Posted on by tonytomeo · 4 Comments

Wind Pollinated Flowers Are Worse For Allergies

Wild flowers are generally worse for allergies than more colorful flowers within home gardens.

Have you ever wondered why it is sometimes difficult to know which flowers cause the worst allergies at any particular time? It is for the same reason that it can be difficult to find the flowers that produce the most fragrance. They simply do not need flashy colors to attract pollinators. Fragrant flowers instead use fragrance to attract pollinators. Flowers that are the worst for allergies simply put less effort into attracting pollinators, since they prefer to get their pollen delivered by wind. Yes, wind; it is one hundred percent natural and absolutely free.

Pollen than is designed to be dispersed by wind seems to perform just as well without it, by floating through the air, which is like ‘diet wind’. Unlike the pollen of big colorful flowers that is heavy and sticky in order to adhere to pollinators, pollen that is designed to be dispersed by wind (or diet wind) is extremely finely textured and abundant. Since it is not so directly and efficiently delivered between flowers, it gets everywhere and into everything, with the hopes that some of it, if even just a few particles, will reach the flowers that it wants to pollinate.

Pollen that primarily relies on wind for dispersion is like all those millions of bulk mailing fliers that get mailed out to everyone so that one or two or perhaps a few might reach someone who might actually be interested in getting one. Pollen from big flashy flowers are more like fancy Christmas cards that we send directly to friends, family and neighbors, but would be too expensive to send to millions of uninterested people. The problem is that like so much junk mail that clogs mailboxes, wind dispersed pollen is too abundant, which makes it a serious problem for those who are allergic to it. There is no escape when it fills the air.

The many wind pollinated plants that bloom in secret are the worst for pollen production. Unremarkable flowers of pines, cypress and cedars are among the worst. Acacias and eucalyptus are nearly as bad; but at least some have colorful bloom. Although hedged privets are not often able to bloom (because their flower structures get shorn off), privets that are allowed to grow into trees produce wicked pollen, even at a young age. Wild grasses may not seem like they would be much of a threat in urban landscapes, but their pollen travels for many miles to find victims.

Unfortunately, there is no way to control all the plants that produce objectionable pollen. We can only contend with those in our own gardens and be aware of what else is out there in the neighborhood.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 8 Comments

Some Edible Plants Start Out Toxic

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Pokeweed is both edible and toxic.

Early American settlers from Europe had a lot to learn about the plants of North America. After their first harsh winter without much food, many were eager to eat the first fresh greens of spring, which was sometimes the very poisonous jimson weed. Those who were not lethally poisoned right away might have hallucinated and told their friends that they could fly, and consequently got burned as witches.

It should be no wonder that some early Americans were hesitant to try tomatoes, which are related to jimson weed. Potatoes are also related, and their fruit, foliage and stems actually are toxic. Pokeweed (unrelated) was probably riskier, since the same young shoots that can be cooked as greens become toxic as they mature. Their poisonous berries, which were used as ink back then, look delicious.

There were other potentially dangerous edibles brought from Europe and other places as well. Rhubarb, which makes such great pies, is petioles (leaf stalks) for toxic leaves. Both American and European elderberries are slightly toxic before getting cooked into jelly or pie. Elderberry juice must be cooked and then given yeast to make wine. Figs and mulberries can be eaten right off their trees, but their sap is caustic enough to be irritating to the skin.

The seeds of apples, pears, peaches, nectarines and apricots can be toxic if too many are eaten. They are not a problem only because they are not eaten. However, apricot kernels can be roasted and eaten like almonds because the cooking process denatures the toxins. Separating the small kernels from the hard shells is much more work than it is for almonds, but they supposedly have great flavor.

Just like for apricot kernels, pokeweed and elderberries, the heat of cooking makes taro edible. The foliage can be eaten as stewed greens. The big and starchy corms (bulb-like stems) are something like potatoes. All parts of taro are toxic while raw. There are actually a few toxic plants that are edible once cooked. For a few others, it is important to know what parts are edible, and what parts are toxic.