BAMBOO - An evergreen perennial flowering plant.

 BAMBOO 

An evergreen perennial flowering plant.

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Bamboo, (subfamily Bambusoideae), subfamily of tall treelike grasses of the family Poaceae, comprising more than 115 genera and 1,400 species. Bamboos are distributed in tropical and subtropical to mild temperate regions, with the heaviest concentration and largest number of species in East and Southeast Asia and on islands of the Indian and Pacific oceans. A few species of the genus Arundinaria are native to the southern United States, where they form dense canebrakes along riverbanks and in marshy areas.

 

Scientific Classification

Bamboos are evergreen perennial flowering plants in the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. The word "bamboo" comes from the Dutch or Portuguese languages, which probably borrowed it from Malay.

 

In bamboo, as in other grasses, the internodal regions of the stem are usually hollow and the vascular bundles in the cross-section are scattered throughout the stem instead of in a cylindrical arrangement. The dicotyledonous woody xylem is also absent. The absence of secondary growth wood causes the stems of monocots, including the palms and large bamboos, to be columnar rather than tapering.

 

Bamboos include some of the fastest-growing plants in the world, due to a unique rhizome-dependent system. Certain species of bamboo can grow 910 mm (36 in) within a 24-hour period, at a rate of almost 40 mm (1 1⁄2 in) an hour (a growth around 1 mm every 90 seconds, or 1 inch every 40 minutes). Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. This rapid growth and tolerance for marginal land, make bamboo a good candidate for afforestation, carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation.

 

Bamboos are of notable economic and cultural significance in South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia, being used for building materials, as a food source, and as a versatile raw product. Bamboo, like wood, is a natural composite material with a high strength-to-weight ratio useful for structures. Bamboo's strength-to-weight ratio is similar to timber, and its strength is generally similar to a strong softwood or hardwood timber.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo

https://www.britannica.com/plant/bamboo

Bird's Eye Chilli Or KANTHARI MULAKU (Capsicum frutescences)

 

BIRD'S EYE CHILLI / KANTHARI MULAKU

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Bird's eye chili, bird eye chili, bird's chili or Thai chili is a chili pepper, a variety from the species Capsicum annuum, commonly found in Ethiopia and across Southeast Asia. It is used extensively in many Asian cuisines. It may be mistaken for a similar-looking chili derived from the species Capsicum frutescens, the cultivar "siling labuyo". Capsicum frutescens fruits are generally smaller and characteristically point upwards. 

All chilis found around the world today have their origins in Mexico, Central America, and South America. They were spread by Spanish and Portuguese colonists, missionaries, and traders, together with many other now common crops such as maize, tomatoes and pineapples. This is now called the Columbian Exchange. The chili varieties found in Southeast Asia today were brought there in the 16th or 17th century.

Bird’s eye chilli is botanically called as Capsicum frutescens, belongs to the family solanaceae and having the diploid chromosome number of 2n=2x=26. It is one among the five cultivated species of the genous solanaceae and closely related to the Capsicum chinenseJacq. It is called by  many  other  synonyms  like  African  pepper,  chilli pepper, goat’s pod, Mexican chilli, red pepper,  Tabasco  pepper,  Zanibar  pepper  and  Cayenne  pepper.  It  is  native  to  South  America and  introduced  to  India  towards  16thcentury  by  Portuguese.  It  is  widely  distributed  in  all tropical  and sub-tropicalcountries  and  still  grows  wild  today.  In  India  it  is  grown  as  a homestead  crop  and  consumed  widely  across  malnad  regions  of  South  Karnataka,  Kerala, Tamil  Nadu  and  in  north-east  India,  particularly  in  the  states  of  Mizoram  and  Manipur.  The north-eastern hill (NEH) region, being one  of the  hot-spots of biodiversity  in the  Indian  gene centre, is also known for its richness in ethnic diversity and traditional culture. Capsaicin (8-Methyl-N-vanillyl-trans-6-nonenamide) and di-hydro capsaicin (DHC) are major contributors to pungency and form about one-third (69%) of the total capsaicin. whereas non-di-hydro   capsaicin   (NDC),   homo-capsaicin   and   homo-di-hydro   capsaicin   are   minor capsaicinoid, which also contribute to its pungency. The capsaicin content ranges from 0.26 to 1.21%  w/w  or  1,00,000-1,50,000  scoville  heat  units  (SHU).  Carotenoids  control  fruit  colour. The  red  colour  in  fruit  comes  from  carotenoids,  capsanthin  and  capsorubin,  while  the  yellow orange colour is from beta carotene and violaxanthin, Capsanthin, the major carotenoid in ripe fruits,  contributes  up  to  60%  of  the  total  carotenoids.  Capsanthin  and  capsorubin  increase proportionally  with  advanced  stages  of  ripeness.  Like  all  other  chillies,  it  is  also  rich  in ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and contains tocopherol (vitamin E), also contains moisture, protein, fat, minerals, fibres and CHO in minute quantity.Most bird’s eye chillies are  processed to extract the oleoresin  for food and pharmaceutical industries. It is used in the preparation of curry powder, pickle, curry paste and hot sauces etc.The fruit is eaten as raw or in processed form as powder. It is also used for medicinal purposes and in the control of pest and diseases. In medicine, the bird’s eye chilli was traditionally used to  curearthritis,  rheumatism,  dyspepsia,  flatulence,  toothache  and  it  stimulates  appetite.Despite its wide usage, bird’s eye chilli is yet to draw considerable attentions from the farming community.

Reference Sites:

http://www.phytojournal.com/archives/2018/vol7issue3S/PartD/SP-7-3-41-772.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird%27s_eye_chili