The Happy Tree – Camptotheca
Photo: Chuck Hubbuch Two species of Camptotheca grow in Asia. Only one has a commercial value, Camptotheca acuminata. The Chinese name for Camptotheca acuminata translates to "happy tree". Traditionally, it was used in China for a wide variety of problems including...
Sugar and Other Sweetners
Tangerine Photo: Chuck Hubbuch According to the University of California San Francisco, the average American consumes about sixty-six pounds of sugar per year. Nutritionists say that is too much but we will leave the health issues of sugar for you and your...
Peppers and Pipers
Piper auritum Photo by Chuck Hubbuch The genus Piper is one of the members of a comparatively small plant family, the Piperaceae. However, it is a fairly large genus of one to two thousand species that occur naturally throughout the world's tropics. Piper species...
Avocado – the Alligator Pear
Photo: by Chuck Hubbuch Avocado is known to botanists as Persea americana. As its scientific name suggests, it is native to the Americas, specifically Mexico and nearby Central America. However, it is cultivated in warm climates around the world for its edible fruit....