Some of the Tropical Crops you find at the Zoo

We had alot of fun finding out how some of the leaves or plants of the some of the tropical crops we consume look like.

Here at the Singapore Zoo, there's this place called the Tropical Crops

and below are some of them:

It is rich in vitamin C. British sailors were given this when at sea to prevent scurvy, a Vitamin C deficiency disease.

It is lime.

This is Sweet Basil, Daun Selasih.

This is what the plant of the Sweet Basil looks like.

Snake Gourd or Petola Ular,

also known as

Trichosanthes anguina is a tropical or subtropical

vine, raised for its strikingly long fruit, used as a vegetable, medicine, and, a lesser known use, crafting didgeridoos.

This is how Snake Gourd plant looks like.

Basella alba, or Malabar spinach 

(also Phooi leaf, Red vine spinach, Creeping spinach, Climbing spinach)

is a perennial vine found in the tropics

where it is widely used

as a leaf vegetable.

Basella alba is a fast-growing, soft-stemmed vine, reaching 10 m in length.

Its thick, semi-succulent, heart-shaped leaves have a mild flavour and mucilaginous texture.

The stem of the cultivar Basella alba 'Rubra' is reddish-purple.

This is how the Ceylon Spinach plant looks like.

Do you know that

Ceylon Spinach or Malabar Greens

is an easily grown vine

from tropical Asia and Africa.

It grows as a warm season annual in most parts of Australia.

In summer,

when regular spinach turn bitter, Ceylon Spinach is at its best.

The leaves and shoots

taste similar to ordinary spinach and

they can be harvested regularly

to be eaten raw or cooked.

 This is asparagus.

Only the tender tips of young stalks are eaten.

White asparagus is produced by growing the plant without light

to inhibit the development of chlorophyll.

It is very tender and highly priced.

 This is how the leaves look like.

Do you know that

Asparagus is a useful companion plant for tomatoes.
The tomato plant repels the asparagus beetle,
as do several other common companion plants of tomatoes.

Meanwhile, asparagus may repel some harmful root nematodes
that affect tomato plants.

 This is brinjal and also known as eggplant.

 This is tapioca.
Do you know that
Tapioca root can also be used to manufacture biodegradable plastic bags.
A polymer resin produced from the plant
is a viable plastic substitute that is not only biodegradable, but is also
compostable, renewable, and recyclable.
The resulting product biodegrades in less than 1 year, as opposed to thousands of years for traditional plastics.

 This is tumeric. An underground stem (rhizome) is used to make curry powder.

It is also used as a yellow fabric dye and colouring for ceremonies.

The leaves are used for flavouring meat dishes.

Do you know that

Turmeric
is considered highly auspicious in India and

has been used extensively in various Indian ceremonies for millennia.
Even today it is used

in every part of India during wedding ceremonies and religious ceremonies.

This is laksa leaf.

Do you know that

There are two basic types of laksa: curry laksa and asam laksa.
Curry laksa is a coconut curry soup with noodles, while asam laksa is a sour fish soup with noodles.

Laksa is simply referred to or ordered at a restaurant as laksa (curry laksa) or asam laksa.
By default,
laksa means the standard curry laksa while asam laksa refers to the standard Penang version.

 Guess what tree is this?

 You should have seen this before.

 Aloe belongs to the lily family.

The gel in the leaves is applied to wounds and burns to help the healing process.

It is also added to skin and hair products.

Aloe pulp is used in drinks and desserts.

 Pandan is often referred to as the 'Vanilla of the East'.
It is used for flavouring dishes, desserts and also as a green food colouring agent.

 This is cocoa.
It originated in the Amazon and
the tree is today found growing wild in the low foothills of the Andes in the Amazon and orinoco river basins.
The name 'Theobroma' in Greek simply means 'food of the gods'.
Its seeds are used to make cocoa powder and chocolate.

This is rubber tree.
Before rubber trees were cultivated in South East Asia,
the demand for rubber was met by tapping
wild trees in Brazil.

Most of the trees in Singapore and Malaysia originate from the 22 rubber saplings sent over
from Kew Gardens, England in 1876.

Do you know?
Bees harvest nectar from the leaf stalks to make honey.