Wednesday, December 22, 2010

It’s danger garden post #500, and just three days before Christmas! What does this mean for you?

Back on my 100th post I waxed a little sentimental. On my 1yr blogoversary I gave away a few small succulents. And now it’s post #500 and some of you are still reading! Well, you deserve a gift don’t you think? A small token of my appreciation? And what better than a book?

Let me explain…I was very excited to receive The Kew Plant Glossary: An Illustrated Dictionary of Plant Identification Terms as a Christmas gift from my in-laws. So excited that I showed it to my husband as soon as he got home from work. He wasn’t so excited…turns out he had bought it for me too. His disappointment turned to my enthusiasm when I realized this meant I had an extra copy to give away!
So if you are interested in receiving a copy of the Kew Plant Glossary leave a comment on this post...however in order to be considered your comment needs to include your favorite fancy, hard to pronounce, or just plain crazy botanical term. It can be the name of a plant, a condition, a feature…whatever. A random winner will be chosen on December 29th from those who play by the rule (rule doesn’t sound right, I wanted to say rules but there is only one so I guess it’s the rule). And sad to say but you’ve got to be a plain old continental U.S. resident to enter, or have a continental U.S. shipping address.

I’ll get things started: do you know what a ‘spiricle’ is? Spiricle = minute coiled threads in some seed coats that uncoil when moistened. No I didn’t know that before I owned the Kew Plant Glossary. (see what fantabulous knowledge awaits the winner!)

25 comments:

  1. Congratulations, can I say say you do not look 500.
    I know I can not enter but if I could it would have to be either agave guadalajarana, simply for the sheer number of a's. Or my word of the week Distichous

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have a very childish entry, the botanical name for Titan Arum: Amorphophallus titanum - tee hee hee heee

    congrats on post 500

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congrats on 500, may I one day grow up to be like you - here's one I've always had trouble with: santolina chamaecyparissus

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great "500" image! And congratulations on your 500th post.

    One of my favorite botanical terms is autotrophic nutrition, which I learned from Botany for Gardeners by Brian Capon. It refers to plants that photosynthesize, and it begins when a seedling stops feeding on the prepared food source of the seed and begins to create all the food it will need for itself using photosynthesis.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Congrats on #500~ Might Be cheating but I have a double dose of horticultural nonsence.. look at the peduncles on that kolkwitzia amabilis.. sounds funnier when you say it outloud.. what a plant nerd...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Congratulations on your 500th post, wow that is a lot of writing and picture-posting!

    I would love a copy of the book. I think one of my favorite botanical terms is meristem. It always makes me think of happy, dancing flowers!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congratulations, Loree! Immediately my mind went to Ilex vomitoria. Vomitoria ha, ha! Doesn't that sound like a special place for people to go and ... well you get the idea. "Sir," hand held over mouth in an effort to hold back lunch, "could you direct me to the nearest vomitoria?" Cracks me up. Call me weird.

    And interestingly 'vomitoria' means exactly what it we think it would mean. A plant that induces vomiting. [In this case a holly (Ilex).]

    ReplyDelete
  8. Glycine max (soybean) sounds to me like it ought to be a character in a western. Wild Bill's showdown with Glycine Max, that kind of thing.

    ReplyDelete
  9. 500, that's impressive! congrats and thanks!
    for some reason one of my favorite gardening terms is nothing fancy: "bolted," maybe for it's metaphorical implications.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I enjoy your blog. Keep up the good work. The book sounds amazing. Botanical words I just enjoy saying... deodara and cotoneaster.

    ReplyDelete
  11. 500 and going strong!

    My favorite species name for a plant that fits your blog theme: Agave tequilana. There's no arguing that this is a very useful plant.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Dracunculus vulgaris: a plant that looks and smells as evil as it sounds!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Congrats on #500! That's awesome.
    My favorite term is the first I ever learned...and the stuff we grew in the fields on our farm.
    Gossypium hirsutum with that hirsute part being the term for 'hairy'.
    You are probably wearing the stuff on any given day in the summertime.
    David/ Tropical Texana/ Houston

    ReplyDelete
  14. My favorite is the Araucaria araucana. Not only a favorite of plant nerds and spelling geeks, but a regular lethal weapon if you're struck by one. Congrats on the 500th post! So glad to have stumbled upon your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Congrats on #500 of your wonderful blog, and I'm also enjoying everyone's delightful terms and names. I too have always loved "vomitoria".

    I just learned this really cool term: "caruncules" are those warty lumpy things on some of the hybrid Echeverias like 'Mauna Loa'.

    ReplyDelete
  16. My favorite plant term is "monocarpic" - plants that die after flowering. It's so poetic.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I enjoy saying "Liquidambar styraciflua", and I really like anything with virginiana in the name.

    Congratulations on your
    centesimum quinque scriptis!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Count me in with the aptly named "Dog Vomit Slime Mold." It's a way better than its Latin name Fuligo Septica, which sounds more like a Roman dude.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Euphorbia amygdaloides

    I like the '-oides' on the end of things, I think it sounds funny, almost like a New York accent. 'Thoidy-Thoid and Thoid'

    ReplyDelete
  20. Jim "Dog Vomit Slime Mold" classic. Must get me some of that! Maybe you can buy some at a vomitorium?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Your blog is superb.
    My favorite botanical word is indehiscent...a plant that doesn't hiss?(Actually, a seed pod or fruit that doesn't open at maturity to release its seeds).

    ReplyDelete
  22. Congratulations on your 500, My entry has to be detritus, because I'm so untidy in the garden .

    ReplyDelete
  23. Congrats! My favorite descriptive plant word is pubescens. How can you not love a plant with fuzzy, hairy pubes?

    ReplyDelete
  24. Congratulations...that's a milestone of dedication, for sure! I think my favorite botanical "term" is Humulus lupulus, I know it's just Hops, but I love the way it sounds, like a character from Harry Potter or something.

    ReplyDelete
  25. 500! That's wonderful!

    I like tomentose. "covered with short, dense, matted hairs"

    The example I like is the underside of Schefflera macrophylla leaves----"leathery, abaxially densely white to light brown-orange tomentose". Gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Comment moderation is on (because you know: spam), I will approve and post your comment as soon as possible!