The spice saffron comes from a certain type of crocus.
Tulip bulbs can be used in place of onions for cooking.
The creamy-white bloom of the magnolia tree was designated the state flower of Louisiana in 1900 because of the abundance of trees throughout the state. Magnolia is an evergreen and the flower is usually fragrant. After the six to twelve petals of the flower have fallen away the large cone shaped fruit of the magnolia is exposed.
Cats love sweet smells. Such as lotions and perfumes. That is why you will see cats smelling flowers.
All ponsetttia flowers are yellow. The large colorful parts of the poinsettia (usually red, pink, white, or multicolored) are actually modified leaves called bracts. The actual flower is the tiny yellow structure in the center of the bracts at the top of the stem.
In Ireland, St Patrick's Day is both a holy day and a national holiday. Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. It was he who brought Christianity to Ireland. According to legend, Saint Patrick used a shamrock to explain God. This small green plant that looks like a clover, has three leaves on it. Saint Patrick told the people that the shamrock was the idea of the Trinity- that in the one God there are three divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The shamrock is also the national flower of Ireland. 'The wearing of the green' on Saint Patrick's day is a reminder of all the green countryside of Ireland. In fact, this island nation is so green it is often called the Emerald Isle.
Did you known that sunflowers can be used to help soak up radiation?
The word gem comes from the Latin gemma meaning bud. The story of the precious stones is much like that of the blooming of flowers. Like tiny buds that burst into beautiful blossoms, dull lumps of mineral matter can be cut and polished into brilliantly flashing or beautifully glowing gems.
The state flower of Texas is the Bluebonnet. The state tree of Texas is the pecan.
The strawberry is technically not a fruit at all. In botanical terms, fruits are seed-bearing structures which grow from a flower's ovaries, and a strawberry is merely the swollen base of the strawberry flower. The plant's true fruits are the small, hard, nut-like pips embedded on the outside of the flesh. The seeds are contained in the pips.
The rose is the best-known symbol of beauty and love. Red roses mean I love you. A dozen of them make the ultimate statement on Valentine's Day. A single rose signifies simplicity.
Women prefer pastel colored roses, men on the other hand prefer red.
The Peach Blossom became the State flower of Delaware on May 9, 1895. It was prompted by Delaware's reputation as the "Peach State," since her orchards contained more than 800,000 peach trees yielding a crop worth thousands of dollars at that time.
California is the source for nearly 60% of all USA-grown fresh cut flowers.
Americans bought more than 1.2 BILLION fresh cut roses in the year 1996. That's 4.67 roses for every man, woman, and child nationwide.
The number of Begonia hybrids is estimated between 1000 and 2000. Within this enormous family there are plants which are tiny enough to grow in an egg shell and others which can cover a greenhouse wall. If you become addicted to growing begonias you are called a begoniac.
The first recorded plant collectors were the soldiers in the army of Thothmes III, Pharaoh of Egypt, 3500 years ago. In the Temple of Karnak these soldiers are shown bringing back 300 plants as booty from Syria.
In 1990 about 250 ha. were cultivated with orchids in Malaysia, producing over 27.86 million stalks of cutflowers, valued at RM 18.30 million. Exports of orchids were valued at RM 3.4 million in 1991.
The cactus family is divided into more than 100 genera. For simplicity North American cacti are placed into five groups: the prickly pears, the saguaro cactus group, the hedgehog cacti, the barrel cacti, and the pin-cushion and fishhook cacti.
In 1890 Luther Burbank crossed oxeye field daisy and Japanese daisy to produce perhaps the quintessential chrysanthemum - The Shasta Daisy.
The rose of Great Britain was the symbol of the Royal Family. As time passed, it became the national flower. The rose of Scotland was a kind of weed called "the wild thistle". A long time ago, when Vikings invaded Scotland, they were slowed in their attack by the thorns of the wild thistle. This allowed the people of Scotland time to escape from the Viking's sudden attack. Because of this legend, "the wild thistle" became the national flower of Scotland. The national flower of Wales was a kind of a smelly Leek. When the English sneer at someone, they say "Eat the Leek". That is the reason, Wales has changed their national flower to a narcissus.
Germany's national flower, centaurea is related with the emperor of old Germany. It has been called the "Emperor's flower". Because of the authoritative language of the flower's name, it naturally has been considered the national flower. Its status was not changed after the republic of Germany was established.
Egypt is known as the starting place of the ancient civilizations. "A water lily" has been Egypt's national flower for about 4000 years. It can be seen anywhere on the river Nile, especially the "blue water lily". The blue water lily has been loved by Egyptians for a long time. It was also considered the "God of the Resurrection", so it is sometimes laid on the tomb of "Mica". A few pieces of blue and white water lily flower picture have been found in the tomb of Rames II (ca. B.C. 13th century). Most of the Arab countries have followed Egypt's custom of adopting a water lily as the national flower.
The World's Largest Flower
The Titan Arum is not only the world's largest flower it is also the world's smelliest. This native of the central Sumatran rainforests is known affectionately as the Corpse Flower for its heady perfume of rotting flesh. It is 3 metres high
The World's Smallest Flower
A bouquet of a dozen Wolffia blooms would comfortably fit on the head of a pin.
A type of duckweed, Wolffia grows on the surface of ponds and slow moving streams.
This very minute flowering plant is native to Australia and Malaysia. The plant body is 0.6-0.9 mm long and only 0.2-0.5 mm wide. Not only is it one of the smallest flowering plants on earth, but it also produces one of the smallest fruits.
The World's Largest Bouquet
70, 000 roses went into the making of the world's largest flower bouquet.
The 23.4 metre arrangement was the work of Ashrita Furman
The World's Oldest Flower
In 2002 scientists in north-east China discovered a fossilised flower that blossomed about 125 million years ago. Called "the mother of all flowers", Archaefructus sinensis resembles the modern water lily
The largest recorded flower in the world belongs to the Sumatran Calla Lily, more commonly called the corpse flower. A specimen bloomed at the New York Botanical Gardens on June 8, 1937. The flower measured eight and a half feet tall, four feet in diameter, and had a twevle foot circumference. Don't get too close though.... the flower's fragrance resembles that of rotting meat... hence the 'Corpse Flower' name.
When you are eating a piece of fruit, you are eating a swollen ovary! Yes, that's right...fruit comes from a flowering plant which contains an ovary which will become the fruit! Food for thought: When you are drinking coffee you are drinking fruit juice!
The 'Staman and 'Pistil' in a flower refers to the male and female reproductive organs.
The poinsetta is the most common flower used at Christmas!
The children's famous rhyme,'Ring around the Rosie' was actually a small story on fact. Back when the 'Black (Bubonic) Plague' was around, a ring would appear around the rosey part of the actually boil-like spot, hence 'Ring around the rosey,' People smelled very badly when having this disease , so they carried posies (type of flower) in their pockets to camoflage the smell hence 'Pocket full of posies,' When the people died, because the plague was contagious, they would burn the corpses to ashes hence 'Ashes, ashes' 'We all fall down.' was added because no one was surviving. Interesting, yeah?
The largest flower in the world (the Rufflesia) grows to over 3 metres in diameter.
Over the course of its 6-week lifespan, a honeybee will collect enough nectar to make 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey. A honeybee would have to visit over 2,000,000 (2 million) flowers in order to collect enough nectar to produce 1 pound of honey. The bee would have to travel 55,000 miles total to accomplish this feat.
The reason a dog curls up with its tail covering its nose is to keep it warm during cold weather. In hotter weather they tend to stretch out to get rid of the heat. Some dogs also tend to dig holes in cool, shaded spots to give off heat. One place might be a flower bed where the soil is softer and easier to manuver around.
In 1986 Congress voted to make the rose America's national flower.
The bluebonnet became the Texas state flower in 1901. In 1971, the state legislature, named all lupine species as the official state flower.
The flower looks like a little bonnet when you look at it closely. After it rains, look for a drop of water in each bonnet or bowl-like petal. As the Texas bluebonnet flower ages, one of the top petals turns purple-red.
Pink and White Lady Slipper (cypripedium reginae) is the State flower of Minnesota. Illegal to pick in the state, the pink and white lady slipper is one of Minnesota's rarest wildflowers. They can take up to 16 years to produce their first flower, and sometimes live for 50 years.
Brocolli is the only vegetable that is a flower.
