Question

Which one of these is not correctly matched?
(a) Parthenium argentatum – Furniture wood is obtained
(b) Leucaena leucocephala – Fixes atmospheric nitrogen
(c) Simmondsia – Liquid wax is obtained
(d) Psophocarpus – Seeds are nutritive

Answer 1

Hint: Atmospheric nitrogen is fixed by the members of the family Fabaceae. Furniture wood is obtained from timber trees and cannot be obtained from small plants or shrubs.

Complete answer:
Leucaena leucocephala is a plant that belongs to the family Fabaceae or Leguminosae which is a family of plants that fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil. This makes the soil rich in nutrients.
Simmondsia or the Jojoba is a plant that is native to the southwestern United States. It is a commercial plant that gives jojoba oil, which is a liquid wax ester that is extracted from the seeds of this plant.
Psophocarpus or the winged bean or goa bean is a tropical legume plant. The entire plant is edible and the bean pods which contain the seeds can be eaten after they are cooked. They contain Vitamins A and C and calcium and iron. The seeds of these legumes are highly nutritious.
Parthenium argentatum is a perennial woody shrub of the aster family. Wood for furniture is taken generally from timber trees that have strong barks and wood and not from small woody shrubs as they are not as durable. Instead, parthenium has a huge potential as a biofuel, but not as furniture wood.
So, the answer is, “Parthenium argentatum – Furniture wood is obtained.”

Note:
- The common name for Parthenium argentatum is Guayule. It is cultivated as the source of Rubber.
- Leucaena leucocephala is a highly invasive plant. It grows quickly into dense thickets.
- Wild hazel and coffeeberry are other names for Jojoba's plan.
- In high quantities, jojoba seeds are toxic for mammals. Only Bailey’s pocket mouse is known to digest wax inside the nut.
- Psophocarpus or the winged bean is a type of climbers that climb by twining their stems around the support. Thus, a supportive structure is required for its growth. It’s a perennial plant but commercially is grown around the year.