The Photosynthetic King Solomon

Species name: Polygonatum commutatum

Common name: Solomon's Seal, smooth Solomon's seal

Location: Ontario

This is another one of those plants that I was positive was of European origins, but this species is actually from Eastern North America. There are at least six species of this genus (all of which carry the common name "Solomon's seal") native to Europe as well (we can't take all the credit...!). This is one of the many instances of where you have to be careful in usage of the common name of the plant, since there are actually two different species commonly referred to as "smooth Solomon's seal". Plants can't read the rule books to know that only one of them is allowed to have smooth leaves!

Almost all species of Solomon's seal are known for their relatively high content of a chemical called glucokinin. This chemical is the reason why this plant is potentially a great herbal treatment for certain kinds of diabetes, since glucokinin helps fight nutritional hyperglycemia, or the "sugar rush" you get after having a can of pop, chocolate bar, or a meal high in refined starches. This wouldn't be of benefit to everyone with diabetes since not all forms of the disease are the same, even within a "type" (in other words, not everyone with type 1 diabetes reacts the same way to insulin or sugar).

Historically, this plant was very popular in Native North American medicine, although not as much anymore. The plant grows from a rhizome, and the sap that can be extruded from this rhizome is reported to have strong antimicrobial properties and is effective in fighting infection at the site of an open wound. The sap from the rhizome is also quite effective at fading bruises quickly. The English herbalist John Gerard (alive in the late 1500s) once wrote: "The roots of Solomon's Seal, stamped while it is fresh and greene and applied, taketh away in one night or two at the most, any bruise, blacke or blew spots gotten by falls or women's wilfulness in stumbling upin their hastie husband's fists, or such like." Gerard was a rather interesting "botanist" (I use this term loosely, since he was somewhat formally trained as a barber-surgeon and not a botanist) and if you'd like to learn more about him other than his views on domestic violence (I'm glad times have changed!) then the Wikipedia page about him is quite good. You can find it HERE.

It is also reported to help with the effects of menopause and help speed the healing of broken bones. You're more than welcome to try the traditional preparation: dry the leaves in the sun and break into pieces, sprinkle 1 tsp of dried leaves into boiling water, allow to steep for 5 minutes, then strain and consume. If you notice your bones healing faster it's likely due to the placebo effect and nothing else, but you never know. Be warned: this plant is reported to also be a very strong laxative. Your coworkers might not appreciate it if you consume the tea outside of your own home!

Dawn Redwood: Critically Endangered?

Species name: Metasequoia glyptostroboides

Common name: Dawn redwood

Location: Ontario

This species of redwood is unique in many ways, only one of which being that it was only recently (well, in the grand scheme of things it's recent) rediscovered in 1949 after thoughts it had gone extinct in the late 1800s. It is native to a very small region in China, and within its native range there are only a few individuals of this species left so it is critically endangered. That being said, it's also an incredibly popular ornamental tree (gaining popularity in North America) so cultivated species of this plant will likely always exist even after the wild members of the population are long gone. Another unique aspect of this tree is that unlike it's close relatives, the Giant Redwood (Sequoiadendron) and the Coastal Redwood (Sequoia), this is a deciduous tree and a conifer at the same time. It produces cones like you would picture from a redwood or even a cedar, but loses its leaves during the fall like an oak or maple tree would. As you can see from the pictures, the leaves are like feathers, and it seems like they all appear overnight after the buds have persisted on the branches for many days or weeks. While you might imagine the debris from this tree would be quite impressive since it can be a huge tree (up to 200 feet in the wild) with many leaves, the leaf-like needles actually decay very quickly. It's certainly not the padded ground cover that you find in pine plantations!

The Dawn redwood is what we refer to as being a "monotypic" species, meaning that it is the only species that is currently alive in the genus. There are an estimated three other species that have once existed in the genus based on evidence from the fossil record. These trees seemed to be abundant in the early Paleocene, between 55-60 million years ago. The changing climate likely led to their demise, which seems to be repeating itself with the last remaining species. The Dawn redwood is also very sensitive to urban pollutants, so living in the city and trying to grow one of these outside is probably a losing proposition (and a good reason why urban encroachment is one of the contributing factors to the status of the last remaining wild population of this species). That being said, this is a popular plant species to turn into a bonsai, so growing it indoors can work well if you have time and patience!

These trees are a source of national pride in China, so much so that it's actually illegal to take branch cuttings from any one of the remaining 5,000 trees left in the wild. Unfortunately, cone collection is not protected in the same way so natural regeneration of these trees has essentially stopped. Once the mature trees in the stand die, the species will be extinct in the wild. The state of North Carolina has attempted to do its part by planting an enormous stand of Dawn redwood trees over three different sites. Their goal is to have 5,000 trees planted in various stages of growth by the year 2035, which is when the nature preserve is slated to open to the public. Hopefully this enormous undertaking will continue to thrive with changing national budget priorities! I would love to go see it someday.

The other tequila: Mezcal

Species name: Agave angustifolia

Common name: Caribbean agave, Century Plant

Location: Cuba

This species of Agave is native to southern Mexico and Central America. It is a popular ornamental plant in North America (depending on richness of soil, it can even survive in Canada), with enormous flowers that quite literally pop up overnight. One of the common names of this plant, the century plant, refers to seemingly how often it flowers in nature: it is native to a very dry, very hot environment where plant reproduction is often delayed in favour of general survival. Many of the species of this genus have adaptations similar to those of the Aloe plant; they have large, fleshy leaves that they use to store water, using this stored water for basic survival during drought. During times of rain, the plant absorbs as much water as it can and sends up a flower stalk at night (when it's cooler) to reproduce. Pollination can occur with the help of insects or wind, or it can self-pollinate. The seeds then develop with the help of this stored water, and the seeds are ready for dispersal by the morning. If you think about how long it takes that oak tree in your front yard to make acorns, this is an incredibly quick process! So quick, in fact, that it makes me wonder how this plant doesn't make mistakes with seed assembly and tissue maturation. I guess that's why the plant is the Agave and I'm not!

This species of Agave is sometimes popular (more common is Agave americana) in Mexico to make the drink mezcal (or mescal, despite having nothing to do with the drug mescaline...which they are also known for). The leaves of mature Agave plants are fermented into a mash, then the mash is distilled and clarified. Contrary to popular belief, this is not tequila (made from a different species of Agave, but made from the flowers and the flower stalks and not the leaves). Most people who try "maguey tequila" try it from a bottle that contains a worm, which is probably as gross as it sounds, and are sorely disappointed that this isn't the world-famous tasty tequila they've been hearing about since they started planning their trip to Mexico. I've also heard it's a fun game for Mexican people to get tourists to drink "the good stuff" and give them a bottle of mezcal that they've paid way too much for. This is why it's useful to know botany: not all liquors from plants of the same group are created equal!

June's official flower: the Rose

Species name: Rosa x damascena

Common name: Damask rose

Location: Ontario

Most species in the rose family are native to Asia, although a few are native to Europe and North America. This particular hybrid is a natural hybrid of rose originating in Europe from a cross originally of Rosa moschata and Rosa gallica, then the offspring of that cross was mated with Rosa fedtschenkoana (your guess is as good as mine for how to pronounce that one!). It wasn't long after this happened naturally that humans decided this was an unusually beautiful rose hybrid, and it was propagated in gardens across Europe, eventually making their way to North America. Most garden roses would be unlikely to survive in the wild since they have so many petals. This makes it exceedingly difficult for insects to find the stamens and ovaries of the flowers, and sometimes roses have been bred to completely lack sexual organs. For this reason, roses truly are an example of a domesticated crop. Roses are the official flower of June.

In general, there are two different types of Damask roses (named after Damascus): one type that only blooms in the spring, and one type that blooms in the spring and then again in the fall if the rose blooms are "dead-headed" (meaning you pick off the flower head as the petals start to fall off). Dead-heading roses prevents the formation of fruit, which often tricks the plant into flowering again. This isn't always in the best interest of the plant, since this does produce a significant strain on the plant. Dead-heading for a few years then allowing the plant to fruit on its own and produce seeds is the best way to ensure a long life out of your rose bushes. The types of fruit that roses produce (not all, but most ornamental roses do) is called a hypanthium, or a "hyp" for short. This is where we get the term "rosehip," and if you pick the fruit when it's ripe and dry it you can make a wonderful fruity tea. I'm not so sure I would just eat them since they are a bit tart (a "bit tart" is a "bit" of an understatement! They're about the same sourness as a ripe cranberry), but steep with some mint leaves and pour over ice. A great summer iced tea!

Teeny Tiny Cranberries

Species name: Vaccinium oxycoccus (=Vaccinium microcarpum)

Common name: Northern cranberry, common cranberry, small cranberry

Location: Alaska (3rd picture from Wikipedia)

The saying "everything's bigger in Alaska" only seems to work for vegetables and mosquitoes. When it comes to other plants, they're considerably smaller due to the harsh growing conditions that they experience during the winter. Spruce trees that would normally grow to be about 50 feet tall within 100 years in the southern part of Canada might take up to 300 years to reach the same size in Alaska. The same can be said about cranberries, which are usually shrubby perennials (meaning they can live for many years). In Alaska, it is predominantly Small Cranberry that grows there (you can probably guess how it gets its common name), but even that doesn't begin to describe its size. Each one of those leaves is only about 0.5-1 cm long, and the fruit are about the same size. Anyone who's ever made their own cranberry sauce before at Thanksgiving or Christmas knows that's a pretty small cranberry!

There are three different species of cranberry, all of which are native to arctic environments around the world. The most economically important species of cranberry in North America, Vaccinium macrocarpon, is native to eastern North America, while the species pictured above is native to North America, northern Europe and northern Asia. Many pieces of literature also consider a third, separate species of cranberry that's native to Europe but I have indicated here that they are the same species (DNA sequencing suggests V. oxycoccus and V. microcarpum are the same species despite having slight morphological differences).

There are many health benefits that cranberries claim to have, but in general it's best to eat them because they taste good, not because they might help fight cancer. There has been the suggestion for many years that cranberries have very high antioxidant levels (which they do; some of the highest of any fruit regularly consumed in a North American diet), and a high level of oxygen radical absorbance capacity or ORAC. Oxygen radicals are a necessity of life if you're an animal, plant or fungus; there is no way not to produce them since they're a byproduct of energy production in cells. Despite this, oxygen radicals have the ability to mutate DNA and a very high oxygen radical stress on the body can lead to tumor formation. Unfortunately, foods with a high ORAC score have so far failed in any scientific trial to translate that ability into something that's biologically relevant. In other words, just because a cranberry has the potential to buffer the effects of oxygen radicals on the body doesn't mean that it actually does. If you're spending all of your disposable income on antioxidant extracts from various plants it's probably best to find something else to spend your money on until there is some solid scientific evidence that any of these supplements (or foods!) have an effect on the body that's tangible.

Subarctic Broccoli

Species name: Brassica oleracea

Common name: Broccoli

Location: Alaska

Last summer when I was in Alaska I took a roadtrip up to the Arctic Circle from Fairbanks. Along the way, the highway crosses the Yukon River and the van stopped at the welcome centre for a break. Outside the welcome centre is a vegetable garden, if you can believe it! I was definitely misinformed about the weather in the interior of Alaska when I arrived. Sure, I knew it would be light out all the time but I was grossly unprepared for just how light it really is. In July, it feels like it's 2:00 pm all day every day. Neglecting to bring a sleeping mask with me was probably the biggest mistake of the trip! The other thing I hadn't accounted for with the huge number of daylight hours that they have during the summer, is the extended growing season. Most of the time when you think of Alaska you think "cold and inhospitable" (at least, I did), not "perfect for agriculture during the summer." The weather there is actually perfect for growing crops that thrive in cooler weather (broccoli is no exception there!), and due to 24 hours of daylight during the summer their growing season is the equivalent of almost five months of ideal crop growth. Mind-boggling! When I was taking the train from Anchorage to Fairbanks, we went through Wasilla (Sarah Palin's hometown) and learned that they have an annual "Large Vegetable Fair" every fall, where farmers from all over compete for prizes for the largest vegetable in many different categories. The world's largest cabbage was grown just outside of Wasilla and weighed in at a massive 150 kg. That's a lot of coleslaw!

Broccoli is one of six vegetables that are all part of the same species: broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kohlrabi, and kale. Humans have selected for various characteristics in each of these six vegetables which is why they look so different from each other. DNA sequencing about a decade ago showed that genetically, there wasn't actually much differentiation between these vegetables, just the turning on and off of specific genes. Broccoli and its brothers and sisters are native to the Northern Mediterranean (Italy, Greece, France).

Broccoli as a vegetable is packed with Vitamin C, fibre, selenium, beta-carotene, lutein, diindolylmethane, glucoraphanin and indole-3-carbinol. These last four chemicals are associated with anti-cancer, anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties, and glucoraphanin especially has been shown in small amounts to be a potent chemical that aids in DNA repair and blocks the growth of cancer cells. For this reason, broccoli and its extracts are currently being studied as a potential treatment or cure for cancer (as well as many other species in the genus Brassica). Something to keep in mind if you choose to consume broccoli for its heath benefits alone: the potency of these chemicals decreases with boiling; up to 30% with five minutes of cooking, 50% with ten minutes of cooking, and up to 75% with thirty minutes of cooking. Broccoli is one of the many vegetables best consumed raw or steamed (steaming and microwaving don't seem to have the same detrimental effects as boiling does)!

The Superman of the flower world

Species name: Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus

Common name: Daylily

Location: Ontario

This species of daylily is native to China, Russia, Slovenia and Italy, and was one of the very first of the genus Hemerocallis that was used for hybridization and domestication into its thousands of current cultivars. Many species of this genus have the ability to become invasive (such as the Tiger Lily, which many people think is a native North American wildflower), but to my knowledge this is not one of them. One of the qualities of daylilies that makes them not only attractive to gardeners but also very successful in a non-cultivated setting is their ability to withstand many different growing conditions. They can tolerate extreme cold during dormancy periods, and can tolerate extreme heat and dryness during the growing season. Some species can also tolerate periods of flooding, high winds, and frost. For this reason, the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) recognizes this plant as "successful" in hardiness zones 1-11, meaning from Alaska to Puerto Rico and Hawaii! Like Easter lilies, daylilies have three petals and three sepals, but because they're impossible to distinguish when the flower is mature we say there are six tepals.

Daylilies of all species and varieties are incredible potential learning tools when it comes to education about basic genetics. Most cultivars of daylily have the ability to hybridize, and there are quite a few gardeners that attempt every year to "create" their own cultivar by cross-breeding the daylilies in their back yards. I can imagine this being a great activity for kids in a school yard: plant some daylilies and have them grow until they are established (2 seasons at most), then set the kids out with paint brushes, plastic bags and different coloured string when the flowers are mature. Take the paint brush and rub it against the stamens to pick up pollen, then against the stigma to deposit the pollen. Put a plastic bag over the flower and secure with coloured string so you know what flower has been pollinated by who. Allow the fruit to start developing, then remove the plastic bag to let air circulate. Once the fruit is mature, open the pod to release the seeds, plant them in the ground and see what happens! I've heard of some people generating some really unique colour patterns as a result of "borrowing" pollen from daylilies around their neighbourhood and pollinating their own flowers. And who's going to miss a little pollen?!

Surprisingly enough, daylilies are actually a food source in China in some dishes that have become very popular in North America (and some I eat quite often!). The flowers, in China called gum jum or golden needles, are dried and used in hot and sour soup, Buddha's delight, and moo shu pork. There are some cultivars that have edible rhizomes, but others would irritate your stomach lining so it's best not to attempt to consume any of them. Despite this, historically the plant was used in a tea-like preparation to relieve stomach ache!

Life's a Beech

Species name: Fagus grandifolia

Common name: American Beech

Location: Ontario

The American beech is a species of tree that is native to North America, from Nova Scotia west to Southern Ontario, and the southern border of the native species range is from Louisiana into Georgia. This is one of my favourite tree species because of its large, glossy bright green leaves. I took this photo in one of my favourite Environmentally Significant Areas in London, Meadowlily Woods.

The most common habitat for this species of tree is on forest slopes in shaded areas. It can tolerate periodically very wet soil as long as it's not standing water on the soil surface, and is most commonly associated with another native species, Sugar Maple. Beech-Maple climax forests were common in Ontario and the northeastern United States prior to massive clear-cutting for agricultural purposes. There is a disease that's becoming more and more common to this species of tree called the Beech bark disease. A beetle burrows its way into the bark of the tree, laying eggs as it goes and leaving an open wound as a result. From there, a fungus called Nectria invades the open wound and causes a bark canker (the vertical lines in the bark close to the base of the tree are cankers), which will eventually kill the tree.

The American Beech is a common species used in the Canadian and American lumber industries. It is most often used in flooring and in handles for various tools, but historically it was impossible to cut down because of its density when mature. Until the chainsaw was invented, old, very large beech trees were largely ignored by loggers and so some mature beech trees are still present in old growth forests.

Caesar's mushroom

Species name: Amanita caesarea

Common name: Caesar's amanita, Caesar's mushroom

Location: Ontario

I figured it was about time for another mushroom! So here it is :)

Technically this species name is native to southern Europe and northern Africa, and the species name for this mushroom is likely Amanita jacksonii. To my knowledge, there's still some debate of whether these are actually the same or different species. Regardless of whether it's the North American species or the European species, it is still recognizable by the same characteristics: an orange stem, orange ring around the stem under the cap, orange cap with a darker brownish-orange middle, clear striations (stripes) on the top of the mushroom cap, light yellow/orange gills, and a white egg (volva) around the bottom of the stem.

Unlike all the rest of the species in this genus, this species is actually a highly prized edible mushroom. It can often be found in markets in Europe for sale at obscene prices since it is also incredibly rare to find (in Europe and in North America). It is actually one of the few fungi that is on a Red List or Endangered Species list around the world; the Ukraine has it listed as a nationally endangered species and it is against the law to pick it. Because of the real danger of accidentally killing yourself by eating the wrong Amanita, it is strongly suggested that you admire any mushroom with a ring and a volva from afar. Yes, they're pretty. Yes, a lot of them look like they'd be tasty. But a lot of them will give you chronic and/or deadly liver and kidney failure. Like with plants, you should only ever consume wild mushrooms if you are absolutely sure that you have identified it correctly (many species of fungi require the use of a microscope to ensure correct identification, even by experts!).

These flowers aren't for the dogs!

Species name: Cornus kousa

Common name: Chinese dogwood, Kousa dogwood, Korean dogwood, Japanese dogwood

Location: Ontario

Based on the common names of this species, it should be incredibly obvious where this plant is native: The Himalayan highlands of China, mountainous regions of Korea, and the mountains of Japan. The bright, showy flowers are produced in May and June, with the red fruits ripening into September. Despite having two of these trees in our yard, I have yet to see the fruit actually successfully grow into a new plant so I highly doubt it has any kind of invasive ability. That being said, there is a native species of this same genus that produces brilliant white flowers that could be planted instead. The downside of the native species (Cornus florida) is that it is very susceptible to a fungal disease called "anthracnose," and the Asian species is much more resistant to this disease. For this reason it is favoured amongst horticulturalists.

Despite appearances, those aren't actually flowers that appear in the photos above. The pink or yellow "petals" are actually bracts that surround the flower, not the flower itself. The flowers are rather inconspicuous and are located in the ball of plant tissue in the middle of the bracts. Each tiny flower in the inflorescence must be pollinated in order for that inflorescence to turn into a fruit. All of the maturing ovaries of the flower merge into one fruit, kind of like what happens in a pineapple. The fruits themselves are actually edible, and are sometimes used to produce the unique flavour of some fruit wines without adding too much sweetness.

There are quite a few references to dogwoods in popular culture, the most relevant (to this blog, at least) being that many farmers back in the "olden days" referred to cold snaps in the spring as "dogwood winters." The implication of this is that it's not safe to plant this year's crops until the dogwoods have started flowering, as flowering will be delayed in suboptimal conditions.

Queen Victoria's Waterlily

Species name: Victoria amazonica

Common name: Amazon waterlily, Royal waterlily

Location: Dave's Garden -- jeri11

The royal waterlily is native to the Amazon Basin in South America, is the largest waterlily in the world, and is named after Queen Victoria. Since today is Victoria Day in Canada, I figured there would be no better "plant of the day" than this one! Most species of plants can be bred by humans to have two different colours of flowers from the same species, but the two pictures above are actually of the same flower on two different days; the flower actually changes colour on its own. Unfortunately, I've never seen this plant in person so the best I can do are pictures from Dave's Garden from people that have actually seen it.

This plant has an incredible life cycle, being pollinated by only a single species of beetle. The beetle is attracted to the scent of the white flower that opens on the first night, which is often said to be chemically equivalent to the sex chemicals emitted by those beetles. Once the flower senses that there is at least one beetle that has landed on the flower, it closes relatively quickly to trap the beetle inside. The beetle fights to get out of the flower until the next night when the flower re-opens, getting pollen all over itself. On night two, the flower opens again to release the beetle and this time it is a stunning colour of pink. The colour change is also accompanied by a change in the sexual parts of the flower that are active: the flower stops producing pollen and is instead receptive to pollen on the stigmas. If a beetle visits one of these pink flowers after visiting a white flower, cross-pollination occurs.

The flowers aren't the only impressive part of this plant. The leaves are also some of the largest leaves in the plant kingdom, becoming almost 40 cm across and supporting the weight of a small child when mature. On the underside of the leaves are very large, dangerous spines which would seriously injure any animal (human or otherwise) to come in contact with the leaves. As you can imagine, this is a very effective deterrent of herbivores!

Happy Victoria Day!

Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch

Species name: Asimina triloba

Common name: Pawpaw

Location: Ontario

This species of tree is at the most northern part of its range in Southwestern Ontario. It is native to the Carolinian Forest of North America, which extends from the Carolinas (d'uh) up to southern Ontario, east to Nebraska and Missouri and northwest up to Pennsylvania. It is part of the breadfruit family, along with other fruits of tropical origins like soursop, ylang-ylang, custard-apple, and cherimoya. I've heard that pawpaw fruit are delicious, but I've never had the opportunity to try one -- even through the tree on campus produces flowers, it has yet to produce fruit. Perhaps I'll go track a pawpaw down in South Carolina in September/October when the fruit is ripe. Because of climate change, the habitat in Southwestern Ontario should become more hospitable to these trees, where winters are less harsh and so less stress on the trees themselves. Unfortunately, due to habitat destruction, Southwestern Ontario is actually becoming less hospitable for this species even taking into account climate change (current warming and projected values).

The flowers of pawpaw trees are a very dark red or maroon, and, true to the "flower rules," smell like rotting meat. They are certainly not pleasant! One of the great benefits of planting pawpaw trees on suburban properties is that all of the plant tissues contain a potent chemical called acetogenin. This acts as a natural pesticide against all sorts of pests: insects, bacteria, fungi, deers and rabbits. The chances of this plant being destroyed by herbivorous predators is pretty slim! The fruits themselves would attract bears (if you happen to be in bear country), foxes, racoons, opossums, and squirrels. The leaves are the only food source for the zebra swallowtail butterfly. This confers a major benefit to the butterfly larvae and the future mature butterflies in that the acetogenins remain in trace amounts in the insect's tissues which make them unpalatable to predators.

Acetogenins from this plant are currently being produced en masse in organic fertilizer labs across North America for use in organic gardening. Pawpaw trees are relatively fast-growing and can grow new shoots off their root systems and so are great plants in their native range to control erosion.

Is Weigela the new catnip?

Species name: Weigela florida 'Alexandra'

Common name: Old Fashioned Weigela, Wine and Roses Weigela

Location: Ontario

This plant is native to Japan, and while not incredibly common it's not uncommon in its native habitat. During the winter this shrub is rather boring and...shrubby. The flowers usually appear first in April/May, with the leaves appearing relatively quickly after; green in the middle and maroon around the edges. The more the plant is pruned, the more it flowers the next year so the suggestion by gardening experts is to prune branches with flowers immediately after flowering ceases (so you know which branches had the flowers!).

No one has been able to explain to me why my cat is so very clearly attracted to these plants like a fish to water. I would even argue that if we had catnip planted in the back yard she would ignore it in favour of shoving her face into these flowers. She gets defiant when you try to pull her away from them, too, so there's obviously something pretty potent in the flowers that she smells that I don't. The flowers aren't overly scented, at least not by human standards. These shrubs are cultivated for their showy flowers and ornamental leaves, not flower smell.

Other than the obvious ornamental value this plant has, it has no other economic or medicinal value. To my knowledge, this plant isn't used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (many of the species in the genus Weigela are native to China) or by the ancient Japanese people as medicine or food.

When is a Geranium actually a Geranium?

Species name: Geranium maculatum

Common name: Wild geranium, Spotted geranium, Wood geranium

Location: Ontario

I must say, I'm pleased to find out that this is a native plant! The wild geranium is native to eastern North America and the northeastern United States. There's an shockingly similar plant that's native to Europe called the Wild Cranesbill (this plant is also sometimes called the Wild Cranesbill in Canada and Woodland Geranium in Europe...no one said the common names of plants were any less confusing than the Latin names!), but it has slightly different shaped petals so I'm pretty sure this is the North American species. It's one of my favourite "weeds" in the garden that grows either by the pond (think small...it's more like a big permanent puddle than it is a "paddle around in a canoe and find frogs" pond) or by the fence at the back of the yard, but seemingly never in both places in the same year. This year seems to be a "by the fence year"!

Confusingly (no part of this blog post seems to be straight-forward...), this is only somewhat distantly related to the "garden geranium" that many North Americans and Europeans plant in their gardens right around this time of year. Those geraniums are in a genus named Pelargonium, and all of those species are native to South Africa (this refers to the southern part of the continent, not the country; just making sure we're sticking to the "confusing blog post" theme!). Both of these genera are part of the same family, the Geraniaceae. To compare Latin names to common names, the story doesn't get any clearer: species of Pelargonium are referred to as Storksbills, while species of Geranium are referred to as Cranesbills. In North America, we call one species of bird a stork and another a crane, while the reverse is true in Europe. So you can't even use the shape of the mature fruit to determine if it's a crane or a stork bill, because it would depend on your geography which one is which. I'll give you some time to think that one through... :)

Like many spring wild flowers, the wild geranium relies on a rhizome to accumulate nutrients during the fall to use for spring growth. The rhizome is high in tannins (the same chemicals that give dry red wine the "mouth pucker feel") and has been used in the medicinal practices of many indigenous peoples to treat diarrhea, canker sores, gum disease, thrush in babies, venereal disease, and what is probably throat cancer. It might be effective against some mouth-related ailments, but I doubt it's going to turn out to be the next great cure or treatment for cancer. I have been wrong before, so we'll have to wait and see! It has also been used to prevent infection around the site of the umbilical cord cut in newborns, as a component of anti-bacterial face wash, as an anti-itch paste, and to counter-act a "love medicine." This plant sure gets around!

A non-bloody blood iris

Species name: Iris sanguinea

Common name: Blood iris

Location: Ontario

This species of Iris is native to eastern Asia (China, Mongolia, Russia and Japan) and, like it's Yellow Flag cousin, enjoys having it's "feet wet" in damp soil and grows well as an aquatic plant. Since the flowers are a vivid purple, one can guess (and would be correct in that guess) that the most popular pollinators of the blood iris are bumble bees. Unlike it's yellow cousin, it cannot fully tolerate the "true" conditions of a bog (it will grow happily for a while, but it's not a good competitor) where the water is about pH 4.0. It requires only slightly more alkaline water and/or soil at a pH of at least 5.0 (up to pH 6.5).

Gardeners would describe this plant as being "prolific," which should suggest its invasive nature when conditions are optimal. The blood iris reproduces equally well from seeds and from the uprooting and disturbance of its rhizomes, which can re-root themselves into the ground and produce new plants. Merely pulling the plant out of the ground (which is actually incredibly easy) and throwing it onto a trash pile will grow a new patch of blood iris.

One of the attractions of this plant as a flowering plant for the garden is its late flowering time, depending on your location. In my garden this plant usually flowers from the end of May to the beginning of July, which is actually quite late as far as "spring flowers" go. As with other irises, all parts of this plant should be treated as toxic and this plant should not be consumed in any capacity.