:: Ganymede raised her hand, "Are they Cherry Blossoms?" She asked. ::

Nadia raised her hand almost immediately, she was sure she knew this one. "Professor? It's the Nadesico or Nadeshiko, I believe?"

ooc: you know, make it look Nadia didn't say anything I mixed them up and said Nadeshiko instead of Sakura. So. This is embarrassing, I prefer not speaking *zips it* (Even, if you want, erase this post =P)

Llewellyn raised his hand to reply, "It is a cherry blossom professor. This particular kind is known as a shidare zakura. The taxonomic classification is rosaceae prunus kiku-shidare zakura."

Professor Virohsa nodded as Ganymede spoke. "Yes, dear. But I was looking for the technical terms...". She turned her attention to Nadia and shook her head. "No dear, that is a muggle term for an animation", she said with a comforting tone.

Turning her attention to Llew, she nodded. "Very well! 6 pts for Hufflepuff", she smiled. "Who can tell me about their habitat?", she asked the class.

Serena raised her hand,"I would say it is either the Japanese flowering cherry - Prunus serrulata or the Higan cherry - Prunus subhirtella."

Serena added, "By habitat, do you mean country like Japan, or as general as a garden?"

ooc: Actually, Nadeshiko is another flower

Nadia raised her hand again, blushing from her previous mistake, "it's found in wet grassy places, especially by rivers, in lowland all over Japan. The habit is described as deciduous."

:: Ganymede said shortly, "Outside?" She was a bit annoyed today. She never liked plants. ::

"Well, they're Japan's national flower, even if they aren't native to Japan, if you mean that," Ashlie said. "They can be kept as gardens, too. Japan passed on the gift of them to George Washington of the United States as well. Do you mean that, or like temperature?"

Llewellyn paged through his book and raised his hand again, "Professor, ornamental cherry blossoms are simply cherry trees whose flowers have been altered through hybridization over the ages. The stamens of the flowers that grow on ornamental cherry trees have been replaced with extra petals, causing the tree to become sterile and produce only flowers and no cherries. At any rate, cherry trees, and their resulting blossoms, grow in tropical and subtropical climates, require very detailed care and only flower for a very small amount of time, typically no longer than a week or a week and a half. Cherry trees require wet habitats and soft, nutrient rich soil."

Professor Virohsa nodded. "Well, I was looking for a more broad description. Such as its habitat is usually a mountain area. But yes, Llew, Nadia, and Ashlie are correct. 2 pts for each of you". "Who can tell me what their height usually is?"

"The larger types of cherry blossoms can grow to 20 feet tall" said Serena.

Professor Virohsa nodded, "Very well! 3 pts for Gryffindor. And what is the lowest height it can have?", she asked the class.

Nadia raised her hand, "15'."

kass listened to what everyobne said

Professor Virohsa shook her head. "No, it is about 13 feet. Very well, let's move on. As previously stated, the family name for this plant is the Rosaceae and its category is Prunus. Within this category, cherry blossoms have 6 other types. Can anyone name them?", she asked the class.

Kay raised her hand. "There is the Yoshino Cherry or Prunus x yedoensis; the Okame Cherry or Prunus x 'Okame'; the Akebono Cherry or Prunus x yedoensis 'Akebono'; the Kwanzan Cherry or Prunus serrulata 'Kwanzan'; the Fugenzo Cherry or Prunus serrulata 'Fugenzo'; the Shirofugen Cherry or Prunus serrulata 'Shirofugen'; the Higan Cherry or Prunus subhirtella var. pendula; the Autumn Flowering Cherry or Prunus subhirtella var. autumnalis; the Sargent Cherry or Prunus sargentii; the Usuzumi Cherry or Prunus spachiana f. ascendens; and the Takesimensis Cherry or Prunus takesimensis."

Professor Virohsa looked at Kay proudly. "Very well! 15 pts for Ravenclaw", she nodded. "Now, can anyone tell me why we are studying such a common plant?", she asked the class.

Llewellyn raised his hand hesitantly, "Because the plant has unbeknowest magical as well as important properties, professor?" he asked a little unsuredly.

Professor Virohsa shook her head. "I understand why you would think that, since a lot of plants have magical properties.. But no, in this case, this is an extremely common plant", she nodded. "Yet, it does have something to offer that you can learn from.. And that is what we will start with today. Any other ideas?"

Laurasia raised her hand & smiled. "Could it be it's medicinal properties, which are extensive?
They include the treatment of diarrhea and pulmonary complaints. Some used Wild Cherry Bark in tea form to ease labor pains. European settlers used Wild Cherry Bark in cough syrups and as a poultice for abscesses and ulcers. Wild Cherry Bark is still used
as a cough suppressant, especially in cases of bronchitis, whooping cough, and asthma. It contains prussic acid, which is known to calm the nerves associated with the coughing reflex. Wild Cherry Bark has been used in several cough suppressant
formulas, often combined with Coltsfoot and Horehound to combat whooping cough, and with Meadowsweet and Marshmallow Root to fight dyspepsia. It is also used to sooth the after effects of allergy attacks. Wild Cherry Bark also has antioxidant
properties, and is being investigated as a possible support agent in fighting cancer and the pain associated therewith. Wild Cherry bark has also been used, in combination with Sarsaparilla, as a blood purifier.
The constituents of Wild Cherry include cyanogenic glycosides including prunasin, volatile oil, benzaldehyde, coumarins, resin, tannin, benzoic acid, gallic acid, resin, the enzyme prunase, and starch. The cyanogenic glycosides make Wild Cherry a powerful
cough remedy.
Prussic acid sedates the sensory nerves which provoke the cough reflex. Because of its sedative properties, it is an effective treatment for bronchitis, whooping cough, and racking coughs from cold as it loosens phlegm in the throat and the chest.
The glycosides and volatile oil contained within Wild Cherry Bark also serve to improve digestion. An infusion of the bark has been used as an astringent in diarrhea or an eyewash when the eyes become inflamed. Wild Cherry may also be helpful against
cancer. Scientists realized that the dark coloring material of wild cherries is a source of anthocyanins. The antioxidant activity in cherries is even greater than that of vitamin E. Wild cherries also contain pain-relieving compounds and a surprisingly high level of melatonin, a hormone previously believed only to be produced by the brain. As Wild Cherry may have anticancer properties, more research is being done to study
the use of cherries in alleviating the pain of cancer."

Kay raised her hand. "In addition to its medicinal properties, the blossoming of the Cherry Tree heralds the coming of Spring and the end to cold winter nights. The trees are in full bloom for up to 10 days, and there are many cultures in the Muggle world that celebrate this event.

The cherry blossom has symbolic meaning as well. To the Japanese Muggle culture, fallen and scattered cherry petals signify death while the blooming cherry blossoms symbolize rebirth."

Anna took out a note book and quill and started to take notes on what the Professor and her fellow students were saying. Writing as fast as she could she managed to catch most of what Professor Virosha was saying.

:: Ganymede never was good at this whole Herbology thing. She only knew cherries for their pie. She noticed that niether had said that so she raised her hand, "Another property of the tree is the fruit.. which is made into pies!" She said with a side smile. ::

Amaris scribbled as rapidly as she could, trying to get as much information as possible down. She looked up and couldn't help but let out a few guffaws at Ganymede's answer. Amaris, realizing what she had done, turned scarlet and sank into her seat suddenly finding her notes extremely intriguing.