Saturday, March 21, 2009

Giant Green Bunny Ears: Another Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract Mystery

Photo:Diane Edwardson, March 13, 2009. Mystery plant on the lower plateau of the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

When you walk onto the lower plateau of the proposed subdivision in the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract, from Allesandro and El Moran St., you'll see giant green bunny ears poke out of the knee-high grass. The plants have very thick, heavily veined leaves, about 3 feet tall. A dozen or more are concentrated in the flat sunny area closer to Rosebud Ave. and Sunflower Ave.

The plant doesn't seem to grow anywhere else in the entire Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract. Nor do they grow on the Red Car Property. Perhaps they migrated down from the upper slope, from Paul Landacre's garden. Landacre professed love of "mundane pursuits," like gardening. Or, they might be remnants from when the Semi Topic Spiritualists' used the large central lot as a communal garden.

From the photo, a neighbor speculates the plant might be a type of mustard green. If you can help identify this or any other plant we highlight here, please contact us: redcarproperty@gmail.com.

This month, we're taking a close-up view of the natural beauty of our neighborhood. All Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract photographs published on the Corralitas Red Car Property Blog in March 2009, are of plants growing on the 3 large lots destined for destruction, if a developer gains final approval of his proposed subdivision.

Neighbors will be back in front of City Council's PLUM Committee on March 24, 2009.