Good morning Nancy, all.

Hmmmmm, Hostas and Lamb's Ear come to mind when thinking about these two terms.

Annette

Morning/Afternoon, Annette. Both apply to one, but only one to the other - is that even English?? lol.

Nancy.

Ooooh...hs Latin kicking in here...thinking...should know these-have seen them often enough. I am thinking that the lamb's ears is the one to which both apply and some of my favorite hostas could be described by the other?????

Good question, Nancy-glad you remembered. I was here early, but just now had a chance to check back. Would love to hear the other question, too!

I was thinking Hosta for glaucous and Lamb's Ear as an example of pubescent. Are we looking for both on the same plant?

Annette

Well, imo, Lamb's Ears are both. Some may diagree. Some hostas would be glaborous and glaucous!!! I just love saying that!!!

Well, here is the question I could not verify: maybe someone else can come up with the proof. Several years ago, on a driving trip to FL, we stopped in Savannah. Lovely city, of course made famous in the movie, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. We took a city tour. We admired the Spanish Moss on the trees, and our tour guide told us that the moss had been used for stuffing. She said that it was responsible for the 1st ever auto recall. Henry Ford used it as seat stuffing, and apparently several thousand chiggers got free rides on the cars, causing them to be recalled. I searched high and low; I Snopesed it, I Googled it, I went to the NSTA. Nothing to verify. So, this am was a bit of a scramble!!

Having been on the other side of this so often, I forgot what a temptation it is to just Google the answer. But I AM resisting.

The word glaucous isn't ringing any strong bells with me. Is that ever used in a bird name of some kind? Does it mean shiny?

I'm guessing that pubescent probably means the same sort of thing with plants, that it does with animals -- approaching sexual maturity -- but what stage would that be? Forming flower buds? Opening flower buds?

That's about it for my feeble guessing. Maybe I should have taken Latin, though that would have been tough, since my small high school didn't offer it.

ThinMan

Hi TM - the bird thing is ringing a bell, but I don't think it is quite right. As to pubescent, it refers to a feature of adolescence, perhaps. Hope that makes sense.

Nancy.

Without looking it up, an example of glaucous to me brings to mind certain plant leaves Hosta for instance, covered with bloom, this gives a blue-green effect and pubescent in plants makes me think of soft fuzzy leaves or a young lad who starts shaving at the first sign of peach fuzz. Talking about Lamb's Ear, I'm looking for the lime-green variety 'Primrose Heron' which seems to be nowhere to be found:(.

Annette

Well, we have 3 winners - yea!!!
Glaucous (from the Latin glaucous, meaning "bluish-grey or green", from the Greek glaukos) is used to describe the pale grey or bluish-green appearance of the surfaces of some plants, as well as in the names of birds, such as the Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus), Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens), Glaucous Macaw (Anodorhynchus glaucus), and Glaucous Tanager (Thraupis glaucocolpa). Some marine mammals have a glaucous coloring, such as the dugong, manatee, porpoise and dolphin. The term glaucous is also used botanically as an adjective to mean "covered with a greyish, bluish, or whitish waxy coating or bloom that is easily rubbed off" (e.g. glaucous leaves).
Good one TM - I forgot totally about the bird aspect!!!

Pubescent: covered with erect hairs (especially soft and short ones).

Thanks to all for playing!!

It was the glaucous gull that was tickling away at the back of my mind.

Good question, Nancy!

TM

Well, I didn't get back (friends for dinner), but I did have it thanks to Annette's clues. Now, glabrous stumped me. That, I did just look up. HA. Do love learning all this new stuff.

I love the story about Henry Ford. Wonder if any of us will be able to verify it. You seemed to have checked all the sites that spring to mind, Nancy.

Thanks for the fun, Nancy!

Cynthia