Tag Archives: Plant

Gardenia

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Gardenia

Named after a ‘Garden’.

  • Gardenia are small evergreen trees or shrubs, and grow between 1-15 meters (3.3-49 feet) tall.
  • 142 species have been discovered in the gardenia family.
  • Gardenia are native to Africa, Australasia and Oceania tropics.
  • Gardenias belong to the coffee plant family, ‘Rubiaceae’.
  • Gardenia flowers have a strong, pretty, sweet smell.

Gardenia, Australia, White Flowers, Pretty, Garden, Ten Random Facts

  • The gardenia flower is the national flower of Pakistan.
  • The gardenia was named after Dr Alexander Garden, a famous botanist, who was also a zoologist and physician.
  • The fruit of the gardenia is sometimes used in Chinese medicine.
  • If water touches gardenia flowers, the flowers will turn a coffee coloured brown.
  • Flowers of the gardenia are typically white or pale yellow.
Bibliography:
Gardenia 13 November 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardenia>

Cherry

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Cherry

Red as a rose, sweet as love.

  • Cherries are stone fruit since they have one seed in them, and have an outer flesh.
  • Cherries are the fruit of certain species of ‘Prunus’, and most cherries that humans eat come from varieties of the sour cherry (Prunus cerasus), which is mostly used for cooking purposes, or the wild cherry (Prunus avium).
  • The word ‘cherry’ comes from the common Greek word, translated into Latin, ‘Cerasum’.
  • The cherry tree cultivars are mainly native to the Northern Hemisphere.
  • Several caterpillars rely on cherry tree cultivars for food.

 Cherries, Cherry, Sour, Eatable, Many, Lots, Glass, Ten Random Facts

  • The word ‘cherry’ refers to the fruit, tree, similar ornamental trees and strangely enough, sometimes almonds.
  • The cherry tree’s prime season for harvest is Summer.
  • In 2007, cherry trees produced approximately 2 million tonnes of cherries world wide. 40% of this production belonged to Europe and 13% belonged to the United States of America.
  • Turkey was the top producer in 2009, with 417.7 thousand tonnes, followed by  the United States with 390.7 tonnes.
  • Cherries have been proven to decrease pain, swelling and tenderness in rats.
Bibliography:
Cherry 28 December 2012, Wikipedia,
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry>

Crepe Myrtle

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Crepe Myrtle

It flowers and makes you gasp.

  • Crepe myrtle are deciduous or evergreen, flowering trees or shrubs and are among the best flowering trees.
  • Crepe myrtle is also known as the crape myrtle, and its scientific name is Lagerstroemia.
  • There are approximately 50 species of crepe myrtle.
  • The crepe myrtle is native to south east Asia and northern parts of Australia and Oceania.
  • The crepe myrtle is part of the Lythracae family, also known as loosestrife.

Crepe Myrtle, Pink and White Flowers, Branches, Tree, Small, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Crepe myrtle derives its name from the crepe like look and texture of the flowers.
  • Most crepe myrtles shed their bark during the year.
  • Different species of crepe myrtle can be as little as 30 cm (1 foot) in height and can be as tall as 30 m (100 feet).
  • The colour of crepe myrtle flowers come in almost any shade of purple, pink, red or white.
  • Crepe myrtles are popular due to their long lasting flowers, which bloom in Summer and Autumn.
Bibliography:
Lagerstroemia 7 December 2012, Wikipedia,
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagerstroemia>

Holly

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Holly

Oh, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer, the playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

  • Holly is generally a slow growing, evergreen or deciduous tree, shrub or climber.
  • Holly have fruit called berries or drupe, and are slightly poisonous to humans, but are commonly eaten by birds and other wildlife.
  • The colour of the leaves of holly are green, and the fruit are red; brown or black, and more uncommonly, yellow or green.
  • ‘Illex’, the proper name for holly, means holm or evergreen oak.
  • Holly is mainly found in North and South America and South East Asia.

Holly, Illex, Fake, Green Leaves, Red Berries, Single, Ten Random Factsf

  • At least two species of holly have become extinct quite recently, and many are struggling to survive.
  • Some species of holly are used in tea due to their caffeine content, and traditionally the wood of some species was used to make special Scottish bagpipes.
  • Holly has been a symbol of Christianity since medieval times, representing the blood and thorns of Jesus Christ.
  • Druids wore holly on their heads because they believed it had magical powers.
  • There are a lot of superstitions, beliefs and symbolism traditionally associated with holly and as a result, it has become a common, Christmas decoration.  It has been used in celebrations for centuries.
Bibliography:
Holly 19 December 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly>

Christmas Tree

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“Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree!”

  • Traditionally, the Christmas tree symbolises the Christian belief of eternal life and was also thought to have been used in pre-Christian winter rites.
  • The original Christmas tree can be traced down to 15th-16th century, in early modern Germany and the first decorated trees were used in the years 1441, 1442, 1510, 1514, in the historic region of Livonia.
  • The Christmas tree is traditionally an evergreen tree which is normally pine or fir and were originally decorated with edible food.  The artificial Christmas tree was invented in Germany in the early 18th century and are now made in numerous shapes and sizes, using many different materials.
  • In the 18th century, candles were used to decorate Christmas trees which then led to electric lights being used.
  • In the 19th century, the Christmas tree tradition spread to many countries.  The first Christmas tree introduced in North America was in 1781 when Brunswick soldiers had a Christmas party.

Large, Outdoors, Christmas Tree, Shopping Center, Ten Random Facts

  • By the early 19th century, royalty started to take on the tradition of Christmas trees and since the 19th-20th century, Christmas trees have been used in churches. In the early 20th century, Christmas trees were being displayed in public at parks and streets.
  • In Russia the Christmas tree was banned not long after the October Resolution but the tree was introduced again, as the New Year fir tree, in 1935.
  • The traditional Christmas tree decorations are tinsel, baubles, Christmas lights, angel or star topper and sometimes homemade decorations, and public trees are often decorated with items and foods that wildlife like.
  • Approximately 33-36 million Christmas trees are produced per year in America and England produces 50-60 million per year.  By 1998, there were about 15,000 American growers of evergreen Christmas trees.
  • Between 2001-2007, Christmas tree sales in the United States went from 7.3 million sales up to a huge 17.4 million sales.
Bibliography:
Christmas tree 6 November 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_tree>

Nectarine

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Nectarine

Nectarine… sweet and juicy!

  • A nectarine is a stonefruit, which is a fruit with a large seed in the middle.
  • Nectarines are closely related to the peach, and sometimes are grown on peach trees or vice versa.
  • Nectarines have smooth skin, and yellow, red or white flesh colour.
  • The nectarine is a high source of vitamins A and C.
  • Nectarine trees are grown in warm temperature areas.

Red Flesh, Yellow Inside, Nectarine, Stonefruit, Ten Random Facts

  • The nectarine comes from the family ‘Rosaceae’, which is the family of roses.
  • The nectarine tree grows 5-7 meters (16-22 feet) high.
  • Nectarines are normally in season in the warmer months, from early spring to middle autumn.
  • The name ‘nectarine’ comes from the sweet food the gods eat, ‘nectar’.
  • The place of origin of the nectarine is China, but spread quickly to England in the 16th century.
Bibliography
Nectarine 2011, Fresh for Kids, <http://www.freshforkids.com.au/fruit_pages/nectarine/nectarine.html>
Nectarine n.d., Britannica, <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/407794/nectarine>
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