May 9, 2008
Musa textilis
Connor is responsible this series:
Musa textilis is the third of three plants from the GFU for Underutilized Species series. Many thanks to Hannes Dempewolf and Paul Bordoni. Photo courtesy of Botanische Bilddatenbank.
Abacá is a species of banana (Musaceae) with inedible fruits, native to the Philippines. It is also grown widely in Borneo and Sumatra. Sometimes it is referred to as "BacBac". The plant is harvested for its fibre, called Manila hemp. The fibre is extracted from the sheaths, i.e., the bottom part of the leaves forming the pseudo-stem. Other common names for Manila hemp include "Cebu hemp" and "Davao hemp".
The fibre made from Abacá is very durable and flexible. It is relatively cheap to produce and completely biodegradable. It can be made into many hard-wearing products and has a beautiful texture when made into hats and other products.
Until the advent of the first synthetic fibres, Manila hemp was the premiere material for marine ropes where its strength, lightness and water-resistance were appreciated. Today, although marine and other ropes are still important, it is mainly used in the paper-making industry. Because of its relatively long staple length, strength, and cellulose content, it is used to manufacture a range of specialized papers, including tea and coffee bags, sausage-casing paper, electrolytic papers, currency notes, cigarette filter papers, medical / disposal papers and some high-quality writing paper. There is also a thriving Abacá fibre handicraft industry operating in the Philippines, exporting worldwide.
At the start of the rainy season, well-developed suckers are transplanted in well-drained loamy soils. New leaves emerge in succession from the centre of the pseudo-stem. At first, they are rolled up, then gradually unfurl. The petiole of each new leaf is slightly staggered in relation to the previous one resulting in an upward spiral. The pseudo-stem can reach a height of more than 3 meters and the whole plant can become 6 meters tall.
At the beginning of the flowering stage, the plant is cut at the base of the pseudo-stem. Growers harvest Abacá fields every three to eight months after an initial growth period of 18-25 months for a total lifespan of up to 25 years (the rhizome continuously produces new suckers). The sheaths contain the valuable fibre, composed primarily of cellulose, lignin and pectin. The fibre is extracted from the leaf sheath by hand-stripping or via a machine. The strips are then scraped to remove the pulp, sometimes washed, and then sun-dried. The fibres can then be spun into twines or cordage.
Out of the world's total estimated annual production of 82,000 tons, the Philippines produce 67,000 tons, by far the largest producer. Over the past 40 years, production has been developed in Ecuador (today producing some 14,000 tons). Production in the Philippines is based on a "smallholder" system of agriculture, with most farms being between 3 and 5 hectares in size. Abacá grows on marginal lands and requires no external inputs, thus making it a suitable crop for resource-poor small scale farmers. The Ecuadorian system is more reminiscent of the African sisal industry and is essentially a large estate-based industry (although there is also a substantial smallholder co-operative movement). The traditional Abacá industry contributes to improving the livelihood of rural people and gender empowerment through providing employment opportunities for farmers, strippers, traders and processors.
Some Producers / Retailers / Distributors:
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (2)
May 8, 2008
Oxalis tuberosa
Connor continues to be responsible for assembling this series:
The second of three entries featuring plants from the GFU for Underutilized species exhibits Oxalis tuberosa of the Oxalidaceae. Thanks Hannes and Paul! Photo courtesy of the International Potato Centre (CIP).
Oca is a starchy edible tuber that was domesticated in the Andes in South America. It is at least as hardy as the potato and grown in a similar way but it is not as susceptible to pests and diseases as potatoes.
When freshly harvested, the tubers have a pleasant acidic flavour. They are consumed cooked or baked. They can also be eaten raw in small quantities. Exposed to sunlight for a few days, the tubers lose some of their acidity and become more pleasant to eat.
Oca can be prepared, like most tuberous vegetables, by being boiled, baked or fried. In the Andes, it can be part of stews and soups, served like potatoes or served as a sweet. Oca is eaten raw in Mexico with salt, lemon and hot pepper.
Oca forms tubers only at a daylength of under 13-14 hours. Outside of its native area, such as in higher latitudes, autumn frosts may kill the plant before the tubers are fully developed. Under such conditions, commercially relevant yields are hard to achieve.
Projects to improve poor rural families' quality of life through the management and commercialization of oca have been implemented in various places. One example is the village of Puno in southeastern Peru where infant mortality and illiteracy rate are almost twice the national average. Mismanagement of organic garbage and loss of biodiversity has created serious problems with environmental deterioration, and families have little access to employment and income.
The project aims to contribute to the improvement of environmental conditions and increase the incomes of rural families in the Lake Titicaca area by encouraging farmers to produce oca. The project is targeting a new beneficiary group, Puno's indigenous people, by training them on how to make marmalade from oca. The project will also produce 40 metric tons of organic fertilizer from manure and crop residue, manage roughly 10 hectares of oca, and establish six rural micro enterprises.
Some Producers/Retailers/Distributors
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (19)
May 7, 2008
Moringa oleifera
Connor is responsible for assembling this next series:
The second series featuring plants from the Global Facilitation Unit for Underutilized Species begins with Moringa oleifera, of the Moringaceae. Thanks again to Hannes Dempewolf and Paul Bordoni of the GFU for making these entries possible. Photo courtesy of Melanie Brown of the APPEF PROJECT, TOGO.
Moringa oleifera is the best known of the thirteen species of the genus Moringa. Though apparently native only to restricted areas in the southern foothills of the Himalayas, Moringa oleifera is present in all the countries of the tropics. This fast-growing tree is grown for human food, medicine, dye, fodder and water clarification. Moringa oleifera is known by several names in different countries, but it is popularly called the "drumstick tree" for its pods resembling drumsticks and the "horseradish tree" for the flavour of its roots.
The moringa is planted for its leaves, fruits, and roots for a variety of food and medicinal purposes. It has been described as one of the world's most nutritious crops. The leaves have more betacarotene than carrots, more protein than peas, more vitamin C than oranges, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, and as much potassium as bananas. The young fruits can be cooked in a number of different ways. An excellent oil is derived from the seeds, which is used for cooking and cosmetics. Immature seeds can be used in recipes similar to green peas. The leaves are extensively used as a vegetable in many parts of the world, and the root can be made into a condiment similar to horseradish. Fresh or dried flowers are used for making teas.
Moringa is used successfully in combating malnourishment in children and for its capacity to boost the immune system -- it can be used to complement modern medicines in chronically ill people including those suffering from AIDS and HIV related illnesses. It is also used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various illnesses including recovery from liver damage. It is currently being examined as a bio-enhancer of drugs and nutrients because of its production of compounds with antibiotic activity.
Leaves can be harvested after plants grow 1.5 to 2 meters, which usually takes 3 to 6 months. They are harvested by snapping leaf stems from branches or by cutting the entire branches 20 to 40 cm above the ground. Older leaves need to be stripped from their tough and wiry stems. These leaves are more suited to making dried leaf powder, since stems can be removed during the sifting process. For fresh vegetables, the leaves must be harvested early in the morning and sold the same day. Flowers and pods are produced during the second year of growth. The pods are harvested when young, tender and green. The pulp and immature seeds of older pods remain edible until shortly before the ripening process begins.
Virtually every part of the tree is beneficial in some way and both rural and urban people depend on it for their livelihood. Depending on the purpose and quantity, moringa is grown in nurseries, as a community project, or on a small scale at the family level. It can function as windbreaks, for land erosion control, live fences, as an ornamental, or intercropped to provide semi-shade to species requiring less direct sunlight.
Some Producers/Retailers/Distributors
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (11)
May 6, 2008
Epimedium grandiflorum
For local readers, just a reminder that the Perennial Plant Sale at UBC BG is coming up on Sunday. This particular Epimedium won't be there, but I noticed there were several others on the list of plants for sale in 2008.
Thank you to Connor for both today's photograph and write-up!
Epimedium grandiflorum is a member of the Berberidaceae and is native to China, Korea, and parts of Japan. Its silky white petals and sepals with a retreating border of purple give this flower a particular elegance. On a breezy day the entire inflorescence stirs in unanimous agitation. Common names for this plant are barrenwort and yin yang huo.
This genus has been featured twice before - Epimedium × versicolor 'Sulphureum' and Epimedium acuminatum -- but I'm pleased to be able to add something not previously mentioned. A quick search of Epimedium yields a number or results using the common name horny goatweed. A small stretch of the imagination provides the requisite myth behind this common name, involving goats and an observant farmer (see Epimedium via Wikipedia).
Epimedium grandiflorum has been used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine for many purposes the most prominent, and probably suspect, as an aphrodisiac (Plants For A Future lists 8 uses of this plant). Despite innumerable websites selling Epimedium grandiflorum extracts in the form of pills, sprays, and ointments, I was unable to find any real evidence for this alleged use. Research with rats, however, indicates that barrenwort may be a possible preventative medicine for osteoporosis, as a complement or alternative to hormone treatment in older women. In The osteoprotective effect of Herba epimedii (HEP) extract in vivo and in vitro (PDF), Xie et al. look at the mechanism by which Epimedium extracts could possibly help reduce bone loss.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (2)
May 5, 2008
Macrocystis sp.
I'm surprised that no kelp flies made it into this photograph. Dipterans (perhaps in the Coelopidae) seemed to be swarming on all of the knotted kelp clumps found on the rocky Weston Beach at Point Lobos. As Dr. William Bushing notes in this article on Macrocystis pyrifera, "...These decaying kelp plants provide food for many of the sandy beach invertebrates including kelp flies and beach hoppers on the surface, and marine life that burrows into the sand."
Even though there are no flies to spot, a close look will net you a reflection of me in the lower left pneumatocyst (I was wearing a hat) and partial reflections in the other two (mostly of the legs of the tripod).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM | Comments (9)
May 2, 2008
Oak Haven Park
The first photograph in today's entry was taken at 6:16pm, on a Thursday a few weeks ago. It was actually taken out of a bit of impatience. Twice in the twenty minutes or so prior to that, I was asked by people walking along the path what I was taking a photograph of. "Just the scene, but I'm waiting for the sun to come out." Finally, a few minutes later, I took the second image at 6:20pm. I do a lot of waiting, it seems, when taking photographs. Wait for the light. Wait for the stillness between breezes. Wait for the clouds.
Anyway, I thought this would be a decent follow-up to yesterday's BPotD. I've tried taking photographs of Garry oak habitats before, but I wasn't happy with the results. This is better than what I've done previously, but I've still some ways to go.
Despite its location (minutes away from the extremely popular Butchart Gardens), Oak Haven Park is, by my estimation, rarely visited except by those who live nearby. At 10.2 hectares (25 acres), it is the "largest intact Garry oak ecosystem left in Central Saanich". That's not very large. In many ways, its obscurity is a good thing -- if even a twentieth of Butchart Garden's visitors toured here, it'd quickly become a degraded ecosystem (or require all trails to be fenced). On the other hand, places need to be known about if they are ultimately going to be cared-for and protected.
The most common plant in flower in the park a few weeks ago was Erythronium oregonum, meaning I was (once again) too early for the show of flowers in the meadows in a good year (something like the photograph on this page linked above).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:48 PM | Comments (11)
May 1, 2008
Fritillaria affinis
Thanks once again to Jackie Chambers of UBC Botanical Garden for submitting a photograph and write-up!
Fritillaria affinis has just begun flowering in the Garry Oak Meadow at the UBC Botanical Garden. The meadow is part of a recent initiative to expand the garden's native plant collections. To learn more about this unique and threatened landscape in British Columbia, visit the site of the Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team.
Native to western North America, Fritillaria affinis populations can be found in southern British Columbia through to California. Common English names include checker lily, chocolate lily, or mission bells.
Flowers can be single or in clusters of 3-5 and are produced in the spring (April-May). They can range from 1-4cm long, and are often purple as a base colour, then checkered with greenish-yellow dots. In fact, the genus name is based on this checkered pattern: Fritillaria is derived from the Latin fritillus, which means "dice box".
Flower shape and colour can vary significantly depending on location (e.g., see the Pacific Bulb Society Wiki on North American Fritillaria). All flowers are hermaphroditic, though, meaning they have both staminate (pollen-producing) and carpellate (ovule-producing) structures.
This perennial plant can range in height from 10 to 130cm. The leaves can range from 3-15 cm long, and are often arranged in whorls of 3-5 leaves along the stem. Plants emerge from a bulb typically surrounded by smaller bulblets (link to commercial site).
The USDA NRCS has an extensive factsheet about Fritillaria affinis (PDF), including details about the traditional harvest and cultivated management of these bulbs by the Coast and Interior Salish First Nations.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 PM | Comments (6)
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Botany Photo of the Day and all associated images are licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Botany Photo of the Day is a project of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, located in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. UBC BGCPR is a department of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems within The University of British Columbia.