Tag Archives: Vegetation

Radish

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Radish

These radish facts are radical.

  • A radish is a savoury vegetable and the root of the plant Raphanus sativus, and there are many cultivated varieties of the vegetable.
  • Radishes are from the family Brassicaceae, the family of mustard and cabbages, and they generally have a sweet, peppery flavour, and are crunchy when raw.
  • Radishes grow quickly and some varieties can be harvested after as little as three weeks, although other varieties can take some months to grow.
  • Although there is no historical record of the origin of radishes, it is believed that they are native to Southeast Asia due to the plant growing in the wild there.
  • Radishes are coloured red, white, green, pink, purple, yellow or black depending on the variety, and they generally have white coloured flesh.

Red, Radish, Food, Culinary, Vegetable, Vegetation, Ten Random Facts, Australia, Bundle

  • Radishes are typically spherical or cylindrical in shape, and range from 2.5 to 60 centimetres (1 to 23.6 inches) in length, with leaves ranging from 10 to 60 centimetres (4 to 24 inches) in height.
  • Radishes are often eaten raw, as a side vegetable or in salads, and they can be made into juice or condiments like pickles, while the leaves can also be eaten, and are often used in soup.
  • Radish seeds can be used for sprouting purposes, and the seeds can also be made into oil.
  • In 2007, 6.35 million tonnes (7 million tons) of radishes were produced around the world.
  • Radishes are high in vitamin C and are good sources of folate and potassium.
Bibliography:
Radish, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radish
Radish, n.d, Good Food, http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/radish

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Verbena

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Verbena, Pink, White, Flowers, Plant, Vegetation, Ten Random Facts, Cluster

Make your garden a bloom of delight with verbena.

  • Verbenas are a group of 250 species of plants that flower, and are either grown as annuals or perennials depending on the location and species.
  • Verbenas are from the family Verbenaceae, the family of vervains, that are mostly flowering plants found in tropical areas.
  • A ‘verbena’ plant is also known by the common name ‘vervain’.
  • Verbenas originate mostly from North and South America, as well as from Europe, and they tend to be mainly found in tropical and subtropical habitats.
  • Verbenas have flowers coloured pink, red, blue, purple or white that consist of five petals, that generally grow in clusters on spikes.

Verbena, Pink, White, Flowers, Plant, Vegetation, Ten Random Facts, Cluster

  • Verbenas are mainly grown for decorative purposes, and they grow best in complete sunlight.
  • Verbenas have been used historically as an ingredient for medicinal purposes, such as herbal tea; while oil can also be extracted from the plant.
  • Verbenas generally have long flowering periods, and they can be found flowering in all months, with the exception of winter.
  • Verbenas grow to be roughly 0.3 to 0.9 metres (1 to 3 feet) in height, and they usually have a spreading habit, making them suitable for hanging baskets.
  • The leaves of verbenas often have a light to heavy covering of hair, while the fruit splits into four parts, each containing one seed.
Bibliography:
Genus Verbena, PlantNET, n.d, http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=gn&name=Verbena
Plant Profile: Verbena, 2014, Gardening Australia, http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1866736.htm
Verbena, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena
Verbena, 2015, Better Homes & Gardens, http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/annual/verbena/

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Blue Billygoat Weed

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Blue Billygoat Weed

Blue billygoat weed is a strange name for a strange plant.

  • Blue billygoat weeds are an annual plant, native to areas of Central America and Mexico.
  • Blue billygoat weeds have the scientific name Ageratum houstonianum and are from the family Asteraceae, the family of asters and daisies.
  • ‘Blue billygoat weeds’ are also known as ‘blueweeds’, ‘floss flowers’, ‘blueminks’, ‘pussy foots’, ‘Mexican paintbrushes’ and ‘goatweeds’, among others.
  • Blue billygoat weed typically grows to be 30 to 100 centimetres (1 to 3.3 feet) in height and the leaves grow to be 2 to 7 centimetres (0.8 to 2.8 inches) in length.
  • Blue billygoat weed has small seeds that are coloured brown to black, and are covered in small scales that look like hairs.

Blue billygoat weed, Purple, Flower, Ten Random Facts, Plant, Vegetation, Weed

  • Blue billygoat weed is often used for ornamental purposes, such as in gardens, and some of the cultivars have been awarded the British Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.
  • The flowers of blue billygoat weed can be blue, pink, white or purple in colour, and the flower heads are covered with numerous, clustered, tiny tubular flowers, that are thread-like in appearance.
  • Blue billygoat weed contains a chemical that causes premature moulting in insects, and they can be poisonous to animals such as sheep and cows, causing liver problems.
  • Blue billygoat weed has been classified as an invasive weed in many areas, such as parts of the United States, Asia, New Zealand, Europe, Africa and Australia.
  • Blue billygoat weeds are readily grown from seeds, that are easily spread in water and wind, and this is the main cause of its widespread weed status.
Bibliography:
Ageratum houstonianum, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ageratum_houstonianum
Blue billygoat weed, 2011, Weeds of Australia, http://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/03030800-0b07-490a-8d04-0605030c0f01/media/Html/Ageratum_houstonianum.htm

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Panjin Red Beach

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Panjin Red Beach

Panjin Red Beach is bright and beautiful.

  • Panjin Red Beach is a beach located in the southern area of Liaoning Province, in northeast China.
  • Panjin Red Beach is covered in flora, notably the brightly coloured and edible Suaeda salsa plants from the family Amaranthaceae, the family of amaranths.
  • ‘Panjin Red Beach’ is also known as ‘Red Seabeach’, ‘Red Beach’ and the ‘home of the cranes’.
  • Panjin Red Beach is part of the 100 square kilometre (38.6 square mile) Red Beach Scenic Area, as well as the Panjin wetlands, that is the home to 260 birds and 399 other fauna, including rare and endangered species of crane.
  • Panjin Red Beach became a protected area as part of the Panjin wetlands in 1988, and was declared a ‘National Nature Reserve’, and it has since become a popular tourist destination.
Panjin Red Beach, Bright, Red, China, Ten Random Facts, Seaweed, Lovely, Wonderful
Part of Panjin Red Beach
Image courtesy of Free York
  • Panjin Red Beach is named due to the Suaeda salsa plants that change from the colour green, to orange, pink and eventually a stunning bright red.
  • Panjin Red Beach wetlands area is the home to many species of reed, which are commonly used to make paper, and large sections of the Panjin wetlands have been cultivated for this purpose.
  • While the area is vast, the area of Panjin Red Beach that can be visited by the public is small, and the best time to visit is in mid September through to mid October, when the colour is at its best.
  • The nearest city to Panjin Red Beach by distance is Panjin City, approximately 30 kilometres (19 miles) away.
  • The soil of Panjin Red Beach has a high content of alkaline, which causes soil to be unsuitable for most plants, although the saline loving Suaeda salsa grows prolifically.
Bibliography:
Panjin Red Beach, China, 2011, Amusing Planet, http://www.amusingplanet.com/2011/11/panjin-red-beach-china.html
The Red Beach in Panjin, China, 2014, Where on Earth, http://whenonearth.net/red-beach-panjin-china/
Red Seabeach, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Seabeach
Wang, L, On the Countermeasures of Panjin Coastal Wetland Protection in Liaoning Province, 2010, Canadian Center of Science and Education, http://ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ass/article/download/5675/4592
Red Beach, 2014, Baidu, http://baike.baidu.com/view/83704.htm

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Dill

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Dill

Isn’t dill play-on-words fun!?

  • Dill is a leafy herb that reaches heights of 40 to 60 centimetres (16 to 24 inches) and the plant is grown as an annual in full sun.
  • Dill is native to Europe’s east, Russia’s south, Africa and the Mediterranean, and it is the only species in the Anethum genus; its scientific name is Anethum graveolens.
  • Dill is from the family Apiaceae, that is also known as the Umbelliferae family, and it is the family of celery, parsley and carrots, and other hollow stem plants.
  • ‘Dill’ is derived from the Norse word ‘dilla’, meaning ‘to lull’ or the Old English word ‘dile’, and the names are a reference to the plant’s medicinal purposes.
  • Dill leaves are often used in seafood or soup dishes, as well as pickled items like cucumbers, and the seeds are used as a spice for flavouring.
Dill, Food, Seeds, Culinary, Spice, Brown, Bowl, Many, Flavour, Ten Random Facts, AustraliaSeeds
  • Oil can be obtained from the dill plant, which can be used to produce soap.
  • Dill has been used for thousands of years, and in England in the 5th to 11th centuries it was used to treat headaches, stomach illness, boils and nausea, and other sickness.
  • Fresh dill leaves are delicate and feathery and are typically coloured a bright green, while seeds are mustard to brown in colour.
  • Dill has a taste described typically as mild and warm, with a slight anise flavour, and the leaves have a milder flavour than the seeds.
  • Dill leaves are a very good source of vitamin C and vitamin A, and they contain many other vitamins and minerals, while the seeds are high in calcium.
Bibliography:
Dill (Anethum graveolens), 2014, Gourmet Garden, http://www.gourmetgarden.com/en/herb/252/dill
Dill, 2014, The World’s Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=71
Dill, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dill

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Hallerbos

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Hallerbos

Is Hallerbos full of magic?

  • Hallerbos is a forest area located in Europe’s Belgium, mainly in the Halle district.
  • Hallerbos is known for its abundance of wild hyacinths or bluebells that bloom during spring, from April to May.
  • The forest of Hallerbos has an area of approximately 5.35 square kilometres (2 square miles), which includes 1 square kilometre (0.4 square miles) that is classed as a reserve and is home to a number of rare plants.
  • ‘Hallerbos’ is also known as ‘Halle Forest’ and ‘The Blue Forest’.
  • The trees of Hallerbos include species of oak, ash, pine, beech, giant sequoia and larch.
Hallerbros, Trees, Forest, Plants, Bluebells, Carpet, Belgium, Europe, Ten Random Facts, Flickr
Part of Hallerbos
Image courtesy of Ines Saraiva/Flickr
  • Nearly all of the Hallerbos trees were cut down by Germans during World War I.
  • Hallerbos is home to hares, foxes, deer, rabbits and polecats.
  • In Ancient Roman times, Hallerbos was part of the Coal Forest, which reached into Germany.
  • Since the 1930s, Hallerbos trees have been replenished and planted, and the area expanded by the purchase of nearby farms.
  • Hallerbos has tracks for cyclers, hikers and horse riders, and also a museum.

 

Bibliography:
Hallerbos, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallerbos
Halle 2011, Natuur en Bos, http://www.natuurenbos.be/hallerbos#.U-VbUvmSzVx
Welcome to Hallerbos, 2014, Hallerbos, http://www.hallerbos.be/en/

 

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