Another source for Lemon Grass

I found another source for Lemon Grass. They sell the Cymbopogon citratus variety. Tropilab also has seeds for other tropical fruits like Barbados Cherry and Guanabana.

Lemongrass and Added new link

Sand Mountain Herbs has lots and lots of seeds of useful herbs. Actually many will be recognizable as common weeds. Is someone really going to plant Dandelion? On the other hand, there are plants that supposedly grow in the wild that I don't know how to recognize such as Mallow and Feverfew. I'm going to get some of these seeds, grow them and then maybe I'll be able to recognize the wild plant.

I don't have much of a problem with mosquitoes where I live, but if I did, I would certainly get some lemongrass seeds. These people swear by its use as a mosquito repellent. Lemongrass has also been scientifically tested. Sand Mountain sells Cymbopogon flexuosus but the mosquito repellent articles refer to Cymbopogon citratus. Apparently they are very similar and interchangeable for most uses.

Sweet Prayer, Katemfe--I give up

The Sweet Prayer, aka Katemfe (or Katempfe) or ego, is a Western African plant that is 1500 times sweeter than sugar. But I give up; after looking high and low on the Internet for months, I can't find a supplier of the seeds or plant anywhere. The scientific name is Thaumatococcus daniellii. Apparently some company has synthesized the sweet ingredient thaumatin, but it does not seem to have been commercialized much. For the conspiracy minded, maybe aspartame interests are paying someone off.

In Australia there is an invasive plant they call sweet prayer, but there is some kind of mistake, because they say it is Thaumastochloa danielii which does not show up anywhere on plant indices. It is the correct family Marantaceae, but it appears that the genus is wrong. So if someone in Australia wants to check this out, I would like to have some seeds from this "weed" if it really is sweet prayer.

Grow your own soap tree

Newstarget came out with an article about soap nuts. They contain soapy substances called saponins. You can use them to wash your clothes and make a general purpose cleanser. They also can be used as a shampoo and skin cleanser; you have to be careful as the nuts are poisonous to eat. But it seems uneconomical to import soap all the way from India. Top Tropicals has seeds and says the tree can be grown inside in large tubs or outside in warmer climates. There are also seeds on ebay.

Apparently there are several different varieties, because I've come up with Sapindus mukorossi, Sapindus detergens and Sapindus saponaria, and there is a native soapberry tree in the Southwest USA (New Mexico, Arizona and Texas). There are actually quite a few plants that have these saponins and can be used as soap. Plants for a Future has a good article about them, and here's and interesting article about several soap plants but mostly the soap lilly.

Free Ginkgo Biloba seeds

My Ginkgo seeds are growing. I've had them in the fridge since last fall when I picked them up from a park that has several ginkgo trees in downtown Portland. I put them in plastic bags (out of the fridge) until they started to sprout roots and then planted them. I have about 6 growing now.

I still have about 50 seeds left, so for about 10 of my wonderful readers that wander by, I'll send you some seeds free if you send me an email (kdavidhizaratgmaildotcom) with your mailing address. Some things just can't be done virtually. No guarantees, about a third of mine have sprouted so far.

Update: I have just sent out the last of my seeds for this year. Not sure if I will do this again or not. Have to get downtown at the right time to pick up the seeds. Hope all those who have received seeds are enjoying their little trees.

Have a Hoodia sprout

The plastic bag method is just the best for getting seeds started.

I had a few Hoodia seeds left over from the ones I bought last year, so a few weeks ago I planted all but two in small pots. Nothing has happened with them. A few days ago, I put the last two seeds into a plastic bag with a damp paper towel. In just a couple of days I have roots popping out. So from now on that's how I'm going to propagate everything.

I also have two pomegranate seedlings that I started that way coming up. I got the seeds from some pomegranates I bought at the grocery store. Now I'm waiting for my Ginkgo biloba seeds to sprout. I picked up a bagful of them from a park in downtown Portland, where they have a bunch of beautiful old ginkgo trees growing.

Gac Fruit - Another very nutritious fruit

I bought this little bottle from the health food store. It says it has Gac fruit plus other fruit juices. Now I find that Gac (also called Spiny Gourd or all these names if you are into languages) is another nutrition-laden fruit. If we had all these fruits available fresh, would no one ever get sick? It's scientific name is Momordica Cochinchinensis spreng. Gac is very high in anti-oxidants and lycopene and beta-carotenes. It also has essential oils and Vitamin E like avocado. There are several formulations on the market with canned juices, but I think it would be better for us fresh and/or raw.

It grows as a vine, and I suppose it is a warm climate plant. However, I have been unable to find any seed store that has the seeds. Maybe you can find the fruit at an oriental store that carries fresh fruits and vegetables and get seeds from the fruit. It is also used as a Chinese herb with the name Mu Bie Zi, and you can find whole seeds at Chinese herb stores like here and here and here, although I don't know if any or all would be viable. Disclaimer: I have no relationship to any of these stores.