Hankering for Humidity - Benefits of being in the Conservatory. Plant of the Day: Triangle Palm - "Dypsis decaryi"

Fall Flower Show

The beautiful sun is shining bright today.  This bodes well for having a nice day at the Conservatory.  More visitors seem to come when the air temperature is cold (right now, the outside air temp is 25 degF) and the sun is shining.  So I was pleased to see that there were a large number of folks walking through the conservatory.

Almost immediately, walking into the Palm Dome, I note that the humidity levels are high. I know that they strive to keep humidity levels up in the conservatory, but I’m wondering if I notice it more today because outdoor humidity has fallen.  The humidity levels in my house are also lower, so I might be more sensitive to feeling the higher humidity in the Conservatory.  Whichever it is, let me tell you that it feels great!  As a transplanted southerner, I definitely miss the higher humidity levels!

There’s much to see in the Conservatory.  The Fall Flower Show is still ongoing and looks really nice.  The gardeners have planted new mum and chrysanthemum plants.  These all have flower buds getting ready to burst open with beautiful colors.  The varieties of ornamental grasses planted around the Sunken Garden are really exquisite and they accent the flowering plants really well. 

Bromeliad

Bromeliad

The bromeliads are becoming one of the most interesting group of plants to examine in the Palm Dome.  I love this amazing specimen that captures water in its center.  It appears to grow flowers in this water-logged micro-environment.  If you know more about this plant, I'd love to hear from you!  I'm going to do more research on it as well.  I'll post more information when I find it.

In the North Garden, more plants have been pruned.  I discovered that the cotton plant, which I thought had been taken out of the North Garden completely, had merely been cut way back to where no one could see it.  It is now growing much taller and I hope to see a flower on it within a few months.  A previous blog of mine has a couple of pictures of the beautiful yellow flower that is produced on the cotton plant.

Dragon Tree

In addition to enjoying the plants that I see each volunteer session, I enjoy noticing and learning about new plants that I “discover” on my walks through the Conservatory.  In the Palm Dome, I found two different plants indigenous to Madagascar.  The first is the Madagascar Dragon Tree, Dracaena marginata.   This plant grows as a shrub or small tree to 20’ tall (like the one you see in the picture).  Although it is toxic to cats and dogs, it is popular as a houseplant or an ornamental.

The Plant of the Day is another interesting plant from Madagascar - the Triangle Palm, Dypsis decaryi.  This plant is an important keystone species in Madagascar, providing fruit sustenance for parrots, lemurs, and wild pigs.  The seeds and other parts of the plant are not considered eatable by humans.  There is an estimated 1,000 species of triangle palms left in the wild.  Because the habitat of this palm is being destroyed by grazing animals, humans and fire, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the Triangle Plant as vulnerable.  It is also listed in Appendix II from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) indicating that any international trade of this palm will be regulated and monitored.

For more information (all websites accessed November 11, 2013):

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b592

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/madagascar-dragon-tree

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dypsis_decaryi

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/38531/0

http://www.cites.org/eng/cop/15/inf/E15i-30.pdf

Pruning and Preparing for Old Man Winter. Plant of the Day: Pineapple "Ananas colossus"

Fall Flower Show

The first snow flakes of this winter fell on my windshield on my way to the Conservatory this morning.  My first thoughts were how beautiful the tiny flakes looked as they fell from the dark gray overcast sky.  My subsequent thoughts were on the outside chores that I still needed to get done before old man winter digs his heels in to stay.  Always more work to get done.

The air temperature in the Conservatory reflected the freezing temperature outside.  The North Garden and the Palm Dome were warm, but the Sunken Garden and the Bonsai areas were very cool.

Despite the cool temps, there were some interesting things to see today.  In the Sunken Garden, a new flower show has started!  This is the Fall Flower Show and it includes some chrysanthemum varieties, ornamental grasses, and cute little ornamental pepper plants.  It is garnished with swiss chard plantings throughout the room.  The aroma is not as strong as with the summer flower show, but there is still a nice smell in the room.

Arabian Coffee Plant-Recently Pruned

Pruned Panama Rubber Tree

In the North Garden, I noticed that the gardners have been busy pruning many of the plants.  I’m dismayed to see that they hacked away at the top part of the beautiful coffee plants – the branches with all of the coffee beans, no less!  They cut back part of the Star Fruit tree (Averrhoa carambola), but left some of the star fruit for visitors to see. They also trimmed off the trunk section of the Panama rubber tree (Castilla elastica) that had died. Oh well, I know they’ll keep growing.  These are good things to do to help more light get to the understory plants.

Star Fruit Tree

The plant for day is the pineapple (Ananas comosus).  The pineapple, besides being delicious, is the most widely cultivated bromeliad in the world.  It is a herbacious perennial. Short stiff leaves surround the apex of the plant stem, eventually becoming the crown of the pineapple.  Pineapple is eaten all around the world.  It is canned, candied, juiced, eaten fresh or even fermented into a liquid for consumption.  Within pineapple fruit there is a protein eating enzyme called bromelain that has multiple uses – to tenderize meat, chill proof beer, tan leather and stabilize latex paint. 

Pineapple

Pineapple extracts are used in home remedies for skin issues like warts and can be found in some cosmetic skin treatments.  Pineapple juice has been used as a diuretic.  Pineapple fruit can help ease digestion discomfort.  Eating unripe pineapple can cause mouth and throat irritation.  Pineapple bran and chopped pineapple leaves can be fed to livestock.  As a fiber material, in some countries, chopped pineapple leaves are used to make nets or other textiles.

For more information (all websites accessed October 21, 2013):

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=34

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/pineapple.html

http://levins.com/pineapple.html

Flowery Shows but not in the Flower Show

A beautiful day in Minnesota and in the Conservatory.  As I walk through the Palm Dome, I immediately notice the beautiful flowering bromeliads. 
I’m always amazed at the beautiful uniqueness of the bomeliad flowers.  As I mentioned in my last blog, the Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants native mainly to the tropical Americas. 

Pineapple

My favorite bromeliad in the Conservatory is the pineapple. In addition to being delicious to eat, it is the only bromeliad that produces a fruit that can be eaten, so it’s an economically important bromeliad.  Look at these photos of some of the Conservatory bromeliads.  The photos don’t do them justice, though - they are more beautiful and interesting in person! 

Red Ginger flower 

The ginger plants have some beautiful blooms.  The Conservatory has several ginger varieties to show visitors.  I see a very large beautiful red ginger (Alpinia purpurata) flower hanging over the koi pool.  The spiral ginger (Costus barbatus) has a multitude of flower heads in various stages of flowering.  The flower colors seem to change slightly over several hours due to the change in lighting from the sun’s angle. 

Spiral Ginger

Spiral Ginger

Not all gingers are created equally.  The typical store-bought ginger is Zingiber officinale the common ginger. It is used as a spice, medicine or even as a delicacy in some parts of the world.  Turmeric is also a ginger - (Curcuma longa) and can be found in the North Garden.  My favorite ginger in the Conservatory is the spiral ginger because of it’s beautiful flowers.

For more information (all websites Accessed September 16, 2013):

Bromeliad Plant Care Blog

http://www.bromeliads.info/archives/pineapple-bromeliad

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

http://www.htbg.com/search.php?family=Zingiberaceae

Minnesota Mild in the Tropical Rainforest Plant of the Day: Cola Nut (Cola acuminata)

Sunken Garden Flower Show

Today is a cool Minnesota day.  At 9:50am, the outside temperature is a cool 54 degF.  As I enter the conservatory, I notice that all of the side windows are open in the North Garden and the Sunken Garden.  Brrrrrrrrrr.   Very cool in what should be a warmer tropical environment.  I, of course, wore my shorts because the conservatory is always very warm!  Not today!  So I actually spent much of my time in the Palm Dome where the windows were closed and the air temperatures more comfortable.

As I reflect on the coolness inside the North Garden, I recall that there are multiple types of rainforests that successfully sustain forest species.  For example, there are the Pacific temperate rainforests in northwestern United States and the beautiful montane forests of central and south America. Perhaps a few of the plants in the North Garden are relishing (in their own way) the coolness that the open windows are bringing into their environment today! 

One of the Palm Dome bromeliads

  

With those thoughts, I present a few pictures of plants in the Palm Dome.  The bromeliads are quite beautiful and clearly draw the interests of most visitors.  The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants native mainly to the tropical Americas.

The Boat Lily plant (Tradescantia spathacea), commonly called Moses-in-a-basket or oyster plant, has leaves that are a dark green on top with a vivid violet color underneath.  The small white three-petaled flowers poke out of the boat-shaped purple bracts nestled in the leaf axils.  Flowers and seed are produced all year in the native habitats in Mexico and Central America.

Boat Lily

Boat lily is thought to have been used cosmetically by the central American Mayans.  Today, the juice is used to clean wounds by some people in Mexico, although it's also known that some people have skin sensitivities to this juice.  

Crepe Myrtle Bonsai

Off of the Palm Dome area is the new Ordway Center Japanese Bonsai collection.  I don’t want you to miss this beautiful photo of one of the conservatory’s bonsai plants.  This is a Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) tree that has been trained to grow small. Many people don’t realize that bonsai trees still flower and produce seed and the results can be spectacular.  I took a bonsai class last year and have my own juniper bonsai tree at home.  I’ve had it for a year and it’s still looking great (and with the tiniest trimming, still looks like a bonsai tree – yea!).

Cola Nut Flowers

I return to the North Garden to choose the plant of the day which is the Cola Nut, aka Kola Nut, (Cola acuminata), native of tropical Africa.  The fruits of this plant contain two alkaloids: caffeine and theobromine.  These alkaloids are stimulants that fight tiredness, reduce hunger and thirst.  They can be roasted, pounded or chewed and can be added to drinks such as tea or milk, or to cereals like porridge.  The original Coke cola beverage is said to have originated from the use of this nut in the product (hence the name).

For more information (all websites Accessed September 2, 2013):

United States Department of Agriculture Plant Database:

http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=TRSP8

Center for International Forestry Factsheets:

http://www.cifor.org/publications/pdf_files/factsheet/cola_eng.pdf