Many years ago, I visited a Polynesian market in New Zealand and bought some tubers that were called Tarua in the South Pacific Islands…similar but different (and larger) to the more common Taro (Colocasia esculenta). For a plant that supposedly originated from tropical lowland Malaysia, Taro is a surprisingly cold hardy plant making a nice edimental house plant that can be outside in the summer even in my cool climate! I took a Tarua tuber home and grew it as a house plant for some years. It is probably Xanthosoma sagittifolium, also known as Elephant Ears, and closely related to Taro and similarly quite hardy! See the pictures below.
Probably the best display of Alliums I’ve seen, a special project this year at the Utrecht Botanical Garden, showing off the diversity in the onion family!
Quite a few of the plants were sourced from the Dutch Allium maestro, Wietse Mellema, without whom (and Gerard van Buiten) I doubt it would have been this special!
Enjoy!
Utrecht in the Netherlands has one of the great botanical gadens in Europe alongside Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh, Gothenburg and Kew Gardens! I had a stopover for a few hours on my way to Austria on 9th June and being relatively close to the airport this was the natural place to go for the edimental fancier! So, here is an album of edible plants I spotted that day! It was good to meet my FB friend Gerard van Buiten in the flesh for the first time too! Another post will show pictures of the Allium border which is new this year!
The world famous rock garden at Utrecht
Fort Hoofddijk
Near the entrance, the first surprise, Crambe amabilis, a species I’ve never seen before…
Crambe amabilis
Toona sinensis, xiāngchūn, one of the very best leaf vegetables, extensively used in China (often blanched on tree). The leaves have an oniony taste!
I finished my last day of work as an oceanographer by visiting head office in Wallingford, UK. We were finished by lunchtime, so I visited the University of Oxford Botanical Garden nearby, the oldest botanical garden established in 1621 as a garden of medicinal plants. Here’s an album of edimentals I found during my short visit!
The entrance to the Oxford Botanical Garden
Smilax sarsaparilla (S. glauca) from North America has edible shoots and roots….
Hosta en masse!
North American Ostrich Fern
Hosta “Devon Green”
Trachystemon orientalis, see http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?page_id=1269
Erythronium “Pagoda”, one of the most vigorous varieties in this genus for growing in the edimental woodland garden
Crambe cordifolia is one of the 80 in my book Around the World in 80 plants
Crambe maritima, sea kale in bud
Pyrus cordata
Not many of the plant signs say anything about edibility, so I was surprised that this waterleaf mentions this (also in my book)
Worcesterberry is similar to Jostaberry but has thorns
Cornus mas variegata
Loquat
Asimina triloba, Papaw, a North American fairly hardy fruit
Asimina triloba
California bay, Umbellularia californica : would love one of these as a house plant!
Fuchsia excorticata, tree fuchsia of New Zealand and an important pre-European fruit tree for the Maori
Ammi visnaga, toothpick plant, has also edible aromatic leaves and seeds used as a spice in Egyptian mish (a soft cheese); see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mish
Rheum “Cawood Castle”, a culinary rhubarb
Ammi majus also has seeds that have been used as a spice..
Zanthoxylum piperitum, sansho or Japanese pepper, a very important plant in Japan. I visited a farm producing the leaves for restaurants during my 2016 study trip!
Boehmeria tricuspis (related to nettles) has edible shoots, growing here in a woodland garden with Hosta
Shoots of Japanese ginger (Zingiber mioga)
Edible Japanese thistle, Cirsium nipponicum
Aster glehnii, one of the foraged Asters in Japan (for the young shoots)
Kadsura japonica is a rare climber with edible fruit
Berberis valdiviana
Quince “Meech’s Prolific”
Tulips (edible petals) with dark-leaved cow parsley “Ravenswing”
Camassias, important food plants for Native Americans
Gunnera
Ostrich fern and Gunnera
Ostrich Fern, very commonly grown as an ornamental
Ostrich fern, Rheum palmatum and Gunnera
Darmera peltata shoots are edible
Indian salad (Hydrophyllum virginianum) with ostrich fern and Gunnera
Indian salad (Hydrophyllum virginianum) with ostrich fern
Emerging Hosta, ready to dine on!
Camassia and tulips
Lemon balm
Archangelia angelica (the sign says that the root adds an earthy, floral flavour to gin)
Chives “Lady Halifax’s Form”
Hops
Baskets for protecting young plants against woodpigeons
Sea kale / rhubarb forcing pots with, presumably, sea kale ribbed for leaves by woodpigeons
Not an edible Aster, unfortunately…
Zanthoxylum simulans, Chinese pepper, another great forest garden plant, where it is hardy!
Morus alba, silk mulberry
Poncirus trifoliata, trifoliate orange
Poncirus trifoliata, trifoliate orange
Hovenia dulcis, oriental raisin tree
Mahonia aquifolium, Oregon grape
Tulbaghia alliacea, society garlic from South Africa
