Tag Archives: Facts

Japanese Laurel

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Japanese Laurel

Money may not grow on trees… but gold spots grow on Japanese laurels.

  • Japanese laurels are a species of shrubby plant native to the forests of Japan, China and Korea.
  • ‘Japanese laurels’ are also known as ‘spotted laurels’, ‘gold dust plants’ and ‘Japanese acuba’.
  • The scientific name of a Japanese laurel is Aucuba japonica and it is from the family Garryaceae, a family of evergreen dicot shrubs and trees.
  • Japanese laurels generally grow to be heights of 1.8 to 3 metres (6 to 10 feet), however some varieties can be as short as 0.9 metres (3 feet).
  • The green leathery leaves of Japanese laurels are often variegated, dotted with yellow specks, and the leaves are usually between 5 to 20 centimetres (2 to 8 inches) in length.

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  •  Japanese laurels are hardy and easily grown in a wide range of conditions, and they can be situated in shade to full sun.
  • Non-edible berries, around 1.3 centimetres (0.5 inch) in size, are produced in autumn, on female Japanese laurels if fertilised by a nearby male, and they are a red colour, and not eaten by birds.
  • Japanese laurels produce deep red to purple coloured flowers that typically bloom in spring, and the flowers form differently on the male plants, compared to the females.
  • Japanese laurels are popularly used ornamentally as a hedge or for other landscaping purposes.
  • A number of varieties of Japanese laurels have received the Award of Garden Merit from the United Kingdom’s Royal Horticultural Society.
Bibliography:
Aucuba Japonica, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aucuba_japonica
Aucuba Japonica, n.d, Missouri Botanical Gardens, http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=e496
Japanese Laurel, 2016, Fine Gardening, http://www.finegardening.com/japanese-laurel-aucuba-japonica

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X-ray Tetra

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X-ray Tetra

Take more than a scan over these x-ray tetras.

  • X-ray tetras are a species of freshwater fish, native to some of the waterways of northern South America including the Amazon region.
  • ‘X-ray tetras’ are also known as ‘x-ray fish’, ‘water goldfinch’ and ‘golden pristella tetra’.
  • The scientific name of an x-ray tetra is Pristella maxillaris, from the family Characidae, the family of characids, and it is the only species of its genus.
  • X-ray tetras are notable for having a mostly transparent body, with their internals a shiny silver-gold colour and fins coloured black, white and yellow.
  • The length of x-ray tetras ranges from 3 to 5 centimetres (1.2 to 2 inches), and they generally have a lifespan of 3-5 years in the wild.
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X-Ray Tetra
Image courtesy of Mike S/Flickr
  • X-ray tetras have a diet that consists of insects, crustaceans and worms, that are scavenged from the bottom of their river and swamp environments and sometimes they feed on aquatic plant material.
  • Female x-ray tetras produce from 300 to 400 eggs at a time during the wet season, which they lay among plants in the water, and the eggs can hatch from 24 hours onwards.
  • X-ray tetras have what is known as a ‘Weberian apparatus’, a group of tiny bones that act as a sound amplifier, and as a result, the fish are able to hear very well, allowing them to speedily move away from predators.
  • X-ray tetras have been popularly kept as fish tank pets, as they are attractive and quite resilient, however they are a schooling fish and as such it is best if they are kept in groups of at least six.
  • The first scientific description of an x-ray tetra dates back to 1894, by American marine biologist Albert Ulrey, though the fish was originally known under different scientific names, including Pristella riddlei.
Bibliography:
Interesting Facts About X-Ray Fish, 2016, Buzzle, http://www.buzzle.com/articles/interesting-facts-about-x-ray-fish.html
Pristella maxillaris, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pristella_maxillaris
Pristella maxillaris, 2016, Seriously Fish, http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/pristella-maxillaris/
X-Ray Tetra, 2016, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/x-ray-tetra/
X-Ray Tetra, 2016, About Fish Online, http://www.aboutfishonline.com/articles/xraytetra.html

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Australian Finger Lime

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Australian Finger Lime

Your Aussie bush tucker will surely include an Australian finger lime.

  • Australian finger limes are a species of citrus fruit that are native to rainforests of the central eastern coast of Australia.
  • The scientific name of the Australian finger lime is Citrus australasica and it is from the family Rutaceae, the family of citrus.
  • Australian finger limes are long and cylinder-like in nature, reaching 3 to 12 centimetres (1.2 to 4.7 inches) in length and they generally have a diameter of 1 to 3 centimetres (0.4 to 1.2 inches).
  • The skin colour of Australian finger limes can be yellow, pink, red, purple, or green, and the fruit may have no seeds at all, or they may have many.
  • With numerous individual globules, the flesh of Australian finger limes resembles caviar, and it is a translucent red, green, pink or yellow colour.
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Australian Finger Limes
Image courtesy of Malcolm Manners/Flickr
  • Australian finger limes have quite flavourful juices, particularly tangy, especially when the pulp itself is chewed.
  • Australian finger limes have become more popular in recent times for culinary use – on the rise since the late 1900s, especially in the restaurant industry.
  • Generally, Australian finger limes are used to flavour a dish, both as a garnish or with its juice, and they can be used to to make marmalade, sauces, and condiments, while the skin is also useful as a flavouring.
  • The thorny plant that Australian finger limes grow on can range from a shrub to a small tree, reaching 2 to 7 metres (6.6 to 23 feet) in height.
  • Australian finger limes were traditionally a form of bush tucker, and they are now cultivated for the food industry and export markets.
Bibliography:
Citrus Australasica, 2007, Australian Native Plants Society (Australia), http://anpsa.org.au/c-aust.html
Citrus Australasica, 2015, Australian National Botanic Gardens and Centre, https://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/interns-2013/citrus-australasica.html
Citrus Australasica, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citrus_australasica
Growing Australian Native Finger Limes, 2010, NSW Department of Primary Industries, http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/320272/growing-australian-native-finger-limes.pdf

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Madeira Vine

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Madeira Vine

Madeira vines just don’t give up on growing.

  • Madeira vine is a species of perennial vine, that is a somewhat hardy, evergreen plant, native to South America.
  • ‘Madeira vines’ are also known as ‘mignonette vines’, ‘lamb’s tail vines’, and ‘potato vines’.
  • The scientific name of the Madeira vine is Anredera cordifolia, and it is from the family Basellaceae, a family of flowering herbaceous plants.
  • Madeira vine leaves are fleshy and shaped like a heart, and are typically between 2 to 15 centimetres (0.8 to 5.9 inches) in length.
  • The length of a Madeira vine can reach between 30 and 40 metres (98 to 131 feet) particularly when assisted by tall plants and trees, which it uses to climb.

Madeira Vine, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Vegetation, Plant, Yellow, Green, Leaves

  • A number of countries, including parts of Africa, New Zealand and Australia, consider Madeira vines as major weeds, as they choke out native vegetation and spread easily, especially in subtropical to tropical areas.
  • A Madeira vine grows from a tuber in the ground, and the plant is efficient at regrowing from a broken root, which is one of its primary spreading methods, while water movement, such as creeks or floods, is another way the vines spread.
  • The small flowers of Madeira vines are white to cream in colour, and in summer and autumn they form in clusters along long spikes, which from a distance, look like lamb’s tails.
  • Madeira vines produce large quantities of tubers along their stems, which often break off and start growing in the ground to produce new plants, enabling the plant to easily multiply, and the tubers are also a source of food for the plant when the growing conditions are tough.
  • The Madeira vine is a very quick grower, and in the right conditions, can grow as much as a metre (3.3 feet) in seven days.
Bibliography:
Anredera Cordifolia, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anredera_cordifolia
Madeira Vine, 2015, Business Queensland Government, https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industry/agriculture/species/declared-pests/weeds/madeira-vine
Madeira Vine (Anredera cordifolia), 2011, BioNET-EAFRINET, http://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/eafrinet/weeds/key/weeds/Media/Html/Anredera_cordifolia_(Madeira_Vine).htm
Madeira Vine (Anredera cordifolia), 2011, Weed Management Guide, http://www.weeds.org.au/WoNS/madeiravine/docs/47053_ERGO_Weed_Mgmt_guide_Madeira_vine_Pages.pdf

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Fire Engine

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Fire Engine

These fire engines are all ‘Russian’ around.

  • A fire engine is an automobile dispatched and used by an emergency department, in particular the fire brigade, primarily to put out fires.
  • ‘Fire engines’ are also known as ‘fire trucks’, ‘fire wagons’, ‘fire apparatuses’ and ‘fire appliances’.
  • Fire engines are typically used to transfer fire fighters and their equipment – ladders, hoses, first-aid supplies, rescue equipment and breathing tanks among other things – from the station to the emergency site.
  • Flashing lights and loud sirens are generally found on a fire engine, and these help to make its presence known, so that other vehicles move out of its way during an emergency.
  • Long extendable ladders are generally found on fire engines, to provide a fire fighter with extra height, and they often have hoses attached.
Fire Engine, Truck, Vehicle, Red, America, Cambridge, Dormant, Emergency, Invention, AutomobileFire Engine
Image courtesy of Dave Conner/Flickr
  • Most fire engines are trucks designed for urban use, however some apparatuses are designed specifically for marine, rural and airport purposes.
  • Fire engines generally carry from around 1000 to 3785 litres (264 to 1000 gallons) of water, although some hold less, while others hold more; however the majority of water that urban trucks use is sourced from a hydrant.
  • A fire engine can be expensive to produce, with commercial pricing ranging from $350,000 to $1.5 million or more, depending on the purposes and features.
  • Greek inventor Ctesibius is said to have invented one of the earliest forms of a fire engine in the third century BC, though buckets of water were commonly used to fight fires in the middle ages; and from the 1600s, fire trucks of various kinds were invented, and by the 1800s, a pressure steam pump had been invented and was drawn by horses for fire use.
  • Fire engines are commonly coloured red, and this is generally attributed to the colour’s bright nature, which makes the truck stand out among other vehicles.
Bibliography:
Bett D, Fire Engine, 1996, Encyclopedia.com, http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Fire_Engine.aspx
Fire Engine, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_engine
Fire Truck History, n.d, Auto Evolution, http://www.autoevolution.com/news/fire-truck-history-7249.html
Revermann S, Fun Facts for Kids about Fire Trucks, 2016, Modern Mom, http://motherhood.modernmom.com/fun-kids-fire-trucks-16855.html
Why Are Fire Trucks Red?, 2016, Wonderopolis, http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-are-fire-trucks-red
Young C, Fires, Fire Engines, and Fire Brigades, 1866, Google Books, https://books.google.com.au/books?id=YblbAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA66&lpg=PA66&dq=ptolemy+fire+engine&source=bl&ots=QruKyXMSvl&sig=jr4fVFH4rjn_Ltgt2IKqipPeo3E&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjk8oazi9nLAhXjtIMKHS4DBY8Q6AEIODAI#v=onepage&q&f=false

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