ID help please-

17 years ago

I took a "stroll" for lunch today and ended up stuffing every peice of paper large enough to fold and hold seeds I could get my hands on- I tell you those lovely containers in the full sun are just RIPE for the picking!!

I found 2 grass like plants and a tree pod I have never seen before and am hoping you all can help to id from my discriptions-

One grass was about 12-18" tall- dark shiny green- upright main stem with leaves coming out like upside down umbrella wires all the way up the stalks- growing in a clump formation- with grass type seed coming off of the stalk where the blade met the stalk.

Another grass? type plant was 4-5' tall, in a clump formation, with a tube like stalk and a 8-12" round strucure almost like an expolding firework at the top of the stalk, similar to a GY-MORMUS allium- except the tips of the ball structure had grass type seeds swaying on tiny little stems. This thing was impressive!!

The tree had seed pods like small not quite ripe bananas! It had small little leaves growing opposite each other with a single leave at the tip of the leaf "stalk" which came off of the main branch-

And no- just in case you were wondering after reading this- there were not any mind altering substances set loose at work today- These things are real and growing in Saint Louis Park for all to see- and gather seeds from....

Any ideas what these may be?

Thanks so much!

Julie

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Comments (8)

zenpotter
17 years ago
Julie,

Since no one seems to know maybe you should go back with your camera. I would love to see them, they sound great.

Pauline
Julie
Original Author
17 years ago
Yeah- I did a drive by at lunch today- and thought the same thing....
Does any one know of a link for identifing grass? I know there are tree ones out there...
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Julie
Original Author
17 years ago
This looks like the small grass;
www.istockphoto.com/.../8/1060878/Papyrus_3.html
It looks like the large grass with the ball on top is a tall egyptian papyrus- and the tree just may be a Kentucky coffee tree... with still unripe pods hanging on and off the tree.
Who knew Papyrus would grow in a container as opposed to a swamp/pond!
leftwood
17 years ago
I would think Kentucky coffee tree pods would look a LOT more like giant lima or soy bean pods. They are not round like a banana, and have two definite seems like a bean or pea pod. If it is a Kentucky coffee tree, you will also find that each leaf is actually twice compound, with the entire leaf (composed of maybe 50 leaflets easily) being 1.5-2.5ft long. A very worthy tree though. I have a male and female in my yard.
zenpotter
17 years ago
Julie, The link tells me it has expired, but I did look up egyptian papyrus and it is really nice. I may just try that. The Kentucky coffee tree is to remember for the future it is a bit big for my small yard.
Julie
Original Author
17 years ago
I think the smaller grass resembles a "silk" papyrus- at least in the pictures I saw I noted several similarities-
And the google images of the Kentucky coffee tree did show one with a fat roundish green small banana shaped pod still hanging in the tree- although many more showed a flat(er)dried brown bean pod looking thing off of the tree- Maybe as this ages- it will flatten- and darken- just like green beans in the garden do... The leaf structure was very similar- I did not note the bark though...
lazyweeder
17 years ago
Just a guess, but the smaller one sounds like it could be squirrel tail grass.
Julie
Original Author
17 years ago
I think it is this- although it was short......
Umbrella Plant, Umbrella Papyrus, Umbrella Palm (Cyperus involucratus)
The squirrel tail is nice too- it looks like what my daughter would call "tickle grass"!