COMING EVENTS

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* NOTICE OF CHANGE OF MEETING PLACE *

* Once again the Natural History Society has outgrown its meeting quarters. * * Beginning in December, meetings will be held in the Coles Building (the

old Court House) next door to Province House. Use the Richmond Street * entrance. *

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DECEMBER MEETING. On Tue., Dec. 6, at 8 p.m. Jim Hornby will speak on The Bare Facts: The Story of Bears on P.E.I. Jim has recently done considerable research into the history of bears on the Isalnd so it should be a most interesting talk. (Watch for his article on the same topic in the December issue of the Island Magazine.) Don't forget that the meeting will be held in the Coles Building, next door to Province House. Use the Richmond Street entrance.

JANUARY MEETING. The annual meeting of the P.E.I. Natural History Society will

be held on Tue., Jan. 10 at 8 p.m. in the Coles Building. (Note the change to

the second Tuesday of the month for the January meeting only.) Guest speaker will be Andy Dean, one of the best nature photographers in the.province. Appropriately, his presentation will be about one of the most beautiful places known, Prince Edward Island. ‘

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS. Dates have been set as follows: P.E.I. National Park - Sat., Dec. 17; Hillsborough Count - Tue., Dec. 27; and Montague Count - Mon., Jan. 2. See elsewhere in this issue for details.

ANOTHER PLANT SPECIES NEW TO P.E.I.

by R.B. MacLaren, Charlottetown

BORAGE (Borago officinalis)

This plant was found in waste land at the end of an abandoned garden plot at the Research Station on Sept. 24, 1983. Only three plants were found and, of these, only one had a single blossom remaining. The plant is about a foot high, quite hairy, the leaves alternate and entire, that is not toothed. The bloom is about three-quarters of an inch in diameter, bright blue, star-shaped with the calyx deeply five cleft. The area will be watched closely next summer in the hope of securing better specimens. '

Roland and Smith give it only passing attention but Euell Gibbon, an authority on medicinal herbs, regarded it very highly. As a matter of fact he admits to cheating a little by planting Borage in his orchard so he would be assured of a plentiful supply. He suggests many uses for it. The leaves may be added to a tossed salad, used as a supplement to lemonade and other drinks, and both jam and jelly can be made from both leaves and flowers.

Again the identification was verified by Dr. Paul Catling of the Biosystematics Institute, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa.

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