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Ten Plants that Changed Minnesota
"If we cannot name and recognize plants, how can we value them and realize how essential they are to our environment and our well-being as humans?" —from the Introduction
In 2012 a committee of experts chose the ten plants that most changed Minnesota from nearly five hundred citizen nominations, hosted by the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The idea that plants, as few as ten, could shape a state and how it developed economically, culturally, and historically, is at the core of the Ten Plants that Changed Minnesota project, which also includes a companion website and a popular freshman seminar at the University of Minnesota. With careful review by more than thirty experts and scientists and with research drawn from newspaper and journal reports, historical photos, diaries, and interviews, Mary Hockenberry Meyer and Susan Davis Price highlight the importance of the selected plants and their impact—both positive and negative—in the development and future of our state. The plants are the apple, alfalfa, the American elm, corn, lawn or turfgrass, purple loosestrife, soybeans, wheat, wild rice, and white pine.
In 2012 a committee of experts chose the ten plants that most changed Minnesota from nearly five hundred citizen nominations, hosted by the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The idea that plants, as few as ten, could shape a state and how it developed economically, culturally, and historically, is at the core of the Ten Plants that Changed Minnesota project, which also includes a companion website and a popular freshman seminar at the University of Minnesota. With careful review by more than thirty experts and scientists and with research drawn from newspaper and journal reports, historical photos, diaries, and interviews, Mary Hockenberry Meyer and Susan Davis Price highlight the importance of the selected plants and their impact—both positive and negative—in the development and future of our state. The plants are the apple, alfalfa, the American elm, corn, lawn or turfgrass, purple loosestrife, soybeans, wheat, wild rice, and white pine.
256 pages, Paperback
Published March 1, 2017
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June 28, 2017-the alfalfa plant has a deep root system, sometimes stretching more than 49 feet.
-the presence of trees reduces crime. studies show that neighborhoods with abundant trees have fewer crimes than those with fewer green spaces. researchers think this is because trees and landscaping calm people and reduce mental fatigue. urban vegetation results in lower blood pressure, slower heart rates, and relaxed brain wave patterns. with a view of trees from their hospital rooms, patients recover faster from surgery, feel less pain, and have shorter stays.
-on hot days trees pump hundreds of gallons of water into the atmosphere through their foliage. as the water evaporates, it keeps the trees and nearby areas cooler. the cooling effect of one mature urban elm is said to be equivalent to five air conditioning units.
-the honeycrisp apple (MN1711) had been growing for twenty years and had been tagged 'discard' by previous evaluators. scientist david bedford noted that the original MN 1711 seedling was growing in the worst site, one that was low and damp- conditions that had resulted in 90% of the trees in that area dying during a difficult winter. bedford decided to remove the discard tag and give the tree a new chance, and thus we have the honeycrisp apple.
-its crispness is present because the fruit has much larger cells than most apples. they burst when bitten, filling the mouth with juice.
-apples are members of the rose family.
-it takes the energy of fifty leaves to produce one apple.
-wild rice is found in southern canada, michigan, wisconsin, and minnesota.
-when cooked, wild rice expands to three or four times its original size.
-the presence of trees reduces crime. studies show that neighborhoods with abundant trees have fewer crimes than those with fewer green spaces. researchers think this is because trees and landscaping calm people and reduce mental fatigue. urban vegetation results in lower blood pressure, slower heart rates, and relaxed brain wave patterns. with a view of trees from their hospital rooms, patients recover faster from surgery, feel less pain, and have shorter stays.
-on hot days trees pump hundreds of gallons of water into the atmosphere through their foliage. as the water evaporates, it keeps the trees and nearby areas cooler. the cooling effect of one mature urban elm is said to be equivalent to five air conditioning units.
-the honeycrisp apple (MN1711) had been growing for twenty years and had been tagged 'discard' by previous evaluators. scientist david bedford noted that the original MN 1711 seedling was growing in the worst site, one that was low and damp- conditions that had resulted in 90% of the trees in that area dying during a difficult winter. bedford decided to remove the discard tag and give the tree a new chance, and thus we have the honeycrisp apple.
-its crispness is present because the fruit has much larger cells than most apples. they burst when bitten, filling the mouth with juice.
-apples are members of the rose family.
-it takes the energy of fifty leaves to produce one apple.
-wild rice is found in southern canada, michigan, wisconsin, and minnesota.
-when cooked, wild rice expands to three or four times its original size.
August 6, 2018
Truly informative! She’s really done her homework, down to the fellow in AFton MN whose elm tree is resistant to Dutch Elm Disease.
March 15, 2019
Niche book....perfect
June 25, 2020
Very enjoyable and informative.
June 23, 2022
I enjoyed this book so much that I read a little at a time. Very easy to read, beautiful pictures and fun facts makes this book applicable to many people!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews