Why Botany is Cool. Plants are Chemical Factories ….why?

Why Botany is Cool

Plants are Chemical Factories….why?

Dioscorea, yam

Erythroxylum coca

Snakeroot, Rauwolfia serpentina

Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea

Marijuana, Cannabis sativa

Important MedicinalsBelladonna, Atropa belladonna Atropine, scopalamine

Rosy Periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus Vincristine, vinblastine; treats cancer

Cinchona Quinine, treats malaria

Colchicum autumnale Colchicine, treats gout; mitotic poison

Ephedra Ephedrine, decongestant

Goldenseal, Hydrastis canadensis* Hydrastine, treats inflamed mucosa

Tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum Stimulant

Opium Poppy, Papaver somniferum Morphine, codeine

Willows, Salix sp.* Salicin, aspirin

Pacific Yew, Taxus brevifolia Taxol, treats cancer

Chrysanthemum sp. Pyrethrum, treats lice; insecticide

May Apple, Podophyllum peltatum* Podophllotoxin, treats venereal warts

*might be found on campus

Taxol, Pacific Yew

• To get one kilogram requires cutting and stripping bark from ~12,000 trees

• Now being produced by cells in tissue culture

Even Wars…

The First Opium War• 1839-42• Between China and

England• Hong Kong taken over

by the British

Directly or indirectly, plants provide all the food we eat.

Piper nigrum• Only spice that could

make decaying or heavily salted meat edible

• Drew many explorers, including Columbus, to discover rain forested areas.

Tea and Coffee

We Use Their Bodies

• Lumber• Paper– An average tree produces pulp to make ~400

copies of a 40 page newspaper• Wood pulp-cardboard, fiberboard, ice cream

fillers, cellophane, rayon• Fuel-my sole source of heat!• Charcoal, fabrics, rope, baseball bats

• Maple syrup (Acer saccharinum)• Cinnamon, (Cinnamomum zeylanicum)• Dyes• Tannins• Natural chewing gum (Manilkara zapota)• Natural rubber (Hevea brasiliensis)• 50 million Christmas trees• Cork

The Lore of Trees

• More species of trees in Appalachians than in all of Europe

• A fully grown deciduous tree can transpire more than a ton of water per day

• $200,000 of services provided by a single tree living 50 years:– Producing oxygen-$32,000; keeps a family of 4 breathing for a year– Recycling water, regulating humidity-$37,000– Habitat and shelter for wildlife-$31,000– Reducing erosion-$31,000– Pollution control-$62,500

Have You Hugged a Tree?

• Annually removes about 12 kg of carbon dioxide– ~equivalent to a 7000 km trip in a car

• For those who don’t hug…– NYC-for cutting down a public tree…$1000 fine

and 90 days– NJ-for cutting down a shade tree, up to $1500 fine

and replacement fee of up to $27/sq. in.• ~$20,000 for an average tree.

Relationships With Wildlife

Have you thanked a plant today?

Hug a tree on the way to your next class!