Volunteering in a position that requires steady walking has
its perks. It’s the day after Thanksgiving and my volunteer work provides the workout needed to reduce the impact of my Thanksgiving overeating.
In the first hour, there has been a small but steady stream of visitors. The
Palm Dome is very cool but the tropical North Garden has its usual hot and
steamy feel.
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| Palm Dome |
The strong brightness that greets me in the palm dome
indicates that pruning has been done since my last visit. After consulting with
a fellow interpreter, I discover that the tallest palm in the room had been
removed 3 days earlier. Its leaning predilection had marked its destiny with a chainsaw.
 |
| Entering the North Garden |
Similar activity had been underfoot in the North Garden. The
typical dark undertones of the lush tropical growth in the North Garden have
been replaced with the bright and airy vision of severely trimmed vegetation.
However, the familiar friends around the room still beckon their call of serenity and
thoughtfulness. I can see star fruit,
oranges, papayas, cacao pods and much more.
A discussion with a visitor about the global-wide societal and economic
benefits of the vanilla orchid provides a reminder of why I enjoy learning about
and teaching about these plants.
The Plant of the Day is the Mayan Spinach Tree Cnidoscolus
chayamansa, commonly referred to as tree spinach or chaya. Similar to
spinach, this plant provides a popular leaf vegetable in Mexican and Central
American cuisines. Chaya is a good
source of calcium, iron, protein, vitamins, and antioxidants. The leaves of this plant are thought to have
the highest level of nutrients of all land-based leafy green vegetables.
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| Spinach Tree leaves |
For more information:
Kuti, J.O. and E.S. Torres. 1996. Potential nutritional and
health benefits of tree spinach. p. 516-520. In: J. Janick (ed.), Progress in
new crops. ASHS Press, Arlington, VA.
Kuti, J. O.; Konuru, H. B. 2004. Antioxidant Capacity and
Phenolic Content in Leaf Extracts of Tree Spinach (Cnidoscolus spp.). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 52
(1): 117–21.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnidoscolus_aconitifolius
https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1996/V3-516.html
http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/982-chaya-the-maya-miracle-plant
http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/982-chaya-the-maya-miracle-plant
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