ecology
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Pistacia terebinthus aka the terebinth and the turpentine tree
Pistacia terebinthus also called the terebinth and the turpentine tree, is a deciduous tree species of the genus Pistacia, native to the Mediterranean region from the western regions of Morocco and Portugal to Greece and western and southeastern Turkey. At one time terebinths growing on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea (in Syria, Lebanon and Israel) were regarded as a separate species, Pistacia palaestina, but these are now considered to be a synonym of P. terebinthus. Description The terebinth is a deciduous flowering…
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Buzz Pollination or Sonication
Buzz pollination or sonication is a technique used by some bees, such as solitary bees to release pollen which is more or less firmly held by the anthers. The anthers of buzz-pollinated plant species are typically tubular, with an opening at only one end, and the pollen inside is smooth-grained and firmly attached. With self-fertile plants such as tomatoes, wind may be sufficient…
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Pluteus is a large genus of fungi with over 300 species
Pluteus is a large genus of fungi with over 300 species. They are wood rotting saprobes with pink spore prints and gills that are free from the stem. Etymology The Latin word Pluteus means shed or penthouse. Characteristics of the Pluteus genus are: Pluteus is separated from Volvariella due to the lack of a volva, and from Entoloma by growing on wood and by microscopic features (Entolomas have angular spores). Naming The name Pluteus was established in 1837 by the founding…
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Echinoderma is a genus of fungi
Echinoderma is a genus of fungi in the family Agaricaceae. Its members were for a long time considered to belong to genus Lepiota and the group was then circumscribed by French mycologist Marcel Bon in 1981 as a subgenus of Cystolepiota before he raised it to generic status in 1991. Echinoderma Echinoderma asperum Scientific classification Kingdom: Fungi Division: Basidiomycota Class: Agaricomycetes Order: Agaricales Family: Agaricaceae Genus: Echinoderma(Locq. ex Bon) Bon (1991) Type species…
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Baccharis is a genus of perennials and shrubs in the aster family (Asteraceae)
They are commonly known as baccharises but sometimes referred to as “brooms”, because many members have small thin leaves resembling the true brooms. They are not at all related to these however, but belong to an entirely different lineage of eudicots. B. halimifolia is commonly known as “groundsel bush”, however true groundsels are found in the genus Senecio. Baccharis, with over 500…
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Cassava (tapioca) chips have become a major source of ethanol production
In many countries, significant research has begun to evaluate the use of cassava as an ethanol biofuel feedstock. Under the Development Plan for Renewable Energy in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan in the People’s Republic of China, the target was to increase the production of ethanol fuel from nongrain feedstock to 2 million metric tons (2,000,000 long tons; 2,200,000 short tons), and…
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Xylitol production by fermentation from discarded biomass is one of the most valuable renewable chemicals
Xylitol occurs naturally in small amounts in plums, strawberries, cauliflower, and pumpkin; humans and many other animals make trace amounts during metabolism of carbohydrates. Unlike most sugar alcohols, xylitol is achiral. Most other isomers of pentane-1,2,3,4,5-pentol are chiral, but xylitol has a plane of symmetry. Industrial production starts with lignocellulosic biomass from which xylan is extracted; raw biomass materials include hardwoods, softwoods, and agricultural waste from processing…
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Cluster roots aka proteoid roots
Cluster roots, also known as proteoid roots, are plant roots that form clusters of closely spaced short lateral rootlets. They may form a two- to five-centimetre-thick mat just beneath the leaf litter. They enhance nutrient uptake, possibly by chemically modifying the soil environment to improve nutrient solubilisation. As a result, plants with proteoid roots can grow in soil that is…
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Hydrangea macrophylla
Hydrangea macrophylla is a species of flowering plant in the family Hydrangeaceae, native to Japan. It is a deciduous shrub growing to 2 m (7 ft) tall by 2.5 m (8 ft) broad with large heads of pink or blue flowers in summer and autumn. Common names include bigleaf hydrangea, French hydrangea, lacecap hydrangea, mophead hydrangea, penny mac and hortensia. It is widely cultivated in many parts of the world in many climates. It is not to…
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Hyperaccumulators are plants with an ability to absorb more than 100 times higher metal concentrations than typical organisms
A hyperaccumulator is a plant capable of growing in soil or water with very high concentrations of metals, absorbing these metals through their roots, and concentrating extremely high levels of metals in their tissues. The metals are concentrated at levels that are toxic to closely related species not adapted to growing on the metalliferous soils. Compared to non-hyperaccumulating species, hyperaccumulator roots…
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