Week 9 - Desmoncus chinantlensis Mart.

Time in: 8:25am
Time out: 9:25 am

"Mexico: Chiapas: Mun. Palengue ca. km 60-61, 1.3 mi S of turnoff to Agua Azul 1950'.
Rainforest with yucca lacondonica."

Collected by: J. Bauml, M. Kimnach & H. Sanchez-Mejorada 10 Feb 1981

(Detail of specimen)

Week 7 - Chamaedorea tepejilote Liebm. ex Mart.

Time in: 8:45am
Time out: 10am

Location collected: Belize, Toledo District, Maya Mtns., Abraham Camp

Male; to 20'. Multiple stems, 3-6. Leaf rib with creamy stripe. 5 fronds. Male flowers musty green. Anthers cream.


Term of the Week

Anthers: The part of the flower, on the stamen, that contains pollen. (Source)

Week 5 - Chamaedorea Phochutlensis

Time in: 8:45am
Time out: 10am

Collectors: F. Boutin & M. Kimnach on 2/April/1970
Mexico, Jalisco: Sierra de Parnaso SW of La Cumbre. Elevation 5600'
To 8' tall, stoloniferous.


Terms:

Stoloniferous: Having stolons (source)
Stolon: A horizontal shoot that grows from the ground which creates roots at each node (source)

Week 3 - Chamaedorea linearis

Time in: 8:30am
Time out: 10am

Collected in Peru, Jujin in the Satipo Province. 31 March 1984

"Tree, 3m tall, 5cm DBH; bark smooth; 5 extrafoliar, pendant inflorescences; fruit matures red with orange pulp; cs 30 cm, green, ca. 6 leaves, 1.7 m long and ca. 23 leaflets each side"


Terms of the week:

Decumbent: A trailing plant that has rising stems. (Source)

"Pendent infloresences": A budding of flowers that is hanging downward. (Source)

"Inflorescence infrafoliar": A budding of flowers that is positioned underneath the leaves. (Source)

Week 1 - Chamaedorea geonomiformis

Time in - 8:50am
Time out - 10am




I am entering metadata in BG-BASE about each specimen in such a way that ensures accuracy at the Huntington Herbarium. Through this experience, I get to have a close look at specimens such as this Necklace Palm which was collected on March 22, 1977 in Belize.

In addition to the metadata fields location and date of the collected specimen, details of the plant are also entered. (ie: "Fl. axis +/- erect. Fr. and seed ellipsoid to slightly lunate")

I am still learning much of the language that comes with the territory. Through this experience, I'll get to build up my plant science vocabulary. This blog will be a useful tool for noting down and looking up new words and concepts.

I'll start with the basics:


Marly-limestone - A combination of sand, clay and limestone, resulting in very soft and loose ground (source)

Fronds - In this particular case, it would mean the compound leaf of a palm (source)

Basal leaflets - Bottom or base growing leaves. They do not particularly look like the leaves on the top of the plant (source)

Objectives for Spring 2010

This week is the first week of the Spring semester. I enrolled in my third and final Horticultural Projects class. It is my intention to earn a second horticultural certificate by the end of this semester.

My objectives for this semester are to continue my volunteer education at The Ranch and the Herbarium at the Huntington. Of course, I intend to take pictures and document my experience along the way.

As a personal project, I'll be continuing my experiments in the 8x8 foot lot in my parents backyard. I've created a separate blog, as this one, I've decided, will continue to document my horticultural experiences in more of a professional setting.

Check it out: http://fromrootstosprouts.blogspot.com/

Ok, its time to get to work!