God's Gift To Mankind, The Rare Fruits And Vegetab

[iris89]

Hi Everyone:

Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Edible Ornamental Banana Musa sapientum

An unusual type of ornamental banana that produces large, edible bananas, but the fruit is full of large black seeds and is not raised commercially for this reason. Can be raised in large tubs inside or zone 9 and higher outside. Inside, it rarely grows over 6 ft. tall, but can reach 10 ft. or more outside. (source - retrieved from www.seedman.com/tropic.htm on 4/4/2013)

General on bananas: Banana is the common name for an edible fruit produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants of the genus Musa.[1] The fruit is variable in size, color and firmness, but is usually elongated and curved, with soft flesh rich in starch covered with a rind which may be yellow, purple or red when ripe. The fruits grow in clusters hanging from the top of the plant. Almost all modern edible parthenocarpic (seedless) bananas come from two wild species – Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. The scientific names of most cultivated bananas are Musa acuminata, Musa balbisiana, and Musa × paradisiaca for the hybrid Musa acuminata × M. balbisiana, depending on their genomic constitution. The old scientific name Musa sapientum is no longer used.
Musa species are native to tropical South and Southeast Asia, and are likely to have been first domesticated in Papua New Guinea.[2][3] They are grown in at least 107 countries,[4] primarily for their fruit, and to a lesser extent to make fiber, banana wine and as ornamental plants.

Worldwide, there is no sharp distinction between "bananas" and "plantains". Especially in the Americas and Europe, "banana" usually refers to soft, sweet, dessert bananas, particularly those of the Cavendish group, which are the main exports from banana-growing countries. By contrast, Musa cultivars with firmer, starchier fruit are called "plantains". In other regions, such as Southeast Asia, many more kinds of banana are grown and eaten, so the simple two-fold distinction is not useful and is not made in local languages.

The term "banana" is also used as the common name for the plants which produce the fruit.[1] This can extend to other members of the genus Musa like the scarlet banana (Musa coccinea), pink banana (Musa velutina) and the Fe'i bananas. It can also refer to members of the genus Ensete, like the snow banana (Ensete glaucum) and the economically important false banana (Ensete ventricosum). Both genera are classified under the banana family, Musaceae.

The female flowers (which can develop into fruit) have petals and other flower parts at the tip of the ovary (the ovary is "inferior").

The Cavendish banana is the most common banana type sold.
The banana plant is the largest herbaceous flowering plant.[5] All the above-ground parts of a banana plant grow from a structure usually called a "corm".[6] Plants are normally tall and fairly sturdy, and are often mistaken for trees, but what appears to be a trunk is actually a "false stem" or pseudostem. The leaves of banana plants are composed of a "stalk" (petiole) and a blade (lamina). The base of the petiole widens to form a sheath; the tightly packed sheaths make up the pseudostem, which is all that supports the plant. The edges of the sheath meet when it is first produced, making it tubular. As new growth occurs in the centre of the pseudostem the edges are forced apart.[7] Cultivated banana plants vary in height depending on the variety and growing conditions. Most are around 5 m (16 ft) tall, with a range from 'Dwarf Cavendish' plants at around 3 m (10 ft) to 'Gros Michel' at 7 m (23 ft) or more.[8][9] Leaves are spirally arranged and may grow 2.7 metres (8.9 ft) long and 60 cm (2.0 ft) wide.[10] They are easily torn by the wind, resulting in the familiar frond look.[11]

When a banana plant is mature, the corm stops producing new leaves and begins to form a flower spike or inflorescence. A stem develops which grows up inside the pseudostem, carrying the immature inflorescence until eventually it emerges at the top.[12] Each pseudostem normally produces a single inflorescence, also known as the "banana heart". (More are sometimes produced; an exceptional plant in the Philippines produced five.[13]) After fruiting, the pseudostem dies, but offshoots will normally have developed from the base, so that the plant as a whole is perennial. In the plantation system of cultivation, only one of the offshoots will be allowed to develop in order to maintain spacing.[14] The inflorescence contains many bracts (sometimes incorrectly called petals) between rows of flowers. The female flowers (which can develop into fruit) appear in rows further up the stem (closer to the leaves) from the rows of male flowers. The ovary is inferior, meaning that the tiny petals and other flower parts appear at the tip of the ovary.[15]

The banana fruits develop from the banana heart, in a large hanging cluster, made up of tiers (called "hands"), with up to 20 fruit to a tier. The hanging cluster is known as a bunch, comprising 3–20 tiers, or commercially as a "banana stem", and can weigh from 30–50 kilograms (66–110 lb). Individual banana fruits (commonly known as a banana or "finger") average 125 grams (0.28 lb), of which approximately 75% is water and 25% dry matter.

The fruit has been described as a "leathery berry".[16] There is a protective outer layer (a peel or skin) with numerous long, thin strings (the phloem bundles), which run lengthwise between the skin and the edible inner portion. The inner part of the common yellow dessert variety splits easily lengthwise into three sections that correspond to the inner portions of the three carpels.[citation needed] In cultivated varieties, the seeds are diminished nearly to non-existence; their remnants are tiny black specks in the interior of the fruit.[17]

Bananas are naturally slightly radioactive,[18][19] more so than most other fruits, because of their potassium content and the small amounts of the isotope potassium-40 found in naturally occurring potassium.[20] Proponents of nuclear power sometimes refer to the banana equivalent dose of radiation to support their arguments.[21]

Taxonomy
The genus Musa is in the family Musaceae. The APG III system assigns Musaceae to the order Zingiberales, part of the commelinid clade of the monocotyledonous flowering plants.

Some sources assert that Musa is named for Antonius Musa, physician to the Emperor Augustus.[22] Others say that Linnaeus, who named the genus in 1750, simply adapted an Arabic word for banana, mauz. The word banana is generally said to be derived from the Wolof word banaana.[23] Some 70 species of Musa were recognized by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families as of January 2013;[24] several produce edible fruit, while others are cultivated as ornamentals.[22]

Banana classification has long been a problematic issue for taxonomists. Linnaeus originally classified bananas into two species based only on their uses as food: Musa sapientum for dessert bananas and Musa paradisiaca for plantains. Subsequently further species names were added. However, this approach proved inadequate to address the sheer number of cultivars existing in the primary center of diversity of the genus, Southeast Asia. Many of these cultivars were given names which proved to be synonyms.[25]

In a series of papers published in 1947 onwards, Ernest Cheesman showed that Linnaeus' Musa sapientum and Musa paradisiaca were actually cultivars and descendants of two wild seed-producing species, Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana, both first described by Luigi Aloysius Colla.[26] He recommended the abolition of Linnaeus' species in favor of reclassifying bananas according to three morphologically distinct groups of cultivars – those primarily exhibiting the botanical characteristics of Musa balbisiana, those primarily exhibiting the botanical characteristics of Musa acuminata, and those with characteristics that are the combination of the two.[25] Researchers Norman Simmonds and Ken Shepherd proposed a genome-based nomenclature system in 1955. This system eliminated almost all the difficulties and inconsistencies of the earlier classification of bananas based on assigning scientific names to cultivated varieties. Despite this, the original names are still recognized by some authorities today, leading to confusion.[26][27]

The currently accepted scientific names for most groups of cultivated bananas are Musa acuminata Colla and Musa balbisiana Colla for the ancestral species, and Musa × paradisiaca L. for the hybrid M. acuminata × M. balbisiana.[28]

A variety of banana cultivated widely in Indian state of Kerala, locally known as nendran
Synonyms of M. × paradisica include:
* A large number of subspecific and varietial names of M. × paradisiaca, including M. p. subsp. sapientum (L.) Kuntze
* Musa × dacca Horan.
* Musa × sapidisiaca K.C.Jacob, nom. superfl.
* Musa × sapientum L., and a large number of its varietal names, including M. × sapientum var. paradisiaca (L.) Baker, nom. illeg.

Generally, modern classifications of banana cultivars follow Simmonds and Shepherd's system. Cultivars are placed in groups based on the number of chromosomes they have and which species they are derived from. Thus the Latundan banana is placed in the AAB Group, showing that it is a triploid derived from both M. acuminata (A) and M. balbisiana (B). For a list of the cultivars classified under this system see List of banana cultivars.

In 2012 a team of scientists announced they had achieved a draft sequence of the genome of Musa acuminata.[29]

Bananas and plantains
In regions such as North America and Europe, Musa fruits offered for sale can be divided into "bananas" and "plantains", based on their intended use as food. Thus the banana producer and distributor Chiquita produces publicity material for the American market which says that "a plantain is not a banana". The stated differences are that plantains are more starchy and less sweet; they are eaten cooked rather than raw; they have thicker skin, which may be green, yellow or black; and they can be used at any stage of ripeness.[30] Linnaeus made the same distinction between plantains and bananas when first naming two "species" of Musa.[31] Members of the "Plantain subgroup" of banana cultivars, most important as food in West Africa and Latin America, correspond to the Chiquita description, having long pointed fruit. They are described by Ploetz et al. as "true" plantains, distinct from other cooking bananas.[32] The cooking bananas of East Africa belong to a different group, the East African Highland bananas,[9] so would not qualify as "true" plantains on this definition.
An alternative approach divides bananas into dessert bananas and cooking bananas, with plantains being one of the subgroups of cooking bananas.[33] Triploid cultivars derived solely from M. acuminata are examples of "dessert bananas", whereas triploid cultivars derived from the hybrid between M. acuminata and M. balbinosa (in particular the Plantain subgroup of the AAB Group) are "plantains". [34][35] Small farmers in Colombia grow a much wider range of cultivars than large commercial plantations. A study of these cultivars showed that they could be placed into at least three groups based on their characteristics: dessert bananas, non-plantain cooking bananas, and plantains, although there were overlaps between dessert and cooking bananas.[36]

In Southeast Asia – the center of diversity for bananas, both wild and cultivated – the distinction between "bananas" and "plantains" does not work, according to Valmayor et al. Many bananas are used both raw and cooked. There are starchy cooking bananas which are smaller than those eaten raw. The range of colors, sizes and shapes is far wider than in those grown or sold in Africa, Europe or the Americas.[31] Southeast Asian languages do not make the distinction between "bananas" and "plantains" that is made in English (and Spanish). Thus both Cavendish cultivars, the classic yellow dessert bananas, and Saba cultivars, used mainly for cooking, are called pisang in Malaysia and Indonesia, kluai in Thailand and chuoi in Vietnam.[37] Fe'i bananas, grown and eaten in the islands of the Pacific, are derived from entirely different wild species than traditional bananas and plantains. Most Fe'i bananas are cooked, but Karat bananas, which are short and squat with bright red skins, very different from the usual yellow dessert bananas, are eaten raw.[38]

In summary, in commerce in Europe and the Americas (although not in small-scale cultivation), it is possible to distinguish between "bananas", which are eaten raw, and "plantains", which are cooked. In other regions of the world, particularly India, Southeast Asia and the islands of the Pacific, there are many more kinds of banana and the two-fold distinction is not useful and not made in local languages. Plantains are one of many kinds of cooking bananas, which are not always distinct from dessert bananas.

Historical cultivation
Early cultivation
Original native ranges of the ancestors of modern edible bananas. Musa acuminata is shown in green and Musa balbisiana in orange.[39]

Southeast Asian farmers first domesticated bananas. Recent archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence at Kuk Swamp in the Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea suggests that banana cultivation there goes back to at least 5000 BCE, and possibly to 8000 BCE.[2][40] It is likely that other species were later and independently domesticated elsewhere in southeast Asia. Southeast Asia is the region of primary diversity of the banana. Areas of secondary diversity are found in Africa, indicating a long history of banana cultivation in the region.[41]

Actual and probable diffusion of bananas during Islamic times (700–1500 CE)[42]
Phytolith discoveries in Cameroon dating to the first millennium BCE[43] triggered an as yet unresolved debate about the date of first cultivation in Africa. There is linguistic evidence that bananas were known in Madagascar around that time.[44] The earliest prior evidence indicates that cultivation dates to no earlier than late 6th century CE.[45] It is likely, however, that bananas were brought at least to Madagascar if not to the East African coast during the phase of Malagasy colonization of the island from South East Asia c. 400 CE.[46]

The banana may have been present in isolated locations of the Middle East on the eve of Islam. There is some textual evidence that Muhammad was familiar with bananas.[citation needed] The spread of Islam was followed by far-reaching diffusion. There are numerous references to it in Islamic texts (such as poems and hadiths) beginning in the 9th century. By the 10th century the banana appears in texts from Palestine and Egypt. From there it diffused into north Africa and Muslim Iberia. During the medieval ages, bananas from Granada were considered among the best in the Arab world.[42] In 650, Islamic conquerors brought the banana to Palestine. Today, banana consumption increases significantly in Islamic countries during Ramadan, the month of daylight fasting.[47]

Bananas were introduced to the Americas by Portuguese sailors who brought the fruits from West Africa in the 16th century.[48] The word banana is of West African origin, from the Wolof language, and passed into English via Spanish or Portuguese.[49]

Many wild banana species as well as cultivars exist in extraordinary diversity in New Guinea, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, and the Philippines.

There are fuzzy bananas whose skins are bubblegum pink; green-and-white striped bananas with pulp the color of orange sherbet; bananas that, when cooked, taste like strawberries. The Double Mahoi plant can produce two bunches at once. The Chinese name of the aromatic Go San Heong banana means 'You can smell it from the next mountain.' The fingers on one banana plant grow fused; another produces bunches of a thousand fingers, each only an inch long.

—Mike Peed, The New Yorker[50]
Plantation cultivation in the Caribbean, Central and South America
Main article: History of modern banana plantations in the Americas

Fruits of wild-type bananas have numerous large, hard seeds.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, Portuguese colonists started banana plantations in the Atlantic Islands, Brazil, and western Africa.[51] North Americans began consuming bananas on a small scale at very high prices shortly after the Civil War, though it was only in the 1880s that it became more widespread.[52] As late as the Victorian Era, bananas were not widely known in Europe, although they were available.[51] Jules Verne introduces bananas to his readers with detailed descriptions in Around the World in Eighty Days (1872).

The earliest modern plantations originated in Jamaica and the related Western Caribbean Zone, including most of Central America. It involved the combination of modern transportation networks of steamships and railroads with the development of refrigeration that allowed bananas to have more time between harvesting and ripening. North America shippers like Lorenzo Dow Baker and Andrew Preston, the founders of the Boston Fruit Company started this process in the 1870s, but railroad builders like Minor C Keith also participated, eventually culminating in the multi-national giant corporations like today's Chiquita Brands International and Dole.[52] These companies were monopolistic, vertically integrated (meaning they controlled growing, processing, shipping and marketing) and usually used political manipulation to build enclave economies (economies that were internally self-sufficient, virtually tax exempt, and export oriented that contribute very little to the host economy). Their political maneuvers, which gave rise to the term Banana republic for states like Honduras and Guatemala, included working with local elites and their rivalries to influence politics or playing the international interests of the United States, especially during the Cold War, to keep the political climate favorable to their interests.[53]

Peasant cultivation for export in the Caribbean
Main article: History of peasant banana production in the Americas
The vast majority of the world's bananas today are cultivated for family consumption or for sale on local markets. India is the world leader in this sort of production, but many other Asian and African countries where climate and soil conditions allow cultivation also host large populations of banana growers who sell at least some of their crop.[54]

There are peasant sector banana growers who produce for the world market in the Caribbean, however. The Windward Islands are notable for the growing, largely of Cavendish bananas, for an international market, generally in Europe but also in North America. In the Caribbean, and especially in Dominica where this sort of cultivation is widespread, holdings are in the 1–2 acre range. In many cases the farmer earns additional money from other crops, from engaging in labor outside the farm, and from a share of the earnings of relatives living overseas. This style of cultivation often was popular in the islands as bananas required little labor input and brought welcome extra income.[citation needed] Banana crops are vulnerable to destruction by high winds, such as tropical storms or cyclones.[55]

After the signing of the NAFTA agreements in the 1990s, however, the tide turned against peasant producers. Their costs of production were relatively high and the ending of favorable tariff and other supports, especially in the European Economic Community, made it difficult for peasant producers to compete with the bananas grown on large plantations by the well capitalized firms like Chiquita and Dole. Not only did the large companies have access to cheap labor in the areas they worked, but they were better able to afford modern agronomic advances such as fertilization. The "dollar banana" produced by these concerns made the profit margins for peasant bananas unsustainable.

Caribbean countries have sought to redress this problem by providing government supported agronomic services and helping to organize producers' cooperatives. They have also been supporters of the Fair Trade movement which seeks to balance the inequities in the world trade in commodities.

East Africa
Main article: East African Highland bananas
Most farms supply local consumption. Cooking bananas represent a major food source and a major income source for smallhold farmers. In east Africa, highland bananas are of greatest importance as a staple food crop. In countries such as Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda per capita consumption has been estimated at 45 kilograms (99 lb) per year, the highest in the world.

Modern cultivation
All widely cultivated bananas today descend from the two wild bananas Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. While the original wild bananas contained large seeds, diploid or polyploid cultivars (some being hybrids) with tiny seeds are preferred for human raw fruit consumption.[56] These are propagated asexually from offshoots. The plant is allowed to produce two shoots at a time; a larger one for immediate fruiting and a smaller "sucker" or "follower" to produce fruit in 6–8 months. The life of a banana plantation is 25 years or longer, during which time the individual stools or planting sites may move slightly from their original positions as lateral rhizome formation dictates.[citation needed]
Cultivated bananas are parthenocarpic, i.e. the flesh of the fruit swells and ripens without its seeds being fertilized and developing. Lacking viable seeds, propagation typically involves farmers removing and transplanting part of the underground stem (called a corm). Usually this is done by carefully removing a sucker (a vertical shoot that develops from the base of the banana pseudostem) with some roots intact. However, small sympodial corms, representing not yet elongated suckers, are easier to transplant and can be left out of the ground for up to two weeks; they require minimal care and can be shipped in bulk.

It is not necessary to include the corm or root structure to propagate bananas; severed suckers without root material can be propagated in damp sand, although this takes somewhat longer.

In some countries, commercial propagation occurs by means of tissue culture. This method is preferred since it ensures disease-free planting material. When using vegetative parts such as suckers for propagation, there is a risk of transmitting diseases (especially the devastating Panama disease).

As a non-seasonal crop, bananas are available fresh year-round.
Cavendish

Cavendish bananas are the main commercial banana cultivars sold in the world market.

In global commerce, by far the most important cultivars belong to the triploid AAA group of Musa acuminata, commonly referred to as Cavendish group bananas. They account for the majority of banana exports,[56] despite only coming into existence in 1836.[57] The cultivars Dwarf Cavendish and Grand Nain (Chiquita Banana) gained popularity in the 1950s after the previous mass-produced cultivar, Gros Michel (also an AAA group cultivar), became commercially unviable due to Panama disease, caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum which attacks the roots of the banana plant.[56]

Ease of transport and shelf life rather than superior taste make the Dwarf Cavendish the main export banana.

Even though it is no longer viable for large scale cultivation, Gros Michel is not extinct and is still grown in areas where Panama disease is not found.[58] Likewise, Dwarf Cavendish and Grand Nain are in no danger of extinction, but they may leave supermarket shelves if disease makes it impossible to supply the global market. It is unclear if any existing cultivar can replace Cavendish bananas, so various hybridisation and genetic engineering programs are attempting to create a disease-resistant, mass-market banana.[56]

Ripening
Export bananas are picked green, and ripen in special rooms upon arrival in the destination country. These rooms are air-tight and filled with ethylene gas to induce ripening. The vivid yellow color normally associated with supermarket bananas is in fact a side effect of the artificial ripening process.[59][60] Flavor and texture are also affected by ripening temperature. Bananas are refrigerated to between 13.5 and 15 °C (56 and 59 °F) during transport. At lower temperatures, ripening permanently stalls, and turns the bananas gray as cell walls break down. The skin of ripe bananas quickly blackens in the 4 °C (39 °F) environment of a domestic refrigerator, although the fruit inside remains unaffected.


Ripened bananas (left, under sunlight) fluoresce in blue when exposed to UV light.

"Tree-ripened" Cavendish bananas have a greenish-yellow appearance which changes to a brownish-yellow as they ripen further. Although both flavor and texture of tree-ripened bananas is generally regarded as superior to any type of green-picked fruit,[citation needed] this reduces shelf life to only 7–10 days.

Bananas can be ordered by the retailer "ungassed", and may show up at the supermarket fully green. "Guineo Verde", or green bananas that have not been gassed will never fully ripen before becoming rotten. Instead of fresh eating, these bananas are best suited to cooking, as seen in Mexican culinary dishes.

A 2008 study reported that ripe bananas fluoresce when exposed to ultraviolet light. This property is attributed to the degradation of chlorophyll leading to the accumulation of a fluorescent product in the skin of the fruit. The chlorophyll breakdown product is stabilized by a propionate ester group. Banana-plant leaves also fluoresce in the same way. Green bananas do not fluoresce. The study suggested that this allows animals which can see light in the ultraviolet spectrum (tetrachromats and pentachromats) to more easily detect ripened bananas.[61]

Storage and transport
Bananas must be transported over long distances from the tropics to world markets. To obtain maximum shelf life, harvest comes before the fruit is mature. The fruit requires careful handling, rapid transport to ports, cooling, and refrigerated shipping. The goal is to prevent the bananas from producing their natural ripening agent, ethylene. This technology allows storage and transport for 3–4 weeks at 13 °C (55 °F). On arrival, bananas are held at about 17 °C (63 °F) and treated with a low concentration of ethylene. After a few days, the fruit begins to ripen and is distributed for final sale. Unripe bananas can not be held in home refrigerators because they suffer from the cold.

Ripe bananas can be held for a few days at home. If bananas are too green, they can be put in a brown paper bag with an apple or tomato overnight to speed up the ripening process.[62]

Carbon dioxide (which bananas produce) and ethylene absorbents extend fruit life even at high temperatures. This effect can be exploited by packing banana in a polyethylene bag and including an ethylene absorbent, e.g., potassium permanganate, on an inert carrier. The bag is then sealed with a band or string. This treatment has been shown to more than double lifespans up to 3–4 weeks without the need for refrigeration.[63][64][65]

Production and export
Production and export of bananas and plantains by country (2011)[Note 1]
Country
Millions of tonnes
Percentage of world total
Table 1: Production
India
29.7
20%
Uganda
11.1
8%
China
10.7
7%
Philippines
9.2
6%
Ecuador
8.0
6%
Brazil
7.3
5%
Indonesia
6.1
4%
Colombia
5.1
4%
Cameroon
4.8
3%
Tanzania
3.9
3%
All other countries
49.6
34%
Total world
145.4
100%
Table 2: Exports
Ecuador
5.2
29%
Costa Rica
1.8
10%
Colombia
1.8
10%
Philippines
1.6
9%
Guatemala
1.5
8%
All other countries
6.0
34%
Total world
17.9
100%
Statistics on the production and export of bananas and plantains are available from the Food and Agriculture Organization. Some countries produce statistics which distinguish between bananas and plantains, but three of the top four producers (India, China and the Philippines) do not, so comparisons can only be made using the total for bananas and plantains combined. The 2011 statistics (see Table 1) show that India led the world in banana production, producing around 20% of the worldwide crop of 145 million metric tonnes. Uganda was the next largest producer with around 8% of the worldwide crop. Its national data does distinguish between bananas and plantains, and shows that the latter made up over 95% of production. Ten countries produced around two thirds of the total world production.[Note 1]
The statistics for the export of bananas and plantains show a rather different picture (see Table 2). Total world exports at around 18 million metric tonnes amounted to only 12% of total world production; two thirds of the exports were generated by only five countries. The top three producing countries do not appear in this table, and two countries, Costa Rica and Guatemala, do not appear in the table of top producers. Only the Philippines has a consistent position in both tables. Exports were dominated by Ecuador, with 29% of the world total. Statistics for Ecuador distinguish between bananas and plantains; 93% of its exports were classified as bananas.[Note 1]

Bananas and plantains constitute a major staple food crop for millions of people in developing countries. In most tropical countries, green (unripe) bananas used for cooking represent the main cultivars. Bananas are cooked in ways that are similar to potatoes. Both can be fried, boiled, baked, or chipped and have similar taste and texture when served. One banana provides about the same calories as one potato.

Most producers are small-scale farmers either for home consumption or local markets. Because bananas and plantains produce fruit year-round, they provide an extremely valuable food source during the hunger season (when the food from one annual/semi-annual harvest has been consumed, and the next is still to come). Bananas and plantains are therefore critical to global food security.
Bananas have been an important source of disagreement in the Doha Round of trade talks. A study for ICTSD showed that the new deal on EU banana import tariffs will be a boon to Latin American exporters but would trigger a drop in exports of the fruit from African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.[66]
Bananas are among the most widely consumed foods in the world. Most banana farmers receive a low price for their produce as grocery companies pay discounted prices for buying in enormous quantity. Price competition among grocers has reduced their margins, leading to lower prices for growers. Chiquita, Del Monte, Dole, and Fyffes grow their own bananas in Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras. Banana plantations are capital intensive and demand significant expertise. The majority of independent growers are large and wealthy landowners in these countries. Producers have attempted to raise prices via marketing them as "fair trade" or Rainforest Alliance-certified in some countries.

The banana has an extensive trade history starting with firms such as Fyffes and the United Fruit Company (now Chiquita) at the end of the 19th century. For much of the 20th century, bananas and coffee dominated the export economies of Central America. In the 1930s, bananas and coffee made up as much as 75% of the region's exports. As late as 1960, the two crops accounted for 67% of the exports from the region. Though the two were grown in similar regions, they tended not to be distributed together. The United Fruit Company based its business almost entirely on the banana trade, because the coffee trade proved too difficult to control. The term "banana republic" has been applied to most countries in Central America, but from a strict economic perspective only Costa Rica, Honduras, and Panama had economies dominated by the banana trade.

The European Union has traditionally imported many of their bananas from former European Caribbean colonies, paying guaranteed prices above global market rates (see Lomé Convention) As of 2005, these arrangements were in the process of being withdrawn under pressure from other major trading powers, principally the United States. The withdrawal of these indirect subsidies to Caribbean producers is expected to favour the banana producers of Central America, in which American companies have an economic interest.

The United States produces few bananas. A mere 14,000 tonnes (14,000 long tons; 15,000 short tons) were grown in Hawaii in 2001.[67] Bananas were once grown in Florida and southern California.[68]

Pests, diseases, and natural disasters
Main article: List of banana and plantain diseases

Banana bunches are sometimes encased in plastic bags for protection. The bags may be coated with pesticides.

While in no danger of outright extinction, the most common edible banana cultivar Cavendish (extremely popular in Europe and the Americas) could become unviable for large-scale cultivation in the next 10–20 years. Its predecessor 'Gros Michel', discovered in the 1820s, suffered this fate. Like almost all bananas, Cavendish lacks genetic diversity, which makes it vulnerable to diseases, threatening both commercial cultivation and small-scale subsistence farming.[69][70] Some commentators remarked that those variants which could replace what much of the world considers a "typical banana" are so different that most people would not consider them the same fruit, and blame the decline of the banana on monogenetic cultivation driven by short-term commercial motives.[53]

Panama disease
Panama disease is caused by a fusarium soil fungus (Race 1), which enters the plants through the roots and travels with water into the trunk and leaves, producing gels and gums that cut off the flow of water and nutrients, causing the plant to wilt, and exposing the rest of the plant to lethal amounts of sunlight. Prior to 1960, almost all commercial banana production centered on "Gros Michel", which was highly susceptible.[71] Cavendish was chosen as the replacement for Gros Michel because, among resistant cultivars, it produces the highest quality fruit. However, more care is required for shipping the Cavendish, and its quality compared to Gros Michel is debated.[

According to current sources, a deadly form of Panama disease is infecting Cavendish. All plants are genetically identical, which prevents evolution of disease resistance. Researchers are examining hundreds of wild varieties for resistance.[71]

Tropical Race 4
TR4 is a reinvigorated strain of Panama disease first discovered in 1993. This virulent form of fusarium wilt has wiped out Cavendish in several southeast Asian countries. It has yet to reach the Americas; however, soil fungi can easily be carried on boots, clothing, or tools. This is how Tropical Race 4 travels and is its most likely route into Latin America. Cavendish is highly susceptible to TR4, and over time, Cavendish is almost certain to disappear from commercial production by this disease. Unfortunately, the only known defense to TR4 is genetic resistance.

Black Sigatoka
Black sigatoka is a fungal leaf spot disease first observed in Fiji in 1963 or 1964. Black Sigatoka (also known as black leaf streak) has spread to banana plantations throughout the tropics from infected banana leaves that were used as packing material. It affects all main cultivars of bananas and plantains, impeding photosynthesis by blackening parts of the leaves, eventually killing the entire leaf. Starved for energy, fruit production falls by 50% or more, and the bananas that do grow ripen prematurely, making them unsuitable for export. The fungus has shown ever-increasing resistance to treatment, with the current expense for treating 1 hectare (2.5 acres) exceeding $1,000 per year. In addition to the expense, there is the question of how long intensive spraying can be environmentally justified. Several resistant cultivars of banana have been developed, but none has yet received commercial acceptance due to taste and texture issues.

In East Africa
With the arrival of Black sigatoka, banana production in eastern Africa fell by over 40%. For example, during the 1970s, Uganda produced 15 to 20 tonnes (15 to 20 long tons; 17 to 22 short tons) of bananas per hectare. Today, production has fallen to only 6 tonnes (5.9 long tons; 6.6 short tons) per hectare.

The situation has started to improve as new disease-resistant cultivars have been developed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and the National Agricultural Research Organisation of Uganda (NARO), such as FHIA-17 (known in Uganda as the Kabana 3). These new cultivars taste different from the Cabana banana, which has slowed their acceptance by local farmers. However, by adding mulch and manure to the soil around the base of the plant, these new cultivars have substantially increased yields in the areas where they have been tried.

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and NARO, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and CGIAR have started trials for genetically modified bananas that are resistant to both Black sigatoka and banana weevils. It is developing cultivars specifically for smallholder and subsistence farmers.

Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV)
This virus jumps from plant to plant using aphids. It stunts leaves, resulting in a "bunched" appearance. Generally, an infected plant does not produce fruit, although mild strains exist which allow some production. These mild strains are often mistaken for malnourishment, or a disease other than BBTV. There is no cure; however, its effect can be minimized by planting only tissue-cultured plants (in vitro propagation), controlling aphids, and immediately removing and destroying infected plants.

Culture
Food and cooking
Fruit
Peeled, whole, and longitudinal section
Bananas, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy
371 kJ (89 kcal)
Carbohydrates
22.84 g
- Sugars
12.23 g
- Dietary fiber
2.6 g
Fat
0.33 g
Protein
1.09 g
Thiamine (vit. B1)
0.031 mg (3%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2)
0.073 mg (6%)
Niacin (vit. B3)
0.665 mg (4%)
Pantothenic acid (B5)
0.334 mg (7%)
Vitamin B6
0.4 mg (31%)
Folate (vit. B9)
20 ?g (5%)
Choline
9.8 mg (2%)
Vitamin C
8.7 mg (10%)
Iron
0.26 mg (2%)
Magnesium
27 mg (8%)
Manganese
0.27 mg (13%)
Phosphorus
22 mg (3%)
Potassium
358 mg (8%)
Sodium
1 mg (0%)
Zinc
0.15 mg (2%)
Fluoride
2.2 µg
Link to USDA Database entry
Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database
Bananas are a staple starch for many tropical populations. Depending upon cultivar and ripeness, the flesh can vary in taste from starchy to sweet, and texture from firm to mushy. Both the skin and inner part can be eaten raw or cooked. The banana's flavor is due, amongst other chemicals, to isoamyl acetate which is one of the main constituents of banana oil.

During the ripening process, bananas produce a plant hormone called ethylene, which indirectly affects the flavor. Among other things, ethylene stimulates the formation of amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starch into sugar, influencing the taste of bananas. The greener, less ripe bananas contain higher levels of starch and, consequently, have a "starchier" taste. On the other hand, yellow bananas taste sweeter due to higher sugar concentrations. Furthermore, ethylene signals the production of pectinase, an enzyme which breaks down the pectin between the cells of the banana, causing the banana to soften as it ripens.[72][73]

Bananas are eaten deep fried, baked in their skin in a split bamboo, or steamed in glutinous rice wrapped in a banana leaf. Bananas can be made into jam. Banana pancakes are popular amongst backpackers and other travelers in South Asia and Southeast Asia. This has elicited the expression Banana Pancake Trail for those places in Asia that cater to this group of travelers. Banana chips are a snack produced from sliced dehydrated or fried banana or plantain, which have a dark brown color and an intense banana taste. Dried bananas are also ground to make banana flour. Extracting juice is difficult, because when a banana is compressed, it simply turns to pulp. Bananas feature prominently in Philippine cuisine, being part of traditional dishes and desserts like maruya, turrón, and halo-halo. Most of these dishes use the Saba or Cardaba banana cultivar. Pisang goreng, bananas fried with batter similar to the Filipino maruya, is a popular dessert in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. A similar dish is known in the United States as banana fritters.

Plantains are used in various stews and curries or cooked, baked or mashed in much the same way as potatoes.
]
Seeded bananas (Musa balbisiana), one of the forerunners of the common domesticated banana,[74] are sold in markets in Indonesia.

Banana in sweet gravy, known as pengat pisang in Malay. Popular along Malaysia's east coast.

Kilawin na pusô ng saging, a Filipino dish using banana flowers
Banana hearts are used as a vegetable[75] in South Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine, either raw or steamed with dips or cooked in soups, curries and fried foods.[76] The flavor resembles that of artichoke. As with artichokes, both the fleshy part of the bracts and the heart are edible.

Leaves
Nicaraguan Nacatamales, in banana leaves, ready to be steamed
Banana leaves are large, flexible, and waterproof. They are often used as ecologically friendly disposable food containers or as "plates" in South Asia and several Southeast Asian countries. Especially in the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala in every occasion the food must be served in a banana leaf and as a part of the food a banana is served. Steamed with dishes they impart a subtle sweet flavor. They often serve as a wrapping for grilling food. The leaves contain the juices, protect food from burning and add a subtle flavor.[77] In Tamil Nadu (India) leaves are fully dried and used as packing material for food stuffs and also making cups to hold liquid foods. In Central American countries, banana leaves are often used as wrappers for tamales.

Trunk
Kaeng yuak is a northern Thai curry made with the core of the banana plant
The tender core of the banana plant's trunk is also used in South Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine, and notably in the Burmese dish mohinga.

Nutrition and research
Bananas are an excellent source of vitamin B6, soluble fiber, and contain moderate amounts of vitamin C, manganese and potassium.[78] Along with other fruits and vegetables, consumption of bananas may be associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer[79] and in women, breast cancer[80] and renal cell carcinoma.[81] Banana ingestion may affect dopamine production in people deficient in the amino acid tyrosine, a dopamine precursor present in bananas.[82][83] Individuals with a latex allergy may experience a reaction to bananas.[84]

Fiber
Textiles
The banana plant has long been a source of fiber for high quality textiles. In Japan, banana cultivation for clothing and household use dates back to at least the 13th century. In the Japanese system, leaves and shoots are cut from the plant periodically to ensure softness. Harvested shoots are first boiled in lye to prepare fibers for yarn-making. These banana shoots produce fibers of varying degrees of softness, yielding yarns and textiles with differing qualities for specific uses. For example, the outermost fibers of the shoots are the coarsest, and are suitable for tablecloths, while the softest innermost fibers are desirable for kimono and kamishimo. This traditional Japanese cloth-making process requires many steps, all performed by hand.[85]

In a Nepalese system the trunk is harvested instead, and small pieces are subjected to a softening process, mechanical fiber extraction, bleaching and drying. After that, the fibers are sent to the Kathmandu Valley for use in rugs with a silk-like texture. These banana fiber rugs are woven by traditional Nepalese hand-knotting methods, and are sold RugMark certified.

In South Indian state of Tamil Nadu after harvesting for fruit the trunk (outer layer of the shoot) is made into fine thread used in making of flower garlands instead of thread.

Paper
Main article: Banana paper
Banana fiber is used in the production of banana paper. Banana paper is made from two different parts: the bark of the banana plant, mainly used for artistic purposes, or from the fibers of the stem and non-usable fruits. The paper is either hand-made or by industrial process.

Cultural roles
Coconut, banana and banana leaves used while worshiping River Kaveri at Tiruchirappalli, India.

Banana flowers and leaves for sale in the Thanin market in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Arts
* The song "Yes! We Have No Bananas" was written by Frank Silver and Irving Cohn and originally released in 1923; for many decades, it was the best-selling sheet music in history. Since then the song has been rerecorded several times and has been particularly popular during banana shortages.[86]
[87]
* A person slipping on a banana peel has been a staple of physical comedy for generations. A 1910 USA comedy recording features a popular character of the time, "Uncle Josh", claiming to describe his own such incident:[88]
Now I don't think much of the man that throws a banana peelin' on the sidewalk, and I don't think much of the banana peel that throws a man on the sidewalk neither ... my foot hit the bananer peelin' and I went up in the air, and I come down ker-plunk, jist as I was pickin' myself up a little boy come runnin' across the street ... he says, "Oh mister, won't you please do that agin? My little brother didn't see you do it."
* The poet Bash? is named after the Japanese word for a banana plant. The "bash?" planted in his garden by a grateful student became a source of inspiration to his poetry, as well as a symbol of his life and home.[89]
* The cover artwork for the debut album of The Velvet Underground features a banana made by Andy Warhol. On the original vinyl LP version, the design allowed the listener to 'peel' this banana to find a pink, peeled phallic banana on the inside.[90]

Religion and popular beliefs
Nang Tani, the female ghost of Southeast Asian folk mythology that haunts banana trees

In Burma, bunches of green bananas surrounding a green coconut in a tray form an important part of traditional offerings to the Buddha and the Nats.[citation needed]
In all the important festivals and occasions of Hindus the serving of bananas plays a prominent part. The banana (Tamil:? or ?) is one of three fruits with this significance, the others being mango and jack fruit.[citation needed] It is also worth mentioning that ancient Tamils have named three varieties of bananas after Hindu Trinity of Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva as Poovan Pazham- ?? ? (Brahma), Mondan/Mukundhan Pazham- ?( ?) Vishnu and Peyan Pazham- ?? ? (Shiva).[citation needed]
In Thailand it is believed that a certain type of banana trees may be inhabited by a spirit, Nang Tani (Thai: ?), a type of ghost related to trees that manifests itself as a young woman.[91] Often people tie a length of colored satin cloth around the trunk of the banana tree.[92]
In Malay folklore the ghost known as Pontianak is associated with banana trees (pokok pisang), and its spirit is said to reside in them during the day.[93]
Other uses
* Banana sap from the pseudostem, peelings or flesh may be sufficiently sticky for adhesive uses.
* The large leaves may be used as umbrellas.[77]
* Banana peel may have capability to extract heavy metal contamination from river water, similar to other purification materials.[94][95] In 2007, banana peel powder was tested as a means of filtration for heavy metals and radionuclides occurring in water produced by the nuclear and fertilizer industries (cadmium contaminant is present in phosphates). When added and thoroughly mixed for 40 minutes, the powder can remove roughly 65% of heavy metals, and this can be repeated.[96]
* Banana peel has displayed antioxidant activity in vitro, especially from unripe extracts.[97]

Notes
1. ^ a b c The figures in the tables were derived from: "FAOSTAT". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The datasets for bananas and plantains for 2011 were downloaded and combined (the two are not distinguished in many cases). Totals and percentages were then calculated. The number of countries shown was chosen to account for a minimum of 66% of the world total.
References
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2. ^ a b "Tracing antiquity of banana cultivation in Papua New Guinea". The Australia & Pacific Science Foundation. Archived from the original on 2007-08-29. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
3. ^ Nelson, Ploetz & Kepler 2006.
4. ^ "FAOSTAT: ProdSTAT: Crops". Food and Agriculture Organization. 2005. Retrieved 2006-12-09.
5. ^ Picq, Claudine & INIBAP, eds. (2000). Bananas (English ed.). Montpellier: International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantains/International Plant Genetic Resources Institute. ISBN 978-2-910810-37-5. Retrieved 2013-01-31.
6. ^ Stover & Simmonds 1987, pp. 5–9.
7. ^ Stover & Simmonds 1987, pp. 13–17.
8. ^ Nelson, Ploetz & Kepler 2006, p. 26.
9. ^ a b Ploetz et al. 2007, p. 12.
10. ^ "Banana from ''Fruits of Warm Climates'' by Julia Morton". Hort.purdue.edu. Archived from the original on 2009-04-15. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
11. ^ Greenearth, Inc., Banana Plant Growing Info. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
12. ^ Stover & Simmonds 1987, pp. 9–13.
13. ^ Angolo, A. (May 15, 2008). "Banana plant with five hearts is instant hit in Negros Occ". ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
14. ^ Stover & Simmonds 1987, pp. 244–247.
15. ^ Office of the Gene Technology Regulator 2008.
16. ^ James P. Smith, Vascular Plant Families. Mad River Press, 1977.
17. ^ N.W. Simmonds (1962). "Where our bananas come from". New Scientist (Reed Business Information) 16 (307): 36–39. ISSN 0262-4079. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
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19. ^ Bananas Are Radioactive. Chemistry.about.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-02.
20. ^ Stephen Cass, Corinna Wu (2007) Everything Emits Radiation—Even You: The millirems pour in from bananas, bomb tests, the air, bedmates... Discover: Science, Technology, and the Future, published online June 4, 2007
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33. ^ Office of the Gene Technology Regulator 2008, p. 1.
34. ^ Stover & Simmonds (1987, p. 183). "The Horn and French group of plantain cultivars (AAB) are preferred for cooking purposes over ABB cooking bananas ... As a result the AAB plantains fetch a higher price than the ABB cooking bananas."
35. ^ Qi, Baoxiu; Moore, Keith G. & Orchard, John (2000), "Effect of Cooking on Banana and Plantain Texture", Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 48: 4221–4226, doi:10.1021/jf991301z
36. ^ Gibert, Olivier; Dufour, Dominique; Giraldo, Andrés; Sánchez, Teresa; Reynes, Max; Pain, Jean-Pierre; González, Alonso; Fernández, Alejandro et al. (2009). "Differentiation between Cooking Bananas and Dessert Bananas. 1. Morphological and Compositional Characterization of Cultivated Colombian Musaceae (Musa sp.) in Relation to Consumer Preferences". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57 (17): 7857–7869. doi:10.1021/jf901788x.
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38. ^ Engelberger 2003.
39. ^ Edmond de Langhe & Pierre de Maret (2004). "Tracking the banana: its significance in early agriculture". In Jon G. Hather. The Prehistory of Food: Appetites for Change. Routledge. p. 372. ISBN 978-0-203-20338-5.
40. ^ Denham, T.P.; Haberle, S.G.; Lentfer, C.; Fullagar, R.; Field, J.; Therin, M.; Porch, N. & Winsborough, B. (2003). "Origins of Agriculture at Kuk Swamp in the Highlands of New Guinea". Science (5630): 189–193. doi:10.2307/3834782.
41. ^ Ploetz et al. 2007, p. 7.
42. ^ a b Watson 1983, p. 54.
43. ^ Mbida VM, Van Neer W, Doutrelepont H, Vrydaghs L. (2000). "Evidence for banana cultivation and animal husbandry during the first millennium BCE in the forest of southern Cameroon". Journal of Archeological Science. doi:10.1006/jasc.1999.0447.
44. ^ Friedrich J. Zeller (2005). "Herkunft, Diversität und Züchtung der Banane und kultivierter Zitrusarten (Origin, diversity and breeding of banana and plantain (Musa spp.))". Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics.
45. ^ "Africa's earliest bananas?". Journal of Archeological Science. June 28, 2005. Archived from the original on 2007-12-02.
46. ^ Randrianja, Solofo abd Stephen Ellis: Madagascar: A Short History. University of Chicago Press, 2009 ISBN 1-85065-947-8.
47. ^ "Banana consumption on rise during Ramadan".
48. ^ "Bananas and plantains". Botgard.ucla.edu. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
49. ^ "Online Etymology Dictionary: banana". Retrieved November 2, 2007.
50. ^ Peed, Mike: "We Have No Bananas: Can Scientists Defeat a Devastating Blight?" The New Yorker, January 10, 2011, pp. 28–34. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
51. ^ a b "Phora Ltd. – History of Banana". Phora-sotoby.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
52. ^ a b Dan Koeppel, Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World (New York: Hudson Street Press, 2008), pp. 51–53 ISBN 0-452-29008-2
53. ^ a b Big-business greed killing the banana – Independent, via The New Zealand Herald, Saturday May 24, 2008, Page A19
54. ^ Office of the Gene Technology Regulator 2008, pp. 7–8.
55. ^ Stover & Simmonds 1987, pp. 206–207.
56. ^ a b c d Castle, Matt (August 24, 2009). "The Unfortunate Sex Life of the Banana". d**nInteresting.com.
57. ^ Banana History – The history of bananas as food. Homecooking.about.com (May 5, 2011). Retrieved on 2011-10-02.
58. ^ Are bananas about to become extinct? .Retrieved on 2012-13-12.
59. ^ Phebe Ding, S.H. Ahmad, Abd. R. Abd. Razak, N. Shaari and M.T.M. Mohamed (2007). "Plastid ultrastructure, chlorophyll contents, and colour expression during ripening of Cavendish banana (Musa acuminata 'Williams') at 17°C and 27°C". New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticulutral Science 35: 201–210. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
60. ^ Saeed Ahmad, Zia Ahmad Chatha, Muhammad Akram Nasir, Abdul Aziz and Malik Mohson (2006). "Effect of Relative Humidity on the Ripening Behaviour and Quality of Ethylene Treated Banana Fruit". Journal of Agriculture & Social Sciences 2 (1): 54–56. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
61. ^ Moser, Simone; Thomas Müller, Marc-Olivier Ebert, Steffen Jockusch, Nicholas J. Turro, Bernhard Kräutler (2008). "Blue luminescence of ripening bananas". Angewandte Chemie International Edition 47 (46): 8954–8957. doi:10.1002/anie.200803189. PMC 2912500. PMID 18850621.
62. ^ "How to Ripen Bananas". Retrieved 2009-08-15.
63. ^ Scott, KJ, McGlasson WB and Roberts EA (1970). "Potassium Permanganate as an Ethylene Absorbent in Polyethylene Bags to Delay the Ripening of Bananas During Storage". Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 10 (43): 237. doi:10.1071/EA9700237.
64. ^ Scott KJ, Blake, JR, Stracha, G, Tugwell, BL and McGlasson WB (1971). "Transport of Bananas at Ambient Temperatures using Polyethylene Bags". Tropical Agriculture (Trinidad) 48: 163–165.
65. ^ Scott, KJ and Gandanegara, S (1974). "Effect of Temperature on the Storage Life of bananas Held in Polyethylene Bags with an Ethylene Absorbent". Tropical Agriculture (Trinidad) 51: 23–26.
66. ^ How would a WTO agreement on bananas affect exporting and importing countries?, by Giovanni Anania, July 2009, Issue Paper No.21, ICTSD
67. ^ "Crop Profile for Bananas in Hawaii". Ipmcenters.org. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
68. ^ California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc., Banana Fruit Facts. Retrieved 2008.12.30.
69. ^ "A future with no bananas?". New Scientist. May 13, 2006. Retrieved December 9, 2006.
70. ^ Montpellier, Emile Frison (February 8, 2003). "Rescuing the banana". New Scientist. Retrieved December 9, 2006.
71. ^ a b Barker, C. L. "Conservation: Peeling away". National Geographic Magazine, November 2008.
72. ^ "Fruit Ripening". Retrieved February 17, 2010.
73. ^ "Ethylene Process". Archived from the original on March 24, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
74. ^ Plant Breeding Abstracts, Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, 1949, p. 162
75. ^ Solomon, C (1998). Encyclopedia of Asian Food (Periplus ed.). Australia: New Holland Publishers. ISBN 0-85561-688-1. Archived from the original on June 03 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
76. ^ Fried banana flowers. Duda Online (December 14, 2009). Retrieved on 2011-10-02.
77. ^ a b "Banana". Hortpurdue.edu. Archived from the original on April 15, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
78. ^ "Nutrition Facts for raw banana, one NLEA serving, 100 g". Nutritiondata.com from Standard Reference 21 of the USDA National Nutrient Database.
79. ^ Deneo-Pellegrini, H; De Stefani E; Ronco A (1996). "Vegetables, fruits, and risk of colorectal cancer: a case-control study from Uruguay". Nutrition & Cancer 25 (3): 297–304. doi:10.1080/01635589609514453. PMID 8771572.
80. ^ Zhang, CX; et al. (2009). "Greater vegetable and fruit intake is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer among Chinese women". International Journal of Cancer 125 (1): 181–8. doi:10.1002/ijc.24358. PMID 19358284.
81. ^ Rashidkhani, B; Lindblad P; Wolk A (2005). "Fruits, vegetables and risk of renal cell carcinoma: a prospective study of Swedish women". International Journal of Cancer 113 (3): 451–5. doi:10.1002/ijc.20577. PMID 15455348.
82. ^ Jerry Wong. "The Pursuit of Happiness (A.K.A. It Appears That The Writer Wrote About Bananas After Eating A Few Too Many)". The Science Creative Quarterly, University of British Columbia. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
83. ^ "Tyrosine". University of Maryland, Medical Center. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
84. ^ Taylor, JS; Erkek E (2004). "Latex allergy: diagnosis and management". Dermatological Therapy 17 (4): 289–301. doi:10.1111/j.1396-0296.2004.04024.x. PMID 15327474.
85. ^ "Traditional Crafts of Japan – Kijoka Banana Fiber Cloth". Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries. Archived from the original on November 04 2006. Retrieved December 11, 2006.
86. ^ Arnold Shaw (1987). ""Yes! We have No Bananas"/"Charleston" (1923)". The Jazz Age: Popular Music in the 1920's. Oxford University Press. p. 132. ISBN 9780195060829.
87. ^ Dan Koeppel (2005). "Can This Fruit Be Saved?". Popular Science (Bonnier Corporation) 267 (2): 60–70.
88. ^ Stewart, Cal. "Collected Works of Cal Stewart part 2". Uncle Josh in a Department Store (1910). The Internet Archive. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
89. ^ Matsuo Basho: the Master Haiku Poet, Kodansha Europe, ISBN 0-87011-553-7
90. ^ Bill DeMain (December 11, 2011). "The Stories Behind 11 Classic Album Covers". mental_floss. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
91. ^ "Banana Tree Prai Lady Ghost". Thailand-amulets.net. 2012-03-19. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
92. ^ "Spirits". Thaiworldview.com. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
93. ^ Pontianak- South East Asian Vampire
94. ^ Minard, Anne (March 11, 2011). "Is That a Banana in Your Water?". National Geographic. Archived from the original on April 26, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-15.
95. ^ Banana Peel Applied to the Solid Phase Extraction of Copper and Lead from River Water: Preconcentration of Metal Ions with a Fruit Waste 50 (6). 2011. doi:10.1021/ie101499e.
96. ^ ADIT, BE Brazil (96, 3 April 2007) from Master Thesis of M.R. Boniolo presented at Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN).
97. ^ Sundaram S, Anjum S, Dwivedi P, Rai GK.,"Antioxidant activity and protective effect of banana peel against oxidative hemolysis of human erythrocyte at different stages of ripening." Appl Biochem Biotechnol. 2011 Aug;164(7):1192-206 (source - retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana on 4/4/2013)

In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to http://www.jw.org].




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[iris89]

Hi Everyone:


Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Elaegnus Philippinensis, Elaeagnus /??li??æ?n?s/,[1] silverberry or oleaster, is a genus of about 50–70 species of flowering plants in he family Elaeagnaceae.

Habitat
The vast majority of the species are native to temperate and subtropical regions of Asia. Elaeagnus triflora extends from Asia south into northeastern Australia, while E. commutata is native to North America, and Elaeagnus philippinensis is native to the Philippines. One of the Asian species, E. angustifolia, may also be native in southeasternmost Europe, though it may instead be an early human introduction there. Also, several Asiatic species of Elaeagnus have become established as introduced species in North America, with some of these species being considered invasive, or even designated as noxious, in portions of the United States.[2][3]

Description
Elaeagnus plants are deciduous or evergreen shrubs or small trees. The alternate leaves and the shoots are usually covered with tiny silvery to brownish scales, giving the plants a whitish to grey-brown colour from a distance. The flowers are small, with a four-lobed calyxand no petals; they are often fragrant. The fruit is a fleshy drupe containing a single seed; it is edible in many species. Several species are cultivated for their fruit, including E. angustifolia, E. umbellata and E. multiflora (gumi).

Cultivation
Elaeagnus species are widely cultivated for their showy, often variegated, foliage, and numerous cultivars and hybrids have been developed.[4]
E. angustifolia cultivated as bonsai
Notable species and hybrids in cultivation include:-
* Elaeagnus angustifolia
* Elaeagnus commutata
* Elaeagnus × ebbingei
* Elaeagnus macrophylla
* Elaeagnus pungens
* Elaeagnus × reflexa
* Elaeagnus umbellata
The cultivar 'Gilt Edge'[5] has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Other uses
E. umbellata is reputed to have a high amount of the carotenoid antioxidant, lycopene[6] and has been shown to display antioxidant properties effective against cancer mechanisms in vitro.[7] E. multiflora is among the nutraceutical plants that Chinese use both for food and medicine. Both of these species have small but abundant tasty berries.

Ecology
Elaeagnus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Coleophora elaeagnisella and the gothicmoths. The thorny shrubs can also provide good nesting sites for birds.
Nitrogen fixation
Many Elaeagnus species harbor nitrogen fixing organisms in their roots, and are therefore able to grow well in low-nitrogen soil. This ability results in multiple ecological consequences where these Elaeagnus species are present:
* They can become invasive in many locations where they are established as exotic species. Two species (E. pungens andE. umbellata) are currently rated as Category II exotic invasive species by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council.[3]
* Because they increase fixed nitrogen levels in the soil, they can alter habitats by enabling species which require more fixed nitrogen to be more competitive, replacing other species which are themselves tolerant of soils with low levels of fixed nitrogen.
* The extra availability of fixed nitrogen in the plant makes its leaves more nutritious.
*
Selected species
* Elaeagnus angustata (Rehd.) C. Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus angustifolia L. (Oleaster, Russian silverberry orRussian-olive; western Asia).
* Elaeagnus argyi Levl. (China)
* Elaeagnus bambusetorum Hand.-Mazz. (China)
* Elaeagnus bockii Diels (China)
* Elaeagnus cinnamomifolia W. K. Hu et H. F. Chow (China)
* Elaeagnus commutata Bernh. (American silverberry or wolf-willow; North America).
* Elaeagnus conferta Roxb. (1820) (southern Asia)
* Elaeagnus courtoisi Belval (China)
* Elaeagnus davidii Franch. (China)
* Elaeagnus delavayi Lecomte (China)
* Elaeagnus difficilis Serv. (China)
* Elaeagnus formosana Nakai (Taiwan)
* Elaeagnus glabra Thunb. (eastern Asia)
* Elaeagnus gonyanthes Benth. (China)
* Elaeagnus griffithii Serv. (China)
* Elaeagnus grijsii Hance (China)
* Elaeagnus guizhouensis C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus henryi Warb. (China)
* Elaeagnus jiangxiensis C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus jingdonensis C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus kanaii Momily. (China)
* Elaeagnus lanceolata Warb. (China)
* Elaeagnus lanpingensis C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus latifolia L. (southern Asia)
* Elaeagnus liuzhouensis C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus longiloba C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus loureirii Champ. (southern China)
* Elaeagnus luoxiangensis C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus luxiensis C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus macrantha Rehd. (China)
* Elaeagnus macrophylla Thunb. (eastern Asia)
* Elaeagnus magna Rehd. (China)
* Elaeagnus micrantha C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus mollis Diels (China)
* Elaeagnus morrisonensis Hayata (Taiwan)
* Elaeagnus multiflora Thunb. (Cherry silverberry or Gumi; eastern Asia)
* Elaeagnus nanchuanensis C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus obovata Li (China)
* Elaeagnus obtusa C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus oldhami Maxim. (China)
* Elaeagnus ovata Serv. (China)
* Elaeagnus oxycarpa Schltdl. (China)
* Elaeagnus pallidiflora C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus parvifolia Wallich ex Royle (central Asia)
* Elaeagnus pauciflora C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus philippinensis Perrott. ([Philippines)
* Elaeagnus pilostyla C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus pingnanensis C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus pungens Thunb. (Silverthorn; Japan)
* Elaeagnus pyriformis Hook.f. (eastern Himalaya).
* Elaeagnus retrostyla C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus sarmentosa Rehd. (China)
* Elaeagnus schlechtendalii Serv. (China)
* Elaeagnus stellipila Rehd. (China)
* Elaeagnus taliensis C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus thunbergii Serv. (China)
* Elaeagnus tonkinensis Serv. (southeastern Asia)
* Elaeagnus triflora Roxb. (southeastern Asia, northeast Australia).
* Elaeagnus tubiflora C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus tutcheri Dunn (southern China).
* Elaeagnus umbellata Thunb. (Japanese silverberry orautumn-olive; eastern Asia).
* Elaeagnus viridis Serv. (China)
* Elaeagnus wenshanensis C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus wilsonii Li (China)
* Elaeagnus wushanensis C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus xichouensis C.Y. Chang (China)
* Elaeagnus xizangensis C.Y. Chang (China)
Hybrids
* Elaeagnus × ebbingei (E. macrophylla × E. pungens)
* Elaeagnus × pyramidalis (E. commutata × E. multiflora)
* Elaeagnus × reflexa (E. pungens × E. glabra)
Standard for Human Consumption[edit]
• ISO 23394 has been promulgated to cover dried E. angustifolia for human consumption.[8]

Notes
1. Jump up^ Sunset Western Garden Book. 1995. pp. 606–7. ISBN 978-0-376-03850-0.
2. Jump up^ www.bonap.org/BONAPmaps2010/Elaeagnus.html
3. ^ Jump up to:a b "Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant Lists". Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
4. Jump up^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.
5. Jump up^ "Eleagnus × ebbengei 'Gilt Edge'". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
6. Jump up^ Fordham, Ingrid M.; Clevidence, Beverly A; Wiley, Eugene R.; Zimmerman, Richard H. (2001). "Fruit of autumn olive : A rich source of lycopene". HortScience 36 (6): 1136–7.ISSN 0018-5345.
7. Jump up^ Wang, Shiow; Bowman, Linda; Ding, Min (2007). "Variations in Free Radical Scavenging Capacity and Antiprolifer
8. www.esma.ae/e-store/Default/StdDetails.aspx?std=3863 [source - retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaeagnus on 12/16/2013]

In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to http://www.jw.org].

To view the fruit and trees, go to www.google.com/search?q=Elaeagnus+philippinensis&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=b6evUtGBEMjAswa1k4HQDw&ved=0CCwQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=935

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Your Friend in Christ Iris89

Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!

[iris89]

Hi Everyone:

Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically Dillenia indica (Elephant apple, Chulta or Ouu) is a species of Dillenia native to southeastern Asia, from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka east to southwestern China (Yunnan) and Vietnam, and south through Thailand to Malaysia and Indonesia.[1]

Albinistic Dillenia indica in Pakke Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh, India
It is an evergreen large shrub or small to medium-sized tree growing to 15 m tall. The leaves are 15–36 cm long, with a conspicuously corrugated surface with impressed veins. Its branches are used to make good firewood. The flowers are large, 15–20 cm diameter, with five white petals and numerous yellow stamens. Its characteristic round fruits are large, greenish yellow, have many seeds and are edible. The fruit is a 5–12 cm diameter aggregate of 15 carpels, each carpel containing five seeds embedded in an edible but fibrous pulp.[2][3]

The fruit pulp is bitter-sour and used in Indian cuisine in curries, jam (ouu khatta), and jellies.[2] It is often mixed with coconut and spices to make chutneys.

In India, it is not commercially cultivated, but is found wild in the Terai & Dooars region and Katha Reserve Forest (RF), Burihiding RF, Duarmara RF, Tarani RF, Dumduma RF, Nalni RF, Philobari RF, Takowani RF, Kakojan RF, Digboi RF, Bogapani RF and Upper Dihing RF. Because it is a main source of food for elephants, monkeys and deer, collection of fruit from the core areas of the forest are prohibited. Commercial sale of the fruit is also prohibited in an effort to help the food-chain system of the forest from dismantling totally.[4]

Its common name is "elephant apple"; it is also known as owtenga in Assamese, chalta in Bengali, ouu in Oriya,[1]

References
1. ^ Germplasm Resources Information Network: Dillenia indica
2. ^ a b Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
3. ^ Flora of Pakistan: Dillenia indica
4. ^ DNA. www.dnaindia.com/india/report_elephants-and-villagers-fight-over-pickle-fruit_1104897. (source - retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dillenia_indica on 3/15/2013)

AND as grown in Hondorus:

The Dillenia, native to tropical Asia, forms a handsome ever green tree that is well suited for ornamental purposes. The trunk usually branches a few feet above the ground, forming a spreading tree that reaches a height of 20 to 25 feet (6 to 7.5 m). The oblong or obovate, toothed leaves are up to 12 inches in length (30 cm) and have many conspicuous parallel veins. The leaves are shiny dark green above, light green beneath, and are confined to the ends of the branches.

Cultural Practices:
The dillenia can be propagated readily by seeds but with difficulty from cuttings. It can be grown on many types of soils, but does better on acidic sandy loams.

Blooming Habits:
The beautiful, solitary, white flowers are very large, sometimes measuring 9 inches in diameter (22 cm). After flowering, the petals drop and the persistent calyx again closes and develops to form a thick fleshy covering enveloping the fruit.

Fruiting Habits:
The fruit, together with its protective covering, measures 5 to 6 inches in diameter (12-15 cm). The many-seeded true fruit is greenish yellow and surmounted by the persistent, slender, spreading rays of the stigma. The juicy pulp is aromatic but very acid and requires cooking. Unripe fruits are also cooked and pickled. (source - retrieved from www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Dilleniaceae/Dillenia_indica.html on 3/15/2013)

In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to http://www.jw.org].

Hardiness: The elephant apple is near-tropical but can survive short bursts of frost to 28-32F.
Growing Environment: Trees grow well in humid, warm climates. Grow in full sun. Water regularly. (source - retrieved from www.tradewindsfruit.com/elephant_apple.htm on 3/15/2013)
To view pictures of the Dillenia Indica, go to, www.bing.com/images/search?q=Dillenia+indica+Elephant+Apple&qpvt=Dillenia+indica+Elephant+Apple&FORM=IGRE

Seeds are available from www.tradewindsfruitstore.com/servlet/the-Tropical-Fruit-cln-Tropical-Fruit-Ci-dsh-E/Categories and would make an interesting growing project for those in south Florida, south western Californis where temperatures do not go below 30F.

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Your Friend in Christ Iris89

Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!

[iris89]

Hi Everyone:

Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Phyllanthus emblica (syn. Emblica officinalis), the Indian gooseberry, or aamla from Sanskrit amalika, is a deciduous tree of the family Phyllanthaceae. It is known for its edible fruit of the same name.
The tree is small to medium in size, reaching 8 to 18 m in height, with a crooked trunk and spreading branches. The branchlets are glabrous or finely pubescent, 10–20 cm long, usually deciduous; the leaves are simple, subsessile and closely set along branchlets, light green, resembling pinnate leaves. The flowers are greenish-yellow. The fruit are nearly spherical, light greenish yellow, quite smooth and hard on appearance, with six vertical stripes or furrows.

Ripening in autumn, the berries are harvested by hand after climbing to upper branches bearing the fruits. The taste of Indian gooseberry is sour, bitter and astringent, and it is quite fibrous. In India, it is common to eat gooseberries steeped in salt water and turmeric to make the sour fruits palatable. [source - retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllanthus_emblica on 104//2013]
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to http://www.jw.org].


Family: Euphorbiaceae
Latin names: Phyllanthus emblica Linn., Emblica officinalis Gaertn., Phyllanthus laxifolius Don., Cicca emblica Kurz, Dichelastina nodicaulis Hance.
Emblica fruits are one of three "myrobalans," a term deriving from the Greek for acorn, which is a well-known astringent used in tanning. In fact, both emblic myrobalans and chebulic myrobalans (Terminalia chebula) are relied upon for their high content of tannins; chebulic
myrobalans have long been used for tanning leather. The third fruit, beleric myrobalans, is a close relative of the chebulic myrobalans (Terminalia belerica) and this too is a tanning agent. These three fruits together make up the popular remedy "Triphala," a rejuvenating formula that is often applied


Tree; leaves alternate, bifarious, pinnate, flower -'bearing; leaflets numerous, alternate, linear-obtuse, entire; petioles striated, round; calyx 6-parted; flowers in the male very numerous in the axils of the lower leaflets, and round the common petiole below the leaflets; in the female few, solitary, sessile, mixed with some males in the most exterior floriferous axils; stigmas 3; drupe globular, fleshy, smooth, 6-striated; nut obovate-triangular, 3-celled; seeds 2 in each cell; flowers small, greenish yellow. Flowers during October. [source - retrieved from www.dweckdata.com/published_papers/emblica_officinalis.pdf on 1/04/2013]


To learn more about Almighty God (YHWH) and the Bible, go to,

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Your Friend in Christ Iris89

Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!

[iris89]

Hi Everyone:

Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the engkala, Litsea graciae.
Family: Lauraceae
Engkala, Pong Labon
Origin: Indonesia

small tree t full sun, semi-shade, regular water, edible, ultra tropical, min. temp. 55F

Bengali - rare exotic fruit tree. Small fruit, with pink to purple skin and excellent delicate, avocado-like flavor. The fruits are little known, but reputedly well-liked by those who have had the chance to try them. Eaten fresh or used to prepare foods. The fruit can be used in the same way as the avocado. Litsea seeds contain fats that are used in the production of soaps and candles. The tree comes from Sarawak and South-west Sabah where it can be seen growing along riverbanks and scattered near villages. The foliage looks somewhat like that of the avocado, however the leaves are longer and droop more gracefully. There have been attempts to cultivate the engkala in Java. The round fruits (35 to 45 mm in diameter), flattened top and bottom, have thin, edible bright pink skins. Medium to thick flesh surrounds the single, avocado-like seed (1"). It is creamy-white and similar to avocado, but softer with a more delicate flavor. The fruit is prepared by rolling it around a basket, or hitting it with the back of a sthingy. The seeds are a source of fat and are used to manufacture candles and soap. The engkala grows rapidly and tolerates high light levels if well watered.

Description
Sub-canopy tree up to 26 m tall and 49 cm dbh. Stipules absent. Leaves alternate, simple, penni-veined, silvery shiny when young, glabrous. Flowers ca. 15 mm diameter, white-yellow, placed in racemes. Fruits ca. 24 mm diameter, white-yellow, fleshy drupes placed on enlarged flower base (cupule).

Ecology
On disturbed, open sites in mixed dipterocarp forests up to 200 m altitude. Often along rivers or on hillsides with sandy to clay soils. Also commonly cultivated.

Uses
The wood is used. Lightly burned bark used to cure caterpillar stings. Fruits are edible. Oil is extracted from the seeds.

Distribution
Taiwan, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo (throughout the island), Philippines, Celebes.

Local names in Borneo
Kangkala, Medang, Pangalaban, Ta'ang.
Small fruit, only 1-1.5" across, with pink to purple skin that is said to have an excellent delicate, avocado-like flavor. The fruits are little known, but reputedly well-liked by those who have had the chance to try them.
Description: Tropical tree which loves water and is often found growing near rivers and streams.
Propagation: By seeds.
Uses: Eaten fresh or used to prepare foods. The fruit can be used in the same way as the avocado. Litsea seeds contain fats that are used in the production of soaps and candles.

Native Range: Native to the Sarawak and Sabah regions of Borneo, in Malaysia and Indonesia. [source - retrieved from www.tropicalplantbook.com/garden_plants/treesfruit/pages_new_3/litsea_garciae.htm on 5/ 23/2013]

In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to http://www.jw.org].

See two pictures at www.tropicalplantbook.com/garden_plants/treesfruit/pages_new_3/litsea_garciae.htm

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Your Friend in Christ Iris89

Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!

[iris89]

Hi Everyone:

Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Ethopian or Abyssinian gooseberry is a small spiny tree native and common in forests of East Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda) at elevations between 6,000 and 8,000 ft (1,800-2,400 m). It bears maroon-purple fruit with acid pulp tasking like gooseberries. The fruits are eaten by local people. These are, however, not sold in the markets.

An evergreen spiny shrub or tree, upto 8 m tall and with a rounded crown; bark grey with spines up to 4 cm long; branchlets with very clear dotted breathing pores (lenticles); leaves shiny, dark green, oval to 5 cm diameter with a blunt tip and unevenly rounded edge; the flowers are green sepals. Female flowers are single but the male flowers are in clusters with many stamens.

Fruits are round berries, 2 cm in diameter, surrounded by the calyx, green and hairy at first and then smooth orange-yellow flesh around the seeds.
Fruits are edible having a sweet sour taste. These are collected and eaten raw. In normal times mostly children enjoy the sweet-sour taste with a tingling sensation on the teeth of the fruits. In food shortage periods, everybody is consuming the fruit when available. Fruits are said to be excellent for making jam and for souring porridge. [source - retrieved from fruitipedia.com/abyssiinian_gooseberry.htm on 1/04/2013]

In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to http://www.jw.org].

Fruits are produced during much of the warm season at various intervals and are about 1-1/4 - 1-1/2 inches across, brownish-red or yellow at maturity with tiny white spots in many varieties. The flesh is yellow-orange, very soft with a distinctive apricot flavor. Fruits are commonly eaten fresh or used for various types of jellies, jams, pies and drinks. The Dovyalis can be made into an excellent wine.

Shrubs are propagated by airlayering or by taking cuttings from the better flavored varieties. Usually, when airlayered, fruiting can be expected in the same year, while cuttings usually take about a year to fruit. Most Dovyalis are widely adapted to a extensive range of soil conditions, but get a lot of nutrient deficiencies on highly alkaline soil. Dovyalis should be fertilized once every 2-3 months with a good-quality, complete fertilizer. On alkaline soils, make sure that additional minor elements are supplied to keep trees normal in appearance. Most Dovyalis do not need a lot of heavy watering, but will benefit from mulching to keep their roots moist during the dry season. Most Dovyalis grow at a rate of 3-4 feet a year and can be grown as a hedge if desired, although more often they are kept as a large specimen shrub.
Although relatively hardy, Dovyalis will freeze at 26° F, but if cut back to undamaged wood they will recover quickly. Most varieties of Dovyalis carried in nurseries are the sweet varieties, however, occasionally some will be very tart, because they might have been raised from seed.

If you have friends that have sweet varieties, try to get cuttings or airlayers to be sure of getting good quality fruit. [source - retrieved from on //2013]


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Your Friend in Christ Iris89

Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!

[iris89]

Hi Everyone:

Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Eugenia stipitata (Araza, Portuguese common names araçá, araçá-boi Portuguese pronunciation: [?sa ?boj]) is a fruit tree native to Amazon Rainforest vegetation in Brazil. It has recalcitrant seeds which should not be grown in soil, but prefer semi-rotting wood. In any case, germanation is very slow, and may take 3-6 months.

The fruit is distinctive and very appealing, but also very acidic (pH 2.4, similar to lemons). It is usually used to make juice or for culinary purposes such as making jam. It is cultivated in California, but is not very commercially exploited due to the poor shipping ability of the fruits. Some are large (up to 750g).

The trees are small to medium sized and tolerate some flooding[1] and droughts of up to 2 months. They are hermaphroditic (possibly allogamous) and there is considerable interest in further developing the crop through selective breeding.

References
1. ^ Eugenia stipitata (Arazá) « Rainforest Conservation Fund
* J.E. Hernándo Bermejo and J. León (eds.). (1994) Neglected Crops: 1492 from a Different Perspective. Plant (source - retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araca-boi on 3/18/2013)
One tropical fruit catalogue says, “Araza is a shrub or small tree growing to 7-15 ft with drooping branches and fine foliage. It is very rare in cultivation and definitely a collectable plant. Fruit are soft, fragile and don't ship well, so the only way to enjoy them is to grow your own plant. It blooms in Summer with showy white flowers, followed by large (2-5 inches wide) bright yellow fragrant fruit having an excellent sour-acid flavor. Fruit are very juicy, with a strong fruity aroma, usually ripening by Fall. Sometimes eaten fresh, out of hand, although the fruits are quite acidic, it is more commonly used to flavor ice creams, sweets, and beverages. It is very high in vitamin C, double the amount of the average orange.
This species seem to be more cold sensitive than other Eugenias and won't tolerate freeze. It is the best variety for potting culture due to its miniature size. Moderate water is preferable to avoid root problems and leaf chlorosis which are the common problems for this plant.” (source - retrieved from toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/Eugenia_stipitata.htm on 3/18/2013)
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to http://www.jw.org].
This plant and its fruit can be viewed at, www.fruitipedia.com/araca_boi.htm

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Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!

[iris89]

Hi Everyone:

Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Eugenia victoriana - Sundrop, This shrub or a small tree is rare in cultivation. It grows under 10 feet and has drooping branches and fine elliptical leaves with sunken veins. White flowers are borne in clusters of two or three. Fruits ripen throughout the summer, from May through October. They are large, 3 to 4 inches in diameter, with a thin, shiny orange skin and 2 to 4 seeds per fruit.

Sundrop is very sour, and is best used to make a delicious juice. The fruit can be deseeded and frozen, then blended with water and sugar for juice which is very aromatic, bright orange, and reminiscent of passion fruit juice. The fruit are also used to flavor liquor in Colombia. They are a good source of vitamin C containing double the amount of the average orange.

No pruning is required to grow this fruit tree. It grows well in acid soil and prefers moisture and high organic content. Flowering and fruiting occurs in 3 to 4 years from seed. The plant is fairly compact and should make a nice container specimen, will fruit in a large pot. It is sensitive to frost.

Sundrop, This shrub or a small tree is rare in cultivation. It grows under 10 feet and has drooping branches and fine elliptical leaves with sunken veins. White flowers are borne in clusters of two or three. Fruits ripen throughout the summer, from May through October. They are large, 3 to 4 inches in diameter, with a thin, shiny orange skin and 2 to 4 seeds per fruit. Sundrop is very sour, and is best used to make a delicious juice. The fruit can be deseeded and frozen, then blended with water and sugar for juice which is very aromatic, bright orange, and reminiscent of passion fruit juice. The fruit are also used to flavor liquor in Colombia. They are a good source of vitamin C containing double the amount of the average orange. (source - retrieved from toptropicals.com/cgi-bin/garden_catalog/cat.cgi?search_op=and&keyword_op=and&language=e&number=10&v1=frt&user=tt&sale=1&first=181 on 3/18/2013)

In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to http://www.jw.org].

Pictures of this fruit can be viewed at, www.bing.com/images/search?q=Eugenia+victoriana+Sundrop&qpvt=Eugenia+victoriana+Sundrop&FORM=IGRE

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Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!

[iris89]

Hi Everyone:

Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the The Feijoa (Feijoa sellowiana, synonym Acca sellowiana), also known as Pineapple Guava or Guavasteen, is an evergreen shrub or small tree, 1-7 m in height. It comes from the highlands of southern Brazil, parts of Colombia, Uruguay, Paraguay and northern Argentina. They are also grown throughout Azerbaijan , Georgia and New Zealand.

Dovyalis is a genus of shrubs and small trees. Recent genetic evidence has shown the genus to belong to the family Salicaceae; formerly it was classified in the family Flacourtiaceae. The 15 species are native to Africa (Ethiopia south to South Africa) and southern Asia (India, Sri Lanka).

They are dense, thorny plants growing to 3–6 m tall, with sharp, 3–6 cm long stem spines in the leaf axils. Buds at the base of the spine produce clusters of alternately arranged simple ovate leaves 3–10 cm long.

The flowers are inconspicuous, solitary or clustered, with no petals. They are dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants. The fruit is an edible, yellow to purple globose berry 2–4 cm diameter, containing several small seeds. They are very juicy and with an acidic flavour. [source - retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dovyalis on 1/04/2013]

In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to http://www.jw.org].

The Pineapple Guava, Feijoa Sellowiana, is a very delightful small tree or large bush that can grow quite far north and is often found in the Charleston, South Carolina. It has a pretty flower and is quite decorative and the fruit is very tasty. I recommend that all in its growing areas plant one or two for decoration and fruit.

I find that it grows best in medium heavy soils with a slightly acid PH.

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Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org/

[iris89]

Hi Everyone:

Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Fenugreek, Trigonella foenum-graecum) is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae. The plant has small round leaves, is cultivated worldwide as a semi-arid crop, and is a common ingredient in dishes from the Indian Subcontinent. It is known as methi in Marathi, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali and Nepali, as menthiyam, and venthayam in Tamil, "uluhaal" in Sinhala, Helba in Arabic, menthya in Kannada, uluwa in malayalam, and menthulu in Telugu.

Zohary and Hopf note that it is not yet certain which wild strain of the genus Trigonella gave rise to the domesticated fenugreek but they believe it was brought into cultivation in the Near East. Charred fenugreek seeds have been recovered from Tell Halal, Iraq, (radiocarbon dating to 4000 BC) and Bronze Age levels of Lachish, as well as desiccated seeds from the tomb of Tutankhamen.[2] Cato the Elder lists fenugreek with clover and vetch as crops grown to feed cattle.[3]

Production
Major fenugreek-producing countries are India, Iran, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Argentina, Egypt, France, Spain, Turkey, Morocco and China. The largest producer of fenugreek in the world is India, where the major fenugreek-producing states are Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, and Punjab. Rajasthan produces the lion's share of India's production, accounting for over 80% of the nation's total fenugreek output.[4][5][dead link]

Use
Cuisine
Fenugreek has three culinary uses: as an herb (dried or fresh leaves), as a spice (seeds), and as a vegetable (fresh leaves, sprouts, and microgreens). Sotolon is the chemical responsible for fenugreek's distinctive sweet smell.
The distinctive cuboid-shaped, yellow-to-amber colored fenugreek seeds are frequently encountered in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. The seeds are used in the preparation of pickles, vegetable dishes, daals, and spice mixes, such as panch phoron and sambar powder. Fenugreek seeds are used both whole and in powdered form and are often roasted to reduce their bitterness and enhance their flavor.[6]

Fenugreek is also used as a vegetable. Fresh fenugreek leaves are an ingredient in some Indian curries. The sprouted seeds and microgreens are used in salads. When harvested as microgreens, fenugreek is known as Samudra Methi in Maharashtra, especially in and around Mumbai, where it is often grown near the sea in the sandy tracts, hence the name (Samudra, which means "ocean" in Sanskrit).[7] Samudra Methi is also grown in dry river beds in the Gangetic plains. When sold as a vegetable in India, the young plants are harvested with their roots still attached. Any remaining soil is washed off and they are then sold in small bundles in the markets and bazaars to extend their shelf life.
In Persian cuisine, fenugreek leaves are used. It is the key ingredient and one of several greens incorporated into ghormeh sabzi and Eshkeneh, often said to be the Iranian national dishes.

Fenugreek is used in Eritrean and Ethiopian cuisine.[8] The word for fenugreek in Amharic is abesh (or abish), and the seed is used in Ethiopia as a natural herbal medicine in the treatment of diabetes.[8]
Yemenite Jews following the interpretation of Rabbi Salomon Isaacides, Rashi of Talm?d, believe fenugreek, which they call hilbeh, hilba, helba, or halba is the Talmudic Rubia. They use fenugreek to produce a sauce also called hilbeh,[9] reminiscent of curry. It is consumed daily but ceremoniously during the meal of the first and/or second night of Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year).[10]

Lactation
Fenugreek seeds are thought to be a galactagogue that is often used to increase milk supply in lactating women.[11]

Medicinal
A June 2011 study at the Australian Centre for Integrative Clinical and Molecular Medicine found that men aged 25 to 52 who took a fenugreek extract twice daily for six weeks scored 25% higher on tests gauging libido levels than those who took a placebo.[12][13][medical citation needed] [14]
Seeds


Dried fenugreek seed
Fenugreek seed is widely used as a galactagogue (milk producing agent) by nursing mothers to increase inadequate breast milk supply. Studies have shown that fenugreek is a potent stimulator of breast milk production and its use was associated with increases in milk production.[15] It can be found in capsule form in many health food stores.[16]

Several human intervention trials demonstrated that the antidiabetic effects of fenugreek seeds ameliorate most metabolic symptoms associated with type-1 and type-2 diabetes in both humans and relevant animal models by reducing serum glucose and improving glucose tolerance.[17]

Nutritional profile
Fenugreek leaves (per 100 g of edible portion) contain the following nutrients:[18][19]
* Carbohydrates: 6.0 g
* Protein: 4.4 g
* Fat: 0.9 g
* Minerals: 1.5 g
* Calcium: 395 mg
* Phosphorus: 51 mg
* Iron: 1.93 mg
* Total energy: 49 kcal

News
In February 2009, the International Frutarom Corporation factory in North Bergen, New Jersey, was found to be the source of a mysterious maple syrup aroma which had been reported as occasionally drifting over New York City since 2005. The odor was found to be from sotolon, an ester in fenugreek seeds. No health risks have been found.[20]

Fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt in 2009 and 2010 have been linked to outbreaks of Escherichia coli O104:H4 in Germany and France, causing 50 deaths in 2011.[21][22]

References
1. ^ "Trigonella foenum-graecum information from NPGS/GRIN". www.ars-grin.gov. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
2. ^ Daniel Zohary and Maria Hopf (2000). Domestication of plants in the Old World (Third ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 122.
3. ^ Cato the Elder. De Agri Cultura. p. 27.
4. ^ V. A. Parthasarathy, K. Kandinnan and V. Srinivasan, ed. Organic Spices. New India Publishing Agenies. pp. 694.
5. ^ Statistics
6. ^ "Fenugreek recipes". BBC Food.
7. ^ "How to Series: Growing Methi (Fenugreek)". A blog called "Fenugreek Love". Retrieved 2 March 2011.
8. ^ a b Gall, Alevtina; Zerihun Shenkute (November 3, 2009). "Ethiopian Traditional and Herbal Medications and their Interactions with Conventional Drugs". EthnoMed. University of Washington. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
9. ^ "Hilba (Fenugreek_paste)". cookipedia.co.uk.
10. ^ This is based on the assumption that the Aramaic name ?? corresponds to it. (Karetot 6a; Horiyot 12a) Rabbenu Nissim at the end of Rosh Hashana, citing the custom of R Hai Gaon. This follows Rashi's translation of ??, cited as authoritative by Tur and Shulchan Aruch OC 583:1. But Avudraham interprets ?? as black-eyed peas.
11. ^ Chantry, Caroline J.; Howard, Cynthia R.; Montgomery, Anne; Wight, Nancy (2004) (PDF). Use of galactogogues in initiating or augmenting maternal milk supply. ABM protocols, Protocol#9. The Academy Of Breastfeeding Medicine. Archived from the original on 2007-06-28. "Supported in part by a grant from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Department of Health and Human Services."
12. ^ John Thorpe (2011-06-20). "Get it to the Fenugreek? How Curry Can Seed Your Sex Life". San Francisco Chronicle.
13. ^ Amanda Chan (2011-06-20). "Fenugreek: A Spice To Spice Things Up In The Bedroom". Huffington Post.
14. ^ Steels, Elizabeth; Amanda Rao, Luis Vitetta. "Physiological Aspects of Male Libido Enhanced by Standardized Trigonella foenum-graecum Extract and Mineral Formulation". Phytotherapy Research Volume 25, Issue 9, pages 1294–1300, September 2011. John Wiley & Sons. doi:10.1002/ptr.3360. PMID 21312304.
15. ^ Turky?lmaz, C.; Onal, E.; Hirfanoglu, I. M.; Turan, O.; Koç, E.; Ergenekon, E.; Atalay, Y. L. Z. (2011). "The Effect of Galactagogue Herbal Tea on Breast Milk Production and Short-Term Catch-Up of Birth Weight in the First Week of Life". The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 17 (2): 139–142. doi:10.1089/acm.2010.0090. PMID 21261516. edit
16. ^ "All About Fenugreek". breastfeeding.com.
17. ^ Sharma, RD; Raghuram, TC; Rao, NS (1990). "Effect of fenugreek seeds on blood glucose and serum lipids in type I diabetes". European journal of clinical nutrition 44 (4): 301–6. PMID 2194788.
18. ^ C.Gopalan, B.V. Ramasastri and S.C. Balasubramaniyam. Nutritive value of Indian food. National Institute of Nutrition, ICMR Hydrabad.
19. ^ Sharma, R. D.; Raghuram, T. C.; Rao, N. S. (1990). "Effect of fenugreek seeds on blood glucose and serum lipids in type I diabetes". European journal of clinical nutrition 44 (4): 301–306. PMID 2194788. edit
20. ^ "Mayor reveals source of syrup smell |".
21. ^ "E. coli outbreaks linked to Egypt". BBC News. 2011-06-30.
22. ^ McKenna, Maryn (2011-07-07). "E. coli: A Risk for 3 More Years From Who Knows Where". Wired. (source - retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenugreek on 3/9/2013)

In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to http://www.jw.org].

Fenugreek is used for many conditions, but so far, there isn’t enough scientific evidence to determine whether or not it is effective for any of them.

Fenugreek is used for digestive problems such as loss of appetite, upset stomach, constipation, and inflammation of the stomach (gastritis). It is also used for conditions that affect heart health such as “hardening of the arteries” (atherosclerosis) and for high blood levels of certain fats including cholesterol and triglycerides.

Fenugreek is used for kidney ailments, a vitamin deficiency disease called beriberi, mouth ulcers, boils, bronchitis, infection of the tissues beneath the surface of the skin (cellulitis), tuberculosis, chronic coughs, chapped lips, baldness, cancer, and lowering blood sugar in people with diabetes.

Some men use fenugreek for hernia, erectile dysfunction (ED), and other male problems.

Women who are breast-feeding sometimes use fenugreek to promote milk flow.

Fenugreek is sometimes used as a poultice. That means it is wrapped in cloth, warmed and applied directly to the skin to treat local pain and swelling (inflammation), muscle pain, pain and swelling of lymph nodes (lymphadenitis), pain in the toes (gout), wounds, leg ulcers, and eczema.

The taste and odor of fenugreek resembles maple syrup, and it has been used to mask the taste of medicines.

In foods, fenugreek is included as an ingredient in spice blends. It is also used as a flavoring agent in imitation maple syrup, foods, beverages, and tobacco.

In manufacturing, fenugreek extracts are used in soaps and cosmetics.

Fenugreek leaves are eaten in India as a vegetable. (source - retrieved from www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-733-FENUGREEK.aspx?activeIngredientId=733&activeIngredientName=FENUGREEK on 3/9/2013)

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Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!

[iris89]

Commentary on The Fig Tree, One of the Wonders of Creation:

Micah 4:4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of Jehovah of hosts hath spoken it. (American Standard Version; ASV)

The fig tree is one of the marvels of creation by Almighty God (YHWH). Many evolutionist claim life came about by chance reaction of elements to form low levels of life, but forget that the food for any life form must also be present for life to be sustained. Therefore, the fact that food sources, plants, were available at the right time, when an animal or reptile life form came into existence proves a higher power or intelligence was behind the appearance of life on the planet earth. Also, the right atmosphere must be present or the life form can not continue to exist; many other things must be present for a life form to succeed which the evolutionist conveniently forgot about or failed to take into account; therefore, the only answer is God (YHWH) as stated at Genesis 1:20, "And God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven." (ASV).

The fig tree played a major part in life at the time of Jesus (Yeshua) and he used it in several powerful illustrations such as at Matthew 21:19-21, "And seeing a fig tree by the way side, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only; and he saith unto it, Let there be no fruit from thee henceforward for ever. And immediately the fig tree withered away. 20 And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How did the fig tree immediately wither away? 21 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do what is done to the fig tree, but even if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea, it shall be done." (ASV)

The cursing of the fig tree, in Matthew 21:19, is explained by the fact that the fruit of this tree appears before the leaves, and a tree so full of leaves indicated that ripe figs should be there even though it was not yet the regular season. The meaning is then, that when one has the outward show o***ood character, without its fruits, he is but a hypocrite, and of no value to the kingdom of God.

The fig tree and its fruit are well known; they were very common in Palastine, and there is mention often made of then in scripture. Our first parents clothed themselves with fig leaves, Genesis 3:7, "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons." (ASV). The prophet Isaiah gave orders to apply a clump of figs to Hezekiah's boil: at 2 Kings 20:7, "And Isaiah said, Take a cake of figs, And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered." (ASV).

Scientifically the fig is ficus carica. It is a somewhat strange fruit since it is actually a collection of many fruits which grow, not in a flat umbel or from a cluster of stems as many fruits do, but inside of a fleshly receptacle. The outer wall of the fig is actually a stem with a specialized shape. It forms a cavity, in some cases almost closed, in which sprout a number of tiny flowers, some male and some female. In the Smyrna fig, this cavity is almost closed at the bottom end-the end which, in apples or pears, would correspond to the blossom end. And since Smyrnas bear only female flowers, it would seem that they would be doomed to falling, infertile, from the tree each year, for lack of pollination. Which is exactly what does happen without the aid of a specialized wasp, the fig wasp, or Blastophaga psenes, which has been busy fertilizing this type of fig for many centuries in the Old world. It was not unto this was understood and the wasp was imported to this country, that Smyrna figs were successfully grown here.

However the climate which favors the culture of fig trees is not always cogenial to the fig wasp. In this country the trees may be grown where the temperature does not go below 20 degrees for extended periods. While in its completely dormant state, the tree will sometimes even survive temperatures as low as 10 to 15 degrees, though after the buds start to swell, they will be damaged at 28 to 30 degrees. The wasps, unfortunately cannot stand this cold.

However, the common fig, in contrast to the Smyrnas fig, produces its fruit asexually and any pollination or seed development which follows is not necessary to the production of fruit. Trees of the San Pedro group produce two crops, the first asexually and the second which must be fertilized by pollen from the caprifig. These two types of trees are recommended for home gardeners, even those who live in mild climates where the wasps can grow.

Fig trees are rapid growing like many tropical plants. Under favorable conditions, cuttings of certain varieties may be raised to tree size and bear a crop in the first year. I believe the easiest to grow for the home gardener are the Brown Turkey, Celeste, and the Green Ischia. When I lived in Charleston, South Carolina, I had two wonderful Celeste fig trees. One grew 20 ft. high and covered one side of a not so beautiful shead.

Besides producing a bountiful crop, fig trees, especially the Brown Turkey and the Celeste make very beautiful additions to the landscape with their large green leaves giving a tropical garden effect; however they will not grow much further north than Durham, North Carolina. If you decide to grow figs, please do NOT give them too much fertilizer, because if you do you will get plenty of leaves, but very little fruit. Also, do NOT grow on soil where cotton has ever been grown as a disease that cotton puts into the ground, cotton root rot, will kill the plant in time. Also supply sufficient water in hot dry weather, but not too much. In reality the tree does not require a lot of attention and few insects bother it extensively.

Once more, with the need of the Smyrnas fig for its relationship with the fig wasp shows the marvels of creation and that evolutionist are in error.

If you decide to grow figs or any of the other fruits I write about, please post your results and suggestions for all to see.

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Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!

[iris89]

Hi Everyone:

Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Fijian longan, island lychee (Pometia pinnata (Sapindaceae)).

Large tree, reaching a height of 60-90 feet (18-27 m). Leaves compound, 12-36 inches (30-91 cm) long, with 4-12 pairs of leaflets. New leaves bright red. Small, bisexual, whitish flowers in terminal panicles 12-18 inches (30-46 cm) long. Fruits round to ellipsoid, with a thin peel that may be greenish to red or almost black when mature. The pulp is cream colored, juicy and sweet, and contains a single large seed. [source - retrieved from www.montosogardens.com/pometia_pinnata.htm on 1/08/2013]

This gorgeous fruit seems to have its center of origin in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Remotely similar in shape to a hen’s egg, the purple fruit can be cracked open in the same fashion. The firm, amber-colored aril around the seed is succulent, sweet and similar to a very large longan. The tree is fast-growing and easy to establish. In Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands it has multiple fruiting seasons. It grows well in tropical and some warm temperate climates. [source - retrieved from www.rarepalmseeds.com/pix/PomPin.shtml on //2013]

In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to http://www.jw.org].

Propagated by seed, but superior selections could probably be propagated by grafting.

Fijian longan is a fast growing tree, and is found wild from sea level to an altitude of about 2,500 feet (762 m). Cultivated trees should be pruned regularly to facilitate fruit harvest. Fruiting occurs sporadically throughout the year, with the greatest production in December and January in the Northern Hemisphere. [source - retrieved from www.montosogardens.com/pometia_pinnata.htm on 1/08/2013]

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Your Friend in Christ Iris89

Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!

[iris89]

Hi Everyone:

Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically Gamboge, Garcinia Sp, (/?æm?bo??/ gam-BOHZH, /?æm?bo?d?/ gam-BOHJ, or /?æm?bu??/ gam-BOOZH)[2] is a partially transparent deep saffron to mustard yellow pigment.[Note 1] It is used to dye Buddhist monks' robes[3][4] because the color is a deep tone of saffron, the traditional color used for the robes of Theravada Buddhist monks. Production
Gamboge is most often extracted by tapping resin (sometimes incorrectly referred to as sap) from various species of evergreen trees of the family Guttiferae (also known as Clusiaceae), most often of the gamboge tree (genus Garcinia), including G. hanburyi (Cambodia and Thailand), G. morella (India and Sri Lanka), and G. elliptica and G. heterandra (Myanmar);[5] The orange fruit of Garcinia gummi-gutta (formerly called G. cambogia) is also known as gamboge[6] or gambooge.

The trees must be ten years old before they are tapped.[7] The resin is extracted by making spiral incisions in the bark, and by breaking off leaves and shoots and letting the milky yellow resinous gum drip out. The resulting latex is collected in hollow bamboo canes.[5] After the resin is congealed, the bamboo is broken away and large rods of raw gamboge remain.

Etymology
The word gamboge comes from gambogium, the Latin word for the pigment, which derives from Gambogia, the Latin word for Cambodia.[8] Its first recorded use as a color name in English was in 1634.[9]

Notes
1. ^ Other forms and spellings are: cambodia, cambogium, camboge, cambugium, gambaugium, gambogia, gambozia, gamboidea, gambogium, gumbouge, gambouge, gamboge, gambooge, gambugia. (Oxford English Dictionary)

References
1. ^ The color displayed in the color box above matches the color called gamboge in the 1930 book by Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill; the color gamboge is displayed on page 43, Plate 10, Color Sample K6.
2. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Ed. (1989)
3. ^ Hanelt, Peter (11 May 2001). Mansfeld's Encyclopedia of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: (Except Ornamentals). Springer. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
4. ^ [Anna] (1990). "Recreation-Plants that entertain us". Plants for people. London: Natural History Museum Publications. p. 206. ISBN 0-565-01094-8.
5. ^ a b Nicholas Eastaugh, Valentine Walsh, Tracey Chaplin, and Ruth Siddall (2004). The Pigment Compendium: A Dictionary of Historical Pigments. Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 0-7506-5749-9.
6. ^ "Gamboge: Garcinia cambogia". Asia Food.
7. ^ Grieve, Maud; Leyel, C. F. (1971). A Modern Herbal (illustrated ed.). Courier Dover Publications. p. 341. ISBN 0-486-22798-7. Retrieved 2009-03-03
8. ^ Mish, Frederic C., Editor in Chief Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A.:1984--Merriam-Webster Page 504
9. ^ Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930--McGraw Hill Page 195; Color Sample of Gamboge: Page 43 Plate 10 Color Sample K6
10. ^ Winsor & Newton [source - retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamboge on 5/23/2013]
Tips & Warnings
* Garcinia cambogia fruit grows during the summer and attains yellow, red or purple coloration at maturity. This fruit is not edible raw, and requires baking and cooking.
By Carrie Terry, eHow Contributor
Garcinia cambogia, also known as gambooge, grindleberry or Malabar tamarind, is a tropical evergreen tree. The trees grow naturally in India and Asia and produce sweet, pumpkin-shaped fruits. The fruits, in turn, produce resin that is used as an appetite suppressant in alternative medicine. The fruits themselves also add flavor and spice to Asian and Indian dishes. If you want to grow this tropical tree for yourself, do so in a large pot and keep the tree indoors for temperature control. [source - retrieved from Carrie Terry on www.ehow.com/how_12145744_grow-garcinia-cambogia-fruit.html on 5/23/2013]

Instructions For Growing:
o 1
Start the Garcinia cambogia tree in spring for warmth and sunshine. Prepare a heavy 20-gallon pot with drainage holes for long-term growing. These trees reach over 10 to 15 feet in height, even in pots.
o 2
Mix your own potting soil with 1 part garden or potting soil to 1 part organic compost. These trees hail from rainforests and require the rich, crumbly and moist foundation of that environment. Lay 2 inches of gravel in the bottom of the pot, then fill the pot two-thirds full of potting mixture. Don't use soil from the garden, as it may bring weeds and disease into the pot.
o 3
Set the Garcinia cambogia tree's roots on the soil and pack more potting mixture over and around them. Plant the tree up to its crown and leave at least 3 inches of space between the soil surface and the top of the pot.
o 4
Put the tree in a site with full, bright sun and temperatures of 70 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. These trees prefer hot, humid weather. Water the tree with 3 to 4 inches of water every week and spray the tree with water at every watering to maintain good humidity. Keep the tree outdoors during the height of summer but move it into the protection of the house well before any frost occurs. [source - retrieved from www.ehow.com/how_12145744_grow-garcinia-cambogia-fruit.html on 5/23/2013]

Read more: How to Grow Garcinia Cambogia Fruit | eHow www.ehow.com/how_12145744_grow-garcinia-cambogia-fruit.html#ixzz2UA8DKndk
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to http://www.jw.org].

Use As A Dietary Product:
"Not All Garcinia Cambogia Extracts Are Created Equal."
Before you buy a Garcinia Cambogia product, it's important you know what you're buying. Fly-by-night supplement makers are rushing to create their own product and "cash-in" on this huge diet craze.

Beware, many of the supplements out there claim to have the best product, but most of them either don't have the right amount of hydroxycitric acid or use the incorrect dose per bottle. And more importantly, most do not use the same garcinia cambogia extract found effective in clinical studies.
Weight loss results with garcinia cambogia is mainly dependent on the quality of the garcinia cambogia extract you buy. So before you buy, make sure the garcinia cambogia extract you choose meets all the criteria.

Garcinia Cambogia became popular when Dr. Oz called it "the Holy Grail of Weight Loss" on his popular TV talk show. It's now the biggest diet craze in the country, and for good reason.

In a recent study published in theCurrent Therapeutic Research® journal, scientists used Garcinia Cambogia with 60% HCA to study its weight loss effects. What they found was that it causes significant weight loss, lowers food intake and body weight gain as well as tackling factors such as cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins, triglycerides and serum leptin levels. It's important to note that it was in fact Garcinia Cambogia with 60% HCA that was used in the study (which is what is found in Garcinia Cambogia Premium). Not a cheaper imported extract. Garcinia Cambogia Premium contains over 60% Hydroxycitric Acid (HCA), which is the key to weight loss in garcinia cambogia, while other products contain between 30-50%. [Source - retrieved from www.garciniacambogiaspremium.com/ on 5/23/2013]

Note: Some extracts not only lack quality, but are downright dangerous.

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Your Friend in Christ Iris89

Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!

[iris89]

Hi Everyone:

Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Garcinia, Garcinia is a plant genus of the family Clusiaceae native to Asia, Australia, tropical and southern Africa, and Polynesia. The number of species is highly disputed, with various sources recognizing between 50 and about 300 taxa as specifically valid. Commonly, the plants in this genus are called saptrees, mangosteens (which may also refer specifically to the purple mangosteen, G. mangostana), garcinias or, ambiguously, "monkey fruit".

Garcinia species are evergreen trees and shrubs, dioecious and in several cases apomictic. Many species are threatened due to habitat destruction, and at least G. cadelliana from South Andaman Island is almost or even completely extinct already.[1]

The fruit has been touted by a noted television personality as a "miracle" weight loss food. However, in reality this claim is highly debated.
The fruit are a food source for several animals, such as the archduke butterflies (Lexias) of tropical eastern Asia which relish the sap of overripe mangosteens.

Many species of Garcinia have fruit with edible arils, but most are eaten locally; some species' fruits are highly esteemed in one region, but unknown just a few hundred kilometres away. The best-known species is the purple mangosteen (G. mangostana), which is now cultivated throughout Southeast Asia and other tropical countries, having become established in the late 20th century. Less well-known, but still of international importance, are kandis (G. forbesii) with small round red fruits with subacid taste and melting flesh, the lemon drop mangosteen (G. intermedia) with yellow fruit that look like a wrinkled lemon, and the thin-skinned orange button mangosteen (G. prainiana).
In addition, mangosteen rind (exocarp) extract is used as a spice. It figures prominently in Kodava culture, and G. multiflora is used to flavour and colour the famous bún riêu soup of Vietnam, where this plant is known as h?t ?i?u màu. Gambooge (G. gummi-gutta) yields a spice widely used in South Asia, in particular in Kerala, where it is called kodumpulli.

Most species in Garcinia are known for their gum resin, brownish-yellow from xanthonoids such as mangostin, and used as purgative or cathartic, but most frequently – at least in former times – as a pigment. The colour term "gamboge" references the gambooge, whose obsolete scientific name is G. cambogia.
Hydroxycitric acid, a toxic appetite suppressant found in mangosteen rind
Extracts of the exocarp of certain species – typically gambooge, but also purple mangosteen – are often contained in appetite suppressants such as Hydroxycut, Leptoprin or XanGo. But their effectiveness at normal consumption levels is unproven, while at least one case of severe acidosis caused by long-term consumption of such products has been documented.[2] Furthermore, they may contain significant amounts of hydroxycitric acid, which is somewhat toxic and might even destroy the testicles after prolonged use.[3] Fruit extracts from bitter kola (G. kola) have been claimed to be effective at stopping Ebola virus replication in laboratory tests[citation needed]; its seeds are used in folk medicine. G. mannii is popular as a chew stick in western Africa,[4] freshening the breath and cleaning the teeth.

G. subelliptica, called fukugi in Japanese, is the floral emblem of Mobuto and Tarama on Okinawa. The Malaysian town of Beruas – often spelled "Bruas" – derives its name from the seashore mangosteen (G. hombroniana), known locally as pokok bruas.

Selected species
* Garcinia heterandra
* Garcinia holttumii
* Garcinia hombroniana – seashore mangosteen, pokok bruas (Malay)
* Garcinia humilis – achachairú, achacha
* Garcinia imberti
* Garcinia indica – wild mangosteen, amsol, bhinda, biran, katambi, kokum, panarpuli, kodam-puli, ratamba, etc.
* Garcinia intermedia – lemon drop mangosteen, charichuelo
* Garcinia kola – bitter kola
* Garcinia linii
* Garcinia livingstonei – African mangosteen, Lowveld mangosteen, Livingstone's garcinia, imbe
* Garcinia madruno (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Kunth) Hammel – lemon drop mangosteen, ungüento maría, tierra amarillo, madroño
* Garcinia maingayi
* Garcinia mannii
* Garcinia mangostana – purple mangosteen
* Garcinia mestonii
* Garcinia minutiflora
* Garcinia monantha
* Garcinia montana
* Garcinia morella – batuan (Hiligaynon), ireevalsinni (Tamil)
* Garcinia multiflora Champ. – h?t ?i?u màu (Vietnamese)
* Garcinia murtonii
* Garcinia oliveri
* Garcinia opaca
* Garcinia paucinervis
* Garcinia portoricensis
* Garcinia prainiana – button mangosteen, cherapu
* Garcinia pseudoguttifera Seem. – mo?onia (Tongan)
* Garcinia pyrifera
* Garcinia quaesita
* Garcinia rubro-echinata
* Garcinia schomburgkiana
* Garcinia scortechinii
* Garcinia semseii
* Garcinia sessilis Seem. – heilala (Tongan), seilala (Samoan)
* Garcinia staudtii
* Garcinia subelliptica Merr. – fukugi (Japanese)
* Garcinia thwaitesii
* Garcinia tinctoria
* Garcinia travancorica
* Garcinia uniflora
* Garcinia vitiensis
* Garcinia warrenii F.Muell.
* Garcinia wightii
* Garcinia xanthochymus – asam kandis (Indonesian)
* Garcinia zeylanica

In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to http://www.jw.org].

To view pictures of many species of Garcinia fruit and trees, go to www.bing.com/images/search?q=Garc...&FORM=IGRE

The main driving force of water uptake and transport into a plant is transpiration of water from leaves through specialized openings called stomata. Heat from the sun causes the water to evaporate, setting this ‘water chain’ in motion. The evaporation creates a negative water vapor pressure. Water is pulled into the leaf to replace the water that has transpired from the leaf. This pulling of water, or tension, occurs in the xylem of the leaf. Since the xylem is a continuous water column that extends from the leaf to the roots, this negative water pressure extends into the roots and results in water uptake from the soil. [adapted from: www.scientificamerican.com/articl...o-trees-ca ]

Clearly this clever water transport system shows a superior intelligence of the Creator (YHWH).


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Your Friend in Christ Iris89

Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!

[iris89]

Hi Everyone:

Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Lemon drop mangosteen, Garcinia intermedia (Clusiaceae)

Common Names
English: lemon drop mangosteen, mameyito
Spanish: mameyito, sastra
Portuguese (Brazil): achachairu

Origin and Distribution
Native to southern Mexico and Central America. Cultivated sporadically throughout the tropics.

Botanical Synonyms
Rheedia intermedia, Rheedia edulis and Calophyllum edule.

Description
Lemon drop mangosteen is a small tree, from 15-20 feet (5-6 m) tall, with a straight, dark brown trunk. Young branches have smooth green bark. Contains yellow latex. Leaves are opposite, stiff, 3-5 inches (7.6-13 cm) long and 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) wide. Flowers are whitish and small, perfect, and produced in axillary groups of 1-15 at branch nodes. The fruits are round, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter, with a thin orange to reddish peel. The whitish pulp has an aromatic sweet sour taste, and contains 1-2 seeds. Propagation and Culture
Lemon drop mangosteen is usually propagated by seed, which loses viability rapidly if allowed to dry out. The seeds germinate easily and the tree is precocious, flowering and fruiting in 2-3 years. It can be grown and will fruit in a large pot.

The tree is very adaptable, growing well in different soils and environments from sea level to 4,000 feet (1,219 m) elevation. It grows well in full sun or shade, but fruits better in full sun. Flowers and fruits sporadically throughout the year…

Cultivars and Related Species
There are no named cultivars of lemon drop mangosteen, but some trees have sweeter fruit, and could be propagated by grafting.
There are over 100 Garcinia species, mostly from southeast Asia. Garcinia species from the Americas were once classified as Rheedia, but now all are considered Garcinia.

Uses
Lemon drop mangosteen is primarily consumed fresh, but can also be used to make juices, jams and jellies. The wood is resistant to termites, and is used to make posts and tool handles. The tree is an attractive ornamental, especially when in fruit. [source - retrieved from www.montosogardens.com/garcinia_intermedia.htm on 5/11/2013]

Growth
The fast growing tree reaches a height of about 5 meters. It is tolerant of a wide range of soils, up to an altitude of around 4000 feet. It can be grown successfully and will fruit in a large pot. It grows best with regular water in full sun in a humid environment. It tolerates high temperatures but is probably not frost hardy. It has small, whitish flowers which are perfect and makes an attractive ornamental tree, especially when in truit, which may be year round. Its leaves are opposite.

The wood is termite resistant and used to make posts and tool handles.

Propogation
The tree is generally propogated from seeds, though it can be grafted. No named cultivars are known. Seeds lose viability if dried, but can retain viability for a period of months if kept moist.

Fruit
The tree may fruit after as little as two years. The fruits are smooth spheres about an inch in diameter with a thin yellow, orange or red rind around a white pulp. They are edible and have an appealing sweet and sour taste. It is usually eaten out of hand, though can be used for drinks, jams and jellies.[2]

Distribution
Native to Central America, it is cultivated sporadically throughout the tropics.[3]

References
1. ^ "Taxon: Garcinia intermedia (Pittier) Hammel". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Area. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
2. ^ www.fruitipedia.com/lemon_drop_mangosteen%20Garcinia%20edulis.htm
3. ^ www.montosogardens.com/garcinia_intermedia.htm [source - retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garcinia_intermedia on 5/11/2013]

In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to http://www.jw.org].

To view this plant and its fruits, go to, images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=chr-greentree_ff&va=garcinia+intermedia

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Your Friend in Christ Iris89

Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!