Several months ago, I described some new human friends from college. I will now take the time to describe some of my new inanimate friends along with a few I brought with me from home.
Arphaxad is no longer with us. He was a wandering Jew from last semester's horticulture class. I managed to kill him within a few weeks of bringing him back to my dorm. The soil he lived in retained water too well, so he succumbed to root rot.
Chester is my swedish ivy from last semester's horticulture class. He is neither swedish, nor ivy. His species is a coleus, a relative of mint, that hails from Australia. A month or so ago, he suffered from some sort of fungus that attacked his leaves, but that seems to be mostly cleared up. The encourage bushy growth, I recently removed the top few nodes from both of his branches and am currently attempting to root them in water. His clonal progeny will, at least for a time be referred to as Edith and Martha. Once they are potted with Chester, I will probably just refer to them all as Chester.
Drew is a little snow man who lives in a little snow globe. I got him from La Phoque Volant de Neige a few years ago, and I brought him along with me. He's a cheery little fellow.
Edith is one of Chester's clonal progeny. She is sickly. I had to cut off one of her leaves yesterday because it suffered from her father's fungal malady. She is also smaller than her sister, and has not recovered as well from the cold shock.
Felice is an angel ornament thing. I don't remember where she came from, but she originally belonged to Julia. She creeped Julia out, so now she hangs from one of Stephens branches and watches me work.
Gretchen is my goldfish plant. She is growing quite quickly, but would love some more sunlight. Unfortunately, I can't get that to her at the moment. When it gets warm again, I'll take her and all my other sun-loving friends out to the courtyard for a picnic.
Harold the sunfish pillow is my dear friend, and quite a gentleman. He escorted Julia and I to watch Star Trek on Slater Hill on the first weekend we were at Purdue. He has continued to be cordial and comforting over the past several months. He and Arthur Mahi are close chums, but they don't get to see each other nearly as often as they like. Fortunately, they can communicate telepathically.
Holly is a geranium. I wasn't trying to be clever or anything when I named her, that's just her name. Sometimes names are weird like that. When it gets warmer and sunnier, I hope to see her crimson blossoms return. She is also from my first semester horticulture class and will definitely be invited to the courtyard picnic.
Ivan is now living at the Gast manor in Cincinnati. He is a poinsettia of the red silverstar variety, and there is no way I could hope to keep him alive in my dorm room. Much to my surprise, he is still alive. My mom isn't well known for keeping potted plants alive, and poinsettias are rather easy to kill.
Janet is my GPS. She has an Irish accent and says "motorway" instead of "highway." She leads me from home to here and back, despite my efforts to defy her. She has never yet led me astray, except for when I ignore her directions. And that's really not her fault. I'm just mildly stubborn, even though I know I have no sense of direction. Whenever I will have to make multiple turns/entrances in rapid succession, she is always sure to tell me which lane I need to be in and what the next few steps will be. Her knowledge is invaluable, once I get to 65. I don't trust her in West Lafayette/Lafayette.
Liam is my and Julia's refrigerator. He politely houses all our perishable victuals and holds up our racks of non-perishable goods. I under-appreciate him sometimes. I really don't know where I'd be without him.
Maggie is dead. She was a maidenhair fern from the hort club call-out. I sort of forgot about her, so she died. Her remains are decomposing in the courtyard. I have little else to say about her. We did not know one another for a very long time.
Margot is a silver-nerve fittonia. They're supposedly very picky tropical plants, but she seems to be very happy with me. She does have some curious mannerisms though. I under-watered her during her first few weeks in my room, and she stuck her leaves straight up in the air. When I watered her, they settled back down to normal within a few hours. She has no qualms about telling me exactly what she wants, and she recovers well after her little fits. She is also from my previous horticulture class.
Martha is Edith's twin sister and Chester's clonal daughter. She is not sickly like her sister. On the contrary, she seems to be quite robust. Like her sister, she is also sitting in a cup of water waiting to grow adventitious roots.
Millie Maude Mae is a darling little stuffed millipede made by Jenny's mom as a gift to me before I left for college. Jenny decided she would find or make me a stuffed millipede after CIY past summer when I explained to her, Ellen, and Samie how much I adore millipedes. She is the perfect size for cuddling while I use Harold as a pillow.
Nadine is also dead. She was Maggie's companion. She was also a fern from the hort club call-out, but I don't know what species she was. She now lies at peace in the courtyard with Maggie and Arphaxad.
Nigel is another dear old friend who I brought from home to college. He is a little foam pumpkin that sits in the hutch over my desk. We became friends when we were crewmates together on the Airship Brutus. Good times were (sometimes) had by all. He had to leave his best friend Bruce behind in order to come to college with me, but he's handling that well.
Seamus is back at home. He's a burro's tail succulent, and evidently those are persnickety to the nth degree. He was pouting here at school, so when I took him home with me over winter break I left him in the kitchen window sill of the Gast manor. There he basks in sunlight and consistent temperatures without being bothered by anything. He much happier back there than he was here.
Stephen is a fake ficus. We go way back to Ms. Althoff's survey of art class in my freshman year of high school. He always sat back in the corner with the other fake trees and collected a ridiculous amount of art dust. This past year I rescued him from certain doom and brought him to live with me at Purdue. He lives at the foot of my loft and greets me every morning as I climb out of my bed.
Wallace is dead, but I can't bear to part ways with him. He is a grass chia head that I made at the botany club call-out. With his different-sized eyes, unruly dessicated hair, and discolored scarf and glasses, I just can't let him go. He remains next to Nigel surveying the room.
William was an english ivy. He was english, and he was an ivy. He was also from my propagation lab in horticulture class last semester. He rooted well, but was unable to form an adventitious bud from his leaf. As I learned this semester, this is because his petiole cells are only pluripotent rather than totipotent.
I believe that's all for now. I hadn't realized I had so many inanimate friends with names. I still haven't named my laptop, viola, or coffee maker, and I'll be getting more and more plant friends as the semester goes on, so a second list may be necessary near the end of the semester.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Synopsis of the Ericaceae Plants
The Ericaceae plants, also known as the heath family, are part of the order Ericales, the subclass Dilleniidae, the class Magnoliopsida, the division Magnoliophyta, the superdivision Spermatophyta, the subkingdom Tracheobrionta, and the kingdom Plantae. This family has been around for many millennia, and so its origins are hard to trace. They may have arisen in North America or Eurasia, or perhaps even on the Pangean continent of Laurasia (the Americas and Eurasia combined). In the modern world, Ericaceae species can be found anywhere with a temperate climate in either hemisphere. They are most diverse in southern Africa and western China.
Morphologically, the Ericaceae are a diverse group. They do have a few distinguishing and unifying characteristics. All flowers have a fused corona, and most leaves are simple and alternate with a dark green color and a leathery texture. Many have evergreen leaves, and most are woody shrubs while a few are trees or herbs. Beyond this, the family is very diverse. The flowers, while mostly being bell- or urn-shaped, come in a vast array of shapes and sizes. The leaves may also come in a wide range of shapes and sizes depending on the climate a particular species grows in. Some of the Ericaceae are epiphytes, meaning they grow on other plants. Some don't have chlorophyll, but instead rely on other photosynthetic pigments. This family's members come in quite a wide variety of forms.
The Ericaceae family is a family of moderate size with 100 genera and approximately 3000 species. Three of the most well known genera are Rhododendron, Phyllodoce, and Vaccinium. Rhododendrons and azaleas are ornamental shrubs included in the Rhododendron genus. Heathers belong to the genus Phyllodoce. The Vaccinium genus contains berry-bearing plants such as gooseberry, cranberry, and blueberry.
Let's take some time to talk about Vaccinium cyanococcus, the blueberry. The specific epithet “cyanococcus” literally translates into “blue sphere,” an apt name for these small blue fruits. America is by far the leading exporter of blueberries. Until recently, our exports surpassed those of all other countries combined. Within the U.S., Maine is responsible for growing 25% of our blueberry crop.
Blueberry cultivation and use has been part of American life since long before the Europeans settled this continent. The Native Americans called them “star berries” and believed that they were one of The Great Spirit's greatest gifts to mankind. Culinarily, they ate them raw and used them to flavor and preserve meats. They also used them medicinally to treat coughs and other minor ailments.
Blueberries remain popular today. They are eaten fresh, dried, frozen, preserved, or cooked into a variety of delectable dishes. Plus, they're incredibly healthy. Like all fruits, they are low in calories and fat, and high in vitamins. In addition, blueberries have one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants in any food. They also reduce indigestion and constipation, help prevent some types of cancer, and slow down the loss of memory, vision, and motor skills due to old age. There is so much good-for-you packed into such a tiny, delicious snack. Vaccinium cyanococcus is quite an impressive species out of the Ericaceae plants.
References
Morphologically, the Ericaceae are a diverse group. They do have a few distinguishing and unifying characteristics. All flowers have a fused corona, and most leaves are simple and alternate with a dark green color and a leathery texture. Many have evergreen leaves, and most are woody shrubs while a few are trees or herbs. Beyond this, the family is very diverse. The flowers, while mostly being bell- or urn-shaped, come in a vast array of shapes and sizes. The leaves may also come in a wide range of shapes and sizes depending on the climate a particular species grows in. Some of the Ericaceae are epiphytes, meaning they grow on other plants. Some don't have chlorophyll, but instead rely on other photosynthetic pigments. This family's members come in quite a wide variety of forms.
The Ericaceae family is a family of moderate size with 100 genera and approximately 3000 species. Three of the most well known genera are Rhododendron, Phyllodoce, and Vaccinium. Rhododendrons and azaleas are ornamental shrubs included in the Rhododendron genus. Heathers belong to the genus Phyllodoce. The Vaccinium genus contains berry-bearing plants such as gooseberry, cranberry, and blueberry.
Let's take some time to talk about Vaccinium cyanococcus, the blueberry. The specific epithet “cyanococcus” literally translates into “blue sphere,” an apt name for these small blue fruits. America is by far the leading exporter of blueberries. Until recently, our exports surpassed those of all other countries combined. Within the U.S., Maine is responsible for growing 25% of our blueberry crop.
Blueberry cultivation and use has been part of American life since long before the Europeans settled this continent. The Native Americans called them “star berries” and believed that they were one of The Great Spirit's greatest gifts to mankind. Culinarily, they ate them raw and used them to flavor and preserve meats. They also used them medicinally to treat coughs and other minor ailments.
Blueberries remain popular today. They are eaten fresh, dried, frozen, preserved, or cooked into a variety of delectable dishes. Plus, they're incredibly healthy. Like all fruits, they are low in calories and fat, and high in vitamins. In addition, blueberries have one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants in any food. They also reduce indigestion and constipation, help prevent some types of cancer, and slow down the loss of memory, vision, and motor skills due to old age. There is so much good-for-you packed into such a tiny, delicious snack. Vaccinium cyanococcus is quite an impressive species out of the Ericaceae plants.
References
- “Blueberry.” agriculturalproductsindia.com. Agro Products, 2008. Web. November 9, 2009.
- “Classification for Kingdom Plantae Down to Family Ericaceae.” Plants Database. United States Department of Agriculture, n.d. Web. November 9, 2009.
- Drotleff, Laura. “Blueberries For Better Health.” American Fruit Grower v. 126 no. 10 November/December 2006 p. 48-49. OmniFile FT Mega (Wilson). Web. November 9, 2009.
- “Ericaceae.” Academic.reed.edu. Reed College, n.d. Web. November 9, 2009.
- Friis, Ib; Balslev, Henrik. Plant Diversity and Complexity Patterns: Local, Regional, and Global Dimensions. Denmark: Special-Trykkeriet Viborg, 2005. Print.
- Raloff, Janet. “Berry good protection for aging brains.” Science News v. 156 no. 12, 18 September 1999, p. 180-181. Readers' Guide Full Text (Wilson). Web. November 9, 2009.
- Rose, Melody. “Blueberries: History, Culture, and Uses.” Davesgarden.com. Dave's Garden, n.d. Web. November 9, 2009.
- Rowland, L. J. “Vaccinium spp. Blueberry./ edited by Litz, R. E.; [electronic resource].” 2005. Purdue University Catalog. Web. November 9, 2009.
- “U.S. Blueberry Industry.”United States Department of Agriculture: Economics, Statistics, and Market Information System. Economic Research Service U.S. Department of Agriculture, n.d. Web. November 9, 2009.
Friday, November 6, 2009
H1Z1 Outbreak Journal: Day 3
I woke up knowing that I needed to eat soon or die. I encountered no meals on my way to class, but I heard about the desperate acts of some of my fellow zombies. They hid in the second level of the parking garage at University and Second and jumped out behind a group of humans. It was a total massacre.
After my next class I headed to the place where I knew I could find an encampment of the infected. They were indeed there, and they were more organized than before. Whenever a zombie catches a victim, he shares his feed with the two zombies closest to death. The community takes care of its brothers. The only remaining humans are all either cowards or cunning. Or both. We almost had a few of them, but they all escaped. I was going wild with the need to consume brains when a fellow patient came running carrying a fresh victim. Another famished companion and I immediately devoured any brains that remained in the human. With my stomach full, I stuck around for a while, but the corner of my brain that remained human reminded me of my school duties. I wished them all happy hunting and took my leave.
This evening I left campus to go to a debate at IU. I was concerned that I might become violent while crowded into a car, but for some reason I was fine. I sat next to Julia, who also has H1Z1, and none of the guys lived on campus. The disease is very localized. You can't contract it unless you live on campus, and those with the disease don't find the brains of those living off-campus to be very appealing. This was a great comfort to me, because I also feared that I would be hostile toward Josh and my other friends from Cincinnati. Fortunately, I felt exponentially more "human" as we left campus. By the time we reached IU, I could barely detect my unnatural urges for human brains.
Once again, I couldn't help my fellow zombie's with tonight's mission. Maybe tomorrow will be different. We'll see.
After my next class I headed to the place where I knew I could find an encampment of the infected. They were indeed there, and they were more organized than before. Whenever a zombie catches a victim, he shares his feed with the two zombies closest to death. The community takes care of its brothers. The only remaining humans are all either cowards or cunning. Or both. We almost had a few of them, but they all escaped. I was going wild with the need to consume brains when a fellow patient came running carrying a fresh victim. Another famished companion and I immediately devoured any brains that remained in the human. With my stomach full, I stuck around for a while, but the corner of my brain that remained human reminded me of my school duties. I wished them all happy hunting and took my leave.
This evening I left campus to go to a debate at IU. I was concerned that I might become violent while crowded into a car, but for some reason I was fine. I sat next to Julia, who also has H1Z1, and none of the guys lived on campus. The disease is very localized. You can't contract it unless you live on campus, and those with the disease don't find the brains of those living off-campus to be very appealing. This was a great comfort to me, because I also feared that I would be hostile toward Josh and my other friends from Cincinnati. Fortunately, I felt exponentially more "human" as we left campus. By the time we reached IU, I could barely detect my unnatural urges for human brains.
Once again, I couldn't help my fellow zombie's with tonight's mission. Maybe tomorrow will be different. We'll see.
H1Z1 Outbreak Journal: Day 2
I woke up this morning hungry for brains. I wasn't craving them, they just sounded like a nice thing to eat. Once again, I saw no humans or infected on the way to my first class. After class, I stumbled upon a small group of fellow zombies. We were soon joined by another group and several other loners. We cornered some humans in Matthews, but they weren't going to budge and we were losing our patience. Some of our number were in dire need of food, and they weren't in the mood to sit around.
After a few fruitless chases after individual humans, we finally caught one. When she fell, she lost a flap of skin on her hand and was distressed. That seemed odd to me. I don't mind when my skin falls off, and neither do my fellow zombies. I declined the offer to share its brains. There were others hungrier than I, and I hadn't lost all sense of humanity yet.
The group dissipated, but I stuck with a fellow H1Z1 patient for a while. After a nice chat and a close chase after two humans in which he was stunned, we parted ways and I continued on to a meeting.
For lunch, I went to the human eating establishment to keep up appearances of normality as best as is possible, but I found that I had little appetite for the food that had once seemed so tantalizing. I soon gave up. While inside the building, I was able to think almost like any ordinary human, so I got quite a lot of school work done.
Nothing else of interest has happened today. I didn't get to feed, and I'm starting to feel the need for brain tissue. I won't be able to even feign civility for long.
After a few fruitless chases after individual humans, we finally caught one. When she fell, she lost a flap of skin on her hand and was distressed. That seemed odd to me. I don't mind when my skin falls off, and neither do my fellow zombies. I declined the offer to share its brains. There were others hungrier than I, and I hadn't lost all sense of humanity yet.
The group dissipated, but I stuck with a fellow H1Z1 patient for a while. After a nice chat and a close chase after two humans in which he was stunned, we parted ways and I continued on to a meeting.
For lunch, I went to the human eating establishment to keep up appearances of normality as best as is possible, but I found that I had little appetite for the food that had once seemed so tantalizing. I soon gave up. While inside the building, I was able to think almost like any ordinary human, so I got quite a lot of school work done.
Nothing else of interest has happened today. I didn't get to feed, and I'm starting to feel the need for brain tissue. I won't be able to even feign civility for long.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
H1Z1 Outbreak Journal: Day 1
I knew there were a few H1Z1 patients out there. The only question was how to recognize them. This early in the outbreak, doctors have yet to release a definitive set of symptoms. Other than the fact that they eat your brains. By that point it's too late. I had in my possession a helmet that I hoped would slow down any zombie's attempts to get to my brains. With my helmet and gun, I set out for the day.
I walked to class cautiously, checking around every corner and occasionally checking behind my back. I arrived safely without seeing any signs of the infected. In class, I found a classmate who was also prepared to deal with any of the infected. We wished each other luck and went our separate ways. Our professor must have heard about the H1Z1 outbreak, because she had us make zombie protection charms masquerading as a hands-on experience with seed germination.
The walk to my next class was uneventful. The most direct path happened to go through an area of low traffic to the ag mall, and specialists aren't predicting that the infected will be as much of a threat on the other side of State Street. They are slow-moving and easily mowed down by cars. Upon arriving, I discovered that one of my classmates had been infected. They had surrounded him, and he never had a chance. Fortunately, the infected seem to revert to their normal human state upon entering buildings. Some specialists suggest that the artificial lighting may be responsible.
I emerged from the building and continued on my way. In a safe zone, I met up with a fellow human and exchanged information. Once again, I arrived at my next destination without problems despite the fact that I had crossed back over State Street and entered high-traffic areas. Inside I found several fellow humans, and we shared our experiences and encouraged one another.
I rushed on to another meeting an hour or so later. All was going well. Too well. I had become over-confident. I didn't check around corners or glance behind my back at any point on my way to Wiley. I was almost there when a touch on my back stopped me cold. I had been infected. The zombie seemed to be new to the disease, so he wasn't as far gone as I had expected. All my protection had failed me. Before I reached my destination, I was accosted by a group of the infected, but they left me alone once they saw that I was one of them.
The effects of the disease didn't set in immediately. I saw a few of the uninfected, but I didn't feel a need to devour them. Yes, I had the feeling that their cerebrums would be quite delicious, but I merely toyed with them from a distance and made no real threats. Later in the evening, I discovered that a few of my friends had become infected. One of them shared a fresh kill with me. I tasted the brains. They were good. My appetite grew steadily. We will see what tomorrow brings. Hopefully plump and luscious neurons are involved.
I walked to class cautiously, checking around every corner and occasionally checking behind my back. I arrived safely without seeing any signs of the infected. In class, I found a classmate who was also prepared to deal with any of the infected. We wished each other luck and went our separate ways. Our professor must have heard about the H1Z1 outbreak, because she had us make zombie protection charms masquerading as a hands-on experience with seed germination.
The walk to my next class was uneventful. The most direct path happened to go through an area of low traffic to the ag mall, and specialists aren't predicting that the infected will be as much of a threat on the other side of State Street. They are slow-moving and easily mowed down by cars. Upon arriving, I discovered that one of my classmates had been infected. They had surrounded him, and he never had a chance. Fortunately, the infected seem to revert to their normal human state upon entering buildings. Some specialists suggest that the artificial lighting may be responsible.
I emerged from the building and continued on my way. In a safe zone, I met up with a fellow human and exchanged information. Once again, I arrived at my next destination without problems despite the fact that I had crossed back over State Street and entered high-traffic areas. Inside I found several fellow humans, and we shared our experiences and encouraged one another.
I rushed on to another meeting an hour or so later. All was going well. Too well. I had become over-confident. I didn't check around corners or glance behind my back at any point on my way to Wiley. I was almost there when a touch on my back stopped me cold. I had been infected. The zombie seemed to be new to the disease, so he wasn't as far gone as I had expected. All my protection had failed me. Before I reached my destination, I was accosted by a group of the infected, but they left me alone once they saw that I was one of them.
The effects of the disease didn't set in immediately. I saw a few of the uninfected, but I didn't feel a need to devour them. Yes, I had the feeling that their cerebrums would be quite delicious, but I merely toyed with them from a distance and made no real threats. Later in the evening, I discovered that a few of my friends had become infected. One of them shared a fresh kill with me. I tasted the brains. They were good. My appetite grew steadily. We will see what tomorrow brings. Hopefully plump and luscious neurons are involved.
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