So having been giving you weekly facts for the past eight weeks here is the entire collection so far in one big list incase you missed any fascinating facts.
With us being close to the end of the week, our brains are tired, were looking forward to the weekend and in need of some mental stimulation. Here are some facts, figures, challenges and general fun to keep us all occupied for one more day.
Did you know?
- Plants have a hardiness rating of 0-12 depending on the temperatures they can survive up to. For a rating of zero plants can survive below –51.1oC, some examples of Zone 1 plants which can survie to –45.6oC:
Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen)
Potentilla pensylvanica (Pennsylvania cinquefoil)
Rhododendron lapponicum (Lapland rhododendron)
Salix reticulata (netleaf willow)
- There are plants which do not need sunlight to grow. These non-photosynthetic flowering plants are parasitic on fungus or other plants, but can grow in dark and crowded environments.
- Alternatively there are fungi which can glow in the dark such as the Jack O’Lantern mushroom and ghost fungus
- There are techniques called hydroponics which allow you to grow plants without any soil. Instead they grow in a water and nutrient solution.
- Did you know the top five best selling flowers in the UK are:
- Carnation
- Rose
- Lily
- Chrysanthemum
- Daffodil / Narcissus
- And the top 5 best selling house plants are:
- Orchid
- Chrysanthemum
- Poinsettia
- Cyclamen
- Spring bulbs
- House plants have proven research that shows they greatly improve the health and well of those that are around them. They do this through:-
-
- Remove harmful chemicals from the air such as varnishes, new carpets, MDF and furniture.
- Lessen dust in the home
- Lower blood pressure, help concentration and improve memory.
- Promote feelings of relaxation and well-being.
- The world’s largest orchid is the Giant Orchid, Grammatophyllum speciosum. The largest one ever grown was recorded at the 1851 exhibition at Crystal Palace weighing in at 2 tonnes. Each off shoot can grow up to 3m in length and bearing up to eighty flowers each 10 cm so a the orchid off 2 tonnes had over 10,000 flowers.
- One of the rarest flowers in the world is the Middlemist Red which is found in only two locations in the world, a green house in the UK and a garden in New Zealand.
- The worlds smallest flowering plant is the Wolffia measuring only 0.9mm and 0.5mm wide
- Broccoli is the only vegetable which is a flower.
- New research into the ultimate non-stick frying pan produced the Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surface coating (SLIP) which is based on research into the structure of the carnivourous pitcher plant.
- In Feng shui, followers believe that chrysanthemum bring happiness to the home.
- Some species of bamboo have been measure to grow at a rate of 4 feet in 24 hours.
- Bamboo has been measured to have a tensile strength superior to steel capable of withstanding 52,000 pounds psi and a weight to strength ratio better than graphite.
- Bamboo isn’t actually a tree, it’s a type of long grass that has very similar properties to a tree
- Because Bamboo is a grass it can be cut and will continue to grow much like your grass at home.
- 84% of a raw apple and 96% of a raw cucumber is water!
- Nutmeg is far more dangerous than you think. Incredibly toxic if injected intravenously, excessive consumption can also have deadly consequences as well as cause hallucinations, nauseam dehydration and generalised body pain. It contains Myristicin a natural organic compound that has neroutoxic effects and psychoactive properties.
- No plant whether it has been grown naturally or artificially has a flower or blossom that is absolutely black.
- Onions have been shown to have health benefits beyond just being a vegetable. They have been shown to contain a mild antibiotic to help burns, bites, stings and itches. It also contains chemicals shown to low chances of certain cancers and reduces blood pressure.
- The worlds Biggest strawberry tart as named by the inhabitants of Vergt a small village in the heart of the Dordogne strawberry growing region measured 3 metres in diameter and was the highlight of this years Vergt Strawberry Festival
- Before modern materials became available life jackets use to be made out of dried sunflower stalks.
- Sunflowers can also be used in the clean up of radioactive waste as demonstrated by the cleanup efforts of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Their roots are capable of absorbing 95% of caesium and strontium in contaminated water.
- Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, is paid one daffodil a year as rent for the unattended land of the Isles of Scilly. The local Environmental Trust makes payment.
- In the 19th century old scented roses were used to make jelly.
Jokes
Why did the Fungi leave the party?
Highlight below text to see answer
There wasn't mushroom.
Why did the Mushroom get invited to all the parties?
Highlight below text to see answer
'Cuz he's a fungi!
Q: What do you call a stupid flower? (Highlight text below)
A: A blooming idiot.
Fruity: Why was the strawberry worried?
Tooty: Ummm, I don't know! WHY?
Fruity: His Mom and Dad were in a jam!
____________________________________________________
While attending a Marriage Seminar dealing with communication, Tom and his wife Grace listened to the instructor, "It is essential that husbands and wives know the things that are important to each other."
He addressed the man, "Can you describe your wife's favourite flower?"
Tom leaned over, touched his wife's arm gently and whispered, "It's self-rising, isn't it?"
The rest of the story gets rather ugly, so I'll stop right here.
What do you get if you divide the circumference
of a pumpkin by its diameter?
(To see the answer highlght the text below)
Pumpkin pi.
What do you get if you cross a dog with a daisy?
(To see the answer highlght the text below)
A colli-flower.
Brian Teaser
Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables?
Highlight below text to see answer
Asparagus and rhubarb.
I can take the shape of an animal.
I can take the shape of a plant.
I and my many brothers, together, we take different shapes, to build different shapes, who together build different shapes.
We can take the shape of an animal.
We can take the shape of a plant.
Highligh text below for answer
A Cell
I went to the garden and got it, when I came into the house I cried because of it.
(Highlight text below for answer)
Onion
There was a green house.
Inside the green house there was a white house
Inside the white house there was a red house.
Inside the red house there were lots of babies.
(Highlight the text below for the answer)
A Watermellon
What lives in winter, dies in summer and grows with its root upward?
(To see the answer highlght the text below)
An icicle
What runs but never gets tired?
(To see the answer highlght the text below)
Water
