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A mum by any other name -- be it Dendranthema, Tanacetum or Leucanthemum -- is still a chrysanthemum, hardy from U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 3 through zone 8 depending on species. Botanical names can be a confusing mixture of Latin, Greek and forgotten botanist’s names, but there are several reasons not only to pay attention to botanical names but also to learn how to use them.
Eversweet strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa 'Eversweet') are everbearing strawberries, which means they produce their first crop of fruit in spring and then in regular intervals throughout summer, until frost. They don't require certain day lengths or temperatures for production as June-bearing and day-neutral strawberries do. From disease organisms in the soil and organisms brought into the patch by animals or gardening tools, strawberries are vulnerable to many diseases, so disease resistance is important.
The iris is a herbaceous perennial that adds a splash of color to any yard or garden. Thriving in full sun, the iris is best known for its colorful blooms that appear from May to June. While the iris is lovely, it is susceptible to infestations of damaging pests, such as aphids. These tiny pests are most often found underneath plant leaves and remove plant sap during feeding.
The Japanese magnolia is an upright, oval specimen that rounds out by the time it reaches 10 years of age. Endowed with whitish-pink flowers, it reaches 20 to 25 feet in height. The tree is subject to several different fungal and bacterial infections that can rot away the inner wood of limbs that support the foliage.
Kava kava (Piper methysticum Forster), also known as kava, kawa, awa and yangona, is a broadleaved, bushy plant in the pepper family that grows to about 13 feet tall. In cultivation for more than 3,000 years in the Pacific island region, kava is used for a variety of religious, medicinal and cultural purposes. Kava extracts made from the plant's roots are sold primarily in health food stores. Kava thrives in deep shade and prefers richly organic, well-drained soils. Fungal disorders of kava may be caused by disease-carrying insects or by spores traveling from plant to plant.
Anisodontea x hypomandarum, known commonly as hybrid African mallow, is a perennial enjoyed for its large quantity of blooms that can appear year-round with ideal conditions and care. The only pests of this plant are typically whiteflies and spider mites. An additional serious problem that this plant may experience is sudden death syndrome, which is generally a result of excessive moisture.
Portmeirion Potteries have manufactured the Botanic Garden range of dinnerware since the early 1970s. The Portmeirion range was the brainchild of Susan Williams-Ellis, daughter of Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, creator of the Portmeirion Italianate model village in Wales. The Botanic Garden range is popular worldwide, many of the iconic designs being renowned collectors' items.
Harvested dried plant parts of both California poppy and kava kava are used in herbal culinary supplements, medical remedies or topical uses. These two herbs are not the same, nor are they obtained from the same plant species. California poppies are grown as ornamental garden flowers in the United States, while tropical kava kava plants originate in the Southwest Pacific and adjacent parts of Southeast Asia.
All known living organisms need water to survive, and plants need more water than animals. Plants are up to 90 percent water by weight compared to animals, which are about 75 percent water. Plants replenish their water needs by pulling moisture up through root systems. Like all living things, plants use water for cell growth and for overall health, but they also need water for several specific functions.
Magnolias, members of the genus of the same name, are trees or large shrubs strongly associated with the Southern United States. Specimens may be evergreen or deciduous and have varied forms and sizes. Nearly all magnolias are prized for their showy, fragrant flowers. Magnolia flowers may appear rotten when they age naturally. However, if the rot appears early or is affecting other parts of the plant, suspect a fungal infection.
Learning the identity of a mystery plant involves close observation and comparison of physical characteristics. Botanical taxonomy groups plants based on similarities at the macro level -- i.e. plant form -- and the micro level, which includes genus and species. The easiest way to learn the name of a plant is to ask a horticulturist or botanist with a large plant knowledge base. The more precise way to learn the plant's identity involves a series of steps to eliminate physical characteristics through comparisons.
Like all living things, plants require a suitable environment and sustenance to survive. Plants require suitable soil and enough space to grow. Without exception, plants also need water and need to be properly watered if they are to flourish. If a plant is not properly watered, problems can develop.
Roses are common flowers that are famous for their beauty and scent. Some varieties are more common than others, and some varieties are quite rare. The rarest rose of all is the blue rose, which is the subject of poems, art and song but is not easy to find. In 2004, scientists created a blue rose using genetic modification.
Hobbies, such as collecting, stand the test of time, giving hobbyists a break from more tech-saturated activities. Collections of pressed flowers, known as herbariums, were popular in the Victorian era; the Whitby museum has a collection of 9,000 of these flowers. Herbarium flowers were also collected because people believed they possessed medicinal properties -- and, even today, enthusiasts continue to collect flowers.
The kava kava plant, part of the Piperaceae or pepper family, has a wealth of properties beneficial to a variety of ailments. Commonly known to homeopathic practitioners, the roots of this plant can assist in helping conditions ranging from asthma to fungal infections. This plant grows wide, large leaves and the roots can treat a variety of ailments.
The Missouri Botanical Garden, located in St. Louis, Missouri, is home to 79 acres of diverse horticultural displays and gardens. Among its highlights is the 14-acre Japanese strolling garden and one of the world's largest collections of rare orchids. Established in 1859, the garden still provides visitors a glimpse of the original 1850 home of founder Henry Shaw. Besides its on-site offerings, the Missouri Botanical Garden has an extensive online presence, including a plant guide listing over 5,400 species that have grown in the Botanical garden's Kemper Center for Home Gardening.
Water makes up 80 to 90 percent of a plant's growing tissues. Some plants store water and use it throughout the dry seasons, but other plants need water regularly. Without water, plants would die. Plants transpire, similar to how humans perspire. A plant low on water will begin to wilt, because the cell walls of the plant have been depleted of water. Water keeps the plant's growth processes going.
The Jepson plant identification program is a service of the University of California, Berkley provided through the Jepson Herbarium. The Herbarium determines the plant type, name or other information a consumer requests about a plant specimen.
Many countries, from across the world, have their own distinctive style of gardens. Ireland is no exception, which is not surprising considering the thick blanket of green that covers much of the countryside. With a few landscaping ideas, homeowners elsewhere can re-create the look and feel of an Irish garden.
Botanical gardens are often filled with local plant species, as well as those found from other parts of the world. They feature collections such as tropical plants, perennial flowers and herb gardens. Many feature plants that attract butterflies and other beneficial winged beauties like bumblebees to the garden. Botanical gardens also display a mix of plants that create a space of ever-changing beauty where you can walk through the garden and enjoy what's in bloom, as well as gather inspiration for your own home garden.
Though the age of exploration has long since passed, scientists continue to make discoveries. In the first decade of the 21st century, new plant species have been discovered throughout the world in a number of dense ecosystems. These new discoveries include two carnivorous plants and two troves of species found in Bolivia and China. All of these discoveries were made in remote areas or regions previously unexplored by teams of scientists.
Beautiful flower blossoms are all the more precious when they are borne on rare or endangered plants. These flowers will not be making an appearance at your local florist or garden nursery, and many grow only in a few small botanical garden collections. The top 10 rarest flowers in the world span the globe and range from delightful and fragile to enormous and putrid.
Plants survive in extremely harsh environments, ranging from extreme cold to extreme heat to severe drought, and behavioral adaptions are one way that they do it. While structural adaptions include things like water storage organs and deep root structures, behavioral adaptions refer to actions that the plant takes in order to survive and thrive.
Mosses are a member of the bryophyte taxonomic group, which also includes liverworts and hornworts. With over 20,000 species in the group, mosses are diverse in form and live in a wide range of habitats from arctic tundra to tropical rain forests to arid deserts and everywhere in between. Despite their diversity, however, all mosses have certain physical characteristics in common.
Plants are some of the most diverse living things on the planet, with an estimated 400,000 species identified according to Botanic Gardens Conservation International. Some species like kelp and seaweed are adapted well to the marine environment. Other plant life found in the ocean include diatoms. Diatoms are algae with cell walls of silica; they are a plentiful kind of phytoplankton. These organisms are extremely important to the ocean.
In the 1860s, the Torrey Botanical Society was started by John Torrey to study the plant life of the New York City area. Near the turn of the century, group members went looking for a location to start a city botanical garden. In 1895 that dream became reality with the $250,000 purchase of land along the Bronx River. Today, the riverfront property is called the New York Botanical Gardens and each year, several grants and fellowships are awarded through the auspices of the Torrey Botanical Society.
The old man cactus plant, Cephalocereus senilis, is also known by names such as the Old Man of Mexico, bunny cactus, white Persian cat cactus, and viejo, meaning old in Spanish. This ornamental plant is endangered in its native habitat.
The old man cactus (Cephalocereus senilis) is native to the Mexican states of Hidalgo and Guanajuato, according to the U.S. Botanic Garden. Wild populations of the plant are considered rare and vulnerable.
Missouri's Plants of Merit Program works with three botanical gardens in the state to identify plants that thrive in much of the lower Midwest. Its advisers include the oldest botanical garden in the United States, the 1859 Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, Missouri. All the plants described here were recommended by Plants of Merit.
A herbarium is a library or museum of dried plant specimens preserved for long-term study. Properly pressed plants will maintain most features for hundreds of years. Traditional herbarium specimens are stored flat in drawers on single sheets. Herbaria can also include specimens of pollen, frozen DNA, seeds, preserved fruits and flowers, and other plant materials. Herbaria provide opportunities for research, identification and education, regardless of the season.
Plants with woody stems in U.S. botanical gardens include shrubs and trees. These are examples of the “more than 400,000 kinds of plants which inhabit the earth,” according to the Missouri Botanical Garden. Botanical gardens, such as the Missouri Botanical Garden, describe their mission as, “to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment in order to preserve and enrich life.”
Georgia's greenhouses are planted in three primary locations. Two are in Athens as a part of The University of Georgia--the Tropical Conservatory of the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and the seven greenhouses of UGA's Plant Biology division. The others are in downtown Atlanta at the Atlanta Botanical Garden and in Pine Mountain as a part of the vast Callaway Gardens resort.
The magnolia plant comes in a variety of species, from evergreen to deciduous, and it usually produces large, scented flowers. The colors vary from purest white and creamy yellow to pink and purple, depending on the type of plant. The grandiflora magnolia has long, glossy leaves and big, scented flowers, while the soulangeana magnolia produces pinkish flowers or white flowers tinged with purple.
The name Irish moss actually applies to two forms of plant life traditionally associated with Ireland, although both forms of plant life do flourish in other parts of the world. Gardeners use one form of Irish moss (Sagina subulata) as an attractive form of ground cover, while the other type of Irish moss (Chondrus crispus) has become a popular health food and a staple of many traditional western food products.
Botanical (also sometimes called botanic) gardens can be found throughout the world. They are considered to be a well-tended park with a display of a wide range of succulent plants, herbs, trees and plants from around the world. Some botanical gardens house greenhouses and special collections of tropical plants. Establishing a botanical garden in your home town (if one isn't already there) is a rewarding and thoughtful experience.
A botanical garden is a park which contains a wide variety of plants and flowers. The plants are typically labeled and may include special collections of rare species. They are often run by organizations and universities and host monthly exhibits and lectures.
The Missouri Botanical Garden, locally known as Shaw's Garden, is a St. Louis treasure that features 79 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens and ponds. The 150-year-old garden is the nation's oldest botanical garden in continuous operation, and a National Historic Landmark. Visiting the Missouri Botanical Ga`rden doesn't have to be expensive. There are several ways for local and out-of-town visitors alike to get free or discounted tickets.
Also called ‘awa in Hawaii, kava kava (Piper methysticum) is a member of the pepper family that was brought to Hawaii by the early settlers. It’s a native Pacific island plant, a woody shrub that grows up to 12 feet tall. It has leathery, heart-shaped leaves that can grow to 8 or 10 inches long and almost as large across the center. Kava forms solitary male flowers that are up to 2-1/2 inches long. Female flowers and fruits are unknown, which makes it impossible for kava to reproduce itself. When it is found in the wild, this usually indicates that…
