Tulip - Ottawa

Tulips originated in Southern Europe and Central Asia; there are about 75 species distributed across 4 subgenera. Tulips are perennial herbaceous geophytes: perennial describes plants able to live for more than two seasons, herbaceous plants lack a woody stem growing above ground, and a geophyte plant makes use of a storage organ, typically a bulb, corm, rhizome or tuber, for storing food during the dormant stage. These bulbs are usually concealed underground to protect them from adverse weather and grazing herbivores. 

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In 1826, the British built the Rideau Canal to link the Ottawa River to Lake Ontario. The project attracted new settlers and the village of Bytown was created. The name was changed to Ottawa in 1855, a name the local Algonguin tribe had been using in referring to the river for its importance of serving as a commercial waterway. In 1857, Queen Victoria had the final word in settling a dispute between the cities of Montreal, Toronto, Kingston, Quebec, and Ottawa to determine Canada’s capital city. Her choice was based on Ottawa’s central location between the two existing Canadian colonies at the time: Quebec and Ontario.

Papaya - Costa Rica

Carica papaya - Papayas are the fruit of the carica papaya plant, a tree native to Mexico and Central America. It was first cultivated in Mexico long before the rise of the classic Mesoamerican period. Papaya plants consist of three sexes: male, female, and hermaphrodite. The male can only produce pollen, but no fruit. The female can only produce small and inedible fruit. Most of the cultivated papaya are of the hermaphrodite variety since it has the ability to self pollinate and produce edible fruit.

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There are several countries in the world without an army. Costa Rica was the first nation in the world to abolish its army. The constitution of 1949 provided an article forbidding the country to have a military. It does maintain a police force to handle internal defense and law enforcement. Costa Rica and the other Central American states did not actively fight against Spain to achieve independence. Losing control of Mexico in 1821, Spain also divested itself of the Central American colonies without a struggle.

Anastatica Plant - Qatar

Qatar occupies the Qatari Peninsula, a small peninsula jutting out from the Arabian Peninsula into the Persian Gulf. Peninsulas are land formations surrounded by water on three sides. The largest peninsula is the Arabian Peninsula at over 3,000,000 square kilometers; the Qatari Peninsula is one of the smallest.

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Anastatica hierochuntica - The anastatica plant is a small plant found in the arid regions of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. This plant is a tumbleweed, a term describing plants able  to separate themselves from their root system and shrivel into a ball when reaching maturity. They are then blown over the landscape by the wind. Through this process, new plants will grow. The mature plant carries the propagules and as it bounces and tumbles along the ground, these propagules will break open and disperse the seeds.

Brussels Sprouts - Belgium

Brassica oleracea - Brussels sprouts are members of the cabbage family and may have originated in Belgium. The vegetable has been cultivated for human consumption since Roman times. The sprouts, or buds as they are known, resemble miniature cabbages and form on stalks ranging in length from 60 to 120 centimeters. The buds are usually 2.5 to 4 centimeters in diameter. Brussels sprouts are tolerant of low temperatures and grow ideally in climates of 15 to 18 degrees. 

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Belgium is a bridge connecting Germanic and Latin Europe through its cultural and language differences. The two distinct regions of Belgium are a reflection of those differences. Flanders, located in the north, is Germanic, while Walloon, located in the south, is Latin. Each region has its own language; Flemish speaking Flanders and French speaking Walloon. There is a small area along the German border with a large German speaking population; it had been a former territory of Germany.

Gibraltar Candytuft - Gilbraltar

Gibraltar is a British Oversees Territory occupying the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. The territory shares a 1.2 kilometer land border with Spain. Gibraltar had been part of Spain since 1502, but was ceded to Great Britain in 1713, with the end of the War of the Spanish Succession and the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht.

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Iberis gibraltarica - The Gibraltar candytuft is a ground covering plant native to northern Africa. Gibraltar is the one remaining location where it can be found growing in the wild, usually along limestone crevices. It is a perennial species within the Brassicaceae family, the mustard plant family. The Gibraltar candytuft produces flowers growing to 8 centimeters across and in a variety of colors ranging from pink to white. The leaves are oblong, wedge or spoon-shaped, end in toothed tips and are covered with a slight dusting of fine hairy fibers.