Jane William Clarke
Plants and gardening are a great passion for people all around the world. Some of them use gardening as a calming exercise after a long day of work. It's proven, that plants bring joy and peace even to the criminally insane. But plants can be even more exciting than you know. They have interesting stories to tell, and they have qualities many people even don't know about. This is why professional gardeners from Melbourne have dug out these ten quite curious facts about plants, which will simply amaze you.
The torenia, which is a kind of a flower that likes shady gardens, is also called “the wishbone flower”. This is simply because inside their petals you can find small stamens, which have the shape of a wishbone. The colours of these beautiful and curious flowers can be blue, beige or purple. I'm not sure if they can grant wishes, but you can always try.
Did you know that tomato juice is the official beverage of the state of Ohio in the United States? The people of this state made this very important decision in order to honour A.W. Livingston. He was an Ohio native, and he played a great role in popularising the tomato and the tomato juice in the state. All this happened at the end of the 19th century.
The oleander is a very beautiful and gentle flower, which originated from the Mediterranean region. But what most people don't know is that this nice plant is hazardous to their lives. All the parts of the oleander are poisonous, from the roots to the leaves. Ingesting the leaves only can cause severe cardiac, nervous system and gastrointestinal problems. Death is also a possible option.
In France, there are different holidays which are celebrated only there, and nowhere else in the world. For example, May 1 is known there as La Fete du Muguet, which is a rough translation means the festival of the lily of the valley. The celebration of this beautiful day includes lots of activities, festivals and a tradition, where people give bouquets of lilies to loved ones and wish them happiness and health for the entire year.
The snapdragon is called this way because the flower itself looks a lot like a small dragon, and when you squeeze the two sides of the flower, the dragon mouth opens and closes. Isn't this very curious and even sweet?
Many people make the mistake to think, that cranberries, blueberries and concord grapes are native from South America because they presumably need a warm climate to grow. But this is a widespread misconception because these three are prevalent fruits, which are native to North America.
How much do you know about garlic mustard? Many people think that it's from the garlic family, but the curious fact is, that it's actually from the mustard family. This quite popular herb outnumbers many native plants in some parts of the United States, and this way it poses a serious danger to other native plants in these regions, and to the species which feed on them.
I'm sure you've all experienced the pain and tears of cutting onions. The curious fact here is, that actually not the onion itself, but the sulphuric compounds in it are the ones, which cause this unpleasant reaction. Some very clever people have found a way to limit this effect – you just need to keep the onion in a cool place for a while right before cutting, and when you peel it, cut the root end last.
There have been lots of debates which living organism lives the longest – elephants, turtles or something else? Well, the truth is, that trees are the longest living organisms on our planet.
The asparagus is a very curious plant, but I'm sure that not many people know, that it's actually from the lily family, just like the onions, garlic and leeks.
Jane's a freelance writer interested in both common and off-beat subjects, facts or projects. She's passionate traveler in love with good movies.In the rare moments of her spare time you'll find he...
