Durian
Durio zibethinus
a.k.a. Civet Fruit
Having one of the most pungent odors of any fruit in the world, the durian is either scorned or adored. Many regale its nutty, caramel tasting flesh, calling the durian the king of all fruits. Others will not go near it, for the intense odor, often overwhelmingly noxious, destroys any chance at enjoying the flavor. Flavor is sometimes described as a unique blend of nuts, spices, banana, and onions mixed together. Fruit is very large, sometimes over one foot long, and is covered in sharp, hard spikes.
Description: Large tree growing to 90-150ft.
Hardiness: Durian trees are extremely tropical and will be killed by temperatures in the mid 30's.
Growing Environment: Trees need lots of water and often grow naturally near stream and river banks where parts of their roots are constantly exposed to water. Grow in areas of high humidity.
Propagation: Propagation is sometimes by seed, which lose viability within a week upon removal from the fruit. Grafting is used to propagate superior varieties.
Uses: Usually eaten fresh out of hand. Also processed into ice creams, desserts, and candy.
Native Range: Native to peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. Currently cultivated throughout southeast Asia and northern Australia. Frozen and canned durian are now available in many parts of the world but the quality pales in comparison to the fresh form. Fresh fruits are can sometimes be found for sale at $5-6 (US) a pound, with fruits weighing from 5-10 poundseach.
Rhododendron (from the Greek: rhodos, "rose", and dendron, "tree") is a genus of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. It is a large genus with over 1000 species and most have showy flower displays. It includes the plants known to gardeners as azaleas. It is the national flower of Nepal.
The
Rhododendron is a genus characterized by shrubs and small to (rarely) large trees, the smallest species growing to 10-100 cm tall, and the largest, R. giganteum, reported to over 30 m tall. The leaves are spirally arranged; leaf size can range from 1-2 cm to over 50 cm, exceptionally 100 cm in R. sinogrande. They may be either evergreen or deciduous. In some species the underside of the leaves is covered with scales (lepidote) or hairs (indumentum). Some of the best known species are noted for their many clusters of large flowers. There are alpine species with small flowers and small leaves, and tropical species such as section Vireya that often grow as epiphytes.
Etlingera elatior (also known as
Torch Ginger, Ginger Flower, Red Ginger Lily, Torch Lily, Wild Ginger, Combrang, Bunga Siantan, Philippine Wax Flower, Xiang Bao Jiaing, Indonesian Tall Ginger, Boca de Dragón, Rose de Porcelaine, Porcelain Rose) is a species of herbaceous perennial plant.Botanical synonyms include Nicolaia elatior, Phaeomeria magnifica, Nicolaia speciosa, Phaeomeria speciosa, Alpinia elatior, Alpinia magnifica.
The showy pink flowers are used in decorative arrangements while the flower buds are an important ingredient in the Nonya dish laksa. In North Sumatra, the flower buds are used for a dish called arsik ikan mas (Andaliman/Szechuan pepper Spiced Carp)
It is known in Indonesian as bunga kecombrang or honje, Malay as bunga kantan and Thai as ดาหลาdaalaa. In Thailand it is eaten in a kind of salad preparation.
In Karo, it is known as asam cekala (asam meaning 'sour'), and the flower buds, but more importantly the ripe seed pods, which are packed with small black seeds, are an essential ingredient of the Karo version of sayur asam, and are particularly suited to cooking fresh fish.
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