Pine Honey is an Actual Thing

I had always assumed that honey was made only from the nectar of flowers; however, I recently learned about pine honey while surfing the internet. Pine trees do not produce flowers in the botanical sense of the word, rather, they produce cones and cones do not produce nectar. So how could pine honey be an actual thing?

It turns out that in the eastern Mediterranean, mainly in Greece and Turkey, there occurs a scale insect of pine trees with the scientific name of Marchalina hellenica. The insect sucks pine tree sap and, because the sap contains more sugars than the insect can use, it excretes the excess sugars as honeydew. Forest honey bees collect the honeydew and convert it into pine honey.

Although the fact that it existed was a surprise, I was not at all surprised to learn that pine honey is not particularly sweet and has a distinctive, slightly bitter flavor with a strong aroma (Benefits of Honey 2013).

Pine honey is not simply an unusual novelty item. It is an economically important product accounting for almost 65% of annual honey production in Greece and about 50% in Turkey (Hatjina & Bouga 2009). As is done with other monofloral honeys, beekeepers will transport their hives to pine forests during peak honeydew production.

References:

Benefits of Honey. 2013. Exploring Honey Varieties. Internet: http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/honey-varieties.html. Visited 25 August 2013. Link

Hatjina, F. and M. Bouga. 2009. Portrait of Marchalina hellenica Gennadius (Hemiptera: Margarodidae), the main producing insect of pine honeydew—biology, genetic variability and honey production. U. Arı Drg. 9(4): 162–167. PDF

© 2013 Rufino Osorio

Euphorbia thymifolia – Thyme-leaf Sandmat

Euphorbia thymifolia (synonym: Chamaesyce thymifolia) is an unassuming little annual native from Mexico to Argentina, the West Indies, and the paleotropics (Africa and Asia). It has been introduced in the Hawaiian islands and is considered by some to have been introduced in Florida, but the Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants lists it as native. I have observed it at three sites in Florida: (1) in pavement cracks in downtown Tampa; (2) near the mouth of a gopher tortoise burrow in a sandhill habitat in Tampa; and (3) in a highly disturbed old field that had originally been sand scrub at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County.

A young plant growing under very harsh conditions in a tiny crack in the street in front of my house.

As is the case with most annual, weedy spurges formerly in the genus Chamaesyce, it is very easily grown and, once introduced into a garden, you will likely have it forever. Although it can be a weed of potted plants, thus far it has not been a problem in the garden. Certainly, it is nowhere near as aggressive and abundant as the quadrumvirate of weedy spurges in my yard that can sometimes number in the hundreds: Euphorbia graminea, Euphorbia hirta, Euphorbia hypericifolia, and Euphorbia ophthalmica.

Images and text © 2013 Rufino Osorio

Parthenocissus quinquefolia – Virginia Creeper

A Virginia creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, has ripened its fruit in early spring. The combination of red stalks and dark purple fruit is an indication that the fruits are adapted for dispersal by birds. I can assume bird dispersal because birds can see red but most mammals cannot. Thus, bird-dispersed fruits tend to have red colors somewhere in the infructescence. Often, the fruits themselves are red but in other cases the leaves, bracts, stalks, and/or calyx may be red. In some bird-dispersed plants, the seeds themselves may be red and in a few instances, such as Jamaican caper (Capparis cynophallophora), the fruits split open to reveal a red inner lining.

Virginia creeper is a very hardy plant that is tolerant of a wide variety of conditions. This particular plant was found growing in an alley on a south-facing garage wall near West Palm Beach's city center.

Image and text © 2013 Rufino Osorio

Mounts Botanical Garden

A miscellany of photographs taken at Mounts Botanical Garden this year.

Adenium obesum setting seed pods.

Aechmea 'Big Harv'

Aloe dorotheae, an aloe that can assume bright red, burgundy, and mahogany-red colors when stressed by cold weather or intense sunlight.

Alternanthera dentata 'Purple Knight'

Medinilla cummingii 'Kinabalu' with Alternanthera dentata 'Purple Knight'

Medinilla cummingii 'Kinabalu' is probably the easiest Medinilla to grow in south Florida.

Euphorbia punicea

Euphorbia punicea (I'm not sure what those white spots are about.)

Salvia elegans, commonly known as pineapple sage, and with fruit-scented leaves.

Images and text © 2013 Rufino Osorio

Brazilian-Pepper in 3-D

Earlier this year, I photographed the fruits of the notoriously invasive Brazilian-pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius). While studying the images later that day, I realized that I could combine two of the images to make a 3-D gif. Such gifs are interesting because they achieve a 3-D effect by wiggling two images back and forth. The appeal of such gifs is that no glasses, special equipment, or effort is needed to see the 3-D effect.

Above is a regular image of the Brazilian-pepper. Below, is the same image which I have combined with a second image to produce a 3-D gif.

Images and text © 2013 Rufino Osorio

Johnny Poke Seed

Early last year, I collected a few seeds from a pokeweed, Phytolacca americana, that had spontaneously arisen among some saw palmetto palms (Serenoa repens) in a local park. The seeds were duly planted and I selected one seedling to pot up and, eventually, plant in the ground in my front yard. That plant happily grew and produced an enormous number of fruits, much to the delight of the local mockingbirds. Unfortunately, its large size was threatening its more delicate neighbors so I consigned it to the compost bin.

This spring, I noticed its progeny popping up here and there. The photograph above shows a plant growing in my neighbor's yard along our mutual fence line. The picture below is a close-up of the flowers of that same plant. Another plant showed up on my property about 100 feet (30.48 meters) from where the parent plant had been removed. And speaking of the parent plant, a seedling came up inches away from the site of the original plant and that seedling is now about 3 feet (0.9 meters) tall and beginning to flower and fruit. It looks as if pokeweed is here to stay in my yard and, with the help of some feathered friends, perhaps other yards and vacant lots in the neighborhood.

Update: Since this blog post was published on 22 June 2013, the pokeweed established about 100 feet (30.48 meters) from the parent plant died. When I pulled it up from the ground, its root system had rotted, presumably as the result of the torrential, record-breaking rains that Palm Beach County had this spring and early summer.

Images and text © 2013 Rufino Osorio

The Problems with Pilea glauca and Pilea glaucophylla

A small, trailing, groundcovering plant known as Pilea glauca is readily available on the internet. See, for example, the online store of Josh's Frogs or Pernell Gerver's online store. Other web sites list the plant as Pilea glaucophylla. The plant is both common enough and popular enough to have two common names: silver sprinkles and gray artillery plant.

There is, however, one big problem with the name, Pilea glauca. It has never been published. Although the name is in use by the gardening public, the name does not appear in any database of botanical names, including The International Plant Names Index or Tropicos. It is an example of what is known in botany as a nomen nudum, which literally translated means a naked name. In standard botanical practice, each name is tied to a type, that is, an herbarium specimen on which the name is based and each name must be legitimately published if the name is to be considered valid. However, Pilea glauca is floating around the internet completely naked, bereft of the "clothing" provided by a type specimen and legitimate publication.

The name Pilea glaucophylla has neither problem. It was legitimately published in 1936 by E.P. Killip in a publication titled Contributions to the United States National Herbarium and there is a type specimen collected by É.F. André in Colombia and deposited in the herbarium of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Unfortunately, there's one small problem: we can search for it at the Smithsonian's NMNH herbarium website and we can see for ourselves that Pilea glaucophylla is a completely different plant than the one circulating on the internet by the name of Pilea glaucophylla.

So, what is the name of this mystery plant? I know that it is definitely not Pilea glauca since that is a nomen nudum that has never been published. And I know that it is not Pilea glaucophylla since that name refers to a completely different plant with erect stems and differently shaped leaves that are about 3-inches (7.6 centimeters) long or longer. I thought that I would never learn its name; however, thanks to the original version of this blog post and the power of the Internet, I heard from David Scherberich of the Jardin Botanique de la Ville de Lyon in France, who informed me that he knows the plant as Pilea libanensis of Cuba. Neither David nor I have confirmed that it is indeed that species by examining vouchered herbarium specimens but a preliminary search on the Internet confirms that Pilea libanensis is very likely the name of our little, silvery, carpeting Pilea.

It is easy to understand how this example of folk taxonomy came about. Pilea libanensis has silvery-green or silvery-bluish leaves that resemble in color the glaucous foliage of some landscape shrubs and trees, especially that of certain conifers. Therefore, at least until now, no one questioned the validity of either Pilea glauca, which means "glaucous Pilea," or Pilea glaucophylla, which means "glaucous-leaved Pilea," because both names aptly fitted the plant. But these incorrect names should not be used and, for now, I am referring to it as Pilea libanensis.

Note: This post was modified from its original version, published on 22 June 2013, by including information in a personal communication by email from David Scherberich dated 12 August 2013.

Image and text © 2013 Rufino Osorio

Sideroxylon tenax – Tough Bumelia

Tough bumelia is a common, thorny, deciduous or evergreen shrub or small tree native to North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. It occurs nearly throughout Florida but is wholly absent from the Panhandle and the western portion of northern Florida. It is found in nature in dry, well-drained soils in full sun to light shade in sandhills, sand scrub, and coastal hammocks. The lower surface of the leaves are completely covered with a dense layer of silky hairs that varies from pale brown to a rich mahogany brown. This dense coat of hairs no doubt slows down the loss of water through transpiration and is an adaptation to the plant's xeric habitat.

Tough bumelia, like other Sideroxylon species, is a wildlife powerhouse since the dense, thorny branches provide protection for small birds and animals, the tiny white flowers attract an extremely wide variety of insect pollinators, and the dark, 1-seeded, olive-sized fruits have a gummy, but sweetish, pulp that is eaten by larger birds and various mammals.

In older works, tough bumelia is often listed as Bumelia tenax. Also, it is often described as being "spiny" but that is incorrect. Spines, in the strict sense, refer to modified leaves or their parts. Bumelia tenax is more correctly referred to as "thorny" since its sharp-pointed armature is derived from modified branches, not modified leaves.

Image and text © 2013 Rufino Osorio

Wild Columbine – Aquilegia canadensis

Wild columbine is a common wildflower throughout the eastern and central portions of Canada and the United States. In eastern North America, it reaches its southernmost limit in Jackson, Liberty, and Washington counties in Florida, where it is a state-listed endangered species. Wild columbine is often promoted as a hummingbird plant and hummingbirds do indeed visit the flowers; however, plants in bloom will also attract native bees as well as hawk moths and sphinx moths.

The plant in the photograph above was given to me as a seedling last year (from a garden in Vermont!) and opened its first flowers this week. Wild columbine will grow and flower in south Florida; however, it usually behaves as an annual or short-lived perennial that seldom lives past one or two years of age.

Image and text © 2013 Rufino Osorio

Spanish Daisy and Company

A Spanish daisy, Helenium amarum, made itself at home in my carport. It is a perky and pretty yellow annual daisy native to Florida. It is joined by two additional native annuals: slender three-seeded mercury, Acalypha gracilens, and partridge pea, Chamaecrista fasciculata. Rounding out this little micro-biome are two native perennial grasses (Paspalum species). One of the grasses is visible on the left side of the Spanish daisy and just a hint of the leaves of the second grass is visible at the extreme left of the photograph.

Image and text © 2013 Rufino Osorio