Palms

Palms - including Yellow or Areca palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens) Lady Palm (Raphis excelsa) and Parlour Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) bring a touch of the tropics with elegant herringbone leaf fronds.

Pot Chrysanthemums

Pot Chrysanthemums and Pot Gerbera – bright vivid colours to cheer up your home or office

Ferns

Ferns - especially Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) and Kimberley Queen (Nephrolepis obliterata) fresh green feathery fronds. Ferns love a regular mist with a spray over their leaves

Peace Lily

Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum) - large glossy leaves which droop when it needs watering; pure white spathes, or flower 'cloaks' throughout the year; improves air quality and adds glamour to your room

Spider Plant

Spider Plant (Chlorophytum) an old favourite, its tufts of long stripy leaves are great at removing chemicals from the air.

Philodendrons

Philodendrons - including sweetheart vine (P oxycardium), elephant ear (P domesticum) and Red Emerald (P erubescens) dark glossy heart shaped leaves from the floor of the jungle

Ficus

Ficus - For a woodland tree look try the weeping fig (Ficus benjamina; Ficus allii) or for something more tropical-looking, the sturdy rubber plant (Ficus robusta) .

Ivy (Hedera helix)

Ivy (Hedera helix) - available in many leaf shapes, some with cream or yellow patterning (variegation)

Dragon Tree

Dragon Tree (Dracaena marginata, D deremensis, D fragrans), trunks topped with tufts of long strappy leaves - often with coloured stripes

Cleaner Air

Formaldehyde from tissues, carpets and furniture can cause asthma and other respiratory problems. Houseplants remove formaldehyde from the air.A spider plant placed in a small enclosed space can remove 96% of the carbon monoxide from the air. Carbon monoxide is the toxic gas found in car exhaust fumes.
NASA space research, inside airtight space habitats, showed ordinary houseplants had amazing capabilities in fighting air pollution. In its test, in addition to formaldehyde and carbon monoxide, houseplants absorbed benzene (found in car exhaust fumes and cigarette smoke) and trichloroethylene (TCE) or dry-cleaning fluid. The most effective, apart from spider plants, are palms including lady palm (Raphis excelsa) and parlour palm (Chamaedorea elegans), ficus, peace lily (Spathiphyllum), dragon tree (Dracaena); along with Boston fern (Nephrolepsis exaltata), chrysanthemum and gerbera.
Click to View top 15 houseplants ranked by removal rates of formaldehyde
Click to find out more:- >NASA Space Station Research – carbon monoxide removal by spider plants> NASA Space Station Research – formaldehyde removal by plants.

Plants – Perfect Partners

Our environment has changed dramatically in recent years, whereas we genetically have not. People spend a lot of time indoors at home or work, or in traffic away from green spaces. Air conditioning, improved insulation, and energy-saving measures all reduce air exchange, which can lead to health problems. We are breathing the same air over and over; but in cities and on busy roads, we are unlikely to want to bring 'fresh air' inside anyway. In addition, modern synthetic furnishings, computers and electrical equipment, and everyday household products such as cleaning material, emit various harmful gases in small quantities which all contribute to the recognised "sick building syndrome"
The simple addition of a few houseplants in your home or office can do a great deal to boost your health and well-being. Plants live in harmony with humans - we give plants carbon dioxide when we breathe out, and they give us oxygen through transpiration. Indoor plants boost oxygen levels and reduce air temperatures, as well as raising humidity, making it easier to breathe.
Whether in the home or workplace, placing a plant nearby will improve air quality, reduce temperatures and make people feel happier.
When living plants are present indoors:
Anxiety levels are lowered
People recover from mental tiredness faster
Interiors feel spacious, looked after and clean
People occupy rooms more when plants are there
People perceive interiors as "more expensive" looking
Given a choice, people sit where they can see plants (Oxford Brooks University Study 1995 - Jane Stiles)

Mother in law's tongue (Sanseveria)

Mother in law's tongue (Sanseveria) - tall, firm, stripey sword-shaped leaves, sometimes with gold edges; trouble-free

Bromeliads

Bromeliads or Urn plants - also including Guzmania, Nidularium, and Aechmaea are easiest to care for, if not to pronounce! Long stiff striped, spotted, coloured or grey-blue leaves in a rosette; bright flower spikes; just keep the central well of the rosette topped up with water.

Kalanchoë

Kalanchoë - kalanchoë blossfeldiana (Flaming Katie) produces vivid candy-coloured flowers throughout the year. Kalanchoës are succulents from Madagascar, which like warm dry conditions. The flowering forms are very popular and there are also some more unusual varieties grown for their unusual fleshy leaves such as K. thyrsiflora and K. tomentosa.

Aloe

Aloe – The aloe family, which are all succulents, includes hundreds of different kinds in the wild. Generally the fleshy leaves, some with spines, are in rosette form. Aloe vera is the medicinal member of the family, whose juice is widely believed to have healing properties and appears in many cosmetics and creams for burns and skin and hair care. The picture here shows aloe variegata (partridge-breasted aloe) - a very popular dwarf variety which often begins to flower when 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 inches) tall. Aloes love direct sunlight and warm temperatures.

Hot, Dry Sunny Room

If you think you can't look after houseplants, or if your houseplants die on you, don't despair. You don't necessarily have black fingers instead of green ones! You may have the wrong environment in your home for the plants you chose, or you may just have picked plants requiring specialist care. Here instead are some foolproof plants to try, which always put on a good show!
Some plants may experience a period of stress when you bring them home - just as we find moving house intensely stressful, so do they! Don't panic if leaves or flowers drop, but treat your plant normally and wait until it has settled into its new spot.
We hope this will encourage you to try houseplants! Remember, the key to success is simple - find out where your houseplant originates from, and try to provide those conditions as best you can. Or choose houseplants that are suited to the conditions you have in your home.
All the plants opposite will thrive in a hot sunny room, and if you forget to water them>>>

Mixtures

A wide array of products with curative and therapeutic effects is obtained from aloe vera. This herb is one of the main attractions of the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries and also the most widely used ingredient - starting from vitamins and laxatives to face creams and body care lotions. Aloe vera gel contains B-sisterole, powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-cholesterol formulas and lupeol - a strong antiseptic tranquilizer. The aloe-based lotions and gels are used as protections against the powerful sunlight and as a remedy against sunburns. Ointments having aloe as a main ingredient moist the skin and protect it against bug stings and scratches. Furthermore, the aloe-based ointment is efficient in treating acne. Owing to its proprieties, Aloe vera was incorporated in the composition of deodorants.

What should be noted is the fact that this herb can be also administrated internally due to its high nourishing influence. When mixed with other fruits, aloe vera can be ingested as an excellent natural beverage rich in vitamins and minerals. Also, it is recommended that it is ingested during travels to prevent dehydration.

Cultivation

Because it is not a pretentious herb, aloe vera can be easily tended for. This herb requires a great amount of light (even if it is artificial - 16 hours a day) and a little bit of water (especially in the cold season).

Treatments

Aloe vera has proved its efficiency from the simplest allergies to the treatment of wounds and skin infections and even to its usage in alleviating more serious afflictions. With the help of this herb a wide variety of internal and external afflictions are controlled, like: asthma, virosis, arthritis, arthrosis, gingivitis, bronchitis, pharyngitis, intestinal inflamations, constipations, obesity, sprains, muscle strains, cutaneous inflamations. The efficiency of the herb was also proven in the cases of anemia, deficiency illnesses, insomnia and depressions and the B-sisterole from the Aloe vera brings about the lowering of the cholesterol level. Also, this herb is used for controlling the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, diabetes, hepatitis and pancreatitis and multiple sclerosis.

Benefits and Medicinal uses of Aloe Vera

Also called "the elixir of youth" by the Russians, "the herb of immortality" by the old Egyptians or the "harmonious remedy" by the Chinese, Aloe vera is without a doubt the medicinal herb most widely known for its noticeable impacts on health and at the same time the ingredient most widely used in the cosmetic industry. Not one study conducted so far was fully able to explain the wonders which lie within this herb and how its compounds work together in a miraculous way to bring about the treatment or the alleviation of some of the most serious illnesses like cancer or AIDS.

Description

Aloe vera or "Aloe Barbadensis" is a plant which originated in North Africa and spread to the fertile lands with mild climate. Its physical aspect is similar to that of the cactus; the thick rind hides a succulent core formed mostly of water.

The aforementioned herb gained worldwide recognition and has been intensively used from the oldest of times due to its extraordinary features. A clear proof of this fact is a clay plank found in the antic city of Nippur, Babilon (the Irak from today) dating from year 2200 b.c. From Greek physicians like Celsius and Dioscorides to Romanians (Pylni the Great) and Arabs (Al-Kindi) to C.E. Collins, the one who published the first modern medical thesis in United States (1934), "aloe vera" has always been an issue with a long history behind it. Just about every important civilization used it for its benefical effects over health and beauty. Egyptians would mix aloe with other herbs while preparing remedies for internal and external anomalies. After the Second World War, aloe vera was introduced in treating the victims of the catastrophies from Nagasaki and Hiroshima because of its ability of mitigating the pain of the patients and renewing skin tissues.

Proprieties

The most oftenly used substance from this herb is the aloe gel, a thick viscid liquid found in the interior of the leaves. The leaves are used in the treatment of burns and the aloine - a bitter milky yellowish liquid is used as a laxative. The herb contains: 20 minerals (Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Chromium , Selenium), 12 vitamins (A, B, C, E, folic acid), 20 aminoacids from the 22 which are necessary to the human body, over 200 active components including enzymes and polysaccharides. All the active substances enumerated before contribute to the therapeutical value of the herb. We shall move on to presenting the main effects that the herb has over the human body: it toughens up the immune system owing to the 23 peptides contained by the aloe vera, it accelerates and regulates the methabolism, purifies the human body from toxins, bringing about a feeling of calm. Moreover, aloe vera has an antiseptic effect (by distroying the bacterias, viruses and fungi), disinfectant capabilities and can also stimulate the cell-renewing process. Aloe vera nourishes and supports the digesting of aliments. Cutting across the human organism, aloe vera manages to bring the human body to a general balanced state.

Plants - Health Benefits of Medicinal Plants for you!

Plants have always been considered a healthy source of life for all people.

Therapeutical properties of medical plants are very useful in healing various diseases and the advantage of these medicinal plants is being 100% natural.

Nowadays people are being bombarded with thousand of unhealthy products, the level of sensibility infront of diseases is very high and that's why the use of medicinal plants can represent the best solution.

Feel free to read information on medical plants on our website. We have a data base with more than one hundred plants and we permanently try to update the information on different medicinal plants.

Desert Flower

Desert Flower (secondary title: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad) is a book published in 1998, about the life of Waris Dirie, a crusader for social reform in Somalia, particularly as it applies to ritual female genital mutilation. This is one of the biggest problems for the female population in Somalia today.

This book embraces nomadic culture, and brings to life an amazing story about a young desert girl who raises up to be a highly esteemed fashion model.

The book has been translated into Dutch, German, French, Swedish, Slovene and Croatian and was followed by Desert Dawn and Desert Children.

Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds. The process begins with pollination, is followed by fertilization, leading to the formation and dispersal of the seeds. For the higher plants, seeds are the next generation, and serve as the primary means by which individuals of a species are dispersed across the landscape. The grouping of flowers on a plant are called the inflorescence.

In addition to serving as the reproductive organs of flowering plants, flowers have long been admired and used by humans, mainly to beautify their environment but also as a source of food.

::Roy’s Tree Tips::

10 Important Tips on Caring for your Trees ::

1.Do not top your trees!!

2.Scatter mulch two inches deep underneath the canopy of your tree.

3.Water young trees once a week, and mature trees once a month.

4.Fertilize your trees at the beginning of the growing season.

5.Do not prune off more than a quarter of the crown in a season.

6.Inspect the base of your trees regularly for mushrooms or other signs of decay.

7.When pruning limbs, make your final cut just outside the branch collar.

8.Do not plant trees under powerlines or too close to your house without a root barrier.

9.Prune young trees so that they have only one stem/leader.

10.Protect your trees roots from construction damage by fencing off the area under the crown.

Plant viruses

Plant viruses are viruses that multiply by infecting plant cells and utilizing the plant cell's genetic replication machinery to manufacture new virus particles.

Plant viruses do not infect just a single species of plant. Rather, they will infect a group of closely related plant species. For example, the tobacco mosaic virus can infect plants of the genus Nicotiana. As the tobacco plant is one of the plants that can be infected, the virus has taken its name from that host. This name likely reflects the economic importance of the virus to the tobacco industry. Two other related viruses that were named for similar economic reasons are the potato-X and potato-Y viruses. The economic losses caused by these latter two viruses can be considerable. Some estimates have put the total worldwide damage as high as $60 billion a year.

The tobacco mosaic virus is also noteworthy as it was the first virus that was obtained in a pure form and in large quantity. This work was done by Wendall Meredith Stanley in 1935. For this and other work he received the 1946 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Plants infected with a virus can display lighter areas on leaves, which is called chlorosis. Chlorosis is caused by the degradation of the chlorophyll in the leaf. This reduces the degree of photosynthesis the plant can accomplish, which can have an adverse effect on the health of the entire plant. Infected plants may also display withered leaves, which is known as necrosis.

Sometimes plant viruses do not produce symptoms of infection. This occurs when the virus become latent. The viral nucleic acid becomes incorporated into the host material, just as happens with latent viruses that infect humans such as herpes viruses and retroviruses .

Most of the known plant viruses contain ribonucleic acid (RNA ). In a virus known as the wound tumor virus, the RNA is present as a double strand. The majority of the RNA plant viruses, however, possess a single strand of the nucleic acid. A group of viruses known as gemini viruses contain single stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA ) as their genetic material, and the cauliflower mosaic virus contains double stranded DNA.

As with viruses of other hosts, plant viruses display different shapes. Also as with other viruses, the shape of any particular virus is characteristic of that species. For example, a tobacco mosaic virus is rod-shaped and does not display variation in this shape. Other plant viruses are icosahedral in shape (an icosahedron is a 20-sided figure constructed of 20 faces, each of which is an equilateral triangle).

There are no plant viruses known that recognize specific receptors on the plant. Rather, plant viruses tend to enter plant cells either through a surface injury to a leaf or the woody stem or branch structures, or during the feeding of an insect or the microscopic worms known as nematodes. These methods of transmission allow the virus to overcome the barrier imposed by the plant cell wall and cuticle layer. Those viruses that are transmitted by insects or animals must be capable of multiplication in the hosts as well as in the plant.

Plant viruses may also be transmitted to a new plant host via infected seeds from another plant. In the laboratory, viral DNA can be introduced into the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens. When the bacterium infects a plant, the viral DNA can be incorporated into the plant genome. Experimental infection of plants can be done by rubbing virus preparation into the leaves of the plant. The virus can enter the plant through the physical abrasion that is introduced.

As humans can mount an immune response against viral infection, so plants have defense strategies. One strategy is the presence of a tough cell wall on many plants that restricts the entry of viruses unless the surface barrier of the plant is compromised, as by injury. Many plants also display a response that is termed hypersensitivity. In this response the plant cells in the vicinity of the infected cell die. This acts to limit the spread of the virus, since the virus require living cells in which to replicate.

Some plants have been shown to be capable of warning each other of the presence of a viral infection. This communication is achieved by the airborne release of a specific compound. This behavior is similar to the cell to cell signaling found in bacterial populations, which is known as quorum sensing