Would you believe me???

Searching for bot-blips I headed to the Irving Centre Conservatory.

When I first arrived at Acadia I collaborated with Sam Vander Kloet (sadly passed on in 2011), one of the most knowledgeable blueberry people on the planet. In the botanical world, being the "world expert" on a group of plants is a big deal. Sam spent his entire career travelling the world trying to understand how a seemingly disparate group of plants are evolutionarily related.

My blip today is Macleania pentaptera from Ecuador. Sam collected seed at some point in the 70's, and today the plant is a strapping 7' tall monster. Probably the craziest fact about this particular species is that it's fairly closely related to blueberries (Vaccinium). For those familiar with blueberry flowers and fruit, you probably find this hard to believe. The other crazy fact is that these plants are epiphytes in their native range. That means that they grow, non-parasitically, in the branch crotch of various tree species in Ecuador.

A few fun facts to consider as you enjoy your blueberry pancakes/crepes on a Saturday morning...

PS: The clear drops near the base of the flowers are droplets of nectar from "extra-floral nectaries." WTF?? You ask. That's for a later blip...