March 2010
1 post
17 tags
Dragon Tree
I had to write about this magnificent tree after my conversation with a friend newly acquainted to me. We were talking about books; I told him I was reading Wade Davis’ autobiography, The Serpent and the Rainbow, and explained to him that it was about Professor Davis’ journey as an ethno-botanist seeking to find the supposed plant responsible for inducing the process of turning people...
February 2010
4 posts
11 tags
Cassia
This Valentine’s day I was making a Mulled Jasmine Tea blend that called for coarsely crushed cinnamon. My lovely Valentine was kind enough to bring some to me, but when I received it I was puzzled. This supposed cinnamon was not the rich, cherry-wood colored brown I was expecting. It was a decidedly dull brown, and it was not cleanly cut in the least bit, and it splintered every time I cut...
30 tags
Arrowroot
I was going to do another tribute post, but I was so spooked by stories of Manchineel tree poisoning and torture that the moment I woke up, I hopped on my computer and started reading up on the supposed antidote for it; Arrowroot. This blessed plant has many useful properties among its’ ability to draw out poison. It provides for the starches needed in many jellies and pastes; most of which...
21 tags
Manchineel Tree
This tree played a huge role in nudging me to embrace my botanical interests. Believe it or not, I found out about it not by reading science articles, no not by visiting some exotic garden, but— silly as it is— through research I was compelled to do for my beloved rogue poisoner character, which I made for a Dungeons and Dragons sessions with my wonderfully geektastical friends. Fueled by the...
19 tags
African Wood Sorrel
I figured I’d start off with a familiar plant. In my town, this invasive, yet elegant weed takes over almost every vacant dirt patch for at least six months each year. It is the African Wood Sorrel, and the very first plant I’ve researched and identified without the help of a garden book. Commonly mistaken as a clover plant, this particular Wood Sorrel has long stems with small...