DK - WOW! The Visual Encyclopedia of Everything

187

◀ BANANAS

Bananas grow in bunches

of up to 200, sprouting from

clusters of huge leaves that

shoot up from fleshy roots.

They are a valuable crop

throughout the tropics, and

are usually cut while

green so they are

perfectly yellow and

ripe when sold.

COCONUTS ▶

The big nuts of the coconut palm

are an important crop on many

Pacific islands. The fibrous husk is

used for matting and rope making.

The white “meat” of the nuts is

used for food, either fresh,

desiccated (dried), as

creamed coconut, or

as coconut oil.

SUNFLOWERS ▶

The spectacular blooms of

sunflowers are made up of

hundreds of big seeds. These

can be eaten as snacks, but most

are processed to produce oil, which is

used in cooking. Bees love sunflowers,

and turn the nectar into honey.

GRAPES ▲

One of the oldest cultivated

plants, the grape was grown by

Ancient Egyptians 6,000 years

ago. Planted in permanent

vineyards in warm climates,

grapes are harvested for

winemaking, eating fresh,

and drying as raisins,

sultanas, and currants.

◀ SUGAR CANE

Grown on plantations

in tropical and sub-tropical

regions of the world, sugar

cane is the thick stalk of a

large grass. More than half the

world’s sugar comes from sugar

cane. It is also made into alcohol

used in biofuels (fuels made

from renewable organic

material, such

as plants).

COFFEE ▼

Coffee is one of the most valuable crops

produced in the tropics. It is made from

the seeds of a small tree. Each red berry

contains two seeds, or beans, which are

dried in the sun before being

roasted and ground.

Red coffee

berries

Molasses, or

treacle, is a

sticky juice

produced

when sugar

cane is boiled

Dried

sunflower

seedhead

Currants

and

raisins

Black grapes

White

grapes

Grapes on

the vine

Brown

sugar

Sunflower

in bloom

Inside the

coconut is a

layer of white

“meat”

The coconut

grows inside a

thick, fibrous husk

Roasted coffee

beans

Ri

pe

ba

na

na

G

re

en

(^) b
an
an
as
Sunfl^ ower (^) oi
l
Stalk of
sugar
cane
Creamed coconut
Desiccated
coconutFresh coconut
(^)
(^) C
up
(^) of
(^) coffe
e
Sunflower
seeds
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