The Edge of Knowing

My Take on Research as a Machine of Science, Technology, Development, & Innovation Cristy E. Davalos, Writer and Researcher for Materials Library Expansion A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY My experience as a Researcher for MATICHUB’s Materials Library Expansion was like a voyage of discovery into a new and strange land where I learned a lot after…

Exploring Scotland’s Indigenous Materials

Steph Liddle, Writer and Researcher for Materials Library Expansion If you’d asked me a few months ago to name an indigenous Scottish material, I’d probably have been a bit stumped. I’d have taken a bit of a stab in the dark at ‘Heather’ or a very generic ‘Trees’ most likely. The thought of listing 15…

Baino / Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)

Description and Characteristics Baino, known by a number of names including Sacred Lotus, or simply Lotus, is an aquatic herb with creeping rootstock that persists for many growing seasons. Its large, rounded or shield-shaped leaves raised above the water, grow up to 90 centimeters wide, and have a stalk attached at a point on the…

Baling-uai (Flagellaria indica)

Description and Characteristics Baling-uai (pronounced as /bAH-ling-uo-wAH-ie/), known internationally as “false rattan”, “whip vine”, or “bush cane”, is an upright and slender plant. One of the major characteristics of baling-uai is its leaf tendrils which is the slender threadlike appendage at the tip of its leaf often growing in a spiral or curly form, that…

Cujete (Crescentia cujete)

Description and Characteristics Cujete (pronounced as /koo-JEE-tee/) is internationally known as “miracle fruit/tree” or sometimes “calabash tree”. It is a small or medium-sized flowering tree growing up to 10 meters and develops many arching branches. Each branch develops close-set clusters of leaves that are usually arranged alternately. The green leaves are blunt at the tip…

Hoof Fungus (Fomes fomentarius)

Description and Characteristics Hoof fungus is a non-edible tough fungus that forms large fruiting bodies, with pores or tubes on the underside, and usually becomes hoof-shaped as it ages, thus the name. Its color ranges from brown, silvery grey to blackish and it persists for many growing seasons. It has a fruity smell and its…

Sargassum Seaweed

Description and Characteristics Sargassum is a kind of brown seaweed characterized by having brown leaves (blade), stem (stipe/axis), floats (air bladders), and holdfast. It has numerous stems-like structures called stipe/axis but it lacks true roots and a vascular system. It usually floats in island-like masses because of the round, berry-like air bladders called “pneumatocysts” which…

Kape (Coffea)

Description and Characteristics Kape (kâ-pé), famously known as coffee, is a small evergreen tree usually growing up to a height of three to five meters. However, developing coffee in the wild allows the stem to grow up to 10 meters. Coffee plant has shiny green leaves in a shape of elliptic-ovate to elliptic-oblong and pointed…

Oyster Fungus (Pleurotus ostreatus)

Description and Characteristics Oyster mushroom (sometimes called “oyster fungus” or “tree oyster”) is a soft mushroom characterized by its oyster-shaped cap which grows up to 25 centimeters across, usually white but there are also other colorings including gray, blue, yellow and pink. Furthermore, compared to most mushrooms, this species is smooth and does not have…

Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides )

Sea buckthorn is a spiny shrub that grows in sand dunes along the east coast of Scotland. It is a native plant but was also artificially planted in some areas to help stabilise dune systems, and is considered invasive in some parts of the country. Sea buckthorn is a large, deciduous shrub – growing to…

Palay (Rice) (Oryza sativa)

Description and Characteristics Palay or rice is an annual warm-season grass species. Its stalk/stem grows up to one to 1.8 meters tall depending on the variety and soil fertility. Just like other grass species, it has long, slender leaves reaching up to 100 centimeters long and 2.5 centimeters wide. Moreover, leaves are rough with small,…

Leather (skin and hide from animals and fish)

Leather is a versatile, hardwearing, and functional textile, used for a variety of uses from interior textiles to wearable garments. Although leather is in no way unique to Scotland, it has a long history of production within Scotland. It’s used for its strength and longevity, and is considered by many to be a sustainable and…