The coconut tree is often called the tree of life due to its endless list of products that we can get from it. Let me have some of its many uses from roots up to its leaves.
1.Coconut roots & trunks. Medicine, beverages and dye stuff are obtained from the coconut roots. Out of its trunk, hardy and durable wood is obtained to make benches, tables, carvings, picture frames, tables, tool boxes and construction materials among many others. Paper pulp can also be extracted from the coconut trunk and other woody parts of the tree.
2.Coconut husk. The abundance of coconut husk’ fiber provides a stable supply for cottage industries that make brushes, doormats, carpets, bags, ropes, yarn fishing nets and mattresses.
3.Coconut shell. Coconut shell produces the core of the most saleable household products and fashion accessories, such as shell necklaces, shell bags, cigarette boxes, shell ladles, buttons, lamp shades, fruit and ash trays, guitars, placemats, coffee pots, sups, wind chimes and others.
4.Coconut fruit. Young coconut meat is often use for salad, sweets and pastries. A mature coconut fruit is also used for making special dishes. The “sport fruit” of the coconut is considered a delightful delicacy and largely used for making preserves and ice cream.
5.Coconut Meat. From the coconut meat, we can get coco flour, which can be used as wheat extender in baking products. Coconut meat can also be used to make desiccated coconut. Coconut milk which we get when we extract coconut meat is used many dishes and is a good source of protein. Coconut meat is also used to make chips, candies copra and animal feeds.
6.Coconut oil. Coconut oil retards aging. It counteracts heart, colon, pancreatic and liver tumor inducers. It is easy to digest. Coconut oil is also now used in the detergent industry. Other products from coco oil are soap, lard, coco chemicals, crude oil, pomade, shampoo, margarine, butter and cooking oil.
7.Coconut water. Uses of coconut water include making coconut water vinegar, coconut wine, and in the production of chewy, fiber rich “nata”, which is good as a dessert and as a laxative, as a growth factor and as a substitute for dextrose.
8.Coconut pitch. Can be used to make coco pickles, helmets, caps, wooden shoe straps, hand bags, fans, and picture and house décor like lamp shades.
9.Inflorescence. Out of the bud of the coconut tree’s inflorescence is a juice called coconut toddy. The fermented coconut toddy is used as a fresh beverage, for producing alcoholic beverages and vinegar, for making sugar, and as a source of yeast for making bread.
10.Coconut leaves. Coconut leaves produce good quality paper pulp, midrib brooms, hats and mats, fruit trays, waste baskets, fans, beautiful midrib decors, lamp shades, placemats, bags and utility roof materials.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
The Botanists: Who are they?
People who study and work with plants are called botanist. They study how plants work and what they do to stay alive. They even observe how plants grow, make food, and reproduce. They also study how plants get water and other nutrients from the soil. But do you know that there are different kinds of botanists? Let us meet them!
Botanist who are interested in different kinds of plants and how they are grouped are called morphologist. Morphologists also study the cells and tissues that make up the plants.
There are over 270,000 different kinds of plants and each one has its own unique name. If our parents gave us names, then plants also get theirs from a plant taxonomist, who names plants and group them together.
There are also plant ecologists, who study the relationship between plants and their home. They are very much interested in plant habitats and they find out how plants interact with other plants and animals as well.
Plant geographers study the places where plants live. They discover the reasons why certain types of plants grow in a particular place.
Studying the different uses of plants is the work of agronomist. They try to improve the quality of crop plants.
Foresters, on the other hand, study trees and how they can be used to make things out of it like lumber, paper, and other products.
Horticulturists grow fruits, vegetables, flowers, and ornamental shrubs and trees.
Lastly, medical botanists look for ways to use plants to cure illnesses.
Botanist work for government agencies or private companies. They can work as research scientists, laboratory technicians and field botanists.
Botanist who are interested in different kinds of plants and how they are grouped are called morphologist. Morphologists also study the cells and tissues that make up the plants.
There are over 270,000 different kinds of plants and each one has its own unique name. If our parents gave us names, then plants also get theirs from a plant taxonomist, who names plants and group them together.
There are also plant ecologists, who study the relationship between plants and their home. They are very much interested in plant habitats and they find out how plants interact with other plants and animals as well.
Plant geographers study the places where plants live. They discover the reasons why certain types of plants grow in a particular place.
Studying the different uses of plants is the work of agronomist. They try to improve the quality of crop plants.
Foresters, on the other hand, study trees and how they can be used to make things out of it like lumber, paper, and other products.
Horticulturists grow fruits, vegetables, flowers, and ornamental shrubs and trees.
Lastly, medical botanists look for ways to use plants to cure illnesses.
Botanist work for government agencies or private companies. They can work as research scientists, laboratory technicians and field botanists.
Plant Groupings
A rose, lotus, orchid, banana, and pechay are all plants. These plants may look different from one another but, if you study them closely, you will find that they have some similarities. For example, a banana plant looks different from a pechay plant, but if you study their stems closely, you will find some similarities. One way to study plants is to group them according to their characteristics which are similar. Find out how plants may be grouped.
Generally, plants are grouped according to kind of leaves, roots and stems, and whether they have seed or not.
You see moss and liverwort on damp rocks and in other moist places. They multiply with the help of tiny structures called spores. They have parts that work like roots, leaves and stems. Ferns and horsetails have true roots, leaves and stems. You find them in moist shaded places. They also multiply with the help of spores. Instead of spores, flowering plants and conifers have seeds. Flowering plants have seeds in fruits. Conifers have seeds between the scales of a cone.
Plants differ in size and in hardness of stems. Big plants with one large woody trunk such as mango are called trees. Other examples are coconut, guava, acacia, narra and pine trees. Shorter plants with several woody stems arising from the ground are called shrubs. Examples are rose, san Francisco, gumamela and santan. Herbs are small plants with soft stems. Examples includes pechay, tomato, cleus and amaryllis. Plants with very long stems that cling to walls, rocks and tress are known as vines. Example are squash, pomelo, yellow bell and bitter gore.
Plants can be group according to where they live. Aerial plants hang on trees or any other support. Their roots absorb moisture from the air. Examples are orchids. Terrestrial plants or land plants like trees, shrubs and grasses live on land. Terrestrial plants can be further classified based on where you find them such as in desserts, grasslands or forests. Aquatic plants or water plants live in water. Examples are water lily, water lettuce and water hyacinth.
Now that you know what are the different plant groups, you may start grouping your plants on your garden or your surroundings and see how exciting it will be.
Generally, plants are grouped according to kind of leaves, roots and stems, and whether they have seed or not.
You see moss and liverwort on damp rocks and in other moist places. They multiply with the help of tiny structures called spores. They have parts that work like roots, leaves and stems. Ferns and horsetails have true roots, leaves and stems. You find them in moist shaded places. They also multiply with the help of spores. Instead of spores, flowering plants and conifers have seeds. Flowering plants have seeds in fruits. Conifers have seeds between the scales of a cone.
Plants differ in size and in hardness of stems. Big plants with one large woody trunk such as mango are called trees. Other examples are coconut, guava, acacia, narra and pine trees. Shorter plants with several woody stems arising from the ground are called shrubs. Examples are rose, san Francisco, gumamela and santan. Herbs are small plants with soft stems. Examples includes pechay, tomato, cleus and amaryllis. Plants with very long stems that cling to walls, rocks and tress are known as vines. Example are squash, pomelo, yellow bell and bitter gore.
Plants can be group according to where they live. Aerial plants hang on trees or any other support. Their roots absorb moisture from the air. Examples are orchids. Terrestrial plants or land plants like trees, shrubs and grasses live on land. Terrestrial plants can be further classified based on where you find them such as in desserts, grasslands or forests. Aquatic plants or water plants live in water. Examples are water lily, water lettuce and water hyacinth.
Now that you know what are the different plant groups, you may start grouping your plants on your garden or your surroundings and see how exciting it will be.
Basic Plant Parts
Mica visited Aida one afternoon. He waited for Aida in the garden. While waiting, he looked around and observed the plants. Mica noticed the big mango tree. Beside it is a mango seedling. He noticed that plants have different parts. Pull out a small weed in your garden. The different parts of the weed you are holding are the same as the parts of the other plants.
A young plant has a different set of parts compared to a mature plant. Like our body, a plant is made up of parts, too. These parts work together to keep the plant healthy. As a plant grows or matures, it develops other parts. Some plants do not develop a trunk. They only have stems like the tomato plant.
All parts of a plant are important to the plant’s growth and development. Take a look at the parts of a plant and their functions.
The roots of a plant absorb water and nutrients from the soil. The roots also anchor the plant to the soil. The stems hold the leaves. Water and nutrients are distributed to all the parts of the plant through the stems. The trunk of trees hold the stems. In the leaves, the plant uses water and air to make its own food and to grow. The leaves make food with the help of a green pigment, or coloring matter, called chlorophyll. Some plants bear flower that develop into fruits. Fruits contain seeds, which can grow into new plants. Flower attack insects and birds by their color, their sweet smell or nectar. These animals help “pollinate” flowers. A flower is said to be pollinated when pollen grains (of that kind of flower) reach it. Pollination helps the flower make seeds. A fruit is a special part of any flowering plant. After a flower has been pollinated, it becomes a fruit. Seeds are found inside the fruit. The fruit protects the seeds and holds them there until they are easy to get out and grow into new plants. A seed carries a baby plant. It has stored food for this tiny plant. The shape of the seed helps this baby plant to travel to places where it can grow.
The different parts of a plant work together to make the plant grow.
A young plant has a different set of parts compared to a mature plant. Like our body, a plant is made up of parts, too. These parts work together to keep the plant healthy. As a plant grows or matures, it develops other parts. Some plants do not develop a trunk. They only have stems like the tomato plant.
All parts of a plant are important to the plant’s growth and development. Take a look at the parts of a plant and their functions.
The roots of a plant absorb water and nutrients from the soil. The roots also anchor the plant to the soil. The stems hold the leaves. Water and nutrients are distributed to all the parts of the plant through the stems. The trunk of trees hold the stems. In the leaves, the plant uses water and air to make its own food and to grow. The leaves make food with the help of a green pigment, or coloring matter, called chlorophyll. Some plants bear flower that develop into fruits. Fruits contain seeds, which can grow into new plants. Flower attack insects and birds by their color, their sweet smell or nectar. These animals help “pollinate” flowers. A flower is said to be pollinated when pollen grains (of that kind of flower) reach it. Pollination helps the flower make seeds. A fruit is a special part of any flowering plant. After a flower has been pollinated, it becomes a fruit. Seeds are found inside the fruit. The fruit protects the seeds and holds them there until they are easy to get out and grow into new plants. A seed carries a baby plant. It has stored food for this tiny plant. The shape of the seed helps this baby plant to travel to places where it can grow.
The different parts of a plant work together to make the plant grow.
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