Tag Archives: Vegetation

Rosemary

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Rosemary

Smell the strong smelling rosemary.

  • The scientific name of rosemary is Rosmarinus officinalis, ‘rosmarinus’ being Latin for ‘dew of the sea’, which is said to be a reference to its little need for water which can be derived from the moisture in the sea air.
  • Rosemary is an evergreen, woody herb with spiky looking green leaves and mauve, purple, blue, white or pink coloured flowers.
  • Rosemary is native to the Mediterranean area and is from the Lamiaceae family, which is the family of mint.
  • Rosemary is also known as ‘anthos’, the Greek word for ‘flower’, and the ‘Rose of Mary’, due to the suggestion that Virgin Mary laid her cloak on the herb.
  • Rosemary leaves are often used as a seasoning for stuffings and meat such as roast lamb, chicken, pork, turkey and in Mediterranean dishes, and the flowers can also be used, sometimes featuring in salads.

 Rosemary, Flower, Purple, Ten Random Facts< Australia, Plant, Herb,

  • Rosemary is quite drought tolerant, can be grown as a hedge plant, and ranges in height from 30 cm – 1.5 meters (1-5 feet) depending on the species.
  • In 2013, it was officially proven that rosemary helps the brain with remembering and clarity due to the smell of the essential oil that is contained in the plant, although the Ancient Greeks and Shakespeare both discovered these memory properties long ago.
  • Rosemary contains vitamin C, vitamin B6, folate, iron, calcium and manganese, and because it contains rosmarinic acid which has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, it is often used for medicinal purposes, including the treatment of hair for dandruff and baldness.
  • Rosemary was worn by both the bride and the groom in weddings in the Middle Ages, and a piece was then planted in the hope of good luck for the couple’s marriage.
  • Rosemary is often worn at Australia’s ANZAC Day ceremonies due to the abundance of the herb at the Gallipoli war grounds and its association with remembrance.
Bibliography:
Campbell C, Rosemary, 2011, Gardening Australia, < http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s2046448.htm>
Rosemary, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary>

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Snow Pea

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Snow Pea

Open up the snow peas to find the hidden peas.

  • Snow peas are edible legumes and pea pods that are known as a vegetable, and are believed to be native to the Mediterranean area.
  • Snow peas are also called ‘Chinese pea pods’, ‘Chinese pea’ and ‘mangetout,’ which means ‘eat it all’ in French.
  • Snow peas are from the family Fabaceae, which is the family of legumes, beans and peas.
  • Snow peas contain peas that can be harvested once ripe, although they may taste different to typical peas, and are not normally eaten at this stage.
  • Snow peas are very high in vitamin C, and are a good source of vitamins A and K as well as iron and magnesium.

Snowpea, Green, Bowl, Lots, Vegetable, Legume, Ten Random Facts, Fresh

  • Snow peas are often eaten raw and cooked in stir-fries, and can also be added to salads or other main dishes.
  • Snow pea pods don’t have the inedible fibre that most pea pods have, which is why you can eat the pods.
  • Snow peas grow on a vine that grow 0.6 to 2 meters (2 to 6.5 feet) in height and the peas are generally picked ten days after the white flower is pollinated.
  • Snow peas are quite similar to typical peas except they have a softer pod and taste crisper and sweeter.
  • Snow peas are harvested when the pod is 7 to 10 cm (2.7 to 4 inch) in length and when the peas inside are just starting to bulge.
Bibliography:
Fernando N, Snow Pea and Sugar Snap Pea, 2009, Victoria Government Department of Environment and Primary Industry, < http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/agriculture/horticulture/vegetables/vegetables-a-z/snow-pea-sugar-snap-pea>
Snow Pea, 2013, Wikipedia, < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_pea>

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Strelitzia

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Strelitzia

Brightly coloured ‘birds’, the strelitzia.

  • Strelitzia are also known as ‘bird of paradise plants’ or ‘crane flowers’.
  • The flowers of strelitzia are shaped like a spikey-headed bird, hence their common names refer to birds, and are generally bright orange or yellow and purple, although a couple of the species have white flowers.
  • Strelitzia are named after the place where Queen Charlotte was born in 1744, in the territory of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
  • Strelitzia are native to South Africa and do not like the cold as they are a tropical climate plant, however some species are frost resistant.
  • There are five or six species in the group of strelitzia, Strelitzia reginae being the most common.

Orange, Flower, Strelitzia, Pointy, Bird, Paradise, Plant, Australia, Ten Random Facts

  • Strelitzia is from the family of Strelitziaceae, which is the family of three genera of plants, Strelitzia, Ravenala and Phenakospermum.
  • The leaves on strelitzia can be quite large and are generally shaped like banana leaves or paddles.
  • Strelitzia flowers are pollinated by the feet of nectar feeding sunbirds that like to visit the flowers.
  • Strelitzia plants generally need to be 3-5 years old before they will flower, which happens mostly in late winter and spring, although they can be seen flowering at other times.
  • Strelitzia grow to a general height of 2 to 3.5 meters (6 to 11.5 feet), but some species can grow up to 10 meters (33 feet) in height.
Bibliography:
Strelitzia, 2013, Wikipedia, < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strelitzia>
VanZile J, Birds of Paradise – How to grow Strelitzia, 2013, About.com, < http://houseplants.about.com/od/foliageplants/p/BirdofParadise.htm>

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Mandarin Orange

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Mandarin Orange

Orange, juicy mandarins.

  • Mandarins are small, orange coloured, citrus fruits that usually grow on a small to medium sized trees and are similar to an orange, but are often sweeter.
  • Mandarins, also known as ‘mandarines’, are said to be named after the Chinese officials of the same name who wore orange robes, and are often used in celebrating Christmas in United States and Canada and are a symbol of Chinese New Year.
  • Mandarins are native to south east Asia, and the scientific name is Citrus reticulata, belonging to the Rutaceae family, the family of citrus fruit.
  • Mandarins are peeled easily by hand and the segments inside can be pulled apart easily without making a mess.
  • China is by far the major producer of mandarins, producing just over half of the world total’s mandarin production of 24.6 million tonnes (27.1 million tons) in 2011.

Mandarins, Mandarines, Orange, Open, Skin, Whole, Four, Orange, citrus, Australia, Woolworths, Ten Random Facts

  • Mandarins are a good source of dietary fibre and vitamin A, and are an excellent source of Vitamin C, with one mandarin providing up to 80% of your daily needs, as well as being high in antioxidants, and helping to prevent heart disease and cancer.
  • Mandarins are most commonly eaten raw but can be eaten in salads, main dishes and desserts and can even be canned.
  • Mandarin peel has valuable essential oil that is used as a commercial flavouring ingredient in liqueurs, soft drinks, confectionery, ice cream and baked goods.
  • Some mandarin varieties have many seeds, while others only have a few, and there are some cultivars that are seedless.
  • Mandarins have a fairly short shelf life, and start to deteriorate after  2 to 4 weeks in storage.
Bibliography:
Mandarin Orange, 2013, Purdue Agriculture, <http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/mandarin_orange.html>
Mandarin Orange, 2013, Wikipedia, < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandarin_orange>

 
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Magnolia

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Magnolia

Magnificent magnolia.

  • Magnolias are a group of  over 100 flowering plants that are from the family Magnoliaceae.
  • Magnolias are native to Asia and North, Central and South America.
  • Magnolias are evergreen and deciduous trees that bear large leaves and large, shapely flowers, and grow from 6 meters to 24 metres (20 ft – 80 ft) in height.
  • Beetles are the main pollinators of magnolias, and the fruits are usually cone shaped and are red or pink in colour and contain a number of seeds.
  • Many magnolia species flower in early spring, often before leaves appear, but some bloom in summer.

Magnolia, Pink, White, Black, Single, Flower, Focus, Vegetation, Petals, Australia, Ten Random Facts

  • Magnolia flowers are sometimes fragrant and can be purple, pink, white, cream, or yellow, in colour.
  • Magnolias are named after Pierre Magnol, who was a French botanist.
  • Magnolia bark and buds have been used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine.
  • Magnolias are the main diet of the grubs of some moths or butterflies from the family Lepidoptera such as the Giant Leopard Moth.
  • Magnolias are the state flower of Louisiana and Mississippi in the United States.
Bibliography:
Magnolia, 2013, Wikipedia, < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia>
Plant Profile: Magnolia, 2011, Gardening Australia, < http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1866634.htm>

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Eggplant

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Eggplant

Eggplants do not grow eggs!

  • Eggplants are native to India and are known as ‘aubergines’ in Europe and ‘eggplants’ in America, and are also called ‘brinjal’, ‘melongene’ and ‘guinea squash’.
  • An eggplant’s scientific name is solanum melongena and the belong to the family Solanaceae, which is the family of nightshades, and they are related to tomatoes and potatoes.
  • Eggplants are typically dark purple vegetables that grow 12 to 25 cm (4.5 to 9 inches) in length and have a spongy light coloured flesh, although they come in all different shapes, sizes and colours including an almost black colour, green, orange, white, and yellow.
  • Eggplant plants are a perennial tropical plant that grow to 40 to 150 cm (16 to 57 inches) in height and have a white to purple coloured flower.
  • Eggplants were named ‘eggplants’ in the 1700s in Europe, because some eggplants were white in colour and looked like bird eggs.

Eggplant, Purple, Fat Long, Black, One, Single, Australia, Vegetable, Ten Random Facts

  • Eggplants behave like a sponge during the cooking process, and can be baked, fried, stewed, grilled, steamed and stuffed, whilst also featuring in two of the most famous eggplant dishes, moussaka and  ratatouille.
  • Eggplants become more bitter with age, although are usually cooked to avoid or reduce the often bitter taste they have, and are sometimes cut, salted and rinsed before cooking to remove some of the bitterness and so that they absorb less oil or other liquid.
  • China produced 58% of the total world production of nearly 42 million tonnes (41 million tons) of eggplants in 2010, and cultivated eggplants use more than 4 million acres (1.6 million hectares) of land worldwide.
  • Eggplants have the highest nicotine content than all edible plants, although you would need to eat 9kg (20 pounds) of eggplant to match the quantity of nicotine in one cigarette.
  • Some people are allergic to eggplants, which can cause reactions of itchiness, headaches and stomach irritation.
Bibliography:
Eggplant, 2013, World’s Healthiest Foods, < http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=22>
Eggplant, 2013, Wikipedia, < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggplant>

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