Linen

The incredible lightness of linen…

Fred: Avocado smoothies sure cool you inside but I wish I could stay cool outside too.

Sheldon: Maybe ditch those long trousers. Guaranteed to cook your legs in this heat!

Fred: They’re natural, they’re cotton. But yeah, they do get pretty warm. Got any suggestions, Mr. Fashion Guy?

Sheldon: You should try linen trousers. I know a great tailor who makes them.
Fred: Linen, huh? Don’t they crease?

Sheldon: True, they do wrinkle. But think about it; linen is breathable, so you’ll stay cool. And so lightweight.

Fred: Anything else?

Sheldon: Well, it’s absorbent, so no more sweaty legs. And it’s hypoallergenic, so your skin will thank you.

Fred: Environmentally?

Sheldon: Oh, yeah, eco-friendly! Made from flax plants, which need less water and fewer pesticides than cotton. You can look good and feel good.

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Voice-over

Linen is made from European flax, Linum usitatissimum, noted for its high quality fibers and nutritious seeds. Coincidentally perhaps, France, noted for its fashion and cuisine, produces 75% of the world’s retted flax.

Blue-leafed Begonias

In the winter garden…
Michelle: I love begonias. Their asymmetrical leaves and different markings.
Megumi: Really? I always paid more attention to the flowers. They're so vibrant and intricate.
Michelle: The flowers are beautiful, especially the color combination
s. But there's something so unique about the leaves. I'm actually on the hunt for a Begonia pavonina with blue leaves.
Megumi: Blue leaves? That's unusual. Why are the leaves blue?
Michelle: It’s a unique adaptation. Begonia pavonina, also called the peacock begonia, grows in low-light conditions. Its blue iridescence helps it capture more light for photosynthesis.
Megumi: Facinating! Do they have blue flowers?
Michelle: No, not blue. White or pink. 
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Voice-over
The blue leaves containing a variety of chloroplasts, called iridoplasts, captures red and green light waves which are more common than bright white light on the Malaysian forest floor.

Orchid Petals

In the tropical plant house…
Kristina: I've always been fascinated by orchids. My mom was too, she said there are 30,000 varieties. But what puzzles me is why members of such a widespread family are also so beautiful.
Kurt: Well, like any large family, orchids have both beautiful and not-so-beautiful members.
Kristina: What are their distinguishing features?
Kurt: One key feature is the Blütenblatts—uh, what do you call them in English?
Kristina: Petals.
Kurt: Ja, ja, petals! Orchids have six petals. There is a "sixness" about them. I mean, they have three outer petals und three inner petals. But the lower third petal, the labellum, is unique. It contains the pollinating parts.
Kristina: The pistil and stamens?
Kurt: Ja, exactly! The labellum does the pollination.
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Voice-over
Prepare botanical vocabulary before exploring differences between orchid varieties. Begin with terrestrial vs epiphytic. Knowing plant parts such as sepals, stamens, pollinia, labellum, stigma will be helpful.

Bali Waterlilies

Barley stays at a hobbit BnB with a waterlily pond…

Barley: Nice. Nymphaea lotus, only blooms for a couple of days. True?

Kabang: Actually, the flowers usually stay open for about 3 to 5 days. Then they droop into the water.

Barley: And there’s a blue one over there and a red one too.

Kabang: The blue one is Nymphaea caerulea, the red one is Nymphaea rubra,.

Barley: Are there giant water lilies in Bali too?

Kabang: Sure. Nymphaea gigantica.

Barley: And are water lilies significant in Balinese culture?

Kabang: Absolutely! Water lilies hold cultural and spiritual importance in Balinese traditions. They symbolize purity, serenity, and beauty. 

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Voice-over

Waterlilies are also used in religious ceremonies, such as temple offerings and rituals. 

Long-headed poppies appear

A windy morning...

Yuko: One of the things I love about being in Japan in May is the orange flowers popping everywhere. Even in the city, from between cracks in the pavement. Do you know what they’re called?
Mari: Tough flowers, those ones. Common name long-headed poppies. Scientific name, Papaver dubium.
Yuko: Add a splash of color to the city, don’t they too. Spring is here, and summer is on its way.
Mari: Nice weather for walks and exploring. Take a lunch, or stop in at café for herb tea and a galette.

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Voice-over

An annual, from Europe, has spread widely in Japan, but is seen as a benevolent invader.

Blackberry, not mulberry

 In the restaurant garden…

Ivan: Nice here. Lot of plants. Oh, and berries.

Elderly man: That’s a mulberry. Silkworms eat the leaves. Try one.

Ivan: Hmm. Looks, and tastes like a blackberry.

Elderly man: Mulberry.

Mimi (coming up behind with coffee for the guest): It’s a blackberry. I should know. I bought it. I planted it. Sorry about my father. He tells people the wrong names for all the plants. That’s why I’ve labelled them.

Elderly man: Mulberry.

Mimi: OK. OK. Mulberry.

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Voice-over

It was a blackberry. Sometimes it’s easier to let truth go.

Papaver dubium

In the garden…

Papaver dubium

Charles: Orange flowers, simply everywhere.

Sebastian: Yes. Papaver dubium.

Charles: Dubious?

Sebastian: No, dubium. Nomenclature for a kind of wild poppy.

Charles: They look invasive, being everywhere.

Sebastian: But they look beautiful don’t you think? That’s why I’m happy with this invasion.

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Voice-over

Papaver dubium are indeed invasive. But like some invasions in our lives, they bring a splash of couleur.

Monocultures: Fuki and sakura

Fuki

Differing ecological attitudes…

Vivienne: You mowed down all the fuki.

Valerie: They’re an invasive species. Take over everywhere.

Vivienne: You can cook them.

Valerie: Well, the rhizomes are still in the ground. So they’re going to spring up again. Speaking of spring, look at the sakura. Beautiful.

Vivienne: Argh. Sakura. Everywhere. They dominate. Look, the council cut down a persimmon I planted on the riverbank because it was supposed to be only sakura.

Valerie: But they’re ornamental and not invasive like fuki.

Sakura

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Voice-over

Yes, there is a difference between cultivated monoculture and invasive monoculture. Still, diversity is preferred over domination by one species.

Nanakusa: Seven Grasses

Looking out on a meadow…

Hina: It's the 7th January.

Hanako: Which means?
Hina: The seven herbs shepherd’s purse, javanica (Japanese parsley), cudweed, chickweed, nipplewort, radish, turnip. You go search for them out in the fields and bring them back to cook with okayu, rice porridge.
Hanako: Seven herbs on the seventh day. Significant?
Hina: Yes. To ensure health, long life, and guard against evil on the 7th day of the first month of the Chinese calendar.
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Voice-over
Furthermore, the effect of the tradition is said to be strengthened by arranging the nanakusa and utensils on the cutting board, face the good-luck direction, then chant "Before the birds of the continent (China) fly to Japan, let's get nanakusa" while chopping the herbs. The effect may lie not in the belief but the cultural practice to strengthen community bonds. 

Kikuyu and its aggressive rhizomes

An invasive grass appears…

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Kikuyu invasion of weatherboards

Bill the Builder: Reason your shed is falling down is because it is has been invaded by kikuyu. See, it’s sent rootstalks right up the beam to the roof.

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Manny Pitt: What do you suggest?

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Bill: Tear out the shoots and spray at the foundation.

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Manny: Will that stop it? It’s in the lawn too.

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Bill: Not good news I’m afraid. Not only does it crawl up inside buildings, it throttles other plants. Even carries a poison, kills off some other species.
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Manny: We’re all going to die.

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Bill: Not unless you munch as much as a cow or sheep. Oxalates and nitrates in kikuyu damage the stomachs of ruminants.
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Voice-over
Pennisetum clandestinum originates in Kenya and has become a noxious weed in some places. Pulling it up will still leave rhizomes in the soil from which it will grow again. It can only be managed, yet some people see good in it. It’s cheap and makes a good lawn. Some golf courses even use it.

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Rabbit's Foot Fern or Orchid?

at the enigmatic plant nursery…

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Rabbi's foot fern

Melissa: Isn’t this a rabbit’s foot fern? It says on the label it’s an orchid, an ujuran.

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Salesperson: Hmm. (opening her classic clamshell mobile): I’ll call the boss. (speaking into the phone): “I’ve got a customer here who wonders if the plant with ujuran on the label, is a rabbit’s foot fern… Oh, I see… OK. Take care.”

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Salesperson: He apologizes. Says the labels got mixed up. He stuck an orchid label on it by mistake.

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Melissa: Is he nearby?

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Salesperson: (looking a bit embarrassed): He’s up a mountain.

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Voice-over

The rabbit’s foot (Davallia) is also ephiphytic, like many orchids. But I’m suspecting that the wild plant stock from that plant nursery might be sourced from a nearby mountain.

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