Indian Pipes a.k.a. 'Corpse Flower'

Monotropa uniflora is the Latin name for the distinctive Indian pipe - which is not a fungus. A bumper crop of the interested plant sprouted after all the recent rains.

The plant prefers rich moist woods with plentiful surface leaf litter and it is a relation of the blueberry, laurel and rhododendron.

The saprophyte lives on the decaying roots of other plants, particularly trees, and scientists suspect is also works with soil fungus to gather nutrition (it does not need chlorophyll).

It turns black if bruised and will emit a clear, gelatinous substance when picked.

Other names for the pale plant: "ghost flower" and "corpse plant."

For more details about how it grows see Connecticut Botanical Society at http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/monotropaunif.html.

Jack In The Pulpit

It can easily go missed - the unmistakable plant that is the Jack in the pulpit. The distinctive "pulpit" with "Jack" inside can be found in moist woodlands right about now (May).

For more about how it grows and taxonomy, see www.library.uiuc.edu/vex/toxic/jackpulp/jckpulp.htm, which also elaborates on its potential toxicity to livestock.

Connecticut Cactus & Succulent Plant Show

Life is diverse and takes on so many forms.

The annual Connecticut Cactus & Succulent Society show displayed amazing varieties of plants, offered workshop and lectures and in general, was just inspiring to attend. Held at Naugatuck Valley Community College's art and music center in Waterbury, the room was filled with browsers and buyers.

Lauray of Salisbury had a table full of unusual plants. Judy Becker of Lauray's specializes in cacti and succulents, begonias, gesneriads, and orchids.

John Spain of Middlebury grows winter hardy cacti, and had a table full of robust specimens. Spain, a founder and the first president of the Connecticut Cactus and Succulent Society, as well as a member of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America, discussed cultivation of these type of cactus with visitors.

Society members meet at botanical gardens, nature centers, nurseries and garden centers, and private homes throughout the year. Meetings are held on the first Sunday of each month (except holidays) throughout the year (except January). Frank Zapatka is president of the group.

For detailed information (membership is open to those interested), see http://ctcactusclub.com/index.htm. For more about members and links to their sites, see this link.

Where's My Food Come From? New Series

Do hot dogs have lips? Just what is head cheese? Why is it possible to buy summer sausage in the winter, and what makes American bacon so different from Canadian bacon?

These are just a few of the questions that students have asked Dr. Cameron Faustman, associate dean, University of Connecticut (UConn) College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

As part of a new series about food and culture, the UConn State Museum of Natural History and Connecticut Archaeology Center (part of UConn’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences), will offer lively events open to the public during 2009.

Dr. Faustman will present Why is There a Bag in My Turkey? on Sunday, Feb. 22, 3 p.m., as part of a new series, The Natural History of Food. (And yes, he will answer some of the humorous questions listed above.)


Explore the jungle-like plant collections in a special tour, Sugar and Spice and Chocolate!, led by UConn Ecology & Evolutionary (EEB) greenhouse staff on Saturday, Feb. 14, 10 a.m. to noon.

The UConn EEB greenhouses hold one of the most diverse teaching plant collections in the United States, including many connected to the food and medical industries. A special guided greenhouse tour will provide the uncommon opportunity to see the plant sources of many spices, foods, and medicines. (A great family outing, a real treat to see where vanilla and chocolate come from, or how cloves or pepper are grown.)

“This series is an exciting opportunity to bring together many talented experts from the University of Connecticut and beyond,” says Jeremy Teitelbaum, new dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Lectures, programs, and workshops include:

Dr. Margaret Bruchac, from UConn’s Anthropology Department, and coordinator of the Native American Studies Program at the Avery Point campus, will talk about the wide-ranging impact the foods of the Americas have had since European explorers and Native American communities first interacted. Her program, Algonkian Indian Influences on Yankee Foodways, will be offered on Sunday, Feb. 1, 3 p.m.


Dr. Alexia Smith, assistant professor of Anthropology at UConn, specializes in ecological anthropology, climate and land use history, and the development of agriculture in the Near East. She will discuss the beginnings of agriculture in the Middle East in Seeds, Glorious Seeds! Examining Food Use in Antiquity, on Sunday, Feb. 8, 3 p.m.

For more information or directions to specific events (held at different campuses), check the listings at this link, or call (860) 486-4460. The greenhouses are located at the main UConn Storrs campus. Images, courtesy of UConn.