALIFORNIA POPPY', 'COPA DE ORO'. Brilliant orange to yellow 2 - 3" wide glossy flowers followed by narrow 3 - 4" pods. Perennial to 2 feet, with lacy, blue-green leaves. California. Grown as an annual in cold regions. "During the summer, they form a dense carpet of finely cut, blue-green foliage, smothered with a profusion of vivid, glossy flowers."—Booth. The leaves were eaten as a potherb by Indians, and the root used as a pain-killer. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks warm.
—Eschscholzia californica Orange. (a!,h) ESCH-1OR. Packet: $2.00
Oz: $6.00
1/4 lb: $15.00
lb: $30.00
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The classic single buttery orange California flower.
—Eschscholzia californica Carmine King. ESCH-1C. Packet: $2.50
Oz: $12.00, 1/4 lb: $36.00
Lovely carmine-rose flowers. Annual to 15".
—Eschscholzia californica Mikado. (a!,h) ESCH-1K. Packet: $2.50
Oz: $7.50
Mahogany-red single flowers. Showy annual.
—Eschscholzia californica Mission Bells. (a!,h) ESCH-1MB. Packet: $2.50
Oz: $7.50
Double and semi-double flowers in a wide range of colors including white, rose, coppery, pink, yellow and orange. Popular for easy color. To 12".
—Eschscholzia californica Purple Gleam. ESCH-1P. Packet: $2.50
Oz: $12.00, 1/4 lb: $36.00 BULK OUT OF STOCK - PACKETS ARE AVAILABLE
Unusual purple-violet flowers. Annual to 15".
—Eschscholzia californica White Linen. (a!,h) ESCH-1W. Packet: $2.50
Oz: $7.50
Creamy white single flowers. Showy hardy annual.
ESPOSTOA (es-PO-sto-a)
CACTACEAE. Woolly columnar Andean cacti. Easy in well-drained soil. Germinates in 2 - 3 weeks, best with GA-3.
—Espostoa lanata. (d,g) ESPO-15. Packet: $2.50
'PERUVIAN OLD MAN', 'COTTONBALL'. Woolly columnar cactus to 10 - 18 feet, with 20 - 30 ribs and 3" spines. Densely woolly, and forms an even woollier strip (lateral cephalium) near the top from which the white to purple 2 1/2" flowers and smooth red fruits emerge. Peru and Ecuador. The fruits are sweet and edible, called 'piscol colorado' or 'soroco'. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks.
EUCALYPTUS (you-ka-LIP-tus)
MYRTACEAE. Over 500 species of aromatic evergreen Australian trees and shrubs with puff-like flowers. Fast growing, the young plants having very different leaves from the usually sickle-shaped adult leaves. A variety of forms, from forest giant to gnarled shrub, makes them adapted to many landscaping situations. The foliage can be dried for arrangements—stand ends in glycerin a few days. Dwarf kinds good in tubs. Excellent firewood crop, and they produce abundant honey and pollen. Easy from seed, germinating in 1 - 4 weeks warm unless noted. A few kinds need cold or GA-3. Smoke treatment may help germination of some. Seed has a beneficial mycorrhizal relationship with the chaff, so it is usually supplied as a seed/chaff mixture.
'Gums' are tall with smooth or peeling bark, 'ironbarks' have persistent bark, 'mallees' are shrubby, with several stems from a ligno-tuber, and the 'marlocks' are dwarf kinds.
In California Eucalyptus trees are being destroyed in great numbers by anti-exotics extremists who claim they suppress native vegetation. On the contrary, studies have shown greater coverage and increasing diversity of natives under Eucalyptus canopies! Also, Eucalyptus groves are the preferred overwintering habitat of native monarch butterflies.
—Eucalyptus caesia. (d,h) EUCA-26. Packet: $2.50
'GUNGURRU'. Spectacular weeping tree to 20 feet. Small silvery grey leaves contrast with the reddish stems. Lovely deep pink flowers are nearly ever-blooming. Mallee-type. Needs good drainage and stands high wind. Drought-resistant, to 12" rain per year. Hardy to 22 - 25°F. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Eucalyptus camaldulensis. (b,v) EUCA-30. Packet: $2.50
'RIVER RED GUM'. To 60 - 200 feet, with a spreading crown and white flowers. A mighty tree for deep soils. Takes more heat and cold than E. globulus, and is widely planted. Exceedingly hard, durable timber. Hardy to 12 - 15°F. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
—Eucalyptus globulus. (e,v) EUCA-110. Packet: $2.50 OUT OF STOCK
'TASMANIAN BLUE GUM'. Mighty forest giant to 150 - 300 feet, with aromatic, dark green, sickle-shaped 6 - 10" leaves. Oval, silvery juvenile leaves. Creamy white 1 1/2" flowers followed by warty pods. Peeling bark. Needs deep soil and room. Good timber tree or fuelwood, growing 8 feet per year and reaching 50 feet in 6 years. Very strong wood—a 2" cube supported 27 million pounds before crushing. Yields an antiseptic medicinal oil. Hardy to 17 - 22°F. Can be grown as an annual bedding plant for the foliage. Germinates in about 2 weeks warm.
—Eucalyptus leucoxylon. (c,h) EUCA-154. Packet: $2.50
'WHITE IRONBARK'. Very fast growing slender tree to 20 - 80 feet, with white flowers, pendulous branches, and grey-green leaves. Free-flowering and tolerant of adverse conditions. Hardy to 14 - 18F. One of the hardest and heaviest Australian woods.
—Eucalyptus nutans Red Flowered. (b,h) EUCA-199. Packet: $2.50
'RED FLOWERED 'MOORT', 'NODDING GUM'. Small dense shrub to 6 - 8 feet, with large crimson. white-tipped flowers in spring. Grey mottled bark and shining foliage. W. Australia. Buds and pods usually nodding and red colored. Good in small gardens. Germinates in 1 - 8 weeks warm.
—Eucalyptus torquata. (d,h) EUCA-302. Packet: $2.50
'CORAL GUM', 'COOLGARDIE GUM'. Small tree to 15 - 25 feet, producing masses of large coral red flowers tipped with yellow anthers. Excellent for cut flowers, blooming in 3 to 4 years. Rough flaking bark and light green foliage. W Australia. Very ornamental, the branches droop under the weight of the flowers and pods. Sometimes blooms in pots when only 12 - 24" tall. Good in arid areas.
EUPATORIUM (you-pa-TOR-ee-um)
COMPOSITAE. Mostly herbaceous perennials (but ranging to tropical trees) grown in the border or wild garden for ornament, medicine and to attract butterflies. Valued for their late summer and fall bloom. Sow on the surface; irregular germination.
—Eupatorium fistulosum atropurpureum. (b,f) EUPT-9A. Packet: $2.50
Pink to wine-red flowers in large rounded clusters on a striking tall perennial to 7 feet, with red stems. E. U.S. An excellent selection. Germinates in 1 - 6 weeks.
EUPHORBIA (you-FOR-bee-a)
EUPHORBIACEAE. A huge genus (second largest) of 1600 species, nearly world-wide and ranging from tiny prostrate annuals to shrubs, trees and succulent cactus-like plants. Their cultivation is as varied as their habitats. A rewarding genus to specialize in, the varied forms demonstrating evolution. The sap of some species may cause skin rash and is extremely irritating to the eyes.
—Euphorbia enopla: See Reserved Access page.
—Euphorbia inermis: See Reserved Access page.
—Euphorbia Lathyris. (e,g-h) EUPH-75. Packet: $2.50
1/4 Oz: $7.50
'MOLE PLANT', 'GOPHER PURGE'. Narrow, blue-green, pointed 6" leaves set at right angles to the stem, forming a perfect "X" when seen from above. Hardy biennial to 5 feet, with a cluster of small flowers the second season, followed by round pods. Europe. The milky juice is irritating, and the plants repel certain species of moles and gophers under some conditions, and is also used to remove moles and warts. Germinates in 2 weeks or irregular. Nicking may help.
—Euphorbia marginata (=variegata). (d,h) EUPH-82. Packet: $2.50
'SNOW-ON-THE-MOUNTAIN'. Upper leaves and bracts are an attractive white with a green stripe, August to October. Bushy half-hardy annual to 3 1/2 feet or so. Minnesota to Texas. Prechill seed 4 weeks.
—Euphorbia marginata Icicle. (d,h) EUPH-82I. Packet: $2.50
10 grams: $7.50
'DWARF SNOW-ON-THE-MOUNTAIN'. Extra large bracts turn white early, July and August, good for cut-flower production. Earlier and more dwarf, to only 2 1/2 feet. Excellent. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
—Euphorbia Myrsinites. (d,h) EUPH-90. Packet: $3.00
'BLUE MYRTLE SPURGE'. Choice hardy perennial trailer with bluish, fleshy, diamond-shaped leaves arranged in close spirals on the stems. Yellow-green flowers in flat 4" umbels at the branch tips. Mts. of Europe. Attractive. Germinates in 1 - 4 weeks.
—Euphorbia pentagona: See Reserved Access page.
EVODIA See: TETRADIUM
"Any excuse will serve a tyrant."—Aesop, 550 BCE.