Adiantum capillus-veneris

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John

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Adiantum capillus-veneris
« on: September 26, 2011, 07:34:03 PM »
This is a lovely Mediterranean fern which is incredibly common hanging on in the most unlikely places as long as there is enough moisture. Here's a picture of it looking quite natural and could be in any cave entrance but the second picture reveals that it is growing in a man made structure built into the side of the hill on the Cornish side of the river Tamar below the gardens of Cotele which apparently was the first national Trust porperty. I believe it is a British native as well!
John
Horticulturist, photographer, author, garden designer and plant breeder; MGS member and RHS committee member. I garden at home in SW London and also at work in South London.

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Alisdair

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Re: Adiantum capillus-veneris
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2011, 07:51:37 PM »
John, You managed to put this topic on twice  ??? so I've chopped out the twin.
Yes, a lovely fern, and so much tougher than it looks!
Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society

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John

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Re: Adiantum capillus-veneris
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2011, 08:00:03 PM »
Well that's this forum for you. Thanks.
John
Horticulturist, photographer, author, garden designer and plant breeder; MGS member and RHS committee member. I garden at home in SW London and also at work in South London.

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MikeHardman

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Re: Adiantum capillus-veneris
« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2011, 08:22:58 PM »
I've seen some lovely specimens in the Avgas Gorge in western Cyprus. (yes, Avgas, can be spelled multiple ways)
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

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John

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Re: Adiantum capillus-veneris
« Reply #4 on: September 27, 2011, 07:57:06 AM »
Does that mean gorge of the eggs?
John
Horticulturist, photographer, author, garden designer and plant breeder; MGS member and RHS committee member. I garden at home in SW London and also at work in South London.

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MikeHardman

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Re: Adiantum capillus-veneris
« Reply #5 on: September 27, 2011, 08:09:34 AM »
I can't deny that translation, John.
It can also be spelled Avakas.
I can't think of connection with eggs, apart from the gorge being like a crack in an eggshell.
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

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John J

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Re: Adiantum capillus-veneris
« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2011, 08:37:03 AM »
Mike, your spelling is a new one to me, I've always known it as the Avakas Gorge although it has occasionally been transliterated as Avagas. This is a constant problem when converting Greek to English. Several years ago they changed all the road signs that had been in use for decades because they thought our European visitors would find them easier to pronounce. For example Paphos became Pafos. Fair enough I see the reasoning behind that. However, how can something like Yermosoya (pronounced just as it looks) be improved by changing it to Germosogeia? Also all the saints suddenly turned from being Ayia/Ayios (again pronounced as seen) and became Agia/Agios.
Nice try, John, but I don't think it will stand up to scrutiny. It's named after the river Avakas that cut it.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John

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Re: Adiantum capillus-veneris
« Reply #7 on: September 27, 2011, 08:47:51 AM »
I didn't think it would be "Egg gorge". In eastern Crete there is the Havgas gorge.
John
Horticulturist, photographer, author, garden designer and plant breeder; MGS member and RHS committee member. I garden at home in SW London and also at work in South London.

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MikeHardman

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Re: Adiantum capillus-veneris
« Reply #8 on: September 27, 2011, 09:17:52 AM »
JohnJ,

I would not normally be picky on this, but I have to comment that the gorge being called the same as the river is a bit of a chicken and egg situation :)

Sometimes what I do in these situations (multiple possible spellings) is to compare hits on a Google search. In this case:
- Avgas gorge: 340,000
- Avagas gorge: 8,620
- Avakas gorge: 11,000
- Avkas gorge: 2,410
- Avgas river: 361,000
- Avagas river: 803,000
- Avakas river: 17,500
- Avkas river: 1,020
Obviously, it is very crude, and prone to various sorts of errors depending on your search terms, but sometimes it is better than nothing.
In this case, it suggests Avgas or Avagas is more commonly used than the others. But for some years, I (like you) had thought Avakas was correct.
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

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Alisdair

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Re: Adiantum capillus-veneris
« Reply #9 on: September 27, 2011, 09:33:56 AM »
In situations like that, I'd always take the knowledge and word of the two people on the spot who've known the place for years - in this case, John and Mike - against 803,000 Google references! The ease of googling things so often stands in the way of that sort of real knowledge.  :) :)
Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society

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John

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Re: Adiantum capillus-veneris
« Reply #10 on: September 27, 2011, 09:52:09 AM »
Oh dear what have I started!!!!!
John
Horticulturist, photographer, author, garden designer and plant breeder; MGS member and RHS committee member. I garden at home in SW London and also at work in South London.

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John J

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Re: Adiantum capillus-veneris
« Reply #11 on: September 27, 2011, 01:37:49 PM »
Actually, Mike, I guess if we took it to the logical conclusion there is no correct way of spelling it in English as all spellings are someone's idea of how it should be transliterated from Greek. Possibly the only really correct spelling is Φαραγγι του Αβακα.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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MikeHardman

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Re: Adiantum capillus-veneris
« Reply #12 on: September 27, 2011, 09:41:18 PM »
Well said John!
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

Hilary

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Re: Adiantum capillus-veneris
« Reply #13 on: September 28, 2011, 10:42:48 AM »
Hilary
Do you know what άβακας means?
Husband
Yes it's the thing the Chinese count on
The Greek dictionary gives another two meanings of the word.
Nothing to do with plants but I did enjoy the discussion
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care