#martynia

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Yellow Unicorn Plant (Ibicella lutea) is a type of Devil's Claw or Martynia native to South America, but now also grows in California's central valley and the Southwest United States, Florida and Southern Africa. It's stinky leaves exude a resin that traps and kills bugs, but doesn't eat them - it is considered protocarnivorous. The young green pods can be pockled like okra, and the dried claw-like seed pods, designed to attach to large animals for seed distribution, are used by indigenous North Americans (such as the Tohono O'odham) as black thread for basket weaving. #ibicellalutea #martynia #devilsclaw #yellowunicornplant #protocarnivorous #basketweaving (at South West Philadelphia)

I feel like Devil's Claw might enjoy this Zora Neale Huston quote: "I love myself when I am laughing...and then again when I am looking mean and impressive". This Martynia lousianica is a beautiful source of black thread for the baskets of the Tohono O'odham (who domesticated this species) and pickled pods for the pickler; as a hooked hanger-on to mammoths and hooved animals; and as an impressive and mean proto carnivorous plant, stopping flies and beetles in their tracks on its sticky and stinky leaves: killing them but not eating them. 

Martynia, aka Devil's Claw (Proboscidea lousianica). Stinky, impressive, beautiful. Indigenous basket weavers throughout the Southwest, including the Tohono O'odham, use the 'claws' of the dried pods as black threads. The young green pods can be pickled like okra. The seeds, though hard to extract from the dried pods, taste like sunflower seeds. I also ordered a Tohono O'odham domesticated Devil's Claw from Native Seeds/SEARCH this year with 15 inch claws. Don't know how they'll do in our wet summers, but stay tuned and I'll tell you all about it.

Meet Martynia annua. This plant is often called the “Devil’s Claw” because of its small, 2-pronged seed pods that attach themselves (often painfully) to larger animals. It is a member of the proto-carnivorous Proboscidea family, and as such, every single surface of this plant is covered in sticky hairs. That, combined with a constantly emitted fungal smell, attracts many small/weak insects. Those bugs are captured, die, and are digested by Martynia’s best friends--Cyrtopeltis bugs. Cyrtopeltis is immune to the sticky nature of Martynia, and in fact “fertilizes” the plant with its droppings! Combine that with Martynia’s beautiful flowers and the fact that it is a “lost crop”--it’s immature seed pods can be picked and eaten like okra (apparently they taste like garlic-y okra)--and you have one cool plant!!