HOL Ravenclaw

After the last potions ingredient task, your group is joined by your Herbology professor. Together, the two teachers start to give you a deeper insight into some of the plants around the forest that can be used in many different potions.

"We are surrounded right at this moment, not only by beautiful parts of nature, but by some of the most useful potion ingredients. So many of these plants, even non-magical ones, can be used to help generate a range of magical effects when brewed together. Aconite, fluxweed, even the simple dandelion - all are used regularly by the most advanced potioneers. A personal favourite of mine is knotgrass - which you may have heard of as an ingredient in the Polyjuice or Invisibility Potions. Take a look around, see what plants you can identify as ingredients."

Task:
Complete this colouring page - https://postimg.cc/pyWcrjnc

Alternatively, in at least 100 words, describe your favourite plant.

This activity is worth 10 beans/sapphires, with an additional 10 beans/sapphires available if all Week Two tasks are completed by the due date. Everything is due at 11:59 pm HOL time on November 30th.

Posted on behalf of Lex Green.

If I had to choose a favorite plant, I'd go with lavender, though it is just a genus in general. It consists of about 47 species of flowering plants in the mint family, which is also known as Lamiaceae. They have a lovely smell, not only to us but to pollinators like butterflies and bees, meaning if you have the plant, you'll also get some visitors (whether they're wanted or not). The produced scent is regarded as distinctive and calming. Most species are native to the Mediterranean, eastern Africa, southern Asia, India, and the Canary Islands. However, they have been cultivated and are now grown worldwide for many of us to access.

My favourite plant is probably the Dahlia, as it has so many different varieties-there are 49 different species, and the plants come in almost every hue (except for blue).It is part of the Asteraceae family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers. It is a perineal plant with tuberous roots, though they are grown as annuals in some colder region-there tuberous nature means that they can survive periods of dormancy. Dahlias are native to Mexico and other South American countries, and were only known by the Aztecs and surrounding countries until the Spanish conquest, when they were brought to Europe.

My favourite plant is a tiger lily. Tiger lilies are orange flowers with black spots that resembles a tiger’s fur hence the name. Tiger lilies are native to parts of Asia such as Korea, Japan and China. There are five species of tiger lilies. Tiger lilies are ornamental because of the aesthetically pleasing look it has, but it is also used as an alternative medicine to relieve nausea and nasal congestion. Some species are poisonous, mainly due to their pollen, but it’s generally something that affects other animals rather than humans. Since many cultures associate orange as a colour representing energy and enthusiasm, the tiger lily is also seen as a symbol of prosperity and wealth. It also represents confidence. I tend to favour this plant because it’s the birth month flower of someone I look up to.

At first i didn’t really have a favorite plant because i never thought about them to be honest but once i started searching around a little i found out how many plants there really are and how interesting they can be without people knowing it. The first one that immediately sprung out for me was the ‘mint’ plant. It's maybe very random and not chosen a lot but it is actually really good for people and it also smells really good. So i recommend searching about this plant for the people that don’t know much about it yet and want to know more!