Herbs, Spices, and Essential Oils: An Overview of Their Botanical Origins and Uses - Prof., Study notes of Environmental Science

Download Herbs, Spices, and Essential Oils: An Overview of Their Botanical Origins and Uses - Prof. and more Study notes Environmental Science in PDF only on Docsity! EVSC 2559 – Plants, People and Culture Outline with Key Terms and Concepts for Lecture 14 Herbs and Spices I  Herbaceous plant- o a plant that has leaves and stems that die at the end of the growing season to the soil level. A herbaceous plant may be annual, biennial or perennial.  Herb- o variety of uses, the green leafy part of the plant is often used but herbal medicine make use of the roots, flowers, seeds, root bark, inner bark, berries, and sometimes the pericarp or other portions  Spice- o no botanical definition. It is loosely applied to an assortment of diend seeds, berried, bark, root, fruits or other parts of the plant, even leaves in some cases, useful for the scents or flavors.  Essential oils/volatile compounds o Scents of aromatic plants o Volatile substance that contribute to the essence or aroma of certain species. o Found in specialized cells, glands, or vessels that can occur in any or all parts of a plant  Secondary plant compounds o Compounds that occur in plants but are not critical for the plants basic metabolic function  Role of secondary compounds in pollination and herbivore defense o Attract pollinators, but the function of other essential oils in different plant parts has been debated o Others have been associated with plant defense against herbivores, either functioning to either deter the consumption  Black pepper o Type of plant o Type of fruit o Origin and environment o Part of plant from which peppercorns are derived  Difference between white and black pepper  Nutmeg tree (Myristica fragrans) o Type of plant o dioecious (male and female trees) o Origin