היומן של juan_sphex

Cuando llega la primavera en el mediterráneo, algunas de las plantas más comunes, pero que también llaman más la atención con sus grandes flores de textura apapelada, de color blanco, rosado o amarillo, según la especie, son lo que comúnmente se conoce como jaras. Pertenecen a la familia Cistaceae, dentro de la cual podemos encontrar los géneros Cistus, Tuberaria, Helianthemum... entre otros. Están perfectamente adaptadas a los calurosos veranos y largos periodos de sequía, y algunas son capaces de crecer en suelos pobres y drenados. Estas características sobresalen especialmente en la "jara pringosa" (Cistus ladanifer), debido a su resiliencia, capacidad para colonizar, y sus hojas angostas y coriáceas, cubiertas por una sustancia gomosa, aromática, y pegajosa conocida como ládano. El ládano reduce la perdida de agua en las hojas, pero también es inflamable. Esta cualidad le es útil a la jara pringosa ya que es una planta pirófita. Cuando se produce un incendio, las duras semillas de la jara, que antes se encontraban "adormecidas", se abren y germinan. Al encontrarse en un terreno amplio, abierto, y con poca competición, son capaces de formar matorrales casi monoespecíficos de gran extensión, y de allí su éxito.

¡Os invito a conocer algunas de nuestras especies de jaras en nuestro arboreto, seguro que os sorprenderá su belleza!

Cistus ladanifer

Cistus albidus

Aguayo-Villalba, A.Á., Álvarez-Gómez, C.M., Aisa-Ahmed, M. et al. Effect of fire on viability and germination behaviour of Cistus ladanifer and Cistus salvifolius seeds. Folia Geobot 56, 215–225 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12224-022-09405-2

https://antropocene.it/es/2023/01/08/cistus-ladanifer-3/

Troia, A., & Laguna, E. (2015). On the pyrophytism in the Mediterranean area. Journal of Arid Environments, 120, 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JARIDENV.2015.04.003

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cistus_ladanifer

It's gall week! Which means that specially now I should get back to business. I haven't found many new galls, only Plagiotrochus quercusilicis for now. Fortunately it was a very surprising one, keep reading to find out. I'll see if I can go for a short walk on Wednesday, and am planning on finding some Quercus pyrenaica or Q. faginea trees this weekend. I'll also be exploring my university's arboretum for galls and miners. unfortunately I wasn't able to find this Andricus gall again.

Gall 1: Contarinia ilicis on Quercus rotundifolia
Date: April 15
Taste: Virtually none, like licking wood again. Maybe too small and dry to be able to detect anything.
Texture: Slightly woody, seems to have a "lid" that breaks off more easily than the base of the "pyramid".
Smell: None noticed.
Notes: Another unremarkable one, but I didn't expect much from this one.

Gall 2: Plagiotrochus quercusilicis on Quercus rotundifolia
Date: April 12 (Flower gall), April 15 (Leaf gall)
Taste: One of the most unique ones so far, it actually tasted like something this time. There isn't any appreciable difference between the leaf gall and the flower gall, unless you eat the flowers as well. The taste is oddly familiar but can't quite pin it down, closest thing I can think is of unripe redcurrant (Ribes rubrum) berries, or whatever is known as "grosella" in Colombia; slightly sour at first, then it just tastes like generic unripe berry flesh. My friend @katane222 described it as similar to small blackberries that you can find on Rubus shrubs in the autumn.
Texture: Perhaps as hard to bite into as a cherry. It isn't as hard on the outside as other galls. The inside is very fleshy, and has some sort of watery liquid.
Smell: Also similar to berries. Barely noticeable.
Notes: Probably the most noteworthy one so far. At the very least it is edible and doesn't taste terrible.

Gall 3: Aceria ilicis on Quercus rotundifolia
Date: April 15
Taste: I would say it has no taste at all.
Texture: This is a very primitive gall, just darkened trichomes on the underside of the leaf that are denser than usual and sometimes a bulge dorsally where the modified trichomes are. The trichome part is hairy, in a way it resembles the backside of leather, while the bulge has no taste (same as the leaf).
Smell: None, unless Quercus rotundifolia leaves have any particular smell. Could be very faint.
Notes: This one I couldn't decide how to taste it. Biting into it doesn't have much result, so it's best to directly lick the modified trichomes. Luckily no one was watching because it looks very weird.

Gall 3: Dryomyia lichtensteinii on Quercus rotundifolia
Date: April 15
Taste: Once again, dry and unremarkable, in fact it numbs your taste buds, probably some chemical defence against herbivores.
Texture: Somewhat hard, but can be easily broken down by chewing. Reminded me of peanuts.
Smell: None noticed.
Notes: Maybe the third time I've tasted this one, this time it did felt like I got proper results.