Tag Archives: America

Dianthus

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Dianthus

Smell the sweet fragrance of dianthus.

  • ‘Dianthus’ are also known as ‘carnations’, ‘pinks’ or ‘sweet williams’, although these terms are more specific to certain species.
  • The dianthus genus, includes 300 species of perennial plants with beautiful flowers.
  • Dianthus comes from the family Caryophyllaceae, the pink or carnation family.
  • Dianthus are native to Europe or Asia, but a select quantity of species can be found in either North America or Africa.
  • Dianthus flowers are five-petalled, and they are generally frilled or serrated on the edge, hence the common name ‘pink’ (not a reference to the colour).

Dianthus, Pink, White, Single, Dead, Prim, Frilled, Ten Random Facts, Flower, Australia

  • Dianthus flowers are typically patterned in shades of pink but can also be white, purple, yellow, orange or red in colour.
  • Dianthus flower from spring through to autumn, and some species have a sweet smell of spice.
  • ‘Dianthus’ comes from the Greek words for ‘of Zeus’ (a god in Greek mythology) and ‘flower’, ‘dios’ and ‘anthos’ respectively.
  • Dianthus plants grow between 10 cm (4 inches) and 1.5 metres (5 feet) in height, and often have grey or blue-green foliage
  • Dianthus are often used for cut or decorative purposes, and more than 100 species have earned the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in the United Kingdom.
Bibliography:
Dianthus, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianthus
Mackey B, Dianthus, Carnations, Pinks, 2014, HowStuffWorks, http://home.howstuffworks.com/define-dianthus-carnation-pinks.htm

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Yellow Tower Cactus

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Yellow Tower Cactus

Yellow tower cacti do not taste like lemons or give you pins and needles.

  • The yellow tower cactus is from the Cactaceae family, which is the family of cacti, and it is also known as a ‘golden ball cactus’ and a ‘lemon ball cactus’.
  • The yellow tower cactus is native to South America’s Brazil, where it can become considerably cold at nights during the winter time.
  • The scientific name of the yellow tower cactus is Parodia leninghausii, and at an earlier stage it was known as a Notocactus leninghausii, and has also been listed in other genera.
  • German Karl Schumann, a botanist, chose the scientific name for the yellow tower cactus, in honour of the 19th century (and early 20th century) German cacti collector, Wilhelm Lenninghaus, or Guillermo Lenninghaus, as he was later known.
  • Yellow tower cactus flowers usually bloom in summer, once the cactus grows to an adult height of 15 to 20 centimetres (6 to 8 inches), and it can take 5 years for the plant to mature.

Lemon Ball Cactus, Double, Yellow Flower, Tower, Green, Bloom, Garden, Ten Random Facts, Val Laird

Tower Cactus
Image courtesy of Val Laird
  • The yellow tower cactus has yellow coloured flowers, approximately 5 cm (2 inches) in diameter, that sit at the top of the cactus, and they have many papery petals.
  • A yellow tower cactus starts off as a ball shape, but as the cactus ages, it grows as a column, with small ones that cluster at its base.
  • Yellow tower cacti are green with a blanket of spines, that are long and golden coloured, and not so harmful.
  • A yellow tower cactus can tolerate a mild frost, as long as the cactus is relatively free of moisture content.
  • The yellow tower cactus can reach a height of up to 1 metre (3 feet) and a diameter of 12 centimetres (5 inches), however, the plant will take many years to reach that height.
Bibliography:
Parodia leninghausii, 2012, Cactus-bg.com, http://cactus-bg.com/kaktusi/notocactus-leninghausii-241/
Parodia leninghausii, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parodia_leninghausii
http://www.yourgardeninginfo.com/golden-ball-cactusparodia-leninghausii

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Bamboo

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Bamboo, Tall, Green, Leaves, Grass, Hollow, Running, Ten Random Facts, Australia.

Plant the bamboo… and watch it grow before your eyes!

  • Bamboo are generally very tall, strong, woody, flowering grass plants that are hollow and cylindrical, and those that are particularly sturdy are used as materials in construction and weapons, as well as many other items.
  • There are 1450 species of bamboo, and they come from the family Poaceae, the family of grass, and they fall into two categories, ‘clumping bamboo’ and ‘running bamboo’, which describes the growth pattern of the roots and rhizomes.
  • One species of bamboo grows up to 91 cm (3 feet) in one day, which is the fastest of all plants in the world.
  • Most continents have native species of bamboo, however there are none native to Europe and Antarctica.
  • Bamboo can grow up to 30 metres (98 feet) in height, or more, although common species generally grow a lot less, and can have a diameter of up to 15 to 20 centimetres (6 to 8 inches).

Bamboo, Tall, Green, Leaves, Grass, Hollow, Running, Ten Random Facts, Australia.

  • Bamboo from tropical regions generally can not stand extreme cold, and some other species can survive up to -29°C (-20°F).
  • Bamboo plants are evergreen and may only flower every 30 to 130 years, sometimes with all the same stock plants of a species flowering at the same time throughout the world, and then dying after flowering.
  • Bamboo shoots, although they contain a poison, cyanide, that can negatively affect the digestive system, can be eaten if the shoots are prepared properly, usually by boiling them, and are generally eaten boiled, pickled or fermented .
  • In China bamboo is an important symbolic plant, symbolising moral principles, among others, and it represents friendship in India.
  • Bamboo is used in a similar way to wood, and different species are used for building materials, kitchen utensils, fabric and paper, and are also the food source of a number of animals, including the well known Chinese giant panda.
Bibliography:
Bamboo, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo
The History of Bamboo, 2011, BambooKi, http://www.bambooki.com/blog/the-history-of-bamboo/

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Mount Roraima

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Mount Roraima

A giant’s table: Mount Roraima.

  • ‘Mount Roraima’ is also known as ‘Monte Roraima’ in Portuguese, and the mountain is also called ‘Tepuy Roraima’ and ‘Cerro Roraima’.
  • Mount Roraima is a table-top plateau located mostly in Venezuela, South America, but it also occupies some of  Brazil and Guyana.
  • Mount Roraima is the highest landform in Guyana, although not the other states.
  • Mount Roraima reaches 2,810 metres (9,219 feet) in height at its peak, with wall like cliffs reaching 400 metres (1,300 feet) in height.
  • Mount Roraima was first documented by the “Old World” (Europe, Africa and Asia) in 1596 by Sir Walter Raleigh who was an explorer from England.
Mount Roraima, Plateau, South America, Ten Random Facts, Flickr
Roraima
Image courtesy of Erik Cleves Kristensen/Flickr
  • Mount Roraima is the home of significant wildlife and vegetation, including rare heather plants.
  • The first expedition to climb Mount Roraima was led by the British Everard im Thurn, in 1884, who later become the Governor of Fiji.
  • Mount Roraima is typically reached by hikers via Venezuela, as the Brazilian natives can be hostile, and it would require climbing the large cliffs in Guyana or Brazil.
  • Mount Roraima generally takes a couple of days to reach and a day to climb, and is a popular spot for a camp-out.
  • Mount Roraima is approximately 14 kilometres (9 miles) in length and has a sandstone surface.
Bibliography:
Mount Roraima, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Roraima
Mount Roraima, a Mystified Hiking Experience, 2013, Tourism on the Edge, http://www.tourismontheedge.com/best-of/mount-roraima-a-mystified-hiking-experience.html

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Lily (Lilium)

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Lily (Lilium)

Is this… Is that… No, this is a true lily!

  • Liliums, or ‘lilies’ as they are commonly known, are true lilies from the Liliaceae family, and are plants that are grown from scaly bulbs.
  • Lillies are often confused with other ‘lillies’ that are not from the lily family, especially day lillies, that have foliage coming from the ground, rather than leaves growing up a stem.
  • Lilies are native to mostly temperate areas in North America, Europe and Asia, and are typically found in woody or grassy environments.
  • Lilies grow up to 60 to 180 centimetres (2 to 6 feet) in height, with the stem being very long and strong.
  • A lily plant forms large flowers at the top of the long stem of the plant, that are often marked with patterns and are generally red, white, pink, yellow, purple and orange in colour and are sometimes fragrant.

Lilium, Pink, White, Plant, Flower, Lily, True, Bud, Open, Ten Random Facts

  • Some lilies are poisonous to cats, fatally damaging the kidney and its functions, and the pollen can also be hazardous to them.
  • Lilies are commonly grown as a decorative flower in the garden or in pots, and are important in the cut flower industry, often featuring in bouquets.
  • The bulb of a lily can be eaten like a vegetable, eaten in luxury in China, although can be sometimes quite bitter and unpleasant.
  • Since the 1100s, lilies have symbolised ‘purity’, with specific varieties symbolising many things, and more recently, they have been a traditional addition to a bouquet on a couple’s 30th wedding anniversary.
  • Lily flowers are usually shaped like a trumpet or bell when partly opened, often opening out to a star shape, and they generally bloom from spring through to autumn, depending on the species.
Bibliography:
Lilium, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilium
Lily – Lilium candidu, 2013, Flying Flowers, http://www.flyingflowers.co.uk/about-flowers/Flowers/FF_About_Lily,default,pg.html

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Aquilegia

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Aquilegia

Pretty bird-like aquilegias bob all day in the wind.

  • Aquilegias are perennial, ornamental flowering plants that include 60 to 70 species and belong to the Aquilegia genus.
  • ‘Aquilegia’ flowers and plants are also known as ‘granny’s bonnets’ and  ‘columbines’, and are from the family Ranunculaceae, which is the family of buttercups.
  • Aquilegias are native to meadows and woodlands in cooler areas north of the equator.
  • The common name ‘columbine’ comes from the Latin word for ‘dove’, while the genus name, ‘aquilegia’, comes from the word ‘aquila’, which is Latin for ‘eagle’, and both are a reference to the unusual shape of the flower.
  • Aquilegias grow to be 38 to 51 centimetres (15 to 20 inches) in height, and are usually grown from seed.

Columbine, Flower, Purple, Lilac, Shade, Bud, Open, Plant, Flower, Aquilegia, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • The indigenous Americans used small portions of some species of aquilegia flowers, as sweet additions to some meals, and sometimes used the roots medicinally.
  • Aquilegia plants have long-spurred flower petals that often resemble birds and are full of sweet nectar.
  • Aquilegias are highly toxic if the roots or seeds are consumed, and can cause fatalities.
  • Aquilegia flowers are typically red, purple, blue, white or yellow in colour, and depending on the species bloom in spring and/or summer.
  • Aquilegia plants are generally hardy, preferring partly shady conditions, and they have bluish green, maidenhair fern-like foliage.
Bibliography:
Aquilegia, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquilegia
Plant Profile: Aquilegia, 2013, Gardening Australia, http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1866504.htm

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