LAB #3 - Flowers, and Shrubs, and Trees - OH MY!!!!

Our nature walk around campus was very interesting...even though it was a sunny, HOT day! I learned a lot about the plant life around campus, and will probably never look at the landscaping on campus the same!!! Here is my report on 15 plants, trees, shrubs, flowers that we identified and talked about! I will identify the Genus and Species, and then provide a brief description and perhaps a little known fact about them...well little known for everyone - except probably for our Professor!...... Dr. Rood, you know waaaaaayyy too much!!!! (smiles)

1.) GINKGO BILOBA
These are large trees, reaching up to 66=115 ft, but in China, there are some that reach 165 ft. There are GIRL Ginkgo's and BOY Ginkgo's. The Girls do not produce cones, and they STINK! (contain Butanoic Acid). There are some trees living at Temples in China that are believed to be 1,500 years old!
CONSERVATION STATUS: Endangered

  

2.) ALOE VERA
I thought it was very interesting that there would be Aloe Vera growing on campus! Our family have grown and used Aloe Vera for years - primarily for medicinal purposes. It works too! I've used it on scabs to help with healing, and especially on burns - to help sooth, and also for its healing properties. There are over 400 species of Aloe. The genus is native to Africa. Many species are stemless, and grow directly from ground level.
CONSERVATION STATUS: Not Threatened
      

3.) PHLOX PANICULATA (Garden Phlox)
There are 67 different species of the perennial and flowering plant. Most are found in North America. The flowers can be blue, pink, purple and even white....many are fragrant. They can bloom in spring, summer and fall - pretty cool! These are a popular food source for groundhogs, rabbits and deer. Great for landscaping :)
CONSERVATION STATUS: Doing Well. Not Endangered



4.)LAGERSTROEMIA INDICA (Crepe Myrtle)
These are really pretty. This tree is native to China, Korea, and Japan. It is a multi-stemmed tree that has a wide-spreading, flat top, and has an open habitat when mature. The bark is pinkish-grey, and mottled...shedding each year.Many Hybrid Cultivars have been developed. It is a pretty ornamental tree. Found in the South East, from Texas to the Atlantic coast.You can train this to be a shrub (bush) or a tree...
CONSERVATION STATUS: ??
         

5.)  RUELLIA BRITTONIANA (Mexican Petunia)
I found out interesting facts about this plant from The University of Florida's sitehttp://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/380
This is what they say about Mexican Petunias:

Mexican petunia is another example of plant that is being sold over the internet and in garden centers as a flowering plant or “handy perennial edging plant for flower beds and as colorful groundcovers”. The problem is that the Mexican petunia is highly invasive and is listed as a Category 1 invasive species by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council. Mexican petunia received this classification because of its invasion and distribution within native plant communities. Mexican petunia can thrive in a range of environments, including flatwoods, hardwood hammocks, prairies, rivers and pastures. The cultivars available for sale in the trade have been selected for their flower color or size (tall or dwarf), however there have been very few research projects dedicated to determining the invasive characteristics of the cultivated varieties.




6.) RHODODENDRON AZALEA (Pentanthera)
Azaleas have been bred for hundreds of years.They are native to several continents including Asia, Europe and North America. They are slow growing and don't need much fertilizer.Planted alot as ornamentals in Southeastern states in America. Human selection has produced over 10,000 different cultivars of this plant/flower.

     

7.) LOROPETALUM CHINENSE("Fringe Flower")
These plants are easy to grow and are great in gardens.Some varieties grow to be large shrubs or small trees.Great for Georgia because it is heat tolerant and drought tolerant. They are native to Southeastern Asia, China and Japan. The flowers are produced in clusters. This is very pretty. I like them alot :) It has a spreading form that may reach a height of 12 ft and width of about 6-7 ft.



8. BRUGMANSIA AUREA ("Angel Trumpet")
This is one of the seven species of this genus. I could not remember what color we saw on campus, so I copied the Yellow flower. I do remember one important fact - DO NOT EAT THEM - They will kill you!!! The plant contains dangerous levels of poison, that can kill humans, pets, livestock. They do have an attractive scent, though.They bloom in late spring and continue into fall. Several hybrids have been cultivated for ornamental plants. This plant is native to the subtropics of South America (Columbia, Chile, Brazil)
CONSERVATION STATUS: The Aurea species is Vulnerable right now.
 

9.) OPHIOPOGON JAPONICUS ("Monkey Grass")
It is often referred to as a weed, but it is not classified as one.It is easy to grow, maintain, and survives in many different climates. This plant is native to Japan. It is a known as an ornamental plant providing excellent ground cover. Chinese medicine quotes that this plant can be used for dry cough, constipation, and stomach problems.
    

10.) MAGNOLIA "Magnolia Tree"
Magnolia has about 210 flowering species.There are about 80 different species of magnolia that are native to the eastern United States and southeastern Asia. Over half of these are in cultivation around the world and many selections and hundreds of named hybrids have been made by breeders seeking better features. Many are everygreen and attractive all year round. The flowers smell SOOO good. When we lived in Hawaii, I used to love to just walk by one - because the perfume in the air was just wonderful - and in Hawaii they are in bloom all year! :)
MAGNOLIA VIRGINIANA pictured below:


        

11.) QUERCUS PHELLO ("Willow Oak")
This tree is also known as peach oak, pin oak, and swamp chestnut oak, grows on a variety of moist alluvial soils, commonly on lands along water courses. Seed production does not start until the tree is about 20 years old. It grows 40-120 feet, and about 35 ft across. This Oak looks different from other oaks because of it's leaves.Instead of having wide leaves with lobes-Willow oak has slender leaves like a willow.Oak has many  
  nt from oaks because of its leaves. Instead of having wide leaves with lobes, Willow Oak has many slen
12.) TOXICODENDRON RADICANS  ("Poison Ivy")
Native to North America, plant that is well known for its production of "urushiol", a clear liquid compound found in its' sap that causes an itching rash in most people who touch it. It grows throughout most of North America, including Canada. Normally found in wooded areas, but can also grow in open, exposed areas.The following four characteristics are sufficient to identify poison ivy in most situations: (a) clusters of three leaves, (b) alternate leaf arrangement, (c) lack of thorns and (d) each group of three leaves grows on its own stalk which connects with the main vine. STAY AWAY :) I've included a pictures of the nastu blisters you can get from exposure to Poison Ivy
  

13. HYDRANDGEA ARBORESCENS "ANNABELLE"
The Annabelle is the best known variety of Hydrangea Arborescens.It produces beautiful white blooms that get to 10" in diameter. Other varieties (Macrophyllas) have pink, blue or purple blooms. Hydrangea are great because they bloom even after severe pruning or after a harsh winter or cold season. They are native to southern and eastern Asia, as well as North and South America. Of course, they are ornamental. In Japan they use the leaves to make a sweet herbal tea

14. NANDINA DOMESTICA ("Heavenly Bamboo")
This plant is a suckering shrub in the Barberry family, Berberidaceae. It is a monotypic genus, with this species as its only member. It is native to eastern Asia from the Himalaya east to Japan. Despite it's common name, it is not a bamboo at all. The leaves are evergreen. The leaves are bright red in spring before turning green. The fruit is a bright red berry. I found Interesting info on its' toxicity:
All parts of the plant are poisonous, containing Hydrocyanic acid, and could potentially be fatal if ingested. The plant is placed in Toxicity Category 4, the category "generally considered non-toxic to humans," however, the berries are considered toxic to cats and grazing animals. The berries also contain alkaloids such as nantenine, which is used in scientific research as an antidote to MDMA. Birds are not affected by these toxins and will disperse the seeds through their droppings.


15.CASTANEA MOLLISSIMA ("Chinese Chestnut Tree")
The Chinese Chestnut (native to China) is currently planted as a replacement for the American Chestnut, which was obliterated by blight in the 1900s.The Chinese Chestnut serves both as an ornamental dark-green shade tree and as a less-risky nut producer, providing its caretaker with pounds of sweet chestnuts to roast, puree, boil and even make gluten-free flour out of. This all-purpose deciduous tree is blight-resistant and prefers moist, acidic, well-drained soils in full sun, but can manage in dry soils of varying pH; hot, arid climates are OK as well.