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Today's Topics:

1. Re: offtopic: poisonous weeds (hornig@usadatanet.net)
2. Re: offtopic: poisonous weeds (Alberto Castillo)
3. Re: Back to Lycoris squamigera and Hymenocallis occidentalis
(Carol Jensen)
4. Re: offtopic: poisonous weeds (Carol Jensen)
5. Re: offtopic: poisonous weeds (Carol Jensen)
6. Tigridias (Rogan Roth)
7. Re: Amazing Pokeweed (Blee811@aol.com)
8. Re: Amazing Pokeweed (Merrill Jensen)
9. Re: Amazing Pokeweed (Alberto Castillo)
10. Bob's ingenuity (Alberto Castillo)
11. Re: Amazing Pokeweed (Jim McKenney)
12. Re: Amazing Pokeweed (Blee811@aol.com)
13. Re: Amazing Pokeweed (Graham Rice)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2005 17:08:12 -0400
From: "hornig@usadatanet.net" <hornig@usadatanet.net>
Subject: Re: [pbs] offtopic: poisonous weeds
To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org
Message-ID: <380-22005801421812370@M2W060.mail2web.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

I have to say that I've handled a lot of (variegated, not green) pokeweed,
and never had any problems with it. However, not everyone reacts the same
way to all plants (poison ivy being an obvious example). If I may add to
the off-topicness of the discussion, one of my workers "discovered" the
hard way this summer that seedlings of Telekia speciosa exude an oil that
produces a strong burning sensation when wiped across the upper lip on a
hot day...in the interests of science I did what she had done (crush some
in my fingers, then wipe the fingers over the upper lip), and it did burn!
And despite repeated scrubbing with soap, it didn't stop for about ten
minutes - but then it did stop, and no dermatitis followed in either of
us.
You never know what will get you, do you?

Ellen Hornig
Oswego NY USA
Zone 5

Original Message:
-----------------
Wrom: JSNBOHMKHJYFMYXOEAI
Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2005 16:04:32 EDT
To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [pbs] offtopic: poisonous weeds

In a message dated 8/14/05 12:01:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
pbs-request@lists.ibiblio.org writes:
In a few weeks my car will be painted pokeweed red courtesy of the birds.
LOL.

Dennis in Cincinnati where the pokeweed grows thick!
A word of warning regarding Pokeweed, Phytolacca americana. It's common
here
too. Few people realize that the juice from broken stem/leaves on the
Pokeweed can deliver a skin dermatitis reaction much more virulent than
poison ivy.
I learned the hard way.

http://2bnthewild.com/plants/H171.htm
http://ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/…

Another common weed can also cause terrible dermatitis, is well known as a
poisonous plant (to ingest), but I had little idea just how potent a
dermatitis
reaction the plant was capable of (from the sap of the plant). The plant
is
Solanum dulcamara, with the best known common name of bitterweet
nightshade,
but also called woody nightshade, climbing nightshade, and deadly
nighshade
(the "deadly nightshade" in Europe is a different plant). This plant is an
Asian
invader that is very common throughout much of the USA.

http://unh.edu/herbarium/Poisonous/…
http://ibiblio.org/herbmed/pictures/…

I was clearing an overgrown area, where there was indeed some poison ivy.
Having received small outbreaks of poison ivy for half a century, I know
how
poison ivy affects me, and invariably, even while being careful not to
touch it,
I get a few patches of dermitis... typically small hard blistering bumps
that
are very itchy. But I wasn't paying attention to the large amount of
Pokeweed
and Bitterweet Nightshade in the area, even knowing their latin names and
knowing they're poisonous to ingest. I didn't give the dermatitis view
much
consideration, aside from the poison ivy. I was wearing gloves. I ended
up with a
horrific skin reaction over a large area of one arm, blisters several 3-6
cm
across, about 1 - 1.5 cm tall, filled with liquid. It looked like a 3rd
degree burn, and required 2-1/2 weeks of constant triple-layers of gauze
bandaging
from wrist to elbow, changed and treated 5-6 times a day. Now I have
infinite
respect for these two common weeds... but wish I knew which of the two was
truely responsible, or perhaps it was an aggregate effect from both.

Mark McDonough Pepperell, Massachusetts, United States
antennaria@aol.com "New England" USDA Zone 5
==============================================

alliums, bulbs, penstemons, hardy hibiscus, western
american alpines, iris, plants of all types!
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------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2005 22:21:54 +0000
From: "Alberto Castillo" <ezeizabotgard@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [pbs] offtopic: poisonous weeds
To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org
Message-ID: <BAY20-F136A4D0D0C4046A6ECA29FAEBE0@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed

Dear all:
Phytolacca americana is not grown in most of Botanic gardens
because years ago it was discovered that is capable of carrying most
viruses
that affect garden plants WITHOUT SHOWING SYMPTOMS.
All the best
Alberto

_________________________________________________________________
MSN Amor: busca tu ? naranja http://latam.msn.com/amor/

------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2005 04:45:18 +0200
From: Carol Jensen <jorna@mobilixnet.dk>
Subject: Re: [pbs] Back to Lycoris squamigera and Hymenocallis
occidentalis
To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>,
<pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID: <6.0.1.1.0.20050815044247.01edfb10@mail.mobilixnet.dk>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 21:14 14-08-2005, Adam Fikso wrote:

I don't think any of US could have lived and survived just 20 miles south
of the glacier during the last ice age.

There was a part of southern west Jutland in Denmark which was not covered
with ice, but it was a tundra-like swampy place and no one lived there at
that time, as far as anyone knows. Much too cold. The ice was HIGH!

Carol

------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2005 04:48:24 +0200
From: Carol Jensen <jorna@mobilixnet.dk>
Subject: Re: [pbs] offtopic: poisonous weeds
To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>,
pbs@lists.ibiblio.org
Message-ID: <6.0.1.1.0.20050815044713.01f6c778@mail.mobilixnet.dk>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 22:04 14-08-2005, Antennaria@aol.com wrote:

I am allergic to a couple of things, but apparently not pokeweed. Mosquito
bites are about the worst thing for me and itch for months!

Carol

------------------------------

Message: 5
Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2005 04:54:44 +0200
From: Carol Jensen <jorna@mobilixnet.dk>
Subject: Re: [pbs] offtopic: poisonous weeds
To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>,
pbs@lists.ibiblio.org
Message-ID: <6.0.1.1.0.20050815045316.01f82e10@mail.mobilixnet.dk>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 00:21 15-08-2005, Alberto Castillo wrote:

Thanks for the warning, Alberto. My huge pokeweed sits between two compost
heaps, about as far from the fruit and berries and vegetables as it can
get in my backyard. So far, no viruses (noticed.)

Carol

------------------------------

Message: 6
Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2005 08:10:37 +0200
From: "Rogan Roth" <Roth@ukzn.ac.za>
Subject: [pbs] Tigridias
To: <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID: <s3004e00.024@smtp.unp.ac.za>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

Jim McKenney said:

tiger flowers: after all, tigers are striped, not spotted. Put that down
toethnocentricity. Later I learned that the jaguar is sometimes called
El Tigre in Spanish, and that was perhaps the source of the botanical
name.<<<

I do so love Tigridias - they were the first bulbs I planted when I was
six or so years old. They are still my favorite to this day.

In South Africa we also have a tiger, a "tier" in Afrikaans, except
it's not a tiger (from Asia), but a leopard! So, Jim you are quite
correct, they are Leopard Lilies (at least to us here in the south...).

Regards to all
Rogan Roth.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Please find our disclaimer at http://www.ukzn.ac.za/disclaimer/
--------------------------------------------------------------------
<<<<gwavasig>>>>

------------------------------

Message: 7
Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2005 10:24:01 EDT
From: Blee811@aol.com
Subject: Re: [pbs] Amazing Pokeweed
To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org
Message-ID: <8e.2d6ef424.3031ff81@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

In a message dated 8/14/2005 10:55:18 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
jorna@mobilixnet.dk writes:

viruses

===>I didn't know this and Alberto's posting prompted me to look a little
further into pokeweed. I found one abstract, quoted below, that indicates
pokeweed may also be helpful in HIV cases. It appears to be a most complex
plant.

Bill Lee

The Biotherapy and Drug Discovery Program, Parker Hughes Cancer Center,
2699
Patton Road, St. Paul, MN 55113, USA.

Pokeweed antiviral protein III (PAP-III), a naturally occurring protein
isolated from late summer leaves of the pokeweed plant (Phytolacca
americana),
has potent anti-HIV activity by an as yet undetermined molecular
mechanism.
PAP-III belongs to a family of ribosome-inactivating proteins that
catalytically
deadenylate ribosomal and viral RNA. The chemical modification of PAP-III
by
reductive methylation of its lysine residues significantly improved the
crystal quality for X-ray diffraction studies. Trigonal crystals of the
modified
PAP-III, with unit cell parameters a=b=80.47A, c=76.21A, were obtained
using
30% PEG400 as the precipitant. These crystals contained one enzyme
molecule
per asymmetric unit and diffracted up to 1.5A, when exposed to a
synchrotron
source. Here we report the X-ray crystal structure of PAP-III at 1.6A
resolution, which was solved by molecular replacement using the homology
model of
PAP-III as a search model. The fold typical of other
ribosome-inactivating
proteins is conserved, despite several differences on the surface and in
the loop
regions. Residues Tyr(69), Tyr(117), Glu(172), and Arg(175) are expected
to
define the active site of PAP-III. Molecular modeling studies of the
interactions of PAP-III and PAP-I with a single-stranded RNA heptamer
predicted a more
potent anti-HIV activity for PAP-III due to its unique surface topology
and
more favorable charge distribution in its 20A-long RNA binding active
center
cleft. In accordance with the predictions of the modeling studies,
PAP-III
was more potent than PAP-I in depurinating HIV-1 RNA.

------------------------------

Message: 8
Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2005 07:52:38 -0700
From: "Merrill Jensen" <merrill@gamblegarden.org>
Subject: Re: [pbs] Amazing Pokeweed
To: "'Pacific Bulb Society'" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID:
<20050815145244.E692932C018@smtpauth01.csee.siteprotect.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Some other plants that I have personally had problems in the past with
contact dermatitis are Trachelospermum jasminoides and Euphorbia characias
wulfenii. Most published information on Euphorbia states that the sap can
be irritating, but I had never had a problem with any of the assorted
species until I started growing E. characias. Man oh man did I break
out!!
I also found out, quite by accident, that star jasmine has the same
effect.
(Trachelospermum has milky sap as well) I had brushed through a patch at
work and that evening had long welts forming on my legs where the vines
had
touched me.

Thanks for the word on pokeweed. We just removed a large bird deposited
specimen. Fortunately, the folks who took it out had on long sleeves and
pants...

Merrill in Palo Alto, zone 9-10 where Amaryllis belladonna is blooming
everywhere..
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------------------------------

Message: 9
Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2005 15:17:51 +0000
From: "Alberto Castillo" <ezeizabotgard@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [pbs] Amazing Pokeweed
To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org
Message-ID: <BAY20-F112771FF9F2C89F8E1A12FAEB10@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed

Hi Merrill:
When removing pokeweeds be certain to use gloves that could be
discarded afterwards, even a piece of newspaper could do. But, do not
remove
it with bare hands and NEVER touch any plants afterwards if so.
As a rule of thumb, plants with milky sap are better treated
with caution (Asclepiadaceae, Apocynaceae, Euphorbiaceae, etc.)
Best
Alberto

_________________________________________________________________
Consigue aqu? las mejores y mas recientes ofertas de trabajo en Am?rica
Latina y USA: http://latam.msn.com/empleos/

------------------------------

Message: 10
Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2005 15:26:12 +0000
From: "Alberto Castillo" <ezeizabotgard@hotmail.com>
Subject: [pbs] Bob's ingenuity
To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org
Message-ID: <BAY20-F1283D6A8836FB7F2B46660AEB10@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed

Dear all:
Mary Sue in her recent posting mentioned the conversion of her
raised beds. As mentioned before, there is a detailed account in IBSA
Bulletin. Labelling bulbs is a major issue in that cats, dogs and birds of
sorts are permanent problems. Bob's added several features to avoid the
problem of lost or broken labels and his solution of plunging double pots
with a "V" notch is very smart. These imporvements are great steps forward
to let us handle huge collections a lot more easily.
Regards
Alberto

_________________________________________________________________
MSN Amor: busca tu ? naranja http://latam.msn.com/amor/

------------------------------

Message: 11
Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2005 11:33:04 -0400
From: "Jim McKenney" <jimmckenney@starpower.net>
Subject: Re: [pbs] Amazing Pokeweed
To: "'Pacific Bulb Society'" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID: <4aju05$235jdj@smtp04.mrf.mail.rcn.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

The demonization of pokeweed!

I've been pulling pokeweed all week: I had no idea it can cause rashes in
some people. I've never had a problem with it.

When I was a kid, we used to make a real mess playing with the fruits.
There
was the widespread belief that it was poisonous if ingested, but no one
thought twice about touching it.

My crayon box had a color, Indian Lake: isn't there a connection between
that and pokeweed? We used to use the juice from the ripe fruit as ink
when
we were playing. And I suppose we painted ourselves "Indian style" with
the
juice of the fruit.

I have a friend who used to invite friends in each spring to try his
boiled
pokeweed. There are those who say it's as good as asparagus.

Jim McKenney
Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where a good insult to a
gardener is "he couldn't grow a decent pokeweed".

------------------------------

Message: 12
Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2005 11:47:07 EDT
From: Blee811@aol.com
Subject: Re: [pbs] Amazing Pokeweed
To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org
Message-ID: <a9.798b1d68.303212fb@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

In a message dated 8/15/2005 11:33:17 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
jimmckenney@starpower.net writes:

I have a friend who used to invite friends in each spring to try his
boiled
pokeweed. There are those who say it's as good as asparagus.

The site I read said it needed to be boiled twice before it can be safely
eaten.
Jim's remarks about his childhood and pokeweed reminded me that we used to
gather the berries in a jar and let them make "ink" too. I always have
some
pokeweed coming up here someplace or another. It can be a rather handsome
plant.
Bill Lee

------------------------------

Message: 13
Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2005 11:55:55 -0400
From: Graham Rice <garden@tiscali.co.uk>
Subject: Re: [pbs] Amazing Pokeweed
To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID: <p0623090fbf266a399a05@[204.186.36.139]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

I've heard it said that the berries were used by native Americans as
a fish poison... can anyone confirm that?

Also, does anyone know to what extent the rather startling variegated
form, 'Silberstein', comes true from seed? A few weeks ago I found
another variegated form, with cream sectorial variegation, rather
than the speckling of 'Silberstein'. It remains to be seen if its
proves stable...

I think this may be my first posting on this list, although I've been
following the fascinating exchanges for some time. I'm a British
garden writer now spending much of my time in PA.

Graham Rice
PA zone 5/6
GrahamRice.com

------------------------------

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End of pbs Digest, Vol 31, Issue 13
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