Book Review: Sugar Changed the World
Karen Meyers Written for children in grades 7-9, Sugar Changed the World, by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos, is an examination of slavery using sugar as the focal point. True, Part I…
Weeds and Their Control: Smooth Bedstraw (Galium mollugo)
Karen Smooth bedstraw, also known as false baby’s breath, is a herbaceous perennial and member of the madder family, Rubiaceae, that also includes coffee, gardenia, and Pentas. It is native to…
Plant Profile: Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
Also known as scarlet maple, swamp maple, soft maple, Carolina red maple, Drummond red maple, and water maple, this deciduous tree is native to eastern and central North America. It…
Plants of Ancient Pompeii: Common Grape (Vitis vinifera)
Also called European grape, this deciduous woody vine is native to the riversides and damp woods in the Mediterranean region including central Europe, southwestern Asia, and north Africa. It is…
Plant Profile: Silky Leaf Woodwaxen (Genista pilosa)
Also known as hairy greenweed, silky leaf broom, and creeping broom, this deciduous shrub is native to central and western Europe from southern Sweden to the Mediterranean where it grows…
Book Review: The Art of Extract Making
VanillaPura founders, Paul and Jill Fulton, offer an introduction to the vanilla bean and a guide to making vanilla extract in their book The Art of Extract Making. Making vanilla…
Weeds and Their Control: Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica)
Native to Japan, China, and India, this semi-evergreen to evergreen shrub was introduced into the US in 1804 as an ornamental for its attractive foliage and fruit but has escaped…
Plant Profile: Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris)
Also called Southern pine and Georgia pine, this evergreen coniferous tree is native to the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains in southeastern US from Virginia west to Texas and south…
Plants of Ancient Pompeii: Common Oat (Avena sativa)
Common oat is an annual and a member of the grass family, Poaceae, that also includes barley, rice, and bamboo. The origin of common oat is obscure but probably arose…
Plant Profile: Lydian Woodwaxen (Genista lydia)
Native to the Balkans, Turkey and Syria, this low growing shrub is evergreen in areas with warm winters and deciduous in areas with cold winters. It is a member of…