tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192250381057989170.post6361146381821903190..comments2024-03-18T11:05:03.118-06:00Comments on In the Company of Plants and Rocks: Fecund Fireweed’s Far-flung SeedsHollishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10788942181934895493noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192250381057989170.post-65209612770998409432016-08-08T11:41:35.623-06:002016-08-08T11:41:35.623-06:00Wow, Pat, you outdid yourself this time! Thanks fo...Wow, Pat, you outdid yourself this time! Thanks for all the info, especially the recommendation to read with a Chekovian accent. But as appealing as tasty healthful intoxication sounds ;-) I think I will avoid Ivan Chay! I was very glad to get the explanation for blooming sally. I have inserted updates referencing your comments.Hollishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10788942181934895493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192250381057989170.post-71876339158113273722016-08-08T11:38:17.276-06:002016-08-08T11:38:17.276-06:00Erika and Pat the Plant -- When I work on contract...Erika and Pat the Plant -- When I work on contract projects for the US govt., I have to use "official" names, from the Flora of North America. But of course, that's not static either. We once learned that scientific names didn't have the confusion of common names, but not anymore! (btw, I read the paper about Chamerion vs. Chamaenerion in my search for meaning).<br /><br />Erika, I like rallarros -- certainly appropriate here!Hollishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10788942181934895493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192250381057989170.post-3963075878040890462016-08-08T11:30:09.258-06:002016-08-08T11:30:09.258-06:00Thanks, Beth. I agree--dramatic color!Thanks, Beth. I agree--dramatic color!Hollishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10788942181934895493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192250381057989170.post-34303247554482347962016-08-05T16:07:01.994-06:002016-08-05T16:07:01.994-06:00This page has some more comprehensible information...This page has some more comprehensible information, including a good recipe for making your own Ivan Chai.<br />http://survinat.com/2011/12/russian-tea-tea-koporskiji-2/Pattockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00741004991950391554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192250381057989170.post-46989301813236545382016-08-05T15:08:13.585-06:002016-08-05T15:08:13.585-06:00There is little as spectacular as a field full of ...There is little as spectacular as a field full of Rosebay Willowherb, though Gladiolus illyricus filling a building site in Spain was even brighter.<br /><br />Blooming Sally is easily explained by Sally being an alternative form of sallow, an old word for several species of willow. The OED says sallow is particularly used of the species of Salix that are not osiers (used for producing thin canes for weaving) or willows (used for wood). So sallow are low, shrubby Salix. Sally or Sallee are still used for willow-leaved eucalyptus and acacia in Australia. <br /><br />Under "Blooming" the OED has the entry:<br />blooming sally n. [i.e. sallow] a Willow-herb ( Epilobium angustifolium, rarely E. hirsutum).<br /><br />The name blooming sally may be favoured because it is mildly, euphemistically sweary.<br /><br />The names Ivan tea and Koporsky chai (named for a village called Koporovo) both refer to the traditional use of the leaves as a tea in Russia which was previously exported to many other countries. It can still be bought on the internet but beware, some vendors just sell standard rosebay willowherb as produced by commercial herb growers. The true Ivan tea is fermented in the same way as Camellia tea to produce a black leaf such as this http://www.bonanzamarket.co.uk/listings/Ivan-Tea-Ivan-Chai-Fermented-Epilobium-Angustifolium-Russia-Siberia-100gr-3-53oz/335142780? The Russians, of course, claim the tea tastes lovely and has many wonderful health benefits.<br /><br />This page gives an example of the sort of claims, though obviously automatically translated. It is almost comprehensible if read with a Chekovian accent. http://en.peopleandcountries.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&action=printable&tid=10511<br /><br />However, it may be stupefying or intoxicating. The Great Hairy Willowherb may cause convulsions. http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/w/wilher23.html<br /><br />According to The Plant List there is now only one species in the genus, Chamerion stevenii, The rosebay willowherb is once again Epilobium angustifolium, since 2012. At least that rids us of the need to think of why Chamaenerion is incorrect and Chamerion is correct. It is also nice to have some Linnaean names untouched. http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2790112Pattockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00741004991950391554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192250381057989170.post-86371247435461724862016-08-05T07:10:57.768-06:002016-08-05T07:10:57.768-06:00In Swedish floras its scientific name is still Epi...In Swedish floras its scientific name is still Epilobium angustifolium. <br /><br />But then again, Swedes are notoriously disobedient when it comes to using the officially correct name for this very common plant. <br /><br />Its official Swedish name is "mjölkört" (milk herb), but most Swedes call it "rallarros" (navvy rose) instead.<br /><br />Here it's best known as a common plant along roads and rail roads (hence the name), or after forest clearing.Erika Grothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02588043037663464639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192250381057989170.post-72787965842166134822016-08-04T20:45:40.206-06:002016-08-04T20:45:40.206-06:00I've seen Fireweed in big swaths in the wild a...I've seen Fireweed in big swaths in the wild a few times and it's pretty dramatic--especially when the light is oblique, shining on a big patch. I didn't realize the seeds would explode so quickly from flower to seedpod. The blooms and the seeds are stunning! Yes, no wonder it's so prolific--reminds me of Milkweed pods and seeds. Amazing photos!Beth at PlantPostingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10473637655960119672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192250381057989170.post-58700251258661144442016-08-04T14:20:17.597-06:002016-08-04T14:20:17.597-06:00thanks, Tim!thanks, Tim!Hollishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10788942181934895493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192250381057989170.post-36914028607206486722016-08-04T04:03:59.520-06:002016-08-04T04:03:59.520-06:00Excellent photos, Hollis. I really enjoy seeing th...Excellent photos, Hollis. I really enjoy seeing this plant every year and the lovely drifts it creates. Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06363592883349241096noreply@blogger.com