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Bud of Peace

English for Science and Technology 1

TEXT 6: THE BUD OF PEACE

The Spathiphyllum has been dubbed thepeace lily as its pure white heart-shapedbracts blossom even indoors. It is anexcellent plant for low light areas. Theygrow just as luxuriantly in the temperateclimates of Australia and Europe as in anytropical country. In Malaysia, theSpathiphyllum has become a very muchsought-after indoor plant alongside theever popular pink or red bracts of theanthuriums.

The Spathiphyllum is a native of CentralAmerica and is widely used in indoor andsemi-indoor conditions. It is also commonlyknown as Spathe Flower, Spider Flowerand Snowflowers.

The plant is widely used in hotels,shopping malls, airports and office lobbies.Hybridists in Hawaii, Europe and Japanhave created many cultivars with betteraesthetics for the landscape market. But tothe uninitiated and untutored eye, all theselook very much alike.

Some hybrids like the Spathiphyllum

wallisiior Spathiphyllum floribundum growno longer than 25cm with 6cm wide bracts.Others like the Spathiphyllum clevelandiiare almost three times larger than theformer. The larger varieties have a rathersweet scent while the dwarf varieties donot have any scent.

Spathiphyllum cannaefolium, a native ofVenezuela and Guyana, possessesleathery leaves with rather thick, darkgreen-black corrugated leaves. It has a

large greenish white spathe and creamspadix inside. This plant grows very wellsemi- indoors and is very hardy.

By far the most popular in terms of beautyand flowering potential is the Mauna Loahybrid. This is a very compact plant withdark glossy green leaves and is floriferous

over long periods if well tended to. Thespathes are pure white and measure 10 to20cm

The spathes have a slight scent. Thishybrid is very popular in Malaysiangardens. It is combined with deep red ororange anthuriums for indoor landscaping.With good drainage, spathiphyllums willgrow well in dark corners, althoughflowering will be better in brighter locations.

The plants produce suckers at the basewhich can be separated and potted upseparately as new plants. You may fertilisethe plants with slow-release fertilisers.Young plants should get a balanced NPKgrade fertilizer while mature plants shouldget an NPK grade with high phosphorusand potassium.

Always follow the recommended dosage

as laid out on the package label.Spathiphyllums should not be placed underdirect sunlight as the foliage can getscorched.

For all pot cultures, always remove deadleaves and lightly cultivate the soil on thetop. If possible, put a layer of mulch on thesoil surface.

You may encounter problems with insectslike mealy bugs of woolly aphis because of

the shaded conditions. If they appear, daba piece of cotton wool wrapped around theend of a toothpick in methylated spirit andtouch the pests which will freeze to death.Remove the debris.Source:NEW STRAITS TIMES Life & Times

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A. ORIENTATION

1. Write down as many names of flowers as you can.

2. What are some uses of flowers?

3. What does a flower represent?

B. LANGUAGE FOCUS

1. Identify the hyphenated words in the text. Explain the functions for each ofthese words.

2. a. Based on the text, write a list of all the comparative adjectives thatdescribe flowers.

b. In the box below, list other adjectives that describe the flower and formcomparatives. An example has been provided for you.

ADJECTIVES COMPARITIVES

example: sweet sweeter

3. Identify sentences in the passage that are written in the passive.Rewrite them in the active form/

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C. CONTENT FOCUS

1. Complete the graphic organiser below by:

a. naming the hybridsb. filling in the characteristics

2. Describe how you would care for these plants:

a.b.c.d.

D. FOLLOW- UP

Some people like fresh flowers while others go for artificial flowers.Which do you prefer? Give reasons for your choice.

Sparthiphyllum

Hybrids