Tag Archives: Asia

Santol

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Santol

Will you brave the exoticness of the santol?

  • Santols are a species of exotic fruit native to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaya, of Southeast Asia.
  • The scientific name of the santol tree is Sandoricum koetjape and it is from the family Meliaceae, the family of mahogany.
  • ‘Santols’ are also called ‘lolly fruits’, ‘cottonfruits’, and ‘ wild mangosteens’, and they are also known under a variety of local names.
  • Santols generally have a peachy orange coloured skin, that has a somewhat furry texture, sometimes with a slight red or yellow appearance, with flesh that is typically coloured white, while the rind surrounding the flesh is usually an orange colour.
  • The rind of santols can be thick or thin, depending on the variety, and the fruit has a fleshy, juicy centre that surrounds the seeds; and both the pulp and the rind are usually edible.
Santols, Fruit, Orange, Vegetation, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Stalk, Whole, Unpeeled
Santols
Image courtesy of whologwhy/Flickr
  • Santols can have a sour or sweet taste, often depending on whether it is the red leaf variety or the yellow leaf variety, with the red leaf generally having a sour taste and a thicker rind, while the yellow leaf will typically have a sweet flavour and a thinner rind.
  • Santols can be eaten raw, preserved, made into a jam, candied, spiced, cooked in curries or alongside meat, or used to make a beverage.
  • The relatively large brown seeds of santols are not edible, and they should be avoided as they can get stuck in or even puncture the intestines.
  • Santol fruit range from 4 to 7.5 centimetres (1.6 to 3 inches) in diameter, and a single tree is said to be able to bear thousands of individual fruit in a single year.
  • Santols contain pectin, and are a good source of phosphorus and calcium, and they contain other vitamins and minerals.
Bibliography:
Morton J, Santol, 1987, Purdue Agriculture, https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/santol.html
Santol, 2016, Fruits Info, http://www.fruitsinfo.com/Santol-Exotic-fruits.php
Snadoricum koetjape, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandoricum_koetjape

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Rock Garden of Chandigarh

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Rock Garden of Chandigarh

The Rock Garden of Chandigarh gives ‘garden’ a whole new meaning!

  • The Rock Garden of Chandigarh is located in the city of Chandigarh in northern India, and it is a recreational area full of sculptures.
  • The ‘Rock Garden of Chandigarh’ is also known as ‘Nek Chand’s Rock Garden’ and ‘Chandigarh Rock Garden’.
  • The creation of the Rock Garden of Chandigarh began as a hobby in the late 1950s by Nek Chand, an Indian government road and transport employee at the time, illegally, on government land.
  • The Rock Garden of Chandigarh covers an area of roughly 10.1 hectares (25 acres), while a similar, though much smaller garden made by Nek Chand, can be found in Kerala, in southern India.
  • The initially illegal and secret Rock Garden of Chandigarh was first discovered in 1975 by government authorities, however the garden was not destroyed as expected, due to numerous protests from the public.
Rock Garden of Chandigarh, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, India, Trivia, Statues, Sculptures, Recycled, Asia, Place
Sculpture of the Rock Garden of Chandigarh
Image courtesy of Rishabh Mathur/Flickr
  • All sculptures of the Rock Garden of Chandigarh are mostly made from recycled materials, that were typically discarded, or salvaged from buildings that were being knocked down.
  • The Rock Garden of Chandigarh was officially recognised by the government in 1976, despite its illegal origins, and funds were provided by the city so that the project could grow to a larger scale, with a team of 50 workers, and Nek Chand as director.
  • Thousands of people visit the Rock Garden of Chandigarh every day, and an entrance fee is payable to view the garden.
  • Rock Garden of Chandigarh was subject to vandalism in 1996 to 1997, when government funds, and therefore workers, were withdrawn, while the garden’s creator, Nek Chand, was visiting the USA.
  • Man-made waterfalls, over 2000 sculptures, and numerous rock formations populate the Rock Garden of Chandigarh, to create a fictional kingdom.
Bibliography:
Maizels J, Nek Chand Obituary, 2015, The Guardian, http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/jun/15/nek-chand
Rock Garden, 2006, Chandigarh Tourism, http://chandigarhtourism.gov.in/Chandigarh%20Tourism%20-%20places%20to%20see-rock_garden.htm
Rock Garden of Chandigarh, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Garden_of_Chandigarh

http://nekchand.com/about-foundation

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Jade Vine

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Jade Vine

The jade vine treasures its uniqueness in its beautiful colour.

  • Jade vines are perennial plants that grow as vines, found among the forests of the islands of the Philippines, in Southeast Asia.
  • ‘Jade vines’ are also known as ‘turquoise jade vines’, ’emerald creepers’, ‘blue jade vines’, ’emerald vines’, ‘jade climbers’, ‘flor de jade’ (‘jade flower’ in Spanish), and ‘tayabak’ in the native Filipino language.
  • The scientific name of the jade vine is Strongylodon macrobotrys and it is from the family Fabaceae, the family of legumes.
  • The claw-like blooms of jade vines are deep mint-green to turquoise in colour.
  • Jade vines can grow to lengths of 18 metres (59 feet), while the large flower clusters can reach 3 metres (10 feet) in length.
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A Jade Vine
Image courtesy of nauitokz/Flickr
  • Jade vines are commonly used as a decorative climbing plant due to its striking colours.
  • Jade vines are listed as vunerable, as a result of deforestation and a decline of its natural pollinators that feed on the flower nectar.
  • The seedpods of jade vines can be as long as 15 cm (6 inches) and are produced once the flowers are pollinated, typically by bats, and the pods can contain as many as twelve seeds.
  • Jade vines have historically been difficult to pollinate outside of their natural habitat, however in 1995, a successful technique was first used, that effectively mimicked bat pollination.
  • Jade vines grow best in sun or some shade, with its flowers blooming during the late winter months to early spring.
Bibliography:
Dyer M, Growing Jade Vines; Care of Jade Vines Indoors and Out, 2015, Gardening Knowhow, http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/jade-vine/care-of-jade-vines.htm
Jade Climber, Jade Vine, Emerald Creeper, Flor-de-Jade, Blue Jade Vine, Turquois Jade Vine, 2016, Dave’s Garden, http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/57259/#b
Strongylodon macrobotrys, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strongylodon_macrobotrys
Strongylodon Macrobotrys (Jade Vine), n.d, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/plants-fungi/strongylodon-macrobotrys-jade-vine

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Peacock

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Peacock

The peacock is something of total magnificence.

  • Peacocks are spectacularly dressed birds, and depending on the species, are native to India, Sri Lanka and other parts of Asia, including Myanmar and Java, as well as Congo in Africa, though some of have been introduced into other countries around the world.
  • The common name ‘peacock’, technically refers to the male bird, with the term ‘peahen’ reserved for females, while ‘peafowl’ is the general name of the bird; and the birds can have a lifespan of 20 to 25 years in the wild.
  • There are three extant species of peacock and they have the scientific names Pavo cristatus – the blue or Indian peafowl, Pavo muticus – the green peafowl, and  Afropavo congensis – the Congo peafowl; and both the Pavo and Afropavo genera are from the family Phasianidae, the family of pheasants, chickens and quails.
  • The magnificent feather train of male peacocks is able to be fanned out in display, to attract females and compete with other males.
  • Peacocks range in length from 0.86 to 3 metres (2.8 to 9.8 feet), which includes the train on the males that can be at least 60% of the length of the bird; and they usually have a wingspan of 1.4 to 1.6 metres (4.6 to 5.2 feet) in width, and a weight ranging from 2.7 to 6 kilograms (6 to 13.2 pounds)

Peacock, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Animal, Bird, Green, Blue, Indian

  • Peacock males generally have a striking metallic blue to green plumage, while females are usually coloured brown or grey, sometimes with dark green colouring; although all white versions and other variations of the bird exist.
  • Species of male peacocks from Asian countries feature eye-like spots on their tail feathers – the train; while all peacocks have intricate crests.
  • The diet of peacocks consists of insects; vegetation including flowers and other plant material; reptiles, including snakes; and small amphibians; among others.
  • Male peacocks may mate with multiple females each year, with each female laying around 3 to 8 eggs of a brown colour, in a nest they make on the ground.
  • Numbers of two peacock species have been decreasing, mainly due to habitat loss and hunting, with the Congo peafowl listed as ‘vulnerable’, and the green peafowl listed as ‘endangered’.
Bibliography:
Fowler E, Pavo Cristatus, 2011, Animal Diversity Web, http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pavo_cristatus/
Indian Peafowl, n.d, Smithsonian National Zoological Park, https://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Birds/Facts/fact-peafowl.cfm
Peacock, 2016, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/peacock/
Peacock, 2016, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/birds/peacock/
Peafowl, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peafowl

 

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Anping Bridge

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Anping Bridge

Sometimes you need to build a bridge as long as Anping Bridge, to get over it.

  • Anping Bridge is a particularly long bridge found across the Shijing River estuary, near the city of Quanzhou, in the Fujian Province in China.
  • ‘Anping Bridge’ is also known as ‘Wuli Bridge’ or by its literal translation ‘Five Li Bridge’, ‘five li’ being its length.
  • Anping Bridge spreads a length of 2070 metres (1.29 miles) and has a width ranging from 3 to 3.8 metres (9.8 to 12.5 feet).
  • The construction of Anping Bridge lasted 13 years, beginning in 1138 AD and finishing in 1151 AD; and the bridge connects the two towns at either end, Anhai (originally known as ‘Anping’) and Shuitou, that lay in different counties.
  • Large stone bricks and beams make up Anping Bridge, with 362 spans in the original construction, although the bridge is now shorter and has only 331 spans.
Anping Bridge, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, China, River, Stone, Ancient, Long, Record, Five Li Bridge
Anping Bridge
Image courtesy of Wikemdia Commons
  • Anping Bridge is among the longest bridges built in ancient times, and prior to 1905, it was China’s longest bridge.
  • Anping Bridge once had five pavilions to provide a resting site for those crossing the bridge, however today only one exists.
  • A large amount of silt has built up around the Anping Bridge, causing the waters to become more like a wetland in some areas, and somewhat separated rather than one large body of water.
  • Due to Anping Bridge being an ancient structure, it has been listed as a protected site by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China, since 1961.
  • Since the completion of Anping Bridge, there have been six large scale renovations or repairs on the bridge.
Bibliography:
Anping Bridge, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anping_Bridge
 Anping Bridge, China’s Longest Ancient Bridge, 2016, Amusing Planet, http://www.amusingplanet.com/2016/04/anping-bridge-chinas-longest-ancient.html
Anping Bridge in Fuzhou, 2014, Cultural China, http://arts.cultural-china.com/en/85Arts8911.html

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Loquat

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Loquat

Loquats are another of those great sweet and tangy combinations.

  • Loquats are a variety of fruit that likely originated in China, and they were probably brought into Japan where they became very abundant and have long been cultivated.
  • ‘Loquats’ are also known as ‘Japanese plums’, ‘Chinese plums’ and Japanese Medlar.
  • The tree that loquats grow on has the scientific name Eriobotrya japonica, and it is from the family Rosaceae, the family of roses.
  • Loquats are roughly spherical, ovoid or pear-like in shape, and they typically range between 2.5 to 5 centimetres (1 to 2 inches) in length.
  • The edible skin of loquats is generally an orange or yellow colour, occasionally with a red tinge, while the flesh is usually coloured orange, yellow or white.
Loquat, Fruit, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Culinary, Food, Vegetation, Orange, Yellow, Growing
Loquat
Image courtesy of Larry Hoffman/Flickr
  • There are more than 800 varieties of loquats, and some are grown in subtropical locations; while the world’s leading producer of the fruit in 2007 was China, producing 83% of the world’s production of 549,220 tonnes (605,411 tons).
  • Loquats usually have a sweet tangy taste, and are said to taste like a combination of fruits, often tropical in flavour.
  • Loquats are commonly eaten fresh, or in a fruit salad or cooked in pies, and they can be made into jams, syrups, jelly, condiments and sweets.
  • Generally loquats have three to five large brown seeds in the centre of the fruit, and while they are not edible, a liqueur can be made from them.
  • Loquats are high in vitamin A and are a good source of fibre, manganese and potassium, and they contain many other vitamins and minerals.
Bibliography:
Loquat, 2013, Purdue University, https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/loquat.html
Loquat, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loquat
Rawlinson L, Loquats: Here’s What You Do With Them, 2015, Full and Content, http://www.fullandcontent.com/loquats-here-s-what-you-do-with-them.html

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