Treasures of the Turkish Nature
SAFFRONCrocus sativus, commonly known as saffron crocus, or autumn crocus, is a species of flowering plant of the Crocus genus in the Iridaceae family. It is best known for the spice saffron, which is produced from parts of the flowers.
Human cultivation of saffron crocus and use of saffron is known to have taken place for more than 3,500 years and spans different cultures, continents, and civilizations. Saffron's aroma is often described by connoisseurs as reminiscent of metallic honey with grassy or hay-like notes, while its taste has also been noted as hay-like and sweet. Saffron also contributes a luminous yellow-orange colouring to foods. Saffron is widely used in cooking in many cuisines, in chemistry, in medicine, in perfumery, in textile as a fabric dye, in confectionary and in liquors. It is the most precious and expensive herb grown in Turkey. SAFRANBOLU Safranbolu is a town and district of Karabük Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. The name of the town derives from "saffron" and the Greek word polis meaning "city", since Safranbolu was a trading place and a center for growing saffron. Today, saffron is still grown at the village of Davutobası to the east of Safranbolu, with a road distance of 22 kilometres. |
DANDELION (Ecem Ö.)Taraxacum officinale, the common dandelion (often simply called "dandelion"), is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant of the family Asteraceae (Compositae).
It can be found growing in temperate regions of the world, in lawns, on roadsides, on disturbed banks and shores of water ways, and other areas with moist soils. T. officinale is considered a weed, especially in lawns and along roadsides, but it is sometimes used as a medical herb and in food preparation. Common dandelion is well known for its yellow flower heads that turn into round balls of silver tufted fruits that disperse in the wind called "blowballs" or "clocks". While the dandelion is considered a weed by many gardeners and lawn owners, the plant has several culinary uses. The specific name officinalis refers to its value as a medicinal herb, and is derived from the word opificina, later officina, meaning a workshop or pharmacy. The flowers are used to make dandelion wine, the greens are used in salads, the roots have been used to make a coffee substitute (when baked and ground into powder) and the plant was used by Native Americans as a food and medicine. |
Anatolian Shallow Tree (Alptekin E.)Anatolian shallow tree (Liquidambar orientalis) is from family of Altingiaceae. It grows in Fethiye and Muğla in Turkey. It is called as "Daily Tree" in Köyceğiz and Fethiye. The tree can be sized up to 20 meters, looks like a plain-tree. It is known to grow along the Dalaman Stream, which is the natural border of the Aegean and Mediterranean regions. The tree is seen along The Dalaman Stream until Denizli-Acıpayam-Alcı. There are shallow trees near streams where the reddish-grassland grows, especially in Köyceğiz, there are forests on the grounds. It is stated that the natural spreading areas in Koycegiz are narrowed down to orange gardens. New forests are being established in the areas protected by the General Directorate of Forestry. It is located only in Rhodes Island outside of Turkey. It grows in hot, humid and watery places with sub-tropical climate characteristics. It has been a topic for researching at forest faculties and forestry research institute at doctorate level. It is a long-lived tree.
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Papaver Somniferum (Onur Alp K.)Papaver somniferum, the opium poppy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. It is the species of plant from which opium and poppy seeds are derived and is a valuable ornamental plant, grown in gardens. Its native range is probably the eastern Mediterranean, but is now obscured by ancient introductions and cultivation.
Papaver somniferum is an annual herb growing to about 100 cm. All parts of the plant are strongly glaucous, giving a greyish-green appearance, and the stem and leaves are sparsely covered with coarse hairs. The native range of opium poppy is probably the Eastern Mediterranean, but extensive cultivation and introduction of the species throughout Europe since ancient times have obscured its origin. It has escaped from cultivation, or has been introduced and become naturalized extensively in all regions of the British Isles, particularly in the south and east and in almost all other countries of the world with suitable, temperate climates. The opium poppy, as its name indicates, is the principal source of opium, the dried latex produced by the seed pods. Opium contains a class of naturally occurring alkaloids known as opiates, that include morphine, thebaine, codeine, papaverine, noscapine and oripavine. The Latin epithet somniferum means "sleep-bringing", referring to the sedative properties of some of these opiates. Hypericum PerforatumHypericum perforatum, known as perforate St John's-wort, common Saint John's wort and St John's wort (/ˈsɪndʒənzwɜːrt/ sin-jənz-wurt), is a flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae.
It is a medicinal herb with antidepressant activity and potent anti-inflammatory properties as an arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor and COX-1 inhibitor. When flower buds (not the flowers themselves) or seed pods are crushed, a reddish/purple liquid is produced. |
Sticky Alder (Serkan K.)Sticky alder (Alnus glutinosa subsp. Glutinosa) is a subspecies of the common antelope from the family Betulaceae.
It is a smooth-bodied tree that can be dated up to 20-30. The shell is green. She becomes brown and fuzzy at advanced ages. Exiles are reddish green and sticky on them. This adhesive will dry off afterwards. Shoot extracts are 3-armed star shape. The trail the leaves leave on the shoot is semicircular. The leaves are sticky in the first years. Large round ovate leaves 4-8 parallel veins and the tip is not pointed. In Turkey, small groups are formed on the banks of streams near Tekirdağ, Kocaeli, Bartın, Zonguldak, Sinop, Samsun and Trabzon. INULA (ANDIZ OTU) -SimgeInula is an old and respected remedy for respiratory ailments. The herb is thought to warm and strengthen the lungs and promote expectoration by loosening stubborn phlegm and congestion. As an antitussive, Inula is used to quiet and treat non-productive, hacking coughs, chronic bronchitis and whooping cough. It also cleanses and tones the mucous membrane of the lungs, which has helped relieve asthma, emphysema and consumptive diseases.
For many centuries, Inula has been effective in treating indigestion and intestinal complaints and is recommended as a fine, daily stomach tonic that tones the stomach and its mucous membranes, inhibiting excessive phlegm that results from weak digestion. The herb's mucilage content also has a soothing effect on the intestines and helps to relieve intestinal catarrh. Inula is a powerful diaphoretic that promotes profuse sweating, helping to reduce fevers and cleanse toxins from the body through the skin. Taraxacum Farinosum
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Tulipa Sprengeri
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Isot Pepper (İsot Biberi) (Egemen Timurçin)
Urfa biber (also known as isot pepper) is a dried Turkish chili pepper of the type Capsicum annuum cultivated in the Urfa region of Turkey. It is often described as having a smoky, 'raisin-like' taste. Urfa biber is technically a red pepper, ripening to a dark maroon on the plant. The peppers go through a two-part process, where they are sun-dried during the day and wrapped tightly at night. The night process is called 'sweating', and works to infuse the dried flesh with the remaining moisture of the pepper. The result is an appearance ranging from deep purple to a dark, purplish black. Urfa biber is less spicy than many other chili peppers, but provides a more lasting build of heat.
GypsophilaGypsophila are annual and perennial herbsoften growing from a thick taproot or a branching caudex, sometimes with rhizomes. The stems are usually erect and branching or sprawling, or in a few species prostrate along the ground. The leaves are variable in shape. The inflorescence is usually a cyme or a thyrse, branching intricately. Each small flower has a cup-like calyx of white-edged green sepalscontaining five petals in shades of white or pink. The fruit is a rounded or oval capsule opening at valves. It contains several brown or black seeds which are often shaped like a kidney or a snail shell.
A few species are commercially cultivated for several uses, including floristry, herbal medicine, and food. The baby's-breath most commonly used in flower arrangements such as bouquets is the common gypsophila, G. paniculata.G. elegans is also used as a cut flower. The genus is a source of saponins that can be used for many purposes, including the production of photographic film and hemolyticlaboratory reagents. Their detergent qualities make them useful in soap and shampoo. G. rokejeka is used to make the dessert halva.Species are also ingredients in liqueur, cheese, and ice cream, providing flavor, aroma, and crispness to foods. Several species are hyper accumulators of boron, and may be planted to absorb their element from polluted soils. |
Salvia (Ayça AYKUT)Salvia is the largest genus of plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, with nearly 1000 species of shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and annuals. Within the Lamiaceae, Salvia is part of the tribe Mentheae within the subfamily Nepetoideae. It is one of several genera commonly referred to as sage.
The genus is distributed throughout the Old World and the Americas, with three distinct regions of diversity: Central and South America (approx. 500 species); Central Asia and Mediterranean (250 species); Eastern Asia (90 species). Description Salvia species include annual, biennial, or perennial herbs, along with woody subshrubs. The stems are typically angled like other members in Lamiaceae. The leaves are typically entire, but sometimes toothed or pinnately divided. The flowering stems bear small bracts, dissimilar to the basal leaves—in some species the bracts are ornamental and showy. Many members of Salvia have trichomes (hairs) growing on the leaves, stems, and flowers, which help to reduce water loss in some species. Sometimes the hairs are glandular and secrete volatile oils that typically give a distinct aroma to the plant. When the hairs are rubbed or brushed, some of the oil-bearing cells are ruptured, releasing the oil. This often results in the plant being unattractive to grazing animals and some insects. |
OLIVE
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Euphorbia
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