NATURE OF ALL

GOLDEN TEMPLE OF DAMBULLA_WORLD FAMOUS TEMPLES

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:00:00 +0000

Description:
Dambulla cave temple (also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla) is a World Heritage Site (1991) in Sri Lanka, situated in the central part of the country. This is the most impressive cave temple in Asia. It has five caves under a vast overhanging rock, carved with a drip line to keep the interiors dry. King Valagambahu is traditionally thought to have converted the caves into a temple in the 1st century BC. Many other kings added to it later and by the 11th century, the caves had become a major religious centre and still are. King Nissanka Malla gilded the caves and added about 70 Buddha statues in 1190. During the 18th century, the caves were restored and painted by the Kandyan Kings. The temple is composed of five caves, which have been converted into shrine rooms.

Cave of the Divene King:
The first cave is called Devaraja lena (lena is sinhalese meaning cave), or "Cave of the Divine King". An account of the founding of the monastery is recorded in a first-century Brahmi inscription over the entrance to the first cave. This cave is dominated by the 14-meter statue of the Buddha, hewn out of the rock. At his feet is Buddha's favorite pupil, Ananda; at his head, Vishnu, said to have used his divine powers to create the caves.

Cave of the Great Kings:
In the second and largest cave, it has 16 standing and 40 seated stautes of Buddha, are the gods Saman, and Vishnu.

Great New Monastery:
The third cave, the Maha Alut Vihara, the "Great New Monastery" acquired ceiling and wall paintings in the typical Kandy style during the reign of King Kirti Sri Rajasinha (1747-1782), the famous Buddhist revivalist. In addition to the 50 Buddha statues, there is also a statue of the king.

Fourth and Fifth Caves:
The fourth and fifth caves are smaller; they date from a later period and are not of such high quality. A small Vishnu Devale between the first and second caves attracts many worshipers.

BLACKBERRY FRUIT

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:50:00 +0000

Description:
BlackBerry is an aggregate fruit from a bramble bush, genus Rubus in the rose family Rosaceae. Blackberries are perennial plants which typically bear biennial stems ("canes") from the perennial root system. In its first year, a new stem grows vigorously to its full length of 3-6 m, arching or trailing along the ground and bearing large palmately compound leaves with five or seven leaflets; it does not produce any flowers. The flowers are produced in late spring and early summer on short racemes on the tips of the flowering laterals.
Blackberries are notable for their high nutritional contents of dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid - a B vitamin, and the essential mineral, manganese. Blackberries rank highly among fruits for antioxidant strength, particularly due to their dense contents of polyphenolic compounds, such as ellagic acid, tannins, ellagitannins, quercetin, gallic acid, anthocyannins and cyanidins. Blackberries have an ORAC value (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) of 5347 per 100 grams, including them among the top-ranked ORAC fruits. They contain rich amounts of omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) and -6fats (linoleic acid), protein, dietary fiber, carotenoids, ellagitannins and ellagic acid.

Uses:
Blackberry leaves are also a food for certain caterpillars. The soft fruit is popular for use in desserts, jams, seedless jellies and sometimes wine. Since the many species form hybrids easily, there are numerous cultivars with more than one species in their acnestry. Good nectar producers, blackberry shrubs bearing flowers yield a medium to dark, fruity honey.
The blackberry is known to contain polyphenol antioxidants, naturally occurring chemicals that can upregulate certain beneficial metabolic processes in mammals. The astringent blackberry root is sometimes used in herbal medicine as a treatment for diarrhea and dysentery. The related but smaller dewberry can be distinguished by the white, waxy coating on the fruits, which also usually have fewer drupelets.

STRAW BERRY FRUIT

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:49:00 +0000

Description:

Garden strawberries are a common variety of strawberry cultivated world wide. Technically, it is not a fruit but a false fruit, meaning the fleshy part is derived not from the plant's ovaries (achenes) but from the peg at the bottom of the bowl-shaped hypathium that holds the ovaries. The Garden StrawBerry was first bred in Brittany, France in 1740 via a cross of Fragaria virginiana from eastern North America, which was noted for its flavor, and Fragaria Chiloensis from Chile brought by Amedee-Francois Frezier, which wasnoted for its large size.
Strawberry cultivars vary remarkably in size, color, flavor, shape, degree of fertility, season of ripening, liability to disease and constitution of plant. One cup (144 g) of strawberries contains approxmately 45 calories (188 kj) and is an excellent source of vitamin C and flavonoids.

Uses:

Strawberries can be frozen, made into preserves, as well as dried and used in such things as cereal bars. Strawberries are a popular addition to dairy products, as in strawberry flavored ice cream, milkshakes, smoothies and yogurts. Strawberry pie is also popular. Strawberry pigment extract can be used as a natural acid/base indicator due to the different color of the conjugate acid and conjugate base of the pigment.

Problems:

Some individuals may exhibit an anphylactoid response to the consumption of strawberries. The most common form of this raction is Oral allergy syndrome, but symptoms may also mimic Hay fever or include dermatitis or hives, and in severe cases may cause breathing problems. Some research suggests that the allergen may be tied to the red pigment of most strawberry cultivars, and as such white/colorless strawberry cultivar may present a possible option for strawberry allergy sufferers.

SALAMANDER

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 06:57:00 +0000

Description:

Salamander is a common name of approximately 500 species of amphibians. Mature salamanders generally have a body form similar to that of lizards, with slednder bodis, long tails, and four limbs. However, like some lizards, many species of salamander have reduced or absent limbs. Most species that have limbs have four toes on the fore limbs, and five on the hind limbs, and lack claws. Salamanders are often brightly colored, either in both sexes throughout the year, or only in the males, especially during the breeding season. The species dwelling entirely underground are often white or pink, lacking any skin pigment.
The skin of salamanders secretes mucus, which helps keep the animal moist when on dry land, and maintains their salt balance while in water, as well as providing a lubricant during swimming. Salamanders also secrete poison from galnds in their skin, and some aditionally have skin glands for secreting courtship pheromones.
Numerous legends have developed around the salamander over the centuries, many related to fire. This connection likely originates from the tendency of many salamanders to dwell inside rotting logs. When placed into a fire, the salamander would attempt to escape from the lending to the belief that salamanders were created from flames - a belief that gave the creature its name.

Uses:

Salamanders will use tail autotomy to escape predators. Their tail will drop off and wriggle around for a little while, and the salamanders will either run away or stay still enough to not be noticed while the predator is distracted. Salamanders routinely regenerate complex tissues. Within only a few weeks of losing a piece of limb, a salamander perfectly reforms the missing structure.

KANGAROO ANIMAL

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:26:00 +0000

Description:
The Kangaroo is a national symbol of Australia. Its emblem is used on the Australian coat of arms, on some of its currency, as well as by some of Australia's best known organisations, including Qantas. The Kangaroo is important to both Australian culture and the national image and consequently there are numerous popular culture references. Kangaroos have large, powerful hind legs, large feet adapted for leaping, a long muscular tail for balance, and a small head. Like all marsupials, female kangaroos have a pouch called a marsupium in which joeys complete postnatal development.
Because of its grazing, Kangaroos have developed specialized teeth. Its incisors are able to crop grass close to the ground, and its molars chop and grind the grass. Since the two sides of the lower jaw are not joined together, the lower incisors are farther apart, giving the Kangaroo a wider bite. The silica in grass is abrasive, so Kangaroo molars move forward as they are ground down, and eventually fall out, replaced by new teeth that grow in the back. Kangaroo have few natural predators.

Uses:
The Kangaroo has always been a very important animal for Australian Aborigines, for its meat, hide, bones and sinews. Kangaroo hides were also sometimes used for recreation, in particular there are accounts of some tribes using stuffed Kangaroo scrotum as a ball for the traditional football game of marngrook.
Kangaroos have been featured on coins, as well as being used as emblems, logos and mascots. They have also been used in the naming of sports teams. They are extremely well-represented in films, television, books, toys, and souvenirs around the world.

BROOM-GENISTA-SPARTIUM

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:03:00 +0000

Description
Brooms are a group of evergreen, semi evergreen. The most widely familiar is common broom (Cytisus scoparius, syn. Sarothamnus scoparius), a native of northwestern Europe, where it is found in sunny sites, usually on dry, sandy soils. Like most brooms, it has apparently leafless stems that in spring and summer are covered in profuse golden-yellow flowers. In late summer, its peapod-like seed capsules burst open. These large bushes have bright, sweet pea-shaped flowers. The plant has been popular in the horticultural trade.

Uses:
The Plantagenet kings used common broom as an emblem and took their name from it. It was originally the emblem of Geoffrey of Anjou, father of Henry II of England. Wild broom is still common in dry habitats around Anjou, France.
Genista tinctoria (dyer's broom, also known as dyer's greenweed or dyer's greenwood), provides a useful yellow dye and was grown commercially for this purpose in parts of Britain into the early 19th century. Woolen cloth, mordanted with alum, was dyed yellow with dyer's greenweed, then dipped into a vat of blue dye to produce the once-famous "Kendal Green". Kendal green is a local common name for the plant.
The flower buds and

flowers

of Cytisus scoparius have been used as a salad ingredient, raw or pickled, and were a popular ingredient for salmagundi or "grand sallet" during the 17th and 18th century.

DATURA ARBOREA

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:32:00 +0000

Description:

Datura stramonium, also called Jimson Weed, Gypsum Weed, Stink Weed, Loco Weed. It contains tropane alkaloids that are sometimes used as hallucinogen. Datura is woody-stalked, leafy herb growing up to 2 meters. It produces spiney seed pods and large white or purple trumpet shaped flowers that face upward. Most parts of the plant contain atropine, scopolmine, and hyoscyamine. The flowers open and close at irregular intervals during the evening, earning the plant the nickname Moonflower.
Datura has always been called "dark" and "evil" by those who would squelch indigenous practices of direct communication with divine power. Also, tropane rituals are frequently associated with nudity and "paganism", and early Christian sects were quick to point out the association with the "Horned God" of the hunt (by their accounts the evil satan devil). Incidentally, Huichol mythology contains the horned figure.. brother deer tail...who is intimately associated with Datura and Solandra.

Uses:

Datura is frequently used to aid in acquiring dream helper/guardian (often during puberty initiation), divination of illness, locating lost objects, gathering personal power, and various forms of "sorcery" including love magic and poisons. These uses are not unique to Datura or even solanaceous plants and in fact many diverse entheogenic plants find similar uses in varying cultures.

Problems:

Due to extremely high risk of overdose, many deaths and hospitalizations are reported from recreational use.

BELLADONNA-NIGHTSHADE

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:47:00 +0000

Description:

Deadly nightshade is a coarse herb with a thick, penetrating root. It has branched stems 2-5 feet tall. Its leaves are large, ovate, entire and alternately inserted but axillary buds develop rapidly so that the leaves appear to be inserted in pairs at the same point. Its solitary flowers are one inch long with five blunt points and dull purple color. The fruit is a purple to black berry.
A highly poisonous plant of the nightshade/potato/tomato family (Solanaceae) which contains many poisonous species, some of which are also sources of medicinally valuable chemicals called alkaloids. The particular alkaloid produced by deadly nightshade is atropine, which has several uses in medicine.
The rather dingy flowers of this plant are followed by rather luscious-looking (but deadly!) berries of an almost black colour when ripe. This plant is probably an ancient introduction into Ireland and is very rare in Northern Ireland, occurring only around one part of South Belfast.

Uses:

In ancient times, this plant was used to dilate women's pupils to make their eyes appear more beautiful.

Problems:

Deadly nightshade is mainly abused by humans for its hallucinogenic effects. It is one of the most common causes of poisonings in humans in Europe.

MIRABILIS JALAPA

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 09:34:00 +0000

Description:
Mirabilis jalapa (The four o'clock flower) is the most commony grown ornamental species of Mirabilis, and is available in a range of colours. Mirabilis in Latin means wonderful and Jalapa is a town in Mexico. Fragrant, 2-inch long flowers open in late afternoon and continue until morning when the flower closes up and dies. the blossoms are in shades of pink, white, red, yellow.
Mirabilis is an interesting family containing 350 species in 34 classifications. the wild four o'clock is a native of the Dakota prairies and has spread as a weed eastward to the Atlantic States. It was originally discovered by the French botanist Andre Michaux around 1972.
Uses:
The flowers are used in food colouring. The leaves may be eaten cooked as well, but only as an emergency food. An edible crimson dye is obtained from the flowers to colour cakes and jellies. In herbal medicine, parts of the plant may be used as diuretic, purgative, and for vulnerary (wound healing) purposes. The root is believed an aphrodisiac as well as diuretic and purgative. It is used in the treatment of dropsy. The leaves are used to reduce inflammation. A decoction of them (mashing and boiling) is used to treat abscesses. Leaf juice may be used to treat wound

Danger:
Powdered, the seed of some varieties is used as a cosmetic and a dye. The seeds are considered poisonous.

FLOWERS WISTERIA

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 12:51:00 +0000

Description:
Wisteria is a creeper plant originary by Cina, very hardy and long-lived, remarkable since the beginning of springtime for its intense and pleasant fragrance liberated by its lilac or white flowers gathered numerous on hanging bunches. On late summer a second reflorescence occurs, this time on a few isolated bunches. Toxic parts are root and seeds.

Flowers are cooked. They are thoroughly washed and then boiled or made into fritters. The flowers are also cured in sugar then mixed with flour made into a famous local delicacy called 'Teng Lo'. The leaves contain allantoic acid. They are used as a tea substitute. The young leaves have also been eaten.

Medicinal Uses:
The seed is diuretic. It is used in the treatment of heart ailments. One report says that the stems and flowers are also used in Chinese medicine.

Problems:
In case of ingestion, usually of seeds, the symptoms are characterized by a gastroenteritis: vomiting and abdominal pain with diarrhea; face congestion and pupillary dilatation.

ROSE FLOWER

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 12:30:00 +0000

Description:

Roses ancient symbols of Love and Beauty. The rose was sacred to a number of goddesses (including Isis and Aphrodite), and is often used as symbol of the Virgin Mary. The Rose is the National flower of England and the United States. It is also the provincial flower of Yorkshire and Lancashire in England (the white rose and red rose respectively).

A red rose is a symbol of socialism or social democracy: it is used as a symbol by British, Irish, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Brazilin, Dutch and other European labour, socialish or social democratic parties.

A bouquet of red roses is often used to show Love. It is used as a Valentine's Day gift in many countries.

Uses:

Attar of rose is the steam-extracted essential oil from rose flowers that has been used in perfumes for centuries. Rose water, made from the rose oil, is widely used in Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. The French are known for their rose syrup, most commonly made from an extract of rose petals. In the United States, this French rose syrup is used to make rose scones.

PEONY FLOWER

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:52:00 +0000

Description:

The Peony is named after Paeon or Paean, a student of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing. Asclepius became jealous of his pupil; Zeus saved paeon from the wrath of Asclepius by turning him into the Peony flower.

The famous ancient Chinese City Luoyang has a reputation as a cultivation centre for the Peonies. Throughout Chinese history, Peonies in Luoyang are often said to be the finest in the country. Dozens of Peony exhibitions and shows are still held thee annually.

In Japan, Paeonia lactiflora used to be called ebisugusuri("foreign medicine"). In kampo (the Japanese adaptation of Chinese medicine), its root was used as a treatment for convulsions. It is also cultivated as a garden plant. In Japan Paeonia suffruticosa is called the "The King of flowers" and Paeonia lactiflora is called the "Prime minister of flowers.

In 1957, the Indian General Assembly passed a law to make the Peony the state flower of Indiana, a title which it holds to this day. It replaced the Zinnia, which had been the state flower since 1931.

Peonies are also extensively grown as ornamental plants for their very large, often scented flowers. Peonies tend to attract ants to the flower buds. This is due to the nectar that forms on the outside of the flower buds. Peonies are a common subject in tattoos, often used along with Koi-fish.

PASSION FLOWER

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:51:00 +0000

Description:

It has a long vine which grows for 30 feet in length and bears alternate, serrate leaves with finely toothed lobes. The flowers are white with purple centers developing in the leaf axils, blooming from May to July. The fruit is a smooth, yellow, ovate berry containing numerous seeds.

Medicinal Parts:

Plant - dried, collected after some of the berries have natured

Flower - dried

Uses for Passion flower:

Passion flower has been used for anxiety, insomnia, restlessness, epilepsy, and other conditions of hyperactivity, as well as high blood pressure. Passion flower also is included in many pain formulas when discomfort is caused by muscle tension and emotional turmoil.

In Europe the flowers are added to numerous phamaceuticals to treat nerve disorders, heart palpitations, anxiety, and high blood pressure. Unlike most sedative drugs, passionflower has been shown to be nonaddictive, although it is not a strong pain reliever.

Passionflower Precautions and Warnings:

Passion flower is generally considered to be nontoxic when used in moderation. Many herbalists prescribe three or four cups a day without any problems reported. Do not take Passion flower if you are already taking prescription medication for anxiety or depression, as excessive sleepiness has been reported. Also be aware that Passion flower's close relative, blue Passion flower, should not be used, as it does not have the same activity.

Passion flower Side Effects:

Depression of the nervous system may result in fatigue and mental fogginess if you take too much Passion flower for too long. Start with a low dose several times a day and increase as you learn how you respond to Passion flower.

EPIPHYLLUM FLOWER

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:37:00 +0000

Description:

The Epiphyllum is known and cultivated for its beautiful and fragrant flower, which opens and closes in a single night. The common names "Night-Blooming Cereus" and "Queen of the Night" both refer to several different cacti. "Orchid Cactus" is also a common name for Epiphyllum.

Epiphyllum literally means "Upon the leaf", in reference to their habit of growing in the crowns of tall rainforest trees.

They share this unique habitat with other epiphytes, such as orchids and bromeliads, and serve as a home to all manner of small vertebrates and invertebrates. Long stems("runners") can snake through the forest canopy, producing flattened blade-like "leaves" along their length. If served, the runners have the ability to form new independent plants, provided some portion of them is gripping the host tree(and there is adequate moisture and nutrients).

Epiphyllums are very easy to grow. Propagation is primarily by vegetative cuttings, though new bybrids are produced from seed. Some people don't initially recognize epiphyllums as cacti because they lack the formidable arrays of spines often encountered in that family.

In the Republic of China, there, halfway around the world, the annual blossoming of the broad-leafed Epiphyllum brought together men and women who lived side by side and on top of one another.

DAHLIA FLOWER

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 06:13:00 +0000

Description:

Dahlia hybrids are commonly grown as garden plants. The Aztecs gathered and cultivated the dahlia for food, ceremony, as well as decorative purposes, and the long woody stem of one variety was used for small pipes.

The dahlia is also known as Tenjikubotan in Japanese, which literally means 'Peony of India'. According to the Japanese language of flowers, it means "Good Taste".

Dahlias grow best in full sun, although many varieties will tolerate light shade. They prefer a loamy soil with neutral or slightly acid pH and plendy of organic matter. They need constant moisture and good drainage. Dahlias can be propagated by dividing the tubers and by taking cuttings. It is also possible to grow dahlias from seed.

Uses:

Dahias are grown for every purpose from screens to pot plants. They are used in flower beds, as mass plantings, or as border plants. They also make excellent container plants. Many gardeners grow dahlias for cutting.

Problems:

Dahlias may have a problem with powdery mildew, especially in humid areas. They occasionally have viruses, crown gall, rotrot, or wilt. Aphids and leafhoppers are the most common pests.

LYCORIS FLOWER

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 05:37:00 +0000

Description:

Lycoris is an eastern Asian genus of Amaryllidaceae superficially resembling the South African Nerine and sometimes confused with it in the horticultural trade.

Various Lycoris species have been grown as ornamentals in China and Japan for many centuries, and now show much evidence of hybridisation and selection.

Cultivation and Uses:

Lycoris are extensively cultivated as ornamental plants in Japan and China, and also in other warm temperate regions of the world. In Japan, they are widely used at the edges of rice paddy fields to provide a strip of bright flowers in the summer and over 230 cultivars have been selected for garden use. They are locally naturalised in the southeastern United States, where they are often called hurricane flowers. Chinese people often use them as decorations in festivals or celebrations.

Some other legends have it that when you see someone that you may never meet again, these flowers, also called red spider lilies, would bloom along the path. Perhaps because of these sorrowful legends, Japanese people often use these flowers in funerals.

CANNON BALL FLOWER

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 05:21:00 +0000

Description:

The Cannon ball Tree flowers do not have nectar, so these flowers are mainly visited by bees in search of pollen. Both the fruit and the flower grow from stalks which sprout from the trunk of the tree. The Cannon ball Tree flowers are found on thick tangled extrusions that grow on the trunk of the tree, these are found just below the foliage branches. The tree gets its common name from the large, spherical fruits it produces. The fruit emits an unpleasant aroma when exposed to the air. Individual seeds within the "ball" are coated with hair, which is thought to protect for the seed when it is ingested and may also help in the passage of the seed through the intestines.

The trees are grown extensively in Shiva temples in India. It is called the 'Nagalingam' tree in Tamil. The flowers are called 'Shivalinga flowers', 'Nagalinga Pushpa' in Kannada, 'Nagamalli flowers' or 'Mallikarjuna flowers' in Telugu. It is considered a sacred tree among Hindus because the flower resembles a nagam or a sacred snake on the central large shiva lingam and numerous shivalingams around. In Bengali, it is called 'Nagkeshar'.

It looks like the hood of "Naga" the snake, and the inner part of it contains the lone female part, stigma, sitting inside, as if protected by this hood of Naga.

Medicinal Uses:

The Cannon ball tree possesses antibiotic, antifungal, antiseptic and analgesic qualities. The trees are used to cure colds and stomach aches. The juice made from the leaves is used to cure skin diseases, and the Shamans of South America have even used tree parts for treating malaria. The inside of the fruit can disinfect wounds and young leaves ease toothache.

LOTUS FLOWER

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:31:00 +0000

Description: The Lotus is a fresh-water plant that grows in semitropical climates. It originated in India and was brought to other countries. It originated in India and was brought to other countries. It is cultivated extensively in Southeast Asia, primarily for food, with much smaller amounts for herbal medicine. All parts of the plant are utilized.

The seeds are roasted or candied for eating directly; made into a paste for producing sauces and cake fillings; and cooked in soups, usually with chicken or beans.

Medicinal Uses of Lotus: Lotus seeds are classified as astringents, being sweet and neutral, and benefiting the spleen, kidney, and heart. The sweet taste and nourishing qualities of the seed are responsible for the benefit to the spleen; this helps stop diarrhea associated with qi deficiency. The astringent quality helps prevent loss of kidney essence, so the seeds are used to treat weak sexual function in men and leukorrhea in women.

The Lotus leaves are also bitter, but neutral, and are said to benefit the stomach, spleen, and liver. They are used for treatment of summer heat syndrome and dampness accumulation; they also contain the Lotus alkaloids with hypotensive effect.

Lotus stamen is sweet, astringent, and neutral, benefiting the heart and kidney; it is mainly used for preventing discharge, such as treatment of leukorrhea or for frequent urination.

PLUMERIA FLOWER

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:59:00 +0000

Common Name: Plumeria, and also Frangipani

Flower Color: Deep Reds through Yellows and Whites. Can have more than one tone.

Uses: Leis, Decorations, Fragrance, Landscaping

Description: The beautiful and exotic scented Plumeria can be found in tropical areas around the world as well as all around the coastline area of the Big Island.

The Plumeria is prized for both its fragrance, which ranges from sweet to spicy to citrus; its flowers for their beauty and strength and endurance. Its flowers are very often used in leis and hold up remarkably well as well as being quite intoxicating to constantly smell.

The Plumeria is a small tree with gnarled branches. It prefers full sunshine and not too much moisture, which explains why the Plumeria on the Kona side of the island tend to bloom more frequently than the Hilo side, where it is moister and cloudier.

Plumeria is seasonal and will drop its leaves during part of the year, though which part depends greatly on the specific Plumeria and its environment as it adapts to the local weather pattern. The colors of the Plumeria range from dark purple, through the reds, pinks, whites and yellow. The petal of the Plumeria is very soft and velvet in texture.

ANEMONES FLOWERS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:08:00 +0000

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Synonyms : Crowfoot, Windflower, SmellFox.

Parts Used : Root, Leaves, Juice.

Description: The Wood Anemone is one of the earliest spring flowers. It has a long, tough, creeping root-stock, running just below the surface; it is the quick growth of this root-stock that causes the plant to spread so rapidly, forming large colonies in the moist soil of wood and thicket.

The flower has no honey and little scent, and apparently relies little on the visits of insects for the fertilization of its one-celled seed-vessels, which are in form like those of the butter-cup, arranged in a mass in the centre of the many stamens, and are termed achenes.

Medicinal Action and Uses: Though this species of Anemone has practically fallen out of use, the older herbalists recommended application of various parts of the plant for headaches, tertian argues and rheumatic gout. Culpepper practically copies verbatim the some half-dozen uses of the Anemone that Gerard gives, Saying: "The body being bathed with the decoction of the leaves cures the leprosy: The leaves being stamped and the juice snuffed up the nose purgeth the head mightily; so doth the root, being chewed in the mouth, for it procureth much spitting and bringeth away many watery and phlegmatic humours, and is therefore excellent for the lethargy....Being made into an ointment and the eyelids annointed with it, it helps inflammation of the eyes. The same ointment is excellent good to cleanse malignant and corroding ulcers.

Culpepper also advises the roots to be chewed because it 'purgeth the head mightily'; he adds, 'And when all is done let physicians prate what they please, all the pills in the dispensary purge not the head like to hot things held in the mouth.'