Class 7 and 8 Week 4 Foundations in Herbal Medicine Webinar Series HERB GARDENING in TEXAS, Permaculture, Plant ID

Class 7 and 8 Week 4 Foundations in Herbal Medicine Webinar Series HERB GARDENING IN TEXAS, Permaculture, Plant ID

One reason our top allies for the school were chosen was due to their abilities to grow well or thrive in Central Texas. “Growing well” may be defined as:

• ______

Some of the plants will need to be in partial shade at least one of them may take a little more water, but is so useful I put it on the list. Factors, like proximity to the heat island of Austin, may affect how some do through the colder times of the year.

Rules of the green thumb in Texas are:

• Remember that we do not live in a temperate zone so temperate seasonal rules do not apply. I have been able to get things to grow at times I wasn’t supposed to and grow things that shouldn’t have done well. At other times plants that were supposed to do well here, failed to.

• In Central Texas, if you are planting biennials or perennials it is better to do so in the fall so they can get established before the heat sets in.

• Be careful to give your herbs enough space, they sometimes don’t like the crowding that veggies can handle.

• Its how you water not how much. Rot and mold are just as much of a problem as not enough water. Water deeply but not as often. Surface sprays lead to shallow roots which fry in summer heat, toughen your plants up! They won’t make it through the summer if they are pampered…………

• Prepping beds in late winter and late summer for spring and fall plantings. Summer is a great time to kill grass. Summer beds must have a thick layer of mulch.

• Feed and amend beds with compost/bat poop/chicken poop etc before and after harvests. The more nourished the soil, the more productive your crops and pest resistant. Having productive gardens is very much reliant on soil

• Diversity breeds resistance

• Strategies for building successful gardens rely on several techniques: raised beds, sheet mulching, wicking beds, swails, and more

• Never use poison on your food or medicines. If you have an infestation, then it is a sign of imbalance in the garden. nature

Herbs to try! Achillea millefolium(YARROW) Allium sativum(GARLIC) Artemesia spp Avena spp Borago spp Calendula officinalis(CALENDULA) Berberis/Mahonia trifoliolata(AGARITA) Coriandrum spp Echinacea purpurea et al.(CONE FLOWER): Foeniculum vulgare(FENNEL) Gallium sp.(CLEAVERS) Grindelia sp.(GUMWEED) Leonurus cardiaca(MOTHERWORT) Melissa officinalis(LEMON BALM) Mentha spp (MINT) Monarda citriodora et al.(BEE BALM): Oenothera speciosa(EVENING PRIMROSE): Papavar spp Passiflora spp(PASSIONFLOWER): Rosemarinsus officinalis(ROSEMARY) Salvia spp (SAGES) Scutellaria drummondii/ovatum(SKULLCAP):. Stellaria media(CHICKWEED): Tagetes Taraxacum officinale(DANDELION):. Verbena/Glandularia bipinnatifida et al(VERVAIN): Verbascum thapsus(MULLEIN) Urtica chamoiensis Viola spp Zanthoxyllum clava-herculis et al.(PRICKLY ASH): Zingiber officinale(GINGER) WEEDCRAFTING FOR A WILD FUTURE

Exercise: Choose at least one plant from the list provided to grow this spring, even if in a pot to get familiar with it. Your relationship will completely change once you complete a lifecycle with a plant. XI. Permaculture for Herbalists

http://www.heathcote.org/PCIntro/2WhatIsPermaculture.htm http://www.permacultureprinciples.com/freedownloads_essence.php per·ma·cul·ture/ˈpərməˌkəlCHər/

Noun:The development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient.

The idea of a closed system

The idea of zones if you have land

The idea of working with the land and working with

Journal Question: How conscious of bioregionalism are you in your everyday life? What is your best bioregional lifestyle attribute. Where could you do better?

XII. PLANT TAXONOMY THE NAMING OF PLANTS

Variety, sub species…

We focus on Families, Genus, and species Families that have changed

Latin Binomials are the best way to learn your herbs. Notes on pronunciation

The proper way to write out a Latin binomial. Pay attention to endings!

The meanings of Sp.=Species Spp=Species plural or all species Var. =variety of a species-horticultural term but sometimes used like subspecies Ssp= subspecies of a species may vary in color or other minor details

Is this correct? If not please rewrite putting the following taxonomical terms in order Echinacaea Asteraceae purpurea

XIII. INTRODUCTION TO PLANT IDENTIFICATION

#1 Is this a plant??? A plant is part of a overarching kingdom that includes flowering plants, mosses, ferns, cone-bearing, algae, and other green, photosynthesis producing organisms. (Herbalists may or may not only use plants in practice).

Spend some time writing down things you notice about the plant’s vegetative growth(bark, stems, leaves, leaf arrangement, shape etc). Are the stems herbaceous or woody? Do they have any distinguishing characteristics? If its woody and has a trunk, what does the bark look like? Parts of a flowering plant:

· axil - the angle between the upper side · petiole - a leaf stalk; it attaches the leaf of the stem and a leaf, branch, or to the plant. petiole. · root - a root is a plant structure that · axillary bud - a bud that develops in the obtains food and water from the soil, axil. stores energy, and provides support for · flower - the reproductive unit of the plant. Most roots grow underground. angiosperms. · root cap - a structure at the ends (tips) of · flower stalk - the structure that the roots. It covers and protects the supports the flower. apical meristem (the actively growing · internode - the area of the stem region) of the root. between any two adjacent nodes. · stem - (also called the axis) is the main · lateral shoot (branch) - an offshoot of support of the plant. the stem of a plant. · tap root - the main root of some plants; · leaf - an outgrowth of a plant that grows the tap root extends straight down from a node in the stem. Most leaves are under the plant. flat and contain chloroplasts; their main · terminal bud - a bud located at the apex function is to convert energy from (tip) of the stem. Terminal buds have sunlight into chemical energy (food) special tissue, called apical meristem, through photosynthesis. consisting of cells that can divide · node - the part of the stem of a plant indefinitely. from which a leaf, branch, or aerial root

grows; each plant has many nodes. Label the two lower nodes (the first and second nodes) on the plant diagram.

#2 Describe the leaves. What is a leaf? Shape of Leaves, arrangement, color and size Does the plant have any particular growth habit? Bush, tree, vine etc?

Label Simple Leaf Anatomy · axil - the angle between the upper side · petiole - a leaf stalk; it attaches the leaf to of the stem and a leaf or petiole. the plant. · lamina - the blade of a leaf. · stem - (also called the axis) the main · leaf apex - the outer end of a leaf; the support of the plant. end that is opposite the petiole. · stipule - the small, paired appendages · midrib - the central rib of a leaf - it is (sometimes leaf-life) that are found at the usually continuous with the petiole. base of the petiole of leaves of many flowering plants. · vein - one of the many vascular structures on a leaf. Veins provide supports for the leaf and transport both water and food through the leaf.

# 3 Is this a Flowering Plant? How is this plant reproducing?

Label Flowering Plant Anatomy Read the plant definitions, then label the plant anatomy diagram below. Enchantedlearning.com

Read the plant definitions below, then label the simple leaf morphology diagram below.

· anther - the anther is the tip of a flower's · sepal - the sepals are small leaves stamen ( the male reproductive organs of located directly under a flower - they the plant) – it contains the pollen. are the outermost part of a flower. · filament - the filament is the part of the · stem (also called the peduncle) - the · flower that holds the anther (and part of stem supports the plant. the stamen, the male reproductive organs · stigma - the stigma is uppermost part of the plant). of the pistil, the female reproductive · ovary - the ovary is a female reproductive tissue of a flower. The stigma receives organ in plants that produces ovules. It is at the male the base of the pistil. · pollen grains during fertilization, when · petal - a petal is one of the leafy structures they travel through the style to the that comprise a flower. Petals are often ovary. · brightly-colored and have many different · style - the style is part of the pistil, the shapes. female reproductive tissue of a flower. The style is a long tube on top of the ovary, and below the stigma.

http://www.botany.uwc.ac.za/ecotree/flowers/flowerparts.htm

Complete flowers have sepals, petals, stamens, and pistils. Flower #1 is a complete flower. Incomplete flowers are missing one of more of the four basic parts.

Perfect flowers have both stamens and pistils. Imperfect flowers have either stamens or pistils, but not both.

Staminate flowers have only stamens. Pistillate flowers have only pistils.

Monoecious plants have imperfect flowers with both sexes growing on the same plant. Dioecious plants have imperfect flowers with only one sex growing on each plant.

Fruits: Will cover more in the outdoor herbalist (achene, follicle)

Roots: Will cover more in the outdoor herbalist (tap, fibrous)

Specialized adaptations: Will cover more in outdoor herbalist (Thorns, tendrils) #4 If it is a flowering plant(many times it is!) then you figure out if it is a monocot or dicot. Monocots produce 1 seed leaf when they emerge, and dicots 2 seed leaves. They have several defining characteristics to help you know what you are looking at. Grouping them into either category helps to narrow down what families of plants you are looking at. This takes more study, and can be tricky Write down any reproductive traits. Is the plant flowering? Types of Flower Arrangements

#5 Fruiting? Cone bearing? This will help you remember it!

For further study with Plant Families, please see Thomas Elpel’s Botany in a Day book. Plant Families lead you to Genus. How do you know you are correct? Your goal: Genus and species, for example Family: Lamiaceae Genus and Species Scutellaria drummondii Do’s:  Start with the area around your home  Take your time  Field guides for your area are a start when identifying plants  Learn to use dichotomous keys  Take plant samples and pictures to trusted sources for id  Learn to describe your plant  Put together a botany kit: lens, ruler, poker, tweezers, and sketchbook which can also press plants Donts:  Get overconfident  Rush it  Use facebook for plant id  Think that because you have a  special connection with the  plants that they wont poison you  Think that plant id is easy, many plants have look alike toxic brothers that grow next to each other