Fort Liberty Series – Green Arrow Arum

 Note from the Author: New wild plant!

 

 

Green Arrow Arum is related to more well known Aroids such as Elephant Ear (Taro), Calocasia and Alocasia.

 

Common Name: Green Arrow Arum

 

Other Common Names: Tuckahoe

 

Botanical Family: Araceae (The Arum Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Peltandra virginica

 

Description & Habitat:

          Green Arrow Arum is a native perennial that is most commonly found in wet areas near the shoreline or in bogs and areas that have periodic flooding. It is most commonly identified by its arrow shaped leaves which resemble arrowheads roughly speaking. Green Arrow Arum grows from a large deeply rooted or submerged rhizome and thus are very tolerant of wet and low-oxygen water conditions. In the northern range of this plant’s range they are known to be deciduous but in the southern ranges they are semi evergreen if not fully evergreen. The flowers of this plant are called a Spadix, which consists of a spike of very densely packed miniature flowers and a Spathe, which is a form of bract that forms a sheathe to enclose the spadix.

 

Special Toxicity Note:  

          This plant does contain calcium oxalate crystals which make it unpalatable raw.

 

When & What to Harvest:

          It is referenced in several credible publications that Native Americans used most of the parts of this plant as a food. While the process for preparation is unclear, the Rhizome at the least was harvested cooked for hours to destroy the Oxalate crystals. In a few historical references the fully cooked root is said to taste like a potato.

 

Related Plants:

          There are many native Aroids, as well as non-native ones grown as house plants.

 

Recipe:

          Due to the unclear nature of information regarding how to cook the roots of this plant, I am going to err on the side of caution and not list any of the recipes I’ve seen.

 

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/peltandra-virginica/

 

Where to get Seed or Bare Root Plants:

https://www.prairiemoon.com/peltandra-virginica-arrow-arum

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

Spring Plants

Basil, Sweet Genovese

Pepper, Ghost (hot!!, 1-1.2 million SHU)

Pepper, Carolina Reaper (hot!!! 1.5-2.2 million SHU)

Tomato, Lemon Cherry

Tomato, Chocolate Cherry

Tomato, Midnight Snack

Tomato, Black Krim

Tomato, Lemon Boy

 

Summer Plants

Black Eyed Susan, Denver Daisy

Amaranth, tricolor

Anise-Hyssop, Arizona Sandstone

Dahlia, Ruby Black Forest

Tobacco Flower, Saratoga Purple Bicolor

Cotton, Nankeen

 

Garden Supply

Live Mushroom Compost, 1 Gallon

Live Mushroom Compost, 3 Gallon

 

Plants Coming Soon:

Spineless Prickly Pear

-Others TBA-

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (1): Spearmint

 

With all of the updates, blog posts, community announcements and the main topic handled remember that Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’s meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is May 21^st at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm, or at North South Brewing on the same day between 1:00 and 5:00pm

Fort Liberty Series – Bull Nettle

 Note from the Author: New wild plant!

 

 

This plant is a great example of look but don't touch. Turns out I'm kinda immune to it though since I handled it just thinking it was somewhat prickly and not dangerous; go figure.

 

Common Name: Bull Nettle

 

Other Common Names: Finger Rot, Spurge Nettle, Tread Softly.

 

Botanical Family: Euphorbiaceae (The Poinsettia Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Cnidoscolus stimulosus

 

Description & Habitat:

          Bull Nettle is a plant that catches the eye because it looks so strange that one has to wonder if it even belongs in the landscape at all. It is a perennial member of the Poinsettia family that has an upright stature and is commonly found in Long leaf Pinelands, Turkey Oak Scrub lands, by the roadside and in fields that have been allowed to lay fallow in North Carolina. Bull Nettle’s leaves are palmately lobed and may have anywhere from three to five lobes that make the leaf resemble a fig or grape leaf in shape. Two of this plant’s alternate names are apt warnings as it is known as Finger Rot and Tread Softly because the plant is covered in stinging hairs much like Stinging Nettle. The hairs on Bull nettle are why its specific epithet is ‘stimulosus’ which when translated from Latin means to goad or to prod.  The issue with this plant is that it has a long taproot and is very difficult to transplant, it also in the garden is noted to become weedy and hard to control. Although the white tube flowers are very pretty and the foliage is interesting, this plant may be one that has no use in foraging except as some form of defensive landscaping.

 

Special Toxicity Note:  

          This plant contains an as yet unidentified cyanogenic glycoside and thus is not suitable for use as a food, herb or medicine.

 

When & What to Harvest:

          This plant is not considered safe to eat.

 

Related Plants:

          None are noted in reference material however, some online sites suggest that (Cnidoscolus urens) is a different plant. In reality, the aforementioned plant is a outdated botanical Latin name for Bull Nettle.

 

Recipe:

          Unfortunately, there are no recipes for this one.

 

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cnidoscolus-stimulosus/

 

Where to get Seed or Bare Root Plants:

None known.

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

Spring Plants

Basil, Sweet Genovese

Onion, Yellow Salad

Pepper, Carolina Wonder Bell (mild)

Pepper, Ancho/Poblano (spicy 1-2k SHU)

Pepper, Jalafuego (spicy, 4-6k SHU)

Pepper, Ghost (hot!!, 1-1.2 million SHU)

Pepper, Carolina Reaper (hot!!! 1.5-2.2 million SHU)

Tomato, Lemon Cherry

Tomato, Chocolate Cherry

Tomato, Midnight Snack

Tomato, Black Krim

Tomato, Lemon Boy

 

Summer Plants

-TBA-

 

Garden Supply

Live Mushroom Compost, 1 Gallon

Live Mushroom Compost, 3 Gallon

 

Plants Coming Soon:

Spineless Prickly Pear

-Others TBA-

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (1): ‘Phenomenal’ Lavender

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is May 16^th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm. If you can’t make it to the City Market come on down to the North South Brewery Market which is at 304 Williams Street (Right off West Russel Street), between 1pm and 5pm every Saturday.

Fort Liberty Series – Roundleaf Boneset

 Note from the Author: New wild plant!

 

Common Name: Roundleaf Boneset

 

Other Common Names: Roundleaf Eupatorium, False Horehound, Roundleaf boneset, Roundleaf Thoroughwort

 

Botanical Family: Asteraeae (The Aster Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Eupatorium rotundifolium

 

Description & Habitat:

          Roundleaf Boneset is a native perennial found in the eastern and central United States, it’s commonly found in savannas and boggy locations but the one I noticed was found by the side of a path in pretty dry conditions. The soil under it was sandy with a noticeable amount of reddish color due to Iron Oxide suggesting some clay was mixed in somewhere. It’s most identifying feature is the opposite and clasping leaf arrangement, as you can see in the picture it was so perfect I almost thought it was a plastic plant. I only saw one of these plants in the entire hike and none of them were in bloom or had residual seed heads suggesting that these plants are herbaceous and that their stems and whatnot break down quickly once they bloom and produce seed.  According to some references this plant can have an alternate leaf arrangement too, so always use more than one identification feature if you’re trying to identify this plant in the wild. This variation is because Roundleaf Boneset can freely hybridize with similar species of Eupatorium producing hybrids with slightly differing visual characteristics. The strong Points of this plant are that it supports native pollinators and is a food source for the larvae of several species of moth. The seeds of this plant may be eaten by a few species of bird too so by allowing it to grow somewhere you are supporting the wild life. The flowers of this plant are white and arranged in a Corymb, which is in this case a loose head of tiny flowers sort of like what you see in the Carrot family except they have more tightly packed Umbel flower heads.

 

Special Toxicity Note:  

          Most credible references regarding this native plant indicate that it is not safe to consume or use as medicine.

 

When & What to Harvest:

          This plant is not considered safe to eat.

 

Related Plants:

          Hardy Ageratum (Conoclinum/Eupatorium coelestinum) Annual Ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum) and the ornamental Joe Pye weeds such as (Eutrochium dubium ‘Baby Joe’) and Queen of the Meadow (Eutrochium fistulosum).

 

Recipe:

          Unfortunately, there are no recipes for this one.

 

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/eupatorium-rotundifolium/

 

Where to get Seed or Bare Root Plants:

None known.

 

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

Spring Plants

Basil, Sweet Genovese

Onion, Yellow Salad

Pepper, Carolina Wonder Bell (mild)

Pepper, Ancho/Poblano (spicy 1-2k SHU)

Pepper, Jalafuego (spicy, 4-6k SHU)

Pepper, Ghost (hot!!, 1-1.2 million SHU)

Pepper, Carolina Reaper (hot!!! 1.5-2.2 million SHU)

Tomato, Lemon Cherry

Tomato, Chocolate Cherry

Tomato, Midnight Snack

Tomato, Black Krim

Tomato, Lemon Boy

 

Summer Plants

-TBA-

 

Garden Supply

Live Mushroom Compost, 1 Gallon

Live Mushroom Compost, 3 Gallon

 

Plants Coming Soon:

Spineless Prickly Pear

-Others TBA-

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (1): ‘Phenomenal’ Lavender

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is May 16^th  at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm. If you can’t make it to the City Market come on down to the North South Brewery Market which is at 304 Williams Street (Right off West Russel Street), between 1pm and 5pm every Saturday.

 

Fort Liberty Series - Carolina Rosinweed

 Note from the Author: New wild plant!

 

Foliage like this is sure to catch one's eye.

 

Common Name: Carolina Rosinweed

 

Other Common Names: Kidneyleaf Rosinweed

 

Botanical Family: Asteraeae (The Aster Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Silphium compositum

 

Description & Habitat:

          Carolina Rosinweed is a native herbaceous perennial wildflower that is found across North Carolina. It is generally found in the Longleaf Pine Sandhills and other xeric forests woodlands and by the roadside. It is biologically adapted to handle exceptionally dry soils with poor nutrient content and has a very long taproot making it difficult to transplant. In smaller specimens the taproot can go down a foot, while several feet are the norm for mature specimens. The botanical Latin name has two references in play, ‘Silphium’ is the name given to the plant by Carl Linnaeus as a reference to the legendary but now extinct Giant Fennel plant of Ancient Greece and Rome. Back then the original Silphium was used as a seasoning, medicine, aphrodisiac and as a perfume however much like Sea snails used for Tyrian Purple this plant was likely harvested to extinction. The specific ephithet ‘compostium’ refers to the compound leaves.

 

          The Rosinweeds are in the Aster family and are under the Sunflower tribe meaning they support Pollinators and wild birds with their flowers and foliage. In terms of appearance the specimen found of Fort Liberty had deeply lobed leaves with bright red leaf veins. The shapes of the leaves on the specimen were almost Oak-like and at first I thought it might be a member of the Bears Breeches family out in the wild. This plant’s flower stalks from last year remained and it appeared that this plant might naturally form something close to a basal rosette. The specimen was found in soil that was almost pure sand with a little bit of clay in full sun growing out of the side of a embankment.

 

Special Toxicity Note:  

          It is unknown if any parts of this plant are poisonous or toxic.

 

When & What to Harvest:

          It is unclear if this specific Rosinweed is edible, but multiple sources suggest it’s resin was extracted somehow and chewed like gum. I have no idea what part of the plant this would come from if it’s true, but chances are it’s the taproot.

 

Related Plants:

          Cup Plant (S. perfoliatum), Prairie Dock (S. terebinthinaceum), Whorled Rosinweed (S. trifoliatum) and, Compass Plant (S. laciniatum).

 

Recipe:

          Unfortunately, there are no recipes for this one, just for its cousin the Cup Plant and others that are related.

 

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/silphium-compositum/

 

Where to get Seed or Bare Root Plants:

https://www.prairiemoon.com/search-results.html?Search=silphium#/?resultsPerPage=24

 

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

Spring Plants

Basil, Sweet Genovese

Chicory, Italian

Chicory, Garnet Stem

Lily, Formosa

Okra, Iraqi Bamia

Onion, Yellow Salad

Pepper, Lesya (bell type, mild)

Pepper, Bull’s Horn (mild)

Pepper, Carolina Wonder Bell (mild)

Pepper, Ancho/Poblano (spicy 1-2k SHU)

Pepper, Jalafuego (spicy, 4-6k SHU)

Pepper, Extra Long Cayenne (spicy, 30-50k SHU)

Pepper, Ghost (hot!!, 1-1.2 million SHU)

Pepper, Carolina Reaper (hot!!! 1.5-2.2 million SHU)

Potato, Sweet ‘Covington’

Tomato, Lemon Cherry

Tomato, Chocolate Cherry

Tomato, Midnight Snack

Tomato, Black Krim

Tomato, Purple Cherokee

 

Plants Coming Soon:

Spineless Prickly Pear

-Others TBA-

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (1): Marsh Pennywort

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is May 2^nd at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm. If you can’t make it to the City Market come on down to the North South Brewery Market which is at 304 Williams Street (Right off West Russel Street), between 1pm and 5pm every Saturday.