BULB (bulb). A bulb is a thick, fleshy bud that usually grows underground. In many plants, such as the tiger lily, it grows above ground, in the spot where the leaves branch from the plant stem. Bulbs are of two types: the scaly and the tunicate. The scary type bulb as in most lilies is made up of a short central core inside of thick, fleshy, scale like leaves. The tunicate bulb, such as the onion, has fleshy leaf bases in smooth and continuous layers. If an onion is cut in half, the inside looks like thickened bands or circles of tissue. Roots generally grow from the base of the bulb. The bulb serves as a storage place with enough food and water to supply the plant during winter or a dry period.

The bulb is also a storehouse for new stems, leaves and flowers, after the plant first flowers. In fact, the bulb has in it a new stem and often the beginnings of flowers and leaves as well. These are protected within the bulb by the bulb scales. These scales or leaves are a food storehouse for the plant. The food stored in the bulbs during one season is used for the beginning of the growth of the stem, leaves and flowers during the next season. A number of different kinds of bulbs such as the onion are used for food. Some other examples of the bulb are the lily bulbs, the tulip bulbs, and the hyacinth.

Bugbane is a tall, perennial plant with large, broad leaves divided into many leaflets. It has clusters of small white flowers. Bugbanes live throughout the north temperate regions of the earth. The name originally referred to a kind of bugbane that grows in Asia and eastern Europe. It has an unpleasant odor, and people thought it would keep bed bugs away.

Scientific classification. Bugbane belongs to the crowfoot family, Ranunculaceae. It makes up the genus Cimicifuga. The bugbane is a tall plant with large, broad leaves. This perennial plant grows clusters of small white flowers.

Share this:

ARTICHOKE. Artichokes are vegetables that have a very delicate flavor. There are three different kinds of artichokes: the globe, the Jerusalem, and the Chinese or Japanese. The globe and the Jerusalem artichokes are members of the Composite family like the aster, daisy, and sunflower.

The globe artichoke is also called the French or bur artichoke. A native of the Mediterranean region, today it is grown chiefly in the United States and Europe. California produces most of the United State crop, but some are grown in the southern states.

The plants are gray-green and look like this-das. They have long prickly leaves large clusters of white or lavender flowers. The plant parts that are eaten are the tender base of the flower bud (often three to four inches in diameter) and the thick, soft parts of the leaves around the bud. These parts are cut while the buds are still tightly closed.

They are sold fresh or canned, and are eaten boiled, baked, fried, stuffed, or in salads or soups.

New plants usually are grown from sprouts or shoots from older ones. Plants may live for many years, but those raised for sale usually are replanted every three or four years.

The Jerusalem artichoke may grow 12 feet tall, and has yellow, sunflower like blossoms. It grows wild in eastern and central North America. Sometimes it is a troublesome weed because it reproduces from seed and from many small, underground, potato like tubers. The tubers are eaten raw or prepared like potatoes. In France the plant also is used as feed for stock.

The Chinese or Japanese artichoke, a member of the Mint family, comes from eastern Asia. Its tubers may be eaten, but it is not an important crop in the United States.

ARBUTUS. Indian legend tells a pretty story about that loveliest of spring flowers, the trailing arbutus. Each year when the winter spirit, Peboan, fell asleep, his discarded furs turned to icy leaves. Coming across these one spring day, Segun, the summer spirit put them in her hair. Immediately they came to life. Then Segun planted them in the earth and breathed upon them. At the touch of her warm breath, flowers appeared, flushed pink, and gave out a spicy perfume. “When the children find these,” she said, “they will know that Segun has been here, and that Peboan has gone away.” In one of his poems, John Greenleaf Whittier also tells us that the dainty arbutus was the earliest flower to greet the Pilgrims after their first fearful winter at Plymouth. They called it the Mayflower, and as the state flower of Massachusetts, it is still known by that name.

Although the name arbutus is given to several evergreen plants, all belonging to the heath family and ranging in size from the tiniest plant to a tall tree, the most common species is the trailing arbutus. Its fragrant clusters of waxy white blossoms, often tinged with pink, make it one of North America’s most attractive wild flowers. The tough, heart-shaped leaves and the hairy brown stems contrast strikingly with the dainty blossoms. The arbutus is becoming scarcer each year because thoughtless pickers uproot the plant in their attempt to gather long stems with the blossoms. Growing throughout the eastern and Middle Western United States, as far south as Florida, and even in Canada, the arbutus grows best in sandy or rocky soils, especially in pine woods, where it creeps along the ground, almost hidden beneath dry needles and leaves.

Share this:

ASTER is a flowering plant of the Compositae family. It is so common in the United States that it has been suggested as the national flower. More than 175 species grow in North America. The flower also grows in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. Toward the last of August and throughout September and October, these beautiful starry wild flowers burst into bloom. The aster (from the Greek aster, meaning “star”) was so named because of its radiating or starlike flower head. It is found largely in North America.

Asters are usually perennial plants. The flowers have yellowish or brownish disks encircled by white, purple, violet, blue, rose, or pink rays. Two handsome species are the New England aster, with its numerous large violet or purple rays, and the New York aster (Aster novi-belgii), which has light blue and white blossoms. They bloom until after the first frost. Both of these are common in the northeastern United States.

The aster is related to the daisy. It gets its name from the Greek word for star. The blossoms may be from one-half to two inches in diameter. They vary in color from white through pink, red, and blue. All have flat yellow centers surrounded by many narrow petals.

Most asters are perennial (grow year after year). They bloom in late summer and early autumn. Asters are popular garden flowers because they bloom after other flowers are gone, have few diseases and insect enemies, and last well after cutting. Some common types are the purple New England aster, the smooth blue aster, and certain desert asters. The China, or garden, aster is not a true aster. It is an annual grown from seed each year.

All species of aster need rich soil and sunlight to grow well, but they cannot stand much hot weather. Wild asters can be transplanted to gardens without harming them.

Asters belong to the family Compositae. The New England aster (Aster novae-angliae) has flowers 1 to 2 inches across. From 30 to 40 violet or purple ray florets surround 5-lobed, tubular yellow disk florets, set in a sticky green cup. The rough stem is from 2 to 5 feet high. Long leaves grow directly from the stem.

Most asters are difficult to grow from seed. The plants can be broken into several pieces and transplanted in the spring. They thrive in almost any type of soil. The China aster, an annual, is grown from seed.

Scientific classification. Asters are in the composite family, Compositae. The scientific name for the New England aster is A novae-angliae. The China aster is Callistephus chinensis.

Share this:

SWEET PEA. In 1699 a monk found some butterfly-shaped flowers growing wild in the fields of Sicily. He sent a handful of their seeds to a doctor in England. From the offspring of these seeds have been selected the several hundred varieties of sweet peas which are today the daintiest of garden flowers. The sweet pea belongs to the same family as the edible pea. The original flowers were purplish blue in color. Gardeners soon began to select new colors and larger flowers than were found in the wild plant. In the United States interest in sweet peas did not begin until the 1890′s. Today, however, thousands of acres in California alone are devoted entirely to growing sweet peas.

The sweet pea vine has rough, winged stems. The thin, pale green leaves bear tendrils which help to support the plant in climbing. There are two general types of sweet peas; the tall and the dwarf. The fragrant blossoms of each type vary in form from single to hooded double. In texture they vary from smooth and velvety to wavy and crinkled. The colors range from white through all the pastel tints, to blue, red, and purple.

The seeds should be sown in early spring in cool climates or in the fall in warm climates. The soil should be fairly rich and well drained. The bed should be in a rather shady spot. It is important to choose a place where the roots of trees will not rob the soil of richness. The seeds should be planted about six inches apart. They should be covered with about one inch of soil. As the plants come up the earth should be rounded up toward the vines to form a low ridge. Trellises or strings are needed to support the vines. Throughout the season the plants should be cultivated and watered. The blossoms should be picked daily, as flowering stops as soon as seeds are allowed to form. Most abundant flowering occurs when the weather is cool.

ASPARAGUS, a member of the lily family of plants, is a vegetable. About 150 species of asparagus are grown in the temperate parts of the world, but just one (Asparagus officinalis) is usually eaten.

Asparagus grows best in loose, rich, sandy soil. In gardens the seeds are sown early in the spring, though the plants may be started at any time of the year in greenhouses. Asparagus plants must be from two to four years old before they are ready for cutting. Asparagus is a hardy perennial of the lily family, with tuberous roots. The plants are started from seeds and transplanted to a permanent bed in the spring of the second year. They are ready for cutting after they have grown two years in the permanent bed. They continue to produce for 20 years or more. A delicate vinelike variety—wrongly called “smi-lax” by florists—is grown in greenhouses.

The young stems of asparagus plants are used as food. They are cut when the leaves of the plant are small buds and the stems or spears are tender and less than 10 inches high. The young spears are cut each day for six to eight weeks.

After that time the stems begin to get tough and woody as they branch and start to blossom. Each autumn the old stalks of the garden variety are cut down.

If left to grow the plants reach heights of three to four feet. Most asparagus leaves are tiny and fernlike; the flowers are small and yellowish, and the fruits are red berries.

One land of asparagus (Asparagus aspara-goides) is commonly called smilax. Its stiff, shiny leaves are used in flower arrangements. Wild varieties of asparagus grow in Europe and Asia, especially along the seacoasts, and in some parts of the United States.

Asparagus has been a popular food since Greek and Roman times. It is most often cooked in water and eaten hot, but it is also used to make soup or chilled and served in salads.

The asparagus fern is a kind of asparagus used in floral arrangements. It also is a good house plant

Scientific classification. Asparagus belongs to the Llly family, Lillaceae. Edible asparagus is Asparagus officinalis. The asparagus fern is A. plumosus.

Share this:

Sunflower is a tall plant known for its showy yellow flowers. There are more than 60 species of sunflowers. The most common type grows from 3 to 10 feet (1 to 3 meters) tall and has one or more heads of flowers. Each head consists of a disk of small, tubular flowers surrounded by a fringe of large yellow petals. A sunflower head may measure more than 1 foot (30 centimeters) in diameter and produce up to 1,000 seeds. The head turns and faces toward the sun throughout the day.

Sunflower seeds are rich in protein. They yield a high quality vegetable oil used in making margarine and cooking oil. Some varieties of sunflowers have large striped seeds, which are roasted for snack food or blended with other grains to make birdseed. Special oil-seed varieties produce small black seeds that contain up to 50 per cent oil. Sunflower oil is the world’s third most important vegetable oil. Only soybean oil and palm oil are produced in greater abundance. Sunflower oil is sometimes used as a replacement for diesel fuel.

Before its breakup, the Soviet Union produced more sunflower seeds than any other nation. In the United States, production increased rapidly during the mid1970′s as a result of improved varieties and in response to a growing demand for sunflower oil. The chief sunflower states are Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Strawflower is a tall herb grown for its yellow, orange, red, or white flowers. It is cultivated as an annual— that is, for one growing season. However, the straw-flower is actually a perennial and thus can live for more than one year. The flowers are dried and used in winter bouquets. The strawflower belongs to a group of plants called everlastings. All everlastings have flowers that last a long time when dried. The strawflower originated in Australia, and is now grown in Europe and America. It grows 3 feet (91 centimeters) tall.

Scientific classification. The strawflower belongs to the composite family, Asteraceae or Compositae. Its scientific name is Helichrysum bracteatum.

Static electricity. Statice, is a name commonly applied to sea lavenders, a group of herbs or shrubs used in rock gardens and flower bed borders. Sea lavenders grow wild throughout the world, especially in salt marshes and desert or semi desert regions. Their purple, rose, white, or yellow flowers are often dried and made into bouquets. A group of evergreen herbs called thrifts or sea pinks have also been known as statices. Thrifts are found mainly on coasts and in mountainous areas. Their small pink or white flowers grow in dense, globe-shaped clusters.

Sea lavender a type of statice, grows wild in salt marshes and deserts worldwide. The above illustrations show the entire plant, left, and a close-up of flower clusters, right both sea lavenders and thrifts grow well in most garden soils. They usually reproduce by seed. The plants should be started in a greenhouse in early spring and then planted outside. Sea lavenders and thrifts have flowers all summer.

Share this: