Also known as the Japanese medlar, the loquat is a fruit tree that is from the Rosaceae family. The name is actually rather misleading, as it is actually indigenous to south-eastern China. It was introduced into Japan, and has been cultivated there for over 1,000 years. It has also become naturalised in the Mediterranean Basin
Belonging to the Meliaceae family, the Lansium domesticum is a fruit-bearing tree that is grown in South East Asia. It is originally native to the Malaysian peninsula, and is known at Langsat. Lansium domesticum tree It is a medium-sized tree with a single trunk, and grows up to 10 to 15 metres tall. The leaves
An edible fruit of several plant species in the Rubus genus, the raspberry is a perennial that is known around the world for its red coloured fruit. They are grown in temperate regions, and are easy to grow. In fact, it has a tendency to spread unless it has been pruned. Some raspberries also appear
Also known as a Sleuth Hound or a St. Hubert hound, the bloodhound is a large breed of dog that was originally bred to hunt wild boar and deer. Later on, they were bred to track human beings through their strong sense of smell. It is famous for its ability to follow scents for hours
Also known as the Chinese Fighting Dog, the Chinese Shar-Pei (or just Shar Pei for short) is a dog famous for its deep wrinkles and blue-black tongue. Its name is derived from the British spelling of the Cantonese word for it, which translates to ‘sand skin’. Although this may seem like a rather weird name,
Also known as the Maori wrasse, Napoleonfish, So Mei, Mameng, or Napoleon wrasse; the humphead wrasse is found mainly in the coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region. It is the largest living member of the Labridae family, as males reach up to 2 metres long and females can grow up to 1 metre long. However,
Wrasses is a large family that belongs to the Labridae type of marine fish. There are one of the largest marine fish families, with 500 species in 60 genera. They are famous for their bright colours. It was first described by Cuvier in 1816. The name, wrasse, derives from the Welsh word of ‘gwrach’, which
The blackberry is a well known edible fruit that is produced by several species that is part of the Rubus genus. Botanically speaking, the blackberry is not a ‘real berry’ as it an aggregate fruit. The blackberry is a perennial plant which has biennial stems (also known as canes) from a perennial root system. 3
The loganberry is a hybrid that is crossed between a raspberry and a blackberry. It was accidentally created by James Harvey Logan in 1883, in Santa Cruz, California. Logan was actually unsatisfied with the existing blackberry varieties and tried to cross 2 blackberry varieties to create a more superior blackberry cultivar. The only problem was
Also known as the laichi, litchi, and lichu, the lychees is the only member of the Litchi genus in the soapberry family. It is a tropical and sub-tropical fruit tree which is native to China, but is now grown in many areas of the world such as in India, Vietnam, South Africa, USA (Hawaii and
Irwin’s Turtle is an Australian turtle species that lives in the Broken-Bowen river system and the lower Burdekin River. It was named after its “co-discoverer”, the late Steve Irwin, who was a famous zoologist and TV personality. In actual fact, Bob Irwin, who is Steve Irwin’s dad, first caught this animal on a fishing line
The hibiscus is a flowering plant that is part of the mallow family. There are about 200 – 220 species, which are all native to tropical, sub-tropical, and warm-temperate climates around the world. They are large plants, which are known for its beautiful flowers. These flowers are known around the world as hibiscus or sorrel,
The longan is a fruit-bearing tree that is native to souther China, and grows between elevations of 150 – 140 metres above sea level. It is also commonly called “dragon eyes”, as this its literal translation from Hokkien (Amoy). It is called because when the fruit is shelled, it looks like an eyeball as the
Also known as a sea fan or a sea whip, a gorgonian is a type of sessile colonial cnidarian which is found particularly in the tropical and sub-tropical oceans throughout the world. They are similar to the sea pen, which is a type of soft coral. A golden gorgonian There are 500 different species of
The Garden Strawberry is grown worldwide for its fruit, the common strawberry. This fruit is very popular not only for its aroma, but its delicious taste. It is used to make a variety of food products, such as jams and milkshakes. Even artificial strawberry aromas and flavouring are used in a variety of industrialized products,
