Bottlebrush Research Papers

The first of a series of eight talks as part of Lan Su in Bloom will be given by Varco. This talk will focus on the 1000 year history of many plants at Lan Su that were originally planted due to their significance as symbols and how those plants have been used as botanical motifs throughout the arts in China.

The banksia has adaptations to protect it self from the harsh Australian environment. The main adaptations the banksia has is in the defence of bush fires over half of the banksia population are killed by bush fires but the banksia is able to grow quickly from seed. The fire stimulates the opening of seed-bearing follicles and the germination of seed in the soil. Some other Banksia survive because of their very think bark that protects the trunk from burning. The sweeping of the trunk protects the roots and stores starch that can be used incase photosynthesis cant happen. Another feature of the Banksia is the proteoid roots that form clusters of closely spaced can grow in soil that is very low in nutrients, floral

Many plants in the blue mountains which surrounds the Three Sisters are found no where else in the world because of the unique temperature, climate, rugged landscape and

The Chaparral and Coastal Sage Scrub have a variety of different plant species, from Torrey Pine to Cacti. They each contain some helpful adaptations that have resulted from directional selection over

Budgies come in different sizes depending on where they live. English Budgies are two to three times

Do to the cold climate most plants are tiny ground cover plants, which grow and reproduce with not a lot of haste. They shield themselves from the cold and wind by hugging close to the ground. Some of

Canadian Thistle are perennials that reproduce from their short spread out root system and seeds, they have a single stalk that branches out at the top where the purple/pink flowers at the top of the bulbs, with spiky leaves going up the plant. Can grow to be 1 to 3 feet tall

Mexican Bush Sage - Lives in zones 8-10 and grows 3-4 ft. tall and wide. This shrub tolerates sun, light shade, little water and its drought tolerant. The flowers are purple.

The family Droseraceae is a cosmopolitan species that is found on all of the continents with the exception of Antarctica. This is likely the most diverse carnivorous plant family and has 150-160 species. 11 of these species are found in the United States (Webb D. 2008). This family is usually found as an herb or rarely a small shrub. The leaves of this family are alternate or whorled. This family has simple leaves, with the lamina with glandular hairs which trap insects, or have bristles that cause the lamina to close. The stipules may be present or absent. The Stamens are as many as there are petals. The stamens may be distinct, or connate at the base. The anthers are dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits; pollen grains in

The stem seems watery, and when picked the entire plant will wilt quickly. There are multiple branches per plant. Because of this, and the fact that the plant can grow up to 5 feet high, it can have a bush like appearance. The stem is so watery because this plant tends to grow in moist areas, such as along streambanks.

The female flowers are in leafy cone-like catkins, called strobiles. When fully developed, the strobiles are about I 1/4 inch long. They are oblong in shape and rounded, consisting of a number of overlapping, yellowish-green bracts attached to a separate axis. If these leafy organs are removed, the axis will be seen to be hairy and to have a little zigzag course. Each of the bracts enfolds at the base revealing a small fruit or achene. Both the fruit and the bract have small, yellow lupulin glands. These are what contain the alpha and beta acids and essential oils, which give each type of hops its characteristic bittering and flavoring properties. (2)

There is another well-known cactus is the Sonoran Desert, the barrel cactus, which is also the most commonly found cactus in the desert. This kind of cactus can normally grow to a height of 5 to 11 feet. It has a cylinder-shaped body, sometimes it is even bigger than a man. From April through June, the flowers bloom at the top of the plant. Normally, the flower is yellow-green or red, but the color may vary depending on different species. The barrel cactus has numerous ridges going down the sides. These ridges are covered with long sharp spines, which prevent, on one hand, the water loss in the dry heat weather, on the other hand, the thirsty animals in the desert as well as mankind. Like the Saguaro cactus, the barrel cactus is also a source

There are many interesting facts about Medusahead. One is that it creates a silica layer around itself preventing bugs from eating it. Medusahead often initially establishes itself on livestock, allowing it to easily disperse into the environment and grow in various locations. This is why it is common along trails and open fields. Because of its fuzzy tops, it is commonly mistaken for the Cattail plant. These are just a few of the many interesting facts about the Medusahead

The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, New Vernon, NJ, has different types of species and habitats. We started the observation from the shorter plants. First of all, the tour lady introduced poison ivy plants to us. She mentioned that if you see a hair rope plant, there is high probability that it could be a poison ivy. There were less short plants farther away from the water. There could be several reasons that the shorter plants are near or/and above the water. First, watery soil can only support shorter and less heavy plants, because near water the soil is too soft. Second, New Jersey has many deer and the deers’ predators are removed from the area because they cannot coexist with humans. Shorter plants are usually eaten by deer. The

Now talking about plants they widely differs from desert and rainforest settings. In the desert the plants are very sparse from