Our Second Treasure Hunt

~ By Gardening Committee Members ~

For this, our second Treasure Hunt we were to pick a country and find out its native Flower and write about it and are you ready for this? Get a picture of it also and then we had to find another country to visit and pick out a native tree; write about it and include a picture of it too. Each discovery had to be native to that country and we could not use the country we were from. We hope you enjoy reading all about what we brought back with us to share :)

Aletha ~

The flower I chose is from South Africa and is called King Protea (Protea cynaroides) it has the large flower head and so far horticulturists have found or recognized over 81 varieties of this flower. It also goes by some other names Honey pot or King Sugar Bush or Giant Protea and is a National Flower of South Africa. It is widely distributed in south-western and southern parts of South Africa of the Fynbos Region which is a natural shrub land and in winter a rainfall coastal and mountainous area. The flower has an artichoke-like appearance of the flower heads and they say that the most beautiful one out of the species is the pink one. This flower has a long vase life and also makes an excellent dried flower.

Next I chose a tree native to Ireland called Killarney Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) and its name comes from its fruit. It can be found growing wild mainly in counties Sligo, Cork, and Kerry where rocky, well-drained soils greatly encourage its growth. This tree mainly grows with 3 to 4 sprawling reddish brown trunks and is enhanced by a cracked bark. A very slow growing tree it rarely grows 10 meters or 33 ft by 10 meters in a space of 50 years. This tree is in the class of the Heather and Heath Family and it has very pretty flowers with a hint of pink and lovely sent of honey when in bloom which they do from November to December and the Bees love them that time of year. It takes 12 months for the fruit to turn from yellow to pink to red, (wow that is a long time.) The fruits have a knobby effect and although they do not look like strawberries because they are round but there color is like a strawberry color, they are something you can eat but they have a mealy texture.


Julie ~

Puriri (sometimes Kauere) named by the Maori, is one of the few native trees of New Zealand with large colorful flowers and it can grow up to 20 m tall, with a trunk commonly up to 1.5 m in diameter with a frequently thicker and broad spreading crown. The thin bark is usually smooth and light brown in color but can also be very flaky. The Maori used infusions from boiled leaves to bathe sprains and backache, as a remedy for ulcers, especially under the ear, and for sore throats (10). The infusion was also used to wash the body of the deceased to help preserve it. Puriri trees or groves were often Tapu (forbidden) through their use as burial sites and Puriri leaves were fashioned into coronets or carried in the hand during a Tangi (funeral).

Kohekohe, a native of New Zealand, is a beautiful tree when it is not ravaged by Possum and has a rounded canopy of large leaves, 30 to 50 cm long, made of 5 to 9 leaflets along a stalk (this is called a compound leaf). There is always one leaflet at the tip (this is called pinnate) and the other leaflets are in pairs. The leaflets are 13 to 18 cm long with wavy edges and a dark green upper surface and lighter green on the lower. The bitter young leaves were used to make a tonic for stomach disorders. Infusions of leaves were used for coughing and lung disorders and the vapors from infusions inhaled for colds and fevers. Boiled leaves used as a poultice. In all cases the leaves must be picked from side of tree that faces the sun.


Sue ~

Flower Edelweiss - unofficial flower of Switzerland that grows on the Alps. Latin name is Leontopodium alpinum and actually belongs to the sunflower family. The name comes from German (edel= noble; weiss = white). The genus name means lion's paw. A small, flower with a soft furry feel to the petals (protection against cold and dryness), it grows to about 20cm. Traditionally used in folk medicine against abdominal and respiratory diseases.


Tree - the olive tree (Olea europaea) is a small tree native to the coasts of the east Mediterranean including Italy, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. It is evergreen and grows to a maximum of 15 meters, usually less. The leaves are silvery-grey, the trunk gnarled. The fruit is a small drupe that is harvested either in the early green or later black stage. The fruit is extensively used in the production of olive oil. Olive groves are a common site in Italy. The olive featured in ancient Rome and Greece and is cited in the Odyssey (Homer) where Odysseus crawls between 2 shoots of olive; and is also mentioned in Virgil's Iliad. The olive leaves were used as a crown of victory or office.


Gardnbee ~

The flower I chose to share is that of the Wild Heather (Calluna vulgaris) a plant next to the thistle that is most recognized with Scotland and its Highlands than any other. A member of the Blueberry family (Ericaceae) it is as much a part of Scottish life today as it was in ancient times. It can be found in walls of dwellings; in thatch roofs; beds; flooring; as a tea; as medicine and to feed and bed live stock to name but a very few areas this abundant plant finds its way into usefulness. The span of Wild Heather that seemingly blankets so many hillsides of the Scottish Highlands is in part due to its very tiny flower which contains something like 30 seeds and as each plant can produce in excess of 100 thousand seeds per season; the winds; animals and insects finish the job of distributing this bounty for germination.

The Next part of my Treasure Hunt involves a species of Elm that is only native to Ireland known as Wych Elm (Ulmus glabra) that is quite often planted for shade. A Deciduous tree that at one time, along with the mighty Oak, could be found within the vast natural woodlands that once covered much of the island before being destroyed largely in part by human activity. Unlike other elms it does not produce suckers but rather distributes plentiful fruit like papery discs that have seed embedded at their center for germination by the Elements. Its name, by the way, actually has nothing to do with witches but simply means "pliant" and a study into its historic use certainly lends support for this meaning. Today it stands tall and majestic here and there across Northern Ireland being a bit more resistant to Dutch elm disease than its smaller leafed relatives that have been killed off over the past 30 years to present time; though still affected by this disease some still remain though not as mature as they once were. The nearest mature tree of note is located at the Franciscan Priory, Ards, Gresslough County in Donegal and when last recorded stood something like 21 meters tall.

         

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