Under My Umberella-ella ella eh eh eh

     Cyperus alternifolius, with the common names of umbrella papyrus, umbrella sedge or umbrella palm, is a grass-like plant in the very large genus Cyperus of the sedge family, Cyperaceae.  The common names for this species all contain the word Umbrella, undoubtedly because each stem is topped by 12 to 20 leafy bracts that droop in all directions from the stem apex giving the distinct appearance of an umbrella.

     The plant is native to Madagascar, in the Indian Ocean off Africa.

     Cultivation - Cyperus alternifolius is frequently cultivated as an ornamental plant worldwide. It is planted in gardens in the ground, pots, and in ponds, and as a house plant. It is hardy to USDA Zones: 9a-11b.

     The umbrella plant is just one species of over 600 in the genus Cyperus. Like most of its Cyperus relatives, this plant inhabits marshes, ponds, or slow moving streams, growing to a height of 1 ½ to 3 feet. It is a perennial in its native habitat, but when grown in areas having seasons with freezing temperatures, it is treated as an annual or grown indoors. The Umbrella plant was introduced into worldwide cultivation about 200 years ago for use in water gardens and as a potted plant.

     Besides propagation by seed, the Umbrella plant has an unusual means of vegetative reproduction. The plant’s stems are relatively weak and tend to crimp and bend over when subjected to even the slightest pressure. This results in the stem apex and leaves being submerged in water, or at least contacting the moist marsh soil. Soon after, the bent stem sends out roots and shoots from beneath its leaves, establishing a new plant. This can be easily duplicated at home by cutting a whole stem from the plant, removing the leaf tips and lower stem to make it more manageable, and placing what remains upside down in a glass of water. One can follow the development of the new plant over the next several weeks. Eventually potted into soil, the plant will grow rapidly into a graceful specimen. It is perfect for the indoor gardener who overwaters, since the Umbrella plant requires a saturated soil and does best if a saucer placed under the pot is kept filled with water.

     Special thanks to my neighbor who gifted me this plant, while simultaneously making me aware of yet another famous Extracted Resemblance.

Sources :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_alternifolius
http://faculty.ucc.edu/biology-ombrello/POW/umbrella_plant.htm
http://natureloveyou.sg/Cyperus%20alternifolius/Main.html

I Lost My Train of Thought

     A train is a connected series of rail vehicles propelled along a track to transport cargo or passengers. It is the "connected series" of the train that resembles the "connected series" of thoughts and as a result has given rise to the phrase "Train of Thought".

     The train of thought, stream of thought', chain of thought or trail of thought (Sarah Rickards) refers to the interconnection in the sequence of ideas expressed during a connected discourse or thought, as well as the sequence itself, especially in discussion how this sequence leads from one idea to another.

     When a reader or listener "loses the train of thought" (i.e., loses the relation between consecutive sentences or phrases, or the relation between non-verbal concepts in an argument or presentation), comprehension is lost of the expressed or unexpressed thought.

     The term "train of thoughts" was introduced and elaborated as early as in 1651 by Thomas Hobbes in his Leviathan.

     For your entertainment, I have included this link to a fun word game called Train of Thought:  http://www.wordgames.com/train-of-thought.html

Sources :
Wikipedia
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/56835/train-of-thought

Happy Easter! Speaking of Hares...

     Happy Easter! Speaking of hares.... Replica Report looks at the word Harelip: (Medicine / Pathology) a congenital cleft or fissure in the midline of the upper lip, resembling the cleft upper lip of a hare, often occurring with cleft palate.
      Cleft lip (cheiloschisis) and cleft palate (palatoschisis), which can also occur together as cleft lip and palate, are variations of a type of clefting congenital deformity caused by abnormal facial development during gestation. A cleft is a fissure or opening—a gap. It is the non-fusion of the body's natural structures that form before birth. Approximately 1 in 700 children born have a cleft lip or a cleft palate or both. In decades past, the condition was sometimes referred to as harelip, based on the similarity to the cleft in the lip of a hare, but that term is now generally considered to be offensive.
Source : Wikipedia