31 Mei 2010

Rental mainan anak dan balita

Demi melihat senyuman dan gelak tawa sang buah hati, apapun akan dilakukan orangtua. Terlebih orangtua yang "berkecukupan", mainan dengan harga jutaan rupiah rela dikeluarkan dari dompetnya untuk memenuhi keinginan anak. Tapi kendalanya anak-anak cepat sekali bosan dengan mainannya. Alhasil, mainan yang dibeli dengan harga jutaan rupiah tersebut terbengkalai di sudut ruangan rumah. Tapi, sifat anak yang gampang bosa kerap membikin orantua puyeng. Acapkali si anak bosan pada mainan yang mereka miliki. Walhasil, para bokap-nyokap terpaksa membeli mainan baru dengan harga bantingan.Alternatif lain adalah menyewa mainan. Nah, cara alternatif ini mengibaskan angin segar bagi para pengusaha rental mainan.

Dunia anak memang dunia bermain. Di samping bermain, anak mengapresiasikan dan belajar mengenali dunia lewat apapun yang intens berinteraksi dengannya. Dari lingkungan dan warna hidup yang berjuta, anak melatih kreativitas di samping mengembangkan daya kreasi dan imajinasinya, tentunya lewat sarana bermain. Bisa dibilang, bermain bagi anak adalah hal yang fitrah adanya. Nah, kalau bisa menyewa dengan harga terjangkau, mengapa harus membeli dengan harga selangit. Yang penting, anak senang, orangtua bisa lebih hemat. Agar banyak yang melirik, pelaku bisnis ini mesti punya mainan bermerek terkenal, seperti Fisher Price, Mega Bloks, atau Leap Frog. Kalau perlu, para pengusaha itu menyediakan rental mainan yang tidak ada di dalam negeri.


Sumber : harian-global.com


Temukan semuanya tentang Bisnis & Pasang Iklan: Iklan & Jasa - Iklan Baris & Iklan Gratis - Indonesia

Alpha Minivan Hibrida,mobil toyota teranyar

Toyota, produsen mobil nomor satu di dunia terus bergerak maju dengan menambah rangkaian varian Prius hibrida plug-in tahun depan. Kali ini model tersebut bukan lagi liftback, melainkan minivan atau MPV kompak yang diberi nama Alpha.

Hebatnya lagi, proyek hibrida terbaru ini telah dijadikan prioritas dengan target peluncuran pada bulan Maret tahun depan. Minivan hibrida ini menurut informasi langsung menggunakan baterai lithium-ion. Namun, untuk menekan harga Toyota, Toyota menyertakan versi dengan baterai yang digunakan Prius sekarang, Nikel Metal Hidrida (NiMH).

Rencana Toyota tersebut diberitakan oleh beberapa media on-line otomotif internasional yang mengaku memperoleh sumber dari orang dalam Toyota. Dijelaskan pula, bobot baterai lithium-ion baru Toyota ini hanya sepertiga dari versi NiMH yang digunakan sekarang pada Prius.

Alpha atau Prius Alpha menggunakan sasis Prius terakhir dengan tambahan jok baris ketiga di belakang sehingga mengubah ujud kendaraan menjadi minivan. Toyota memilih nama Alpha untuk memudahkan sebutan langsung setelah Prius. Minivan ini diberitakan lebih panjang 300 mm dari Prius dan jarak sumbu roda mulur 20 mm.

Toyota juga berencana membuat versi lima penumpang. Namun, varian ini masih mengandalkan baterai NiMH. Diperkirakan, minivan 7 penumpang Prius hibrida ini dijual di Jepang dengan harga Toyota mulai dari 2,5 juta yen atau Rp 250 juta. Ia akan menjadi saingan berat bagi minivan yang banyak dipasarkan di Jepang saat ini.

Kendati rencana Toyota meluncurkan Prius Alpha tahun depan bocor, belum ada media yang memiliki foto, gambar, atau rendering mobil tersebut. Foto yang dimuat adalah konsep hibrida X yang pertama kali diperkenalkan oleh Toyota saat Pameran Mobil Jenewa pada 2007. Waktu itu, sudah berhembus informasi bahwa hibrida ini akan menjadi varian tambahan buat Prius generasi berikutnya.

otomotif.kompas.com

Temukan semuanya tentang Bisnis & Pasang Iklan: Iklan & Jasa - Iklan Baris & Iklan Gratis - Indonesia

Pengalaman iklan baris yang menyesatkan

Kemarin saya hampir saja ketipu iklan yang mengatakan bisa menarik duit dari ATM tanpa mengurangi saldo kita. Setelah saya cek di berbagai website yang me-review iklan seperti itu, ternyata iklan itu tidak jujur,” kata Ichwan, seorang pemasang iklan baris atau gambar dalam curhatnya kepada penulis lewat Yahoo!Messenger.

Penulis tidak akan menilai apakah situs tersebut bohong atau tidak, tetapi jelas dengan cara menyembunyikan ”cara mendapatkan uang” sudah cukup alasan untuk mengatakan ada yang disembunyikan.

Iklan-iklan yang tak memiliki etika selalu menggunakan bahasa-bahasa bombastis, berlebih-lebihan, dan tak sesuai akal sehat. Persoalan di Indonesia adalah tidak semua pengunjung internet sadar bahwa iklan online juga bisa menyesatkan.

Masih banyak pengguna internet awam yang beranggapan internet bisa ”menciptakan keajaiban marketing” tanpa kerja keras. Internet dianggap seolah sebagai sesuatu yang nilainya hi-tech, canggih, melampaui akal sehat konvensional, dan bisa mempercepat kaya seperti cerita-cerita dunia dongeng tentang kesuksesan Google atau Yahoo!.

Celah psikologis ini dimanfaatkan oleh para pengiklan yang memindahkan bisnis konvensional (yang sebagian banyak berbau money game) ke bisnis online. Hanya mengubah cara merekrut orang dari presentasi tatap muka ke email, iklan baris online atau website, dan mengganti istilah ”downline” dengan istilah ”reseller” sudah banyak yang ”luluh lantak” hatinya dan merasa percaya bahwa ini benar-benar keajaiban internet.

Padahal, yang sering terjadi hanyalah pemanfaatan celah psikologi pengunjung awam yang tak paham soal teknologi internet. ”Cetak uang gratis dari ATM,” begitu salah satu bunyi iklan.

Di iklan baris lain mengatakan, ”Programmer kami telah bekerja menciptakan sistem ini.” Di iklan yang satunya lagi sudah beda kalimatnya, ”Hacker kami telah berhasil menciptakan bla... bla... bla....” Seolah memperkuat bahwa apa yang ditawarkan benar-benar bisa mempercepat kaya.

Beberapa situs lama memilih untuk menggunakan bahasa pemasaran yang lebih sopan dengan mengatakan internet merupakan sarana pemasaran yang andal. Mereka akan memberi contoh-contoh kesuksesan yang pernah diraih seseorang, tapi tak jelas bagaimana cara meraih sukses itu. Apakah menjual sebuah produk ataukah hanya menjual script (program membuat website untuk jualan produk serupa) atau e-book semata?

Karena itu, sebelum mempercayai sesuatu itu logis atau tidak dan benar atau bohong, mau tidak mau harus bertanya dulu kepada pelaku yang pernah mencoba. Sayangnya, review berbagai produk online seperti itu masih langka di Indonesia. Akibatnya, korban-korban money game semakin banyak dan mereka akan terus merekrut korban lainnya.

Jika misalnya menemukan iklan ”Produk Ajaib Cepat Kaya”, masukkan ke mesin pencari nama produk tersebut untuk mencari tahu respons pengunjung lainnya, contohnya: produk ajaib cepat kaya bohong. Jika pernah ada yang melaporkan produk tersebut bohong, di mesin pencari akan menampilkan pembicaraan soal pro dan kontra produk tersebut.

tekno.kompas.com

Temukan semuanya tentang Bisnis & Pasang Iklan: Iklan & Jasa - Iklan Baris & Iklan Gratis - Indonesia

Beberapa tips pasang iklan di internet

Pasang iklan seperti sudah kebutuhan wajib bagi para pebisnis online bisa membayar jasa pemasang iklan atau dilakukan sendiri secara manual/otomatis.Bila membayar jasa pemasang iklan tentu anda tidak akan capek dalam menginput iklan karena akan dilakukan oleh jasa pasang iklan tersebut,tetapi ini berbayar dan biasanya mahal.Bila dilakukan sendiri akan terasa sangat capek apalagi dilakukan tanpa trik,akan membuat iklan anda tidak efektif.Berikut tips untuk memasang iklan.

1. Gunakan judul yang membuat orang penasaran (ini berlaku untuk mengiklankan web,produk)

2. Gunakan keyword di judul dan isi (ini berlaku untuk meningkatkan rangking anda di search engine)

3. Isi iklan gunakanlah kalimat persuasif(anda harus bisa mengajak pembaca iklan)

4. Isi iklan jangan terlalu panjang,juga juga jangan terlalu pendek usahakan dibuat dengan 2 atau lebih paragraph.

5. Kalau link iklan tidak bisa di klik langsung(saya menemui ada iklan baris seperti ini)anda harus menggunakan url tredirection misal dengan .tk ini untuk pengunjung tidak mengcopy alamat utamanya saja dan tidak menambahkan id=anda (berlaku bagi reseller dan web replika)

Sedangkan triknya sebagai berikut(berlaku unutk pasang iklan sendiri)

1. Gunakan sofware pasang iklan massal misal suryapromo.Namun dalam menggunakannya anda tidak usah submit semua keiklan baris ini akan memakan waktu dan melelahkan.Anda cukup submit ke iklan baris terkenal.Cara mencari yang terkenal itu lihat di list iklan barisnya dan kunjungi coba cek alexa rank dan jumlah online dan pemasang pada hari itu(alexa semakin rendah semakin baik,jumlah online dan pemasang sebaliknya)contoh yang terkenal:ads.hermawan.net dan ads.oggix.com

2. Apakah lebih baik input iklan ke ratusan iklan baris namun hanya sekali,atau input ke iklan baris ke beberapa saja namun beberapa jam sekali.Jawabannya lebih baik yang ke beberapa saja namun anda input beberap jam sekali kenapa?karena web iklan baris yg sangat ramai adalah halaman utamanya,setiap anda input iklan maka iklan anda akan ada dihalaman utama namun tidak lama ,makanya perlu input beberapa kali .

3. Anda juga bisa coba sebarmedia.com,sebariklangratis.com,spyonad.com,sebariklanbaris.com untuk mengiklankan secara massal dan gratis.

4. Gunakanlah roboform untuk menginput isi dari iklan ini akan jauh menghemat waktu anda.

5. Yang terakhir jangan malas dalam input iklan(ini kunci kesuksesan)

Mungkin itu dulu tips& trik pasang iklan baris,jika ada yang mau menambahkan silahkan saja.

deddyanwari.com

Temukan semuanya tentang Bisnis & Pasang Iklan: Iklan & Jasa - Iklan Baris & Iklan Gratis - Indonesia

Kemudahan pasang iklan dan promosi di internet

Sedikit ingin berbagi pengalaman dalam melakukan promosi melalui pasang iklan baris yang terpasang di internet.

Bagi anda pelaku bisnis internet, atau apapun juga, kegiatan promosi adalah suatu hal yang wajib dilakukan kalo ingin meningkatkan penjualannya.

Promosi merupakan sarana paling efektif untuk menyebarkan informasi dan peluang yang kita miliki agar diketahui oleh masyarakat luas.

Di Internetpun demikian, melalui promosi, maka blog kita, bisnis kita, semuanya akan menjadi terasa mudah dan tentunya akan meningkatkan rating bagi penjualan kita.

Namun karena di internet ini sangat banyak sekali website yang menyediakan sarana untuk promosi berupa iklan baris,maka tentunya kita juga harus bisa memanfaatkan kesempatan ini agar lebih efektif dan efisien.

Tentunya sangat merepotkan kalo kita harus submit ke 850 website iklan baris secara satu persatu, butuh waktu dan pastinya sangat melelahkan.

Beruntung kita yang pasang iklan di internet ada software pendukung untuk pasang iklan secara massal dan langsung tersubmit ke sekitar 985 website iklan baris gratis hanya dengan sekali pasang saja.

Ini mang buktikan sendiri, karena sudah 2 bulan ini mang melakukan promosi MPP Syariah dan menggunakan software pasang iklan massal, hasilnya memang betul terpasang dan tersebar di hampir lebih dari 800 website iklan baris.

Cara kerjanya sangat mudah, tidak membutuhkan waktu lama, bahkan setting untuk pertama kali install di komputer juga tidak memakan waktu lama.

untuk software pasang iklan massal silahkan anda cari di google.

shannypersonalblog.wordpress.com

Temukan semuanya tentang Bisnis & Pasang Iklan: Iklan & Jasa - Iklan Baris & Iklan Gratis - Indonesia

Internet media cepat dan mudah untuk pasang iklan

Hampir 1 miliar orang di dunia terhubung di internet. Pengguna saling berbagi ilmu pengetahuan, interaksi sosial, reputasi online, mencari materi sekolah, lowongan kerja, atau sekadar iseng menghabiskan waktu luang.

Integrasi ini semakin lama menjadi kekuatan kolektif yang belum pernah dikenal manusia sebelumnya, bahkan untuk sepuluh tahun yang lalu. Situasi ini nampaknya tidak berlebihan untuk disebut sebagai revolusi komunikasi dan informasi global. Gejala baru yang nampak menonjol adalah pemanfataan file-sharing, blog, situs yang dapat disunting beramai-ramai bernama Wiki dan layanan jejaring sosial seperti LinkedIn, MySpace serta Meetup Inc., yang membantu setiap orang-mulai dari penggemar kartun hingga pemburu ayat-ayat Al-kitab.

Teknologi semacam ini ternyata mampu mengangkat potensi unik internet dengan cara yang tidak dilakukan e-mail ataupun situs tradisional.Situasi yang dinamis tersebut tentu rugi jika disia-siakan oleh para jasa pasang iklan. Perusahaan yang cerdas akan selalu melihat celah-celah menyampaikan pesan kepada calon konsumen. Maka jangan heran ketika iklan televisi sering diabaikan pemirsa, maka dunia online menjadi salah satu alternatif.

Memasuki kawasan internet kemungkinan besar pasar bisnis berubah dalam waktu cepat dan menyebar ke seluruh penjuru dunia, termasuk negara-negara berkembang seperti Indonesia yang kini jumlah pengguna internetnya baru mencapai 16 jutaan. Dalam gelombang bisnis internet (e-business) ini, para pemain online menjual komoditas seperti buku, musik, atau perdagangan saham. Konsumen tak perlu lagi melihat, memegang barang yang bakal dibeli, sebab yang terpenting adalah tahu harga dan kualitas barang.

Yang terpenting dari transaksi adalah pelayanan baik, kesepakatan harga dan saling menjaga kepercayaan. Prospek pasang iklan di pasar online membuka kesempatan yang lain, baik bagi perusahaan kecil, besar maupun korporasi, termasuk membuka kesempatan para calon konsumen untuk berinteraksi. Iklan online menjadi semacam pasar domestik yang menglobal.

Kehadirannya bisa mengancam eksistensi pasar iklan media cetak, bahkan ke depan pasar iklan televisi bisa tersaingi. Namun semuanya ditentukan oleh sedikit-banyaknya pengguna internet. Untuk Indonesia, potensi pasang iklan seperti di atas masih perlu menunggu waktu.*

hilman.web.id

Temukan semuanya tentang Bisnis & Pasang Iklan: Iklan & Jasa - Iklan Baris & Iklan Gratis - Indonesia

25 Mei 2010

Tips Merancang Bisnis Publikasi Periklanan


Bagaimana Anda membuat industri pasang iklan atau perdagangan yang mendapat perhatian, dengan skor pembaca yang tinggi, dan menghasilkan suatu aliran pertanyaan berharga yang mengkonversi menjadi penjualan?

Berikut adalah beberapa Tips Publikasi Periklanan

1. Letakkan Solusi Masalah dalam judul.

dalam pasang iklan anda sebaiknya meletakan solusi di halaman judul ini terbukti ampuh untuk menarik pembaca untuk melihat iklan anda.

Contohnya sebagai berikut
Bagaimana memecahkan emisi ANDA

2. Mengajukan pertanyaan provokatif.

ada sebuah iklan yang menghasilkan peningkatan $ 1.000.000 langsung dalam tagihan untuk agen iklan-nya di Silver Spring, Maryland. Judul beritanya adalah:

Apakah Anda lelah BEKERJA UNTUK AGENCY AD anda?

3. Memberikan pembaca informasi berguna.

Salah satu cara untuk meningkatkan pembaca adalah informasi yang berguna dalam judul Anda, lalu mengirimkannya dalam salinan iklan.

Untuk pasang iklan yang menawarkan bisnis sebuah buku tentang cara mengumpulkan tagihan tunggakan Milt Pierce menulis Headline ini:

7 CARA untuk mengumpulkan BILLS belum dibayarkan.


Baru dari Dow Jones-Irwin ...


Pasang Iklan-jenis informasi sangat efektif dalam pasang iklan atau mengiklankan bisnis-to-business. Mengapa? Karena alasan orang membaca jurnal bisnis usaha adalah untuk informasi, bukan hiburan, dan iklan tersebut untuk yang menyimpan data berharga.

4. Menawarkan booklet gratis, brosur, atau kit informasi.

Menawarkan sesuatu yang nyata dalam pasang iklan seperti - brosur, buklet, informasi kit, kaset video, kaset, laporan penelitian, daftar, atau bahan lain pembaca dapat mengirim untuk - belum pernah gagal untuk meningkatkan respon bagi saya dalam hampir satu dekade bisnis pasang iklan.

5. Gunakan kupon.

Kupon visual mengidentifikasi pasang iklan Anda sebagai "respons langsung," menyebabkan lebih banyak orang untuk berhenti dan membacanya (karena mereka tahu bahwa iklan kupon biasanya menawarkan hal-hal bebas nilai).

6. Gunakan informasi utama dengan berbagai bagian:

Sebuah judul tidak harus mengandung hanya satu kalimat atau frase diatur dalam satu jenis ukuran seragam. Sering kali, Anda dapat membuat mata lebih menangkap informasi utama dan efektif dengan menggunakan apa yang saya dasarnya judul tiga-bagian.

Jika informasi utama Anda dirancang untuk membangkitkan rasa ingin tahu atau menarik perhatian dan melakukannya dengan mengorbankan kejelasan, kemudian pastikan untuk membuat sifat proposisi Anda segera jelas dalam anak judul atau dalam kalimat pertama. Jika tidak Anda akan kehilangan kepentingan pembaca yang perhatian Anda bekerja sangat keras untuk mendapatkan.

Temukan semuanya tentang Bisnis, Pasang Iklan, Iklan Jasa, Iklan Baris

24 Mei 2010

Verbascum thapsus

Verbascum thapsus (Great or Common Mullein) is a species of mullein native to Europe, northern Africa and Asia, and introduced in the Americas and Australia.

It is a hairy biennial plant that can grow to 2 m or more tall. Its small yellow flowers are densely grouped on a tall stem, which bolts from a large rosette of leaves. It grows in a wide variety of habitats, but prefers well-lit disturbed soils, where it can appear soon after the ground receives light, from long-lived seeds that persist in the soil seed bank.

It is a common weedy plant that spreads by prolifically producing seeds, but rarely becomes aggressively invasive, since its seed require open ground to germinate. It is a very minor problem for most agricultural crops, since it is not a very competitive species, being intolerant of shade from other plants and unable to survive tilling.

It also hosts many insects, some of which can be harmful to other plants. Although individuals are easy to remove by hand, populations are difficult to eliminate permanently.

It is widely used for herbal remedies with emollient and astringent properties. It is especially recommended for coughs and related problems, but also used in topical applications against a variety of skin problems. The plant was also used to make dyes and torches.

Verbascum thapsus is a dicotyledonous plant that produces a rosette of leaves in its first year of growth.The leaves are large, up to 50 cm long. The second year plants normally produce a single unbranched stem usually 1–2 m tall.

In the East of its range in China, it is, however, only reported to grow up to 1.5 m tall. The tall pole-like stems end in a dense spike of flowers that can occupy up to half the stem length.

All parts of the plants are covered with star-shaped trichomes. This cover is particularly thick on the leaves, giving them a silvery appearance. The species' chromosome number is 2n = 36.

Flowers are pentamerous with five stamen that are fused to the petals, a 5-lobed calyx tube and a 5-petalled corolla, the latter bright yellow and an 1.5–3 cm (0.5–1 inch) wide. The flowers are almost sessile, with very short pedicels (2 mm, 0.08 in).

The five stamens are of two types, with the three upper stamens being shorter, their filaments covered by yellow or whitish hairs, and having smaller anthers, while the lower two stamens have glabrous filaments and larger anthers.

The plant produces small ovoid (6 mm, 0.24 in) capsules that split open by way of two valves, each capsule containing large numbers of minute brown seeds less than a millimetre (0.04 in) in size, marked with longitudinal ridges. A white-flowered form, V. thapsus f. candicans, is known to occur.

Flowering lasts for up to three months from early to late summer (June to August in northern Europe), with flowering starting at the bottom of the spike and progressing irregularly upward; each flower opens for part of a day and only a few open at the same time around the stem.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbascum_thapsus


See Also: flowers brisbane, flower sydney, flowers philippines, flowers jamaica

Portulaca oleracea

Portulaca oleracea (Common Purslane, also known as Verdolaga, Pigweed, Little Hogweed or Pusley), is an annual succulent in the family Portulacaceae, which can reach 40 cm in height. About 40 varieties are currently cultivated.

It has an extensive old-world distribution extending from North Africa through the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent to Malesia and Australasia.

The species status in the New World is uncertain: it is generally considered an exotic weed; however, there is evidence that the species was in Crawford Lake deposits (Ontario) in 1430-89, suggesting that it reached North America in the pre-Columbian era.

It is naturalised elsewhere and in some regions is considered an invasive weed. It has smooth, reddish, mostly prostrate stems and alternate leaves clustered at stem joints and ends. The yellow flowers have five regular parts and are up to 6 mm wide.

The flowers appear depending upon rainfall and may occur year round. The flowers open singly at the center of the leaf cluster for only a few hours on sunny mornings.

Seeds are formed in a tiny pod, which opens when the seeds are ready. Purslane has a taproot with fibrous secondary roots and is able to tolerate poor, compacted soils and drought.

Although purslane is considered a weed in the United States, it can be eaten as a leaf vegetable, providing sources can be found which have not been poisoned deliberately.

It has a slightly sour and salty taste and is eaten throughout much of Europe, Asia and Mexico. The stems, leaves and flower buds are all good to eat.

Purslane can be used fresh as a salad, stir-fried, or cooked like spinach, and because of its mucilaginous quality it is also suitable for soups and stews. Australian Aborigines used to use the seeds to make seedcakes.

As a companion plant, Purslane provides ground cover to create a humid microclimate for nearby plants, stabilizing ground moisture.

Its deep roots also bring up moisture and nutrients that those plants can use, and some, including corn, will actually "follow" purslane roots down through harder soil than they can penetrate on their own. It is known as a beneficial weed in places that don't already grow it as a crop in its own right.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea



See Also: flowers sydney, Floral, florist sydney, florist melbourne

Taraxacum officinale

Taraxacum officinale, the Common Dandelion (often simply called "dandelion"), is a herbaceous perennial plant of the family Asteraceae (Compositae).

It can be found growing in temperate regions of the world, in lawns, on roadsides, on disturbed banks and shores of water ways, and other areas with moist soils.

T. officinale is considered a weedy species, especially in lawns and along roadsides, but it is sometimes used as a medical herb and in food preparation. As a nearly cosmopolitan weed, Dandelion is best known for its yellow flower heads, that turn into round balls of silver tufted fruits, that blow away on the wind.

Taraxacum officinale grows from generally unbranched taproots and produces one to more than ten stems that are typically 5 to 40 cm tall but sometimes up to 70 cm tall.

The stems can be tinted purplish, they are upright or lax, and produce flower heads that are held as tall or taller than the foliage. The foliage is upright growing or horizontally orientated, with leaves having narrowly winged petioles or they are unwinged.

The stems can be glabrous or are sparsely covered with short hairs. The 5–45 cm long and 1–10 cm wide leaves are oblanceolate, oblong, or obovate in shape with the bases gradually narrowing to the petiole.

The leaf margins are typically shallowly lobed to deeply lobed and often lacerate or toothed with sharp or dull teeth. The calyculi (the cup like bracts that hold the florets) is composed of 12 to 18 segments: each segment is reflexed and sometimes glaucous.

The lanceolate shaped bractlets are in 2 series with the apices acuminate in shape. The 14 to 25 mm wide involucres are green to dark green or brownish green with the tips dark gray or purplish. The florets number 40 to over 100 per head, having corollas that are yellow or orange-yellow in color.

The fruits, which are called cypselae, range in color from olive-green or olive-brown to straw-colored to grayish, they are oblanceoloid in shape and 2 to 3 mm long with slender beaks. The fruits have 4 to 12 ribs that have sharp edges.

The silky pappi, which form the parachutes, are white to silver-white in color and around 6 mm wide. Plants typically have 24 or 40 pairs of chromosomes but some plants have 16 or 32 chromosomes.

Plants have milky sap and the leaves are all basal, each flowering stem lacks bracts and has one single flower head.

The yellow flower heads lack receptacle bracts and all the flowers, which are called florets, are ligulate and bisexual. The fruits are mostly produced by apomixis. It blooms from March until October.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum_officinale



See Also: florist bouquet, online flower, gifts australia, flowers melbourne

Spanish Broom

Spanish Broom (Spartium junceum, syn. Genista juncea), also known as Weaver's Broom, is a perennial, leguminous shrub native to the Mediterranean region in southern Europe, southwest Asia and northwest Africa, where it is found in sunny sites, usually on dry, sandy soils.

It is the sole species in the genus Spartium, but is closely related to the other brooms in the genera Cytisus and Genista.

Spanish Broom typically grows to 2–4 m tall, rarely 5 m, with main stems up to 5 cm thick, rarely 10 cm.

It has thick, somewhat succulent grey-green rush-like shoots with very sparse small deciduous leaves 1–3 cm long and 2–4 mm broad; the leaves are of minimal importance to the plant, with much of the photosynthesis occurring in the green shoots (a water-conserving strategy in its dry climate).

In late spring and summer it is covered in profuse fragrant pale yellow flowers 2 cm across. In late summer, its legumes (seed pods) mature black, 4–8 cm long, 6–8 mm broad and 2–3 mm thick; they burst open, often with an audible crack, spreading seed from the parent plant.

It has been widely introduced into other areas, and is regarded as a noxious invasive species in places with a Mediterranean climate such as California and Oregon, central Chile, southeastern Australia, and the Canary Islands.

In Bolivia and Peru, the plant is known as retama, and has become very well established in some areas. It is one of the most common ornamental plants, often seen growing along sidewalks in La Paz. Retama has made its way into the ethnobotany of the indigenous Aymara and Quechua cultures.

Under the Spanish influence, those cultures have adopted the belief that retama can be used to ward off evil.

Sprigs of flowering retama are often kept in the home, and street vendors will often lay a flowering branch of retama on top of their booths when they close up shop for the night.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Broom



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Shrubby Cinquefoil

Dasiphora fruticosa (Shrubby Cinquefoil; syn. Potentilla fruticosa L., Pentaphylloides fruticosa (L.) O.Schwarz) is a shrub in the family Rosaceae, native to the cool temperate to subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, often growing at high altitudes in mountains.

It is a deciduous, much branched flowering shrub growing to 0.1–1 m tall, rarely up to 1.5 m. The habit is variably upright to sprawling or prostrate, but stems are often ascending especially those stems with many long branches.

The bark of older stems is shreddy with long thin strips. The plants are densely leafy, the leaves are divided into five or seven (occasionally three or nine) pinnate leaflets. The leaflets are linear-oblong, 3-20 mm long, with entire margins and more or less acute ends.

The foliage (both leaves and young stems) is pubescent, variably covered in fine silky, silvery hairs about 1 mm long.

The flowers are produced terminally on the stems and are 2–3 (–4) cm across, buttercup-shaped, with five petals and 15–25 stamens; the petals are pale to bright yellow (orange to reddish in some western Chinese populations). The fruit is a cluster of achenes covered with long hairs.

The species is variably dioecious or bisexual; flowering is typically from early to late summer. It is normally found growing in moisture retentive soils in swamps and moist rocky areas.

Shrubby Cinquefoil is a popular ornamental plant throughout the cooler regions of Europe, the United States and Canada. Different cultivars are variable with flowers ranging from white to yellow, orange and pink, but they are all hardy plants that produce flowers for much of the summer.

The flowers are always small, flat, and round, but there are many dozens on each bush. It is very often used by cities and businesses for landscaping because of its hardiness and low maintenance.

It was introduced into cultivation in the 1700s, but many of the modern cultivars, particularly those with orange or red flowers, derive from collections by Reginald Farrer in western China in the early 20th century. Plants are most often still grown and sold under the old name Potentilla fruticosa.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrubby_Cinquefoil



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Primula elatior

Primula elatior, the oxlip (or True oxlip), is a flowering plant in the genus Primula, found in nutrient- and calcium-rich damp woods and meadows throughout Europe with northern bordes in Denmark and southern parts of Sweden, eastwards to Altai Mountains and on the Kola Peninsula in Russia.

In the British Isles, it is found only in the east, and mainly in East Anglia. P. elatior may be found in the wild, normally near settlements, as far north as northern Norway, after escaping cultivation.

It is a low growing herbaceous perennial plant with a rosette of leaves 5–15 cm long and 2–6 cm broad.

The light yellow flowers are produced in the spring between April and May; they are in clusters of 10-30 together on a single stem 10–30 cm tall, each flower 9–15 mm broad.

It may be confused with the closely related Primula veris (cowslip) which has a similar general appearance although P. veris has smaller, bellshaped, bright yellow flowers (and red dots inside the flower), and a corolla tube without folds. The leaves of P. veris are more spade-shaped than P.elatior.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primula_elatior


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Trollius

Trollius is a genus of about 30 species of plants in the Ranunculaceae, closely related to Ranunculus. The common name is globeflower or globe flower.

They are native to the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the greatest diversity of species in Asia, and usually grow in heavy, wet clay soils.

They are mostly herbaceous perennials with bright yellow flowers, though some have orange to lilac coloured flowers.

The name "globe flower" refers to the petals of T. europaeus which are curved over the top of the flower to appear like a spherical globe; however, many of the other species have more open, flatter flowers.

All Trollius species are poisonous when fresh to cattle and other livestock, but their acrid taste means they are usually left uneaten.

They are, however, used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Silver-ground Carpet.

Some species are popular ornamental flowers in horticulture, with several cultivars selected for large and brightly coloured flowers.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trollius


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Gorse

Gorse, furze, furse or whin (Ulex) is a genus of about 20 species of spiny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to western Europe and northwest Africa, with the majority of species in Iberia.

Gorse is closely related to the brooms, and like them, has green stems and very small leaves and is adapted to dry growing conditions.

However it differs in its extreme spininess, with the shoots being modified into branched spines 1–4 centimetres (0.39–1.6 in) long, which almost wholly replace the leaves as the plant's functioning photosynthetic organs.

The leaves of young plants are trifoliate, but are later reduced to scales or small spines. All the species have yellow flowers, some with a very long flowering season.

The most widely familiar species is Common Gorse (Ulex europaeus), the only species native to much of western Europe, where it grows in sunny sites, usually on dry, sandy soils. It is also the largest species, reaching 2–3 metres (7–10 ft) in height; this compares with typically 20–40 centimetres (7.9–16 in) for Western Gorse (Ulex gallii).

This latter species is characteristic of highly exposed Atlantic coastal heathland and montane habitats. Western gorse is replaced in the eastern part of Great Britain by Dwarf Furze (Ulex minor), a plant about 30 centimetres (12 in) tall, characteristic of sandy lowland heathland.

Common gorse flowers a little in late autumn and through the winter, coming into flower most strongly in spring. Western Gorse and Dwarf Furze flower in late summer (August-September in Ireland and Britain).

Between the different species, some gorse is almost always in flower, hence the old country phrase: "When gorse is out of blossom, kissing's out of fashion". Gorse flowers have a distinctive coconut scent, experienced very strongly by some individuals, but weakly by others.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorse


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Allamanda

Allamanda, also known as Yellow Bell, Golden Trumpet or Buttercup Flower, is a genus of tropical shrubs or vines belonging to the dogbane family (Apocynaceae).

The genus Alamanda is native to South and Central America. Their year-round production of large, bright flowers have made the Allamanda popular ornamentals.

A woody, evergreen shrub with vigorous growth, Allamanda may reach a free-standing height of 2 metres or more. The leathery leaves are lancelike, pointed, and may either be opposite or in whorls of three or four.

The yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers are 5-7.5 centimetres in diameter; cultivated forms tend towards larger blooms which may also be white, purple, pink or orange in colour. Their scent may be described as delicate and fruity.

In the wild, Allamanda grow along riverbanks and other open, sunny areas with adequate rainfall and perpetually moist substrate. The plants do not tolerate shade, salty or alkaline soils; they are highly sensitive to frost.

Allamanda are otherwise undemanding and with appropriate conditions will grow rapidly, from 1-3 metres annually. The seed capsules are oval and prickly; cultivated forms rarely produce seeds, but Allamanda are easily propagated from cuttings. Discarded cuttings are quick to take root.

Allamanda have become naturalized throughout the tropics; they may be seen in roadside ditches, abandoned yards and dumps. As a controlling measure, cutting is ineffecive with Allamanda and will lead to vigorous coppicing.

Owing to its fast growth, Allamanda has been introduced widely where it is used as a groundcover or for hedges and screens. In some areas Allamanda are an invasive species, notably Allamanda cathartica in Queensland, Australia.

Allamanda cathartica is also notable for its medicinal properties: all parts of the plant contain allamandin, a toxic iridoid lactone.

The leaves, roots and flowers may be used in the preparation of a powerful cathartic (hence the name); the milky sap is also known to possess antibacterial and possibly anticancer properties. Gardeners exposed to the sap will develop rashes, itch, and blisters.

The genus name Allamanda derives from Dr. Frederich Allamanda (1735-1803), a Swiss botanist of the late 18th century.

The City of Canóvanas in the Caribbean Island of Puerto Rico, has named the Allamanda Carthica (Yellow Bell) it's official flower/plant due to the vast amount of these thru the entire city and it's rivers. It's also in their seal and downtown plaza.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allamanda


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Misumena vatia

Misumena vatia is a species of crab spider with holarctic distribution. In North America, where it is the largest and best-known flower spider, it is called the goldenrod crab spider or flower (crab) spider, because it is commonly found hunting in goldenrod sprays in the autumn.

Young males in the early summer may be quite small and easily overlooked, but females can grow up to 10 mm (without legs); males reach 5 mm at most.

These spiders may be yellow or white, depending on the flower in which they are hunting. Especially younger females, which may hunt on a variety of flowers such as daisies and sunflowers, may change color "at will".

Older females require large amounts of relatively large prey to produce the best possible clutch of eggs. They are therefore, in North America, most commonly found in goldenrod (Solidago sp.), a bright yellow flower which attracts large numbers of insects, especially in autumn.

It is often very hard even for a searching human to recognize one of these spiders on a yellow flower.

The much smaller males scamper from flower to flower in search of females and are often seen missing one or more of their legs. This may be due either to near misses by predators such as birds or to fighting with other males.

When a male finds a female, he climbs over her head over her opisthosoma onto her underside, where he inserts his pedipalps to inseminate her.

The young reach a size of about 5mm by autumn and spend the winter on the ground. They molt for the last time in May of the next year.


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misumena_vatia


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Artemisia tridentata

Artemisia tridentata (also called sagebrush/common sagebrush, big sagebrush, blue/black sagebrush or mountain sagebrush) is a shrub or small tree from the family Asteraceae.

Some botanists treat it in the segregate genus Seriphidium, as S. tridentatum (Nutt.) W. A. Weber, but this is not widely followed. The vernacular name "sagebrush" is also used for several related members of the genus Artemisia, such as California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica).

It is a coarse, hardy silvery-grey bush with yellow flowers and grows in arid sections of the western United States and Western Canada.

It is the primary vegetation across vast areas of the Great Basin desert. Along rivers or in other relatively wet areas, sagebrush can grow as tall as 3 m (10 feet), but is more typically 1-2 m tall.

Sagebrush has a strong pungent fragrance, especially when wet, which is not unlike common sage. It is, however, unrelated to common sage and has a bitter taste. It is thought that this odor serves to discourage browsing.

Sagebrush leaves are wedge-shaped 1-4 cm long and 0.3-1 cm broad, and are attached to the branch by the narrow end. The outer and wider end is generally divided into three lobes (although leaves with two or four lobes are not uncommon), hence the scientific name tridentata.

The leaves are covered with fine silvery hairs, which are thought to keep the leaf cool and minimize water loss. Most of the leaves are carried year-round, as sagebrush tends to grow in areas where winter precipitation is greater than summer precipitation.

Sagebrush flowers in the late summer or early fall. The flowers are yellow and are carried in long, slender clusters.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_tridentata


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Fennel

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), is a plant species in the genus Foeniculum (treated as the sole species in the genus by most botanists). It is a member of the family Apiaceae (formerly the Umbelliferae). It is a hardy, perennial, umbelliferous herb, with yellow flowers and feathery leaves.

It is generally considered indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean, but has become widely naturalised elsewhere (particularly, it seems, areas colonized by the Romans) and may now be found growing wild in many parts of the world, especially on dry soils near the sea-coast and on river-banks.

It is a highly aromatic and flavorful herb with culinary and medicinal uses, and is one of the primary ingredients of absinthe. Florence fennel or finocchio is a selection with a swollen, bulb-like stem base that is used as a vegetable.

Fennel is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the Mouse Moth and the Anise Swallowtail.

Fennel is a perennial herb. It is erect, glaucous green, and grows to heights of up to 2.5 m, with hollow stems. The leaves grow up to 40 cm long; they are finely dissected, with the ultimate segments filiform (threadlike), about 0.5 mm wide. (Its leaves are similar to those of dill, but thinner.)

The flowers are produced in terminal compound umbels 5–15 cm wide, each umbel section having 20–50 tiny yellow flowers on short pedicels. The fruit is a dry seed from 4–10 mm long, half as wide or less, and grooved.

Fennel is widely cultivated, both in its native range and elsewhere, for its edible, strongly-flavoured leaves and fruits, which are often mistermed "seeds".

Its aniseed flavour comes from anethole, an aromatic compound also found in anise and star anise, and its taste and aroma are similar to theirs, though usually not as strong.

Fennel has become naturalised along roadsides, in pastures, and in other open sites in many regions, including northern Europe, the United States, southern Canada and in much of Asia and Australia.

It propagates well by seed, and is considered an invasive species and a weed in Australia and the United States.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fennel


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Asclepias tuberosa

Asclepias tuberosa is a species of milkweed native to eastern North America. It is a perennial plant growing to 0.6-2 m (1 -2 feet) tall, with clustered orange or yellow flowers from early summer to early fall. The leaves are spirally arranged, lanceolate, 5-12 cm long and 2-3 cm broad.

This plant favors dry, sand or gravel soil, but has also been reported on stream margins. It requires full sun.

It is commonly known as Butterfly Weed because of the butterflies that are attracted to the plant by its color and its copious production of nectar.

It is also the larval food plant of the Queen and Monarch butterflies. Butterfly Weed grows to be 1-3 feet long.

Extracts in herbalism and by Native Americans were used as an expectorant for wet coughs and other pulmonary ailments. Use of the herb is contraindicated in pregnancy, during lactation or with infants due to the small amount of cardiac glycosides.

The plant looks similar to the Lanceolate Milkweed (Asclepias lanceolata), but is uniquely identified by the larger number of flowers, and the hairy stems that are not milky when broken. It is most commonly found in fields with dry soil.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_tuberosa



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Mock strawberry

The mock strawberry or "Gurbir", Potentilla indica (formerly Duchesnea indica), also called Indian strawberry or false strawberry, has foliage and fruit similar to true strawberry, though it is not in the genus Fragaria.

It can readily be distinguished by its yellow flowers, as opposed to the flowers of true strawberries which are white or slightly pink. It is native to eastern and southern Asia, but has been introduced to many other areas as an ornamental plant.

It has been naturalized in many regions, including the southern United States, and is considered a noxious weed in some regions.

The leaves are trifoliate, roughly veined beneath, dark green, and often persisting through the winter, arising from short crowns. The plant spreads along creeping stolons, rooting and producing crowns at each node.

The yellow flowers are produced in mid spring, then sporadically throughout the growing season. The fruits are white or red, and entirely coverered with red seeds. They are edible, though unpleasant to eat, as they have no discernable taste.

Recent genetic evidence has shown that this genus is better included within Potentilla, but currently most sources still list it in the genus Duchesnea.


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock_strawberry



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Clover

Clover (Trifolium), or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the pea family Fabaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes on mountains in the tropics.

They are small annual, biennial, or short-lived perennial herbaceous plants. The leaves are trifoliate (rarely 5- or 7-foliate), with stipules adnate to the leaf-stalk, and heads or dense spikes of small red, purple, white, or yellow flowers; the small, few-seeded pods are enclosed in the calyx.

Other closely related genera often called clovers include Melilotus (sweet clover) and Medicago (alfalfa or 'calvary clover'). The "shamrock" of popular iconography is sometimes considered to be young clover.

The scientific name derives from the Latin tres, "three", and folium, "leaf", so called from the characteristic form of the leaf, which has three leaflets (trifoliate); hence the popular name trefoil.

Clovers are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) species; see list of Lepidoptera that feed on clovers.

Several species are extensively cultivated as fodder-plants. The most widely cultivated clovers are White clover Trifolium repens and Red clover Trifolium pratense.

Clover, either sown alone or in mixture with ryegrass, has for a long time formed a staple crop for soiling, for several reasons: it grows freely, shooting up again after repeated mowings; it produces an abundant crop; it is palatable to and nutritious for livestock; it grows in a great range of soils and climates; and it is appropriate for either pasturage or green composting.

In many areas, particularly on acidic soil, clover is short-lived because of a combination of insect pests, diseases and nutrient balance; this is known as "clover sickness".

When crop rotations are managed so that clover does not recur at shorter intervals than eight years, it grows with much of its pristine vigour.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clover


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Rudbeckia hirta

Rudbeckia hirta (common names: Black-eyed Susan, Blackiehead, Brown Betty, Brown Daisy, Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba), Gloriosa Daisy, Golden Jerusalem, Poorland Daisy, Yellow Daisy, Yellow Ox-eye Daisy) is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae.

It is an upright annual (sometimes biennial or perennial) native to most of North America, and is one of a number of plants with the common name Black-eyed Susan with flowers having dark purplish brown centers.

The plant can reach a height of 1 m. It has alternate, mostly basal leaves 10-18 cm long, covered by coarse hair.

It flowers from June to August, with inflorescences measuring 5-8 cm in diameter (up to 15 cm in some cultivars), with yellow ray florets circling a brown, domed center of disc florets. The Black-eyed Susan was designated the state flower of Maryland in 1918.

Numerous cultivars have been selected for garden planting; some popular ones include 'Double Gold', 'Indian Summer', and 'Marmalade'.

The roots but not seedheads of Rudbeckia hirta can be used much like the related Echinacea purpurea. It is an astringent used as in a warm infusion as a wash for sores and swellings.

The Ojibwa used it as a poultice for snake bites and to make an infusion for treating colds and worms in children.

The plant is diuretic and was used by the Menominee and Potawatomi. Juice from the roots had been used as drops for earaches. The plant contains anthocyanins.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudbeckia_hirta


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Adenanthos detmoldii

Adenanthos detmoldii, commonly known as Scott River Jugflower or Yellow Jugflower, is a species of shrub in the family Proteaceae. It is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia.

It grows as an erect shrub to 4 m (13 ft) in height, with hairy branches and long, narrow leaves up to 80 mm length and about 5 mm wide.

The flowers, which appear between August and November, consist of a tubular perianth about 25 mm long, and a style about 40 mm long. The perianth is yellow with an orange throat that becomes brown following pollination.

The type specimen of A. detmoldii was collected from the vicinity of the Blackwood River around 1870, and sent to Ferdinand von Mueller who published the species in Volume 8 of his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae in 1874.

The original type specimen cites "Blackwood-River; J. Forrest", and this has sometimes been interpreted as referring to John Forrest, but John Forrest's brother James is known to have "achieved some repute by making botanical collections of the flora of the Blackwood district for Baron von Mueller", and an isotype lodged at the Botanical Garden in Berlin has been labelled by Ludwig Diels "Blackwood River leg. Jas. Forrest".

A. detmoldii is restricted to the vicinity of the Scott and Blackwood Rivers east of Augusta, Western Australia.

Unusually for Adenanthos species, it favours damp winter-wet, sandy flats, where it co-occurs with Banksia ser. Dryandra species, Grevillea species, grasses and sedges. It is often the most abundant shrub where it occurs.



See Also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenanthos_detmoldii


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19 Mei 2010

Rosa rugosa

Rosa rugosa (rugosa rose, Japanese rose, or Ramanas rose) is a species of rose native to eastern Asia, in northeastern China, Japan, Korea and southeastern Siberia, where it grows on the coast, often on sand dunes.

Rugosa rose is widely used as an ornamental plant. It has been introduced to numerous areas of Europe and North America. It has many common names, several of which refer to the fruit's resemblance to a tomato, including beach tomato or sea tomato; saltspray rose and beach rose are others.

The sweetly scented flowers are used to make pot-pourri in Japan and China, where it has been cultivated for about a thousand years.

This species hybridises readily with many other roses, and is valued by rose breeders for its considerable resistance to the diseases rose rust and rose black spot. It is also extremely tolerant of seaside salt spray and storms, commonly being the first shrub in from the coast. It is widely used in landscaping, being relatively tough and trouble-free. Needing little maintenance, it is suitable for planting in large numbers; its salt-tolerance makes it useful for planting beside roads which need deicing with salt regularly.

Numerous cultivars have been selected for garden use, with flower colour varying from white to dark red-purple, and with semi-double to double flowers where some or all of the stamens are replaced by extra petals. Popular examples include 'Fru Dagmar Hastrup' (pink, single), 'Pink Grootendorst' (pink, semi-double), 'Blanc Double du Coubert' (white, double) and the more common 'Roseraie de L’Haÿ' (pink, double), which is often used for its very successful rootstock and its ornamental rose hips.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_rugosa


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Solanaceae

Solanaceae is a family of flowering plants that contains a number of important agricultural plants as well as many toxic plants. The name of the family comes from the Latin Solanum "the nightshade plant", but the further etymology of that word is unclear. Most likely, the name comes from the perceived resemblance that some of the flowers bear to the sun and its rays, and in fact a species of Solanum (Solanum nigrum) is known as the sunberry. Alternatively, it has been suggested the name originates from the Latin verb solari, meaning "to soothe". This presumably refers to alleged soothing pharmacological properties of some of the psychoactive species of the family.

The family is also informally known as the nightshade- or potato family. The family includes Datura (Jimson weed), Mandragora (mandrake), belladonna (deadly nightshade), Capsicum (paprika, chili pepper), Solanum (potato, tomato, aubergine or eggplant), Nicotiana (tobacco), and Petunia (petunia). With the exception of tobacco (Nicotianoideae) and petunia (Petunioideae) most of the economically-important genera are contained in the sub-family Solanoideae.

The Solanaceae family is characteristically ethnobotanical, that is, extensively utilized by humans. It is an important source of food, spice and medicine. However, Solanaceae species are often rich in alkaloids whose toxicity to humans and animals ranges from mildly irritating to fatal in small quantities.

Flowers are typically conical or funnel in shape, with five petals, usually fused. The leaves are alternate, often with a hairy or clammy surface. Solanaceous plants produce a fruit that is either a berry, as in the case of the tomato or wolfberry, or is a dehiscent capsule (breaks open upon drying, or dehiscing, releasing the seeds) as in the case of Datura. The seeds are usually round and flat, being 2–4 millimetres (0.079–0.16 in) in diameter. The stamens are usually present in multiples of four (most commonly four or eight). The ovaries are superior. The hypogynus gynoecium is a syncarp located obliquely in relation to the median.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanaceae


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Salvia

Salvia is the largest genus of plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, with more than 900 species of shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and annuals. It is one of several genera commonly referred to as sage. When used without modifiers, sage generally refers to Salvia officinalis ("common sage"); however, it is used with modifiers to refer to any member of the genus. The ornamental species are commonly referred to by their genus name Salvia.

The genus is distributed throughout the Old World and the Americas, with the center of diversity and origin appearing to be Central and Southwestern Asia, while nearly 500 species are native to Mexico and Central and South America.

Salvia species include annual, biennial, or perennial herbs, along with woody subshrubs. The stems are typically angled like other members in Lamiaceae. The leaves are commonly entire, but sometimes are toothed, or pinnately divided. The flowering stems bear small bracts, dissimilar to the basal leaves, in some species they are ornamental and showy.

The flowers are produced in racemes, or panicles, and generally produce a showy display with flower colors ranging from blue to red, with white and yellow less common. The calyx is normally tubular or bell shaped, without bearded throats, and divided into two parts or lips, the upper lip entire or three-toothed, the lower two-cleft. The corollas are often claw shaped and are two-lipped. The upper lip is usually entire or three-toothed. The lower lip typically has two lobes. The stamens are reduced to two short structures with anthers two-celled, the upper cell fertile, and the lower imperfect. The flower styles are two-cleft. The fruits are smooth ovoid or oblong nutlets and in many species they have a mucilaginous coating.

Many salvias have trichomes (hairs) growing on the leaves, stems, and flowers, which help to reduce water loss in some species. Sometimes the hairs are glandular and secrete volatile oils that typically give a distinct aroma to the plant. When the hairs are rubbed or brushed, some of the oil-bearing cells are ruptured, releasing the oil. This often results in the plant being unattractive to grazing animals and some insects.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia


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18 Mei 2010

Fritillaria

Fritillaria is a genus of about 100 species of bulbous plants in the family Liliaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name is derived from the Latin term for a dice-box (fritillus), and probably refers to the checkered pattern, frequently of chocolate-brown and greenish yellow, that is common to many species' flowers. Collectively, the genus is known in English as fritillaries; some North American species are called missionbells.

They often have nodding, bell- or cup-shaped flowers, and the majority are spring-flowering. Most species' flowers have a rather disagreeable scent, often referred to as "foxy," like feces or wet fur . The Scarlet Lily Beetle (Lilioceris lilii) eats fritillaries, and may become a pest where these plants are grown in gardens.

Several species (such as F. cirrhosa and F. verticillata) are used in traditional Chinese cough remedies. They are listed as chuān bèi (Chinese: 川貝) or zhè bèi (Chinese: 浙貝), respectively, and are often in formulations combined with extracts of Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica). F. verticillata bulbs are also traded as bèi mǔ or, in Kampō, baimo (Chinese/Kanji: 貝母, Katakana: バイモ). F. thunbergii is contained in the standardized Chinese herbal preparation HealthGuard T18, taken against hyperthyroidism.

Most fritillaries contain poisonous alkaloids such as imperialin; some may even be deadly if ingested in quantity. But the bulbs of a few species – e.g. Checker Lily (F. affinis) or Yellow Fritillary (F. pudica) – are edible if prepared correctly. They are not generally eaten in large amounts however, and their edibility is therefore still somewhat debatable.

At least one species, F. assyrica, has a very large genome. With approximately 130,000,000,000 base pairs, it equals the largest known vertebrate animal genome known to date – that of the Marbled Lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus) – in size.

The emblematic and often unusually-colored fritillaries are commonly used as floral emblems. The Snake's Head Fritillary (F. meleagris) is the county flower of Oxfordshire (UK) and the provincial flower of Uppland (Sweden) where it is known as kungsängslilja ("Kungsängen lily"). In Croatia this species is known as kockavica, and the checkerboard pattern of its flowers is held to be the inspiration for the šahovnica pattern on Croatia's coat of arms. The Kamchatka Fritillary (F. camschatcensis) is the floral emblem of Ishikawa Prefecture and Obihiro city in Japan. Its Japanese name is kuroyuri (クロユリ), meaning "dark lily". F. tenella is the floral emblem of Giardino Botanico Alpino di Pietra Corva, a botanical garden in Italy.


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritillaria

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Camassia

Camassia is a genus of six species native to western North America, from southern British Columbia to northern California, and east to Utah, Wyoming and Montana. Historically, the genus was thought to belong to the lily family (Liliaceae), sometimes narrowed down to the families Scillaceae or Hyacinthaceae, but DNA and biochemical studies have led the APG II-group to reassign Camassia to the family Agavaceae. Common names include Camas, Quamash, Indian hyacinth, and Wild hyacinth.

Camassia species were an important food staple for Native Americans and settlers in parts of the American Old West. Many areas in the Northwest are named for the plant, including the city of Camas, Washington, the Camas Prairie in northern Idaho (and its Camas Prairie Railroad), and Camas County in southern Idaho.

Camas grow in the wild in great numbers in moist meadows; they are perennial plants with basal linear leaves measuring 8 to 32 inches (20–80 cm) in length, which emerge early in the spring. They grow to a height of 12 to 50 inches (30–130 cm), with a multi-flowered stem rising above the main plant in summer. The six-petaled flowers vary in color from pale lilac or white to deep purple or blue-violet. They sometimes color whole meadows.


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camassia


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Begonia

Begonia is a genus in the flowering plant family Begoniaceae and is a perennial. The only other members of the family Begoniaceae are Hillebrandia, a genus with a single species in the Hawaiian Islands, and the genus Symbegonia which more recently was included in Begonia. "Begonia" is the common name as well as the generic name for all members of the genus.

The genus name, coined by Charles Plumier, a French patron of botany, honours Michel Bégon, a former governor of the French colony of Haiti. It was adopted by Linnaeus.

With over 1,500 species, Begonia is one of the ten largest angiosperm genera. The species are terrestrial (sometimes epiphytic) herbs or undershrubs and occur in subtropical and tropical moist climates, in South and Central America, Africa and southern Asia. Terrestrial species in the wild are commonly upright-stemmed, rhizomatous, or tuberous. The plants are monoecious, with unisexual male and female flowers occurring separately on the same plant, the male containing numerous stamens, the female having a large inferior ovary and two to four branched or twisted stigmas. In most species the fruit is a winged capsule containing numerous minute seeds, although baccate fruits are also known. The leaves, which are often large and variously marked or variegated, are usually asymmetric (unequal-sided).

Because of their sometimes showy flowers of white, pink, scarlet or yellow color and often attractively marked leaves, many species and innumerable hybrids and cultivars are cultivated. The genus is unusual in that species throughout the genus, even those coming from different continents, can frequently be hybridized with each other, and this has led to an enormous number of cultivars. The American Begonia Society classifies begonias into several major groups: cane-like, shrub-like, tuberous, rhizomatous, semperflorens, rex, trailing-scandent, or thick-stemmed. For the most part these groups do not correspond to any formal taxonomic groupings or phylogeny and many species and hybrids have characteristics of more than one group, or fit well into none of them.


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begonia


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17 Mei 2010

Gerbera

Gerbera (pronounced /ˈdʒɜrbərə/) L. is a genus of ornamental plants from the sunflower family (Asteraceae). It was named in honor of the German naturalist Traugott Gerber, a friend of Carolus Linnaeus.

It has approximately 30 species in the wild, extending to South America, Africa and tropical Asia. The first scientific description of a Gerbera was made by J.D. Hooker in Curtis's Botanical Magazine in 1889 when he described Gerbera jamesonii, a South African species also known as Transvaal daisy or Barberton Daisy.

Gerbera species bear a large capitulum with striking, two-lipped ray florets in yellow, orange, white, pink or red colors. The capitulum, which has the appearance of a single flower, is actually composed of hundreds of individual flowers. The morphology of the flowers varies depending on their position in the capitulum. The flower heads can be as small as 7 cm (Gerbera mini 'Harley') in diameter or up to 12 cm (Gerbera ‘Golden Serena’).

Gerbera is very popular and widely used as a decorative garden plant or as cut flowers. The domesticated cultivars are mostly a result of a cross between Gerbera jamesonii and another South African species Gerbera viridifolia. The cross is known as Gerbera hybrida. Thousands of cultivars exist. They vary greatly in shape and size. Colors include white, yellow, orange, red, and pink. The center of the flower is sometimes black. Often the same flower can have petals of several different colors.

Gerbera is also important commercially. It is the fifth most used cut flower in the world (after rose, carnation, chrysanthemum, and tulip).[citation needed] It is also used as a model organism in studying flower formation. Gerbera contains naturally occurring coumarin derivatives. Gerbera is a tender annual flower.

This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds. This plant is resistant to deer.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerbera_daisy


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Hosta

Hostas are herbaceous perennial plants, growing from rhizomes or stolons, with broad lanceolate or ovate leaves varying widely in size by species from 1–15 in (3–40 cm) long and 0.75–12 in (2–30 cm) broad. Variation among the numerous cultivars is even greater, with clumps ranging from less than 4 in (10 cm) across to more than 2.5 ft (76 cm) across. Leaf color in wild species is typically green, although some species (e.g., H. sieboldiana) are known for a glaucous waxy leaf coating that gives a blue appearance to the leaf.

Some species have a glaucous white coating covering the underside of the leaves. Natural mutations of native species are known with yellow-green ("gold") colored leaves or with leaf variegation (either white/cream or yellowish edges or centers). Variegated plants very often give rise to "sports" that are the result of the reshuffling of cell layers during bud formation, producing foliage with mixed pigment sections. In seedlings variegation is generally maternally derived by chloroplast transfer and is not a genetically inheritable trait.

The flowers are produced on erect scapes up to 31 in (80 cm) tall that end in terminal racemes. The individual flowers are usually pendulous, 0.75–2 in (2–5 cm) long, with six tepals, white, lavender, or violet in color and usually scentless. The only strongly fragrant species is Hosta plantaginea; it is also unusual in that the flowers open in the evening and close by morning. This species blooms in late summer and is sometimes known as "August Lily".


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosta


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