Sunday, September 21, 2014

Air Plants (Ball Moss, Quill-Leaf, Spanish Moss)

Ball Moss =  Tillandsia recurvata
Family: Bromeliaceae (Pineapple family)



8/31/14 Lauderhill
Lauderhill, 3/27/2019
10" ball shaped cluster of carved, tangled and 
silver-scaled stems and leaves.
Rootless, it needs physical support from other plants, 
but it doesn't take nutrients and water from its host, 
but from the atmosphere and rain. 
It causes no harm to the host trees.
= Epiphyte

8/24/14 Plantation
Flower is purple and has three petals



Quill-Leaf = Tillandsia fasciculata
Family: Bromeliaceae
Native to Central America, Mexico, West Indies

24" grows on Cypress and Pine trees, 
flowers are 6", red and yellow.

8/31/14 Lauderhill

2/1/2015Lauderhill
Every single one has a few flowers on every tree!!



Spanish Moss = Tillandsia usneoides
Family: Bromeliaceae

Grows hanging from tree branches of
Live Oak or Bald Cypress trees.
The plant has a slender stem 
(bearing alternate)
thin, curved and curly.
Heavily scaled leaves 2 - 6 cm(0.8" - 2.3")
long and 1 mm(0.04") broad, 
that grow in chain-like fashion 
to form hanging up to 6 m(240").
It has been used for building insulation,
mulch, packing materials and
mattress stuffing.

8/31/14 Lauderhill

03/13/15 Lauderhill Found flower!

Flax Lily

Flax Lily = Dianella tasmanica 'variegata'
Family: Liliaceae (Lily family)

8/29/14 Luderhill

After the lavender blue flowers, 
showy deep blue fruits come. 
The fruits is shiny turquoise blue berries 
and lasting from fall into winter.
Foliage were used in making baskets.

8/17/14 flower buds, Plantation

Sunday, August 3, 2014

English Spinach / Gendola



8/2/2014 at friend's house in Plantation
English Spinach / Vine Spinach / Gendola 
= Basella alba
Family: Basellaceae
Origin: Tropical Asia

The leaf and stem are edible, 
used in Chinese cooking.  
The leaf are very rich in Vitamin A and C, 
Iron and Calcium.
Low in calories by volume 
and high in protein per calorie.




                                                                          the seed

ツルムラサキ

葉と茎が食用となる。
ほうれん草に似た味で、
モロヘイヤやや似た独特の
ぬめりと粘り気がある。
中華料理では木耳菜(ムーアルツアイ)
またはサーンチョイと呼ばれて
炒め物に使われ、
日本では沖縄で栽培され
地紅(じゅびん)と呼ばれて
お浸しや味噌汁にする。

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Ruddy Daggerwing Butterfly

 Ruddy Daggerwing = Marpesia petreus
Brushfoot Family
 Photos taken at Hampton Pines Park, North Lauderdale 4/30/2014