Environment TedayNewstMay.Dember20, 19 2


i


Nature hikes offer new ways to learn
Recently. I look a group of high species gms and family ames. In students that hey
school students from the St. Croix this way, we are able to scientifical. same family name: l
Educational Complex hiking to the OlIee ly distinguish one sort of plan or However, within
Caledonia rain forest on the north. Das animal from others that are not plants, each species
side of S. Croi.The group was a a like. If a new oiraism is disco. name. For instance,
biology class that wanted to be cred, it will be given a scientific species of cash pla
exposed to our local fainm and flora, name, which will represent its the Virgin Islands.
Mrn. Backaus, the teacher of this genus and species lassfications. macrocantha, Acaci
class, wanted her students to under. Students learned the common Acacia tortuosa, and
stand that the natural environment from learning about man's impact names of plants along with their These individaa
is also a school where one can lear on the environment, to how man scientific mes, the same genus and
mot of the real world, obtains the basics of medicine. For instance, one plant that because of certain
As an ecologist, I try to make food, clothes and shelter. One can grows well through the Virgin that are similar.
hakes educational and challenging, leam how to be a responsible care- Islands is tan tan. The scientific Othe plants in
I'd like people be t able to take takr of th' name forta tanis Lecaea lemco- family are the pige
back with them a recreational cpe- I taught the biology students all cephala. LeU ea is the gnuis and popular flamboya
fnce that helps them become more every organism on earth is aego- leacocephala is the species. Tan tan pigeon pea, the flame
knowledgeableabout other forms of rized scientifically. For example, is just one of the many common tan and the cash
life on Earth. human beings, plants, animals and names of the plant. because they all hav
The opportunities ar endless, other organisms are classified by Since the tan tan and the casOa
bush aresimilar.l pointedoutto the


30 'neDalyNewsay, ecObera 20, B Environment


OLASEE COmo FRmPAGE

Plants in the same scientific family exhibit similar traits


This family of plants are also
well noted for their ability to thrive
in soib of low fertility. The oots of
Ihis family of plants have the aps-
bility of making their own nitrogen
fertilizer from the nitrogen in the
soil air. Because of this rait, pigeon
peas were unce planted abundantly
on sugar cnae land on St. Craix
alter the cane was harvested
Both immature and mature seeds


of legme plants like pigeon peas,
lima ban, soybeans, mung bean,
cowpca, and other food Icgumes
contribute an Important dietary
source o carbohydrates and pro-
tein. The immature seed pod coo-
tains significant amounts of vita-
mins A and C, whereas protein. car-
bohydrates and some mineral ar
maijnr cmtituentx of the dry seed.
Many Od World beans. genrml-


ly the smalt-seeded varieties,
evolved la Africa and Asia and
have been reclasified to the genus
Vigna. These include rice beans.
black gram and muntadziki.
The New World beans, includ-
ing dry beans, snap beans and lima
beans, make up most of the bean
acreage in the United States.
Students learned on the ike that
some plants travel with man


throughout the world. For example.
explorers and traders stocked their
ships with both common and lima
beans. Both the common green
bean ad the lima bean am native to
Ccatrl America.
Olawte Doris who hkdt a man-
ler oeiscien degree in range man-
agement and fresnry ecology, is a
St. Croix ecolog ,t. activist and
wrier.


both have the
gumisnosc.
a subgroup of
has a different
there arc four
nts growing in
hey are Acacia
a polyacantha,
Acacia iparia.
Is plants have
family names
characteristics

se leguminosa
n pe tand the
nt tree. The
boyanl. he Ian
a are similar
seed pods
age 30