“A Seed is a Wish About to Come True. . .”™   Summer Rayne

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Trivia  2002

How big does the Amazon Water Lily get?

The leaves of this lily can get up to 6.5' in diameter and can support the weight of some small animals.

What tree is native to the Gulf states, is grown as far north as New York, is known as the Indian bean tree or smoking bean tree and was called “catawba” by the Cherokee nation?

The broad shaped leaves and beautiful flowers of the common Catalpa and was introduced to England gardens in 1726.

Found in the African Rainforest, what common houseplant, growing in the wild, is one of the most threatened plants in the world?

Found only in the African Rainforest in Tanzania, the African Violet faces extinction, in its native habitat, as the rainforests are cut and cleared. 

What is the largest known seed?

The coco de mer of the Seychelles produces the largest seeds. Each seed measures approximately 20 inches or 50 cm long and take up to six years to develop.

How fast do you think the sap in a tree can move upward?

During warm summer months sap can flow at approximately 40 inches per hour.

What plant has the longest leaf?

The plant with the longest leaf is called the raffia palm. Native to Tropical Africa it produces a 13 foot stalk with a leaf that grows about 60 feet long.

What is the oldest known plant?

The oldest known plant is the creosote bush growing in the Mojave Desert.  It is believed to be 11,700 years old.

What plan produces the smallest seed?

The plant that produces the smallest seed is the
orchid. Some are virtually microscopic and float through the air
un-noticed.  1 Gram can contain up to 990 million seeds!

What is the smallest flowering plant?

The world’s smallest flower grows on a tiny floating duckweed measuring .012” (.5mm) when fully grown.

What is the world’s largest flower head? And how big is it?

The world’s largest flower head grow on the Puya plant and can reach 35 feet tall and contain over 8000 flowers.

Argemones or prickly poppy, native to North America, was grown by Native Americans for what reason?

The Argemones or prickly poppy was believed to be able to cure cataracts in the eye.

When were the first coffee beans sold to the Europeans?

The first coffee beans were sold to Europeans in
the 1640’s.

Where is most of the world’s production of Cocoa come from?

Brazil, Nigeria & Ghana
 

Dewdrops that collect on what plant, was once thought to have magical powers to turn metals into gold? Hint:  The Latin name of the plant refers to this activity.

Lady's Mantle, (Alchemilla vulgaris), with leaves that were similar in appearance to a medieval lady's cloak, collected the prized dewdrops.   

What common perennial has been dried, powdered, juiced, boiled and made into all kinds of concoctions for the treatment if internal and external wounds for many centuries? It was even written about in the 1597 volume "Herball" by John Gerard.  Hint: Its Latin name refers to money.

Creeping Jenny or moneywort has been used for treatments involving bleeding. It loves moist places and can often be seen on roadsides and makes a terrific groundcover.  Glossy round leaves give it its name and it blooms golden yellow flowers in mid-summer.  However there is no modern scientific evidence to support most of its healing abilities except to aid in the healing of mild external wounds.

What tree, with soft workable wood used in carving, has some of the largest leaves found on a deciduous tree?

Also known as American basswood or American lime, the linden tree, (Tilia americana), grow leaves that reach up to 12 inches long.

What flower has in its root meaning to open in the day and to sleep at night?

The Daisy has its root meaning in Old English as the "Days Eye" for the attribute of opening up during sunlight and closing at night.

When we think of plants we usually think of the flowers they produce.  What percentage of plant species are flower producers?  

About half of all plant species are flowering plants.  

What common weed was used by Native Americans, throughout the past centuries, as food and to even make gum?

Milkweed pods were eaten raw along with uncooked roots and the milky sap was allowed to thicken to make a form of chewing gum.

Three times richer in caffeine than coffee, these nuts have been chewed for centuries as a stimulant.  What are they?

Africans have chewed the nuts of the cola tree for many centuries and they are stilled sold and widely used to this day to suppress appetite during times of religious fasting.  During the early days of Coca-cola production, cola nut extracts were added to the popular beverage as well as extracts from the coca leaf.

American Indians used this plant to cure intestinal worms and eventually pharmacists picked up the idea and used it until the mid 1920’s. What was it?  

Coming close to extinction, due to over harvesting, Indian Pink was used medicinally for many decades.  Harmful side-effects warranted its dismissal as a remedial medicine.

Grown throughout the world, this fungus was once the cause of death of entire villages by infecting the grain supply. It caused madness, convulsions, infections and death. It is now in great demand for use in the medical industry. What is the fungus?

Fields of grain are infected with ergot.  This fungus is used to make ergonovine, a medicine used to assist in stimulating muscle contraction for women giving birth.  It also constricts blood vessels and helps in the prevention of excessive bleeding.

The Rappahannock Indians made a lotion from the bark of this common tree to ease the suffering of poison ivy.  What is the tree?

The bark of the Beech tree (fagus grandifolia Ehrh) was soaked in saltwater to produce the lotion.

What common herb was used to treat epilepsy among other ailments in the Middles Ages?

It was believed that sleeping on thyme would cure a person of epilepsy.

 What tree was mistaken for cinnamon by Spanish explorers the 16^th century and became a major colonial export and was used commercially to make common household products until being declared unsafe in the 1960’s?

Sassafras, also known as cinnamonwood, was used in products like root beer, chewing gum, toothpaste and many other products until being declared a carcinogen.

Scientists now spout seeds and grow plants in space.  What happens to the roots?      

Because of the weightless environment, roots have no sense of direction and grow in all directions.

What is the largest living thing on earth?   

A giant Sequoia tree living in California measures 80 feet around and it is estimated that it could build around 40 average sized houses.   

Weeds can tell us a lot about the soil around us. If you see horsetail or sorrel, what do they tell us?      

The presence of sorrel and horsetail can mean that your soil is too dry and sandy.  Add some compost.  The presence of nettles, or mustards can mean the soil is too alkaline and has poor drainage. Having Lambs quarters or chickweed mean your soil if fertile so get out the hoe.

Can pinecones predict the weather?

A closed pinecone may be a sign that rain is just around the corner and an open pinecone tells of warm dry days.  Pinecones release their seeds on warm dry days.

Some plants are considered weeds but can be quite useful such as Lambs Quarters, Dandelion, clover and chickweed.  To find out what benefits each plant has. . .

Have an aphid problem? Lambs Quarters can attract hover flies which devour aphids.  It is also rich in vitamin B, protein and calcium making it an excellent substitute for spinach.

Young Dandelion leaves can be added to salads and the roots make a caffeine free coffee substitute.

Clover is a nitrogen fixing plant, providing a valuable source of food to other plants.

Chickweed is a terrific source of green manure because of its fast growth.  It also provides food for birds in the seeds that they can eat.

What common tree contains a poisonous alkaloid when ingested?

Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) contains an alkaloid that can cause vomiting, weak pulse, troubled breathing among other symptoms. Eating the seeds, inner bark, wilted leaves and new shoots will cause poisoning effects to occur.

What percentage of plant species is believed to have become extinct, in the Hawaiian Islands, during the past 200 years?

It is estimated that a startling 10% have been lost forever.

The common Rye Grass has a staggering amount roots that grow in an area of less than 2 cubic feet. Can you guess how many roots are there?

It is estimated that there are 13 million roots with each having tiny root hairs numbering a staggering 14 billion!¹

What common garden flower is not really one flower at all, but made up of hundreds of tiny little flowers?

A sunflower is actually made up of hundreds of tiny flowers inside what looks to be a giant flower. Each floret produces a seed.

Seeds from what plant were found frozen in the Yukon, and believed to be over 10,000 years old, still sprouted?

In the 1950's, scientists found the seeds to an artic lupine. They were sprouted and grown into plants and even bloomed.

What tree from the tropics produces a product much like cotton?

Kapok is a tree that produces fluffy seed fibers that are used to stuff mattresses, quilts and other items.  The tree can grow over 200 feet in height.

What is the biggest flower in the world and how big does it get?

The Rafflesia is the biggest flower reaching 3 feet in diameter.  It has the lovely smell of rotting meat.  This attracts many insects for pollination.

The Zuni used a wild plant related to the tomato, for snakebite treatment and toothaches, what was it?

The roots of Horse- Nettle contain a chemical property that draws fluids from the body.  It also has some antiseptic properties that worked well fro snake bites and infections.  Horse-Nettle (Solanum elaeagnifolium)  is also related to the tomato and produces a tomato-like globe that turns orange when ripe.

What percentage of modern medicines was originally derived from wild plant extracts?

It is estimated that 40% of medicines used today originated from wild plant extracts.

Where is the largest virgin forest area in the world today?

 The Amazon Valley Forest region that extends from the coast of the Atlantic to the Andes, through Bolivia to Columbia and Venezuela is the largest region of unbroken forest.  At this time it contains over a billion acres.  It is estimated to have over 5000 different species of trees. 

Native to Europe, and grown all over the world as a popular landscape plant, what plant has been used for centuries to treat heart ailments?

Not recommended today because of the inconsistency of dosage, the leaves of Foxglove, (digitalis purpurea) were used.  Today physicians use a derivative from digitalis lanata for heart medication.

What is the biggest butterfly in the world and how big is it?

The biggest butterfly is the Queen Alexandra birdwing butterfly.  It lives in the tropical rainforests of Papua New Guinea.  Wingspans of the females can reach 11 inches.  This butterfly is now extremely rare to find.

¹ Adapted from "Looking at Plants" David Suzuki  1991

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