Caesalpinia sappan commonly known as Sappanwood is a small thorny tree belonging to Fabaceae / Leguminosae (Pea family). The plant is native to central and southern India through Burma, Thailand, Maldives, Myanmar, Thailand, Indo-China and southern China to Peninsular Malaysia. It is cultivated and naturalized in many parts of Malesia (Indonesia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea) and also in India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Solomon Islands, and Hawaii. Some of the popular common names in English include Brazil wood, False sandalwood, Indian brazil wood, Indian redwood, Sappan tree, Sappan wood, Sappan wood tree, Csalpinie sappan, Gango, Indisches Rotholz, bakam, pattangi,…
Author: Sylvia
Nandina domestica commonly known as nandina, heavenly bamboo or sacred bamboo, is a species of flowering plant in the Berberidaceae (Barberry family). It is the only member of the monotypic genus Nandina Thunb. (Nandina). It is extensively grown in gardens as an ornamental plant since it has a number of cultivars that show bright-red fall foliage in the cool months with attractive new foliage growth in spring. The plant is native to Eastern Asia, occurring in India, Japan, and China. Occasionally it naturalized in some parts of central and northern New South Wales and sparingly naturalized in south-eastern Queensland. It…
Zanthoxylum piperitum, popularly known as Japanese pepper or Korean pepper in English, sanshō in Japanese and chopi in Korean, is an aromatic spiny shrub, belonging to the Rutaceae (citrus and rue) family. The plant is native from Hokkaido to Kyushu in Japan, southern parts of the Korean peninsula, and Chinese mainland and also in other countries such as Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan. Some of the well-known popular common names of the plant includes Japan Pepper, Poivrier De Sichuan, Clavalier, Fagara, Sansho, Poivrier Du Japon, Szetchwan pepper, Anise pepper, Spice pepper, Sichuan pepper, Chinese pepper, Japanese pepper, (Japanese) prickly ash, Indonesian…
White Rain Lily scientifically known as Zephyranthes Candida is a perennial herb belonging to Liliaceae (Lily family). The plant is a species of rain lily native to South America including Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil. The species is extensively cultivated as an ornamental and reportedly naturalized in many places (South Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Zimbabwe, Seychelles, central and southern China, Korea, Nansei-shoto (Ryukyu Islands), Bhutan, Solomon Islands, Queensland, Nauru, Tonga, Society Islands, Mariana Islands, southeastern United States (from Texas to North Carolina), the Lesser Antilles, and Peru). Some of the popular common names of the plant are autumn zephyrlily, white…
Cockspur grass scientifically known as Echinochloa crus-galli is a type of wild grass belonging to Poaceae / Gramineae (Grass family). The plant is native to Africa (Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Guinea, Senegal, Madagascar and Mauritius); Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal; Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines). It is commonly known as barnyard grass, barnyard millet, barn grass, billion dollar grass, chicken panic grass, cocksfoot panicum, cockspur, cockspur grass, German grass, Japanese millet, Japanese barnyard millet, panic grass, water…
Oxydendrum arboreum, commonly called sourwood or sorrel tree, is a deciduous understory tree belonging to Ericaceae (Heath family). The plant is native to southwest Pennsylvania to southern Ohio, and southern Indiana, south to southeastern Louisiana and the coastal region of Mississippi, Alabama, and northwest Florida; west to western Kentucky and Tennessee, and to the Delta in Mississippi; and east to the Atlantic coast from southern Virginia to central North Carolina, and to the edge of the Coastal Plain in South Carolina and Georgia. It is perhaps most commonly found on rocky wooded slopes in the Appalachian Mountains, often growing in…
Rhododendron arboreum, commonly known as tree rhododendron is an evergreen shrub or small tree belonging to Ericaceae with a showy display of bright red flowers. The plant is native to Himalayas from Kashmir eastwards to Nagaland and widely grows in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Thailand. Rhododendron arboreum is the national flower of Nepal. In India it is the state tree of Uttarakhand and the state flower of Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland. Rhododendron is derived from Greek word: “rhodo” means “rose” and “Dendron” means “tree.” Its name means “tending to be woody or growing in a…
Poinsettia scientifically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima is a commercially important plant species of the diverse spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). The plant is native to Mexico and Central America, but it can be found in subtropical areas around the world today. The poinsettia was first described by Europeans in 1834. It is particularly well known for its red and green foliage and is widely used in Christmas floral displays. Genus name probably honors Euphorbus, physician to the King of Mauretania. Specific epithet pulcherrima means very beautiful. The plant derives its common English name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Minister…
Aralia elata, commonly known as Japanese angelica tree, Chinese angelica-tree, or Korean angelica-tree, is an upright deciduous plant belonging to the Araliaceae (Ginseng family). It is known as tara-no-ki (タラノキ; 楤木) in Japanese, and dureup-namu (두릅나무) in Korean. The plant is native to eastern Russia, China, Korea, Japan and northern Asia. Some of the popular common names of the plant include Japanese angelica-tree, Japanese aralia, Dureumnamu, Dureupnamu, Turup, Turupnamu, Hercules-club, Chinese angelica-tree, Korean angelica-tree and Oni’s Walking Stick. Genus name comes from the Latinization of the old French-Canadian name of aralie. Specific epithet comes from the Latin word meaning elevated.…
Cardinal flower, botanically known as lobelia cardinalis, is an herbaceous, flowering plant that is a member of the bellflower family (campanulaceae). This species is called the Cardinal Flower, because the bright red flowers are similar in color to the garments worn by cardinals in the Catholic Church. The plant is native to Americas, from southeastern Canada south through the eastern and southwestern United States, Mexico and Central America to northern Colombia. Few of the popular common names of the plant include Cardinal-flower, Cardinal Lobelia, Red Lobelia, Indian Pink, Slinkweed and Scarlet lobelia. The genus name Lobelia honors Matthias de l’Obel…
Ageratum houstonianum, commonly known as bluemink, flossflower, blueweed, pussy foot or Mexican paintbrush, is a cool-season annual plant belonging to Asteraceae / Compositae (Aster family) often grown as bedding in gardens. The plant is native to Southeastern Mexico and Central America. It was brought to Europe shortly after its discovery. The species is reported as invasive in China, Taiwan, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, USA (Hawaii), Cuba, Peru, Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia and New Zealand. Few of the well-known common names of the plant includes ageratum, billy goat crofton, billy goat weed, blue billy goat weed, blue top, bluemink, blue top,…
Agapanthus africanus, or the African lily, is a flowering plant from the genus Agapanthus and Liliaceae (Lily family) found only on rocky sandstone slopes of the winter rainfall fynbos from the Cape Peninsula to Swellendam. The plant is native to South Africa and from that point; it started propagating to the other parts of the world including Europe, Asia and America. It is also known as the lily-of-the-Nile in spite of only occurring in South Africa. Its popular common names includes African-lily, Blue agapanthus, Blue-lily, Lily of the Nile, Cape agapanthus, African agapanthus, African blue lily, agapanthe d’Afrique, ail d’Afrique,…
Jasminum nudiflorum popularly known as winter jasmine or bare-flowered jasmine is a slender, deciduous shrub belonging to the olive family (Oleaceae). The plant is native to China. It is found within many Provinces of China, (including Guangxi (Gansu), Shanxi, Sichuan, Xizang (also referred to as Tibet) and Yunnan. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental and is reportedly naturalized in France and in scattered locations in the United States (Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Tennessee, Maryland and New Jersey). The Chinese nickname “Yingchunhua”, in English “Welcome Spring Blossom”, describes the winter jasmine succinctly, as it is one of the plants that give…
Scorzonera hispanica, black salsify or Spanish salsify, also known as black oyster plant, serpent root, viper’s herb, viper’s grass or simply scorzonera, is a perennial member of the genus Scorzonera in the sunflower family (Asteraceae). The plant is cultivated as a root vegetable in the same way as purple salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius), also in the sunflower family. The plant is native to central and southern Europe, North Africa, and Asia, and it has been introduced to North America. They are relatives of the dandelion, and were considered until the sixteenth century to be a wild-growing medicinal plant. By the seventeenth…
Red ginger scientifically known as Alpinia purpurata is one of the families of ginger, but has different characteristics with other ginger. Red ginger belongs to the Zingiberaceae (Ginger family) and it is closely related to turmeric, cardamom, and galangal. The plant is native to Hawaii, Trinidad, Grenada, St. Lucia, Panama, Dominica, St. Vincent, Martinique, Jamaica, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Suriname, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Yap, British Solomon Islands Protectorate, and Bismark Archipelago, Bougainville and many Central American nations, including Belize. It is widely cultivated in the tropics and subtropics. Alpinia purpurata goes by a few common names, including Red Ginger, Ostrich…
Crinum asiaticum, commonly known as poison bulb, giant crinum lily or spider lily, is a plant species widely planted in many warmer regions as an ornamental plant. It is a tender perennial bulb in the Liliaceae (Lily family). The plant is native to Indian Ocean islands, East Asia, tropical Asia, Australia and Pacific islands. It is regarded as naturalized in Mexico, the West Indies, Florida, Louisiana, numerous Pacific islands, Madagascar and the Chagos Archipelago. The plant is known as Grand Crinum Lily, Poison Bulb, Spider Lily, Seashore Lily, Bakung, Crinum Lily, Asiatic Poison Lily, Seashore Crinum, Bawang Hutan, Giant Crinum,…
Cuphea hyssopifolia, the false heather, Mexican heather or elfin herb, is a small tropical evergreen sub-shrub belonging to Lythraceae (Loosestrife family). The plant is native to Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. It has naturalized to Hawaii and is considered weedy there. Apart from false heather it is also known as Hawaiian Heather, Elfin Herb, Elfin Plant, Cuphea, Clammy Cuphea, Corail, Tarweed, Mexican Heather, Heather and Elfin bush. Genus name ‘Cuphea’ comes from the Greek word kyphos meaning curved or humped in probable reference to the shape of its seed capsules. The species epithet ‘hyssopifolia’ refers to the shape of the leaves…
Yew Or Common Yew scientifically known as Taxus baccata is a species of evergreen tree in the Taxaceae (Yew family). The plant is native to western, central and southern Europe (including the British Isles), northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may now be known as common yew, English yew, Irish Yew or European yew. It is primarily grown as an ornamental. Most parts of the plant are poisonous, and consumption of the foliage can result in death. Genus name is an old Latin…
Magnolia champaca, known in English as champak, is a large evergreen tree in the family Magnoliaceae. It was previously classified as Michelia champaca. The plant is native to temperate Himalayan region and is distributed throughout the subtropical and tropical countries such as India, South China, Indonesia, Maldives, Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sumatra and in India, it is highly dispersed in Eastern Himalayan tract and lower hills up to 3000 ft., Assam, Myanmar, Western Ghats, South India and Bangladesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar. Apart from Champak it is also known as Champac, Michelia, Joy Perfume Tree, Champak…
Buddleja davidii (spelling variant Buddleia davidii), also called summer lilac, butterfly-bush, or orange eye, is a species of flowering plant in the Buddlejaceae (Butterfly-bush family). The plant is native to eastern Asia (i.e. western and central China) and has been introduced as an ornamental world-wide, first to Europe (1890s) and then later to the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, and some parts of Africa because of its fragrant and colorful flowers. It is widely used as an ornamental plant, and many named varieties are in cultivation. The full potential of this species has yet to be realized; however, it is already…
Bignonia capreolata popularly known as Crossvine and occasionally trumpet flower is a beautiful semi-evergreen, climbing, woody, vine in the genus Bignonia which consists of about 28 and 95 species and belongs to the family of the Bignoniaceae (Trumpet-creeper Family). The common name, crossvine, is derived from the shape of the pith in the vine’s stem when viewed in cross-section. The genus name Bignonia was named by the French botanist, Joseph Pitton de Tournefort to honor his friend Abbe’ Jean-Paul Bignon. The species epithet capreolata comes from the Latin word meaning tendrils. The plant is native throughout United States in the…
Paulownia tomentosa, common names princess tree, empress tree, or foxglove-tree, is a deciduous hardwood tree in the Scrophulariaceae (Figwort family). The plant is native to China, and is widely distributed in central and northern regions, especially Shaanxi, Shanxi, Gansu, Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Anhui, Hubei, Jiangsu, and the Liaoning peninsula. It also occurs in Japan and South Korea. It is an extremely fast-growing tree with seeds that disperse readily, and is a persistent exotic introduced species in North America, where it has undergone naturalization in large areas of the Eastern US. It has also been introduced to Western and Central Europe,…
Bitter vine scientifically known as Mikania micrantha is a tropical plant in the Asteraceae / Compositae (Aster family). The plant is native to Mexico, Central America (i.e. Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama), the Caribbean (i.e. Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique and St. Lucia) and tropical South America (i.e. French Guiana, Guyana, Surinam, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Argentina). It also naturalized in tropical Asia (e.g. India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Papua New Guinea), the Mascarenes (e.g. Mauritius), Melanesia, Polynesia and Hawaii. Some of the popular…
English ivy scientifically known as Hedera helix also known as European ivy or only ivy is a fast-growing plant of the Araliaceae (Ginseng family). The plant is native to northern Africa (i.e. Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia), the Azores, the Madeira Islands, the Canary Islands, all of Europe and western Asia (i.e. Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Armenia, Georgia and southern Russia). Some of the popular common names of the plant are Ivy, English ivy, Algerian ivy, Baltic Ivy, Common Ivy, needlepoint ivy, ripple ivy, Algerian Ivy, Baltic Ivy, Branching Ivy, California Ivy, Glacier Ivy, Hahn’s Self Branching English Ivy,…
Caryota urens popularly known as Jaggery palm is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae / Palmae (Palm family). The plant is native to Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar, and Malaysia (perhaps elsewhere in the Indo-Malay region) where they grow in fields and rainforest clearings; it is believed to have been introduced into Cambodia. Common names of the plant include solitary fishtail palm, kitul palm, toddy palm, wine palm, sago palm, jaggery palm, fishtail palm, Jaggary palm, Kitul-tree and fishtail wine palm. The specific epithet urens is Latin for ‘stinging’ or ‘burning’, referring to the oxalic acid crystals in the…
Camellia scientifically known as Camellia japonica are flowering small trees or shrubs from the family Theaceae, the tea family. That’s right your iced tea comes from the Camellia plant. The plant is native to Eastern and Southern Asia, most notably China (Shandung), Taiwan, Japan (except Hokkaido), Korea, India and Indonesia, it has become a southern gardening favorite. Japanese Camellia is widely cultivated, especially in south Alabama. It is the state flower of Alabama. Some of the popular common names of the plant are Camellia, Common Camellia, Japanese Camellia, False flax, Gold of pleasure, Kamelia jepang, Mawar musim dingin, Rose of…
Malvaviscus arboreus commonly known as Wax Mallow, Sleeping Hibiscus or Turk’s Cap Mallow is a species of flowering plant in the Mallow family (Malvaceae), having a number of culinary and medicinal properties. The plant is native to Southeastern United States, Texas, Mexico, Central America and South America. It can be found cultivated and naturalized in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, West Indies, the Galapagos Islands, New Zealand, and on several islands in the Pacific Ocean (i.e., Fiji, New Caledonia, Hawaii and Tonga). It has become naturalized in most of Florida and is not considered to be invasive. It is now popular…
Saccharum spontaneum popularly known as wild sugarcane or Kans grass is a grass belonging to Poaceae / Gramineae (Grass family). The plant is native to South Asia (India). Globally, it is distributed throughout the tropical countries of Asia, Africa, and America as well as in tropical Australia. It is often planted in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and Pakistan. It is also cultivated in Java and Kalimantan, New Guinea, Melanesia, New Hebrides and Fiji. Kans grass quickly colonizes exposed silt plains created each year by the retreating monsoon floods, forming almost pure stands on the lowest portions of the floodplain.…
Maclura pomifera commonly known as Osage orange, horse apple or hedge apple tree is a small to medium-sized tree belonging to the Moraceae, or mulberry family. Other cultivated members of this family include the mulberry and fig. The plant is native to river valleys, rich bottomlands and narrow belt in eastern Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, southwestern Arkansas, and the extreme northwest corner of Louisiana, but has been extensively planted in a variety of environments throughout the United States, and has naturalized in many areas, mostly east of the Mississippi River. Some of the popular common names of the plant are hedge,…
Bitter Orange, Hardy orange or Japanese Bitter oranges, botanically classified as Poncirus trifoliata, are small, sour fruits that grow on deciduous, thorn-laden trees that can reach over six meters in height and are members of the Rutaceae family. Whether the species should be considered to belong to its own genus, Poncirus or included in the genus Citrus is discussed. The species is unusual among citrus for having deciduous, compound leaves and pubescent (downy) fruit. The plant is native to North and Central China, Korean Peninsula and Japan. Some of the popular common names of the plants are bitter orange, hardy…