Bizarre :Dictamnus The burning bush Dictamnus albus is a member of the Rutaeceae. Many plants of dry locations are known to increase production of terpenes to cool surfaces by terpene transpiration. Dictam, however, produces so much that it can undergo self-ignition (see burning bush stories in Bible & Koran) .

It is thought that droplet formation in the leaf focuses sunlight to a temperature that ignites terpenes which burn like a gas grill using the stomates as valves. Stinking Plants Corps Titan arum . with sharp points at the pollen surface. One produces a billion grains of pollen that can stay airborne for days spreading over an area of many miles. Affects 75 % of all allergy sufferers. Rafflesia arnoldii . Rafflesia was found in the Indonesian rain forest by an Indonesian guide working for Dr. Joseph Arnold in 1818, & named after Sir Thomas Raffles, leader of the expedition

Stinking Iris Iris foetissima . It is known as "stinking" because some people find the smell of its unpleasant when crushed or bruised, an odour that has been described as "beefy"

Stinking Hellebore Helleborus foetidus , known variously as stinking hellebore , dungwort , and bear's foot , is in Ranunculaceae, native of the mountainous regions of Central and Southern Europe

Skunk cabbage Symphocarpus foetidus is one of the many stinky plants in its family the Araeceae. The burping skunk tree is a member of the Burseraceae, related to frankincense ( Boswellia ) and myrrh (Commiphora ) but unlike them it stinks (skunk tree).

The elephant tree Bursera microphylla is native to Northern Mexico, Southern California and Arizona, especially desert regions. It reaches 5 m in height. The foliage is made up of long, legume-like leaves which are composed of paired leaflets. It in rounded yellow buds which open into small, star-shaped white or cream flowers

When you tug on a leaf it burps and emits a fine spray over 50 cmm distance that is foul fetid smelling caused by amines Buddha’s Hand Citrus medica

Buddha’s hand is a citrus popular in China and Japan for its strong fragrance. It fails as a fruit since it’s pretty much all zest and no pulp, but it has other uses,

Buddha's hand , Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis (also known as fingered citron ), is a fragrant citron variety in the Rutaeceae whose fruit is segmented into finger-like sections. The origin of Buddha's hand plant is traced back to Northeastern . Chinese Fleece Flower Fallopia ssp. The Chinese Fleece flower is in the Fallopia in the family Polygoniaeceae, a relative of the infamous Japanese Knotweed Fallopia japonica. The Chinese use this plant in their traditional medicine for kidney health, strong bones and hair restoration, and as a mild laxative, and it’s.. Hey, wait a second…

“ I tell you, … it is a sign, yeah, ah … it’s an omen!” The end of the world is close, oh Rose

Okay, weird. It’s a root that looks like a little dude. But that’s a rare, onetime fluke, right? It’s not like that’s what this species typically looks like or anything?? Roots making a perfect couple made headlines in 2006 …. Doll’s Eyes Actaea pachypodia Actaea pachypoda (Doll's-eyes , White Baneberry ) is a herbaceous perennial plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to eastern North America. The berries contain cardiogenic toxins which can have an immediate sedative effect on human cardiac muscle tissue, and are the most poisonous part of the plant. Ingestion of the berries can lead to cardiac arrest and death.

The Doll’s eye plant, also known by the equally unsettling name “white baneberry.” Just in case you were actually thinking of eating this thing, those eyeballs are highly poisonous . Phototoxic Plants – Blister Bush Peucedanum galbanum , Blister Bush, is a plant in the family Apiaceae, Like other members of the family like Heracleum or cow parsnip or Angelica touching it can cause blistering if the irritant chemicals are exposed to sunlight

Blister bush, with its greenish-yellow umbrella-shaped flowers, is perfectly harmless , until you touch it & a cocktail of psoralen, xanthotoxin, bergapten and other chemicals are brushed off the plant’s leaves onto your skin .

Exposure of the chemicals to sunlight triggers from a mild irritation to severe blistering requiring weeks to heal . Three days later a red-purple rash and large burn-like welts appear on your skin.

Blister bush isn’t the only plant that can cause phototoxic reactions. Check out Amy Stewart Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities , Unusual Poisons The slobber weed : Pilocarpus pennatifolius stimulates the salivary glands much more than the betel nut Areca catechu (the nut causing red saliva that stains the street of Asia). Here the secretion becomes so powerful that it interferes with speech (ideal for political opponents!). Unfortunately, the drooling (up to 2 pints) is followed by nausea & dizziness. Drooling is also caused by the pencil tree extract. Pilocarpine Pilocarpus : approx13 (an alkaloid used for glaucoma) is used to treat dry mouth & species in the , also to stimulate sweat glands. from the tropics of S Amer. The Suicide Tree: Cerbera odollam is a relative of Madagascan arrow poison tree Cerbera tanghin ( nuts that are used in trials by ordeal). The tree grows at the SW coast of India and has white jasmine-scented flowers. The nuts look like green mangos & the white meat inside is full of cardiac glycosides that stop the heart of a human within 4 hours. Widows & other religiously inclined people use these nuts (mashed nut meat with brown sugar) as their last meal. Also used to poison people since it has no bad taste & a delayed action. Bizarre Plants Monstrous + stinky (amines): Amorphophallus titanum , Rafflesia arnoldii , Aristolochia grandiflora (Humboldt), Welwitschia mirabilis , Victoria amazonica , Aztecs’ handflower tree Cheirostemon platanoides (related to Cocoa tree, Humboldt), Baobab (sausage) trees Adansonia , boogam trees Idria columnaris (desert in Baja California), elephant or skunk tree Bursera microphylla (Baja California; tug on leaf & it burps out a foul smelling, fetid spray over a distance of 50 cm), squirting Ecballium elaterum shoots fruit as a rocket over 3 m distance, slimy mucilage with sticks to the one who touched the fruit

WB Emboden(1974): Bizarre Plants; magical, monstrous, mythical. MacMillan P. NY Terpenes and air pollution It is generally accepted that the forests (called “lungs of the planet”) clean the air of pollution, add oxygen & remove CO 2 to restore an air that is pleasant to breath. The opposite would be the smoky & stinky air of industrial places and cities. However, there is an exception to this rule as observed from the forests of the “ Smoky Mountains”.

Exception The production of volatile terpenes is highest in the early fall. The terpenes are exuded through the stomates & often polymerize under the influence of the UV of the sun, creating the blue haze the Smokies are famous for . Unknowns of Water: Water storage in Terminalia trees A wikipedia picture file from October 15 th 2007 shows this picture for Terminalia tomentosa. Do not try this at home or with other trees!

Terminalia tomentosa has a remarkable attribute: some members of the species store water in the dry season. A survey conducted at Bandipur National Park, India showed that there is a girth dependent increase in the frequency and amount of water storage. Mechanism and ecophysiological significance of this water storage are not known

Terminalia elliptica has remarkably large-pored vessels. The pictures on the right suggests a large diameter that is no longer able to hold water in by capillary action . Higher plants invented propagation units called seeds

A is a small, but complete embryonic plant enclosed in a seed coat , usually with some stored food (exception the smallest orchid seeds). It is the product of the ripened female ovule and the fertilizing male pollen and hence a product of sexual propagation with its genes-mixing effect increasing the genetic diversity of the offspring. Lower plants have a propagation unit called spore. A spore i s a reproductive unit for dispersal and surviving unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, algae, fungi and lower plants like mosses and ferns. The difference between spores and seeds is that spores have very little stored food Fern sporangia called sori are resources compared with seeds. packages containing many spores Bizarre Plants: the largest & weirdly shaped seed or Seychelle Islands : source of unusual seed coco-de-mer seeds first mistaken as eggs of griffins (Georg Eberhard Rumpf 1682 named it Cocus maldivicus): most important aphrodisiac & antidote like the benzoar (ideal goblet material). Rudolf II German Emperor (1650) payed 4000 florins = 5000 gold thalers (dollars) for a seed 1742 French landed from Mauritius, 1768 that the islands interior was explored & confirmed as the source of coco-de-mer, the ’ nut palms (daughter of Troy’s king Priam) difficult to germinate ; first Kew RoyalGarden plants were pre-germinated in Seychelles & then grown in 1854 , hurrah ==> a yellow horizontal shoot projects parallel to soil surface for 3 m before horizontal shoot develops & root grows. Horizontal shoot rots away & seedling cannot be traced back to seed . “Surely, Sir, it is Jelly-like of nuts is a delicacy for the rich. Priam’s daughter” Why are bean seeds so special?

We know from the labs of I that Phaseolus or the now so common garden beans have already a primary leaf showing in their dormant embryos inside the seed. This is truly unusual.

Pythagoras – one of the first European vegetarians did not only abstain from meat, he didn’t eat beans either (the bean of his time’s Europe was not the American Phaseolus but Vicia faba – the broad bean). P. believed that humans and beans were spawned from the same source, and he conducted a scientific experiment to prove it. He buried a quantity of beans in mud, let them remain there for a few weeks, and then retrieved them. He noted their resemblance to human fetuses, thus convincing himself of the intimate relationship between beans and humans . To eat a bean would therefore be akin to eating human flesh. Equally, to crush, smash, or dirty a bean would be to harm a human. Thus the very strict rule to abstain from beans. Myth: Pythagoras died refusing to run through a bean field . Botanical Jewelry: Seeds

Beauty & Toxicity are often close together Voila, the toxic (hemagglutinins) but The garden bean Phaseolus (upper soooo oh irresistably pretty seeds of the panel) has multiple color varieties 1. rosary pea Abrus precatorius , in its native Ecuador. Also kidney 2. unique castor beans Ricinus communis beans (2) do not have to be red and lima beans (3 rd panel) occur in 3. coral bean Adenanthera pavonina . many shades other than white. http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0901.htm Botanical Jewelry http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0901.htm Most people think of natural jewelry as shiny pieces of corals, pearls and precious or semiprecious stones, polished and set in gold or silver. Who would ever believe that some of the most unusual and striking jewelry comes from plants ? Most bot. jewelry is made from seeds which are drilled and strung into necklaces Ear rings in dolphin shape made from the exploded seed of the toxic plant Hura crepitans – the sandbox tree

Arango created his bold jewelry from tagua nuts , a botanical alternative to ivory (a.k.a. vegetable ivory), a seed that comes from the ivory-nut palm or tagua palm which grows in the humid tropical forest of South America. Phytelephas aequatorialis or Tagua nut – ivory plant A place to see the beautiful South American ivory-nut palm ( Phytelephas aequatorialis ), is the Napo River of Ecuador, a major tributary of the Amazon. It typically grows under large rain forest trees along streams. Female palms bear large, brown , the size of grapefruits or melons. Each fruit is studded with numerous horns and contains 4 large seeds. The seeds have an outer shell (seed coat) and a large white endosperm. which is pulpy and sweet--food for people. Mature, dry seeds are so hard that it requires a hacksaw to cut one in half. tagua fruit cut open to expose 4 seeds

The white, dried endosperm inside the seeds of ivory-nut palms contains a substance called hemicellulose that becomes so hard and dense that it can be carved and polished like elephant tusks. 1865 ship sailing from South America to Hamburg carried a load of tagua nuts as ballast. Botanical Jewelry http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0901.htm Fruits of rudraksha (Ruda’s = Shiva’s eyes) Elaeocarpus angustifolius have an iridescent blue coating, which is used as a prayer bead and good-luck charm by religious hindus like the sadhu on the right. The fruits are 2 cm in diameter and are coated with a wax that scatters blue light similar to what we know from Laurintinus Viburnum tinus. The seeds have many faces ( the faces of Shiva, see below) Euphorbia lathyris or Caper spurge is an erect biennial plant of European origin growing up to 1.5 m tall, with a glaucous blue-green stem and decussate opposite lanceolate leaves. All parts of the plant, including the seeds and roots are poisonous. Handling may cause skin irritation as the plant produces latex. While poisonous to humans and most livestock, goats eat it and are immune to the toxin . However, the toxin can be passed through the goat's milk

This plant is a good source of copious amounts of latex . Since the latex is an emulsion of hydrocarbons in water, this plant was investigated as a possible source of making petroleum . But then the oil prices dropped again and ...da da da Dragons blood - red resin is a bright red resin that is obtained from different species of a number of distinct plant genera: Croton , Dracaena , Calamus rotang and Pterocarpus . The red resin has been used since ancient times as varnish, medicine, incense, and dye.

The resin of Dracaena species, "true" dragon's blood, and the very poisonous mineral cinnabar (mercury sulfide) are often confused and some call anything that was bright red "dragon's blood". Voyagers to the Canary Islands in the 15th century obtained dragon's blood as dried garnet-red drops from Dracaena draco , a tree native to the Canary Islands and Morocco. The resin is exuded from its wounded trunk or branches. Dragon's blood is also obtained by the same method from D. cinnabari , which is endemic to the island of Socotra.

Peter James , Nick Thorpe (1994): Ancient Inventions, Ballantine books, New York Bizarre Plants: Dragon blood plants Dragon blood plant Draceana draco (Canarian Islands) dragonier The dragon who guarded the garden of the Hesperides. Draco was venerated plant of the guanches- extinct natives of the Canarian Islands

The lucky bamboo is small relative of the mysterious dragon blood tree

Draceana sanderiana Resin called Dragon blood Draceana draco (Canaria) (3) Vegetative Propagation “Do not try this at home”

Plants consider vegetative propagation the safer method . When they have to choose between asexual and sexual propagation, the clearly vote for the first one. There are many plants that rarely produce flowers: One reason for this behavior is that the assimalated organic substances are drawn to the geophytic organs rather than the flower. Potatoes Solanum (Lycopersicum) tuberosum . In large potato fields you find very few plants that are flowering. Horseradish Cochlearia armoracia flowers but hardly ever produces seeds since the growth of storage roots has absolute priority. Buttercups of Ranunculus ficaria flower in early spring but hardly produce any fruits. They propagate by small visible bulblets that form near leaf nodes at the stem. Jerusalem artichoke, Topinambur Helianthus tuberosum . Flowers in late summer but never succeed making seeds store inulin in tubers The only plants that do the locomotion …. Cuscuta (Dodder ) about 100species of yellow, orange or red (rarely green) parasitic leafless (minute scales) plants placed in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. The seeds are minute and produced in large quantities. They have a hard coating, & survive in soil for 5–10 years. Germination can occur without a host, it zooms in on the smell of nearby plants Beware of chlorophyll-free plants they are like animals Pinedrop = Pterospora andromedea grows in coniferous forests native to North America. It is in the family Ericaceae. The upper portion of the red stalk has a series of yellowish, bell-shaped flowers face downward. They exist for most of their lifecycle as a mass of fleshy roots in relationship with mycorrhizal fungi that is described as either parasitic by different experts. They are thus described as mycorrhizal heterotrophs .

Coralroot orchids , C orallorhiza , are leafless, relying entirely upon symbiotic fungi within their coral-shaped roots for sustenance. Because of this dependence they cannot be successfully cultivated. Most species do not produce chlorophyll, and do not depend on photosynthesis for energy. Holoparasites have virtually no chlorophyll & are completely parasitic & include 4,100 species in 19 families of flowering plants Beware of chlorophyll-free plants they are like animals Indian Pipe or Monotropa uniflora , also known as the Ghost Plant , is a herbaceous perennial, classified within the Ericaceae . It is native to temperate regions of Asia & North America. Unlike most plants, it is white and does not contain chlorophyll. Instead of generating energy from sunlight, it is parasitic, more specifically a myco-heterotroph. Its hosts are certain fungi that are mycorrhizal with trees, meaning it ultimately gets its energy from photosynthetic trees. It can grow in very dark environments as in the understory of dense forest. The complex relationship that allows this plant to grow also makes propagation difficult.

The Snow Plant or Sarcodes sanguinea is a in the heath family. It is a parasitic plant that derives sustenance and nutrients from mycorrhyzal fungi that attach to roots of trees. Mycorrhizal fungi are themselves symbiotic parasites that help plants fix nitrogen from the atmosphere in exchange for nutrients from plant roots. What kind of plants do we have on earth? A collection.

Welwitschia mirabilis is a plant Hydnora africana is an achlorophyllous living in remote areas of the plant native to southern that is Namib desert . It is in the parasitic on the roots of members of the subdivision of Gnetophyta in Euphorbiaceae family. The plant grows the Gymnosperms related to underground, except for a fleshy flower that conifers. The plant is a living emerges above ground and emits an odor of fossil & was named after the feces to attract dung beetles and carrion Austrian botanist Friedrich beetles. The flowers act as traps for a brief Welwitsch who discovered it period retaining the beetles that enter, then in 1859. Two ever-growing releasing them when the flower is fully leaves ( toilet paper plant) opened The weirdest plants on earth The weirdest plants are often also very rare leftovers (living fossiles) of bygone times. Their presence is a great treasure – a true “Jurassic Park”.

Welwitschia endemic to Namib Dionaea musc. trap distribution

Rafflesia attracts by cadaverine Darlingtonia is an insect trapper Amorphophallus corpse pl The tallest seed plants are Eucalyptus trees in the Myrtaeceae family. The giabnt redwood Sequoia giganteum reaches 135 m & stem thickness of 12 m, coastal or evergreen redwood Sequoia sempervirens has same height but lesser stems Buddha’s Hand Citrus medica Buddha’s hand is a citrus fruit popular in China and Japan for its strong fragrance. It fails as a fruit since it’s pretty much all zest and no pulp, but it has other uses,

Buddha's hand , Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis (also known as fingered citron ), is a fragrant citron variety in the Rutaeceae whose fruit is segmented into finger-like sections. The origin of Buddha's hand plant is traced back to Northeastern India. Compass plants Prickly lettuce Lactuca seriola is a compass plant. If you look at it from the east or west it looks broad but when viewed form the North it looks like flattened by a car. Another compass plant is Silphium laciniatum (Compass Flower , or Rosinweed )- a sunflower native to the Prairies of Dakota. Like lactuca it aligns leaves in N-to-S direction.

The rule that moss is growing on the northern side of trees is false for more than one reason. Moss prefers shade and th shade is from all sides ina dense forest. Second, what is growing on the northern side of tress is the green algae Pleurococcus . It cannot deal with direct sunlight and prefers N. Bizarre Plants: the largest & weirdly shaped seed Maldives or Seychelle Islands : source of unusual seed coco-de-mer seeds first mistaken as eggs of griffins (Georg Eberhard Rumpf 1682 named it Cocus maldivicus): most important aphrodisiac & antidote like the benzoar (ideal goblet material). Rudolf II German Emperor (1650) payed 4000 florins = 5000 gold thalers (dollars) for a seed 1742 French landed from Mauritius, 1768 that the islands interior was explored & confirmed as the source of coco-de-mer, the Seychelles’ nut Lodoicea palms (daughter of Troy’s Priam difficult to germinate ; first Kew RoyalGarden plants were pre-germinated in Seychelles & then grown in 1854 , hurrah ==> a yellow horizontal shoot projects parallel to soil surface for 3 m before horizontal shoot develops & root grows. Horizontal shoot rots away & seedling cannot be traced back to seed. Jelly-like endosperm of nuts is a delicacy for the rich. “Surely, Sir, it is Priam’s daughter” The flying fruit served as a template for the first non-stalling airplane trianer (STOL)

Zanonia macrocarpa (Syn. Macrozanonia macrocarpa (Blume) Cogn., macrocarpa M.Roem.) alias Javan cucmber is a vine in the cuccurbitaceae. The fruit - a maple- like samara - has thin dry wings with 13 cm wing span and can fly with only a slight turn distances of up to 50 m. The plant was first described under the name Zanonia macrocarpa in 1825 by Carl Ludwig Blume This principle was used to build a monoplane in 1903 in cooperation of botanists with the Austrian airplane pioneer Ignaz Etrich (designing strategy called biomimetics) ands in 1912 the motorized glider “Taube” which had a stall speed of less than 10 mph (idiots could fly this one). Unfortunately this design was not fit for tight turns – the developing strategy of fighter planes

 The “Taube” of the famous Lieutenant Plüschow was the only plane of the Imperial Navy in Tsingtao, in 1914 a German colony in China. Before Tsingtao was overwhelmed by superior numbers of Japanese & British ships & troops he flew his badly damaged plane for 250 miles into China & continued on foot The Devil’s Claw The horrifying seed pods are designed to latch on to the feet of passing animals, which will then transport them to another location before crushing them underfoot and releasing the seeds.

Harpagophytum procumbens , also Devil's Claw , is in sesame family, native to South Africa. The plant's large tuberous roots contain steroid & are used to reduce pain and fever, and to stimulate digestion. Europeans used it to treat arthritis. http://aayuni.tumblr.com/post/4832997867/9-creepy-plants-that-shouldnt-exist Chinese Fleece Flower Fallopia ssp. The Chinese Fleece flower is in the genus Fallopia in the family Polygoniaeceae, a relative of the infamous Japanese Knotweed Fallopia japonica. The Chinese use this plant in their traditional medicine for kidney health, strong bones and hair restoration, and as a mild laxative, and it’s.. Hey, wait a second… “ I tell you, … it is a sign, yeah, ah … it’s an omen!” The end of the world is close, oh Rose Okay, weird. It’s a root that looks like a little dude. But that’s a rare, onetime fluke, right? It’s not like that’s what this species typically looks like or anything?? Roots making a perfect couple made headlines in 2006 …. Doll’s Eyes Actaea pachypodia Actaea pachypoda (Doll's-eyes , White Baneberry ) is a herbaceous perennial plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to eastern North America. The berries contain cardiogenic toxins which can have an immediate sedative effect on human cardiac muscle tissue, and are the most poisonous part of the plant. Ingestion of the berries can lead to cardiac arrest and death.

The Doll’s eye plant, also known by the equally unsettling name “white baneberry.” Just in case you were actually thinking of eating this thing, those eyeballs are highly poisonous. Some plants have been around since the beginning of recorded time (3000 BC): they saw the building of the pyramids, the rise and the fall of Rome, the Mongols, the USA and USE, they saw it all …. Plants in today's world: aphrodisiac eaten to extinction An African plant called White’s ginger ( Mondia whitei ), wrongly referred to as “white ginger.” mukombero in Kenya, where it is said that chewing the root of or drinking it in tea form can boost virility and stamina in the bedroom. Mukombero is available in Kenyan markets for as little as one euro, making it much cheaper than Viagra or other pharmaceuticals, which are too expensive for most Kenyans.

A study in 1998 (cited by Infonet-biovision ) found that the plant had disappeared from South Africa and central Kenya. Now, it is getting rarer still. “I am overwhelmed by the demand,” a man who collects & sells mukombero

Watai, head of bioprospecting for the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), told that mukombero is being grown as a ” cash crop ” in Florida and China but did not identify actual companies growing the plant. “The Chinese must have obtained it from the region without informing communities he said. The KWS itself runs a small factory to commercialize the plant. Stinging Hairs For a long time we did not know what caused the stinging sensation of Urtica dioica? It was first shown that formic acid was inside the hairs but that alone does not cause such effects! pict Urtica dioica is harmless when compared with tropical nettles like Urtica stimulans (Java) & Urtica crenulata (India) & the worst Urtica urentissima (Timor) which also cause skin irritations but in addition affect the nervous system in the area with paralytic cramps & permanent damage to nerves. Dogs refuse to search for game after experiencing the burning sensation of nettels, geese seem to be insensitive, larvae of some butterfly too There are other plant families with stinging hairs Hydrophyllaeceae Wigandia urens , Euphorbiaceae Jatropha urens have stinging hairs while many members of the Urticaeceae (glass plants, hops) have none. Other plants like Primula obconica cause dermatitis

Mimicry of nettle leaves by dead nettels alias Lamium species Do plants kill? Sure. Are they predators?

Predation describes a biological interaction where a predator attacks & feeds on its prey . The act of predation always results in the death of the prey. Is Ficus bengal. a predator?

Insectivorous plants are certainly predators since they kill and feed on them poor little insects. Gurmar – “you shall miss sweetness forev … an hour” Gurmar – a vine growing in the rain forests of the Indian subcontinent means “sugar destroyer” or “sweetness destroyer”. When eaten, the leaves take away your ability to taste sweetness. The major bioactive constituents of Gymnema sylvestris are a group of oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins known as gymnemic acids . Gymnemic acids are causing the blackage of the sweetness-receptors. Gurmar or Gymnema sylvestre is a vine native to the tropical forests of India where it has been used as a natural treatment for diabetes. for nearly two millennia. Gurmar has also been shown to reduce the blood sugar levels and even the amount of insulin necessary to control blood sugar. According to research done by Persaud et al.1999, the raise in insulin levels may be due to regeneration of the cells in the pancreas Chana dal- the miracle bean for diabetics It is known that Vit A (made from plant carotenoids) plays an important role in the control of insulin, which is controlling the blood sugar levels. Also biotin (a vitamin of the B series) seems to increase the effectiveness of insulin action. Chana dal Desi chickpeas have a markedly higher fiber content and hence a very low glycemic index which may make them suitable for people with blood sugar problems . The desi type is used to make Chana Dal, which is a split chickpea with the black skin removed. This is done by soaking the whole chickpeas and removing the loose skins by rubbing. Quiz about Plants 1. Which plant is the smallest flowering plant? 2. Which plant has the largest single flower on this planet? 3. Which plant has the largest leaves? … 4. Which plants have no leaves? ……………………………………… 5. Which plants have no roots? ……………………………………… 6. Which plant makes only two leaves although keeping it > 100 years? 7. Which earthly plant produces the largest seeds? 8. Which plant family has the smallest seeds? 9. Which plant has the longest-living seeds? 10. Which plant has the edible fruit with the most calories? 11. Which plant produces the largest edible fruits? 12. Which creature is largest living being on earth? 13. Which creature is longest living being on earth? 14. Which creature is longest living plant on earth? 15. Which plant species was the first one in space? 16. Which is the oldest recent (old but still around) flowering plant? 17. Which plant is the tallest monocot? 18. Which plant is the tallest dicot? 19. Which plant has the deepest roots and how deep do they go? 20. Which creature is the largest being by area? 21. Which creatures are the longest beings in the ocean? Quiz about Plants 1. Which plant is the smallest flowering plant? Wolffia arrhiza – the small relative of the duckweed Lemmna being only 0.5 mm across. Quiz about Plants 2. Which plant has the largest single flower on this planet Rafflesia , a stinky parasitic plant from the Mediterranean region. Quiz about Plants 3. Which plant has the largest leaves? …

The Raffia palm. This imposing African palm has the largest leaves of any tree. IT has leaves that measure up to 20 m in length. They are the source of raffia, a natural fiber Quiz about Plants 4. Which plants have no leaves? 1. there are the lower plants like mosses, which do not have real leaves. Quiz about Plants 4. Which plants have no leaves? 1. there are lower plants like mosses, which do not have real leaves.

2. there are desert plants and deciduous trees in our area that drop their leaves part of the year.

3. there are parasitic plants like coralroots and pinedrops that are pale and have no leaves, just scales

4. there are cacti that have modified leaves appearing as spines . Quiz about Plants 5. Which plants have no roots? … A.Lower plants ( bryophytes) have no real roots.

B. There are parasitic plants like Cuscuta (dodder) or mistletoe that absorb nutrients from their hosts.

C. there are duckweeds like Wolffia arrhiza .

Wolffia vs Lemna duckweed Quiz about Plants 6. Which plant makes only two leaves although living more than 100 years? Welwitschia mirabilis . This South African desert plant produces only 2 leaves, which keep during its whole world . Quiz about Plants 7. Which earthly plant produces the largest seeds? Coco de Mer, Seychelles nuts Quiz about Plants 8. Which plant family has the smallest seeds? The orchids . Quiz about Plants 9. Which plant has the longest-living seeds? Arctic Lupine were found frozen in the soil of the Canadian Yukon were estimated to be 10-15,000 years old. Nevertheless, they did germinate into new plants Quiz about Plants 10. Which plant has the edible fruit with the most calories? Avocado has 750 cal per pound. On the other hand cucumber has only 70 cal /pound. Quiz about Plants

11. Which plant produces the largest edible fruits ? Of course, the pumpkin pepo reaching up to 180 pounds followed by melons with 45 pounds. Quiz about Plants 12. Which creature is largest living being on earth?

The giant Sequoia or Sequoiadendron giganteum; specimen “General Sherman” is 83 m tall with a trunk of 24.22 meters circumference. Quiz about Plants

13. Which creature is longest living being on earth?

Lichens in Antarctica were shown to be older than 10,000 years growing 3.4 mm/century. Xanthoria Quiz about Plants

14. Which creature is longest living plant on earth?

Pinus longaeva – the Bristlecone pine form the SW of the USA. Quiz about Plants

15. Which plant species was the first one in space?

It was Arabidopsis aboard the Soviet spaceship Salute 7 in 1982. Quiz about Plants

16. Which plant is the oldest recent (species old but still around) flowering plant?

Gingko biloba first appeared all over the world 180 Million years ago. 300 years ago, when the Kaempfer discovered it for the West, it was extinct in the wild except for some monasteries in China. Quiz about Plants

17. Which plant is the tallest monocot?

It is the giant black bamboo Phylostachys nigra reaches up to18 m tall. Quiz about Plants

18. Which plant is the tallest dicot?

Eucalyptus regnans at Mt. Baw Baw, Victoria, Australia, is believed to have measured 143 m (470 ft.) in 1885. Formerly, another Australian eucalyptus, at Watts River, Victoria. almost certainly had been over 150 m (492 ft.) tall." Quiz about Plants 19. Which plant has the deepest roots and how deep do they go?

The deepest roots were found with a Ficus species in South Africa reaching 120 m deep. The official, confirmed record is with the 10 m tall Shepherds tree Boscia albitrunca from the Kalahari Desert with roots measuring 68 m long. Quiz about Plants

20. Which creature is the largest being by area?

A giant fungus of the species Armillaria ostoyae (honey mushrooms) in the Malheur National Forest in Oregon was found to span 8.9 km 2 (2,200 acres), which would make it the largest organism by area. Quiz about Plants 21. Which creatures are the longest beings in the ocean?

These are the giant kelps Macrocystis pyrifera, which may reach a length of over 100 ft (30 m). This majestic giant of the kelp forest grows faster than tropical bamboo—about three to five inches each day.

Macrocystis vs Nereocystis (our bullkelp) Quiz about Plants 22. Which plant is known as the burning bush (as e.g. told in NAfrican traveller stories, Bible & Koran)?

The burning bush , Dictam or Dictamnus albus is a member of the Rutaeceae (Citrus family). Dictam, produces terpenes to cool its leaves during sunny days. It does that to such an extent that it can undergo self- ignition (see burning bush stories in Bible & Koran) . Quiz about Plants 23. Eating which plant takes away the taste of sweetness?

This plant is

Gurmar or Gymnema sylvestris

In the mint family containing triterpenoid saponins known as gymnemic acids Quiz about Plants 24. Eating which plant makes a typical sour tasting sweet?

This is – among others – the miracle berry Synsepalum dulciferum The berry has a low sugar content and contains a glycoprotein molecule called miraculin Thank you for your participation !!! Everybody knows – of course - that Botany is sooo cool!