Curious to know what others find curious? Here is a list of the top 5 of my single botanical posts that got the most attention this past year.
1. The Most Interesting Tree on Earth?
Native to the rainforests of the Guianas, but now planted widely in the tropical to semi-tropical areas of the world is the bizarre Cannonball Tree (Couroupita guianensis)….
2. The Origin of Cola. 🥤 🌿
The Kola Nut (Cola acuminata, C. nitida & Cola spp.) is an original source of flavoring and caffeine for Coca Cola.
In the 1880s, Coca-Cola was invented by a pharmacist who mixed the extract of Kola Nuts with the cocaine-containing extracts of Coca leaves and mixed it with flavoring and sugar—no wonder it was a successful product!
3. The Next Big Botanical: Shatavari
The ‘Herb That Gives 100 Husbands’, Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) is a wild Asparagus that is also considered one of the most rejuvenating and adaptogenic herbs in Ayurvedic medicine.
4. So Beautiful You Can Eat Them!
Due to the beauty of their flowers, Fuchsias (Fuchsia spp.) are highly favored for their use in horticulture.
Surprisingly, the berries of all the Fuchsia species and all cultivars are regarded as edible! As a group, they tend to have flavors described as “reminiscent to citrus and black pepper”. The beautiful flowers are also regarded as edible!
5. Superior Cognitive Health Formula?
Wasabi (Wasabia japonica) is a Japanese native plant from the cabbage family that grows in riparian environments in the deep valleys of Japan.
It is intolerant of direct sunlight and requires high humidity in summer and a temperature range between 46-70 degrees F; therefore, there are not many suitable growing areas and real Wasabi fetches high prices on the market….
…Let’s hear it for the plants and the endless amount of interesting botanicals that are part of biodiversity! 👏 👏👏 💚 🌿
Go to LinkedIn to access the past posts: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kerry-hughes-941353_top-botanical-posts-in-the-past-year-activity-7366484786720227328-rUQo?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAANEoEBzLdbgS9fjLoyZvrkZbXD8Nj5SFM