Flowers: Antirrhinum Coultenarium or Chaparral Snapdragon
Although many chaparral plant species require some fire cue (heat, smoke, or charred wood) for germination, chaparral is not “adapted” to fire per se. Rather, individual species are adapted to particular fire regimes involving season, frequency, intensity, and severity of the burn.
There are many types of chaparral plants including the snapdragon which is a hardy plant that can still regenerate after forest fires. It is implied from the statement above that fire plays a role in the germination of this plant. These chaparral plants are crucial to animal life in dry areas. Usually, they provide shelter from heat to reptiles which do not have temperature regulating system in their body as well as mammals. In the event of a forest fire, animals die directly by burning or by suffocation from fire smoke. Animals that survived the forest fires need plants for food as well shelter too. According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2002), “The sequence of plant succession and the nearest source population undoubtedly play a role in the various responses of vertebrate and invertebrate species during post-fire years.” Thus, the regeneration of this plant is critical to survival of animal species after forest fires.
The Arabian jasmine is a sweet-smelling flower usually found in Asia and India, with some varieties reaching as far as China. According to the United States Department of Agriculture Database, the Arabian jasmine belongs to the shrubs and vine genus; more so, it is a perennial dicot belonging to the family Oleaceae which has around 200 species.Mostly, nocturnal insects pollinate this delicate flower. Although the plant is appealing both to the sight and smell, it is not highly-regarded by some groups like the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council since it is “weedy and invasive”. Thus, the plant is classified in the United States as a weed. However in other parts of the world, many people appreciate its flowers since it can be strung into garlands like the famous Sampaguita often used to adorn church altars, used for decoration in festivals, and for welcoming dignitaries. As an ornamental, this plant has many types of species which are colored yellow commonly used by gardeners as hedges in gardens while the dried up leaves is used in some cultures like the Chinese as tea. In the book Aromatheraphy for Health, Jasmin is cited as one of the essential oils. Price and Price (2000) cited that because of its aroma, Jasmin is commonly used as a relaxant which alleviates stress. Harvesting jasmine is a delicate process since once followers are bruised; it will emit a foul-smell (Morris, 1984). Thus, the extraction of the oil from this plant is difficult to achieve without adulterating its content. This results to vendors overpricing the oils and worse, selling adulterated ones. Despite the issues in harvesting this delicate flower, it is still a favorite by perfume companies due to its sweet scent that appeals to women, young and old alike.
POTENTILLIA GELLIDA
The United States Department of Agriculture classified this plant under genus Potentilla, Family Rosaceae with nomenclature number 408769. This plant has no common name and can only be identified by its stem which is 5-20 cm or less, long glossy leaves, with bright yellow flowers that grow up to 2 cm in diameter (GRIN). The plant somehow adds beauty to dreary landscapes of rocky areas like Mongolia, Siberia, Central Asia and some parts of Northern Europe. It is some sort of a carpet like plant that can cover a wide expanse of rocky lands. According to the extensive study conducted by Li, Ikeda, and Oba, (2003) these plants “thrive in temperate, arctic, and Alpine zone of the Northern hemisphere “with around 500 species around the world, most of it commonly found in China. The insect responsible in the pollination of these plants are Pyrgus armoricanus, butterflies that frequent “Dry open grassy habitats (steppe), dry slopes up to 2,000 m” (Russianinsects.com). Since this plant is found in habitats that are harsh to plant and animal life, its survival depends mainly on the aforementioned butterfly specie. However, more of the than not, the plant is uprooted by animals grazing or burrowing thus reducing the population of Potentilla Gellida.
MUCUNA GIGANTEAN
This plant is also known as Velvet Bean plant abundantly found in tropical parts of the world. It is also interesting to know that bats are responsible for the pollination of these flowers which are usually found hanging from trees or clinging into tree trunks as vines. The Germplasm Resource Information Network (GRIN) classified Mucuna Gigantean as belonging to Fabaceae family with nomenclature number 24640. When browsing on the images of these plants, one may even find it rather attractive since it has different bright-colored flowers that certainly attract bats. However, mucuna gigantea does not enjoy popularity since it is reputed to be a poisonous plant in the US. In fact, GRIN immediately links the FDA Poisonous plant database when researching about this plant. The FDA website provides numerous related literatures proving that Mucuna gigantea is not safe for human consumption. On the contrary, studies conducted on poor countries reported that Mucuna Gigantea is low-cost nutritional food resource in African countries. It is popular in Africa not only as a food crop like yams, but it is also utilized as fertilizer, traditional medicine, dye, and feeds for domesticated animals. As medicine, it was utilized as a “blood tonic” (to strengthen blood and as anti-venom preparation)” (Onweiluzoan and Eilitta, 2003). Thus, mucuna is popular to majority of the low-income population. It was a common crop in one’s backyard since it can easily be converted into a meal whenever other resources are scarce.
The most reliable research about this issue was funded by the Rockefeller foundation in Ghana headed by Onweiluzoan and Eilitta (2003) cited that the mucuna gigantea seeds were consumed by “some ethnic groups of ethnic groups in the south”. In order to counteract some of its toxic properties, different methods of preparation and cooking were applied. Some peel the flowers, pound the seeds, and boil them in order to make a stock for soup. Perhaps this was a tradition handed down from generations which proved accurate ion eliminating whatever toxins are found in mucuna. As a conclusion, the research about flowering species is interesting since there is a vast amount of information that has been learned. Aside from knowing nomenclature, taxonomy, and other scientific details, knowing the benefits of each species is also beneficial to any university student.
WORKS CITED
FLEPPC. Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council. 1999. Invasive plant list. http://www. fleppc. org. 19 October 1999.
Li Chaoluan (Li Chao-luang, Hiroshi Ikeda, Hideaki Ohba 2003. “Potentilla”. Flora of China. Vol. 9 Page 291. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx? flora_id=2&taxon_i d=126635
Morris, Edwin T. 1984. Fragrance: The Story of Perfume from Cleopatra to Chanel. E.T. Morris and Co., New York.
Onweluzo, J., EilittÃ?¤, M. .2003. Surveying Mucuna’s Utilization as a Food In Enugu and Kogi States of Nigeria. Tropical and Subtropical Agro ecosystems, 1 (2003): 213 – 225.
Price, Shirley. Price, Len. P�©no�«l, Daniel.. 1999. Aromatherapy for Health Professionals. Publisher: Churchill Livingstone. New York.. Page Number:19. http://www.questia.com /read 100737677?title=Aromatherapy%20for%20Health%20Professionals
Pyrgus armoricanus .Russianinsects.com.http:/ /russianinsects.com /hesperid/hes-p-ar.htm
US Department of Agriculture National Resources Conservation Service. Plants Profile. Jasminum sambac (L.)
United States Department of Agriculture .Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Area Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2002. Draft Recovery Plan for Chaparral and Scrub Community Species East of San Francisco Bay, California. Region 1, Portland, OR.
Wallace, G.D. 1975. Studies of the Monotropoideae (Ericaeae): taxonomy and distribution. Biology. University of San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif, Vol 33:1-88.
