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 In a few historical references the fully cooked root is said to taste like a potato.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

Scarlet Oak

Note from the Author: New plant!

 

 

Look at that root flare!

The bark is very distinct.

An acorn and some of the leaves turning their trademark scarlet color.

More scarlet color and here you can see the branching pattern

A nice canopy is developing on this one.

 

Common Name: Scarlet Oak

 

Other Common Names: Black Oak

 

Botanical Family: Fagaceae (The Beech Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Quercus coccinea

 

Description & Habitat:  Scarlet oaks are native to the eastern and central United States and thus can be found on dry sandy soil that tends to be acidic in ph. It is a critical tree in Oak-heath forests as a canopy forming species. Scarlet Oaks tend to have a crown that is up to twenty-four feet wide with a maximum height of one hundred feet. The trunk diameter of these trees can be up to three feet at maturity. The leaves of this tree are deeply lobed with five to six primary lobes and smaller lobes on the leave tips giving its leaves an almost tasseled appearance. Scarlet Oak gets its name from its fall color display where it’s leaves turn from a rich green color to an intense scarlet. the botanical latin name of this street tree only reflects the first name as the latin word coccinea means ‘scarlet’. The latin word ‘Quercus’ just means Oak and is said to have been derived from the Proto-Indo-European word ‘kwerkwu’. Interestingly, Oaks are a genus of hardwood trees or shrubs under the Beech Family (Fagaceae). Generally speaking Oaks are considered a keystone species and as such they can be found in a large number of habitats naturally or through the actions of human beings. Additionally Oaks also live in association with numerous types of fungi such as Truffles, but also Lion’s Mane. Oaks as a species support almost a thousand species of Caterpillar and are a host to numerous types of Gall Wasps. The leaves of most oaks contain enough tannin to be toxic to a lot of cattle however pigs can eat them without issue. The most well-known use of Oak wood is in casks for alcohol, furniture, and Cork. Scarlet Oaks are fast growing by oak tree standards, and they tolerate dry soils, urban pollution and they prefer acidic soil. But because they do produce fair sized surface roots, and their root flare can easily heave curbs and sidewalks they are not the best tree for restricted tree pits in the urban landscape.

 

The Scarlet oak is the official tree of Washington D.C.

 

Special Toxicity Note:  The tannin contained in the leaves and acorns of this tree aren’t toxic in general however they can cause nausea and cause iron absorption problems in people. The leaves from this tree are toxic to most livestock with the exception of Pigs.

.

 

When & What to Harvest: You can extract Tannin from the leaves and acorns which is an essential compound if you are planning to tan leather naturally. Tannins also have a role in wine making but in a survival situation those acorns might just save your life. In autumn if you gather acorns as they turn brown you should either store them in a cool dry place for later or shell immediately for use. If you need to use them immediately, place whole, chopped or coarsely ground nut meats in a cloth like a clean t-shirt, and tie it with a string. Place this in boiling water until the water turns brown, then drain the water, and add more and repeat the process until the water stays clear. This funny colored water is full of tannins and can be used for leather tanning projects. Alternately you can place the bag in a stream so it’s constantly wet and wait a t least a day possibly several until the nuts are no longer bitter. From here you can dry them, crush them finely to make Acorn Flour, or crush them coarsely so the chunks are of even size and make something akin to Grits. Or you can roast them and eat them as a trail mix sort of snack. There are tons of recipes for making breads with Acorns, failing that there are several companies that make Acorn Flour so you can work out recipes without all the grunt work. 

 

Related Plants: Two very similar Oaks are the Black Oak (Quercus velutina) and, the Red Oak (Q. rubra).

 

Recipe:

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/quercus-coccinea/

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content?contenttypeid=76&contentid=12060-1

  

Where to get Seed or Bare Root Plants:

https://shop.arborday.org/scarlet-oak?srsltid=AfmBOop_eLgz26L85me7L7_90f8XJWfms79xZBPQHsAeJ89stlpMqi81

 

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.

 

Fall Produce:

Garlic, softneck

Soup Kits, Parsnip

Soup Kits, Turnip

Carrots

Celery

Onions

Parsnips

Red Potatoes

Turnips

Sweet Potatoes

 

Plants Coming Soon:

TBA, new stuff in spring

 

 

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 (-): [On Winter Haitus]

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is January 10^th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.

 

Poison Ivy

 

The Poison Ivy is in the center next to some Virginia Creeper, a plant that is frequently mistaken for Poison Ivy.

In this picture the Poison Ivy is next to the pine straw in the middle on the left. With it is Trumpet Vine, Raspberries (another plant mistaken for Posion Ivy), and Green Briar.

 

 

Common Name: Eastern Poison Ivy

 

Other Common Names: Poison Oak (Incorrect)

 

Botanical Family: Anacardiaceae (The Cashew/Pistachio Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Toxicodenron radicans

 

Description & Habitat: In North Carolina Poison ivy is the one member of the ‘itchy trio’ that is most likely to be found in an urban environment. Its seeds are dispersed by birds and in general it can be found in fields, pastures, yards, the woods, and in gardens. Sometimes this noxious plant is even found growing out of cracks in the cement and up the sides of buildings, telephone poles and infesting more desirable shrubs in the landscape. In general this plant has leaflets in pairs of three new growths may be glossy and may have a reddish color. One way to verify this plant’s presence is to take a close look at the two side leaflets. The side leaflets often have an outward pointed lobe that makes the side-leaflet look kind of like a mitten with ones thumb pressed against the hand. Poison Ivy is a vine in the truest sense of the word and uses numerous hairy looking roots to cling to and climb up hard surfaces leading to the old boy scout saying ‘hairy rope don’t be a dope’.  In general Poison Ivy can spread sexually via it’s berries or asexually through its vines rooting in new places, it flowers from May through July and the greyish-white berries are ripe and present between August and November. Occasionally you will find this plant has killed the shrub it was growing in and essentially has become the shrub. Poison Ivy if free-standing can be up to four feet tall. It should also be mentioned that the active dangerous compound on all parts of Poison ivy called Urushiol can be active for up to five years on surfaces and burning this plant can create airborne oil droplets that pose an inhalation danger.

 

A botanical Latin synonym for this plant is Rhus radicans.

 

When & What to Harvest: Nothing, there is nothing that is safe to harvest unless you’re a fan of suffering.

 

Non-Dangerous Lookalikes: Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), Boston Ivy (P. tricuspidata), Boxelder (Acer negundo), Raspberries (Rubus sp.), Mock Strawberries (Duchenea indica), Barren Strawberries (Waldsteinia fragarioides), Hog Peanuts (Amphicarpaea bracteata), English Ivy (Hedera helix), Virgin’s Bower (Clematis virginiana), Kudzu (Pueraria lobata), Riverbank Grape (Vitis riparia), Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica), Hop Tree (Ptelea trifoliata) and, Strawberries (Fragraria sp.).

 

Related Dangerous Species:  Asian Poison Ivy (T. orientale), Western Poison Ivy (T. rydbergii), Poison Oak (T. pubescens), Poison Sumac (T. vernix).

 

Recipe:  What?! If you’re considering eating this you are crazy.

 

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/toxicodendron-radicans/common-name/eastern-poison-ivy/

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/toxicodendron-pubescens/

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/toxicodendron-vernix/

 

 

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.

 

For those of you wondering what plants are going to be at the market this weekend here is the list.

 

Fresh Foods:

Soup Kit – Parsnip

Soup Kit – Turnip

Garlic Bulbs

 

Soil Amendment Products:

Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote*

Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag

Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag

 

Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Lion’s Mane Tincture Sample size

Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Lion’s Mane Tincture

Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Turkey Tail Tincture

 

 

Garden Plants, Fall Foods:

Arugula, Astro

Cabbage, Pac Choi ‘Rosie’

Collards, Green Glaze

Kale, Prizm

Kale, Redbor

Sorrel, Raspberry Dressing

 

Coming Soon:

Houseplants for the holidays

 

*The 18 gallon tote is by special order only and is delivered to any address within the Fayetteville city area.

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

Our group’s online presence has migrated to Nextdoor.com. 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 (3): Aromatic Ginger, A Weird Cat, Parts 1 & 2.

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is November 2^nd at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.