Is there really a four-leaved clover?

A particular feature of the clovers is their three-lobed (or trifoliate) leaves. The lcky 'four-leaved clover' can be found, but i is an abnormal rarity. Clovers are members of thepea family. There are around 250 kinds of true clovers, including the red, white, strawberry and crimson species, and they are most common near the clover has been used for centuries as a rotation crop. Today, it is used extensively as an animal food and soil-improving crop throughout Europe and northern and central North America.

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Why is holly associated with Christmas?

        Holly has been used traditionally in houses and churches at Christmastime for decorative purposes. It was originally called the holy tree. The word holly may have come from this name. Holly is the common name for a group of shrubs and small trees. The two best-known hollies, the American holly and the English holly, are evergreens. These two hollies have glossy green leaves and red berries and are used to make attractive Christmas wreaths. Holly wood is very hard and has a close grain It used for making musical instruments, furniture and in interior decoration. The inner bark yields the sticky material called birdlime. The leaves of a South American species are used to make a tea-like drink called mate.

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What is the other name for the Iris?

Fleur-de-lis is a name somtimes used for the iris. It is French for flower of the lily. Fleur-de-lis is also the name of design that represents the white iris. It appeared as an emblem on the sceptre of Egyptian rulers in 1500 BCE, and was carved on the brow of the Sphinx. It also became the emblem of the kings of France in the 12th century.

The name 'iris' comes from the Greek word for rainbow. The unusual shape of the iris makes it unusual shape of the iris makes it easy to recognize. An iris has three sets of three petal-like parts. The lower set, called the falls, flares out and hangs down. The upper parts, known as standards, curve up into a dome. Three curved style branches cover the stamens in the middle.

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Can Plants Feel?

Although plants do not have feelings in the same way that we do, they can certainly respond to different stimuli. They are able to grow towards a light source, even is turned upside down. SOme plants have very sensitive leaves, which will fold up if touched. Others have leaves that open and close according to the time of day. The Venus Flytrap has sensitive leaf tips. When an insects lands in the tiny hairs in the leaf, the pairs of leaves snap shut, trapping the insect inside. Plants are even able to perspire. Although you cant's see this happening, if you were to place a plant inside a plastic bag and fasten it, after a while you would see drop of water form on the inside of the bag. The moisture you can see comes from the leaves of plants.

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What is Dodder?

Dodder is a strange, totally parasitic plant. When its tiny seeds start to grow, they put up thin threads that twist in ever increasing circles. Most seedlings die beacuse they fail to find the right sort of plant to take their food from. But if one seeds finds the right host, it quickly attaches itself and pushes absorbing organs into the plant,. The root of the seed then withers and die, since the dodder plant now take all of its food from its host. The most popular host plants are alfalfa.

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What are Succulents?

Succulents are plants that have leaves, stems or roots that can survive extended periods of drought. All the plants in the cactus family are considered stem moisture, their stems swell and then during droughts they slowly contract. Cacti with ribs are particularly well adapted to surviving droughts as their ribs accordion. Cacti get their name from the Greek word kaktos meaning thistle.

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What is poison Ivy?

Poison ivy is a kind of harmful vine or shrub belonging to the cashew family. It grows plentifully in parts of the United States and southern Canada. Poison ivy usually grows as a vine, twining on tree trunks or straggling over the ground. The plant often forms bushes if it has no support to climb on. The tissues of this plants contain a poisonous oil somewhat like carbolic acid.

This oil is extremely irritating the skin and it can be brushed onto the clothing or skins of people coming in contact with the plants. The leaves of poison ivy are red in early spring. Later they change to shiny green, while in autumn they turn red or orange. Each leaf is poisonous, berrylike drupes form. They are whitish, with a waxy look.

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How did Fruits Get Their Names?

The names of many fruits are derived from the foreign languages, both ancient and modern. Sometimes it is quite surprising to learn how certain names began. Take a word like gooseberry. In Saxon, gorst meant rough, and this berry got its name because it grows on a rough or thorny snrub. 

Raspberry comes from the German verb raspen, which means rub together or rub as with a file. The marks in this berry were thought to resemble a file. 

Strawberry is corruption of 'stray berry', and was so named because of the way runners from this plant stray in all directions. 

 

The cranberry was once called the 'craneberry', because the slender stalks resemble the long legs and neck of the cranes.

The term grape is the English equivalent of the Italian grappo, and the Dutch and French grappe, all of which mean a  'bunch' . Melon is the Greek word for apple, while tomato is the West Indian name for love apple.

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