Tag Archives: Vegetation

Lilly Pilly

By | |
3 Comments
Lilly Pilly

It is not a lily…

  • Lilly pilly is also known as lillpilli, brush cherries and satinash.
  • Lilly pilly is a flowering plant from the family Myrtaceae, the family of myrtles.
  • Lilly pillies are split into three genera, Syzygium, Waterhousea, Acmena.
  • Lilly pillies are evergreen trees and shrubs.
  • Lilly pilly plants generally have white, fluffy flowers and produce small red, pink or purple fruit that are edible.
Lilly Pilly, Red, Berries, Bunch, Green, Australia, Plant, Berry, Ten Random Facts Lilly Pilly
Image courtesy of Val Laird
  • Lilly pilly is native to Africa, South East Asia and the Pacific.
  • Lilly pilly fruit is sometimes used in jams and jellies.
  • Lilly pilly is sometimes confused with the eugenia species.
  • There are 62 species of lilly pilly native to Australia.
  • The lilly pilly psyllid is a pest that feeds on lilly pilly and causes pimples on the leaves.
Bibliography:
Syzygium, 2013 Wikipedia,<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syzygium>

Abelia

By | |
Leave a comment
Abelia

Sweet Abelia…

  • Abelia is a plant group from the family Caprifoliaceae, the family of honeysuckles.
  • Abelias are evergreen or deciduous shrubs that can grow 1 to 6 meters (3.3 to 20 feet) in height.
  • Abelias are native to eastern Asia and Mexico.
  • Abelia leaves are dark green and glossy, and the tubular flowers are small, white or pink that grow in clusters.
  • Abelia shrubs flower between spring and autumn.

Abelia, White, Flower, Multiple, Bush, Shrub, Plant, Australia, Ten Random Facts

  • Abelias were named after the naturalist Clarke Abel, from Britain, who discovered the plant.
  • Abelias were introduced to England by Robert Fortune, a Scottish botanist in 1844.
  • Abelias are popular garden shrubs, as they are generally hardy and have a long flowering period, and are generally pest free.
  • Abelias attract some nectar feeding insects, and the plant is eaten by the larvae of some species of Lepidoptera, a family of moths and butterflies.
  • Most Abelia species do not like extreme cold.
Bibliography:
Abelia, 2013 Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abelia>

Protea

By | |
Leave a comment
Protea

There are so many interesting flowers.

  • Proteas are also known as sugarbushes.
  • Protea flowers are native to South Africa.
  • Proteas are named after the Greek mythology god ‘Proteus’ who can change it’s form, as there are many different looking proteas.
  • Proteas were introduced to Europe in the 1700s by keen botanists.
  • Proteas are from the family Proteaceae.

Protea, Vase, Three, Bunch, Red, Pink, Sugarbush, Flower, Australia, Ten Random Facts

  • The South African cricket team is named after the protea; calling themselves ‘The Proteas’.
  • The protea genus has approximately 100 species, all evergreen, ranging from small shrubs to large trees.
  • Proteas flower in autumn, winter and spring and are very popular as cut flowers and are widely used by florists.
  • Protea leaves often feel like leather.
  • Protea flowers are pink, cream or red in colour.
Bibliography:
Plant Profile: Protea 2011, Gardening Australia, <http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1866643.htm>

Frangipani

By | |
1 Comment
Frangipani

Beautiful flowers…

  • Frangipanis are flowering plants from the family Apocynaceae, which is the family of dogbane, and their official name is Plumeria, which they are often called.
  • Frangipanis are shrubs and small trees that are mostly deciduous.
  • Frangipanis are native to Central and South America, Mexico and the Caribbean, although they can now be found in most tropical areas.
  • Frangipanis don’t contain any nectar, and therefore deceive the insects that come to pollinate it by its sweet, fragant scent.
  • Sphinx moths pollinate frangipanis at night, when the scent of the flower is the strongest.

Flower, White, Yellow, Frangipani, Plumeria, Australia, Ten Random Facts

  • Plumerias were named after botanist Charles Plumier, and frangipani, after a noble Italian, Marquis Frangipani, who invented a perfume that smelt like plumeria.
  • Frangipanis can grow from its own cuttings to form another plant.
  • Frangipani flowers can be white, pink, yellow, cerise, or red in colour, or can be mulitcoloured.
  • Frangipanis have five petals, with centres that are usually different coloured to the outer section of the petal.
  • Frangipanis are the national flower of Laos and are known as ‘Dok Champa’.
Bibliography:
Plumeria 21 February 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumeria>

Celosia

By | |
Leave a comment
Celosia

Flame headed flowers.

  • Celosia are plants with beautiful blooming flowers that are used for decoration in the garden, and can be eaten.
  • Celosia are plants from the amaranthaceae, which is the family of amaranth.
  • Celosia comes from the Greek word κηλος, pronounced kelos, meaning burned, referring to the flower heads that look like flames.
  • Celosia are also known as woolflowers and cockscomb.
  • Celosia is often used for medicinal purposes to treat intestinal worms; blood diseases; mouth and eye problems; and the seeds can be used to treat chest problems and the flowers as a treatment for diarrhoea.

Celosia, Red, Orange, Yellow, Purple, Line, Australia, Ten Random Facts

  • One thousand celosia seeds weigh 1-1.2 grams (0.035-0.042 ounces).
  • Celosia are native to South America, tropical Africa, and the South and East parts of Asia.
  • Most parts of celosia are commonly eaten in stews, and is a staple food of Nigeria.
  • The leaves of celosia have a taste similar to spinach.
  • Celosia are easy to grow almost anywhere, and are generally resistant to disease and pests.
Bibliography:
Celosia 28 February 2013 , Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celosia>

Black Pepper

By | |
1 Comment
Black Pepper

Many different types of pepper; black, white and more.

  • Pepper is a vine that flowers and produces fruit, peppercorns, that are simply referred to as pepper.
  • Cooked and dried, unripe peppercorns makes black pepper; dried unripe peppercorns makes green pepper; and dried peppercorn seeds makes white pepper.
  • Pepper is native to South and South-East Asia, most notably India.
  • Dried peppercorn is most often used as a spice, and out of all known spices, peppercorn is traded the most.
  • The chemical piperine is responsible for the peppercorn’s spice.

Pepper, Black Pepper, Grounded, Powder, Ten Random Facts

  • Oil and pepper spirit, which is used in beverages such as Coca Cola, can be extracted from peppercorn when dried.
  • Pepper vines grow up to 4 metres (13 feet) in height and produce numerous pepper drupes (berry fruit) on long curvy shaped spikes on the stems of the plant.
  • Peppercorn was discovered rammed up the Egyptian Pharaoh Rameses II’s nose (1213 BC).
  • Historically, pepper was said to cure many health problems, from earaches to heart and lung diseases, and it is still sometimes used in modern times for medicinal purposes.
  • Vietnam, the world’s biggest producer of pepper, produces 34% of the world’s pepper products.
Bibliography:
Black Pepper 4 March 2013 , Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pepper>
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...