Scurfy, Spike and Tubular

I’m supplementing my human art education with an education of how Mother Nature creates. I’m taking a four week course on plants. She is quite a master.

Of course, four weeks is not not nearly long enough to become an expert on anything, but the goal of this class is to help us learn how to “botanize”, as the teacher puts it. On Tuesday night we had a crash course in plant vocabulary to help us think about, and categorize, the many ways in which plants can be differentiated. I already knew about leaf configurations and a bit about veining and leaf margins, but I had no idea there are so many words to describe the texture of a leaf or stem surface. Scurfy is a new favorite. It means rough to the touch or scaly. It’s typically used to describe leaves but I’m going to try to figure out a way to incorporate it into a sentence. Do you think, “My skin will look scurfy if I forget to moisturize” works?

I’m looking forward to fields awash with color and blossoms.