#Plant profiles

[aisling-saoirse]

Growing Paw Paws from seed: 2024

Some of y'all may recall last year I made a Plant Profile post after finding my first Paw Paw (they don't really grow this far north in NJ so this was exciting). Well after eating the fruit I decided to see if I could propagate the seeds and I was very successful!

Below I'll describe my process and some tips, this was unconventional towards how I usually grow saplings but I was in my final year of a masters program, needed to be as cheap as possible, and this is probably easier for those of you in apartments

So you want to propagate paw paws? It's not hard it just requires a bit of understanding.

When I found my first Paw Paw I was on the University of Pennsylvania campus, I saw a tree in front of a multi-faith church and immediately recognized the fruit. My friends and I climbed up the branches to get some bigger fruits and then we basically ate them on a nearby bench.

Once I had the seeds (I started with 14, only 4 viable) I walked home and washed off any debris then I wrapped the seeds in a damp paper towel (wring out excess water) and placed them in a plastic bag in the fridge for 3ish months

Around February I decided to grow them, I had some extra cardboard pots I was starting oaks in (image 3: ps I hate these pots) and knew I could use this to to start the seeds, at the same time I asked a friend to grow paw paws so we had a diverse gene pool to produce fruit. Paw paws need deep pots because they develop a taproot that can easily reach 12" the first year, instead of buying multiple deep pots you can place disposable pots in a bigger container with soil. If you find like long/narrow containers those are your best option.

I used left over peatmoss (but loamy potting soil will be better) and placed them 1" deep each. I then cut off the bottoms of my small cardboard containers and placed those together in a deeper pot I had (image 4). You want to retain moisture, so also cover the pots in plastic wrap. Of course water enough to keep the soil moist that goes without saying.

Paw paws take about a month to germinate above the soil but still need the increased light levels. Keep an LED light on above it (these are very cheap to operate) They will start growing a taproot soon after you plant them and occasionally will break the surface, just try to keep it covered in dirt.

Once they appear above the surface (this was march-april for me), let them grow till they develop like 4-5 leaves before planting out. I kept them in my Frankenstein pots until about June when I had time to exchange with my friend (he grew like 18 with seeds from an online seller but stunted their taproots a bit).

Paw paws have a natural insecticide in their leaves, I didn't encounter any herbivory from both deer and insects but I left my best specimens in a sapling cage. I planted about 8 in my yard, all around 4 inches tall (image 5), in partial shade conditions. When you plant the sapling dig a little deeper than the taproot and leave soil around the taproot itself, it helps to have a deep trowel. For amendments, I mixed in richer compost soil with the native soil, but for a few I gave no amendment (I wanted to test if it made a big difference). Ultimately those which grew the most were in brighter conditions but they all did okay, my largest ended up being 15" (image 6) which is the same development as some nursery stock I've encountered for $165...

On a side note you're not supposed to move them once planted but I ended up having to do this with one. I did break the taproot in half, however this sapling still survived so these trees are a bit hardier than others have implied.

So, is this the best way to grow paw paws? No absolutely not. Is it cheap and basically using just garbage...yes! Try to grow your own :)

[honoringthor]

Locals (Western NY)

New England Aster (probably). Might be a NY Aster.

Michaelmas daisy, American Starwort

Aster novae-angliae now Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

Native to the Eastern US and Canada 🇨🇦🇺🇸

🍂Fall flowers (Aug-Nov)

They grow in thickets and meadows, sometimes they’re cultivated in gardens. (The ones around me are wild) Many insects use asters for food, especially long tongued bumblebees. A lot of Eastern natives used New England Asters in medicine. Where I live the closest surviving natives are the Seneca (O-non-dowa-gah) who are part of the Haudensaunee (Iroquois). They used New England Asters to treat weak skin and fevers.

New England Aster is also used to treat lung, congestion, bronchitis, nerves, pain, diarrhea, 🤧

Dried roots were smoked to attract game(Chippewa) and the Meskwaki and Potawatomi use the smoke to revive unconscious people.

Symbolism

Afterthought, cheerfulness in old age, welcome, welcome to a stranger,

They can be used as protection from ghosts and witches.

🍂🍁

Sources. I’m going to try to properly cite.

Meyernik kitchen

Cornell Botanical Gardens

Dietz, S. Theresa. The Complete Language of Flowers A Definitive and Illustrated History. 2020. Sweet Water Press/ Wellfleet Press

Peterson, Roger Tory/McKenny, Margret. Wildflowers Northeastern/North-Central North America. 1996. Haughton Mifflin. (My copy is a little out dated)

Photo belongs to SJA

[unknown-till]

★🌱☘️CLOVER WEB GRAPHICS🍀💚

Found on 🌳

[azariah-z-fell]

before I took my break I want to share so can art. Feel free to use them as profile pictures if you want.

[daeyumi]

Golden Beginning 🌼🌾☀️

i originally drew this at the beginning of this year as a sort of new years piece looking forward to TotK release (hence the bnuuy shield since 2023 is year of bun)

[mysticlilac-ec]

Random doodle of them dancing ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

[sillyfairygarden]

todays warmup… plant scar is. hnnrnngnhhh. everyone say thank u stiff

[datshitrandom]

Darren Criss and Helen J. Shen | Oliver lives a happily quiet life, listening to jazz records and caring for his favorite plant | Maybe Happy Ending | June 5, 2024 | 📸 via MHE

[dailybotany]

This is Larix laricina, commonly known as tamarack, hackmatack, and Eastern, red, black or American larch.

L. laricina is native to boreal and eastern temperate North America (Nature Serve), persisting right up to the northern treeline. It frequently grows in or at the edges of wetlands (swamps, fens, marshes, and riparian areas), but can tolerate a wide range of substrates and moisture. For a good overview of the species, check out this link.

It's one of those plants that can be a lightbulb moment for some people, inspiring them to reconsider basic assumptions about the way we divide up the natural world. When we learn about trees, many of us learn that there's two basic "types": deciduous trees and conifer trees. We are often told that deciduous trees are broad leaved and lose their leaves in the fall and that trees with needles don't.

Tamarack 'breaks' that; it is a deciduous conifer. Rightly, the language we are taught should be that there are deciduous and evergreen trees, that there are conifers and broad-leaf trees, and these categories can mix and match. (Of course, the trees haven't read the rules, so I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find out there is a broadleaf coniferous gymnosperm--exceptions ARE the rule in ecology!)

[of-pale]

[aisling-saoirse]

Plant Profile: American Witch Hazel - Hamamelis virginiana

Today's plant is better known for its use as a facial toner but this year I've witnessed a mass-bloom (the yellow dots in the image above) so I want to re-introduce you my ultimate late fall favorite!

Witch-Hazel refers to members of the Hamamelis family, containing about five species, 3 of which are found in the eastern US and the other two in Asia. Our species of focus is the American Witch Hazel, a wide growing, often dominate understory shrub/tree common throughout forests of the American East. The plant has a lovely arching growth habit (Image 2 above), alongside trails in older-growth tall mountain forests, one always can spot witch hazel by a tunnel effect along the trails framed by its branches.

For a quick technical analysis, Witch Hazel has oval alternate leaves that are asymmetrical and have rounded lobes along the sides (image 3 of pressed leaf). The bark is a grey or reddish brown with small lenticels (image 4 of 'trunk') and typically grows in clusters sprouting from deep roots. Typically the plant reaches about 20' in height and 20' in width, as I usually only see specimens this large in very old portions of woodland my assumption is that it takes many decades to achieve this stature.

The flowers themselves are divided into 4 portions with yellow ribbon-like petals present from October-December (image 5, 6, 9). The flowers are extremely fragrant in wet weather and mornings, the scent usually fades in drier conditions. Flowers lose their ribbons and recede into this hardened portion connected to the stem called a calyx (it looks like a rounded pod which can have about 4 seeds in it). The seeds actually shoot out of this pod as a dispersal method around the next fall.

I brought up flowering because like many species in the northeast, there is never a consistent year for these things, while I see witch-hazel flowers every year I don't encounter blooms prolifically unless it's exposed to a lot of sun light. From my experience, a mass-bloom (in which every tree has noticeable blooms like image 1) occurs every 5 years about, I've noticed this in my forest since childhood but others may have more frequent encounters than me.

American Witch Hazel has a large range and is found throughout the Eastern US. The Northern limit of its range is Nova Scotia to Wisconsin staying mostly east of the Mississippi River south until its South Western Limit in East Texas and Northern Florida to the East. Allegedly disjunct populations also exist in Lost Maples Texas and the Eastern Sierra Madres of Mexico but those are fairly isolated from the main range.

There are two other Hamamelis species located within the same range. H. vernalis: Ozark Witch-hazel, which is a common horticultural specimen due to its reddish yellow blooms coming out just before spring and is naturally restricted to the Ozarks. H. ovalis: big leaf witch-hazel is a new species discovered in 2004, found only in one watershed in Mississippi and Alabama; this species has much larger leaves and red mid-winter blooms. Most people are unlikely to encounter these in the wild at all.

Hamamelis virginiana can grow in both acidic and alkaline conditions, though I tend to find the densest populations on protected north facing slopes in mature forests near where water travels. I've also found it on pure rock on mountain top balds in New York before (image 7 above). This is because in the North, American Witch Hazel isn't as limited in habitat as in the Southern portion of it's range where it's generally restricted to only cove forests and bottom lands. generally there is an association with the Witch Hazel and decent moisture.

Speaking of moisture, Early English settlers (shown by Native Americans) used witch hazel branches as dowsing rod to find underground water sources. Sticking branches in the ground, and watching which portion bent upon encountering streams. It's likely the name 'Witch' in Witch Hazel derives either from Middle English 'Wiche' for 'lively' or Anglo-Saxon 'Wych' for 'bend' describing this use. [Info from US Forest Service].

Witch Hazel is also a protector of the forest following disturbance. In a Canadian Journal of Forest Research Study by Taylor Benton, analysis found that where large scale canopy loss was present H. virginiana was found to increase it's basal area growth (think spread) by over 300%. This indicates that in the presence increased light and nitrogen, the dominate understory species are able to protect seedlings by increasing canopy shade!

In my own forest I've noticed this where Ash has died back, the Witch Hazel flowers more prolifically and frequently as well as becoming denser (Image 8 Witch-hazel in flower above a stream)

Now what are the ecological relationships associated with American Witch Hazel? This species specifically provides one of the last insect oriented pollen sources prior to winter (other witch-hazel species often bloom in early spring), so species like the owlet moth which are active in winter, and late season bees get a food source from it. The leaves are occasionally predated by a gall wasp which forms many odd tents on the leaf in favorable conditions.

Propagating Witch-hazel for those crazy like me should be aware it is not an easy plant to start. The seeds require a period of moist cold stratification, then warm, then another cold (think 90 days of fridge, 90 days in warmth, 90 days in fridge) then it'll begin to germinate. If you have a full specimen you can attempt layering (which is covering a low branch in soil allowing it to root). You can take softwood cuttings in spring but they have to be kept frost free the next winter.

Finally Landscaping advice! Witch-Hazel is best utilized in partially shaded non-south facing or moist areas in partial sun. While it loves total shade in its natural environment it really preforms much better in a garden with some sunlight. American Witch-Hazel also is a better performer in the scent category rather than a showy floral display, most horticultural specimens are derived from hybrids between Chinese, Japanese, or Ozark Witch-hazel (image 10 of possible H. vernalis cultivar above) as their coloring is much more interesting compared to our local powerhouse. However it must be said that American Witch-hazel is resilient and has some flower color variation (oranges and pinks) which are absent in other species.

So this has been my plant profile on American Witch-Hazel, please go into the woods and smell the haunting yellow blooms while the mass-bloom is still occurring. Happy Hunting to my Eastern American followers :)!

[yukiblob]

Name:Ziya

Height: 5’0

Birthday: March 12th

Age: 18

Magic: Plant magic

Occupation: Magic Knight

Squad: Golden Dawn

Birth place : unknown foreign country

Background:

Ziya was born in a foreign land. When he was a baby he was forcefully taken away by invaders in his homeland and was taken to a testing facility owned by these attackers. Since childhood he was sadly treated poorly being used for cruel experiments to enhance magic power. At age 14, he managed to escape from the facility and with the help of his new modified power (and cute forest friends :D) he has been able to live free and experience what it’s like to be a clover citizen.

Personality:

Ziya is a kindhearted soul who cares for all creatures. He’s always there for his squad mates (even though they’re never there for him ). He tends to keep to himself and is usually in the garden area of the Golden Dawn. He’s sometimes a little forgetful so a simple reminder will help greatly! He also gives out great advice! Anyone with issues always goes to him for some wisdom! He rarely looses his temper like RARELY, in fact nobody’s ever seen him angry or even irritated. He’s the nicest guy around so make time to talk to him ☆(－ｏ⌒)

Relationships:

Family

Who?

Friends

Mimosa vermillion

Plant buddies! When mimosa saw the passion and care Ziya has for plants she instantly became his friend. When both of them have nothing to do, they usually are having a pleasant conversation in the Garden! If you manage to come across them during a conversation you’ll hear them info dumping about all kinds of plants. They even hang out outside of the base! They’re besties for life !!

William Vangeance

“Woah, someone becoming buddies with a captain?” Now that’s unusual.. not only that he’s a foreigner 🫢”-alecdora probably . Same thing with mimosa he also noticed his passion for plants! He found him tending to the garden when he first joined. Ever since then they seem to talk on the regular and William even goes to Ziya for plant advice! The grass has been greener ever since he joined.

Isabella Roselei (belongs to mamavino 🚶🏾‍♂️)

Ziya was late out walking when he met her. While he was walking, he kept seeing these weird illusions. At first Ziya thought he was tired but, it turns out it was just some girl pulling pranks on him 😑 Now why would he hangout with someone who pranks him every time they meet? Welll he admires her carefree; independent nature. He sometimes wishes to explore more of this kingdom and even more. They bond over the places they want to/wish to go. Someday they’ll finally explore the world (._.)

Others:

Levi Foudre

He’s a little strange, but he has a good heart. He’s seems concerned for Ziya being in the Golden Dawn. Well since Levi does have more experience with royals/nobles and how than can act(especially around foreigners) so it’s only natural for him to be worried. Don’t worry Levi, Ziya is strong!

Trivia (^o^)／

Ziya has serial numbers on his neck from when he confined in the laboratory.(something like avernturines or something like Emma’s from the promised neverland)

He remembers nothing from that time( even though he got out 4 years ago )(he’ll remember due to a certain somebody (alecdora (ー_ー))

When he uses his magic, his hair tips glows. When he achieves a certain special form, his hair will fully change :D

He didn’t even know grimores existed till he lived in the Clover Kingdom

He can summon multiple arms

His original country is definitely based off the Middle East cultures

Only oc that has a hooked nose(in the black clover verse)

Can speak Arabic and English

Can Dance really well(even on water;D)

[kulturegroupie]

Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and manager Peter Grant in Vienna, March 16, 1973.

[meisterdrucke]

Efeu by Alphonse Mucha (1901, Druckgrafik)

[anfeycare]

"The little weed..."

it was a different idea, but it got too detailed and the original idea is more silly than this, so i turned what was already done into a piece of its own

(alternative backgrounds:)

[mystery-dingsbums]

Peaceful cow

A peaceful cow enjoying summer.