VMS -- Botany (f32r)

["Dana F. Scott" <dfscott@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I am really not a very big fan of Lantana camara seen in the VMS (f32r),
primarily because of its unpleasant smell (though apparently not all
subspecies have an unpleasant smell). It does, however, have quite a
variety in color; perhaps reminding me somewhat of the peacock's tail
familiar to alchemists. Butterflies may be attracted to it for its salt
content (hmm, salt?). I wasn't aware that it is a favorite for
hummingbirds. It is interesting that I recognized this plant by looking
only at the drawing in the VMS. I didn't have to see a picture of
Lantana camara first. This may be due to the fact that I learned about
this plant at a very young age when growing up in Hawaii in a place
called Kohala on the Big Island. It may be the only plant that I know
purely by its scientific name, though it is also known as red, yellow,
or wild sage, Christ's plant, and angel lips. I guess the picture was
already in my head. This plant crops up everywhere. It's even in a
planter in front of the building where I work (not much odor though). I
wonder when it was introduced or first discovered by botanists in
Europe, since its native habitat was in the Western Hemisphere
(Tropical/Central America)? Lantana camara is a toxic plant with certain
medicinal applications. Finding a drawing of it in the VMS should help
date the manuscript.

Lantana camara:
http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/fa06/fa06016.jpg
http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/fa06/fa06017.jpg
http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/bleeker/holland/lantcama.jpg
http://www.dipbot.unict.it/orto/0041-1.html
http://www.plantoftheweek.org/week067.shtml
http://www.kuipplanten.com/kuip/lantana-camara.htm
http://www.vsap.uq.edu.au/Student/toxicol/Pages/Page23.htm
http://www.holvoet-b.com/terras2.htm
http://www.vassl.com/tropicalgarden/Lantana.htm
http://www.jesdinsky.com/bilder/lcam2.htm
http://vivaibiagini.net/camar.htm

Description:
http://www.hear.org/pier/lacam.htm
http://www.bangor.ac.uk/~afs101/iwpt/web-sp6.htm
http://www.dipbot.unict.it/sistematica/Verb_fam.html
http://www.tropilab.com/lantan-cam.html
http://www.floridata.com/ref/l/lant_c.cfm
http://www.plantastoxicas.hpg.com.br/toxicas/lancam.htm
http://www.barbadine.com/pages/lantana_camara_lien.htm
http://nature.jardin.free.fr/arbuste/ft_lantana_tri.html
http://nature.jardin.free.fr/arbuste/ft_lantana_fes.html
http://nature.jardin.free.fr/arbuste/ft_lantana_sno.html
http://www.huis.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/~nomura/L/lantan.html
http://membert.yline.com/~bruckmoser/gartnerei/lantana.htm

Regards,
Dana




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