siege2050

I have the standard species I planted out this spring, as the Steroidal Giant is hard to find, but I love it. I separated my first Tetrapanax sucker today, and plan on growing a forest of it. Finally I found something aggressive enough to grow under these hickories that are full of Juglone toxin. If a person had a small yard, I can see there might be reason to be afraid, the sucker popped up about 3 feet away, and grew through packed dry clay and rocks that was at one time a driveway converted to lawn lol, in good soil it might have traveled much further.

__________________

Kat2

I don't think I am but I haven't yet fully investigated the jungle.

__________________

siege2050

Not sure it would be advisable to plant it if you live in Florida or somewhere warm lol, but its an awesome looking plant. Here it is a die back perennial, but will grow pretty tall by fall, in warm areas it would probably be a tree. Here is a pic of the Giant version called "Steroidal Giant" it gets massive leaves, but is hard to find. You would notice this one growing lol.


And here is the Giant version that seems popular in Europe called "Tetrapanax Rex", I sadly only have the species type with smaller 2 foot wide leaves lol.

__________________

Kat2

I have some of this:


and this:

__________________

siege2050

I am not sure what the vine is, but it looks cool, the bottom pic is Xanthosoma, an elephant ear relative. And behind that, it looks like a spiral ginger. Cool jungle!

__________________

Kat2

Thank you! Finally I can do a search; I've asked natives what I have and they don't know. Speaking of invasive plants. I have what I guess is a very large variegated Philodendron that grows on my trees. It's very pretty but I pulled out massive "ropes" of it creeping in the grass. That and wandering Jew, which I managed to kill as potted plants up north, are extremely "enthusiastic".

__________________

siege2050

I noticed that growing in the front of the photo, I have not been able to keep it alive here lol, but it looks very happy there. I bet there are some really neat things growing around that area.

__________________

siege2050

Whoohoo, I have successfully divided and potted up (Without killing them) 3 suckers from my Tetrapanax, all growing a few feet away from the main plant. I have also discovered you can take a piece of root about 2 inches long (Even a thin piece), stick it in the soil of a pot, and it will easily sprout a new plant. Yep, I can see this as being invasive lol.

__________________

Snarkie

How many leaves does it have? Difficult to tell in the pic. 5 leaves that resemble poison ivy would be Virginia creeper.

__________________
Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

Kat2

It isn't VA creeper; I've dealt with that pest from MD to Ohio and finally here. The leaves of this plant are much larger, heavier, rougher and it's not as invasive. Since I have no reaction to the poison plants (I was the dedicated PI fighter when I landscaped), I don't know if it's in that group. It loves to climb but growth is fairly slow unlike Pothos which is beautiful but quite aggressive here.

__________________

Snarkie

Too bad. Virginia creeper is a very medicinal plant.

__________________
Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

siege2050

The vine is the adult form of Syngonium Podophyllum, you seem them in stores but they look like arrowheads as baby plants.

Factsheet - Syngonium podophyllum

__________________

Snarkie

What about the top pic?

__________________
Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

Kat2

How so? I'm a devoted Echinacea gal when I need a boost but otherwise not terribly involved in herbal/plant medicine. I do have a copy of Back to Eden purchased when I was young and experimenting. During my visits to a very neat herb shop in College Park, MD the lady who owned it, draped in black regardless of season, recommended it so I bit/bought. Smile Herb was sold; it's not the same. Book is not very good but it reminds me of my youth so I kept it.

__________________

siege2050

The top pic is the vine I mentioned, it has more leaflets when adult, but the shape changes and is arrowhead shaped when young. It looks like it has a philodendron growing at its base. The bottom pic with the arrowhead shaped leaves are xanthosoma, I have a very small one, but it has struggled here. It would be nice to live where houseplants escape and thrive lol.

__________________

Kat2

Bite your tongue! Who knew those delicate must be pampered puny things in pots could get this big!

__________________

Snarkie

Back to Eden is one of the bibliographies I am using for my current book on medicinal plants.

Here is the entry from my book on Virginia Creeper:

Virginia Creeper (Vitus quinquefolia)
Common names: American Ivy, Woodbine, Five Leaf Ivy, False Grape, Wild Wood Vine.
Distribution: Throughout most of the eastern half of the United States. The plant is also native to northern Mexico and southeastern Canada from Nova Scotia to Ontario.
Habitat: New and old forests and forest margins. It can also be found on the borders of clearings, on trees, along fencerows and stream banks in partial shade to full sun.
Medicinal parts: Bark and twigs.
Solvent: Boiling water.
Remedies: Use as a tonic, astringent, expectorant and anti-intoxicant.
Traditional preparations: Used primarily as a syrup for tuberculosis in the lymph nodes and as a remedy for dropsy and bronchitis.
In 1939, herbalist JE Meyers said, “There is great antipathy between wine and ivy, and therefore it is a remedy to preserve against drunkenness and to relieve or cure intoxication by drinking a draught of wine in which a handful of bruised ivy leaves have been boiled.”
Dosage: 1 tsp. of the bark or twigs cut into granules in 1 cup of boiling water. Drink cold during the day, a large mouthful at a time. If using the decoction of syrup, 1-4 tablespoons three times a day.
Topical use: None

__________________
Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

siege2050

Haha! I have finally acquired a Tetrapanax Steroidal Giant!!!! May it take over my yard, and look cool at the same time.

__________________