Below are 10 fun facts about plants that help me realize plants are fascinating:
- The first known greenhouses in history were built in Rome in A.D. 30. They were constructed so Emperor Tiberius could enjoy cucumbers daily.
- Pineapple is actually considered a berry.
- George Washington grew hemp at Mount Vernon.
- Herbs come from the leafy part of a plant. Spices come from the root, seed, berry, bark, or bulb of a plant.
- There are around 7500 varieties of tomatoes, and China is the leading producer of tomato.
- When the bark of a tree gets wounded, the wound always stays the same distance from the ground as the tree grows.
- In 2010 50,000 baseball bats were made from the white ash tree. In 2018 that number was down to 10,000 due to a shiny green insect called the emerald ash borer that is decimating ash trees. Most bats now are made from maple and birch.
- Caffeine serves the function of a pesticide in a coffee plant.
- 85% of plant life is found in the ocean.
- Peaches, pears, apricots, quinces, strawberries, and apples are members of the rose family.
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