Nature, health, happiness
All plants provide
endless rewards
November 24, 2005
PAUL AND MARY MEREDITH
Victoria County Master Gardener Interns
On this Thanksgiving morning we have much for which to be grateful including
products of nature.
As gardeners, we understand the natural side of things and accept modern
advances with care. All in all, we are grateful for the opportunity to express
our thanks in a real sense.
For decades, schoolchildren have played with Pilgrims' hats at Thanksgiving.
And some have learned about the Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving celebration.
Perhaps they also learned about the part played by the Indian who befriended
the Pilgrims. He taught them how to grow corn, which was unknown in Europe,
Asia and
Like many plants, corn has qualities and properties we can enjoy and benefit
from. Today, we derive ethanol from corn for our vehicles, and even make
plastic from corn. Also, plants provide much of our food and energy, plus
nutrients and medicines. Some provide vital parts of clothing and building
materials. Don't forget the latest push - biodiesel,
now being made from many crops. And some help us guard, even restore, our
environment.
The large number and variety of plants offers us possibilities for many
benefits. The largest plant family, orchids, contains more than 30,000 known species.
The aster family, the next largest plant family, contains more than 19,000
known species. It is the largest family native to the continents north of the
Equator. The large number of species reflects plants' ability to adapt to
different growing conditions. Adaptability allows a plant species to adjust to
growing in different temperatures and soil types, at different elevations, with
different moisture and light levels. For example, avocados have naturalized to
Another example of specialization is plants' adaptation to cold-weather or
warm-weather areas. Tomatoes, peppers, citrus fruits, yams/sweet potatoes and
cotton, for example, grow and produce much more readily in warmer temperatures.
Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, pears, corn and wheat, are better
adapted to cold-weather areas. President Andrew Jackson ultimately quit trying
to grow cotton profitably around
Variations in plant species may occur in either natural or planned ways. The
dandelions in our example adapted naturally in one season. Epiphytic plants,
such as Spanish moss, adapted over time and now naturally grow without soil.
And a beautiful, vining orchid's seeds provide us
natural vanilla flavoring. The orchid developed vanilla-aroma seeds over time
to encourage animals to eat them, thereby distributing them to new growing
locations.
Hybridization by man can lead to development of plants for a particular objective, such as resistance to diseases, as with tomatoes. Another could be a seedless watermelon; at least one has been available for several decades and there are numerous seedless varieties today. Hybridizations have produced shorter-growing plants (many dwarf trees, shrubs, fruits and vegetables), longer-stemmed plants (red roses, which unfortunately are also less aromatic), higher crop yields, and new species (nectarines and pluots).
(Look up pluots: http://www.producepete.com/shows/pluots.html )
We hear of nutritional and medicinal uses of plants being discovered daily.
Others have been known for centuries, like our old friend the dandelion, used
for treating early-stage diabetes and hypoglycemia. Rich in vitamins and
minerals such as iron, calcium and beta-carotene, they can be eaten as salad
greens, or their flowers can be breaded and sauteed
like onion rings. Another example is the variety of teas with various healthful
effects. And who can forget penicillin, the antibiotic derived from bread mold;
or quinine, the malaria treatment, from the cinchona tree's bark.
Sometimes Mother Nature tops man. The malaria-causing plasmodium parasite
has developed resistance in some regions of the world to quinine substitutes
synthesized by man but not to natural quinine.
We are thankful for plant-based fabrics used today, such as cotton and
linen. A synthetic fabric, rayon, comes from wood fibers, as do most paper and
the plastic cellulose. Developed in the 1800s as an ivory substitute, cellulose
saw use in billiard balls and, in the 1900s, in photographic film for movies.
In animated movies it was also used for drawing the individual cells for
animation.
Our ancestors were thankful for old-time building materials using plants,
like bousillage and adobe. Our Cajun neighbors found
the best bousillage for log-chinking and walls. It
comes from epiphytic Spanish moss and mud. Adobe used in Southwest Native
American and Spanish buildings contains straw and mud. The once-plentiful
native
When man injures the environment or natural disasters occur, we can be
thankful for plants. Growing in three stages plants can restore an ecology. The first stage, colonizers like grasses
temporarily stabilize a disturbed area's soil by quickly covering it. Second,
deeper-rooted plants called stabilizers solidify the colonizers' gains. Third,
woody plants mature into permanent plantings to maintain the area as restored.
Marine scientists are restoring marsh ecologies utilizing discarded live
Christmas trees. Grouped in shallow water near damaged marshes, they trap mud
and provide nature a durable habitat and shelter to reestablish aquatic plants
and animals.
Many people benefit from nurturing plants. Gardening includes many
activities and seeing the results from each task rewards a gardener. Research
shows it has special benefits for older folks and for people with some type of
disability. Benefits may come partly from the seasons' rhythms or from
providing them something they can participate in and see results. This often
helps improve the nurturer's mental and physical health.
Of course, the pleasure we all get from the blooms and the fruit that plants produce is truly a benefit, both physically and mentally.