North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Mike Levine" <mlevine@umich.edu>]

 

One person said grounhogs are named Philohela minor and another said its Marmota monax.  I'll repeat my question...Is there more than one animal called a groundhog or woodchuck?.

 

 

 

 

Bradford pears are not edible, unless you are a small bird. Neither is barberry, for that matter, although I've seen it used quite effectively as a privacy hedge.

(Yes, I've popped fruit from both in my mouth, just to see. Neither is remotely worth eating. I suppose if the fruits were 8 times as big, it might be worth cooking them to remove the flavor. . .)

I grant that some edible plants can be invasive, and we would be most responsible by recognizing that and using care in choosing our plants with respect for the environment, and not just for our own pleasure. I worried about this when importing some west coast huckleberries (although they seem so barely hardy that I'm no longer concerned.) But it's hardly fair of you to accuse a "fruit explorer" group of propagating invasive plants that don't even have useful fruit.

Peace,
Ginda

    I realize that Bradford pears are not edible, but what I was referring to was a message I received a while back about someone who had discovered that the rootstocks commonly used for bradfords (I don't remember the rootstock species) had suckered and managed to flower and fruit.  The resulting plants have been discovered to be invasive on the east coast. I will investigate the origin of that message and get back with y'all on that subject.

 

(forgive me if some feel this is off topic, but I think it is relevant to all growers of plants)

 

    I am glad to hear that others on this list are interested in eating fruit in return for being a steward to the land.  As for accusing the group of propagating useless, invasive plants, I have done no such thing, I am merely trying to increase awareness of our actions and how they affect ourselves, our neighbors, and Mother Earth. Besides, what is useless to one person could be essential to someone else.

 

    It would be interesting to hear from folks about any edible plants they have planted which have really gotten out of control and would not recommend or would even warn against planting.  It seems that it can really take a long time for some species to obtain the label "invasive".  This is because it takes time for a plant to spread and reach a "critical mass", and also because sometimes it can take a few generations for the plants to "figure out" how to succeed so well.  Communication and education are the best tools for preventing invasive species from spreading out of control.  For example, did you know that it is still legal to sell Common Buckthorn, Glossy Buckthorn, and European Honeysuckle in nurseries?  I truly feel that if you planted it, it's your problem, even if it spreads off of your property.  I know there have to be some limits, but there also has to be some accountability.  I'm not saying that we should arrest the person who planted Himalayan blackberries, but I am saying the maybe some more thought and planning should have gone into it before they were planted in N. America.  Also, maybe they should have been contained before they really got out of control  (I realize that this would have been difficult with bird and rodent vectors, but that is another example of why more thought should go into it before introduction).  This is EXACTLY why NAFEX is a great way not only to share our knowledge of how and what to grow, but also how and what NOT to grow.  I'll get off my soapbox now and let the threads continue.

 

Thanks,

Mike Levine

Nature and Nurture, LLC

Organic Gardening, Edible Landscaping, and Ecological Restoration

Ann Arbor, MI