I show an interesting transition inThe Voyage of the Beaglelast dark which sent me down a industrial plant - explore hare mess :
“ During the four follow days we carry on glide due south . The universal features of the country stay the same , but it was much less thickly inhabit . On the large island of Tanqui there was scarcely one cleared post , the Tree on every side extending their arm over the ocean - beach . I one daylight noticed , develop on the sandstone drop-off , some very fine plant of the panke ( Gunnera scabra ) which somewhat resembles the rhubarb plant on a gigantic scale . The inhabitants eat on the stem , which are subacid , and tan leather with the roots , and prepare a pitch-dark dyestuff from them . The leaf is nearly circular , but deeply indent on its margin . I measured one which was most eight feet in diameter , and therefore no less than twenty - four in circumference ! The stalk is rather more than a thousand high , and each plant place out four or five of these enormous leave , present together a very stately appearance . ”
-Charles Darwin , The Voyage of the Beagle
When I looked up “ Gunnera scabra , ” I institute it is now normally roll in the hay by the Latin nameGunnera tinctoria – and it looks like it could be a good plus to the food for thought forest .
utilitarian Temperate Plantsnotes :
“ Gunnera tinctoria is a herbaceous , recurrent plant take form a cluster of gravid leave-taking on longsighted prickly petioles and looking rather like a giant rhubarb plant . Growing from a prominent , woody rootstock , the leafstalk can be 200 cm or more tall in good experimental condition surmounted by a large , somewhat barbed leafage that can be 150 centimeter or more encompassing . The plant spreads ( usually quite slowly ) by short rhizome to shape a large clump . The works is harvested from the state of nature for local use as a food for thought , medicine and source of textile . A popular food in Chile , where it is known as ‘ nalcas ’ , the flora is commonly harvest from the wild and often sold in local markets . ”
And , in regards to cultivation :
“ Gunnera tinctoria is fairly cold-blooded tolerant , specially if a thick mulch is applied to the rootstock whilst the plant is inactive . Unprotected , the rootage will generally survive episodic temperatures falling as low as -10 ° c , somewhat lower with protection . The young growth in leap , however , can be damage by late frosts . need a dampish humus rich land in a sunny position or semi - shade , sheltered from strong idle words . plant life can be rise in quite rough-cut sess , which can be skip annually in the fall . The top part of the inflorescence is male , the bottom is female and the center is hermaphrodite . A very ornamental plant with huge leave-taking , it forms a easy spread heavy clump . The genus Gunnera is unique in the plant kingdom by acquiring nitrogen through symbiosis with the N - fixing cyanobacterium , Nostoc punctiforme . The structurally unique stem gland of Gunnera function as the conduit through which cyanobacteria taint the legion . As the genus Nostoc is general and vulgar , it is probable to be present in the cockeyed habitat in which Gunnera grows . Members of this genus are rarely if ever perturb by browsing deer . ”
Huge leaves , nitrogen - fixing , plus it has edible parts . Sounds like a gravid permaculture plant .
Now I just have to find one .
Featured image : Gunnera Manicata large leafed plantbyDebu55y / stock.adobe.com
