Environmental Health – protect yourself: Poisonous or toxic plants of North America

Poisonous or toxic plants of North America

 

Saffron

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron (Click to access)

 

Chemistry

 

Structure of picrocrocin:^[28]

β–D–glucopyranose derivative

safranal moiety

 

A detail from the “Saffron Gatherers” fresco of the “Xeste 3” building. It is one of many depicting saffron; they were found at the Bronze Age settlement of Akrotiri, on the Aegean island of Santorini.

Saffron is a plant native to Asia Minor, where for centuries it has been cultivated for its aromatic orange-yellow stigmas—one of the world’s most expensive spices. When handpicked and dried, the stigmas yield saffron powder, the source of the principal yellow dye of the ancient world. The plant is still grown in limited quantities for the powder, which is used in medicines and perfumes and for flavoring. How many flowers must be harvested to produce one pound (0.45 kg) of dry saffron? More… Discuss

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130520_185756 foto_FotoSketcher “Bamboo Heart – Pencil Sketch” (my art collection)

 

130520_185756 foto_FotoSketcher “Bamboo Heart” (my art collection) (Click  to full size)

The Orchid

The unusually large orchid family consists of some 450 genera and at least 10,000 species. Orchids grow most abundantly in tropical and subtropical forests and are among the most highly prized ornamental plants. Since being imported from the Bahamas to Britain in the 18th century, these flowers have been cultivated for their commercial value and have been successfully hybridized and variegated. Their name comes from the Greek word orkhis—or “testicle”—after the appearance of what feature? More… Discuss

ARTICLE: BONSAI

Bonsai

Bonsai, Japanese for “tray planting,” refers both to the art of cultivating dwarf trees and to trees grown by this method. Such trees are not naturally miniature—they are kept small with cultivation methods like pruning and tying branches with wire to “train” them. The art originated in China but has been developed primarily by the Japanese. Bonsai may live for a century or more and are passed from generation to generation as valued heirlooms. What harmed many of Japan’s bonsai trees in 1923? More…Discuss

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