365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Friday, August 26, 2022
Aconogonon Davisiae, Newberry's Knotweed
Day 317: Is it Newberry's Knotweed? Newberry's Fleeceflower? Davis' Knotweed? Polygonum? Koenigia? Aconogonum? Aconogonon? For pity's sake, somebody settle on something here! Current taxonomy lists it as Aconogonon davisiae which would incline me to think it was Davis' Knotweed, but I learned it as Newberry's. I'm not sure when or why it was taken away from Newberry, but someone seems to have wanted to expunge him from the record. In any event, this plant is quite common in the Sunrise area of Mount Rainier National Park, and turns a glowing shade of pinkish-red in autumn, setting the slopes ablaze with colour. The name "Aconogonon" comes from Greek and refers to the fruit which has three distinct angular ridges and contains a single seed, descriptive if you're up on your Greek (which I am not) and tons of fun to say. The problem is knowing when to stop: Aconogonogonogonon and on and on.
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