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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