Angiosperms and Gymnosperms Trivia

1. Nepeta is a genus of flowering plants within the family Lamiaceae that secretes a compound called nepetalactone. What does nepetalactone do? (Ask Sylvester if you're stumped!)

From Quiz Once Upon a Thyme

Answer: Makes cats euphoric

Nepeta is the genus of over 250 catnip or catmint plants. Apart from its strange powers over cats, catnip is harmless to humans and other animals. It can be made into a relaxing tea. (By the way, "Sylvester" is a well known cartoon cat.)

From Quiz A Partridge in a Pear Tree

Answer: California

Its nickname is Methuselah and in 2012 was estimated to be 4843 years old. Pinus Longaeva, which is a bristlecone pine tree was estimated by experts to be the oldest tree in the world and is in the Californian Inyo National Forest. Its whereabouts are kept secret for fear of vandalism and disturbance of the ecosystem. Prior to Methuselah, another bristlecone pine tree named Prometheus, estimated to be in excess of 5000 years old, came to a tragic end in 1964 when a geography student named Donald Currey was given permission to cut down an old tree for his research. Unfortunately, he chose poor old Prometheus!

From Quiz Not Just For Decoration

Answer: Poison hemlock

Poison hemlock thrives in damp ground and thus can often be found near streams or near roads. Although it is native to Europe it has found its way all around the world, and every part of it is toxic to humans to some degree when ingested. It should not be mistaken for water hemlock (cicuta), which, although similarly named, has different toxic components. Poison hemlock's main chemical, coniine, causes paralysis by acting on the brain and blocking neural pathways which trigger muscular movements. This can eventually affect and block the respiratory system and cardiac systems and become fatal - if we cannot breathe or circulate blood, we will die. However, if caught reasonably quickly, it can be treated by flushing the gastrointestinal system and administering activated charcoal. Socrates' famous poisoning is a well-known story. It is said that he, as a moral and social critic, disagreed with the Athenian political system at the time. He believed he was wiser than the general Athenian populace because he knew he was ignorant, and claimed they did not, which inspired their ire. For this and his beliefs on religion, he was tried and sentenced to death by majority vote. Although it is believed he could have escaped death, as his comrades could have broken him free, it is said he embraced it, freely drinking the concoction of poison hemlock that gradually numbed his body and sent him to the grave.

From Quiz Fun Fig Facts

Answer: Ficus carica

There are over 800 species of figs.

From Quiz Name That Fruit -- Botanically Speaking

Answer: caryopsis

A caryopsis is a dry fruit (a fruit with a hard texture) that is indehiscent (fruit does not open when it matures) and is composed of a single carpel (female reproductive organ of the flower) in which the pericarp (tissue surrounding the seed) sticks tightly to the seed. Wheat and rice are other plants that have caryopsis fruits.

From Quiz I Hate Blackberries!

Answer: Mexico

Himalayan blackberry prefers wet soils, so the Pacific Northwest in the US has the most gigantic infestations. But many other areas and countries have been invaded as well, including New Zealand, Australia, South America, South Africa and parts of Asia.

From Quiz All About Bamboo

Answer: A Grass

Bamboos belong to the taxonomic family Gramineae (grasses), sub-family Bambusoideae (bamboo). Just imagine, 40 metre-tall grass!

From Quiz Field Crops

Answer: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium

Nitrogen,Phosphorus, Potassium are the three main elements in fertilizer and in the soil required for plant growth. When buying fertilizer a farmer will order based on his N.P.K. requirements.

From Quiz British Flowers: Historical Culinary Uses

Answer: Clover

They were also used to formulate a syrup to relieve whooping cough.

From Quiz Leaves

Answer: kudzu

It is also used for cattle food and compost.

From Quiz Redwood Adaptations

Answer: Sequoia sempervirens

The Metasequoia glyptostroboides is the scientific name for the Dawn redwood, the Sequoiadendron giganteum is the scientific name for the Giant sequoia, and Giganteus sequoius is something I made up to be obnoxious. Ain't I a stinker?

From Quiz Seedy Section of the Forest

Answer: gymnosperms

The word 'gymnosperm' is derived from the Greek: 'gymno,' naked, and 'sperm,' seed.

From Quiz A Partridge in a Pear Tree

Answer: Baobab

The Baobab tree, Latin name Adansonia digitata, which is widely grown throughout many countries in Africa, is known as the "upside down tree" because of its strange way of growing. It is deciduous and when it is bare of leaves, the branches look like roots growing up in the air. The baobab produces fruits which contain an edible pulp known as monkey bread. The height of the Baobab ranges from 5 metres to 20 metres and the hollow trunks have been known to have been used as prisons, housing, storage barns, bus shelters and even "Loos with Views".

From Quiz Not Just For Decoration

Answer: Oleander

Despite its toxicity, this plant was, perhaps surprisingly, reported to be the cause of 'only' three human deaths between 1985 and 2005. Nonetheless, it can cause unpleasant symptoms such as vomiting, circulatory problems and irregular heartbeat. Plus, it is reported to have an acrid, unappealing taste, so it is not a gastronomic pleasure to consume. However, it's not all bad news - the plant has been considered for use in treating certain cardiac conditions such as atrial fibrillation, and it has been used as a folk medicine for many years. In addition, oleander can make an aesthetically appealing ornamental shrub, as long as it is handled with care.

From Quiz Fun Fig Facts

Answer: cat urine

This smell helps to attract fig eating bats and birds.

From Quiz The Universal Language of Plant Names

Answer: caerulea

The other options are: aurea - yellow, e.g. golden bamboo (Phyllostachis aurea); phoenicea - purple or scarlet, e.g. scarlet gum (Eucalyptus phoenicea) and viridis - green, e.g. green hellebore (Helleborus viridis)

From Quiz Name That Fruit -- Botanically Speaking

Answer: achene

An achene, like a caryopsis, is a dry fruit that is indehiscent and composed of a single carpel. Unlike a caryopsis, the pericarp does not stick to the seed. Sunflowers also have achene fruits.

From Quiz I Hate Blackberries!

Answer: Armenia

One of several scientific names that has been given to the Himalayan blackberry is Rubus armeniacus, due to its origins. It's more often referred to as Rubus discolor, and occasionally Rubus procerus.

From Quiz Plants in the Family Ancardiaceae

Answer: Arizona

Although Arizona is typically thought of as a desert, there are lots of areas where poison ivy can flourish that are not desert.

From Quiz Name That Fruit!

Answer: hesperidium

A hesperidium is a specialized or modified berry with an oily, leathery skin.

From Quiz All About Bamboo

Answer: Asia

Bamboo grows on all the world's continents with the exception of Antarctica, and will flourish in areas with as little as 750 or as great as 6000 millimetres of annual rainfall. They also seem unconcerned by altitude, with some species being found 4000 metres above sea level, in the Andes and Himalayas.

From Quiz Herbal Terminology

Answer: the tip

Plants dry best in the shade and in stable temperatures. While many people hang their plants upside down to dry (with the apex pointing down), it is not necessary.

From Quiz Field Crops

Answer: Organic Matter

A soil with good organic matter is more fertile. As organic matter breaks down it releases nutrients for the plants. Also a soil with good organic matter content will have lots of worms that help to break down the organic matter.

From Quiz British Flowers: Historical Culinary Uses

Answer: Sainfoin

Culpeper particularly recommended the drink, as Sainfoin was said to increase the milk yield in cattle that had eaten it! The name Sainfoin comes from the French, sain meaning 'wholesome' and foin meaning 'hay'.

From Quiz Leaves

Answer: grape

Stuffed grape leaves with rice, pine nuts, raisins, onions, herbs and meat (but not in my house) Yummy!

From Quiz Redwood Adaptations

Answer: Fairy ring

Pretty cool, huh? When a redwood dies, (of natural or not so natural causes) the roots grow into new trees, creating what is dubbed a fairy ring around the site of the original tree. Visit a redwood forest sometime and check out these beautiful natural cathedrals. Redwoods also reproduce in other ways. They have seed-bearing cones like other coniferous trees. (hence the name CONiferous) Also, they can reproduce through burl. Burl is a growth on the side of a redwood tree that holds all of the 'blueprints', if you will, for a new tree. Tourist shops will sell burl that need only be placed in water to sprout. So you can have your own little redwood tree. These trees won't last very long in the wrong climate, though, so buyer beware.

From Quiz The Importance of Trees

Answer: trees absorb carbon dioxide and water

Through the process of photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide and water and emit oxygen.

From Quiz A Partridge in a Pear Tree

Answer: Hyperion

The Hyperion is a coast redwood and was discovered in 2006 by Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor in the Redwood National Park in California. The measurement on record is that the Hyperion stands at 115.61 m and has a diameter of 4.84 m.

From Quiz Not Just For Decoration

Answer: Ricin

The seeds of the castor oil plant contain most of its poison; however, it is also this seed which contains its highly useful oil. Unfortunately, compounds on the plant's surface can cause permanent nerve damage to the workers who handle these plants. One means of extracting the oil involves hulling (removing the outer covering) of the seeds, cooking them (which denatures the ricin) and then crushing and pressing them under high pressure and often low temperature. After this process, it can be utilised commercially. Ricin is highly toxic, but most humans will not chew their way into consuming the majority of the ricin, because the shells of the seeds are hard and indigestible, and it is those seeds which contain most of the poison. Ricin's toxicity comes from the fact that it inhibits protein synthesis. As proteins are involved in cell growth and repair, such inhibition kills cells. Whilst, for the above reasons, ricin is rarely fatal when ingested as a castor oil seed, it can still cause damage to the stomach and intestines, and can cause permanent damage to these and other organs. No antidote was found for ricin in the 20th century, meaning that simply avoiding it was the best treatment. After all, prevention is often better than the cure.

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Last Updated Apr 13 2024 5:47 AM

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