Garden strawberry, a species of Fragaria, belongs to the family Rosaceae. There are more than 20 described Fragaria species and many hybrids and cultivars.
The garden strawberry was first bred in Brittany, France in 1740 via a cross of Fragaria virginiana from eastern North America, which was noted for its favor, and Fragaria chiloensis from Chilie and Argentina brought by Amédée-François Frézier, which was noted for its large size.
Cultivars of Fragaria x ananassa have replaced, in commercial production, the woodland strawberry ( Fragaria vesca ), which was the first strawberry species cultivated in the early 17th century.
Technically, it is an accessory fruit : that is, the fleshy part is derived not from the ovaries, but of the hypanthium. So, the seeds are the actual fruits of the plant, and the flesh of the strawberry is modified receptacle tissue.
Persimmon is from the genus Diospyros of the Ebenaceae family. There are several species of edible persimmons :
Diospyros digyna – black persimmon / black sapote –native to Mexico. Its fruit has green skin and white flesh, which turns black when ripe
Diospyros discolour – Mabolo / velvet apple – native to the Phillipines. It is bright red when ripe
Diospyros kaki – Japanese persimmon 柿子- originated from China, it is the most widely cultivated species. It is edible in its crisp firm state, but has its best flavor when allowed to soften
Diospyros lotus – date plum – Native to southwest Asia and southeast Europe, it was know to the ancient Greeks as ‘the fruit of the gods’
Diospyros virginiana – American persimmon - Native to eastern United States.
Sweet corn, ( Zea mays ) also know as maize , or corn, originated from American continent. RM10 for 8 ears, the corn are sweet. even eaten raw. It is also best consumed after steamed, boiled or grilled.
Sweet corn is the result of a naturally-occurring recessive mutation in the genes which control conversion of sugar to starch inside the endosperm of the corn kernel.
The fruit of sweet corn is the corn kernel, a type of caryopsis. The ear is a collection of kernels on the cob.
Chayote 佛手瓜( Sechium edule ), is an edible plant that belongs to the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae.
Chayote was first domesticated in Mexico, where the fruit is used in both raw and cooked forms. When cooked, it is similiar to summer squash. Raw chayote can be added to salads or salsas, and it is often marinated with lemon or lime juice.
In Taiwan, chayotes are widely planted for their shoots, known as 龍鬚菜, literally means dragon-whisker-vegetable.
Daylily is the common name of Hemerocallis, a member of Hemorocallidaceae famliy, originated from Europe and east Asia.
Hemerocallis are perennial. The flower of most species open at sunrise and wither at sunset, yet some are night-blooming.
The flowers of some species are edible and are use in Chinese cuisine. They are sold fresh or dired in Asian market as 'golden needles' ( 金针).
Hoya is a genus of 200 - 300 species of tropical climbing palnts in the family Apocynaceae, native to southern Asia, Australia and Polynesia. This genus was named by botanist Robert Brown, in honour of his friend, Thomos Hoy.
Hoyas grow well indoor, preferring brigt but not direct sunlight, but will tolerate fairly low light levels at the expense of rapid growth and blooming.
Anthurium, is a large genus of about 600 - 800 species, belonging to the arum family ( Araceae ). The species has neotropical distribution : mostly in wet tropical mountain forest of Central America and South America, but not found in Asia.
Sunflower ( Helianthus annuus ) are annual plants native to the Americas, from the family Asteraceae ( formerlly Compositae ). What is usually called the flower is actually a head of numerous florets drowded together. The outer florets are the sterile ray florets, while the inner florets, called disc florets will mature into what are traditionally called sunflower seeds,but are actually the fruit ( an achene ) of the plant.
The florets are arranged in a sprial pattern where the number of left spiral and the number of right spirals are successive Fibonacci numbers. Typically each floret is oriented toward the next by approximately the golden angle, 137.5°. Typically, there are 34 spirals in one direction and 55 in the other ; on a very large sunflower there could be 89 in one directionand 144 in the other. This pattern produces the most efficient packing of seeds within the flower head.
