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What toxic plant feeds 500 million people?

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Killer Picks: Wollemi Pine, greatest living fossils discovered in the 20th century—>Click here.

World Hemispheres Map, Audubon Bird Prints—>Click here.

Kenyan Giraffe Sculpture, Ship's Deck Maritime Prism, Wool U.S. Navy Peacoat—>Click here.

The cassava plant (Manihot esculenta Crantz) [man' i hot es' cue lent' ah] does not look like a food crop and without proper preparation, it isn't. It contains two cyanogenic glycosides, sugar complexes that release hydrogen cyanide upon ingestion.

The cassava plant does not look like a food crop
and without proper preparation, it isn't.
Collared Lory Feeding on Cassava Fruits Photographic Print by Tim Laman
Buy Photographic Print at AllPosters.com

Cassava or manioc has been cultivated or, at least, gathered and used as a flour starch for more than 3,000 years. All the varieties of cassava now in existence appear to be cultigens (generated under cultivation). Botanists have been unable to find the true wild species.

The Amazon basin was probably home to cassava and where its cultivation began. Cassava cultivation spread throughout the American tropics. Native groups as diverse as the Maya of Central America and the Taino of Hispaniola grew varieties best suited to their particular climates. By 1558, cassava was introduced to Africa by the Portuguese. Cassava and the potato were foods that became part of the horrendous slave trade.

Indian Women Preparing Manioc Root, Engraved by Theodore De Bry (1528-98), from "Americae," 1593

Native groups as diverse as the Maya of Central America and the Taino
of Hispaniola grew varieties best suited to their particular climates.
Indian Women Preparing Manioc Root, Engraved by Theodore De Bry
(1528-98), from "Americae," 1593 Giclee Print by Jacques Le Moyne
Buy Giclee Print at AllPosters.com

Cassava is the major source of carbohydrates for 500 million people living in the tropics. In Africa, it provides an average of 37 percent of the total calories consumed. It does not require farm machinery or massive amounts of labor, water, and fertilizers to grow. It is a plant seldom affected by plagues of grasshoppers. But cassava is a subsistence crop raised mostly by women with children to feed.

Cassava does not keep and must be processed within days of being dug. Commercial farms are usually located close to factories where the starch can be extracted and shipped. Although a staple of the tropics, in the Northern Hemisphere, cassava is only used for tapioca, farinha, and laundry starch.

To learn more about cassava and to view a photograph of the plant, click on the University of Guam website:

http://www.uog.edu/cals/site/POG/manihot.html

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Unique Professionally Designed Gardens

Springhill Nursery®

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World Hemispheres Map, Laminated

National Geographic®

During the 1930s and 1940s, National Geographic designed several world maps using a projection that separated the eastern and western hemispheres.

We have brought back this classic view of the world with updated, modern cartography and an elegant earth-tone color palette for a new, yet fashionably retro, view of the world. Click here.

Shop the National Geographic Store. All purchases support research and education.

Framed Audubon Bird Prints

National Geographic®

John James Audubon (1785–1851) remains this country's most well known ornithological artist. He meticulously and realistically depicted thousands of bird species, many of which are gathered in his monumental volume, Birds of North America. These reproductions of original Audubon watercolors from the collection of the New-York Historical Society—the single largest repository of Audubon's work—are presented in dark-wood molding behind glass with acid-free archival mats.

Choose a crimson Northern Cardinal (1822), the official bird of seven U.S. states; or the multicolored Painted Bunting (1821), whose warbling song is heard throughout the Southeast. Each comes with a certificate of authenticity. 18 1/2''W x 22 1/2''L. Click here for price and to view other exciting National Geographic products.

Shop the National Geographic Store. All purchases support research and education.

Kenyan Giraffe Sculpture

National Geographic®

For the Kisii community of southwestern Kenya, rare giraffe sightings inspire great excitement. Giraffes are encouraged to remain within the village lands because the Kisii believe that their great height allows them to see approaching good and bad omens. Hand-carved from soapstone, this giraffe family is made in the hopes that Kisii ancestors will bring the appearance of these revered animals.

Crafted by artisans, each handmade sculpture is unique; please accept slight variations.
6 1/2''W x 10''H x 3''D. Click here for price and to view other exciting National Geographic products.

Shop the National Geographic Store. All purchases support research and education.

Ship's Deck Maritime Prism

National Geographic®

Visitors to the U.S.S. Constitution often wonder what purpose is served by the glass tiles that are flush with Old Ironsides' deck. Before electricity, kerosene lamps and candles brought light, and the risk of fire, below deck. Glass prisms laid into the ship's deck helped reflect sunlight into the spaces below without weakening the planks.

This authentic reproduction of a six-sided aqua glass prism is a conversation-starting piece of maritime history for home or office. Approximately 4'' diameter x 5''H. Click here for price and to view other exciting National Geographic products.

Shop the National Geographic Store. All purchases support research and education.

Wool U.S. Navy Peacoat

National Geographic®

For more than 200 years the double-breasted wool peacoat has been standard issue in many cold-weather navies, becoming part of the U.S. Navy uniform in the early 20th century. Looking back through more than a century of old photographs from Europe and the U.S. will show you that the style and function of the jacket has changed very little over time, a true testament to its seaworthiness and warmth.

Our classic peacoat is made from the same thick wool that has kept many sailors warm on duty, and it is just as well suited to your adventures, on land or at sea. The military-spec dark navy melton wool blend allows for the exceptional warmth and wind- and water-resistance you would expect and features a quilted nylon lining with inside pockets, center vent back detail, and classic anchor buttons. Dry clean. Handmade in U.S.A. Click here for price and to view other exciting National Geographic products.

Shop the National Geographic Store. All purchases support research and education.

Wollemi Pine

National Geographic®

Exclusively from National Geographic, this survivor from the age of the dinosaurs is one of the greatest living fossils discovered in the 20th century. The Wollemi pine is one of the world's oldest and rarest tree species, belonging to a 200-million-year-old plant family thought to have been extinct for more than two million years.

Previously known only from fossil records, it was presumed extinct until a single tree was found in the Wollemi National Park, Australia, in 1994. Subsequent research discovered 100 adult trees that have survived in a single canyon in this wild and rugged area. Click here

You can assist in the conservation effort and enjoy the unique opportunity to ensure the continued survival of this rare species by giving the tree as a gift or growing your own. Suitable for indoor container gardening or as a landscape tree in certain areas of the U.S.

Comes with a care manual with the full story about the discovery and fascinating history of the Wollemi pine. Comes in a copper-colored container and will be approximately 10''H when shipped. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these plants will fund ongoing conservation research. Click here.

National Geographic Magazine

National Geographic®

You are invited to roam the world in the pages of National Geographic magazine. Explore the diversity of our planet's lands and inhabitants in compelling stories covering topics such as animals, nature, science, technology, culture, history, travel, adventure, exploration, and geography. The monthly National Geographic magazine is your key benefit of membership.

Additional benefits include:

As many as five wall map supplements throughout the year in issues of the magazine
A personalized Membership Certificate
Special discounts on selected products
The opportunity to examine special Society products free in your home before deciding to purchase

The privilege of traveling the world with the Society's educational travel tour programs
The satisfaction of supporting important research, conservation, education, and exploration projects

Join the Society and bring the adventure of National Geographic into your home! Click here.