California
Gardens - An Historical Vignette
The Spanish while sailing near
the recently discovered California coast, noticed the
flame of orange red poppies blanketing the hillsides.
They dubbed California the "land of fire."
In 1769, the first plants were introduced into California
by Padre Junipero Serra. This pioneer traveled on foot
all the way from Mexico City to San Diego,
carrying castor bean seeds to start a medicinal crop;
wheat and dates seeds to create a food supply and mediterranean
grapes seeds to produce fruit and wine. Padre Junipero
Serra was accompanied by Padre Juan Crespi, who kept a
careful record of what they encountered along the way.
Padre Junipero Serra was first to record the magnificence
of the California sequoias they discovered. He gave them
the Spanish name, "palos colorados", which translates
as redwoods.
In 1903 the flower became so popular it became the state
flower. It was given the generic name Eschscholtzia Californica
by Adelbert Von Chamisso, a naturalist and member of the
Prussian Academy of Sciences, who arrived in San Francisco
in 1816.
Bibliography
and Acknowledgments
Shown: Golden Poppy (Eschscholtzia
californica)
