Did you know that…
[t]he edible fungus Monascus purpureus imparts a distinct flavor and red color when added to fermented rice dishes such as those served in Asia.
Neither did I. But the boffins at USDA do.
Happy 25th, LEISA!
LEISA Magazine has chosen a fitting theme to celebrate its jubilee: diversity.
It expresses itself in many ways. There are diverse landscapes and ecosystems, diverse ways of life, diverse crops and agricultural systems. Small farms have been naturally benefiting from the diversity in their natural environment.
I wont even try to summarize. The contents are here. To the next 25 years!
Wild fruit relatives threatened in Central Asia
Fauna & Flora International and Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) have published a Red List of Trees of Central Asia. This is part of the Global Trees Campaign.
The new report identifies 44 tree species in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan as globally threatened with extinction. Many of these species occur in the unique fruit and nut forests of Central Asia, an estimated 90% of which have been destroyed in the past 50 years.
One of the threatened fruit trees is the red-fleshed Malus niedzwetzkyana, from Kyrgyzstan.
Working with the Kyrgyz National Academy of Sciences, the Global Trees Campaign is identifying populations of this rare tree in Kyrgyzstan and taking measures to improve their conservation. With distinctive red-fleshed fruit, the Niedzwetzky apple is an excellent flagship for the conservation and sustainable management of this beleagured forest type.
The report is available online.
The Last
On seeing our recent post on the tahr, Carol Halberstadt contacted us saying that she had written the following poem in 2000 after reading an article in the Boston Globe about hunters killing the last Arabian wolf and the last tahr. Unfortunately, I can’t find the article in question, but clearly the demise of the tahr was exaggerated.
Imagine the loneliness
of the last wolf, her howl
unheard in the wilderness,
his place unmade.
What small tear in time remains?
They are lost with the untamed sheep,
gone from the hills.
Horns that summoned
the birthday of the world
are still, the rock
their feet wore, emptied,
the paths unfilled.
The bison walk this way,
shaggy and gentle.
(©2/29/00 Carol Snyder Halberstadt – used by permission)
Featured: Cretan wild date palm
Prof. Heywood gives us holiday advice:
In fact, Phoenix theophrasti grows in nine coastal localities in Crete. See here (scroll down to the English text!). That at Moni Preveli, which I have visited several times, is an inlet by a popular tourist beach and you can view the Phoenix populations by pedalo! Very laid-back way of botanising.
Sounds ideal!