It’s a Wonderful World of Plants
By Donna Porter Back in May of 2009, new Owner/Publisher of Quepolandia, Pat Cheek, asked me if I would be interested in writing articles about plants for the magazine. Being a Horticulturist, as well as one who is rarely at a loss for words—especially when it comes to teaching people
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You may not be able to notice them by taste or smell in a hemp-based CBD sublingual oil, even one made from a high-quality extract, but the terpenes are present and you would be receiving the benefits of them, along with the benefits of the cannabinoids like CBD or THC.
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One of the main reasons that many people are apprehensive or flatly opposed to trying a hemp-derived product—such as a CBD sublingual oil—is because they are worried that it will get them “high”, and for one reason or another this is an effect they do not desire. Most of the
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It is hard to believe that there were times in history when hemp was such a significant economic crop that farmers were punished for NOT cultivating it. Its highly regarded status in England and Europe was a most influencing factor for its arrival into the Americas, along with its continued
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It is nearly impossible to write about the origins of hemp without referencing its psychoactive cousin marijuana, because they originated as one, as Cannabis, and their histories are as intertwined as they are separable. Its origins and evolution are as complex and compelling of a subject as its multifaceted utilization
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The Journey Hola, hola Quepolandians and visitors! It has been years since I last wrote for Quepolandia. My articles will still be plant-based, but this time the focus will be specifically on Cannabis sativa L./Hemp and its countless components, uses and benefits, including the ever-so-popular CBD/Cannabidiol. First, a little of
Read MoreBy Donna Porter It is no exaggeration when we say that Costa Rica is a plant paradise. We, literally, live in the wonderful world of plants. Costa Rica contains over 5% of the world’s biodiversity of flora and fauna, while encompassing only .025% of the earth’s land mass. To put
Read MoreBy Donna Porter If you had to make a short list of tropical fruits to grow and to consume, papaya, Carica papaya, should be at the top of your list. Papaya – commonly called Pawpaw in parts of the world – is a super food whose health benefits outweigh those
Read MoreBy Donna Porter No one can dispute the exquisite elegance, beauty and allure of a masterfully-crafted and finely-finished piece of wood. Its brilliance and warmth, glass-like texture and intricately-designed natural grain are one of the most revered architectural elements known to man. It has graced castles and palaces of royalty
Read MoreBy Donna Porter Where do you go when you just want to forget about life for awhile – to relax, to reflect, to walk at a snail’s pace and breath it all in or to spend some passive time with family or friends away from your home? Perhaps you go
Read MoreBy Donna Porter Plants can stir your emotions – induce in you a feeling – if not by their unparalleled beauty, then by their majestic nature. Have you ever been in the presence of a plant and felt just a little humbled? Awed? Even slightly intimidated? Perhaps, somewhere in your
Read MoreBy Donna Porter A million or so years ago, when the earth was younger and the seas covered the land and freshwater seas were abundant, billions of algae -like organisms developed. All of the waters of the earth where inhabited by microscopic one-celled, algae-type plants called diatoms (Melosira spp.). These
Read MoreBy Donna Porter With all of the boldly exotic-looking tropical beauties that we have to choose from to use in our gardens and landscapes, like Helcionias, Gingers, Aroids, Marantas and Crotons, we sometimes forget that we also have a fabulous selection of flowering tropical shrubs that add even more color,
Read MoreBy Donna Porter Allow me to introduce you to one of the shadiest families I know of – the Marantaceae Family. They love dark, damp, hummusy places….. but, are actually a fine and honorable group of plants that have even been known to pray. These bold beauties exult and thrive
Read MoreBy Donna Porter If ever you had to choose but one plant amongst all of the other plants on the planet to co-exist with or you ever found yourself in a dire survival situation, which plant would you choose; which plant would you seek out? (Hint – it is a
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