Mental Relaxation. Plant of the Day: Violet Stemmed Taro - "Colocasia esculenta"

Good day for mental relaxation in this lush green tropical setting. Weather forecasts for this week predicted up to 10 inches of snow, but a last minute shift of the storm resulted in zero snow for this area. This is bittersweet because, while not wanting to shovel, I was looking forward to seeing old man winter's glistening white blanket covering our current snow-free landscapes. C'est la vie!

A new plant has been introduced in the North Garden. This new plant is a humongous bromeliad, Alcantarea imperialis, grown from a wee planting to the size you can see in the photo. This plant is out on display for a short time so visit soon for a personal look.

Alcantarea imperialis

I learned some interesting information from a visitor about a plant species in the North Garden - Curare - Chondrodendron tomentosum. Curare is used in the dip for poison arrows by South American native tribes.

The Plant of the Day is the Violet Stemmed Taro - Colocasia esculenta. This plant provides a variety of food options in multiple countries but before it can be eaten, all parts of the plant have to be cooked to break down the enclosed oxalate crystals. These crystals are considered a poison to animals. Hawaiians steam the younger plant leaves and serve them as greens while boiling and then eating the stems. The younger leaves are high in Vitamin C.

The underground stem, called the corm, is starchy and is baked, boiled, steamed or cooked then mixed to make a dish called poi, the "soul food" of Hawaii. Corm that is peeled and boiled can be frozen, canned, mashed or grated. Similar to potato chips, dried chips can be made from taro.

Violet Stemmed Taro

The taro is used for a variety of medicinal uses. Poi has been used to treat skin problems like infected sores or to treat diarrhea. Raw taro juice has been used to reduce fever. The petiole (stem leaf) can be cut and applied as treatment to the skin to stop a small area of surface bleeding or to treat an insect sting.

Before the 20th century, there were several hundred varieties of Taro in Hawaii. The 20th century brought monoculture into the scene and now there are only seven to twelve varieties cultivated in Hawaii. This makes this species more vulnerable to disease and extinction. Farmers, scientists and environmentalists are working to promote and instill agroforestry and mixed crop practices to help this species. Taro also grows in other areas like southern areas in the United States, Central America, tropical Africa, various Pacific island nations and Asia. The origin, diversification and dispersal of taro are currently unknown.

For more information:

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/colocasia-esculenta/

http://data.bishopmuseum.org/ethnobotanydb/ethnobotany.php?b=d&ID=kalo

http://ntbg.org/plants/plant_details.php?plantid=3155

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0157712
http://www.feedipedia.org/node/537

Cheerful Colors. Plant of the Day: Annatto, aka Achiote - "Bixa orellana" - the Lipstick Tree

2017 Winter Show

Partly sunny today with a forecasted high of 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The Winter Flower Show in the Sunken Garden continues to please the eyes and brighten the mind. Gardeners and volunteers are to be congratulated on their phenomenal ability to blend cheerful colors, textures and plant height into a beautiful and colorful mindful and aromatic sensory experience. The last day to enjoy this feast for the eyes is Sunday, March 12th.

Multiple plants in the North Garden are providing a show of fruit and flowers. The jackfruit is starting to bloom fruit in various sections of the tree. I was pleased to see a maturing cherry on the Surinam cherry tree, Eugenia uniflora, near the big fig tree in the back of the room. Multiple cacao pods are hanging on the chocolate tree (yes, there's a chocolate tree in here!).

Surinam cherry

The plant of the day is the Annatto - Bixa orellana, also known as the Lipstick Tree. This plant is considered a shrub but can take the shape of and look like a small tree. This shrub is called the Lipstick Tree because dyes are made from the red seeds. In addition to lipstick, as a natural dye, annatto paste has been used for: body painting during festivals, fabric dye, crafts, murals, varnish, soap and cosmetics.

In addition to dyes, the seeds have been used for medicinal purposes to treat various ailments including skin disorders, constipation, asthma and nausea. The Piura rainforest tribe makes a tea using young shoots to use on skin disorders, to treat fevers and other conditions. A leaf concoction of annatto is used in Brazil herbal medicine to treat stomach upset from spicy foods, to treat fevers and topically to treat burns. Small dosages of annatto seed powder have been used to help with cholesterol and hypertension. Various other concoctions are used in South American communities to treat a wide range of ailments.

For more information:

http://www.sacredearth.com/ethnobotany/plantprofiles/achiote.php

http://ntbg.org/plants/plant_details.php?plantid=1760

http://luirig.altervista.org/pics/index5.php?recn=2648&page=1

http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/content/lipstick-tree.htm