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1
Black pepper (
Piper nigrum) is a
flowering vine in the family
Piperaceae, cultivated for its
fruit, which is usually dried and used as a
spice and
seasoning. The same fruit is also used to produce
white pepper,
red/pink pepper, and
green pepper. Black pepper is native to
South India and is extensively cultivated there and elsewhere in tropical regions. The fruit, known as a
peppercorn when dried, is a small
drupe five millimetres in diameter, dark red when fully mature, containing a single
seed.
Dried ground pepper is one of the most common spices in European cuisine and its descendants, having been known and prized since antiquity for both its flavour and its use as a medicine. The spiciness of black pepper is due to the chemical piperine. Ground black peppercorn, usually referred to simply as "pepper", may be found on nearly every dinner table in some parts of the world, often alongside table salt. The word "pepper" is derived from the Sanskrit pippali, the word for long pepper via the Latin piper which was used by the Romans to refer both to pepper and long pepper, as the Romans erroneously believed that both of these spices were derived from the same plant. The English word for pepper is derived from the Old English pipor. The Latin word is also the source of German pfeffer, French poivre, Dutch peper, and other similar forms. In the 16th century, pepper started referring to the unrelated New World chile peppers as well. "Pepper" was used in a figurative sense to mean "spirit" or "energy" at least as far back as the 1840s; in the early 20th century, this was shortened to pep.
2
Banksia epica is a
shrub that grows on the south coast of
Western Australia. A spreading bush with wedge-shaped serrated leaves and large creamy-yellow flower spikes, it grows up to 3½ metres (11½ ft) high. It is known only from two isolated populations in the remote south east of the
state, near the western edge of the
Great Australian Bight. Both populations occur amongst coastal
heath on
cliff-top dunes of
siliceous sand.
One of the most recently described Banksia species, it was probably seen by Edward John Eyre in 1841, but was not collected until 1973, and was only recognised as a distinct species in 1988. There has been very little research on the species since then, so knowledge of its ecology and cultivation potential is limited. It is placed in Banksia ser. Cyrtostylis, alongside its close relative, the well-known and widely cultivated B. media (Southern Plains Banksia).
3
Norman Ernest Borlaug (born
March 25,
1914) is an
American agricultural scientist,
humanitarian,
Nobel laureate, and has been called the father of the
Green Revolution. Borlaug is one of five people in history to have won the
Nobel Peace Prize, the
Presidential Medal of Freedom and the
Congressional Gold Medal.
Borlaug received his Ph.D. in plant pathology and genetics from the University of Minnesota in 1942. He took up an agricultural research position in Mexico, where he developed semi-dwarf high-yield, disease-resistant wheat varieties. During the mid-20th century, he led the introduction of these high-yielding varieties combined with modern agricultural production techniques to Mexico, Pakistan, and India. As a result, Mexico became a net exporter of wheat by 1963. Between 1965 and 1970, wheat yields nearly doubled in Pakistan and India, greatly improving the food security in those nations. These collective increases in yield have been labeled the Green Revolution, and Borlaug is often credited with saving over a billion people from starvation. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 in recognition of his contributions to world peace through increasing food supply.
4
Verbascum thapsus (
Great or
Common Mullein) is a species of
mullein native to
Europe, northern
Africa and
Asia, and introduced in the
Americas and
Australia. It is a hairy
biennial plant that can grow to 2
m tall or more. Its small yellow flowers are densely grouped on the stem, which bolts from a large rosette of leaves. It grows in a wide variety of habitats, but prefers well-lit disturbed soils, where it can appear soon after the ground receives light, from long-lived seeds that persist in the
soil seed bank. It is a common weedy plant that spreads by prolifically producing seeds, but rarely becomes aggressively
invasive since its seeds require open ground to
germinate. It is a very minor problem for most agricultural crops since it is not a very competitive species, being intolerant of shade from other plants and unable to survive tilling. It however hosts many insects, some of which can be harmful to other plants. Although individuals are easy to remove by hand, populations are difficult to eliminate permanently. It is widely used for herbal remedies with
emollient and
astringent properties, and especially recommended for coughs and related problems, but also used in
topical applications against a variety of skin problems. The plant was also used to make
dyes and
torches.
5
The
durian is the
fruit of trees of the
genus Durio belonging to the
Malvaceae, a large family which includes
hibiscus,
okra,
cotton,
mallows and
linden trees. Widely known and revered in
Southeast Asia as the "King of Fruits," the fruit is distinctive for its large size, unique
odour, and a formidable thorn-covered
husk. The fruit can grow up to 30 centimetres (12 in) long and 15 centimetres (6 in) in diameter, and typically weighs one to three kilograms (2 to 7 lb). Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown and its flesh pale-yellow to red, depending on species. The hard outer husk is covered with sharp, prickly
thorns, while the edible flesh within emits the distinctive odour, which is regarded as either fragrant or overpowering and offensive. Even when the husk of the fruit is still intact, the odour of the ripe fruit is very strong and penetrating. This unusual odour prompted many people to search for an accurate description, with views ranging from highly appreciative to deep disgust.
6
Ailanthus altissima, commonly known as tree of heaven, ailanthus, or in Chinese as
chouchun, is a
deciduous tree in the
quassia family (
Simaroubaceae). It is native to northeast and central
China as well as
Taiwan. Unlike other members of the genus
Ailanthus, it is found in temperate climates rather than the tropics. The tree grows rapidly and is capable of reaching heights of 15
metres (49
ft) in 25 years. However, the species is also short lived and rarely lives more than 50 years. Other common names include
China sumac,
copal tree,
stink tree and
ghetto palm.
In China the tree of heaven has a long and rich history. It was mentioned in the oldest extant Chinese dictionary and listed in countless Chinese medical texts for its purported ability to cure ailments ranging from mental illness to balding. The roots, leaves and bark are still used today in traditional Chinese medicine, primarily as an astringent. The tree has been grown extensively both in China and abroad as a host plant for the ailanthus silkmoth, a moth involved in silk production. Ailanthus has become a part of western culture as well, with the tree serving as the central metaphor and subject matter of the best-selling American novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.
