Have you been to Como Conservatory to see the Flower
Show? Beautiful! As you enter the Palm Dome, you can smell the
floral fragrance wafting from the Sunken Garden. You need to see and smell this to experience
it for yourself! You need to hurry - this show closes on April 22nd and you'll have to wait a short time to see the next flower show.
I, of course, always
have to visit the Sunken Garden at least once on my volunteer watches. Hmmmmmm, candy to the eyes, intoxication to
the senses. My favorite flowers in the
show are probably the irises - magnificent!
However, all of the smell and colors are just wonderful. My description
and pictures don’t do this flower show justice.
Come visit, idle around the beautiful Sunken Garden and experience this wonderous
display for yourself!
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| Pineapple |
Today, after making my way to the North Garden, I noticed the
growing pineapple just inside the North Garden entrance. What an interesting and delicious fruit! Near the entrance, the banana plant still has
bananas and a large bloom hanging over the North Garden entrance. These bananas have been hanging for quite
some time. I don’t think they’ll be able
to hang on much longer.
Around the North Garden, I see a few more plants growing up
and outwards. The Valencia Orange tree
has some oranges growing on it. These
fruits are currently the same color green as the leaves, so the fruit are hard
to see. This tree is across the aisle
from the Calamondin Orange tree which has brightly colored oranges all over the
tree. Look for them when you come to
visit!
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| Cacao |
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| Valencia Orange |
The cacao pods on the chocolate tree are turning
yellow. They are nearing the end of
their time on this tree. After they
ripen and fall off, the conservatory staff will take them to be composted. Lucky worms!
The koi in the North Garden pool are doing well. Koi are in the carp family. They are long-lived fish and fun to watch. You'll enjoy sitting down and watching the fish. They often surface at the pool, looking to be fed. They are beautiful and serene.
The plant of the day is the Ipecac Plant (Psychotria ipecacuanha). This perennial herb grows in clusters in the
understory of humid, shady areas in the humid tropical forests of central and
south America. The extract of the root
of ipecacuana is used as an amoebicide, an emetic, and as an expectorant.
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| Ipecac Plant |
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| Koi in the North Garden |
In syrup form, the rhizomes and roots of this plant are used
as an expectorant in Costa Rica. There are reports of effectiveness in treating
amoebic dysentery, alveolar pyorrhea, and otheramoebal infections. There is also a reported slight effect from
cefaline, one of the plant’s alkaloids, as an antitussive and expectorant when
taken as a syrup.
Ipecacuana is considered to be an irreplaceable drug and is
on the verge of extinction due to unsustainable over-harvesting. It is also to
be noted that the synthetic drug does not have the same medicinal properties as
those plant compounds extracted directly from the plant. Despite its medicinal, economic and historic
importance, there are no current studies that measure or reveal its current conservation
status.
For more information:
