Week 13: Feedback

Hey guys,

The semester is coming to an end, and so ethnobotany class is finishing up. Just to let you guys know - I will be grading 10 posts on the blog. So this week and last week will be extra credit posting that can be used to make up for earlier weeks where you might have missed a post. But please don't let that stop you from writing this week!

I would like some feedback for myself and Dr. Velasquez Runk about the class. What did you like about the class? Do you think having assignments on this blog was a good activity? Did you learn things from each other, or was the blog just an annoying hassle? What was your favorite lab? Least favorite? What could we do better next time? I know a few of our labs haven't gone perfectly, and we will work on that. You don't have to answer all of these questions, but I would like some feedback about the class.

Personally, I have very much enjoyed reading all of your responses on the blog. It allowed me to get to know all of you better, and learn some cool things about different plants. I have had fun interacting with all of you in this class.

Good luck with all you end of semester stuff. See you in the last week of class!

-Sam

Week 12: Flowering Sit Spots

Hey Everyone,

Spring is here and everything outside is flowering! Bees and insects are buzzing about. Birds are chirping away. So please return to your sit spot and describe the changes that spring is bringing. Have a great weekend everyone!

-Sam

Week 11: Landscape Plants

Hello Everyone,

On Monday I will be speaking about American landscapes, focusing on turfgrass and the lawn. To begin thinking about our landscapes I am focusing this week on landscape plants. So, imagine that in the future you have a home or some land. Describe a plant that you would like to have in your landscape, and why. This is very open - it can be a tree, shrub, herb, foodplant, etc. And the reasons can vary as well: aesthetics, medicinal, or maybe you have memories of certain plants.

I would like to have a Japanese Maple. I find these beautiful. Their architecture is graceful, often many trunks emerge from the base, creating a hemisphere of shade. There are many varieties, but often the leaves turn dramatic red and burgundy in the fall.

I look forward to seeing your responses, and don't forget to pick a plant for the Ethnobotanical Garden project (if you haven't already).

-Sam

Ethnobotanical Garden Plant Assignment

Hey Everyone,

I have uploaded the Ethnobotanical Garden plant description assignment to ELC, as well as the listing of plants in the Garden. Please comment on this post with the plant you would like to write about and make something with. Do not choose a plant that someone else has already chosen.

And don't forget, there is a blog assignment for this week below this post.

-Sam

Week 10: Psychoactive Plants

Hey Guys,

We have been talking about psychoactive/entheogen plants this week. I would like for you to choose a psychoactive plant and talk about it on the blog. I would like for you to include the following information: botanical description, region of origin, cultural usage, and a picture of the plant or its use. Please do not describe the same plant as someone else, so check to see what others have posted about. To help, I suggest the website www.erowid.org . You may use other sources, but this a good starting point.

Week 9: Spring Sit Spots

Hey Guys,

Even though it is a bit cooler today, Spring is on its way. All kinds of changes occur with the coming of spring. Changes in vegetation, and insects and birds (as well as weather). So, please return to your sit spots and write about some changes that you notice. Spring changes can be large or small, so keep your eyes open, listen for different animal life and sniff out new spring smells.

Class Seedlings

Week 8: Medicinal Concoctions

Hello Class!

We have spent all week talking about medicinal plants, and on Thursday we got to make medicinal salves and creams. For this week, I would like for you to research a plant based medicinal concoction that you would like to make in the future. This can be a different type of salve, or a tea, tincture, poultice, or cream that acts as a remedy/treatment. Please research one that you haven't made before, but would like to make in the future. Tell us about it - what it is made from, and what it remedies. Please post a recipe of how to make your plant based medicine.

-Sam

Week 7: Food Plants

Dr. Velásquez Runk mentioned that we wouldn't be talking about food much - but it is hard to resist after seeing all the appetizing foods made from plants at the Dekalb Farmers Market. So, for this week I would like for you to tell me about some delicious food made from a plant that you found at the Farmers market. In addition, I would like some information on the culinary traditions/history of your plant in different cuisines. I will start with something I purchased - Brussels Sprouts.

Brussels sprouts are one cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea. Other cultivars of this species are cabbage, broccoli, kale and collard greens. Brussles sprouts were first grown in Northern Europe in the 17th century. It is commonly believed that Brussels sprouts originated from cabbages. Brussels sprouts became widely popular in Northern Europe - places like The Netherlands, France and Brussels (hence the name). By the 18th century French immigrants had carried them to North America. Most commonly the buds are removed from the stalk, and then either steamed, boiled, or roasted. I like to pan fry them with butter and garlic.

Week 6: Midterm Exam

There will be no blog assignment this week, so that you can study for the midterm exam on Monday. Good luck studying, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Week 5: Return to Sit Spots

Hello Everyone!

It has been about a month since our first sit spot assignment, so for this week I would like for you to return to your sit spot. Please describe the spot, focusing on changes that the warmer weather brings. Remember to sit quietly and focus on observations and impressions.

Week 4: Succession

Week 3: Landscapes

Hello Class,

We are going to be switching focus in the next few weeks. We will be talking more about landscapes and biogeography, rather than just focusing on individual plants as we have been. So for this week I would like for you all to write about a particular natural landscape that stands out in your mind as being important, or having been memorable to you. Please describe the vegetation and any sensory experiences of this location.

I will begin. I worked for a while in the Mojave Desert in Southern California. The desert was so much vastly different from the Southeastern deciduous forests where I grew up. The Mojave is barren, filled with rocks and sand and shrubby vegetation. Unblocked by trees, the sky stretched from horizon to horizon. The Mojave is covered with a small shrub called creosote. Creosote bushes are small, shrubby, spindly things that smelled sweet and powerful after a rain. Between the creosote shrubs, the bunches of tuft grasses, and the succulent cacti grew the icons of the Mojave- the Joshua tree. Joshua trees are different from all the trees I knew. Joshua trees are spiny, sparse tree-like monocots. They are the only thing that grows above 5 feet in the desert, and dot the otherwise barren landscape. Between vicious winds, sparse vegetation, and extreme temperature fluctuations the desert is a hard landscape to like. It took me a while, but I came to enjoy to huge vistas and defiant Joshua trees.  

Week 2: Favorite Plant

Hello Everyone,

For our second blog posting I would like to tell me about your favorite plant. I would like for you to include:

-          Common name

-          Plant Family

-          Scientific name

-          Botanical description including: Where the plant is found (range), growth form, growth habit, flower morphology, leaf morphology, fruit morphology. 

-          Plant Family description including: Family characteristics. 

-          Picture of the plant. You can link to an image, or upload a picture and share it with a photo sharing site. 

I will demonstrate by describing my favorite. My favorite plant is the Live Oak tree. 

Common name: Southern Live Oak

Plant Family: Fagaceae

Scientific Name: Quercus virginiana Miller

Botanical description: Live oaks are found in sandy soil in the southern coastal plain of the United States. Live oaks are medium sized evergreen trees with wide-spreading branches. Leaves are dark green, coriaceous (leathery) – thick, dark and shiny. Leaves are oblong to elliptic, mostly 4-6 cm long. Live oaks are monecious. Flowers are small and borne on catkins (cylindrical flower cluster). Fruit of the live oak are acorns. Acorns are around 2 cm long, with a turban-shaped cup. Acorns are borne singly or in clusters of 2-5. Live oaks are often found with lots of Spanish moss growing on their branches. 

Family description: Plants in the Fagaceae family are monecious trees or shrubs. Leaves are simple, alternate, entire or lobed. Staminate flowers are borne on axillary catkins. Female flowers have 3 styles. The fruit is a nut enclosed or partially enclosed in a cup. This family includes chestnuts, beeches and oaks. 

Check out some pictures I took recently of the ‘Angel Oak’ a huge live oak near Charleston, SC - http://imgur.com/a/DKgPJ

I suggest using the USDA plants website as a starting point (plants.usda.gov/).

Welcome!

Hello Everyone, and Welcome to Ethnobotany 

I am excited for this new semester, and even more excited for the coming of Spring. I love Spring in Athens - when the weather warms up. I like seeing the small green buds form on deciduous trees as they emerge from winter dormancy. The bare skeletons of all the big oak trees around here fill with thick green leaves. It always happens so quickly, and all of a sudden I am surrounded by silky white dogwood flowers, blooming pink azaleas, and the familiar buzz of bees doing their pollinating. Spring happens fast here, so it is nice to stop and notice all the changes before the oppressive heat and humidity of summer in The South takes over.

Our class is going to focus a lot on plants and culture, but along with more knowledge we hope to give students a better appreciation and understanding of the natural world. So, we are going to ask you guys to select a Sit Spot for this semester and write about it as we progress into Spring.  

What is a Sit Spot? A Sit Spot is a quit, natural spot where you will be silent and notice all the things around you – trees, grass, weeds, bugs, squirrels, bird calls. It can be in your back yard, or Memorial Park, or a quiet place on campus. You will sit there and observe the world for about 10-15 minutes. You will do this every few days, or maybe once a week in the same spot. And occasionally on this blog we will ask you to write about it and how it changes with the seasons.

So for this week I would like you to choose a spot and tell us about it. Please describe what you see – and if you wish to post a picture or a drawing of the spot that would be awesome too. Please post in the comments section.

-Sam