Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B19/00—Indicating the time by visual means

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a combination of plants which can very suitably be used to tell the time. Such a combination of plants is known per se.
• a combination of plants is known per se.
• Linnaeus worked with all sorts of plants and took no account of annual, terrestrial or water plants, height, climate and composition.
• the plants named in the Linnaeus list also commonly grow on different substrates, in different environments, in different seasons and even in completely different climates.
• the flower clock could not be constructed as a unit.
• the aim of the present invention is to select a combination of plants which can be constructed as a unit and which thus can be used as a "clock" .
• the various plants in a working flower clock must not influence one another's flowering behaviour and the plants must be able to tolerate one another well.
• the plants to be combined must all be able to grow in comparable, and preferably in the same, types of soil.
• the plants must also bloom in the same period of the year under the same climatological conditions.
• the plants must thus also be able to thrive in the same climate. It is also important that the plants to be used also bloom in the same season after sowing.
• the plants to be combined must flower prolifically.
• the aim of the present invention is to construct a working flower clock, taking the abovementioned problems into account. More particularly, the aim of the invention is to find a combination of plants such that it is possible to tell the approximate time on the basis of the opening and/or closing of the flowers in the various plants present, the plants used tolerating one another well, growing in the same type of soil, fostering in the same climate, blooming in the same period of the year and all flowering prolifically.
• the flower clock must preferably also be operative within a fairly usable period of time.
• the invention therefore relates to a combination of plants which is suitable for telling the time on the basis of the opening and/or closing of flowers present in the various plants, which combination comprises at least three, and preferably at least four, of the following plants:
• Plants (a) to (i) open in the period between 06.00 and 14.00 and are therefore suitable in particular for telling the time within this period. It has been found that outstanding results are obtained when plant (c) is Petrorhagia prolifera, plant (d) is Calendula arvensis, plant (e) is Helichrysum bracteatum and/or Helichrysum annuum, plant (f) is Argemone mexicana and/or plant (i) is Portulaca grandiflora. To provide an optimum facility for telling the time it is preferable to incorporate all plants (a) to (i) in the combination of plants according to the invention.
• one or more of the following plants can preferably be added to the combination of three or more of the plants (a) to (i):
• one or more of the plants (j) to (s) can be added to plants (a) to (i).
• the combination of plants according to the invention can be used in particular in regions which have a temperate climate, both in the northern and in the southern hemisphere. This means that the best results are obtained between northern latitudes of 30 ° and 65 ° and between southern latitudes of 20 ° and 50 °, as well as in mountainous areas between these regions in the sub-tropics.
• the combination of plants can be used as a clock from June to September, whilst in the southern hemisphere the corresponding period is November to February.
• the combination of plants according to the invention can very suitably be supplied as a combination of seeds and/or plant parts which are capable of growing into a complete plant, for example seedlings, of three or more of the plants (a) to (i) and, if desired, one or more of the plants (j) to (s), which combination is able to grow into such a combination of plants.
• the invention thus also relates to such a combination of seeds and/or plant parts.
• Said combination of seeds and/or plant parts can be supplied in many forms, in many substrates and in numerous different types of packaging.
• the seeds can, for example, very suitably be supplied in a mat made of, for example, paper.
• the invention also relates to a device for telling the time, which device comprises a combination of the plants (a) to (i) and optionally one or more of the plants (j) to (s) or a corresponding combination of seeds and/or seedlings of said plants.
• a device of this type very suitably comprises a trough containing a substrate containing nutrients, such as earth, glass wool, rock wool, hydrograins or turf, in which the plants or plant parts have been placed or in which the seeds have been sown.
• the plants are arranged in sequence of opening and/or closing. This can be done, for example, in the form of a circle, but, of course, any other shape is also possible. The same applies with regard to seedlings and/or seeds.
• the invention relates to a method for telling the time making use of a combination of three or more of the plants (a) to (i) and, if desired, one or more of the plants (j) to (s), it being possible to tell the time on the basis of the opening and/or closing of the flowers in the various plants present, with reference to the schedule given in Table I.
• Eschscholzia californica Eschscholzia californica Cham.
• Hieracium chondraellifolium Fries (Bas.: Hieracium chondrilloides Vill,; Hieracium chondrilloidium St. Lager; Crepis jacquini Tausch)
• Legousia speculum-veneris Legousia speculum-veneris (L.) Chaix (Bas. : Legousia speculum Fisch. ex A. DC.)
• Picris hieracioides Picris hieracioides Sibth & Sm. (Bas. : Hieracium spinulosa Bertol. ex Guss.)
• Crepis alpina Crepis alpina L.
• Taraxacum officinale Taraxacum officinale L.
• Rhagadiolus stellatus Rhagadiolus stellatus DC. (Bas. : Hyoseris radiata Luce; Leontodon hastilis L.)
• Hieracium murorum Hieracium murorum Froel. (Bas. : Hieracium caesium Fries)
• Hieracium pilosella L Hieracium pilosella L.
• Alyssoides utriculata Alyssoides utriculata (L.) Medicus

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• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Agricultural Chemicals And Associated Chemicals (AREA)

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• 1996
  • 1996-11-21 NL NL1004584A patent/NL1004584C2/nl not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1997
  • 1997-11-21 AU AU54147/98A patent/AU5414798A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1997-11-21 EP EP97947986A patent/EP0954769B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1997-11-21 WO PCT/NL1997/000639 patent/WO1998022855A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 1997-11-21 DE DE69720050T patent/DE69720050D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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