Barless cactus that was used to produce drugs, bamboo that grew more than 1 meter a day, and fruit that tastes like ice cream. These are just someinteresting exotic plants , presented at the Exotic plants - truths and myths exhibition. We invite you to the report from the exhibition, which took place in the Lodz Palm House on the last weekend of January 2013. Meetthe most interesting plants from exotic corners of the world !
Ficus is the leader among air-purifying plants!
Plants have always accompanied man , although these relationships have changed a lot over the centuries.Initially, plants were perceived by humans mainly as food, but over time they have also started to occupy an important place in culture, mythology and medicine, and today they also decorate our gardens. Although it seems to us that we know everything about them, they can still be very surprising.
Knowledge about the world of plantsis highly developed, but some opinions still prevail, the basis of which are statements or old customs and legends overheard somewhere. In some cases, such beliefs have a scientific justification, but sometimes they turn out to be just a baseless myth. It is probably these controversies that prompted the organizers of the exhibition Exotic Plants - Truths and Myths to take a closer look at some of the lingering views among us. The event took place in the Łódź Palm House on January 25-27, 2013. First of all,interesting exotic plants
Most attention has been paid to the recently popular opinionattributing to plants the ability to cleanse the airfrom various toxins.And since there is no shortage of these in our civilized world, every opportunity to improve air quality is very desirable. Therefore, scientists took a closer look at the plants, analyzing their abilities in this regard. Scientific experiments, carried out, among others, in the USA, investigated the filtration capabilities of many popular plants. Thanks to this, not only was it possible to confirm their ability to absorb toxins from the air, but also the species that are most effective at this were identified.
Orchids, prized mainly for the beauty of their flowers, are also excellent air filters
" As it turns out, they include a number of plants that we have been happy to grow in our homes for a long time. The leaders in this field include, among others: winged flowers, fig trees (ficus benjamin, ficus spring), ivy, palm trees, ferns (mainly nephrolepis), gerberas, date palm - date palm, dracaena, sansewiery (serpentine), philodendrons, herbaceous plants, tulips, rhododendrons, diphenbachia, cissuses, anthuriums, cyclamens, foot rot, triple trees, hoje, gilding and, recently, such popular orchids.So let&39;s surround yourself with these plants, because they can bring us surprisingly many benefits, and some of them are great potted flowers for the bedroom. The more that some of them are not troublesome to grow and do not expect sophisticated care treatments. "
Later in the exhibition, you could also see that some of the popular fruit or utility plants (tea, cocoa, pepper) do contain substances that have quite a special effect on our body. When we feel relaxed and content after drinking a cup of hot cocoa or eating a few pieces of chocolate, we can attribute this to the substance theobromine contained in the cocoa seeds, which has a stimulating and relaxing effect.
In turn, eating sweet bananas can not only help us satisfy our hunger, but also improve our general condition and cause a feeling of satisfaction. We owe it mainly to the serotonin contained in bananas and many other valuable substances, including vitamins, proteins, fatty acids, microelements and fiber.
The Chinese have been eating lychee fruit for over 2,000 years. These fruits can be made compotes, syrups or dried like raisins
At the exhibition you could also seeinteresting exotic plantsgiving us little known fruits, such as: lychee, pitaya or rambutan, as well as learn about their properties. On the other hand, if someone saw a lemon only on a store shelf, in a palm house he could see the entire plant from which these fruits come from, as well as meet some of its relatives, such as: kumquat, grapefruit or pomelo. The delicious fig tree and sumptuous coffee trees with red fruit also presented themselves beautifully. Here, too, you could take a look at the trees that bear extremely he althy pomegranates or avocados.
Pitaya fruit, also known as dragon fruit or strawberry pear, can be eaten raw, and when cooled, it is served as a substitute for ice cream
An interesting exotic plantis also the shameful mimosa, also known as the shameful antennae. The name was given to this shameful plant as it reacts even to a very gentle touch of its stems. It folds its leaves very quickly. A similar reaction is caused by approaching a heat source (e.g. a candle flame). The leaves are also naturally folded at night. An additional decoration of the shameful mimosa are its spherical flowers resembling miniature pompoms.
Shy mimosa, otherwise - shameful forehead
The palm house also devoted attentionto interesting exotic plants , whose bad reputation is not always confirmed in reality. Diphenbachia, considered an extremely toxic plant, is not dangerous to us if we handle it properly. Its tissues do contain toxic substances (including raffides, bradykinin, histamine, dumkain), but they are dangerous only in direct contact of the juice with the skin or after consuming a plant fragment.If we carry out beauty treatments with her gloves and keep her away from children and animals, not only is it safe for us, but its presence can even bring great benefits, because it has the ability to clean the air of toxins.
The commonly held opinion that the Chinese rose is a poisonous and even carcinogenic plant has also been denied. The information boards contain data on its valuable properties and tests, which did not confirm any information about the toxicity of the shrub.
You could also find out that not allinteresting exotic plantsare what they seemingly look like. The palm of Madagascar was a good example. Although its appearance is very similar to a palm tree, it belongs to succulents and has nothing to do with real palm trees. The plant blooms beautifully in white and is suitable for pot cultivation. However, it should be provided with conditions similar to those for cacti or other succulents.
Kumquat is a close relative of lemon. At the exhibition, you could admire not only fruit but also in full splendor citrus shrubs and trees
The exhibition also looked at someinteresting exotic plantsfrom the perspective of legends and stories. Among them there was, among others, carob tree, which was probably the food of St. John the Baptist. Although this part of the Bible mentions locusts, it was not about the insects we know today, but about the fruits of the locust. Today, the pods of this plant are widely used in the food industry and are known as locust beans. However, it should be remembered that only ripe fruit is suitable for consumption, because the green ones contain toxic substances. "
The story ofof an interesting exotic plant , the juice of which is said to have been used by Cleopatra herself, is no less interesting. It is aloe vera, and its valuable pro-he alth properties have already been confirmed by scientific research.Today, aloe preparations are used on a fairly wide scale for a number of ailments (including gastric and duodenal ulcers) and used in cosmetics. On the information boards we can also find confirmation of the valuable healing properties of another succulent plant - the viviparous.
Interest was also aroused by Lophophora williamsi, known as a magical or sacred cactus. This peculiar, almost round cactus not only has felted tufts of hair instead of thorns, but also grows in nature, providing the Indians with intoxicating substances that they use for ritual purposes. Due to its narcotic properties, preparations made from it are currently illegal. You should also know that only plants growing in nature have these special values, because the juice of farmed plants can at most cause stomach problems.
Lophophora williamsi, known as a magical or sacred cactus, has felted tufts of hair instead of spikes.The Indians obtained hallucinogenic substances from plants growing in nature, but this cactus, grown as a houseplant, is devoid of such properties
There were also veryinteresting exotic plants , such as tree tomatoes or the Bengal fig tree, also known as the banana. The first plant is a large tree called tamarillo, belonging to the nightshade family, whichproduces fruits very similar to tomatoes we knowHowever, tamarillo fruits smell like strawberries and have a less pronounced flavor than its popular relatives. Nevertheless, they are he althy and contain a lot of vitamin. C, besides, they are also suitable for pot cultivation. The second plant, on the other hand, reaches a record size of the crown, which can grow up to a diameter of more than 500 m. An additional curiosity are the support roots growing along the entire length of the branches, which transform into auxiliary trunks after reaching the ground. Over time, one tree can even form an entire forest and be a refuge for the inhabitants of a small village.
Tamarillo is a tree that bears fruit that closely resembles the known tomatoes. However, these fruits smell like strawberries and have a less pronounced taste than their popular relatives
As it turns out, one of the record holders is also bamboo, which probablygrows the fastest in the whole world of plants . One of the species, which grew by as much as 120 cm in one day, grew a record fast growth.
Some bamboos can grow very fast. One of the species that grew by as much as 120 cm in 24 hours was a record-breaking growth
In the palm house you could also see a representative ofof the tallest trees in the world- sequoia. This plant from the cypress family can grow up to over 100 m in height and several meters in diameter of the trunk.
After visiting this interesting exhibition, I became convinced that even if a plant seems to be well known to us, it may turn out that it still has undiscovered secrets.
