The Fungus Among Us The fungus forum is slow going; we don't have as many experts there as we do for the "flashier" plants. More's the pity, but South American fungi don't appear to have been as widely studied as North American and European ones, but I do know that there are at least 4 edible varieties because I purchase them at the farmer's markets. And you're preaching mushrooms to a photographer in close proximity to cloud- and rain-forests! Check these out... I have no idea whatsoever what they are. Except for #4 which are an edible from the Amazon jungle as well as a burn remedy, and which are called "Pig's Ears."
Wow --- nice. Never seen 'pig's ears' up here. I see why they call them that. I'm hoping to go on a shakedown cruise to a lake this weekend --- might have some cool photos to share upon return --- IF I return, lots of very large, hungry bears there ... :)
Yeah, well at least we don't have a kidnapping industry or Sendero-Luminosos going on here ... You ever been here? If you come up this way let me know and I'll show some Canadian stuff that will knock your socks off. BTW, whats a bunch of bears? They're really not that smart --- if you can't figure out how to avoid becoming bear-food then you're a complete retard anyway. Cougars, on the other hand, and wolves --- well, don't get me started. Whats the worse that can happen to you in Ecuador? A large saguaro cactus falls on you? LOL ;)
I'm originally a Canuck, actually, from Alberta; I used to vacation on the island. I just hate winter so bad that I moved somewhere that doesn't have regular snowfall or temperatures below zero (well, at least most of the country is like that.) (Shining Path is a Peruvian problem, just as FARC is a Colombian one. We're in the middle, and they won't stay out of our jungles.) And our kidnapping industry has been shrinking steadily under Presidente Correa.
That's probably true, but very very odd for them to do. I was under the impression that they were significantly genetically different and that's why they were in separate genera. I guess not!
Well, then... ePIC, GRIN, TROPICOS, tell me do! What I can find is that the two were recently separated due to genetic difference. GRIN shows that a number of plants that were formerly called Datura have been moved to Brugmansia; the dividing line seems to be woody growth habit. Long and short is that the Tree Datura (Datura arborea) is now Brugmansia arborea - but the two genera are still treated as distinct although closely related. (Hopefully that link will work; if it doesn't then hit "new search" and type in "Datura" to see what I was hoping would link up.)
Are the san pedro cactuses common in Peru? Trichocereus Peruvcianus? Must be awesome to just casually go for a walk in the desert and theres all these fabulous cactuses growing all over ...
In Peru, yes, and also extremely common in Ecuador. Here, they're not just in the desert; I've found them growing in secondary dry Fiqui and Eucalyptus forests as well, and occasional escapees in the lower-altitude cloud forests. As well as the Amazon. I really like the deserts here; they've got this amazing range of Opuntias, most of which throw edible pears. (as well, of course, as the epiphytic variable cacti like the Hylocerus) My absolute faves were these blood-red fruiting Opuntia that I found near Ibarra in the north - seedy like buckshot, but the flavour was better than even a Pitahaya. We all looked like vampires when we were done.
Yeah? The juice from red fruit stains your mouths red? ;) I was surprised to read that san pedro can produce red, mildly fruit thats supposed to be tasty. Somehow I just never really associated cactus with fruit, but of course, its just another plant and makes seeds like they all do...
San Pedro fruit is tasty, but climbing the ladders to harvest it is kind of a drag. At least the cacti aren't too spiny. We have three separate classes of cactus food products here in Ecuador - the first is Tuna which are the pears of the genus Opuntia; the second is Pitahaya which are the pears of the genus Hylocerus; and the third is Pedrito which are the pears of the genus Tricocereus. Some people also roast and eat the young blades of Opuntia (the dish is called Nopales), and others eat the flowers off of the Cylindropuntias in salads, much the same way that we eat the flowers of Agave. The Cylindropuntias can also be peeled and roasted. On the subject of eating succulents, Ecuadorians consume more than many other South Americans. Here, most cactus is considered edible, Agave is used to produce sweet syrups and candy, and Aloe is a health drink available on street corners. and it was more the fact that we were not tidy eaters, so it was more like our chins and hands stained as well...
WooHoo! I just got my new order of seeds in and had loads of freebies thrown in. Germination tips on any of these if anyone has had any experience would be great. Mimosa Pudica Silene Capensis Ilex paraguariensi Diplopterys cabrerana Acacia Tortilis Acacia Maidenii Acacia Xanthophioea virola surinamensis (kept moist) latuca virosa Voacanga Africana Dalbergia Nigra Please don't point out that I have a small forests worth of tree's that won't grow in England unless I buy the Eden Project to live in, I figure I have a fair bit of time to work out what to do with them! Cheers
Good 4 u. :) By the way --- your hawiian baby woodrose is doing just fine, it's an inch high. Will post photos later ... Let me know how your Virola does --- I'm contemplating hatching a few Virola's myself. Regards, Tom aka Cyberhun
Re - the Acacia, Mimosa, Dalbergia germination. They are beans, and you should treat them like beans and soak in a nitrogen-fixing solution for a couple of days before you plant them. It will increase your viability. I used to get the Nitro-fix stuff through a catalog company in Canada; I have no idea where you would find it in the UK. You should have no problem with the Silene - it's a weed plant and hatches like one. Yerba mate can be a bit tempremental - keep the soils moist and warm (ie about 25C) until it sprouts. Then you won't be able to keep it from speeding. Did you get seeds or cuttings of the Chacruna? I only know how it works from cuttings - best guess on seeds (based on native habitat) is rich, free-draining soils and lots of heat/humidity. Can't help on the rest, though... Have you tried sprouting Anadenanthera colubrina? It's a pretty rewarding little tree (until it takes off and becomes a pretty rewarding big tree)
Hi! Cheers for the advice, I'm not holding out much hope for the virola, from time to time I order a few in but either I'm not very good at getting the environment right for them or they are out of their viability period, which I believe is quite short. I figure it will be a bonus if they prosper. The Chacruna is from seed, I was thinking of soaking most of the beans in GA3 and nicking the ones with the harder shells, I will try to get hold of Nitro-fix. Anadenanthera Colubrina is on my list of trees to try growing. I just noticed something interesting with my Entada Reedii, it was growing really fast (15 cm a day in the sun) but was producing no leaves, I have found that it only produces leaves on the branches that attach themselves to something solid, I guess that makes sense rather than being blown over. Unfortunately I went on a road trip and it has totally tangled itself in my blind!
Psychotria viridis I heard this is hard to germinate - up to six weeks. So I ordered leaf clones with little roots. Did you ever hear of that? They can make multiple plants out of one leaf. I just ordered them tonight. Linda
