Vegetative morphology
To cover angiosperm morphology I took the ethnobotany class into the field, beginning class at the Eugenia uniflora (Surinam cherry). The cherries are in, so started from there. The leaf arrangement is opposite and the leaves are faintly pinnate. I then headed east to have a look at the Premna obtusifolia variant locally known as oahr, a variant for which there was some hope of resurrecting Premna serratifolia name. I also used the Spathoglottis plicata to show linear venation.
The day was sunny and hot, I headed down to the Pterocarpus indicus trees along the main entrance road.
I then moved the class onto the uneven terrain north of the entrance road.
Footing was uneven, with the grass hiding the lumpy, bumpy terrain. The terrain appears smooth, but when your foot lands you are thrown in an unexpected direction. Hence Herpelyn and Petery work to regain their balance in the right background. Elizabeth and Simon Augustine on the left in the background appear to either be on more level ground or are more adept at navigating the devilish topography.
A cordate leaf, believed to be Ipomoea carnea subspecies fistulosa (Martius ex Choisy) D. F. Austin, Convolvulaceae . The leaves are on a branch on the ground from a small tree that was cut down. The branches never die, new shoots appear from the downed branches. Identification is tentative.
Ipomoea carnea subsp. fistulosa inflorescence (flower, blossom). The plant is known, appropriately enough, as bush morning glory. Also known as shrub morning glory, the plant is known to be poisonous and is attributed to disease in goats which have eaten the leaves. One of the toxic compounds is possibly chemically related to succinylcholine. This is NOT a plant to add to the leaf tasting list. The plant is an introduced invasive, but not aggressively invasive.
Sebastian, Alexander, John, Beverly, Miki, and Darlene observe the plants.
A very cordate and definitely non-toxic Hibiscus tiliaceus leaf.
The day was sunny and hot, I headed down to the Pterocarpus indicus trees along the main entrance road.
I then moved the class onto the uneven terrain north of the entrance road.
Footing was uneven, with the grass hiding the lumpy, bumpy terrain. The terrain appears smooth, but when your foot lands you are thrown in an unexpected direction. Hence Herpelyn and Petery work to regain their balance in the right background. Elizabeth and Simon Augustine on the left in the background appear to either be on more level ground or are more adept at navigating the devilish topography.
A cordate leaf, believed to be Ipomoea carnea subspecies fistulosa (Martius ex Choisy) D. F. Austin, Convolvulaceae . The leaves are on a branch on the ground from a small tree that was cut down. The branches never die, new shoots appear from the downed branches. Identification is tentative.
Ipomoea carnea subsp. fistulosa inflorescence (flower, blossom). The plant is known, appropriately enough, as bush morning glory. Also known as shrub morning glory, the plant is known to be poisonous and is attributed to disease in goats which have eaten the leaves. One of the toxic compounds is possibly chemically related to succinylcholine. This is NOT a plant to add to the leaf tasting list. The plant is an introduced invasive, but not aggressively invasive.
Sebastian, Alexander, John, Beverly, Miki, and Darlene observe the plants.
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