THE BOTANY OF DESIRE

Our relationship with the plant world is something we don't think about
much. But plant life has played a key role in our evolutionary development.
The relationship is one that emphasizes unity and how we all connected:
we're not separate from the environment, it is our "extended body."

Plants set the stage for our entrance, and continue to support us--although
we don't always seem to consciously want to return the favor. Of our fossil
fuel--oil, natural gas, and coal are formed from plants. Energy stored
millions of years ago, that we use today. Plants also produce oxygen from
carbon dioxide.

American food surpluses feed many hungry people all over the world. In the
Commonwealth, many people still maintain their close relationship to the
land and to plants and Ocean Life.

The relationship between human beings and other species as development
progresses is often called " co evolution".

"The Botany Of Desire"(Random House) by Michael Pollan, an avid gardener
and journalist, gives us a "Plants eye view of the world." One May
afternoon, the author suddenly looked at his garden in a different light.

"All these plants, which I've always regarded as the objects of my desire
were also, I realized, subjects acting on me, getting me to do for them
they couldn't do for themselves."

Pollan then give as examples of how this process of co evolution has worked
for the benefit of man and four plants: the Apple, tulip, hemp (cannabis,
or marijuana), and the potato.

Johnny Appleseed

The apples which populated America in the 1800's by virtue of " Johnny
Appleseed" were not the luscious, shiny and red ones we see today in the
supermarket. They were small and green and sour. John Chapman, who later
became known as " Johnny Appleseed" was an eccentric who wore a burlap
sack, and tin pot for a hat. He was an eccentric, but a very smart eccentric.

He managed to precede settlers moving west planting apple orchards along
riverbanks one or two years in advance from Pennsylvania westward. When
settlers arrived, he sold them small apple trees for their farms and
ranches, thus populating a great portion of North America. The irony here,
of course, is that those apples were too sour to eat--but that was not
their intended use--green apples made great apple cider.

This could be made into a mild alcoholic beverage in great demand for
thirsty settlers. During the early 1900's the apple industry began to
polish its image, fearful of the propaganda from the temperance movement.
"An Apple a day, keeps the doctor away. " was developed just for that purpose.

Beauty and Survival

Let's move on to the tulip, a flower much prized by humans for primarily
one desirable feature: its beauty. In fact, from the years 1634 to 1637, it
was the subject of a speculative frenzy in Holland that was almost
disastrous to its economy.

The decorative aspect of flowers has a very practical benefit: humans were
attracted to food plants that produce memorable flowers, allowing them to
remember this site, and eventually to collect, plant, and harvest them. So,
in a sense, a flowers attractiveness is a survival mechanism--and in the
case of the tulip, a highly successful one.

Smoking Rope

Marijuana, known by several names, including cannabis has been much desired
because of its ability to intoxicate the user. It was first no less a good
source of fibrous material to produce rope but then some inquisitive
experimenter discovered it had other interesting qualities.

"When the natural history of cannabis is written, the American drug war
will loom as one of its most important chapters, on a par with the
introduction of cannabis to the Americas by African slaves say, or the
ancient Scythians discovery that hemp could be smoked."

The modern war on marijuana during the Carter Administration produced a
reaction--a revolution in the culture of the plant which led to its
development into a much more powerful version. Today the plant is
cultivated in closed rooms under bright lights with other special treatment
which produces highly potent flower buds. The author reports that today
Class A marijuana goes for $500 an ounce, as opposed to 40 years ago when
it had a street price it of $100 per kilo.

Pollan also discusses the effects of marijuana intoxication, and whether it
intoxication comes directly from the substance, or rather facilitates that
capability already present in the brain. More about that in another column.

Fries with that?

Finally, we come to the lowly potato, and an interesting discussion about
genetic modification (GM) of food. McDonald's food chain is the largest
purchaser of potatoes in the world. And McDonald's only buys the best, to
produce those very attractive fries that look like a bundle of yellow
flowers in a bouquet.

But producing such a potato is difficult and using conventional wisdom
requires spraying potato fields with some of the most toxic chemicals now
in use.

One of those chemicals, called "Monitor" is a deadly chemical, known to
damage the human nervous system. "I won't go into a field for five days
after it's been sprayed--not even to fix a broken pivot." said one grower.
Conversely, an organic farmer said he could eat any potato in his field
"right now".

Consequently producing the perfect potato for sale to McDonald's and other
large industry is a prime mover behind GM. For example: the Monsanto
Corporation has produced a potato, the "NewLeaf" which contains a gene and
that makes the potato poisonous to its traditional enemy and pest the
Colorado potato beetle.

Is a newLeaf potato food or a pesticide?

So, GM may reduce the need for some poisonous chemicals. But fooling
"Mother Nature" usually has its reaction--development of counter
measures--and Monsanto admits that this product may only be good for 20
years or so.

What is even more interesting--if not outright disturbing is the fact that
these GM plants are not studied or tested by the FDA for their effects on
humans. Why" Because the FDA does not consider them "food" but a pesticide,
and therefore under the jurisdiction of the EPA.

The EPA says that since the pesticide (Bt) has always been safe, and the
potato is a safe food, "you've got something that should be safe both to
eat and to kill bugs with."

Strictly a personal view. Farley is executive director of the Public Way
Institute.