Marsh Cudweed scientifically known as Gnaphalium uliginosum is a woolly annual plant belonging to Asteraceae ⁄ Compositae (Aster family) which also include ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, daisies, and many others. The plant is found chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to Oregon, east across the northern Rocky Mountains and northern Great Plains to eastern North America. Some of the popular common names of the plant include cudweed, Low cudweed, Marsh cudweed, Mouse-ear, Mud cudweed, brown cudweed and wayside cudweed. The species name uliginosum comes from the Latin uligo (liquid, moisture), the name means that it grows on moist…
Author: Sylvia
Geranium robertianum, commonly known as herb-Robert, red robin, storksbill, Robert’s geranium, is a herbaceous plant belonging to the Geraniaceae family. The plant is native to Central Europe, Mediterranean and Asia. It is common in Europe, with the exception of the far north, in temperate parts of Asia, North Africa, the Atlantic area of North America, and temperate parts of South America. Herb-Robert, red robin, death come quickly, storksbill, fox geranium, stinking Bob, squinter-pip, crow’s foot, Roberts geranium, bloodwort, cranesbill, felonwort, St. Robert, St. Robert’s Wort, Dragon’s blood, Beak Stork, Red Grass, Devil’s Fork, Geranion, Pin of the Virgin, Our Lady…
American wintergreen or Teaberry scientifically known as Gaultheria procumbens is a rhizomatous, creeping, groundcover belonging to Ericaceae (Heath family). This family comprises huge number of plants that occur in the Adirondack Mountains, including Common Lowbush Blueberry, Highbush Blueberry, Small Cranberry, Trailing Arbutus, Bog Rosemary, Leatherleaf, Sheep Laurel, Bog Laurel, Indian Pipe, One-sided Wintergreen, Shinleaf, and Labrador Tea. The plant is native to northeastern North America from Newfoundland west to southeastern Manitoba, and south to Alabama. American mountain tea, boxberry, Canada tea, canterberry, checkerberry, chickenberry, creeping wintergreen, deerberry, drunkards, gingerberry, ground berry, ground tea, grouseberry, hillberry, mountain tea, one-berry, procalm, red…
Dactylis glomerata, also known as cock’s-foot, orchard grass, or cat grass (due to its popularity for use with domestic cats) is a common species of grass in the genus Dactylis and Poaceae ⁄ Gramineae (Grass family). It is a cool-season perennial bunchgrass native throughout most of northern Africa (i.e. Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia), Europe (i.e. Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, UK, Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Italy, Romania, Yugoslavia, France, Portugal and Spain), western Asia, Mongolia, Pakistan and northern India. Cocksfoot has been spread as an…
Galium verum popularly known as Lady’s Bedstraw, Yellow Spring bedstraw is a rhizomatous, perennial herb belonging to the Rubiaceae (Madder family) and is closely related to hedge bedstraw and cleavers. The plant is native to most of Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia from Palestine and Israel, Lebanon and Turkey to Japan and Kamchatka. It is naturalized in Tasmania, New Zealand, Canada, and the northern half of the United States where it is typically found in a variety of locations including dry-sandy meadows, rocky outcrops, waste areas, roadsides, banks, dunes and seashores. It is considered a noxious weed in some…
Balsam apple or balsamina scientifically known as Momordica balsamina is a tendril-bearing annual vine belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae. The plant is native to the tropical regions of South Africa, introduced and invasive in Asia, Arabia, India, Australia, and Central America. The balsam apple was introduced into Europe by 1568 and was used medicinally to treat wounds. In 1810, Thomas Jefferson planted this vine in his flower borders at Monticello along with larkspur, poppies, and nutmeg. Balsam apple, Bitter apple, Southern balsampear, African cucumber, balsam pear, balsamina, common balsam apple, bitter melon and cundeamor are some of the well-known common…
Glycyrrhiza lepidota popularly known as American licorice or Wild licorice is a species of Glycyrrhiza a genus in the pea/bean family, Fabaceae. The plant is native to temperate regions of western North America from central Canada south through the United States to California, Texas and Virginia, but absent from the southeastern states. It occurs from Ontario west to British Columbia, south to California, and east to Arkansas. It is also sometimes known in the United States as “wild licorice”, to distinguish it from the related European liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) which is occasionally cultivated. Some of the popular common names of…
Galega officinalis, commonly known as galega, goat’s-rue or professor-weed, is an herbaceous plant in the Fabaceae ⁄ Leguminosae (Pea family). The plant is native to temperate grassland regions of Middle East, but has been naturalized in Europe and western Asia. It has also been found in South America, North Africa, Pakistan, Turkey, and New Zealand. The plant has been extensively cultivated as a forage crop, an ornamental, a bee plant, and as green manure. Goat’s-rue, Professor Weed, Galega, Common goat’s-rue, Common milkpea, French lilac, Italian fitch are some of the popular common names of the plant. G. officinalis is rich…
Common jewelweed or spotted jewelweed scientifically known as Impatiens capensis is an annual plant belonging to Touch-Me-Not family (Balsaminaceae). The plant is native to eastern North America (but considered invasive in the Pacific Northwest). Garden balsam, Jewel balsam weed, Jewel weed, Jewelweed, Touch-me-not, Wild Balsam, Balsam-weed, Impatiens pallida, Pale-touch-me-not, Spotted touch-me-not, Slipperweed, Silverweed, Wild Lady’s Slipper, Speckled Jewels, Wild Celandine and Quick-in-the-hand are some of the well-known common names of the plant. Genus name comes from the Latin word impatiens meaning impatient in reference to the violent seed discharge from the ripe pods. Specific epithet means of the Cape of…
Euphorbia pekinensis also known as Peking spurge is a species of flowering herbaceous plant in genus Euphorbia and Euphorbiaceae family. The plant is native to China, mainly in the eastern and central provinces. The root of Euphorbia pekinensis is used as diuretic, discutient and antibloat drug in traditional Chinese medicine (CTM) and extensively approved in treating different diseases and health problems, such as abdominal dropsy (water belly). Euphorbia pekinensis is popularly known as Da Ji or Peking spurge. Plant Description Peking spurge is an erect annual or flowering herbaceous perennial plant that normally grows up to 0.60 meters tall. The…
Albizia saman occasionally treated under the obsolete name Samanea saman popularly known as Rain Tree is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. The plant is native to Northern South America (Colombia, the Caribbean slope and the Orinoco drainage of Venezuela), and in Central America as far north as El Salvador. It is now widespread from Mexico through Guatemala to Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil to Peru, Hawaii, Florida, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Marianas. In these areas, it occurs in low-elevation dry forests and grassland/savannah habitats. It has been widely introduced to South…
Melia azedarach, popularly known as the chinaberry tree, Pride of India, bead-tree, Cape lilac is a species of deciduous tree in the mahogany family, Meliaceae. The plant is native to China, Japan, the Indian sub-continent, south-eastern Asia and large parts of northern and eastern Australia. Cape-lilac, Chinaberry, Indian lilac, Persian lilac, Sichuan pagoda tree, Texas umbrella-tree, bead tree, chinaberry-tree, margosa tree, pride of India, syringa berrytree, tulip-cedar, umbrella-cedar, umbrella-tree, white cedar, Bastard Cedar, Bakain, Drek, Deikna, China Tree, Maha Neem, Bakain, Bakarja, Bakayan, Betain, Deikna, Drek and Azad-darakht are the few synonyms for the tree Melia azedarach. It is an…
Eupatorium cannabinum, commonly known as hemp-agrimony, or holy rope, is an herbaceous plant belonging to Asteraceae family and the only species of the Eupatorium genus. The plant is native to Africa (Algeria and Morocco), Asia (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russian Federation, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Nepal and China), Europe (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Austria, Belgium, Czech, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, France, Portugal and Spain), Northern America (Canada and USA) Australasia (New Zealand). It is…
Erythronium americanum, commonly called yellow adder’s tongue, yellow trout lily, is a small yellow wildflower belonging to the Lily family (Liliaceae) – a family which also includes Clintonia, Indian Cucumber-root, and Rose Twisted Stalk. The Trout Lily is one of two plants in the Erythronium genus that occur in New York State. The plant is native to Eastern part of the US and Canada, from southern Ontario to Minnesota, south to South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, west to Mississippi and Arkansas. This species is also listed as Threatened in Iowa. Within its range it is a very common and widespread…
Eryngium maritimum, commonly called sea holly, is a coarse, perennial plant that features a summer bloom of steel-blue, thistle-like flower heads on branched stems rising from a rosette of dark green basal leaves. It is in fact a member of the Carrot family (the Umbellifers; Apiaceae), which includes plants such as Cow Parsley and Fennel. The plant is native to coastal sands and gravel in Europe, North Africa and South West Asia. Some of the well-known common names of the plant are Sea Holly, Seaside eryngo, eryngo, sea holme, sea hulver, Eringo and Ringo-roots. Genus name comes from an ancient…
Yerba Santa, also known by its scientific name Eriodictyon californicum, is a flowering shrub within the family Boraginaceae measuring up to eight feet off the ground with white or lavender flowers. The plant is native to hills and mountains of California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, and Northern Mexico and is often cultivated as an ornamental shrub. Similarly it is spread along the Coast and Klamath ranges from Monterey County north to Siskiyou County, California. It occurs in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range from Kern County north to Klamath and Jackson counties, Oregon. The plant is said to produce an unpleasant…
Echium vulgare which is known as viper’s bugloss and blueweed is a species of flowering plant in the borage family of Boraginaceae. The plant is native to Europe (i.e. Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, UK, Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, western Russia, Ukraine, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Romania, Yugoslavia, France, Portugal and Spain), western Asia (i.e. Cyprus, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, southern Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) and western China where it is most commonly found in pastures, fields, disturbed sites, waste places and roadsides. Its reputation among gardeners runs…
Dryopteris filix-mas, commonly known as male fern or bear’s paw are a common fern belonging to Wood Fern family (Dryopteridaceae). The plant is native to temperate Northern Hemisphere, much of Europe, Asia, and North America. It is much less abundant in North America than in Europe. The plant is sometimes referred to in ancient literature as worm fern, reflecting its former use against tapeworm. Some of the popular common names of the plant are Aspidium, Bear’s paw, Knotty brake, Male fern, Marginal fern, Shield fern, Worm fern, Sweet Brake, Dryopteris, Japanese flowering fern rhizome, Male fern rhizome, helecho macho and…
Ammoniacum, or gum ammoniac, is a gum-resin exuded from the stem of the perennial herb Dorema ammoniacum belonging to Apiaceae ⁄ Umbelliferae (Carrot family). The plant is native to Iran, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Sibiria and northern Russia. Some of the popular common names of the plants include Gum ammoniac, Gummi-resina ammoniacum, Ammoniac, Ammoniac-plant and Ammoniakum. Ammoniacum is medicinally similar to asafetida and galbanum (from which, however, it differs in yielding no umbelliferone) both in regard to the plant which yields it and its putative therapeutically affects. Ammoniacum Facts Name Ammoniacum Scientific Name Dorema ammoniacum Native Iran, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Sibiria…
Digitalis lutea, the straw foxglove or small yellow foxglove, is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. The plant is native to western and southern Europe and North West Africa. Straw Foxglove, Small yellow foxglove and yellow foxglove are some of the popular common names of the plant. The etymological root of the binomial name Digitalis is derived from the Latin digitus meaning ‘finger’, referring the shape of the flower. Specific epithet Lutea is from the Latin in reference to the large flowers of this species. It gets its common name from the straw-colored flowers it produces,…
Daphne mezereum, commonly known as mezereum, mezereon is a species of Daphne in the flowering plant family Thymelaeaceae. The plant is native to most of Europe and Western Asia, north to northern Scandinavia and Russia. In southern Europe it is confined to medium to higher elevations and in the subalpine vegetation zone, but descends to near sea level in northern Europe. It is generally limited to soils derived from limestone. Dwarf laurel, February daphne, Flax olive, Mezereon, Paradise plant, Spurge daphne, Spurge laurel, Spurge olive, Tintorell, Daphne, Lady Laurel, Dwarf Bay, garland flower and Spurge daphne are some of the…
Cupressus sempervirens, commonly called Cypress or Italian cypress, is an evergreen coniferous tree characterized by a very variable crown shape, from columnar to spread, dark green foliage and small ovoid brown cones. The plant belongs to Cupressaceae (Cypress family). The plant is native to eastern Mediterranean region, in northeast Libya, southern Albania, southern and coastal Bulgaria, southern coastal Croatia, southern Montenegro, southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, southwestern Macedonia, southern Greece, southern Turkey, Cyprus, northern Egypt, western Syria, Lebanon, Malta, Italy, Palestine, Israel, western Jordan, South Caucasus, and also a disjunct population in Iran. In its native habitat, it typically grows in…
Lily of the Valley scientifically known as Convallaria majalis is a fragrant perennial herb of the genus Convallaria in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae). The plant is native to cool temperate Northern Hemisphere in Asia and Europe. There are several folklores and legends related with the plant. According to Greek legend, Lily of the Valley was given by Apollo, the Sun God, to Aesculapius, the great healer. According to Christian folklore, the flowers of this plant symbolize the tears of Virgin Mother Mary. May lily, Mary’s tears, Lily-of-the-valley, our lady’s tears, little maybells, fairy cups, muguet, lily constancy, ladder-to-heaven, and Jacob’s…
Conium maculatum, the hemlock or poison hemlock, is a highly poisonous plant belonging to the same carrot family (Apiaceae) as carrots, parsnips, fennel, and dill. The plant is native to Europe (i.e. Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, UK, Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Ukraine, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Romania, Yugoslavia, France, Portugal and Spain), northern Africa (i.e. Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Ethiopia), western Asia, China and the Indian Sub-continent (i.e. northern India and northern Pakistan). It is a hardy plant capable of living in a variety of environments; hemlock is widely…
Collinsonia Canadensis, commonly called Stone Root, horsebalm, is a Missouri native plant belonging to Lamiaceae ⁄ Labiatae (Mint family). It is the most broadly distributed member of the genus Collinsonia. The plant is native to eastern North America from Quebec south to Florida and as far west as Missouri, although it is mainly found east of the Mississippi River. Stoneroot, horsebalm, broadleaf collinsonia, hard hack, heal-all, horse weed, knobroot, ox balm, and richweed, Hardback, Hardhack, Knob Grass, Knobweed, Racine de Pierre, Richleaf and Rich Weed are few of the popular common names of the plant. Genus name honors Peter Collinson,…
Scurvygrass scientifically known as Cochlearia officinalis is a flowering plant of the genus Cochlearia in the family Brassicaceae. It is a member of the large brassicaceae family, which includes sea kale, bitter cress, common and greater cuckoo flower, sea radish, mustard and of course all the very familiar cultivated vegetables that go towards “meat and two veg”. The plant is native to Europe and temperate regions of Asia and North America. Common scurvy-grass, Scurvy-grass, Spoonwort, Common scurvy grass, Scurvey grass, scorbute grass and scurvy weed are few of the popular common names of the plant. The plant acquired its common…
Clerodendrum trichotomum [kler-oh-DEN-drum, try-KOH-toh-mum] more commonly known as Chou Wu Tong is a flowering plant species, which is sometimes placed in the family Lamiaceae (the mint family) and sometimes classified as the member of the Verbenaceae family of plants. The plant is native to China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, India and the Philippines. Chou Wu Tong, Harlequin glorybower, Ferruginous clerodendrum, Harlequin Glory Bower, chance tree, Hardy Clerodendrum, Tree-of-Bad-Fortune, Tree-of-Good-Fortune, Japanese clerodendrum and Peanut butter shrub are some of the most common names of the plant. Scent of leaves, when crushed, is similar to the peanut butter smell. So Chou Wu Tong is…
Clematis vitalba also known as old man’s beard and traveller’s joy is a shrub belonging to the Buttercup family of plants (Ranunculaceae). The plant is native to northern Africa (i.e. northern Algeria), Europe (i.e. France, Portugal, Spain, UK, Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, southern Russia, Ukraine, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Romania and Yugoslavia) and western Asia (i.e. Afghanistan, Cyprus, northern Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia). The plant probably comes from Europe and has been used since ancient medicinal purpose. Pliny and Dioscorides make mention of the clematis, although there is some controversy…
Quercus infectoria, popularly known as Manjakani or Oak Gall is a species of oak, bearing galls that have been traditionally used for centuries in Asia medicinally. It belongs to Genus Quercus, and Fagaceae (Beech family). There are nearly four-hundred fifty plant species belonging to Genus Quercus which are scattered all across the globe. The plant is native to southern Europe (Greece and the East Aegean Islands) and the Middle East (Turkey, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Israel). It also grows in South and Southwestern Asia. Manjakani is the name used in Malaysia for the galls; these have been used…
Erysimum cheiri syn. Cheiranthus cheiri, popularly known as wallflower is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae (Cruciferae). The plant is native to Europe, especially Mediterranean region and is extensively cultivated around the world. It is mostly grown as a garden plant. It is a common medicinal plant in Persian medicine (PM) while, it is not popular in modern medicine. Wallflower, Aegean wallflower, Common Wallflower, gele muurbloem, Handflower, Perennial Wallflower, Blister Cress, Hedge Mustard and Cheir’s wallflower are some of the well-known names of the plant. The genus name comes from the Greek word “Eryo”, which means…