Professor Lonnie Gamble | StudentBlogs / Alia

Plant Profile

Scientific name: Comptonia peregrina asplenifolia
Common name: Sweet Fern, Ferngale, fern bush, meadow fern, shrubby fern, Canada sweet gale, spleenwort bush, & sweet ferry.
Family: Myricaceae
Synonyms: Comptonia asplenifolia- (L) Aiton. Myrica asplenifolia- L….among others.
Habitat & Range: Found on hillsides in dry soil. Eastern North America, from southern Quebec to the north of Georgia and west Minnesota.
Range of size: a deciduous shrub growing 1.2m by 1m.
Description: horizontal root system. Erect or spreading branches and reddish-brown bark. Has narrow leaves 3-6 inches long with many lopes--looking like a fern. Gives off a sweet odor mostly when crushed. The flowers have both gender parts and are imperfect in shape.
Uses: Edible- young fruit are eaten. Leaves dry or fresh make tea. Leaves as seasoning.

Leaves = incense, lining, repellent
Medical uses: astringent, blood purifier, expectorant, febrifuge, odontalgic, parasiticide, tonic.

Propagation: seed- it has a tough seed coat and also contains germination inhibitors and is os very difficult to germinate.its best to harvest ‘green’ and sow right away in a cold frame. If seed has been stored soak for 24 hours in hot water. Prick out the seedlings into individual pods as soon as they are large enough to handle. Grow them on in a greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Root cuttings, 4cm long December in frame. Plant the root horizontally. Plants can be difficult to move successfully.
Ecological niche: as an early successional species that thrives best in disturbed areas with sandy soil and full sunlight.
Sources

BIONEERS

I am over whelmed with the amount of issues that our world faces. I know so little and they all touch me personally, emotionally and literately; so where do I start? Every little thing effects our world, effects the ecosystem we live in, effects us. The waste we put out not only effects the animals, but also the plants and living organisms that control the earth which IS our home. Humans think we're running the show of life but really we are only a little side act and nature has the real power, yet, our little side act has become the most disgusting and damaging system ever and it's messing with nature. By messing with nature we're messing with our futures. I've learned at the Bioneers conference that every issue is more inter-connected then I ever thought possible. Ever action us humans make, have it be our food, our drinking water, our human waste, how we make material products it all has a horrid effect on the environment around us. The fact that proscription drug chemicals are running off into our water and is having major sterilization effects on communities is disturbing. There are actual places where only girls are being born--the male gene non-existent. This isn't a small, "oh we're going to loose the polar bears (which isn't a small thing either)" but this is chemicals fucking with our gene pools, with the future of human civilization and human civilization seems to be the only thing humans care about--the power and survival of humans.....NOT FINISHED

Permaculture article

"Education in the Jungle" In Tamil Nadu, India there is a sustainable school and community. The school is called Sholai and is located 7,000 ft above sea level in the Palani Hills. The area is a biodiverse hot spot. It's home of many endangered and endemic species. The area is full of animals, insects, plants and a multitude of edges. The school is 70 acres of protected Shola rain forest and 30 acres of managed organic farms and tech. center. The school has no dogma or specific religion, making the place an open area for ideas and expressing feelings. The schools main goal is: the inner transformation and liberation of each students soul--leading to new culture, harmony, and peace. Each student is self motivated, self-directed, and self assessed. Each student choses their subjects and teachers. They measure their own progress against their own standards. The students are super enthusiastic and are excited about the worl they are creating.