Forgive me, for I am a bit new to the blogging scene--in fact I think it might be safe to say that I'm new even to the world wide web--or to these social type of sites anyways. As you may (or may not) be able to tell, I'm not very tech-savvy, so bear with me. In any case, I thought I'd start with introductions.
My name is Lillian and I am currently a student at Connecticut College. I am either a botany or ethnobotany major and an East Asian Studies minor with a concentration in Chinese.
So why am I starting a blog? I decided it would behoove (one of my high school English teacher's favorite words!) me and my botanical explorations to dedicate a blog to my love of nature, namely plants (and the occasional critter). This blog is as much a learning experience for me as it is for you all, so this will be exciting (hopefully!).
This blog will be dedicated, not just to the science of plants, but to plants in everyday life too (uses, legends, myths, cultural significance, etc). The purpose of this blog is to make the connection between the scientific aspects of plants and the cultural aspects and maybe along the way, this will help me decide which focus calls out to me more. I shall try to provide photos, scientific and common names, and cultural significance of any plants.
Enough from me; I shall impart you with a picture I took at a botanical garden of a flower used in Asian cultures. The Balloon flower (scientific name Platycodon grandiflorus) can be used both for medicinal or eating purposes.
Common Name: Balloon Flower
Scientific Name: Platycodon grandiflorus
Native to: China, Japan, Korea, Russia
Uses: To treat coughs & inflammatory illnesses (root), in salads (roots), or to flavor Japanese sake (one of seven herbs)
Also known as: Chinese Bellflower
In other languages: 桔梗 (jiégěng), 도라지 (doraji)
Source of Information: The Queens Botanical Garden; Wikipedia
Stay tuned for my next post~
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