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PAGE 6A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. JANUARY 14. 2021
Mystery Plant 601 — "Winter grapefern," Sceptridium lunarioides
Who would have thought
that such a mud-loving plant
could produce something so
interesting?
The chop-sticks give a
clue that this is edible. These
circular things are the dried
cross-sections of the rhi
zomes of our Mystery Plant.
These wheel-looking morsels
are full of starch and can be
purchased either dried or
canned. We had some the
other day: the dried form.
Once they are rehydrated
they are pliable and soft, and
lend themselves beautifully
to a savory stir-fry. Add some
other veggies and maybe
chicken or tofu, lots of black
pepper and some soy sauce.
And maybe a chopped
jalapeno. Top it off with
toasted sesame seeds.
Yummy.
Of course, we already
know that a “rhizome” is an
underground stem, usually
horizontal. Rhizomes are
good at producing new
plants, when the situations
present themselves, because
rhizomes bear plenty of buds,
just like aerial stems do.
Most of the time, rhizomes
are more or less solid, but in
this case, the rhizome is
equipped with extensive, hol
low air canals. And what kind
of plant might benefit from
air-canal-filled rhizomes?
Why, an aquatic plant, of
course. And our Mystery
Plant is indeed an aquatic
species.
It is a perennial, arising
from its massive rhizomes
which are firmly embedded
in deep, mucky mud of a
pond or slowly moving
stream. The rhizomes give
rise to stunning leaves, each
one on a long, erect, rough
ened stalk (the petiole, of
course) and topped with a
flat, circular blade. The peti
ole connects to the very cen
ter of the blade, and this
resembles a parasol, up to
10” across or so.
Following the leaves, a
given rhizome will produce
one or more flowering stalks.
These stalks (also rough
ened) are without leaves
themselves: such a stalk is
called a scape. (Another good
example of a scape would be
the “stem” of a daffodil).
Each scape will bear a single
flower, all the way at the top.
A football shaped, green bud
will eventually open up, al
lowing the flower’s 15 or so
exquisitely pink (sometimes
white) tepals to spread open.
The center of the flower
bears a lot (often more than
100) stamens, and several
pistils, with each pistel em
bedded in a flattened recepta
cle. At maturity, the tepals
have all fallen away, and the
receptacle swells a bit into a
conical shape, with very
hard, spheroideal seeds em
bedded in it tissue.
These seeds are amazing
for their longevity, easily
sprouting after 100 years of
dormancy. Some reports indi
cate that they may still be
good after several centuries.
The entire plant, in addi
tion to the rhizomes, has been
used since antiquity in central
and eastern Asia, where it is
native, in various ways. But
it is the extraordinary blos
soms which make this
species so special: a plant
which can resurrect itself
from quiet mud, into some
thing resplendent and almost
sacred.
(By the way, the seeds
will sprout of scarified, and
sometimes the rhizomes are
available for planting. Be
aware that if happy enough,
this plant can be invasive.)
John Nelson is the retired
curator of the A. C. Moore
Herbarium at the University
of South Carolina, in the De
partment of Biological Sci
ences, Columbia SC 29208.
As a public service, the
Herbarium offers free plant
identifications. For more in
formation, visit www.herbar-
ium.org or call
803-777-8196, or email nel-
son@sc.edu.
(Photo by John Nelson.)
©JohnNelson2021
THURSDAY. JANUARY 14. 2021 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 7A
Georgia pump prices increase 6 cents
Georgia average
price per gallon
$2.16 (+ .06^)
Georgia gas prices in
creased at the pump com
pared to a week ago.
Georgia motorists are now
paying an average price of
$2.16 per gallon for regular
unleaded gasoline. Mon
day's state average is 6 cents
more than a week ago, 16
cents more than last month,
and 29 cents less than this
time last year.
It now costs motorists
$32.40 to fill a 15-gallon
tank of gasoline; that is
$4.50 less than what mo
torists paid in January of
2020, when pump prices hit
their peak of $2.46 per gal
lon.
“Pump prices increased
for Georgians this week,”
said Montrae Waiters,
spokeswoman, AAA - The
Auto Club Group. “If total
domestic crude supply con
tinues to drop, crude prices
could continue to increase
and push pump prices
higher.”
National average in
creases as crude oil prices
climb despite plummeting
demand
Since Monday of last
week, the national average
for a gallon of regular gaso
line has increased by 6 cents
to $2.31. Pump prices have
increased despite gas de
mand falling from 8.1 mil
lion barrels a day to 7.4
million barrels a day — the
lowest level recorded since
the end of May 2020 — and
total domestic supply in
creasing by 4.5 million bar
rels to 241.1 million barrels
last week, according to new
data from the Energy Infor
mation Administration
(EIA). Domestic crude
prices climbing above $50
per barrel and growing total
refinery utilization, which
increased from 79 percent
to 81 percent in the latest
EIA weekly report, have
contributed to higher pump
prices. If crude prices con
tinue to stay above $50 per
barrel alongside higher re
finery utilization rates, driv
ers could see pump prices
continue to climb, which is
unusual given that low win
ter gas demand typically
pushes prices to their lowest
point of the year.
At the close of last
Thursday’s formal trading
session, WTI increased by
20 cents to settle at $50.83.
Crude prices have increased
this week after Saudi Arabia
announced that it would cut
its crude production by 1
million barrels a day in Feb
ruary and March after the
Organization of the Petro
leum Exporting Countries
met with its partners, in
cluding Russia and Kaza
khstan, to discuss their
ongoing production reduc
tion agreement. Addition
ally, increasing crude prices
were supported by EIA’s
weekly report revealing that
total domestic crude inven
tories decreased by 8 mil
lion barrels to 485.5 million
barrels last week.
Regional Prices
Atlanta ($2.17)
Most expensive Georgia
metro markets - Brunswick,
($2.36), Hinesville-Fort
Stewart ($2.22), and Savan
nah ($2.20).
Least expensive Georgia
metro markets - Rome
($2.09), Warner Robins
($2.10), and Catoosa-Dade-
Walker ($2.12).
Kemp urges patience
amid slow COVID-19
vaccine
Gov. Brian Kemp is asking
Georgians for patience as state
officials push to distribute
around 11,500 doses per day
of the slow-arriving COVID-
19 vaccine to health-care
workers, nursing homes and
people aged 65 and older in
some parts of the state.
At a news conference Jan.
8, Kemp said Georgia’s vac
cine distribution program is
“making steady progress” but
is still constrained by the lim
ited number of doses the state
has received so far. He expects
distribution “will be ramped
up” in the coming weeks.
“I’m pleased with how hard
everybody’s working, but I’m
not happy with where we are,”
Kemp said. “We’ve got to
keep moving the needle.
We’re working on that every
single day.”
rollout
The governor said local
health departments have been
swamped with requests to
book appointments after he
and Georgia Public Health
Commissioner Dr. Kathleen
Toomey broadened which
Georgians can receive the vac
cine to people 65-years of age
and older, police and firefight
ers.
Georgia’s rollout has been
complicated by large demand
for vaccines from health-care
workers in metro Atlanta com
pared to hospitals and clinics
in more rural parts of the state,
where Kemp said some front
line workers have refused to
take the vaccine. He called
their reluctance “unimagin
able” and urged everyone to
get the vaccine once it’s avail
able.
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Goat Vineyards ^
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Election Day C
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7PM Karaoke @ Rocco’s
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10AM-12PM Quilting Guild @ Rec. A A
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10AM -1 PM Drive thru food min
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Group @ Pickens Community Cen- 1
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8PM SlickFoot @ Rocco’s Pub
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@ Rec. Center I \J
11AM-3PM Tours @ the Old Jail
Downtown Jasper
1:30-5:30PM Live Music by Teddy Baker
@ Fainting Goat Vineyards
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8PM Grey Street Band @ Rocco’s Pub
1:30-5:30PM Live Music by Lind- 1 7
say Beth Harper @ Fainting Goat 1 '
Vineyards
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Boone @ Chateau Meichtry Vineyards
2PM Jason Lee & James County @
Rocco’s Pub
Martin Luther King Jr. Holi- 1 ft
day
7PM Trivia @ Rocco’s
5:30PM Yoga Balance Focus A Q
with Karen @ Pickens Rec. Cen- 1
ter ($5 per class or $25 for a pun
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7PM Karaoke @ Rocco’s
Noon Jasper Rotary @ Chatt Tech y ft
7PM Larry Griffith @ Rocco’s PutA 'J
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Karen @ Pickens Rec. Center ($5 f I
per class or $25 for a punchard
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Lose Group @ Pickens Commu- f f
nity Center, Room#1
8PM Whiskey Stills & Mash @ Rocco’s
Pub
8AM Yoga Core Focus with Karen O Q
@ Rec. Center f O
11AM-3PM Tours @ the Old Jail
Downtown Jasper
1:30-5:30PM Live Music by Stephen
Crowsen @ Fainting Goat Vineyards
1:30-5:30PM Live Music with Adrian
Stover @ Chateau Meichtry Vineyards
7PM Tater Patch Annual Meeting @ Tarer
Patch Theater, 95 Philadelphia Rd.
8PM Mad Margritt @ Rocco’s Pub
1:30-5:30PM Live Music by Thun-Q^
dergypsy Unplugged @ Faintingfit
Goat Vineyards
1:30-5:30PM Live Music with Andrew
Weaver @ Chateau Meichtry Vineyards
5:30PM Cardio Intervals with Karen Q C
@ Pickens Rec. Center ($5 per f \J
class or $25 for a punchard with 6
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7PM Trivia @ Rocco’s
5:30PM Yoga Back Care with Oft
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with 6 classes)
7PM Karaoke @ Rocco’s
Noon Jasper Rotary @ Chatt Tech A "7
7PM Jessie Albright Duo (
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10AM-12PM Quilting Guild @ Rec. A A
Center
5:30PM Yoga Pilates Fusion with
Karen @ Pickens Rec. Center ($5 per
class or $25 for a punchard with 6 classes)
9AM Choose to Lose Weight Lose A A
Group @ Pickens Community Cen-^ ^
ter, Room#1
8PM Them Mixon Boys @ Rocco’s Pub
8AM Yoga Core Focus with Karen A A
@ Rec. Center y) U
11AM-3PM Tours @ the Old Jail
Downtown Jasper
1:30-5:30PM Live Music by Randy Dobson
@ Fainting Goat Vineyards
1:30-5:30PM Live Music with Matty Croxon
@ Chateau Meichtry Vineyards
2PM Still Truckin @ Rocco’s Pub
1:30-5:30PM Live Music by Andrew A A
Weaver @ Fainting Goat Vineyards |
1:30-5:30PM Live Music with Megan
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