Permaculture Information Web

[Heide Hermary <heide.hermary AT gaiacollege.ca>]

I don't think plant family has a lot to do with plant properties.  Plants are grouped into families because of similarities in their flower structure. So we see Heracleum mantegazzianum (giant hogweed - noxious plant) and Daucus carrota (carrot - a common vegetable) in the same family. It would be a lot simpler and safer to just respectfully treat each plant as its own individual, with its own unique characteristics. Then what remains is to decide which characteristics are useful to "us".

The danger here is to be too short sighted - too limited in the approach. What we might find useful today might be meaningless tomorrow, and vice versa. 

Maybe I'm misunderstanding this thread.

Heide
Gaia College
http://www.gaiacollege.ca

Stephanie Gerson wrote:

Wonderful response, Doctor Williamson ;)

You suggested that "instead of using words like pest, disease, weed, etc, 
I for one would prefer to see a simple term like "known problems" and for 
Pc-characteristics perhaps "Uses - culinary/medicinal/other"?..."

I suggest we approach PIW as an opportunity to create a more meaningful 
and useful taxonomy.  Sure - change the words, change the criteria 
determining whether or not plants are grouped together (for example, 
according to functional characteristics, i.e. ground cover, medicinal 
properties, nitrogen fixation).  Organize the plants according to 
information valuable for *our* purposes.  

This emergent taxonomy would be an incredibly valuable fruit of PIW.  
Case in point:

"According to Dr. Murray, the following is as true for strawberries, as 
it is for apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches and plums (all, 
including the strawberries, are in the same family) and I would 
therefore not hesitate to conclude that it would be the same for 
almonds, apples, pears and quinces (which are also in the same family).  
But nettle isn't.  Misguided invention?"

Or opportunity for interpretive taxonomy?

peace
*Stephanie

 


+++++++++++++++
Stephanie Gerson
sgerson AT stanfordalumni.org
(c) 415.871.5683


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