Achacha

Achacha

Not many fruit pop like an achacha does.

  • Achacha is a variety of tropical fruit that originates from the Bolivian Amazon region of South America.
  • Achacha fruit grow on a trees with the scientific name Garcinia humilis, from the family Clusiaceae, a family of mostly tropical shrubs and trees.
  • ‘Achacha’ is known as ‘achachairú’ in its native area and has the literal translation of ‘honey kiss’.
  • The colour of the skin of achachas is generally a bright orange colour when ripe, often with a red tinge, while the flesh itself is white, and typically contains one large seed.
  • Achachas are shaped like an ovoid, and can reach 6 centimetres (2.4 inches) in length and have a diameter of 4 cm (1.6 inches).

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  • Achachas can be eaten fresh or in a salad, made into a dessert, or pureed and served as a cold beverage.
  • The rind of achachas is bitter, though it is often used to flavour drinks, while the flesh is a sweet and tangy flavour.
  • An achacha can be opened by making a slit in the skin and squeezing the fruit between your fingers, which causes the skin to pop off the flesh.
  • To store achachas, they should be kept at room temperature, and will usually keep longer if kept in a humid environment like a sealed container, so that the skin doesn’t dry out.
  • Achachas are high in antioxidants, vitamin C, folate and potassium, and they have low levels of sugar compared to many other fruits.
Bibliography:
About the Achacha, 2013, Achacha, http://achacha.com.au/
Achacha, 2016, Body + Soul, http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/nutrition/health+foods+az/achacha,23975
Garcinia humilis, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garcinia_humilis

Japanese Laurel

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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Australian Finger Lime

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

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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Horned Melon

Horned Melon

Horned melons are a beast of a fruit.

  • Horned melons are a variety of melon that are native to much of Africa, though not in the northern regions.
  • The scientific name of horned melons is Cucumis metuliferus and it is from the family Cucurbitaceae, the family of gourds.
  • ‘Horned melons’ are also known as ‘kiwanos’, ‘melanos’, ‘hedged gourds’, ‘jelly melons’, ‘African horned cucumbers’, and ‘African horned melons’.
  • Horned melons are a cylindrical/ovoid shape and range from 6 to 15 centimetres (2.4 to 6 inches) in length and 3 to 6 cm (1.2 to 2.4 inches ) in diameter.
  • The yellow to dark orange coloured skin of a horned melon, is covered in sharp spikes of a horn-like appearance, hence its common name.
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Horned Melon
Image courtesy of ccharmon/Flickr
  • Horned melons have flesh of a translucent green colour with a jelly-like consistency, similar to the innards of a cucumber.
  • Horned melons have a sweet to sour taste, and are compared to zucchinis and cucumbers in regards to flavour, perhaps with a hint of banana and lime or lemon.
  • The water content of a horned melon can be up to 90 percent, and the fruit is generally available in the summer months.
  • With its flesh and numerous seeds being edible, horned melons are an exotic fruit that can be eaten both raw, often in fruit salad, and cooked; and the flesh is sometimes used as an accompaniment to meat.
  • Horned melons have a high content of iron and magnesium, and they have significant quantities of vitamins B and C, as well as phosphorous and zinc, and they contain other vitamins and minerals.
Bibliography:
Cucumis metuliferus, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumis_metuliferus
Welman M, Cucumis metuliferus, 2009, SA National Biodiversity Institute, http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantcd/cucumismet.htm
Health Benefits of Horned Melon (Kiwano), n.d, Health Benefits, http://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/health-benefits-of-horned-melon/

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Sensitive Plant

Sensitive Plant

Sometimes you just want to shrink away. Sensitive plants know how you feel.

  • Sensitive plants are a species of plant, originating in tropical areas of South and Central America.
  • ‘Sensitive plants’ are also known as ‘shy plants’, ‘sleepy plants’, ‘humble plants’, ‘common sensitive plants’, ‘touch-me-not plants’, and ‘shameful plants’.
  • The scientific name of a sensitive plant is Mimosa pudica and it is from the family Fabaceae, the family of legumes.
  • Sensitive plants have thorny stems, and fern-like leaves that are peculiar in nature, as their leaflets fold inward when touched or shaken, and they reopen minutes later.
  • The small pink to purple flowers of sensitive plants are made up of lots of stamens that create a spherical shape, and after flowering the plant produces seed pods that are bordered with prickles.

Sensitive Plant, Flower, Vegetation, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Purple, Grassy

  • When the leaflets of sensitive plants fold, water is being purged from the leaf cells using potassium ions and others, which causes the leaf cell to collapse.
  • Sensitive plants have been introduced into Asia, particularly the east, as well as parts of Africa, and it is considered an invasive weed in areas of Australia.
  • Sensitive plants are often grown for their unusual nature of leaf-folding, and they can be grown inside in pots, although they will need sufficient light to thrive.
  • The height of a sensitive plant usually reaches 15 to 45 centimetres (6 to 18 inches), and it is considered to be a ground cover, so it tends to have a spreading habit.
  • Sensitive plants can be grown as a perennial or an annual, depending on the climate and growing conditions, and the plant has medicinal properties that have been traditionally used for treating wounds, among other things.
Bibliography:
Common Sensitive Plant, 2015, Queensland Government, https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industry/agriculture/species/non-declared-pests/weeds/common-sensitive-plant
Mimosa Pudica, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimosa_pudica
Mimosa Pudica (Common Sensitive Plant), 2011, BioNET-EAFRINET, http://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/eafrinet/weeds/key/weeds/Media/Html/Mimosa_pudica_(Common_Sensitive_Plant).htm
Mimosa Pudica (Sensitive Plant), n.d, KEW Royal Botanic Garden, http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/plants-fungi/mimosa-pudica-sensitive-plant

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