Milk Weed

Tags

Carl Linnaeus, environment, Greek god of healing, insulation, kapok, Milkweed, Monarch Butterfly, nature, nectar, pillows, South African endemic plant, Wax

Milk weed – Gomphocarpus physocarpus-
Photo : B. Perrin

Carl Linnaeus named the genus after Asclepius, the Greek god of healing, because of the many folk-medicinal uses for the milkweed plants.

Milkweed is named for its milky juice which consists of a latex containing alkaloids and several other complex compounds including cardenolides. Some species are known to be toxic. The San use it as poison for the spears while fishing.

Milkweeds are an important nectar source for bees and other nectar-seeking insects, and a larval food source for monarch butterflies.

The milkweed filaments from the follicles are hollow and coated with wax, and have good insulation qualities. During World War II, over 5,000 t (5,500 short tons) of milkweed floss were collected in the United States as a substitute for kapok. As of 2007, milkweed is grown commercially as a hypoallergenic filling for pillows.

 

 

The Nectar wars

Tags

flower, Globe Artichoke, nectar, orange, Orange Breasted Sun-birds, pollination, pollinators, sun birds

The Globe Artichoke’s flower is iridescent with vibrant purple attracting many pollinators  including these 2 little Orange Breasted Sun-Birds.  The sequence of photographs will show their fight for the right to harvest the nectar.

The male edging closer.

The moment of surprise.

The victor.

Aloe arborescens

Tags

aloe, Aloe arborenscens, Aloe arborescens, Aloe vera, bees, birds and bees, Cape Town, flower buds, Flowers, garden, Hiroshima, nectar, Orient, plants, plants for sale, South Africa, stomach ache, succulent, sun birds, Transkei

The Aloe arborescens are all pushing up flower buds right now. They are such a wonderful sight to see, with their rich warm colour. The Sun-birds and Bees delight in the sweet nectar.

It is known as the Kranz (cliff) aloe and it easy to grow. It develops into a multi-headed shrub, 2 to 3 meters high with striking grey green leaves arranged in attractive rosettes. The leaf margins are armed with conspicuous pale teeth.

Derivation of the name & historical aspects
The name aloe is from the Greek alsos and refers to the bitter juice from the leaves of these plants. It is probably derived from the earlier Arabic word alloeh or the Hebrew word allal, both meaning bitter. The Latin word arborescens means tree-forming or tree-like, and is a bit misleading in that this aloe is not really tree-like, but the name was originally applied to this species in reference to the stem-forming habit. The common name krantz aloe refers to its habitat, a krantz being a rocky ridge or cliff.

In many parts of South Africa it is planted around Kraals as a living fence.

The Zulu people use the leaves of this plant, dried and pounded into a powder, as a protection against storms. Decoctions of the leaves are also used in childbirth and in treating sick calves. In the Transkei it is used for stomach ache and given to chickens to prevent them from getting sick. In the Orient, this aloe is grown in domestic gardens as a convenient first-aid treatment for burn wounds and abrasions. In fact it was only after it was used to treat irradiation burn victims of Hiroshima that its healing properties received attention from the West. Extracts from the leaves have been widely investigated since then and shown significant wound healing, anti-bacterial, anti-ulcer, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, hypoglycaemic and also alopoeic activity. The leaves have also been found to have purgative properties and the leaf sap is reported to relieve x-ray burns.

The krantz aloe is an easy and rewarding plant to grow.

On sale now for R 25-00 each.

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Sugarbush and the God Proteus

Tags

beautiful flowers, birds, cape gardens, flowering plants, Flowers, garden, gardening, God Proteus, greek god, nature, nectar, plants, protea, proteas, South African endemic plant, sugarbird, Sugarbush, sunbird, sweet nectar

Protea is both the botanical name and the English common name of a genus of South African flowering plants, sometimes also called sugarbushes (Afrikaans: suikerbos).

These beautiful flowers are budding at the moment on the mountain and in the Cape gardens, creating a long lasting cheery Winter display.

Proteas were named after the Greek God Proteus, whom Homer called “The Old Man of the Sea”

Sugar birds and Sunbirds feed off the sweet nectar, and considered significant pollinators of the genus.

 

Nectar Quest: The ‘Bees and Flowers

Tags

Bee, environment, flowering plants, Flowers, food, honeybee, nature, nectar, plants, pollination, symbiotic relationship

Plants and bees have a symbiotic relationship. Flowering plants depend on an outside source to ‘spread the love’ through pollination, and bees are happy to fill that need, receiving nectar (which they convert into honey) for the service they provide.

Read the full story here

 

Nectar

Tags

art gifts, deviantart, Flowers, nectar, photography, quotes

One who drinks in this nectar
shall have his delusions dispelled
Sri Guru Granth Sahib

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