Archive for July 2009
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
If you are a native plant fan, you should be familiar with Apios americana (A. tuberosa), the ground nut. This plant’s tuber was a vital source of food for Native Americans and early colonists. A member of the pea family, Papilionaceae, this herbaceous vine has a tuberous root described as tasting similar to the potato.
Also know as Indian potato, A. americana provides 17% crude protein, that is 3 times more than the potato. It can be harvested throughout the year. It is recommended that this starch be broiled or roasted before consuming. It has also been identified as one of the…
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Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
On July 8th we were paid a surprise visit by internationally known plantsman, Mike Dirr. Mike was in the area with his wife Bonnie to lecture locally. Mike told me he enjoys coming to the Scott Arboretum because we always have the newest and most exciting plant selections, cultivars, and species. Bonnie alluded that she can’t think of a campus that is more beautiful than Swarthmore College.
Mike Dirr has become internationally known because of his research as a professor at the University of Georgia; his extensive lecturing on a broad base of subjects such as plant propagation, plant breeding, and…
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Thursday, July 16th, 2009
The other week I was working with Arboretum Assistant, Steven Taub when we noticed a large planting of bottlebrush buckeye near the tennis courts. The plants had already formed long spikes of buds, which were getting ready for a spectacular show later this month. Right now the white panicles are just beginning to bloom, and they will eventually reach an impressive twelve inches in length. The tightly held spires consist of hundreds of flowers, each of which resembles a “bottlebrush,” thus the common name.
Unlike most Aesculus species, which are sizable trees, Aesculus parviflora reaches a height of around ten feet or so,…
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