This blog is for gardeners above, beyond, and below the surface. For those interested in botanical names, inventories, collection and else.

Not recommended for gardeners depending only on nurseries for the practice.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

BOTANICAL RELOCATION PROPAGATION REPORT

T his is not a scholastic, or pedantic botanical publication. Even though, some rigor is present in terms of the inventory; doing research without the need of  third parties, except the web.

A new inductee not mentioned before, but in the collection for a while, Cnidoscolus chayamansa, a medicinal bush, small tree is now officially among the over One Hundred Club


On the medicinal, edible or poisonous side of plants let the record show that I may get on the subject in the future thanks to people researching and arriving to the blogs.


For example, Turnera subulata and Clitoria ternatea.  The flowers of one are edible and the other is medicinal.  The researchers are from Asia and apparently these species have some commercial importance. Your humble servant never thought of it, having to research and share whatever comes along in the future.

A pink Plumeria in the south garden moved to pot, along a Crinum asiaticum variegated.  Both showing signs of  leaf fungus disease that may be or not in the ground.  The second is looking better already, the other has no leaves.


4 Tithymaloides, 1 variegated, planted in Diva's Zen like water closet by the wall and 1 Pseuderantemun carruthersii was planted close by.


Two Hibiscus were relocated in the south garden. One refuses to bloom and will certainly become a conversation piece. The other with light pink flowers went the opposite side south wise. 


The shadow created by the Passiflora edulis and Merremia quinquefolia on the property line iron fence,  forced the move.  Both were becoming crooked thanks to phototropism.  These vines appear in  photos to your right.


During the last 3 weeks the temperature has been an average of ten degrees lower than usual.  It has been great for people, the Flora/Fauna in me garden.


This reminds me that probably thanks to the pine needles and certainly to the apperance of that scary somewhat Bipalium Kewense, the numbers of snails and slugs dominant in the south/north garden has decreased to insignificant numbers considering the damage on leaves.  


Regarding this beautiful insect recently discussed in this here space, it is not the flat variety but the cylindrical species, more handsome in my opinion. Not only in anatomy, but in color.  If you want a peek go to youtube....with the botanical or Planarians, as the populace may know it.
 That is that.
  Apaga i vete.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

BOTANICAL INVENTORY ONE HUNDRED CLUB

I have difficulty conceiving a collection/garden without the botanical 
identification of everything within reach.
The majority of this collection,
fortunately, is not from commercial nurseries.


Allium
Alocasia cucullata
Aglaonema Commutatum
Allamanda cathartica
Arashis hypogea
Amarilys
Anthurium
Asparagus sprengeri/meyeri
Aloe vera
Alternatera brasiliana
Asystacia gangetica
Andropogon citratum
Antigonon leptopus
Bryophylum pinnatum
Bauhinia monandra
Brunfelsia pausiflora
Barleria repens
Bouganvillea buttiana
Bixa orellana
Cestrum diurnum
Calathea loeseneri
Calledium hortulanum
Capsicum florescens
Carica papaya 

Citrus sinensis
Citrus aurantifolia
Clitoria ternatea
Costus malortanus
Chrysothemis pulchella
Coccoloba uvifera
Clerodendrum quadriculare ***
Clorophytum comosum ***
Clorophytum diurnum
Calliandra haemathocephala
Catharantus roseus
Cosmos sulphureous
Commelina elegans
Cuphea hyssopifolia
Crinum asiaticum
Centrosema pubescens
Datura stramonium
Dipteracanthus prostratus **
Dracaena marginata
Diffenbachia amoena
Daylilly
Duranta repens
Eucharis amazonica
Euphorbia tirucallis/pulcherrima
Epiphylum oxypetalum
Gardenia augusta
Guaicum officinale
Gloriosa rothschildiana
Hibiscus cannabinus
Hemerocallis
Hippobroma longiflora
Ixora
Ipomoea aegiptia/quamoclit
Jasminum undulatum

Lipia micromera
Hippeastrum reticulatum
Manihot esculenta
Merremia quinquefolia
Merremia umbelata
Murraya paniculata
Mirabilis siciliana
Malpighia glabra/coccigera
Myosotis
Neomarica caerulea
Nephrolepsis
Ochna thomasiana
Oxalis
Origanum vulgare
Phalaenopsis
Passiflora foetida/pallida l./edulis
Peperomia pellucida
Petroselinum crispum
Pandanus utilis
Pereskia bleo
Proiphys amboinensis
Pithelobium dulce
Pseuderantemum reticulatum
Pleomeles reflexa
Polyscia balfouriana/fruticosa
Plectantrus amboinicus
Pedilanthus thithymaloides/tuberose
Plumeria rubra/alba

Rosmarinus officinale
Ruellia officinale/brittoniana/
tuberosa
Sanseveria trifasciata/cylindrica
Scadoxus
Syngonium
Serpol tuymusser pyllum
Solanum lycopersicum 
Stigmaphyllon floribundum
Thilandsia
Thumbergia alata/erecta
Trimezia martinisencis
Tulbagia violacea


Turnera ulmifolia/diffusa/subulata
Tradescantia pallida/zebrina
Urena lobata
Wedelia trilobata
Zephirantes nelsoni/citrina/grandiflora
Zingiber officinalis
Zammia






 
To be continued...

My garden should become with time a point of reference to measure others.  But my intention is to leave a mark with some rigor in the history of horticultural trends in the island of
concrete/asphalt,
something lacking anywhere I look. 

** Rediscovered on 02/02/2011
*** Added on 03/16/2011
888

Monday, November 29, 2010

BOTANICAL FAMILIES SPECIES AND ORIGINS

The more I investigate the more irritating the situation becomes.  If you try to search anything under botanical inventories for Puerto Rico, nothing appears with/under, the figurative 'botanical' gardens anywhere in this territory of USA.

However, if you search under  New York Botanical Garden, then you will find useful historical, botanical information and illustrations to identify whatever it is you need to find out in your collection.

The tropical academicians on these backwaters, writing dense, unintelligible papers on water, soil, vegetation, flora/fauna in the web, make sure only the anointed and initiated, members of their primitive feudal guilds understand the absurd language concoctions they write for money, prestige, being known among the tribes.


I am sharing this inventory because no one else is. Botany should be accessible, not necessarily in the Sherlock Holmes or Phillip Marlowe like mysteries of unknown/endemic species,  these tropical cloak and dagger 'scientists' pretend it to be and remain. Screw them.


25 CHOSEN ONES
  1.  Aglaonema commutatum
  2.  Allamanda cathartica
  3.  Alocasia cucullata
  4.  Aloe vera
  5.  Alternatera brasiliana
  6.  Antigonun leptopus
  7.  Asparagus densiflorum
  8.  Asistacia gangetica
  9.  Bauhinia monandra
  10.  Bixa orellana
  11.  Bouganvillea buttiana
  12.  Brunfelsia pauciflora
  13.  Calliandra haemathocephala
  14.  Cataranthus roseus
  15.  Cestrum diurnum
  16.  Chrysothemis pulchella
  17.   Clitoria ternatea
  18.  Coccoloba uvifera
  19.  Cosmos sulphereus
  20.  Costus malortianus
  21.  Cuphea hyssopifolia
  22.  Dieffenbachia maculata
  23.  Dracaena marginata
  24.  Eucharis amazonica
  25.  Euphorbia pulcherrima

The numbers below match those above with family and origin
Reference
Tropical Ornamentals
W. Arthur Whistler
Timber Press 2000 

1.   ARACEAE      S.E.  Asia
2.   APOCYNACEAE     S. America
3.   ARACEAE                 S.E. Asia
4.   AGAVACEAE            N. Africa
5.   AMARANTHACEAE   Brazil
6.   POLYGONAECEAE   Mexico
7.   LILIACEAE                   S. Africa
8.   ACANTHACEAE          India
9.   FABACEAE             Venezuela
10. BIXACEAE           West Indies
11. NYCTANACEAE  Brazil
12. SOLANACEAE     Brazil
13. FABACEAE        Brazil-Bolivia
14. APOCYNACEAE    MADAGASCAR
15. SOLANACEAE    C. America
16. GESNERIACEAE "        "
17. FABACEAE       T. America
18. POLYGONACEAE  T. America
19. ASTERIACEAE   Mexico
20. ZINGIBERACEAE  Costa Rica
21. LYTHACEAE       N.S.  America
22. Araceae               T. America
23. AGAVACEAE      Madagascar
24. AMARYLLIDACEAE Ecuador
25. EUPHORBIACEAE   Mexico

It is worth mentioning that number ten is a ONE and ONLY.  

Tropical America the winner with 4.
Brazil and Mexico even with 3.
North Africa, Madagascar and Central America tied with 2.


This inventory represent one quarter of the collection or twenty five percent, of those identified with botanical names.  The information tells whatever the reader would like to infer.

I declare to end, one thing, to pretend changing the botanical globalization taken place or the one centuries old, is a lame project.   In the case of Puerto Rico, no member of the fauna club will request identity papers to the vegetation providing a home and food.

The arguments presented by members of the biological/botanical claque of academicians for this or that are debatable.

If you practice gardening, the self sustainable type, do not depend on nurseries to increase your plant collection, knowing what is what will allow to solve any problems in the garden, during your life and that of your plants. 

Apago i me voy..

  1.  

Saturday, November 27, 2010

DUNE REFORESTATION IN PUERTO RICO

AS  usual, down this here mean concrete/asphalt usa territory, where its native and ilegally imported sad people will pass away of nothing, some
good willing feeble minded islanders, probably tripping on green fads under acid/amphetamines
or just unemployment and heat, created a group DUNES SAVIORS OF ISABELA, with adolescent indecent exposure in where else, feisbuk.

I a son of a beach if there is one, pondered about this act out of boredom.
Immediately inquiring about the botanical list of plants, ground covers, trees and bushes to be planted in such a humanitarian effort to save dunes in the locality mentioned or any where else if I may.


The jerks responded that another jerk ghost, some Papo Vives would provide the list.  The invisible one never did.


Six months later, your humble servant will provide the inventory list from a public document in my hands since 1980, when I started what would become a legendary effort in the shallow
gardening blog scene, three decades later.

Sporobolus virginicus 
Spartina paten
Ipomoea pre-caprae
Scaveola plumieri
Lippia nodiflora
Canavalia maritima
Sesuvium portulacastrum
Remirea maritima
Ipomoea stolonifera
Bidens pilosa
Chamaesyca buxifolia
Tephrosia cinerea
Cyperus planifolius
Sanseveria guianensis
Diodia maritima
Achyranthes indica
Wedelia trilobata
Pectis humifusa
Mollugo verticillata
Boerhavia diffusa
Emilia sanchifolia

Let the record show that I do not pretend that everyone move to New York to get a certificate in Commercial Horticulture Landscape Management as I did during 2000/02, in the New York Botanical Garden.

What I  expect is RESEARCH, when  I started on this adventure 1969, with my first letter published in a local newspaper, my views were not based on notions, study and research, just impressions based on a critical not fuck you, but focus.

DUNE RESTORATION IN PUERTO RICO
A manual for environmental managers

Ramon F. Martinez
Luis Encarnacion
Luz M. Cruz
Department of 007 Natural Resources
Government of Puerto Rico, USA.
1983

Apagad e iros
To Ricky Lopez in Aibonito
Arboles de Puerto Rico
Amigos del Bosque San Patricio
Sierra Club
Puertorriquenhos identificando
i no se que mierda nunca me acuerdo.


Por que las buenas intenciones de idiotas e ignorantes, siempre quedan,
se vuelven agua i sal.




I

Thursday, November 18, 2010

SCENTS OF SMELL POST

T his inventory was previously posted in the evening post.   I will probably post again many of those lists, since that is part of the intention.  References from now on will be on request only.

Cestrum nocturnum
Crinum armericanum v. roustum
Crinum asiaticum *
Eucharis grandiflora *
Gardenia jasminoides *
Hedychiums, especially H. coronatium
Jasmines *
Murraya paniculata *
Osmanthus fragrans
Pancratium zeylanicum
Pandorea jasminoides
Passifloras **
Plumerias **
Polianthes tuberosa *
Stephanotis floribunda
Tabernamontana coronaria
Trachelospermum jasminoides
Zephyrantes chlorosolen

Most people with notions of botanical names are aware of the utility of research and investigation.  If you have a question about a disease, diagnose, propagation, planting, pruning and transplanting issues the answer is at your hand in the web.

I am not in the mode of asking others regarding situations in my zone 11,
concrete and salty micro climate.

* In my collection
** 3 varieties of each 

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

FOLLOW UP TO PREVIOUS ONE

S ome time ago I wasted my time trying to connect with some Vegetarian Priestess, Magha Garcia,
in related themes of agricultural, medicinal and cooking herbs.

She from the concrete/asphalt wild west in turn had some relation with some priest, a ghost if you ask me,
Papo Vives. Both created one of those still live blogs: yerbabruja.blogspot.com.  Your humble servant appears as a collaborator but the two scumbags have published 3 transcendental posts, in twenty four months. The only good thing in yerbabruja is my inventory of 2009!

Back in the studio, to our previous post regarding plants found in almost every home in Puerto Rico, before the nurseries for the feeble minded became custom and use, here is a list for those interested.

COOKING
Rosmarinus officinale
Origanum vulgare
Ocimun basilicum
Capsicum annuum/frutescens
Coriandrum sativum


Medicinal Department

Pepperomia pellucida
Petroselinum crispun
Aloe vera
Bryophylum pinatum

When I was a child, my mother kept some of these plants in our mostly concrete backyard.  I remember being cured with Aloe for burns and ear ache with Bryophylum. I was probably in third grade of elementary school.

In those days before liberation, women were useful at home, with many plants in the yard,  to cure more than one 
illness from body or spirit, internal or external.  Swapping and sharing all sort of plants, was very common in some segments of the population. After all, there was no money for doctors, or available hospitals within reach.  It was a skill, pertinent to families, society as a whole.

All that knowledge is gone and forgotten, underestimated, except for some people, enlightened ones, whose vegetarian, holistic ideas about nature cures are cult like, keeping to themselves as if they were the chosen ones.

Yours truly on the other hand, misanthropic and all does not see any difference between this gardening or that.  I cover the whole court with a clear view of the issues...There is too much human contact, computers are for learning, sharing, kicking butt, setting trends.

The Puerto Rico I grew up, is just memories, really vague, obscure, opaque.  Now, it is a day light nightmare daily.  Collecting, propagating and planting keeps me cheerful as I can.  And you can perceive. Bilingual laugh.

Apaga i vamonoh.



RABANO MATA DE AGUA GALLEGOS AMAPOLA

O nce upon a time there were no nurseries, since this isle, the concrete/asphalt one, is not the British ones.  Therefore, women mostly, were into plants, flowers, bushes and herbs.

Pride in the appearance, the rarity,
how useful were the plants was  part of it here, and anywhere.  I am not any different but it goes beyond.  My satisfaction comes out of the birds, reptiles, insects, common or rare as the previous post, beneficial or not. 

The names in Spanish are the common names used in Puerto Rico, USA of the following in the same order:
Diffenbachia, Pothos, Crotons and Hibiscus.

The second and fourth are worth commenting since one was found in glass vases indoors and the last, is are named Amapolas, however in the most of the world that term signifies Poppies. 


Perhaps there are many others such
as: oregano, recao, albahaca, aji, and medicinal ones also in demand in those days.  But that story is for some other time.


Let it suffice that gardens before the arrival of useless nurseries, tied to the first urban projects based on the cookie cut mold of Levitt and Sons, during the sixties, were created from seed exchanges, swapping and propagating at home.


I will have to write a post on propagation to kill two birds on these issues.


Final word.  A few months ago some idiot in gardenrant.com, referred to botanical names identifying whatever, as epitaphs on a tombstone.


My pen name will look wonderful. Here is Antigonum Cajan. The one and only. Trend Setter, kicking butts, humble as hell, dogmatic as no other,
with great noir sense of humor, impatient and intolerant with stupidity, an always aware of his limitations.


Left no disciples since the early misanthropic views got more intense as time went by.  The more misanthropic the better the collection and once in a while his writing, that bai di guay, went into the abominable third person, god knows why.


Apaga i vamonoh.

Monday, November 15, 2010

BIPALIUM KEWENSE FIRST TIME IN 5 DECADES

Antigonum (2010), mentioned this unusual insect on his blog two days ago, while on daily monitoring for insect damage, I noticed this thin 3 inches, slimy, elongated, flat, mostly brown, with the moves of a slug and a hammerhead, insect roaming on a wall in the north garden.

Since I was infected recently, it scare the hell out of your humble servant. Fortunately, there is the web, and some research skill.

Land Planarians or Arrowheads are their common name.  Considered beneficials in some circles, eating slugs and such, they also eat earthworms and each other. 


If interested go to:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/IN20600.pdf,
http://sites.acres.edu/group/backyardwisdom/LISTS/Posts/post.aspx?ID+29
or Galveston County Master
Gardeners: Beneficials in the Garden.


Time to go. Apagad e idnos.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

THE NARDOS AZUCENAS MYSTERY SOLVED

A ll my life, probably since childhood, I have seen, smell NARDOS flowers cut.  They are sold in farmer markets and  by street peddlars.  Even today, there is a guy walking the streets of Santurce, with a bunch under his arm pit, selling this significant flowers in  the concrete/asphalt  isle culture.

For fifty years I knew this bulb, flowers as AZUCENAS.  Thanks to One Hundred Years of Solitude and Gabriel Garcia Marques from Colombia, the urge to investigate the mystery became imperative, since he mentions nardos more than once in his masterpiece opus. 


Nardos y Azucenas are mentioned in one of the best known boleros in  America, with the tittle " "Silencio".  Go to youtube with it, listen to the great version from Buena Vista Social Club.  Or any other.


There are localities in Havana and Pinar del Rio, Cuba named Azucena.  It was a popular name for women in the past.  Not anymore.

I relate the flower and the scent with botanicas, santeria and dead ones, but I do not have arguments to elaborate, it is just like that.  However, the historical popularity of these flowers with a fragrance somewhat close to  gardenias is remarkable.


One thing is pertinent. I have seen the 
Nardos, Polianthes tuberosa, in the ground, planted only TWICE, in fifty years. One, recently not far from our residence and a couple of years ago 
in Bayamon City.  I am propagating five. In the north, east and west sides in the  ground/pot to increase the possibilities of  success.


Azucena, Lilium sp. is the botanical name found when you search under that specific name often, not always.  I find the story really interesting and confusing.
It shows that common names are really a pain in the ass.  


The Polianthes tuberose, originally from Mexico, like many others, are appreciated in many places around the world.  In most places in America, they are called, known with two names, but the botanical leaves no doubt as to what really it is.


Naming our reality became a problem after Columbus arrived to these shores.
The trip was a result of Islam and its followers with the monopoly of spices
for the cooking, silk, jewelry and such.

Regarding vegetation, a lot of our native, endemic species have common names similar to those of Europe, just for their their appearance similarities. I may
go back to this subject in the future.


That is that. Apagad e idnos.




e.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

BOTANY FOR OUTSIDERS GARDENING

F or quite some time I have noticed in gardenrant.com, an incredible amount of
writer/gardeners dealing with bulbs, bulb forcing, nurseries, quality/variety  of plants available, their cost and so on.

The exact same thing takes place all the time in Davesgarden.com. I am sick of it, therefore my duty is to denounce it and offer the only, possible solution to
these incapable/ignorant/lazy/complacent,  men and women spending valuable time buying plants in nurseries, following the trend impositions and 'new' plants, from these gaudy for profit  nurseries, without any sense, respect or interest in biodiversity, flora and faun

The wise gardener is able to propagate, to swap, exchange, collect interesting, healthy, appropriate for his/her soil, microclimate without any useless, silly market influences.

To be continued... 

I

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

BOTANICAL INVENTORY CIRCA 2002

I have been collecting, propagating and planting seriously for some time now.  This historical inventory, lacks rigor with the names as a whole, many are common.

This inventory is part of history. The  intention, is to set trends in terms of gardening installation practices and maintenance in Puerto Rico, USA, or the concrete/asphalt isle.

There are no blogs with this focus, at least, there were none in those years in the Caribbean.
The only similar blog in this respect was endemismotrasnochado.blogspot , and currently, antigonum cajan evening post.

But CBR will move more towards botanical names without the sterility,  Mandarin, useless academic register, ivory tower characteristic of universities
and botanical gardens of the world.  This unreachable register  found in every botanical publication available in the wild web is absurd. Botany does not have to be the linguistic labyrinth that all publications and institutions of higher education pretend it to be. That is that for now.

BOTANICAL INVENTORY
circa 2002/04
Bayamon, Puerto Rico

Asparagus
Alocasia cucullata
Areca
Aglaonema
Acalypha
Alpinia roja/variegada
Anacaguita
Anthurium
Allamanda

Bauhinia
Bromelias
Bambusa
Beaucarnia

Cariaquillo
Convulvulus
Cuphea
Coleus
Cordyline
Chinese violet
Croton
Coccolova uvifera
Cafe de la India
Clerodendron thomsonae
Clivia marginata
Cipres
Caesalpina
Carica papaya
Cassia
Crinum
Colocasia
Caledium
Cestrum diurnum

Dracaena marginata
Diffenbachia
Euphorbia
Episcia
Erithalis fruticosa
Ficus benjamina/pumila
Gardenia augusta
Garrapata


Helechos
Hibiscus
Heliconia
Hippeastrum
Hawortia
Hosta

Ixora
Ipomoea batata
Josefina
Jazmin
Mangle rojo/boton
Musa
Mezquite
Oxalis

Philodendron
Pandanus
Pothos
Portulaca
Plumeria acustifolia/lutea/rubra
Delonix regia
Ruelia
Rhoeo spathacea
Rauvolfia caffra
Sanseveria
Spider plant
Strelitzia reginae
Stapelia pulvinata 
Syngonium
Tibouchina orangensis
Turnera ulmifolia
Tradescantia pallida/zebrina
Terminalia catapa
Ucar 
 
During that time I was not yet the critical, abrasive, blunt critic I am now. That explains some plants, trees, palms, turf, trimmer, lawnmower, gas/oil in the picture then. 

I have changed and developed  views regarding the collection and horticultural, gardening practices in the Caribbean, not very different from the feeble minded ones in trend now or then in the concrete/asphalt isle, mostly in the urban context.

Setting trends is my goal, not groupies, recognition or agreement from the other side. I believe that action is demonstrated with the walking. I talk the walk and vice versa. Until then.