The Rose Rustlers Grant, Greg; Welch, William C
2017, 2017-09-15
eBook
In The Rose Rustlers, Greg Grant and William C. Welch offer a personal, in-depth, and entertaining account of some of the great stories gathered during their years as participants in one of the most ...important plant-hunting efforts of the twentieth century-the quest to save antique roses that disappeared from the market in a notoriously trend-driven business. By the 1950s, almost exclusively, modern roses (those with one compact bloom at the top of a large stem) were grown for the cut-flower market. The large rounded shrubs and billowy fence climbers known to our grandparents and great-grandparents in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries had been reduced to this rather monotonous single style of plant. Yet those roses of old still grew, tough and persistent, in farmyards, cemeteries, vacant lots, and abandoned fields. The rediscovery of these antiques and the subsequent movement to conserve them became the mission of "rose rustlers," dedicated rosarians who studied, sought, cut, and cultivated these hardy survivors. Here, the authors chronicle their own origins, adventures, and discoveries as part of a group dubbed the Texas Rose Rustlers. They present tales of the many efforts that have helped restore lost roses not only to residential gardens, but also to commercial and church landscapes in Texas. Their experiences and friendships with other figures in the heirloom rose world bring an insider's perspective to the lore of "rustling," the art of propagation, and the continued fascination with the world's favorite flower.
The Wars of the Roses (1455-85) were a major turning point in English history. But the underlying causes for the successive upheavals have been hotly contested by historians ever since. In this ...original and stimulating new synthesis, distinguished historian Michael Hicks examines the difficult economic, military, and financial crises and explains, for the first time, the real reasons why the Wars of the Roses began, why they kept recurring, and why, eventually, they ceased. Alongside fresh assessments of key personalities, Hicks sheds new light on the significance of the involvement of the people in politics, the intervention of foreign powers in English affairs, and a fifteenth-century credit crunch. Combining a meticulous dissection of competing dynamics with a clear account of the course of events, this is a definitive and indispensable history of a compelling, complex period.
Obesity produces many health problems, including systemic oxidative stress. This study comprehensively investigated the effects of Sanguisorba officinalis L. extract (SO) as an antioxidant on ...abnormal lipid accumulation and oxidative stress in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice (n = 48). We evaluated the anti-adipogenic and antioxidant effects of SO on 3T3-L1 by cell viability, Oil red O staining, and NBT assays. The ameliorative effects of SO in HFD-induced C57BL/6J mice were investigated by measuring body weight, serum lipids, adipocyte size, hepatic steatosis, AMPK pathway-related proteins, and thermogenic factors. In addition, the effect of SO on oxidative stress in obese mice was evaluated by the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the production of lipid peroxidation products and ROS production in adipose tissue. We found that SO dose-dependently decreased lipid accumulation and ROS production in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In C57BL/6J obese mice, SO (above 200 mg/kg) attenuated the HFD-induced gain in body weight and white adipose tissue (WAT) weight without affecting appetite. SO also decreased serum glucose, lipid, and leptin levels and attenuated adipocyte hypertrophy and hepatic steatosis. Furthermore, SO increased the expression of SOD1 and SOD2 in WAT, decreased ROS and lipid peroxides, and activated the AMPK pathway and thermogenic factors. In summary, SO reduces oxidative stress in adipose tissue by increasing antioxidant enzyme activity and improves obesity symptoms through AMPK-pathway-regulated energy metabolism and mitochondrial respiratory thermogenesis.
Rose ( Rosa L.) is an economically important ornamental genus that has been cultivated for its scent for the perfume industry since antiquity. However, most modern roses have lost their fragrance ...during the later stages of the breeding process. Here, 59 species of Rosa , including 24 wild Rosa species, 20 Chinese old garden roses, and 15 modern roses, were examined by headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Fifty-three volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including terpenoids, benzenoids/phenylpropanoids, and fatty acid derivatives, were detected with qualitative and quantitative analyses. Thirteen common components, including geraniol, citronellol, 2-phenylethanol, 3,5-dimethoxytoluene, 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene, germacrene D, and cis-3-hexenyl acetate, were found. Furthermore, different wild species or cultivars showed different characteristic compounds. 3,5-Dimethoxytoluene and 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene were the main compounds in Rosa odorata and Rosa chinensis , which are the original parents of modern roses. 2-Phenylethanol, citronellol, and geraniol were the main aromatic compounds in Rosa damascene and Rosa centifolia . Methyl salicylate, eugenol, methyl eugenol, and benzyl acetate were lost during domestication and breeding of wild Rosa species to Chinese old garden roses and then to modern cultivars. Geranyl acetate, neryl acetate, and dihydro-β-ionol were gained during this time and showed higher amounts across the rose breeding process. Natural and breeding selection may have caused volatile compound gains and losses. These findings provide a platform for mining scent-related genes and for breeding improved ornamental plants with enhanced flower characteristics to develop new essential oil–producing plants.
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