Using "EOL" and...being Part of the Global Effort to Add Plant Species to the Encyclopedia of Life

People all over the world are adding plant species to the Encyclopedia of Life. If you know of someone with a database of plant species, encourage them to add their database of plant species
http://www.eol.org/

If you are from Bolivia, or Morocco, or South Africa, or, the USA or, Canada, or the UK, or Japan, or Iraq, or Australia, or, Eritrea, or Somalia, or, anywhere in the world, contact botanists where you live and see if they have added their data to the EOL. Or, perhaps you know a plant that hasn't been added. You can add it.

It is exciting to be a part of this world wide peaceful effort.

You can also use the Encyclopedia of Life.

Diamonds and science?

The Diamond Necklace is a story that brings to mind an important action we can take: Understanding invasive species.

While speaking of the legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted, one of the founders (Together with his partner, Vaux) of landscape architecture designed an emerald necklace.

Read the story and find out about these jewels.

A Rose by any Other Name...

A rose by any other name is still a rose...

From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, 1594:

JULIET:
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.

Source: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/305250.html
Accessed December 28, 2007

...but, a weed by any other name, some may call noxious, invasive, or, still others may call it medicine...

Many so-called weeds are medicinal plants. Still, noxious weeds are a major problem...http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/bmnri/weeds.htm
It becomes an ethical problem to balance the different needs together with the use/abuse of weed-killers. Did you know many "weed-killers" also kill trees?

If you are interested in weed science, you might want to check out the following link:
http://www.wsweedscience.org/

Other resources:

http://www.fws.gov/invasives/volunteersTrainingModule/outreach/players.html

Traditional medicines
Contact information:

Dr Xiaorui Zhang
Traditional Medicine, Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy (EDM)
WHO/Geneva
Fax: +41 22 791 4730
E-mail: trm@who.int

Clayton College of Natural Health

Some books you might enjoy:

• National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers : Eastern Region
• Complete Guide to Medicinal Herbs by Penelope Ody
• The Herbal Handbook : A User's Guide to Medical Herbalism by David Hoffman
• Principles of Medicine in Africa by Eldryd Parry (Editor), Richard Godfrey (Editor), David Mabey (Editor), Geoffrey Gill (Editor)
• Planetary Herbology (Paperback)by Michael Tierra (Author) "Healing herbs are everywhere..."

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/052180616X/ref=s9_asin_title_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=02XDZTVW11PQW7M0ZZEC&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=320448701&pf_rd_i=507846

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