(urth) The spiny orange - we used to throw the fruit at each other as kids and call them stink bombs.

Jerry Friedman jerry_friedman at yahoo.com
Tue Nov 3 22:16:01 PST 2009


I can't argue with your new formulation, especially after
you gave the examples I requested.  On the other hand,
it's easy to think of ancient cultivated plants that have
flowers with both male and female parts--legumes, most
cereals, fruits of the rose family, cotton, and flax--and
others that have separate male and female flowers on the
same plant--squashes, the calabash, and for a Wolfean
connection, corn.

Of course, if you ever learn Gene Wolfe's thoughts on
these subjects, I hope you'll share them on this list.

Jerry Friedman

--- On Tue, 11/3/09, brunians at brunians.org <brunians at brunians.org> wrote:
> I didn't know that. I am actually a very ignorant person.
> 
> I would have to modify my statement in light of that
> knowledge. I have no
> doubt that you are correct when you say this,
> 
> Some plants that have male and female flowers on seperate
> stems seem to be
> ancient cultivers. These plants tend to be useful for food,
> drugs, as
> material for making tools etc. Good examples include
> cannabis and osage orange.
> 
> I have to say that while this makes sense to me, I don't
> expect it to make
> sense to everybody. I have some ideas about history and
> deep history that
> are seriously at variance with the versions generally
> accepted these days,
> though (coincidentally or not) they are basically the same
> as Gene Wolfe's
> views on the same subjects. I do not know whether he agrees
> with my
> opinion expressed above: I hope to ask him some time. I
> suspect that he
> does or would.
> 
> 
> .
> 
> 
> 
> > Then would you mind elaborating on those
> reasons?  An
> > example of such a plant would be helpful.
> >
> > I'll give an example of why I doubt it: all willows
> are
> > dioecious, and very few have been cultivated.
> >
> > Jerry Friedman
> >
> > --- On Tue, 11/3/09, brunians at brunians.org
> <brunians at brunians.org>
> wrote:
> >> It's not really a claim. I wouldn't
> >> call it a claim.
> >>
> >> I do have reasons why I say it, yes.
> >
> > I wrote:
> >>
> >> > Do you have any basis for that extremely
> strange claim
> >> about dioecious plants?  Is there even a single
> >> example?
> >> >
> >> > Jerry Friedman
> >> >
> >> > --- On Tue, 11/3/09, brunians at brunians.org
> >> <brunians at brunians.org>
> >> wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> From: brunians at brunians.org
> >> <brunians at brunians.org>
> >> >> Pardon, I meant seperate male and
> >> >> female plants, not seperate flowers on
> >> >> the same stem. .
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> > These plants with seperate male and
> female
> >> flowers are
> >> >> mostly ancient cultivers.
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> > .
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >> The spiny orange of Able's
> bow.   
> >> Wolfe
> >> >> has a hand carved walking stick
> >> >> >> of osage orange - carved by Joe
> Mayhew.
> >> >> >> Maclura pomifera
> >> >> >>>From Wikipedia, the free
> encyclopedia
> >> >> >> Osage-orange, Horse-apple or
> Bois D'Arc
> >> even know
> >> >> as the Drewedic
> >> >> >> Bullochus (Maclura pomifera) is
> >> dioeceous
> >> >> </wiki/Plant_sexuality>  plant
> >> >> >> species, with male and female
> flowers
> >> >> </wiki/Flower>  on different
> >> >> >> plants. It is a small deciduous
> >> >> </wiki/Deciduous>  tree
> >> </wiki/Tree> 
> >> >> or
> >> >> >> large shrub </wiki/Shrub>
> ,
> >> typically
> >> >> growing to 8-15 metres (26-49 ft)
> >> >> >> tall. The fruit
> </wiki/Fruit> , a
> >> multiple
> >> >> fruit </wiki/Multiple_fruit>
> >> >> >> , is roughly spherical, but
> bumpy, and
> >> 7-15 cm in
> >> >> diameter, and it is
> >> >> >> filled with a sticky white
> latex
> >> >> </wiki/Latex>  sap
> </wiki/Sap> . In
> >> >> >> fall, its color turns a bright
> >> yellow-green and it
> >> >> has a faint odor
> >> >> >> similar to that of oranges
> >> >> </wiki/Orange_(fruit)> .[1]
> <>
> >> >> >> The Osage-orange is commonly
> used as a
> >> tree row
> >> >> windbreak
> >> >> >> </wiki/Windbreak>  in
> prairie
> >> states,
> >> >> which gives it one of its
> >> >> >> colloquial names, "hedge
> apple".
> >> >> >> The trees acquired the name bois
> d'arc,
> >> or
> >> >> "bow-wood", from early French
> >> >> >> </wiki/France>  settlers
> who
> >> observed
> >> >> the wood being used for war clubs
> >> >> >> and bow-making by Native
> Americans
> >> >> >>
> >> >>
> >>
> </wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States> .[3]
> >> >> <>  Meriwether Lewis
> >> >> >> was told that the people of the
> Osage
> >> Nation
> >> >> </wiki/Osage_Nation>
> >> >> >> "esteem the wood of this tree
> for the
> >> making of
> >> >> their bows, that they
> >> >> >> travel many hundred miles in
> quest of
> >> it." Many
> >> >> modern bowyers assert
> >> >> >> the wood of the Osage Orange is
> superior
> >> even to
> >> >> English Yew for this
> >> >> >> purpose, though this opinion is
> by no
> >> means
> >> >> unanimous. The trees are
> >> >> >> also known as "bordarch" trees,
> most
> >> likely
> >> >> originating from a
> >> >> >> corruption of "bois d'arc."
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >> Any federal tax advice contained
> herein
> >> or in any
> >> >> attachment
> >> >> >> hereto is not intended to be
> used, and
> >> cannot be
> >> >> used, to (1)
> >> >> >> avoid penalties imposed under
> the
> >> Internal Revenue
> >> >> Code or
> >> >> >> (2) support the promotion or
> marketing of
> >> any
> >> >> transaction or
> >> >> >> matter.  This legend has been
> affixed
> >> to
> >> >> comply with U.S.
> >> >> >> Treasury Regulations governing
> tax
> >> >> >>
> >> >>
> >>
> practice._______________________________________________
> >> >> >> Urth Mailing List
> >> >> >> To post, write urth at urth.net
> >> >> >> Subscription/information: http://www.urth.net
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> >> > Urth Mailing List
> >> >> > To post, write urth at urth.net
> >> >> > Subscription/information: http://www.urth.net
> >> >> >
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> _______________________________________________
> >> >> Urth Mailing List
> >> >> To post, write urth at urth.net
> >> >> Subscription/information: http://www.urth.net
> >> >>
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >
> >> >
> _______________________________________________
> >> > Urth Mailing List
> >> > To post, write urth at urth.net
> >> > Subscription/information: http://www.urth.net
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Urth Mailing List
> >> To post, write urth at urth.net
> >> Subscription/information: http://www.urth.net
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Urth Mailing List
> > To post, write urth at urth.net
> > Subscription/information: http://www.urth.net
> >
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Urth Mailing List
> To post, write urth at urth.net
> Subscription/information: http://www.urth.net
> 


      



More information about the Urth mailing list