Editor's Note:
Please visit these Botany, Arboretum and Botanical Garden Websites:
Our staff is often asked about plants available for landscaping -- in particular Australian landscape plants. Director of Horticulture Steve Carter suggests the following two links below should be helpful for anyone seeing Australian landscape plants (the first link), and also landscape plants in general.
http://www.downunderontop.com/plantlist.htm
http://www.mswn.com/MSWNmasterplantlist%20A.htm
The legume family, consisting of some 18,000 species, is a major division of the plant kingdom. This family is spread over the globe. Members of the family have long served human needs. They are used as food for humans and animals. Food legume species include alfalfa, soybeans, edible peas and beans etc. Legumes also provide shade, timber, firewood and windbreaks. They serve admirably in landscape plantings and as sources of medicinal compounds and industrial products.
Many of the species have a symbiotic relationship with bacteria which grow on the plant roots and convert nitrogen from the air into a form that is usable by plants. This feature equips many legume species to fit into a pattern of sustainable agriculture.In spite of their importance, the legumes of the deserts of the world have never been systematically collected and studied. Some of the species are in danger of becoming extinct.
The legume family, consisting of some 18,000 species, is a major division of the plant kingdom. This family is spread over the globe. Members of the family have long served human needs. They are used as food for humans and animals. Food legume species include alfalfa, soybeans, edible peas and beans etc. Legumes also provide shade, timber, firewood and windbreaks. They serve admirably in landscape plantings and as sources of medicinal compounds and industrial products.
Many of the species have a symbiotic relationship with bacteria which grow on the plant roots and convert nitrogen from the air into a form that is usable by plants. This feature equips many legume species to fit into a pattern of sustainable agriculture.In spite of their importance, the legumes of the deserts of the world have never been systematically collected and studied. Some of the species are in danger of becoming extinct.
Would you enjoy getting your hands dirty in the garden while learning about desert plants from Arboretum horticulturists and groundskeepers? Find out more about our volunteer programs!
Our goal here is that teachers consider the Arboretum an extension of their classes rather than just a day-trip destination for their students.
