We went down to Home Depot in Mayaguez (the nearest main city with all the modern amenities you could think of) and picked up a trimmer and some more supplies to finish putting screens on the windows of the cabana. Then Britton got to work trimming the whole “front yard”.
It’s not really a yard in the same way you would think of a lawn in the states. The front area is more of a parking place, but with all the growth from the last 8 months it made it like a yard. Before he whacked the heck out of it though, I wanted to check if there were any plants that I knew of that were good. I still don’t know all my tropicals as well as I do my backyard Colorado plants, but I can tell a mango tree from a citrus or a banana (and there are a lot of mango seedlings too!).
So without further ado: Like sand through an hourglass, these are the weeds of our yard. 🙂 Please help me find out what these are or correct me if I’m wrong in my guess:
Not sure what this is, but it’s really pretty!
The Traveler’s Palm has about three babies sprouted at the bottom of it.
We found more sprouted coconut palms and the one we found and planted last time we were here looks to be doing good.
Here’s the one we planted last time we were here. I know these are coconut palms but does anyone know the type? I think they are the “water coconut” variety and not the meat coconut. How can you tell the difference? How can you tell when they are seedlings?
Anyone know what this is? Is it edible?
Mother-In-Law’s Tongue -this is a houseplant in the states but here it is a yard weed!!
There’s a ton of these types of plants on the steep side of the property. I’m thinking maybe Ornamental Ginger plant? Is the ginger in ornamental gingers edible or good for you?
These aren’t weeds, but they are Mandarin Oranges we found on a tree on the property!!
This one looks just like houseplants I have seen often. Not sure of the name though.
This is just what we found on the first 1/4 acre. We still need to trim down a little further and see the plants we planted last time and take off some of the vines from other fruit trees that we know of on the remaining 3 3/4 acres! It’s amazing how just looking at weeds can be so fascinating. I guess that’s why we go places out of our comfort zone. We learn something new from even the smallest things.
Traveler’s palms are super cool – I’m gonna have to go buy one! The ginger isn’t edible (you can grow the edible kind though) and I think is a “shell” ginger. When it gets babies let me know and I’ll trade you for a different kind! The orange pod has three red seeds in it that you can suck on and I think you can eat them. When we go caving we learn about all this stuff. No idea of the name. Aspidistra (tongue one), philodendrons, imatiens, bromeliads, orchids, maiden hair ferns and a jillion others are things we see in the jungle en route to caves! Also diffenbachias. Like house plants on drugs.
Cassie and Britton
So good to see you both “in your element.” Cassie will constantly be in learn and tell mode with all the fauna and Britton will be able to enjoy his “Tim the tool man” side with all of the work to do!!
I am hoping that Char and I can visit the property soon (once you get it all in a more liveable state).
Happy Birthday Britton!!
Love, Laura
Weeds are evil. Evil I tell you!!! That is what I enjoy most about our colder months here in the states, a break from weed patrol. Glad you guys are having fun.
Oddly enough the “weeds” here don’t seem to grow nearly as ferociously as they do in Colorado. My theory there is that in CO they only have a few months to grow, here they can take their time..lol.
I haven’t had any goat heads either 🙂
I poured through my garden books, and went on-line and couldn’t identify any of your lovlies. One would think a spiky yellow fruit on a vine would be easy to find, NOPE! I’ll keep searching.
Are you referring to a Chupacabra? On an acre of land you should have at least one, if not more. Video taping you having a chat with a Chupacabra would be a dynomite blog entry. Just a thought.
Happy B’day!
Wil
Are you guys itching yet?? there is a weed called “pica pica”, ask anyone about it it’s miserable!! it sticks to you like a little fiberglass nugget but so small you can’t see it. This time of year is when it’s the worst. Hopefully you don’t have any and won’t get it with the winter winds. We have it on our hill. Happy birthday to Britton, we look forward to meeting the two of you one of these days. I think Ode to the Elephant is closed tonight!!! sorry!!
Some root vegetables (viandas, such as yautía or ñame) have interesting large leaves like your last picture. You can try pulling one up to see, unless you think it might be ornamental and want to keep it! — Fran
Regarding the coconut. It has been my understanding (someone correct me if I’m wrong) that at least here in PR, those coconuts are all the water variety. I think they might become the “meat” variety as they age and the water dries up (or gets absorbed into the “meat”). There’s nothing like cold coconut water on a hot day! It’s naturally mildly sweet, and provides more electrolyte balance than sports drinks. I’m looking for a bumper sticker that says “I brake for coco frío!” — Fran
Did you get a machete yet? We got a few, for our land. They are useful for hacking your way through dense growth, general clearing, and for removing dead fronds from palm trees. We have 3 sizes and have used them all. — Fran
Hi Linda! The only itching I have now is from the ant bites on my feet! Those little buggers seem to get me every time..lol.
Fran, I do have a machete. I picked up a file from home depot to sharpen it with too. I cleared out our parking spaces but plan to clear out some more growth down further on the property. It’s going to need more chopping than the trimmer can accomplish.