Wheat is the most widely grown plant in the world. It has been cultivated for more than 7,000 years in every continent except Antarctica.
The compass plant (Silphium laciniatum) is so-called because its lower leaves tend to line up in a north-south direction.
Botanically, there is no such thing as a pumpkin. Pumpkins are certain varieties of squash, which through local traditions and use, have come to be called pumpkins. Squash and pumpkins belong to the family 'Cucurbitaceae', which also contains cucumbers, melons and gourds.
The onion is a lily, botanically. Asparagus is also a member of the lily family. The name "asparagus" comes from a Greek word meaning "sprout".
The eggplant is a member of the potato family, and is also known as a
garden egg, melanzana or aubergine.
A tomato is a fruit, but it is legally known as a vegetable. In 1893, a case went before the US Supreme Court about importing
tomatoes from the West Indies. Fruits could be imported tax-free,
vegetables couldn’t. Since tomatoes were eaten with main dishes and
not as desserts, the Court ruled them to be a vegetable.
There are more than 1,000 varieties of tomatoes currently being grown in the U.S.
The average American eats 13 pounds of tomatoes a year (plus 20 pounds a year in the form of ketchup, salsa, soup, and BBQ sauce).
The biggest tomato on record weighed in at a hefty 7 pounds 12 ounces. It was grown by Gordon Graham of Oklahoma.
Cool as a cucumber? It's true ... the inside of a cucumber on the vine measures as much as 20 degrees cooler than the outside air on a warm day.
Asparagus and rhubarb are the only vegetables that can reproduce on
their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be
replanted every year.
Potatoes are the most popular vegetable among Americans. Second and
third place go to head lettuce and onions.
The Daisy got its name because the yellow center resembled the sun. It was commonly known as the "day's eye" and over time, was eventually called daisy.
The world's largest flower, Rafflesia, can measure up to three feet across.
One
tree can remove 26 pounds of carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere annually, equaling 11,000 miles of
car emissions. Landscape plants, such as shrubs
and turf, remove smoke, dust, and other pollutants
from the air. One study showed that 1 acre of trees
has the ability to remove 13 tons of particles and
gases annually.
The "Fireweed" was the first plant to bloom in areas that
were destroyed by the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens.
The Saguaro Cactus, found in the Southwestern United States, doesn't grow branches until it is 75 years old.
If a spider dismantles her web, that means a bad storm is near.
Fire ants mate while flying. An average colony of fire ants has approximately 250,000 to 300,000 ants. Queens, which live from five to seven years, can lay up to 2,000 eggs per day. ~ Active Info Brochure
If caterpillars are seen in late fall, predict a mild winter.
The Monarch Butterfly will only lay its eggs on the milkweed plant, and the milkweed is the only plant the caterpillars will feed on.
A Humming bird is the only bird known that can fly backwards.
The average Humming bird weighs less than a penny.
A hummingbird will feed at over 1,500 flowers in an average day.
A snail can sleep for 3 years.
A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.
Only female mosquitoes bite and drink blood. Male mosquitoes do not bite; they are vegetarians, and feed on the nectar of flowers.
Mosquito repellents don't actually repel. The spray blocks the mosquito's sensors
so they don't know you're there.
Mosquitoes are attracted to the color blue more than any other color.
The smallest mammal in the world is Thailand’s Kitti’s hog-nosed bat, which
is about the size of a bumblebee. One bat can catch over 1,000 mosquitoes
in an hour.
Wood Frogs freeze during the winter and thaw again
in the spring to begin breeding.
The city of Mt. Vernon, Washington ... grows more tulips than the
entire country of Holland.
Eighty percent of the world's rose species come from Asia.
Bananas are considered the world's largest herb. They are related to the lily and orchid family.
Rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme and marjoram all belong to the
mint plant family.
Every plant in Tomorrowland at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, is edible.
The "Easter rabbit" was a sacred companion of Eostre, the Northern
Goddess of Spring. Easter was traditionally a time of rejoicing that
growing things were reborn in spring.
Babe Ruth wore a cabbage leaf under his cap to keep cool.
He changed it every two innings.
And just for fun ...
Bulb: potential flower buried in Autumn, never to be seen again.
- Henry Beard
A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill
except for learning how to grow in rows.
- Doug Larson
Hoeing: A manual method of severing roots from stems
of newly planted flowers and vegetables.
- Henry Beard
Crabgrass can grow on bowling balls in airless rooms, and there is no known way to kill it that does not involve nuclear weapons.
- Dave Barry
Gardening is medicine that does not need
a prescription ... and with no limit on dosage.
- Author unknown