The "Name that Plant" Game

Hey doug,

Here's a quote for you:

"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it." ATTRIBUTION: Samuel Johnson (1709-1784),...

Doc :D
 
Doug, if I had gotten back on the comp two minutes later, it would've been you :D


This is an easy one. I had a more comprehensive description completed and tried to post it but BF logged me out and I lost the comment :mad: So here is the shortened version.


This plant used to be the staple of many tropical cultures. The corm and leaves are edible, though they must be prepared first; in it's raw form this plant is toxic. The corm is rich in starch and fiber, while the leaves are loaded with vitamins and minerals. It is incredibly nutritious and even hypoallergenic I believe.

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If I recall correctly, we Hawaiians prepared it in a unique way. We would cook the corms in an underground oven, then mash and pound them up to form a paste. Water would then be added gradually to the paste while mixing, until the product was "just right" in consistency. Most hawaiians would also prefer to let it ferment for a few days before eating. The finished product looks like this:

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You could also boil the plant to destroy the toxin and render it edible :thumbup:.
 
Ah, very close Doug, but not correct. I had additional info, before BF lost the comment, that would have been useful in distinguishing between the two. In fact, my plant is often mistakenly called Elephant's Ear.

I forgot to put this hint back in the rewritten version: this plant may be distinguished from Xanthosoma sagittifolium by its peltate leaves. Disregard the painting/drawing in my post above, it actually looks incorrect (or at best, misleading) now that I double check it.

The peltate leaves of this plant:
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This is the other hint:
rksoon said:
we Hawaiians prepared it in a unique way.
Click to expand...

:D
 
That's the one :thumbup: Kalo, to Hawaiians. I think we are the only ones to prepare it that way, the product ("Poi") is actually quite tasty and was a cornerstone of the healthy hawaiian diet.

Sharp Eye is up :)
 
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Hey rk, it doesn't look like Sharp Eye is coming back. He's posted in other threads a few times since here, so maybe you should go again.

We don't want to see this thread die, with tony being away, and all. :( - It was on page 3 even after my last 'bump to the top'.

Doc
 
Here's another easy one, and in keeping with the tropical/Hawaii theme of my plants (people get lost on island vacations too :) )....

Location:

The plant/tree was believed to have originated in the Southeast Asian Islands and spread via human migration through Melanesian and into Polynesia. It is especially prominent and cultivated in pacific island cultures, and I'm sure it's been spread to other tropical areas. If I remember correctly, this tree is also able to grow on coral sand.

Description:

The tree grows up to 15-20m high. It's bark is light colored and the wood is a golden color. The leaves are broadly obovate to broadly ovate, and are often pinnately lobed. The leaves are a dark green and slightly glossy on the top, and dull green on the bottom. The midrib and veins are often covered with red/pink hair. The seedless fruit is round or oblong, up to 20cm wide by 12 cm long, with a green or yellow-green skin that is distinctive for its bumpy and sometimes spiny appearance. The flesh is white or a light yellow. The tree fruits all the time, but I think its most productive in summer through winter.

Uses:

The fruit is very nutritious and is a staple in the tropics. It can be eaten at all stages of maturity, but it is most commonly eaten when mature (yellow-green and bumpy skin). The fleshy white interior is the edible part. Though mostly composed of water, the fruit is very starchy. When cooked the taste is often compared to that of other starch staples. It is prepared in a variety of ways. You can bake or roast it. You can boil it. Traditionally, it was often left to ferment in a pit (useful for long term storage). One popular method of preparation is to mix the cooked fruit with coconut milk and bake it.

The tree was also useful aside from its fruit. The bark was used medicinally, the timber was used in canoes and surfboards or as firewood, the bast was used to make cordage or bark clothing, and the leaves were used medicinally or to wrap food. Some of the more novel uses arise from the natural latex obtained when any part of the tree is broken (collect the sap); it would serve as medicine, an adhesive, caulking for canoes and containers, birdlime (to catch birds for food or for their feathers), and even chewing gum.


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Whoa! Knife usage!
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rksoon,
Thanks for picking up the thread.
Swamped at work right now and hardly able to get onto the forums.
Hope that thing calm down a little before the weekend.

BTW, I know this one too but I need to excuse myself from the game for a few days;)
 
No problem Sharp Eye, playing the plant game doesn't pay the bills ;) I shouldn't be procrastinating so much myself :o :D.
 
Hey rk, I don't know that one - doesn't grow around here. I just wanted to say cheers for the great job you're doing representing people from an area other than the northeast U.S. and Canada. :thumbup:

Doc
 
Thanks Doc :) I always learn quite a bit in your posts, I figure I might as well try to contribute.


Will post a hint tomorrow if no one gets it by then :thumbup:
 
No, it looks like the fruit do resemble each other superficially though. Osage Orange is in the same Family, but a different tribe.



Couple of immediately identified contrasts:

-Remember the flesh of this fruit is edible, I think only the seeds of the Osage Orange fruit are edible
-This plant originates and is found in Oceania, Osage Orange is native to the lower/central United States (and has spread all over it now)
-The leaves of Osage orange aren't lobed like the leaves of this tree, they are simpler in shape.
-Osage Orange is dioecius (male and female flowers on different trees) while this tree is monoecius (male and female flowers on the same tree). I know it wasn't mentioned above, but I think it's worth mentioning now.



Not a bad guess though!

Osage Orange:
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DOC-CANADA said:
Hey rk, I don't know that one - doesn't grow around here. I just wanted to say cheers for the great job you're doing representing people from an area other than the northeast U.S. and Canada. :thumbup:

Doc
Click to expand...


+1 :thumbup:

My immediate off-the-cuff guess was Osage Orange too, until I saw you cutting up the fruit; Osage Orange fruit are more like rocks and would require something like a Busse Battle Mistress just to make a dent :eek: :D
 
theonew said:
My immediate off-the-cuff guess was Osage Orange too, until I saw you cutting up the fruit; Osage Orange fruit are more like rocks and would require something like a Busse Battle Mistress just to make a dent :eek: :D
Click to expand...

The pics aren't my own, but I'll definitely link the site after someone guesses correctly; it's a nice walk-through of one way to prepare the fruit :thumbup:

That is some hardcore fruit (osage orange) if it needs a chopper just to open it up! :eek:
 
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