Gum (botany)

Gum is a sap or other resinous material associated with certain species of the plant kingdom. This material is often polysaccharide-based and most frequently is associated with woody plants, particularly under the bark or as a seed coating. The polysaccharide material is typically of high molecular weight and most often highly hydrophilic or hydrocolloidal.

As seed coating

Many gums occur as seed coatings for plant species; the adaptive purpose of some of these gummy coatings is to create a time delayed germination of certain flora seeds. An example of such a gummy coating occurs in the case of Western poison oak, a widespread shrub in western North America.

See also

Line notes

5 (gum)

5 is a brand of sugar-free chewing gum that is manufactured by the Wrigley Company. The name "5" hints at the five human senses (with the ad slogan "Stimulate Your Senses" and "Everybody Experiences it Differently"). 5 gum was introduced to United States markets in March 2007, in Canada in January 2008, in Russia, Europe and Australia in 2009, in China, India, Italy, Israel, Thailand, and Malaysia in 2010.

Products

The brand features 24 flavours of chewing gum, all of which are available in the United States with the exception of Cirrus, Zephyr and Evolution. The first three flavors introduced were Peppermint, Spearmint, and Cinnamon; second came Tropical and Berry; and in 2009, Winter mint and Bubble. In March 2010, two new flavors, both named "React" were introduced in the United States along with the slogan: "Everyone Experiences It Differently." "React" comes in both mint and fruit flavors. It was released in Australia in March 2011. 5 also offers a watermelon flavor called "Prism", a Green apple flavor called "Vortex" and a sour tropical flavor called "Swerve".

Lagoon Nebula

The Lagoon Nebula (catalogued as Messier 8 or M8, and as NGC 6523) is a giant interstellar cloud in the constellation Sagittarius. It is classified as an emission nebula and as a H II region.

The Lagoon Nebula was discovered by Giovanni Hodierna before 1654 and is one of only two star-forming nebulae faintly visible to the naked eye from mid-northern latitudes. Seen with binoculars, it appears as a distinct oval cloudlike patch with a definite core. In the foreground is the open cluster NGC 6530.

Characteristics

The Lagoon Nebula is estimated to be between 4,000-6,000 light years from the Earth. In the sky of Earth, it spans 90' by 40', translates to an actual dimension of 110 by 50 light years. Like many nebulas, it appears pink in time-exposure color photos but is gray to the eye peering through binoculars or a telescope, human vision having poor color sensitivity at low light levels. The nebula contains a number of Bok globules (dark, collapsing clouds of protostellar material), the most prominent of which have been catalogued by E. E. Barnard as B88, B89 and B296. It also includes a funnel-like or tornado-like structure caused by a hot O-type star that emanates ultraviolet light, heating and ionizing gases on the surface of the nebula. The Lagoon Nebula also contains at its centre a structure known as the Hourglass Nebula (so named by John Herschel), which should not be confused with the better known Hourglass Nebula in the constellation of Musca. In 2006 the first four Herbig–Haro objects were detected within the Hourglass, also including HH 870. This provides the first direct evidence of active star formation by accretion within it.