NYSSACEAE. A single species.
—Camptotheca acuminata. (d,g) CAMPT-4. Packet: $2.50
Germination: 84% Tested: 2/10, 1/4 Oz: $7.50, Oz: $20.00
'XI SHU' (happy tree). Small creamy-white flowers in round balls, followed by spiky-looking round balls of seed. Tall, fast-growing deciduous tree to 75 feet, with deeply-veined 6" leaves. Southern China. Stands light frost. Best in warm humid climates, protected from wind. Used to produce an anti-cancer drug. Retroviral inhibitory effects have been shown against HIV and Equine Infectious Anemia Virus. Germinates in 1 - 3 months.
CORCHORUS (KOR-chor-us)
TILIACEAE. Tropical herbs, sometimes shrubby, long grown for food and fiber. Needs warm moist soil; treat like eggplant. Sow in spring for crop in 3 months. They are major crops throughout the tropics. Seed viable 5 to 10 years.
—Corchorus olitorius. (b,h) CORCH-18. Packet: $2.50
'TOSSA JUTE', 'MELUKHIE'. Annual to 6 feet with large pointed 2 - 6" leaves and yellow 1/2" flowers. India. Widely cultivated for fiber and food. The young shoots and leaves are an ancient vegetable, eaten by the Egyptians, mentioned by Pliny, and are now widely eaten in the Middle East, India, Africa, and the Americas. The leaves are an excellent potherb, can be eaten as a salad when young, and can be dried for winter use in soups, etc.
HIERACIUM (hi-er-RAY-shee-um)
COMPOSITAE. 'HAWKWEED'. Easily grown perennials with red, orange or yellow flowers on spikes held above a rosette of leaves. Good in the rock garden and in poor soil. Easy from seed, which germinates in 1 - 3 weeks, sometimes much longer. The name comes from the belief that hawks eat the plant to sharpen their sight. They have a sweet honey-like scent & give much nectar. Used medicinally.
—Hieracium albiflorum. (b,h) HIER-4. Packet: $2.50
'WHITE HAWKWEED'. Tiny white flowers in open airy clusters on slender stems. Perennial to 1 - 3 feet, with fuzzy leaves. Woodlands, California to Alaska & Colorado. Leaves smoked by California mountainfolk, said to cause intense dreams. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
LUNARIA
Lunaria annua Varieties: (=biennis)
'MONEY PLANT', 'SATIN FLOWER'. Well-known for the sprays of slivery moon-like 2" pods. Showy purple, red or white 1/2" wide, sweet-scented flowers in large clusters in spring and early summer. Good cut flowers. To 2 - 3 feet, with large, heart-shaped leaves. Easily grown and self-sows. An old-fashioned favorite for poor shady soils. The unripe seeds and the roots are said to have a hot, mustard-like flavor, and have been eaten in salads. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks. Seed viable 4 years or more.
—Lunaria annua Violet. (c,h) LUNA-1L. Packet: $2.50
Oz: $7.50, 1/4 lb: $22.50
Bright purple-violet flowers and large pods.
STROPHOSTYLES (stro-fo-stee-leez)
LEGUMINOSAE. Attractive twiners and trailers. Related to Phaseolus and Vigna.
—umbellata. STRS-24. Packet: $2.50
'PINK WILD BEAN'. Pink 3/4" flowers fading to tan or orange, followed by 2" pods. Hardy perennial vine, blooming heavily in late August and September. E. U.S. Zone 6. Fairly drought-tolerant. Lightly nick seed.
VERONICA (ve-RO-ni-ka)
SCROPHULARIACEAE. 'SPEEDWELL'. Popular annuals and perennials grown in the rockery or border. Easily grown in ordinary soil. Hardy and free flowering. Thrives in a bright sunny spot. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at warm temperatures. Some are eaten or used as tea or medicinally.
—officinalis. VERO-62. Packet: $2.50
'TRUE SPEEDWELL'. Clear blue 1/4" flowers in dense spikes to 1 1/2 - 6" long, from May to July, followed by heart-shaped pods. Creeping hardy perennial to 6 - 18", with 1 - 2" leaves. N. Hemisphere. Will grow in the shade of trees where no grass will grow, covering the ground with sod. Once used as a tea. Has many medicinal uses.
YUCCA
—Yucca brevifolia. YUCC-5. Packet: $2.00 Click for photo »
Seed has been treated with Sevin, the washed.
'JOSHUA-TREE'. Striking peculiar tree to 16 - 30 feet, with bent arm-like branches ending in rosettes of narrow 9" leaves. Greenish-white 2" flowers with thick fleshy petals, crowded in heavy, foot-long panicles followed by spongy 2 - 4" fruits. Mojave desert, California. May live we 1000 years or more. Soak seed 24 hours. Can germinate in 3 days at 80 - 90°; usually in 1 - 2 weeks in the open. Some will hold over and come up each year for 3 years or so. The flower buds were roasted on coals & eaten, & the seeds ground and eaten raw or in mush.