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Broadleaf Herbs: The species composition of grassland varies widely from location to location, climate to climate, and season to season. The composition of an individual community depends upon the availability of seeds or other propagating materials and their ability to establish themselves, develop to maturity, reproduce, and reestablish and persist in a now-existing vegetation. In many situations various herbaceous plants other than grasses may form a significant part of the grassland vegetation, particularly during a portion of the season. In the spring, for example, semidesert and alpine grasslands contain many broadleaf herbs.
Northern Coniferous Forest.—This vast forest, known also as sub-Arctic forest, boreal forest, and taiga, occupies a zone around the Northern Hemisphere in Alaska, Canada, and Eurasia, forming the tree line and bordering the tundra, or treeless Arctic region. The trees are mostly needleleaf evergreens with straight trunks and narrow, pointed crowns, with a few broadleaf deciduous species. In places they form a closed canopy with little undergrowth except for scattered shrubs and a carpet of mosses and low herbs. This forest farthest north has the fewest tree species.
Care and Storage. The tongue can tell whether a substance is sweet, sour, salt, or bitter. It cannot detect aroma, which comes to us through the sense of smell. The volatility that gives herbs and spices their distinctive taste and aroma also makes them perishable. Once volatility is lost through age or careless storage, the product has little, if anything, to offer.
One should date the labels of new spices as they are purchased. They should be kept handy but should not be stored over oven heat or in direct sunlight. Containers should be closed immediately after use. At least once a year the shelf should be checked and all "fainthearted" herbs and spices discarded. Cooking time is too valuable to waste on tired spices. See also articles on individual herbs and spices. |
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