Brilliant Botany

I'm starting to make a plant collection, but the pressing in the traditional method is not going super well. I know I need practice, but some people have told me I can also microwave the plants in a terracotta press to dry them. Is this an acceptable method of drying specimens for academic use? What about microwaving for a little bit, then finishing off the pressing in the traditional manner?

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:54:00 -0400

Hi there!

Hooray for plant collections! So glad to hear that you’re starting one!

I’ve only ever pressed plants traditionally, so I’m no expert in alternative methods. If you’re having trouble getting them to dry, I can recommend placing a fan next to your press so that the air passes through the channels in the corrugated cardboard, like this:

(Please excuse my laughable drawing, I did it in a hurry.)

The channels in the cardboard should be going along the short side, so it’s easier for air to pass through. Also make sure that you’re keeping your press somewhere dry, insofar as you can. I’m always sure to keep my press and specimens out of my basement, because it’s very damp down there.

In terms of using terracotta or microwaving, this website talks about it as a method of drying plants, from my quick internet search. Followers, if any of you know about alternative methods for drying plants, pass along the info and I’ll add it to this post!

If anyone has any more questions about the plant pressing or mounting process, let me know and I’ll do my best to help you out!

~Claire

flora-file: The California Floristic Province...

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:31:02 -0400

California Floristic Province

Mediterranean Climates

flora-file:

The California Floristic Province (byflora-file)

Being a California native myself I have a fascination with California’s native flora. There are about 6300 native taxa of plants found in California, and a third are found nowhere else but the limited area that comprises the California floristic province. It has the highest diversity of plant species in North America, north of tropical Mexico.

The plants of California are specially adapted for the Mediterranean climate here. Mediterranean climates have long, dry summers and cool, moist winters. In Mediterranean climates the majority of the precipitation occurs during the moist winter months, and summer months receive almost no rainfall, which often means 6-8 months of no rains. For this reason many plants here have switched around the normal seasonal growing patterns. Spring is triggered by the autumn rains, and during the dry summer months plants enter their dormancy.

Mediterranean climate zones comprise only 3% of the Earth’s landmass, but account for 10% of the known plant species. In addition to California, Mediterranean climates are found in only four other areas of the world: the Mediterranean Basin, the Cape region of South Africa, central Chile, and southwestern Australia. Many of the plants used in ornamental gardens and propagated by the nursery industry have ancestral orgins in the Mediterranean climes of the world. This climate has truly created an amazing diversity of flora.

(California Floristic Province Map and statistics from California Native Plants for the Garden, Bornstein, Fross, & O’Brien, Cochuma Press, 2005.)

(Mediterranean Climate Map via wikipedia.)

Rum is most commonly made from molasses, which is made from...

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:44:00 -0400

Rum is most commonly made from molasses, which is made from sugarcane. Yeast and water are added to the molasses, allowing it to ferment. It must then be distilled, to pull out the alcohol, and then aged for at least a year. Sugarcane is in the Poaceae family, making it a grass. [x]

Dandelions are in full swing where I live. They are in the...

Sun, 19 May 2013 18:01:00 -0400

Dandelions are in full swing where I live. They are in the Asteraceae family, which is one of the largest plant families known, alongside the orchid family. Dandelions spread with their wind-carried seeds, and their yellow flowers close at night. They are all in the Taraxacum genus, and the weeds found globally are T. officinale and T. erythospermum. [x]

This is Brassica nigra, a member of the Brassicaceae family, the...

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:01:41 -0400

This is Brassica nigra, a member of the Brassicaceae family, the mustard family. Members of the Brassicaceae family have four petals, and it was once called the Cruciferae family, referring to the cross-shape of the flowers. [x]

Stachys byzantina, Lamb’s Ear, is originally from Turkey,...

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:33:51 -0400

Stachys byzantina, Lamb’s Ear, is originally from Turkey, Armenia and Iran, but has been introduced globally as an ornamental. It is in the Lamiaceae family, which also contains most of the herbs you are familiar with, such as rosemary, basil and mint. It is commonly known as the mint family. [x]

Wheat is in the grass family, Poaceae. It is the third-most...

Wed, 01 May 2013 20:24:19 -0400

Wheat is in the grass family, Poaceae. It is the third-most produced grain, behind maize and rice.

Photo

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:01:31 -0400

I'm a high school student looking to major in botany in college. However, I really don't have much experience with plants and the only formal education I've had on the subject is 9th-grade Biology... Can you recommend a way I could expand my knowledge of plants? Or do they start with the basics in college?

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:09:00 -0400

A great way to start learning is by reading! I have a short list of books here, all about different areas of botany. [Followers, if you have any suggestions, please send them my way!] Getting outside and identifying plants can be a great way to learn. If you happen to live in the northeastern US, Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide is awesome, otherwise get a local field guide (your local library should have some) and go on hikes. Wikipedia is actually a great place to find plant information, so if you see a plant or plant family, on here or anywhere else, it’s worth googling to learn more!

That said, my experience with botany degrees is that they do teach you the basics. I was required to take entry-level biology in my freshman year, as well as a basic ecology course my sophomore year.

~ Claire

Nerium oleander is in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. It...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:01:29 -0400

Nerium oleander is in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. It contains several toxic chemicals, including cardiac glycosides. Cardiac glycosides are medicinal in small amounts, but are poisonous in large amounts. [x]

Poison sumac, Toxicodendron vernix, is far more poisonous than...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 18:01:45 -0400

Poison sumac, Toxicodendron vernix, is far more poisonous than poison ivy or poison oak. If inhaled, smoke from burning poison sumac can cause pulmonary edema. This is because of the urushiol, the same compound in poison ivy. [x]

Sudden Oak Death, Phytophthora ramorum, is a devastating disease...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 18:01:25 -0400

Sudden Oak Death, Phytophthora ramorum, is a devastating disease found primarily in California and Oregon. It is a strange, eukaryotic plant pathogen that causes affected trees to leak dark, gross sap. It is found in oaks, but also other tree species. The above picture shows dead trees among unaffected ones. [x]

Hollyhocks are in the Alcea genus, and their thick roots can be...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:01:32 -0400

Hollyhocks are in the Alcea genus, and their thick roots can be used as fuel for fires. [x]

What happens when an insect causes the transfer of pollen from the anther of a flower to the stigma of the same flower?

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:25:00 -0400

It depends on the flower! Some flowers are incompatible with themselves, so no fertilization will happen. Self pollination is not very common, but it does happen.

There are two types. Type I is when the pollen fertilizes a carpel in the same flower. Type II is when pollen fertilizes a different flower on the same plant. Self pollination helps for rapid growth of a population, but can decrease fitness, because all individuals in a population are genetically similar. If a pathogen moves through the population, it could kill all of the individuals, because none vary to have resistance.

Awesome question!

~ Claire

The Japanese drink Amacha is made from the fermented leaves of...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:01:50 -0400

The Japanese drink Amacha is made from the fermented leaves of the endless summer hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla. The possibility of anti-malarial drugs using leaf extract is also being investigated.[x]

Maple sugaring question: What have you learned about sugaring that was unexpected?

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:49:25 -0400

Question from emsnippet.

That is a tough question. Here are some fun facts that come to mind:

- Quebec produces 75-85% of the world’s annual maple syrup supply (it varies by year). Vermont is the second-largest producer, at 7-9% of the yearly supply.

- Sugar maples cause a high level of nitrification in the soil surrounding them.

- Lighter colored syrup is worth more.

- The first maple syrup evaporator was initially used in the production of molasses.

- In 2012 thieves systematically stole 6 million gallons of maple syrup from Quebec’s strategic maple syrup reserve. They emptied barrels, sometimes replacing it with water.

Ask your own question about sugaring here!

Before the availability of forged metal, maple sap in sugaring...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:01:32 -0400

Before the availability of forged metal, maple sap in sugaring operations was stored in mokuks, containers made of birch bark sewn together. Tribes would amass hundreds of these to use every season, and they were also used to store finished cake sugar, up to 100 pounds of it. [x]

Maple syrup is made my boiling maple sap, which is about 2%...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:01:50 -0400

Maple syrup is made my boiling maple sap, which is about 2% sugar. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup, which has a sugar concentration of about 67%. Maple sap contains mostly sucrose, but also nitrogen and minerals, carbohydrates and volatile flavor compounds. [x]

Sunflowers, members of the Asteraceae family, are actually made...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:01:25 -0400

Sunflowers, members of the Asteraceae family, are actually made of hundreds of tiny flowers, not just one large one. The center of a sunflower is packed with tiny flowers called disc florets, seen here. The “petals” around the edge of the sunflower head (the whole thing is called an inflorescence) are called ray florets. [x]

flora-file: buds and fruits (by flora-file)

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 19:17:11 -0400

flora-file:

buds and fruits (by flora-file)