Page 16 - GK-8
P. 16

1  I I                12           M M
 Incredible Indiancredible Indiancredible India
                                    Majestic Floraajestic Floraajestic Flora




            Read these fascinating facts :


            |     The sugar maple       tree found in North America produces a
                  sweet  sap  called  maple  syrup  used  as  a  desert
                  accompaniment.

            |     The  Jojoba     is  an  evergreen  desert  shrub  that  grows  in
                  South-West  USA.  It  is  drought-resistant.  Its  seeds  are
                  composed of liquid wax which is used as a substitute for                              Orchid
                  sperm oil.

            |     The most nutritious fruit in the world is avocado          . It contains
                  741 calories per edible pound. The least nutritious fruit in
                  the world is the cucumber. It contains only 73 calories per

                  edible pound.
            |     The first space plant to flower and produce seeds in the zero
                  gravity of space is Arabidopsis       . It has a short life cycle of

                  about forty days and was grown on board the Soviet Union's
                                                                                                     Maidenhair
                  Salyut-7 space station in 1982.

            |     The bee orchid       grows in Hampshire, England. Its flowers
                  closely resemble a species of wasp to such an extent that
                  male  wasps  are  tricked  into  mating  with  them.  In  the
                  process,  they  accidentally  carry  pollen  from  flower  to
                  flower.

            |     The  ancestors  of  the  Gingko         or  Maidenhair  tree        first

                  appeared in China, about 180,000,000 years ago. This was
                  the Jurassic Period, when dinosaurs ruled over the earth.                          Sugar Maple
                  The  Gingko  trees  alive  today  look  very  much  like  their
                  ancestors from these ancient times.

            |     The Royal Waterlily       or Victoria amazonica        , named after
                  Queen Victoria of England is the largest water plant in the
                  world.Veins criss-cross the plant and help it to float and

                  carry enormous weights. It leaves grow to around 2 metres
                  in diameter. The plant bears perfumed flowers which open
                  at night for two nights only. The colour changes from white
                                                                                                       Avocado
                  on the first night to pink or red on the second.

 G.K. Magic-8  5  6  G.K. Magic-8                               16                                         G.K. Magic-8
   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21