originally posted: September 27, 2001 | by chelsie

Crabgrass (Digitaria ciliaris and other species) [dij i tare' ee a sil i air' is] is a weed; at least that is what we have been taught. But crabgrass is a pioneer species, one of the hardy souls of the plant kingdom that make other life possible. It is doing its job, moving in where the earth has been damaged, changing the soil, and going away when other plants can survive on the repaired ground. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: September 20, 2001 | by chelsie

The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) [faze' ee o lus vul gare' is] is native to tropical America and has been cultivated for approximately 7,000 years. This species was domesticated twice, once in Peru and again in Mexico. The common bean is considered a cultigen (generated under cultivation); a plant so different from its wild type that it is considered a new species. The same new plant arising twice, but with a subtle difference... [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: September 13, 2001 | by chelsie

The cultivation of wheat (Triticum monococcum) began about 10,000 years ago in the "Fertile Crescent" of the eastern Mediterranean. This wheat was called einkorn and it was a good choice for cultivation. Ecologically speaking, it is a pioneer plant; a weed with 14 chromosomes. It grew easily on any open, disturbed ground and tolerated drought. More importantly, it had a relatively large seed (grain) that could be dried and stored--a stable food source. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: September 6, 2001 | by chelsie

Rice (Oryza sativa) [oh rye' zah sah tee' vah] is a tropical grass native to Southeast Asia where it has been under cultivation for at least 8,000 years. Remains from rice plants found in Spirit Cave on the Thailand-Myanmar border have been dated to 10,000 B.C. Over the centuries, humans have developed approximately 7,000 varieties to suit different climates, growing conditions, and tastes. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: August 30, 2001 | by chelsie

Corn or maize (Zea mays) [zee maze] is a mystery plant. It is a cultigen because it first appears in the archeological record as a cultivated plant. There is no archeological record of wild corn gathered by nomadic peoples. As if by magic, corn appeared at the start of agriculture. The native legends say that corn was a gift from the gods. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: August 23, 2001 | by chelsie

The walking iris or Apostle plant (Neomarica caerulea) [ne oh mare' ee ka say ru' lee a] is a native of Brazil. It seems fitting that this 'iris' comes from the land of Carnivale. The flowers are blue with brown, yellow, and white streaks, reminiscent of the flashy costumes of samba dancers. The slender arching leaves are arranged in a fan. Like other plants in the iris family, these leaves grow from a rhizome (underground stem). [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: August 16, 2001 | by chelsie

The black walnut (Juglans nigra) [ju' glans nigh' gra] is a native of North America. Its wood is dense, chocolate brown, and very resistant to decay. Old rough-sawn boards from black walnut trees have been found buried for years without termites or decay. The rich color of the wood was still present after it had been cleaned and milled. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: August 9, 2001 | by chelsie

The resurrection fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides) [plee o pel' tis pol ee po de' oy des] is a curious epiphyte, growing on the bark of live oaks in the southeastern U.S. With no soil to hold moisture around its roots, the resurrection fern has had to develop a unique way of surviving when rain is scarce. It goes dormant, but in an unusual way. It does not shed its leaves like most plants. Rather, its leaves curl and dry, but remain attached to the plant. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: August 2, 2001 | by chelsie

The bizarre flowers give the pipevines (Aristolochia spp.) [a ris' to low' kee a] their common name for some species resemble the ornate smoking pipes popular in the Netherlands in the 1700s. The tubular flowers tend to be dark colored--brown, maroon, or mottled with white. The floral tube is tightly curved then flares outward dramatically. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: July 26, 2001 | by chelsie

The whisk fern (Psilotum nudum) [si lo' tum nu' dum] is a relict, a leftover from antiquity. It grew on the low-lying continents before Pangaea ever formed. It was there when the first dragonflies took to the air. It was already 200 million years ancient when the dinosaurs ruled. It is a survivor of geological upheaval, climate changes, and asteroid impacts. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: July 19, 2001 | by chelsie

The giant saguaros (Carnegiea gigantea) [car nay' ge ya gi gan tee' a] are disappearing. In 1910, there were no saguaros under the age of about 20. In 1963, there were none over the age of 60. The old died off, young weren't surviving. In the intervening years, a forest of cacti was reduced to a few scattered individuals. But in the last years of the twentieth century, we may have reversed that trend by being a little more tolerant of the trickster. [Click here to read more...]

originally posted: July 15, 2001 | by chelsie

The Dischidia rafflesiana [dis shid' ee a ra fleas' ee ana] is strange relative in the milkweed family. It is native to Borneo, Australia and India. The leaves come in two distinct forms; small waxy green heart-shaped leaves and large yellow wrinkled hollow leaves. [Click here to read more...]