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Kumquat

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Kumquat

Kumquats are they hidden away relatives of oranges.

  • Kumquats are a type of citrus fruit that grown on small trees, that have edible skin and flesh, and they are believed to be native to China.
  • ‘Kumquats’ are also known as ‘cumquats’, and the name is taken from the Cantonese word 金橘, pronounced ‘kamkwat’, which literally means ‘gold’ or ‘golden’ and ‘orange’ or ‘tangerine’.
  • The official species name of a kumquat tree is Citrus japonica, from the family Rutaceae, the family of citrus, however, they were formerly of the Fortunella genus, and as such, the old scientific names for the fruit are still commonly used.
  • Kumquats are typically sturdy fruit, and the plants generally have the ability to withstand fairly hot and cold growing temperatures, unlike many other citrus species.
  • The flesh of kumquats is particularly strong and sour, however the skin is usually sweet in comparison, and for this reason, it is common for the flesh and skin, or ‘peel’ as it is often called, to be eaten together.
Kumquat, Ten Random Facts, Trivia, Fruit, Vegetation, Citrus, Orange, Golden
Kumquat
Image courtesy of Eugene Kim/Flickr
  • Kumquats are generally of an ovoid or roughly spherical shape, depending on the variety, and they can have a diameter of around 1.6 to 4 centimetres (0.6 to 1.6 inches).
  • There are four main varieties of kumquats, with the nagami variety being the most commonly grown due to its hardiness and productiveness.
  • Kumquat skin changes from a green colour, to a bright orange-yellow or orange-gold colour when ripe, with colour varying according to the variety.
  • Kumquats can be eaten both fresh and as a marmalade or jam, and they are sometimes dried, pickled, sugared or cooked.
  • Kumquats are very high in vitamin C and are a good source of fibre, and they contain many other vitamins and minerals.
Bibliography:
Kumquat, 2016, Purdue Agriculture, https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/kumquat.html
Kumquat, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumquat
What Is A Kumquat, 2014, Kumquat Growers, http://kumquatgrowers.com/what.html

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Zipper

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Zipper

You can’t get more zippy than a zipper.

  • Zippers are an invention used to secure and close the edges of two pieces of material, commonly textiles.
  • A ‘zipper’ is also known as a ‘zip fastener’, ‘zip’ and ‘fly’, and it was once called a ‘clasp locker’.
  • Popularly zippers are utilised on clothing such as trousers, jackets or dresses, along with fabric camping items and baggage.
  • Zippers consist of two strips of teeth that link together or separate, when a central slider is moved across the strips.
  • Both plastic and metal materials can be used to produce a zipper, and the zip is typically attached to a fabric tape which allows it to be sewn or adhered to an item.
Zipper, Invention, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Information, Metal, Slider, Teeth, Fashion
Zipper
Image courtesy of Clare Bell/Flickr
  •  The term ‘zipper’ is said to be derived from the ‘zip’ sound the invention makes when zipping, first used in 1923 by the American B. F. Goodrich Company, an aerospace company.
  • Zippers are notorious for breaking easily after significant use, such as when the slider fails to zip; it jams while zipping; or it detaches from a strip of teeth entirely.
  • An early zipper was first patented in 1851 by American Elias Howe Jr, a major innovator of the sewing machine; however the invention, known as a ‘fastening for garments’ was not commercially successful.
  • Some zippers are visible, however others are hidden from view under special textile flaps, and these zips are particularly useful for dresses or camouflage clothing.
  • The first patented zipper with a slider, filed in 1891, was designed by American Whitcomb Judson and it was called a ‘clasp locker’, and originally invented for use on shoes.
Bibliography:
Invention, n.d, The Zipper, http://thezipper.umwblogs.org/invention/
Zipper, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zipper

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Bidgee Widgee

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Bidgee Widgee

Bidgee widgees certainly like to stick to you.

  • Bidgee widgees are a species of perennial, flowering plant, native to regions of Australia and New Zealand.
  • ‘Bidgee widgees’ are also known as ‘biddy-biddy’, ‘bidi-bidi’, ‘piri-piri-bur’ or, in the native New Zealand language, Maori, ‘piripiri’.
  • The scientific name of a bidgee widgee is Acaena novae-zelandiae and it is from the family Rosaceae, the family of roses.
  • Bidgee widgees have been introduced into the United States and the United Kingdom, where they are now established and considered a weed in some areas.
  • The bidgee widgee plant grows to approximately 10 centimetres (4 inches) in height, with a one metre (39 inches) diameter, and is notable for spreading across the ground.

Bidgee Widgee, Ten Random Facts, Trivia, Green, Vegetation, Plant, Australia, New Zealand, piripiri

  • Full sun or partial shade is the best growing conditions for bidgee widgees, and they prefer moist soil conditions.
  • The tiny, white to green coloured flowers of bidgee widgees, typically form in the spring and summer months in ball shape clusters, that grow above the leaves of the plant on thin stalks.
  • Bidgee widgees are commonly utilised in landscaping as a ground cover, for decorative purposes.
  • Bidgee widgee flowers develop into spherical burrs that begin with protruding pink to red spikes that change to a brown colour once mature, that are in fact individual seeds that are grouped together to make the spherical shape.
  • If brushed against, bidgee widgee seeds or burrs can cling onto substances, such as animal fur or clothing, due to the spiny hooks they possess, which aids their dispersal.
Bibliography:
Acaena novae-zelandiae, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acaena_novae-zelandiae
Acaena novae-zelandiae, n.d, Prestige Plants, http://www.prestigeplants.com.au/www/content/default.aspx?cid=1748
Acaena novae zelandiae, 2016, Bushland Flora, http://www.bushlandflora.com.au/individual_plant.php?p=Acaena%20novae%20zelandiae&uid=1034
Acaena novae-zelandiae Kirk, n.d, PlantNET, http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Acaena~novae-zelandiae

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Mont Saint-Michel

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Mont Saint-Michel

Mont Saint-Michel would have been a terror of a fortress.

  • Mont Saint-Michel is an islet that contains a monastery, a village, and a fortification, situated roughly 600 metres (0.4 miles) away from the coast of France’s Normandy, in Europe.
  • Mont Saint-Michel sits at the mouth of the Couesnon River, and was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, as well as the surrounding area, and due to its unique location and historical significance, it is visited by around 2.5 million people each year, making it the most popular tourist site in France outside of Paris.
  • ‘Mont Saint-Michel’ is also known as ‘Mont St-Michel’, and ‘Le Mont St-Michel’ in French, and is translated into English as ‘Saint Michael’s Mount’; and the island is now mainly a tourist attraction and includes accommodation, restaurants, shops, and other facilities for visitors, though it still houses a community of nuns and monks.
  • Originally, Mont Saint-Michel was the site of a Gallo-Roman settlement from 500s to 600s AD, and was called ‘Mont Tombe’ at the time, and in the 1840s and 1850s it was home to more than 1,000 people, while in 2015, its population was 50.
  • Legend says that the first church of Mont Saint-Michel was built under the orders of the bishop Saint Aubert, early in the 8th century, but only after ignoring the instructions of Archangel Michael on a number of occasions, who is said to have commissioned the building, and subsequently had a hole burnt into his skull.
Mont Saint-Michel, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Monastery, France, Island, Castle, Sunset, Tide
Mont Saint-Michel
Image courtesy of Mike Norton/Flickr
  • Before modern times, Mont Saint-Michel was of strategic importance as it was only accessible at the quick-changing low tide, which meant that most attacking garrisons would drown or be forced to retreat.
  • In later centuries, due to a number of reasons including the building up of a causeway, silt began to mound around Mont Saint-Michel; however in 2006 a project was initiated by the government to restore the site using a hydraulic dam, and ridding the area of unnatural impediments, to enable the tides to flush out the silt naturally.
  • A bridge was completed in 2014, which connects the mainland to Mont Saint-Michel, and during a supertide in March 2015, the bridge became fully submerged.
  • To reach the top of the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, which was built and expanded upon from the 11th to the 16th centuries, one is required to ascend approximately 900 steps.
  • The island of Mont Saint-Michel covers an area of approximately 5 hectares (12.6 acres), with a natural height of around 80 metres (262 feet).
Bibliography:
History, 2010, Mont Saint Michel, http://www.ot-montsaintmichel.com/en/histoire.htm
Mont Saint-Michel, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Saint-Michel
Mont St-Michel, Pontorson, 2016, Sacred Destinations, http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/mont-st-michel

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Woolly Monkey

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Woolly Monkey

Are woolly monkeys the long-lost cousins of woolly mammoths?

  • Woolly monkeys are a genus of four species of monkey, native to South America’s rainforest habitats.
  • The scientific name of a woolly monkey is Lagothrix and it is from the family Atelidae, a family of New World monkeys.
  • The height of woolly monkeys is usually from 40 to 70 centimetres (16 to 28 inches) and they typically weigh betweeen 3 to 11 kilograms (6.6 to 24 pounds).
  • Woolly monkeys have thick, furry hair, and it ranges from a combination of black, grey, brown or red-brown in colour, depending on the species.
  • The diet of woolly monkeys consists primarily of fruit, but also flowers, insects, immature seeds, and leaves.
Woolly Monkey, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Animal, Mammal, Fur, Grass, Single
Woolly Monkey
Image courtesy of Liz Lister/Flickr
  • Woolly monkeys live in trees in troops of 10 to 70 individuals; however will generally break off into small groups for tasks such as foraging.
  • Female woolly monkeys typically have a single baby at a time, every second year, and the young becomes mostly independent at six months of age, and they can have a lifespan of up to 30 years.
  • Generally, woolly monkeys remain among the treetops where they sleep and search for food, however, they do occasionally set foot on ground.
  • The long tail of a woolly monkey is prehensile and very strong, having the ability to support its entire body weight as well as provide balance.
  • Woolly monkeys are considered vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered, depending on the species, due to loss of habitat and hunting by humans for food, fur, and the pet industry.
Bibliography:
Common Woolly Monkey, n.d, Wildsreen Arkive, http://www.arkive.org/common-woolly-monkey/lagothrix-lagotricha/
Woolly Monkey, 2011, University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents, http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/woolly_monkey/taxon
Woolly Monkey, 2014, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolly_monkey
Woolly Monkey, 2016, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/woolly-monkey/

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Dragon Fruit

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Dragon Fruit

I couldn’t think of a better name than ‘dragon fruit’ for such a fruit.

  • Dragon fruit is an edible exotic fruit that grows on certain species of cactus plants.
  • ‘Dragon fruit’ is also known as ‘pitaya’, ‘nanettika fruit’, ‘strawberry pear’ and ‘pitahaya’.
  • Sweet dragon fruit come from the genus Hylocereus, of the Cactaceae family, the family of cacti, and the scientific name of the most commonly grown of the edible species is Hylocereus undatus, while sour pitaya are from the Stenocerus genus.
  • Dragon fruit are native to the Americas, and have since been introduced to eastern and southern Asia, where the fruit is now cultivated extensively.
  • The weight of dragon fruit ranges from 150 to 1000 grams (5 to 35 ounces), although more commonly they range from 150 to 600 grams (5 to 21 ounces) and they are usually an ovoid or round shape.
Dragon Fruit, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Red, Fruit, Lone, Vegetation, Culinary, Food
Dragon Fruit
Image courtesy of John Robinson/Flickr
  • The skin of dragon fruit is usually, pink, red or yellow in colour, often with spiky leaf-like appendages generally tipped with green, and a red or white coloured flesh that contains numerous small, black, edible seeds.
  • Dragon fruit has a mild flavour and is often compared to passionfruit, watermelon, raspberries and other fruit, depending on the species, and are usually sweet; though those from the Stenocerus are mostly sour.
  • The large dragon fruit flowers require pollination during the night as they generally whither in the day and only last up to 24 hours, after which the fruit develops and is ready for picking from 30 to 50 days.
  • Commonly, dragon fruit is eaten fresh or as an accompaniment to ice cream or other desserts, and it can be frozen, or used in drinks, jams and jelly.
  • Dragon fruit is high in vitamin C and antioxidants, and is a good source of iron and fibre.
Bibliography:
Fruit, n.d, Red For Pitaya’s Dragon Fruit, http://www.aussiedragonfruit.com/Fruit.htm
Pitaya, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitaya
McMahon G, Pitaya (Dragon Fruit), 2003, Northern Territory Government, http://www.nt.gov.au/d/Primary_Industry/Content/File/horticulture/tropical_fruits/FF12_pitaya.pdf

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