Plant Names

The names of plants can be a real problem. Sometimes many different plants are known by the same common name. For example, if you asked at the nursery for a Mother-of-Thousands plant, you might be given a tall plant with white or pink flowers, or a small plant with green and white leaves that creeps along the ground! Both have the same common name. If you asked for Bachelor's Buttons, there are at least ten different plants you could be offered! That's why we need to use names that are more exact - so that we all know exactly what plant we are talking about.

1. The correct names to use for plants are their botanical names. Botanists have divided all the plants that have been discovered into different FAMILIES. All the members of a particular family have a number of features that are the same or similar. Like you and the members of your family, they are related to each other. For example the Asteraceae family contains all the different kinds of daisies, all members of the Lamiaceae family have square stems and the Poaceae family contains many different kinds of grasses. These big words don't look so hard when you realise they all end in -aceae!

2. Each plant family is divided up into smaller groups. All the members of a particular group are similar to each other in many more ways. Botanists give these plants a GENUS name. For instance, in the Asteraceae family, some of the genus names you might already know are Ageratum, Calendula, Dahlia, Gerbera and Zinnia. While all these members of the family have some things in common, members of each genus have even more things - for example all the members of the Dahlia genus are perennials that grow from tubers, while members of the Calendula genus are annuals.

3. Within each genus there are often many plants with many similarities, but many differences too. So that we can sort them out, each one is given a second name as well. This second name frequently tells us something about the plant e.g. longiflora which means having long leaves. Often, it contains the name of the person who discovered it e.g. hookerii, or the place it comes from e.g. japonica (Japan). When the genus name and the second (specific epithet) names are written together it gives the SPECIES name of the plant.
e.g. if I asked my nursery-person for some Crocus flavus bulbs then he/she would know that I wanted a yellow crocus that flowers in spring. If I just asked for Crocuses I might get pink ones that flowers in autumn, or something else again!

4. So botanical names are not just so people can show off. They really help both gardeners and nursery-people to understand each other.

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Good Bugs

Did you know that there are some really ferocious creatures in your garden? They are sneaky, ruthless and terrifying - but fortunately, you don't have to worry about them unless you are about the size of a mosquito!! We gardeners like these animals because they are our helpers. They eat lots of pests that eat our plants. If we spray poisons around to kill pests, we also kill off these good insects, so we should only spray when there is a very big problem that can't be solved any other way. These creatures help us and do us and our plants no harm.

Meet these fearsome hunters

They are usually brightly coloured and are often found near ponds and streams. They grab other insects in mid-flight and eat them.

Damselflies are similar to dragonflies but hold their wings up like butterflies when resting. They hide on stems and leaves and pounce out on to their prey.

They are green, brown or greyish depending on the plant where they live. They are very well camouflaged and sit very still. They have enormous front legs with spikes that they use to stab any unwary insects before they eat them.

These delicate looking creatures eat other insects and their eggs. The babies of some lacewings are ant lions. They make cone shaped traps in fine soil and lie in wait just under the surface at the bottom. If an ant or other insect slips down the side of the trap the ant lion grabs it with its big pincers and drags it under the soil and devours it!

We all know what ladybirds look like, but do you know that they have an enormous appetite for aphids? They can gobble up hundreds of them! They also eat scale insects.

They may be fearsome to other insects,  but to gardeners, they're really good guys!

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Cicadas

There is one sound that really lets us know that summer is here - or just around the corner at least. Do you know the sound that cicadas make? It's hard to miss it, especially in the bush, where the cicadas' song is often so loud that it can be painful to our ears. They are quite easy to catch, but be careful not to hurt them. They won't hurt you in any way at all, though their feet might be a bit scratchy. Look closely at their interesting faces. A common one found in southern gardens, the Green Grocer, has a sparkling "jewel" between its eyes.

Learn About Cicadas

1. Cicadas are the noisiest insects in the world! The males use a special part of their body called the tymbal to create their "singing". By expanding and contracting a membrane they can create an almost deafening noise. It can hurt our ears. Birds don't like the sound either and it helps the cicadas to both attract a mate and to discourage birds from eating them.

2. Female cicadas cut slits in branches and lay their eggs inside. You can see a picture of this at
http://www.abc.net.au/science/scribblygum/February2001/cicada13.htm

When the babies hatch they fall to the ground.

3. The baby cicadas are called nymphs. They burrow into the ground and feed on the roots of plants. Some species stay underground for a very long time - up to seven years, or even longer!

4. When the nymphs are ready, they tunnel their way to the surface. Have you noticed the holes about the size of a five cent piece that appear in the soil at the beginning of summer?

5. The nymphs only emerge when it's dark, otherwise they would be quickly eaten by birds and other predators. They climb on to a low stem, tree trunk or stout piece of grass and shed their skins. To see a picture have a look at
http://www.abc.net.au/science/scribblygum/February2001/cicada7.htm

When the beautiful cicadas emerge, their wings are crumpled and wet at first, but by morning they are ready to fly.

6. Cicadas suck sap from leaves. Their main task is to find a mate and start the process all over again.

7. See if you can find the empty, brown nymph shells still clinging to their supports. If you catch a cicada, look at its widely spaced eyes, the feeding beak under its head and its beautiful wings. In what ways is its shape different from that of the nymph shell?

For more information have a look at the Australian Museum site at

http://www.amonline.net.au/factsheets/cicada.htm

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Every one loves Christmas crackers and party poppers. Did you know that you can make petals pop as well! It's lots of fun and you don't need to spoil the flowers because the petals that drop to the ground when the flowers are finished are perfect to use. Christmas crackers and party poppers use a mini explosion to make the pop, but this works on compressed air like a popgun does.

You will need: Rose or camellia petals. Other types of petals may work as well. They need to be fairly round in shape and curved in the middle, like rose petals.

2. Make a fist, but don't clench your hand tightly. You should be able to see a narrow little hole right through to the other side.

3. Place the petal over the hole making sure the curve of the petal sits downwards making a shallow cup.

4. Bring your other hand down quickly and make an open-handed slap on top of your fist.

5. The air is compressed and makes the petal break with a loud pop. You will see the hole in the middle of the petal.

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I know that you have all looked at flowers, but have you ever had a REALLY, REALLY close look? Flowers are very interesting and they are made up of a number of different parts. These parts may differ in size, shape and position from flower to flower, but the major organs can usually be seen quite easily if you look closely. A magnifying glass helps you to see the parts even better. These are the reproductive organs of the plant and are used to create seeds and therefore new plants.

You will need: flowers, a magnifying glass

1. Choose largish flowers. This makes it much easier to see. Lilies, camellias, azaleas, single roses, jonquils, daffodils and citrus flowers are all fine. Don't choose daisy flowers because they are actually made up of hundreds in tiny individual flowers and are too small to see clearly. (With some flowers you will have to pull the petals apart gently to reveal the flower parts at the centre. A adult may slice the side off the flower for you with a Stanley knife so that you can see better.)

2. Look at the diagram and then see if you can recognise the parts in your flower. (They might be shaped differently.) Here are some general tips:

There is only one stigma (it may be branched at the top), but many stamens.

The anthers are often yellow. If you look through your magnifying glass you may be able to see lots of little grains of pollen covering them.

The tip of the stigma is often sticky-looking (it may have some pollen grains stuck to it too.)

Don’t worry if you can’t see any calyx. Some flowers have tepals instead of petals and there is no calyx. Tulips have tepals.

3. The stamen is made up of the filament and the anther. The stamen is the boy bit of the flower. The pistil is made up of the style, stigma and ovary. The pistil is the girl bit.

4. The anthers release pollen which has to be transported to a stigma. Some plants allow pollen from their own anthers to pollinate their own stigmas. This is called self-pollination. (Their stamens are usually longer than their pistils. Can you think why?) Other plants need the stigma to receive pollen from a flower on a separate plant. This is called cross-pollination. (Their pistils are often longer than their anthers.) The pollen is carried by wind, insects (especially bees), animals or birds and sometimes water.

5. When a correct pollen grain lands on a stigma that is ready to be fertilised, the pollen grain sends down a long tube all the way down the style to the ovary where it fertilises one of the female eggs and a seed begins to form.

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