NWF --Keep the Wild Alive! -- Rosy Periwinkle
| Name of Plant: Rosy Periwinkle |
| Description of Plant: The rosy periwinkle is an attractive foot-high plant with deep green, shiny leaves. |
| Uses of Plant (consumption/medicinal): It also has given modern medicine an effective treatment for two deadly types of cancer: Alkaloids from the plant have produced effective agents for fighting childhood leukemia and Hodgkin's disease. |
| Name of Plant: Vanilla Orchid |
| Description of Plant: Some orchid flowers bloom for only an evening, while others bloom for six months.Vanilla beans are the processed and cured seedpods from the Vanilla Orchid. Orchids have the tiniest seeds in the plant world.There are up to 3 million seeds in a single orchid seedpod. |
Uses
of Plant (consumption/medicinal): The bean produces the wonderful flavor that everyone knows. The Indians of central and South America used it for cooking long before the Spaniards came to the new world. However, a fresh bean has no odor at all. Making a usable bean for food is a lengthy process where the bean is collected, dried by exposure to the sun and night sweating for 10 days, and then fermented and cured for up to 5 months. The time involved makes real vanilla a very expensive flavoring. A imitation vanilla flavoring has been developed. |
AN AMAZON ADVENTURE--PLANTS--VANILLA
AN AMAZON ADVENTURE--PLANTS--CASHEW
| Name of Plant: Cashew |
| Description of Plant: These fruits are the source of the cashew nut. They grow on medium sized trees that have oval leaves that appear bunched up next to the branch due to the short stem. |
Uses
of Plant (consumption/medicinal): The curved brown section contains the nuts. The fruit is edible and is consumed raw or widely squeezed into juice. It is high in Vitamin C. The juice is sometimes used to make wine or brandy. |