The Barbados Blackbelly is a breed of sheep, African in origin and developed on the island of Barbados. The Barbados Blackbelly has a variety of colour phases varying from basic black and tan colour through black, yellow, and variegated pinto patterns. The black colour covers the under parts completely in the basal pattern and extends up the neck with black extending down the inside of the legs, on the plank and back of the thighs. The inside hair of the ears is black with a small dash at the rear of the eye. The chin and poll are black. The black under parts and black lines medial to the eye contrasting with the normal tan to reddish coat in most other areas, gives an exotic contrasting appearance. Yellow ewes (pale to reddish yellow) have a white abdomen. The yellow colour phase may have been originally derived from a different breed of hair sheep.
There has also been noted a reddish, and also a white, hair sheep in northeastBrazil and light brown colours characteristic of hair sheep from Tobago. Further north there is a light to pale brown sheep in the Bahamas, the long island sheep in Cuba called the Pelibuey. All of these sheep are thought to be at least partially related to the Barbados Blackbelly. The mature rams have a neckpiece of long hair, up to six inches, which extends down the neck to the brisket. The cape reaches full development in the fall of the year. In some rams this is a full cape which extends over the sides and top of the neck and shoulders as a showy blanket. Rams and ewes on the island of Barbados are polled or with short scurs. Research Barbados Blackbelly
Common bistort (Polygonum Bistorta), adder's-wort or snakeroot, is a perennialherb of the buckwheat family, family Polygonaceae, found in Britain. It has a stout, snake-like twisted rhizome and an erect, unbranched stem. The basalovate to lanceolate leaves with undulate margins and winged petioles are arranged in a rosette. The smaller stem leaves are triangular, sessile and clasp the stem. The flowers are pink in colour, and arranged in a dense terminal spike. The fruit is a three-sided achene surrounded by a persistent perianth.
Common bistort contains a lot of tannin, which gives it astringent properties and led to its use in medicine. The young leaves can be eaten in salads or cooked like spinach and the root is edible after it has been soaked and roasted. In northern England it is commonly called Easter Giant and around Manchester it is called Patience Dock. Research Bistort
Bloodroot or Tormentil (Potentilla erecta) is a perennialherb of the family Rosaceae native to Britain, Europe and western Asia. It has a stout rhizome and ascending or almost erect, on-rooting branched stems. The basal leaves are stalked, coarsely-toothed, termate and arranged in a rosette. The stem leaves are sessile, ternate and have a pair of palmately lobed leafy stipules. The flowers are yellow, long-stalked and arranged in loose terminal cymes, having only four petals and sepals. The astringentroot is used in medicine as an analgesic, for tanning, and in dyeing. Research Bloodroot
Borage (Borago officinalis) is an erect, bristly annual herb of the family Boraginaceae, native to southern Europe. It has stalked ovate to lanceolatebasal leaves, and stalkless, clasping upper leaves. The flowers are blue- coloured and carried in loose, arching sprays. The corolla has five, spreading, lanceolate, pointed lobes. Research Borage
Burnet is the name of three species of perennial Rosaceous herbs. The Common or Great Burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis) is a perennialherb native to Britain and Europe where it grows in damp meadows and pastures. It has a thick branched rhizome, a basal rosette of odd-pinnate leaves with between seven and fifteen long-stalked, ovate, toothed leaflets, and an erect branched stem bearing few leaves. The flowers are small, crimson in colour and arranged in dense terminal rectangular spikes. The fruit is an achene enclosed in a four-winged receptacle.
The common salad Burnet (Sanguisorba minor) occurs in dry meadows, and bears heads of crimson flowers - the upper ones being female, while the lower are furnished with numerous drooping stamens. The prickly salad Burnet is much like the common salad burnet. Research Burnet
Burnet saxifrage (Pimpinella saxifraga) is a perennialherb of the family Umbelliferae, native to Britain and Europe, with a spindle-shaped tap root and an erect, finely ribbed and usually downy stem which is branched above. The basal leaves are odd pinnate. The stem leaves have sheath-like stalks and more divided, linear leaflets. The flowers are small, white in colour and arranged in terminal umbels. The fruit is an ovoid, compressed, double achene with five slender ribs. Research Burnet Saxifrage
The butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris) is a perennial, carnivorous, herb of the family Lentibulariaceae, native to northern and central Europe where it grows in bogs, on damp heaths, moors and damp rocks. It has a basal rosette of sticky, entire, fleshy, bright yellow-green ovate leaves. The stickiness being caused by a fluid secreted by warty glands which catches and digests insects so as to provide the plant with the required nitrogen. When an insect becomes trapped, the leave curls up around it. Rising from the centre of the rosette are scapes which are topped by two-lipped, tubular, bluish-white coloured flowers with a long slender spur. The fruit is an ovoid capsule which splits into two halves. Research Butterwort
Centaury (Centaurium erythraea) is an annual or biennialherb of the Gentian family (Gentianaceae). It has a basal rosette of prominently veined oval leaves and an erect stem which branches at the top. The stem leaves are shorter, narrower, opposite and sessile. The pretty red, funnel-shaped flowers are arranged in flat-topped cymes. The corolla tube is much longer than the calyx. The anthers twist after shedding the pollen. The fruit is a capsule with a persistent corolla. Research Centaury
Charadridae is the Plovers family of birds of the order Grallae. The bill is always moderate, the third and fourth toes are connected by a web at the base, and the nostrils are placed in a groove which extends considerably in advance of the basal fourth of the beak. Research Charadridae
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Barbados Blackbelly
