Tag Archives: crop-diversity

Hog Peanut: Subterranean Tuber Becomes Aerial Bean

While harvesting American hazelnuts on my farm near the electric line right of way, I discovered the hog peanut. I pulled up on the vine and found several larger than average tubers (dime sized)  connected on a string. I had … Continue reading →

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Small Potato in a Big Universe

I’ve always been fascinated by the potato plant. Every year on vacation while driving to the upper peninsula in Michigan with my family we took a route that happened to be surrounded by potatoes in full flower on both sides … Continue reading →

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The Very Wild Texas Peach

The Texas peach represents a great human plant introduction into the southwestern U.S. native flora. It integrates into its surrounding environment and continues to broaden its genetic diversity. When botanists first looked at the peach thriving in the southeastern U.S., … Continue reading →

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Explorations of Fruit Diversity: Black Mulberry

The range of any plant can vary tremendously from high to low elevations, across whole continents not to mention human introductions. With many woody plants, these are not entirely reflected in the selections available in the nursery marketplace. It was … Continue reading →

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Dreams of Crop Diversity-The Perennial Bean

The thought of creating or exploring a new crop is a good idea. It is very simple. You start with seeds. All new crops start with new seeds. Like an idea the new seeds are something that no one has … Continue reading →

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Diversity Explored: The Edible Sunflower

I always was fascinated with the sunflower. There was always so much activity around them. My parents decided to move to a new home when I was 16 years old. It was in a new subdivision in the midst of … Continue reading →

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Chufa-The Savior of Sedges

One of the tuber crop plants I had the pleasure of working with was chufa or tiger nut. I first read about this plant from a food website describing the use of the crop and how it is cultvated. You … Continue reading →

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What Happened To Corn?

If someone came back from a 9000 year journey and saw corn today this might be their first question. What did happen to corn? It is funny to me as this question came to me last year from a colleague … Continue reading →

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Simply Making the Plant World More Diverse

One of easiest ways to increase plant diversity in the natural world is to look for potential species that can reproduce and increase on their own without burning, mowing or herbiciding everything to near death. The same can be said … Continue reading →

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