Rhus integrifolia commonly known as Lemonade Berry is a shrub to small tree belonging to Anacardiaceae (Sumac or Cashew family). Other S. California natives in this family are the Poison oak, the Laurel sumac and the closely related Sugar bush and Sour berry/Basket bush. The family includes a number of well-known members including the Cashew, Mango and Smoke Tree. The non-native Brazilian and Peruvian Pepper trees, which have so naturalized that many think them S. California natives, are also members of this family. The plant is native to transverse and Peninsular Ranges, southwestern and Pacific coastal California, from Santa…
Author: Sylvia
Pistia stratiotes, often called water cabbage, water lettuce or shellflower is a free floating, perennial plant belonging to Araceae (Arum family). It is the sole species of this genus. The plant is native to South and Central America, Africa and south-east Asia. It is also native to the Northern Territory in Australia. It is found in cooler climates, like Belgium, Czechia, France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Ukraine, and parts of the United States. It was first discovered from the Nile near Lake Victoria in Africa. It is now present, either naturally or through human introduction,…
Duck Lettuce scientifically known as Ottelia alismoides is a submersed fresh aquatic herbaceous plant belonging to Hydrocharitaceae (Tape-grass family). The plant is native to Africa, Asia, northern Australia, and the Pacific. In China, it is distributed in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Fujian Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangsu and Henan. Apart from Duck Lettuce it is also known as Water-plantain ottelia and ottelia. Its common name, duck lettuce, comes from the strong resemblance the leaves of O. alismoides bears to lettuce leaves. It reproduces solely by seeds, is slow to spread, and is generally not considered a top invasive plant…
Tasmannia Lanceolata, commonly known as Mountain Pepper berry or mountain pepper is an exciting new spice belonging to Winteraceae family. It had been known for many years as Drimys lanceolata. The plant is native to woodlands and cool temperate rainforest of New South Wales, from Barringt in the cooler South-Eastern parts of Australia, such as Tasmania, New South Wales and Victoria. It is an exciting new spice causing something of a stir in the culinary world and is so so sooooo much better than conventional pepper! Some of the popular common names of the plant are Cornish Pepper Leaf, Mountain…
Acer platanoides, commonly known as the Norway maple, is a species of maple belonging to Aceraceae (Maple family). The plant is native to continental Europe and western Asia. It occurs naturally from central France in the east into central Asia Minor and northern Iran in the west, and from southern Norway and Sweden to northern Spain, Italy, and the Balkans. It is the most widely distributed maple in Europe. It has naturalized in Great Britain, the northeastern United States, and southeastern Canada. It was introduced to North America in the mid-1700s as a shade tree. It has been widely planted…
Trident maple scientifically known as Acer buergerianum is a species of maple belonging to Aceraceae (Maple family). The plant is native to eastern China (from Shandong west to southeastern Gansu, south to Guangdong, and southwest to Sichuan), Taiwan and Japan. Apart from Trident maple it is popularly known as Taiwan Trident Maple and three-toothed maple. Genus name is the Latin name for a maple tree. Species name honors Heinrich Buerger, 19th century German botanist. Plant Description Trident maple is a small to medium-sized, spreading deciduous tree that normally grows about 5–20 m tall with a trunk up to 50 cm…
Acer negundo, commonly known as box elder, boxelder maple, Manitoba maple or ash-leaved maple, is a species of maple belonging to Aceraceae (Maple family). The plant is native to large parts of North America, from southern Canada through to Guatemala, including large parts of the USA and some parts of Mexico. Six distinct varieties and/or sub-species of box elder (Acer negundo) have been identified in the wild in North America. It has been introduced to and naturalized throughout much of the world, including in South America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, much of Europe, and parts of Asia. Some of…
Lepisanthes fruticosa commonly known as Luna Nut is an erect shrub or small tree belonging to Sapindaceae family. The plant is native to Southeast Asia: Myanmar, Indo-China, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia – Kalimantan, Sumatra, and Java to the Moluccas. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of wood. It is occasionally cultivated in the garden as an ornamental and food plant in Southeast Asia. Plant Description Luna nut is an erect shrub or small tree that normally grows from 1.5 – 10 meters tall, but exceptionally to 15 meters. The bole…
Einkorn wheat scientifically known as Triticum monococcum L. is a primary wild relative of cultivated Bread Wheat, Durum Wheat, Emmer Wheat, Spelt, and Sanduri wheat belonging to Poaceae / Gramineae (Grass family). The plant is native to Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia), western Asia (Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey), eastern (Krym in Ukraine) and southeastern Europe (Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro and Serbia). The wild and domesticated forms are either considered separate species, as here, or as subspecies: Triticum monococcum subsp. boeoticum (wild) and T. monococcum subsp. monococcum (domesticated). Einkorn, Einkorn wheat, Hulled wheat, small spelt and one-grained wheat…
Limnocharis flava commonly known as yellow velvetleaf, sawah flower rush or sawah lettuce is a species of aquatic flowering plant belonging to Limnocharitaceae (Water-poppy family). The plant is native to Mexico, the Caribbean (i.e. Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Grenada and Haiti), Central America (i.e. Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama) and tropical South America (Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, northern Argentina and Paraguay). It is widely naturalized in southern and southeastern Asia: India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and southern China (Guangdong, Yunnan). Few of the popular common names of the plants are yellow sawah lettuce,…
Sinusitis is one of the most common healthcare complaints in the United States. It is actually an infection or inflammation of the sinuses, the air-filled pockets in the bones of the face. Of all the human body’s mysterious components, the sinuses are among the most puzzling. Some scientists believe that the sinuses function mainly as mucus factories for the nose and throat. Others say these hollow chambers help warm the air we breathe, still others that they exist merely to lighten the skull. All humans have four pairs of sinuses (below, right), which connect to the nasal passages through a…
Jade plant scientifically referred to as Crassula Ovata, though previously known as Crassula argentea, belongs to the genus Crassula and the Crassulaceae (Stonecrop family). The plant is native to KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa, and Mozambique. It is found in scattered localities in northern and central Natal and near Queenstown in the eastern Cape and is fairly common in the Eastern Cape from Willow-more to East London and northwards to Queens-town, also in KwaZulu-Natal and Mozambique from Manhoca to Maputo, and is widely seen outdoors in other warm areas, such as California and Mediterranean. Succulent Jade plant…
Coral berry scientifically known as Ardisia crenata is a species of flowering plant in the primrose family, Primulaceae. The plant is native to Asia temperate – Japan (Honshu (south), Kyushu, Ryukyu Islands, and Shikoku); South Korea; Taiwan, China (Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, SW Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang) to Bhutan and Asia tropical, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar; Thailand; Vietnam, Malaysia and Philippines. This invasive species was introduced to the United States in the early twentieth century as an ornamental species. It was observed to have escaped cultivation in 1982. The plant is known by a variety of…
Setaria palmifolia commonly known as Palm Grass is an elegant broad-leaved tropical grass belonging to Poaceae / Gramineae (Grass family). The plant is native to China, southern Japan, Taiwan, the Indian Sub-continent (i.e. India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) and south-eastern Asia (i.e. Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines). It has been widely introduced to Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands and South and Central America. Some of the popular common names of the plant are African palm grass, bristle grass, bristlegrass, broad leaved bristlegrass, broadleaved bristlegrass, Buddha grass, highland pitpit, highlands pitpit, Indian palm grass, knotroot,…
Lavandula stoechas commonly known as Spanish lavender or French lavender is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae. The plant is native to northwestern Africa (i.e. Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia), the Madeira Islands, the Canary Islands, southern Europe (i.e. Greece, Italy, France, Portugal and Spain) and Western Asia (i.e. Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey). It has been introduced throughout Europe and to temperate/sub temperate areas in the Americas, Asia and Australia. It is an extensively used shrub in Unani medicines, Ayurveda and Siddha for brain problems like brain weakness, chronic headache, migraine, cold and flu. That’s why…
Tridax procumbens commonly known as Coat Button is a prostrate herbaceous plant, from the Asteraceae / Compositae, the sunflower family. The plant is native to Mexico, Central America (i.e. Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua) and tropical South America (i.e. Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru) but it has been introduced to tropical, subtropical, and mild temperate regions worldwide. It is listed as a noxious weed in the United States and has pest status in nine states. Since ancient times, this species has been used in Ayurveda in India. Coat buttons, coatbuttons, Mexican daisy, tridax, tridax daisy, wild…
African peach scientifically known as Nauclea latifolia smith is a multi-stemmed shrub or small tree belonging to Rubiaceae family. The plant is native to tropical Africa and Asia. It is widely distributed throughout the forest and tropical forests of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana and Nigeria. It is commonly found in Senegal, Cameroon, Nigeria, and as far as Sudan, tropical and Southern Africa. In Nigeria, it is found in areas like Kontagora, Abuja, Shaki, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Enugu, Abakaliki and other parts of the country. Few of the popular common names of the plant are…
Pinus roxburghii Sarg, commonly known as chir pine or longleaf Indian pine is a species of pine, belonging to Pinaceae family. The plant is native from Tibet and Afghanistan through Pakistan, across northern India in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh), Nepal and Bhutan, to Myanmar. The tree is mostly planted in the garden for ornamental purpose. Few of the popular common names of the plant includes Himalayan longleaf pine, Himalayan long needle pine, Indian chir pine, chir, chil, Indian long-leaf pine, Imodi pine, Cir pine, Himalaya long-leaved pine, Long-leaved Indian pine, Roxburgh’s pine, pine and…
Gynura procumbens also known as Longevity spinach or Longevity spinach is a light green, semi-succulent vining plant which belongs to the Asterales order and Asteraceae family. It is a medicinal herb originating in India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Africa, its natural range extending from the Himalayan foothills to southern China and the Philippines. Longevity Spinach, Sambung Nyawa, Longevity Greens, Akar sebiak, Akar, Bau dat, Daun dewa, Ebure, Gipoi, Kacham akar, Kelemai merah, Kim that, Phti angkam, Rau hung lui, Sambung nyawa, Mollucan Spinach, Leaves of the Gods, Bai Bing Ca, Sambung, Scrambling gynura and Velvet plant are few of…
Prunus maritima commonly known as beach plum is a deciduous shrub belonging to the Rosaceae (rose family) which includes about 2000 species of trees, shrubs, and herbs worldwide. The plant is native to Mid-Atlantic coastal region occurring as far north as the Canadian Maritime Provinces and south to northern Virginia. Although sometimes listed as extending to New Brunswick, the species is not known from collections there, and does not appear in the most authoritative works on the flora of that Canadian province. Few of the popular common names of the plant are Beach plum, seaside plum, sand plum, Graves’ plum,…
Carya ovata, commonly known as shagbark hickory or shellbark hickory, is a common hickory belonging to Juglandaceae (Walnut family) in the Eastern United States and southeast Canada. The plant is native to eastern North America but is largely absent from the southeastern and Gulf coastal plains and the lower Mississippi Delta. It is found from southeastern Nebraska and southeastern Minnesota eastward through southern Ontario and Quebec to Maine and extends southward to Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and eastern Texas. Disjunct populations have been reported in the mountains of northeastern Mexico. Few of the popular common names of the plant are…
Korean pine or Korean Pinenut scientifically known as Pinus koraiensis is a species of pine belonging to Pinaceae (Pine family). It is a member of the white pine group. Pinus koraiensis plant produces pine nuts which is good for health. Many trees produce pine nuts but this one is the crucial one. The pine is native to eastern Asia: Manchuria (Ussuri River basin) in northeast China, Mongolia, Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai in the far east of Russia, Korea and Japan -Honshu southward from Tochigi Prefecture and northward from Gifu Prefecture, and Shikoku. In the north of its range, it…
Careya arborea commonly known as Kumbhi Tree is a species of tree belonging to Lecythidaceae family. The plant is native to the Indian subcontinent, Afghanistan, and Indochina. It is extensively distributed in Sri Lanka, India, Peninsula and Malay up to an altitude of 1500 meters. Some of the popular common names of the plant include Kumbi, Slow match tree, Wild guava, Patana oak, ceylon oak and tummy wood. It is known as Kumbhi in Hindi. The name kumbhi seems to have originated from the Sanskrit word “kumbh” which means a water pot. As the top of this fruit has an…
Pourouma cecropiifolia commonly known as Amazon grape or Amazon tree-grape is a species of Pourouma and belongs to family Urticaceae. The plant is native to tropical South America, in the western Amazon basin in tropical South America, northern Bolivia, western Brazil, southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru and southern Venezuela. It is the best known of the twenty species of the genus Purouma. It is especially abundant in the vicinity of Iquitos. It has been cultivated since pre-Hispanic times by the Indians of south-western Colombia and is grown by Indians and non-Indians in Brazil. The tree grows on high dry…
Brazil cherry or Grumichama scientifically known as Eugenia brasiliensis is a handsome fruit tree belonging to Myrtaceae (Myrtle family). The plant is native to Brazil; it is found wild in eastern and coastal southern Brazil, mostly in the states of Parana and Santa Catarina. The crop is cultivated in Brazil and Paraguay. The plant has been introduced into Australia, Florida, California, Hawaii, Honduras, Cuba, Angola and East Malaysia (Sabah). Some of the well-known common names of the plant include Brazilian Cherry, Grumichama, Red-Fleshed Grumichama, Spanish Cherry, Brazilian Plum, Grumixameira, Grumixama, Cumbixaba, Grumixaba, Ibaporoti, Oula and Sinaili. The species name brasiliensis…
Alpinia officinarum, commonly known as lesser galangal in English and Petit galanga or Galanga officinal in French is an herbaceous, perennial plant belonging to the Zingiberaceae botanical family. The plant is native to China, growing mainly on the southeastern coast, including Hainan, Guangdong and Guangxi, and is also grown in Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is also cultivated in the plains of West Bengal, Assam and Eastern Himalayas in Indi. Hong Kong is the commercial center for the sale and distribution of the lesser galangal. Its rhizomes have been used as spices in Europe for over 1000 years. Some of…
Alpinia malaccensis scientifically known as Malacca Ginger is a robust herb belonging to Zingiberaceae family. The plant is mostly cultivated for ornamental and medicinal purposes. The plant is native to Northeast India to Indochina, Assam, Myanmar, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia to China—Xizang and Yunnan. It is cultivated in India, Java and Southern Java. Oil is obtained from dried rhizome. It has numerous medicinal properties. The plant is used medicinally, as a food and also supplies an essential oil. Some of the popular common names of the plant include Malacca Ginger, Malacca Galangal, Rieng Malacca and Ornamental Ginger. Alpinia malaccensis is…
China grass or Ramie scientifically known as Boehmeria nivea is a flowering plant belonging to the nettle family Urticaceae. The plant is native to thickets, forest margins and roadsides, often in rocky places, in southern China to the Himalayas of Bhutan, Sikkim and Nepal, but is now cultivated in a number of tropical to subtropical climates around the world, including parts of the southeastern U.S. and California. Despite its strength, however, it has had limited acceptance for textile use in the U.S. In tropical Africa small-scale cultivation has taken place in Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, DR Congo, Kenya,…
Ophiopogon japonicus commonly known as Ophiopogon, dwarf lilyturf or monkeygrass is an evergreen, perennial plant of the Liliaceae (Lily family). The plant is native to East Asia – China (Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Zhejiang), India, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines – Luzon (Benguet Province) and Mindanao (Mt. Apo). Apart from Ophiopogon it is also known as Dragon’s Beard, Dwarf Lily turf, Fountain Plant, Mondo Grass, Japanese Lily Turf, Japanese Snake’s Beard, Liriopogon, Monkey Grass, Snake’s Beard, Dwarf mondo grass, Black dragon grass, Dragon’s beard grass, Mai…
Liriope muscari commonly known as Lily turf is a species of flowering plant belonging to Asparagaceae (asparagus) family. The plant is native to Vietnam, Taiwan, China, Japan, and Korea. It is invasive to North America and considered a threat to native wildlife. Common names in English include big blue lilyturf, Lilyturf, Border Grass, Blue Lilyturf, Liriope, monkey grass, Spider Grass and Border grass. It is a rather well known perennial plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world. Common name of lily turf recognizes the plant’s turf-like growing habit. It is not a grass and was previously place in the lily…