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The Mystery Paln}” _ of Salem: ,«)> S s Gtr'”â€"" can younameIt?2 | . 2. _ _____ _ _ _0 on um ~â€"~ " _ t â€" * SALEM â€" Melody Ferguson has no idea what the proper E’?:J“g,;}% 7 ),‘:4 7 ‘”?f‘i “%ifi ;"?:.; «,:.M ‘.,2 S "Latin name of her beloved "weeping palm" is but after 28 l . 99 f :% j{; ’MV‘!?Y"J kj/g &_{&; years in her keeping, she frequently refers to it as "Mom". .h e or l Z>. \.\ 4 ;‘/)“/ wfgjl 2e éi "No one‘s been able to tell what it is," she says. "And I‘ve {,:r “ J /? 5;;? 2 T s 515{:; o % ;,‘ never seen another one like it." ©o7â€"~ . Cl y o# ; A confessed "plant nut", Melody first encountered the t ’a\{;’v/ & No M â€"> AF 'Z"Ef/ . & plant in Picton. | f CuyVSL [A ate | "I was walking by a home where an 85â€"yearâ€"old woman L6 ;%‘)‘ x (Ge.C , { mellt. "{‘%% 3 was cleaning out her garden. I admired the plant, she asked ”}"‘“\ D I“: ( @i‘k A ~ me in for tea, and gave me a bulb. She never knew the proper f \ * s + 3 y t " \x};“:‘&{?} name of it either." C ';« l eX '{gz;“ e *’5%’/"{‘;"';‘ Te 4 The plant truly is unique. Every fall, the stem and foliage , s ThE ) / o ~ £ j _ s af 11 No ie e 19 die off. Melody tucks the potted bulb away in a dark place for s wl + /;«, No ‘; e VÂ¥ / L >§ 0 the winter months. Then, each spring, out of what looks like /;:;:::‘Y' ,’;’” e F %‘?Ft; ,;52’;‘ )'fi,\,‘ only a container of dirt, the palm reâ€"emerges. d '. 3| 7/%‘*‘ Apes 22) f/} 2 4: "You can almost watch it grow," Bill Ferguson says. "It , \é}{ 4) C-’;fi % e 2 J.nf?:;\\\ will grow three to four inches overnight." YE M .A 5,:%{‘1‘3 { The pulpy stem, mottled like a boa constrictor, shoots up : es § VAE " e * and the branches start forming. The leaves have no stems. . x o Instead, the sit, like a quilted applique, on the top of the The weeping palm has unusual foliage: no stems, branch structure. The green foliage was deepâ€"rutted veins directly attached to the branch of the palm plant. from a central artery. but the around the outside of the foliage, Photo by Mandy Martin like a quilted outline, another vein is formed. Each morning, when the Ferguson‘s look in at the plant in the front living room window, there are tiny drops of water on the very tips of the leaves, hence their term "weeping palm". â€" "The plant takes the water back in during the day," says Melody. % Like a multiplying lily, "Mom" has produced many. chilâ€" dren over the years. ; "I have given several smaller shoots away to people in the past, but they‘ve forgotten them in the spring and let them die. I can‘t have that. Now, I won‘t give them away because people don‘t appreciate something that‘s free. I‘ll sell them a shoot, though." Melody waits until each new plant has regrown at least two years to ensure survival before letting it go. «"Some of female and some are males," she says off the , offspring, "but I have no way of knowing which is which. The females will go on and produce new plants while the males don‘t." The plant blooms once every 20 years, and for good teaâ€" son. "It stinks," Melody says of the blossom. "It‘s a rusty y colour and smells like rotten eggs. It‘s bad. Fortunately, the bloom only lasts 48 hours and then drops off." It looks like 1999, or even the Millennium, may be marked by the weeping palm, if "Mom" honours her keepers. "I‘ve had it bloom once for me 19 years ago." The palm stands four feet high and three to four feet across, resembling an umbrella. Sensitive to sunlight, it is turned every day to ensure it grows erectly. _ > "It loves the sun, I water it twice a week in this heat, and I love it," Melody says emphatically. "I would never give it up. But, if anyone wants to come and see it, or they want a slip, T‘ll sell them one. I want people to respect it and not forget they have it." â€"â€"â€" Rieâ€"ccaariicnel & e se :f‘:\;(*:"o JYs 6" m : l 0 2 uen e / ptanidoon yikt Agke Ravee. calaal ;}.},‘,‘3'.?' /J.l'_‘\‘\v'w‘*‘:';r;}"\% '“:U “.{;-;-' E&J‘.‘; i3 t i :g:a;;%,..,;vi‘u.-a‘s:,vg:_;-j";'*?’_ B_ en‘ldl o °. otolesy Oe en ce 9 â€"~ lt iees. | # 6 e e Noice mniaed disss ce 392. 0s fo s o o c anvaate ... p=t < â€" "e s | £.. ol 3 lg‘l&%‘\_ . mss ioctocys o) â€" adlosy: . O ‘ \mi. woum 0 O e se Go .l c s > Melody Ferguson in her Salem home livinâ€" groom. Her friends regâ€" ularly contribute to her broach collection. 3