I was chatting tonight in gmail chat with a friend of mine who has an Etsy shop (Canopic Works). The cards they sell are favorites of botanist friends of mine. She mentioned some of the new card new designs she's working on, including corpse flower cards, and then mentioned they're working on a set of "fantastical" cards featuring old illustrations of things like (supposed) man-eating plants etc. And something called the "Vegetable Lamb of Tartary".
The who in the what now?!!?
Yes, the Vegetable Lamb of Tartary:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable_Lamb_of_Tartary
In that article it mentions that the Garden Museum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_Garden_History) has a plant "under glass" that might have been some of the inspiration for the Veggie Lamb. I visited that museum, housed in a de-consecrated church, when I was in London in 2007. Alas, I do not recall that plant. I do remember the graves of the Royal Gardeners at the Museum. Also buried at the church that is now the Garden Museum? William Bligh,
Captain of the Bounty.
I can't stop saying "Vegetable Lamb of Tartary".
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