plants

[beccaelizabeth]

Today I discovered the Happyface Spider. Now I am creeped out and LOL in about equal parts.

Anyone that knows plants of the pacific edge, help me out: I have a character who grew up on the Pacific Arc, which is sort of a ship and sort of a city and sort of a preservation project. He brings with him into space one plant that his mother and grandmother before him used to grow. What does he bring? I don't know if it's a really old plant or a descendant. I don't know from plants. I just know that's what he's been spending his personal weight allowance on for twenty five years. He's currently using it to show off to a girl. It's the reason he's in work late, cause he has to look after all the food and air plants before he can look after his own. And clearly he would know what plant it was in great detail. But I don't.

Any suggestions?

Comments

[jess goodwin (from livejournal.com)]

Do you mean the Pacific Rim?

[beccaelizabeth]

No, I mean a science fiction place I won't have to figure out the geography of. But with plants that grow around the pacific now. Somewhere.

[jess goodwin (from livejournal.com)]

Well, the Pacific Rim area where I grew up was North/Western Hemisphere. So - moss. LOTS of moss.

Sorrel and yellow violets growing on damp ground or alongside creeks.

Sword ferns, big and sharp as palm fronds.

Wild berries and vines, including a type of wild strawberry that grows along the beach.

Hemlocks and firs and redcedars of all sizes.

Bigleaf maples that turn yellow as butter in October.

Alders springing up like weeds everywhere.

Madrones, which are like birch trees with that papery, peeling bark - except the bark is red, not white, and the leaves are fat and shiny and evergreen like holly.

And a lot of transplanted species too, of course - especially Japanese maple and cherry trees, brought over a hundred years ago by immigrants from the other side of the Pacific.

They also brought the art of bonsai with them, and it was a poor sort of home indeed that didn't have a miniaturized version of one of the aforementioned trees on display somewhere.

We also had skunk cabbage, but I can't imagine anybody bringing THAT with them.

This was only one small part of the Pacific, mind. I can only imagine what the flora is like in, say, Peru! :)

[beccaelizabeth]

so now I spent my day looking up plants, especially bonsai :-)
I think a spaceship with a lot of bonsai is interesting.

I also decided the plan I was looking for was
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Capparis_sandwichiana
cause it looks like it exploded and it doesn't last long and it doesn't have much purpose apart from continuing to exist. and it's a bit rare even now so it might be the only one in the future.