Iceland moss is not a moss, but lichen, a symbiotic association between algae and fungus, and grows profusely in Iceland, hence the name. Although it is not a vascular plant, the structure of Iceland moss can be mistaken for stems and leaves, which makes it look like a moss; the likeness in appearance may have been the reason for its name. The plant belongs to Parmeliaceae family of plants and is abundant throughout the Arctic and mountainous regions of the northern countries. It is found in the mountains of North Wales, North England, Scotland and South-west Ireland. In North America,…
Author: Sylvia
Celtis laevigata, commonly called sugarberry, sugar hackberry or southern hackberry, is basically a southern version of common or northern hackberry belonging to Ulmaceae (Elm family). The plant is native to southeastern part of the United States, ranging south from southeastern Virginia to southern Florida; west to central Texas and including northeastern Mexico; north to western Oklahoma and southern Kansas; and east to Missouri, extreme southern Illinois, and Indiana. It occurs locally in Maryland. Sugarberry is simply confused with Common Hackberry, (Celtis occidentalis) where the range overlaps. Sugarberry has narrower leaves which are smoother above. The species can also be distinguished…
Khat, (Catha edulis), also spelled qat or chat, also called miraa, is a flowering plant belonging to the family Celastraceae. The plant is native to the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It has been cultivated and used for centuries in Yemen, Somalia, Madagascar, Kenya and Ethiopia and is grown and used to a lesser extent in Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Zaire, Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Swaziland and South Africa. Few of the popular common names of the plant are Abyssinian tea, Chaat, Chat, Gat, Gomba, Jaad, Jimma, Kaht, Kat, Khat, Kijiti, Kus es Salahin, Miraa, Qaad, Qat, Qaat,…
Vaccinium arboretum commonly known as Farkleberry is a large, much-branched tree belonging to Ericaceae (Heath family). Historically Farkleberries cousins include blueberry, bilberry, huckleberries and more distantly cranberries. Other medicinal plants in this family include uva ursi and madrone. All of these plants tend to have astringency. The plant is native to central Florida westward to central Oklahoma, southeastern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, and the Edwards Plateau of Texas. It extends northward to southern Illinois, southern Indiana, and Virginia. Farkleberry, Sparkleberry, Winter huckleberry, Tree sparkleberry, Tree-huckleberry, tree whortleberry, winter whortleberry and Missouri farkleberry are few of the well-known common names of the…
Canella scientifically known as Canella winterana is an attractive, small to medium-sized tree belonging to Canellaceae (Canella family). The plant is native to Caribbean from the Florida Keys to Barbados. Its bark is used as a spice similar to cinnamon, giving rise to the common names Cinnamon Bark, Wild Cinnamon, White Cinnamon, Barbasco, Canella, Pepper Cinnamon, Cillament Bush, Bastard Cinnamon, Bahama White Wood, White Wood Bark, Pepper Cinnamon, Caneel and Winter Cinnamon. This small tree takes its name from the spicy fragrance of its crushed leaves. The bark, fruits and leaves are used in herbal medicine. It is a handsome…
Cananga odorata Hook. F. & Thomson, which is commonly called ylang-ylang, is a fast growing tree belonging to Annonaceae (Custard-apple family). The plant is found natively in tropical Asia such as Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and some other islands of Indian Ocean, mainly the Comoro, Nossi Be, and Madagascar islands. This plant has been well-known for its fragrant flower and has been introduced to China, India, Africa, and America for a variety of commercial purposes, including as an ornamental, a source of timber and for its fragrant perfume oils. Its use as perfume oil has considered it an important agroforestry species.…
Calluna vulgaris, commonly called Scotch heather, heather or ling is a small, variably-sized, evergreen shrub belonging to Ericaceae (Heath family). The plant is native mostly to Europe (Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Belarus, Moldova, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Romania, Yugoslavia, France, Portugal, Spain, Asia- Temperate (Turkey, Altay, Eastern Siberia, Western Siberia), Africa (Morocco, Azores, Madeira Islands). Biercol, Heather, Ling, Red-heath, Scotch heather, Scots heather, Sand heather, Woolly hudsonia, False heather, Woolly beach heather are some of the popular common names of the plant. The genus name Calluna is derived…
Ice cream bean scientifically known as Inga edulis is sweet cotton like fruit that tastes like ice cream. It is one of about 250 species of Inga of the Mimosoideae subfamily of the Leguminosae. The plant is native to central and south America (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Surinam and Venezuela). Ice Cream Bean is also popularly known as Guaba, Inga cipo, Guamo bejuro, Pois sucre, Rabo de mico, Inga de metro, Monkey tail, Monkey Tamarind joaquinquil and cuaniquil guama. It grows in the Inga edulis tree and is extensively used by the indigenous Amazonians for timber,…
Catalpa bignonioides, commonly known as Indian bean tree or Southern catalpa, is a medium-sized, deciduous tree belonging to the Catalpa or Trumpet-Creeper family (Bignoniaceae). This family consists of more than 700 species distributed around the globe, mostly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. The tree is native to the southeastern United States in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Some of the popular common names of the plant are hardy catalpa, western catalpa, Catawba, Catawba tree, cigar tree, Indian bean tree, Indian cigar, Shawnee wood, early-flowering catalpa, Catalpa, Southern Catalpa, American Catalpa, Bean Tree, Caterpillar Tree, Eastern Catalpa, Fish Bait Tree,…
Banisteriopsis Caapi also known as ayahuasca is a South American liana belonging to the Malpighiaceae family, entirely used in making ayahuasca, along with the leaves of the Psychotria Viridis plant. Ayahuasca is actually a hallucinogenic brew, famous in South America. It is known as “the vine of the soul,” which means the spirit is free from all the impurities. The plant is native to jungle of Amazon basins and Orinoco river basins. It is cultivated by indigenous peoples, but the wild herb is preferred for medicinal use. According to The CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names by Umberto Quattrocchi, the…
Mayweed or Stinking Chamomile scientifically known as Anthemis cotula is a flowering annual plant belonging to Asteraceae ⁄ Compositae (Aster family) with a noticeable and strong odor. The odor is often considered unpleasant, and it is from this that it gains the common epithet “stinking”. Stinking Chamomile is so-named for its resemblance to the true chamomile plant, Anthemis nobilis. The plant is native to Europe, Turkey, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Caucasus, Iran, Iraq, North Africa, Ethiopia, South America, Australia and New Zealand. Chamomile, Dog Fennel, Foetid Chamomile, Mayweed, Mayweed Chamomile, Stinking Chamomile, Stinking Mayweed, Stinkweed, Wild Chamomile, Mather, Dog-Finkle, Dog-Daisy,…
Isatis tinctoria, also called woad, dyer’s woad, or glastum, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae⁄ Cruciferae (Mustard family). It is occasionally known as Asp of Jerusalem. Woad is actually the name of a blue dye which is produced from the leaves of the plant. Woad is native to the steppe and desert zones of the Caucasus, Central Asia to Eastern Siberia and Western Asia but is now also found in South-Eastern and Central Europe and western North America. In medieval times there were important woad-growing regions in England, Germany and France. Towns such as Toulouse became prosperous from…
Anemarrhena (Zhi Mu) scientifically known as Anemarrhena asphodeloides is an evergreen perennial plant species in family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. It is the only species in the genus, and some authors have placed it in its own family, Anemarrhenaceae. The plant is native to Japan, Korea, Mongolia and China. It is cultivated in the northern and northeastern provinces. It is also popularly known as common anemarrhena and Zhi mu. It is a commonly used medicinal herb in China, with a history that stretches back more than 2,000 years. The plant is collected from the wild and also cultivated for medicinal use.…
Anamirta cocculus commonly known as Cocculus, Levant nut or fish berry, are a Southeast Asian and Indian climbing plant of the family Menispermaceae and the only species of the genus Anamirta. The plant is native to Southeast Asia from India, Sri Lanka, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Thailand, Indo-China, through Sumatra, Java, Lesser Sunda Islands, the Moluccas, to the Philippines and New Guinea. Its fruit is the source of picrotoxin, a poisonous compound with stimulant properties. The name “fish berry” comes from the use of the dried fruit as a method of fishing, in which the fish is “stupified and captured”;…
Scarlet pimpernel, commonly known as blue-scarlet pimpernel, red pimpernel, red chickweed, poorman’s barometer, is a low-growing prostrate annual plant belonging to primrose family Primulaceae. It does not compete well so it favors places where the soil is almost free of other plants. The plant is native to Europe, Western Asia and North Africa and now naturalized almost worldwide, with a range that includes the Americas, Central and East Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, Malesia, the Pacific Islands, Australasia and Southern Africa. According to some European herbalists the red-flowered form is especially good for men, while the blue-flowered plants are more suited…
Cornus mas, the Cornelian cherry or Cornelian cherry dogwood, is a species of flowering plant in the dogwood family Cornaceae. There are nearly 50 species of cornelian cherry in the world. Apart from the cornelian cherry, the most popular include: alternate-leaved dogwood, flowering dogwood, kousa dogwood, wedding cake tree and Japanese cornelian cherry. The plant is native to south western regions of Asia and southern Europe. In Asia, it is found growing in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, Israel, Georgia, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey. Common dogwood, Cornelian cherry, Male dogwood, Cornejo macho, Sorbet, Cornelian Cherry Dogwood, dogwood, European cornel and Cornel cherry…
Anacyclus pyrethrum, Indian trade name Akarkara is a small perennial plant belonging to Asteraceae family. The plant is native to Arabia, mainly distributed in North Africa, Mediterranean region, Himalayas, Spain and in India it is found along the Himalaya, Jammu and Kashmir, Bengal and in Northern parts. Akarkara is described an aphrodisiac drug and has multiple uses in Ayurveda and Unani medicine. Kenya is the leading producer of pyrethrum extract along with Rwanda, Tanzania and Australia. It is a perennial herb much like chamomile in habitat and appearance. It is in a different family (Asteraceae) from the plants known as…
Agave Americana, commonly known as sentry plant or century plant is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae. The plant is native to Mexico, and the United States in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. Today, it is cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant. It has become naturalized in many regions, including the West Indies, parts of South America, the southern Mediterranean Basin, and parts of Africa, India, China, Thailand, and Australia. Despite the common name “American aloe”, it is not closely related to plants in the genus Aloe. Century plant, American agave, American century plant, maguey, flowering aloe,…
Widely known as “Queen of poisons” Aconitum napellus or Aconite is, on the contrary, a very effective medicine for multiple acute problems. It is a species of flowering plant in the genus Aconitum of the family Ranunculaceae. The plant is native throughout western and central Europe from England to the Carpathian Mountains and from Portugal to Sweden. Apart from aconite it is popularly known as Venus’ chariot, Wolfsbane Garden, Monk’s Hood Garden, Monkshood, Blue Rocket, Friar’s Cap, Auld Wife’s Huid, thung, leopard’s bane monkshood, women’s bane, Devil’s helmet, Common Monk’s Hood, Aconite, Fuzi and Monk’s Blood. Also occasionally called wolfsbane…
Achyranthes bidentata Blume commonly known as ox knee is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family, Amaranthaceae. The plant is native to Asia from India and Ceylon eastwards to China, Nepal, Japan, Indonesia and the Solomon Islands; also in east and west tropical Africa. It is the source of the Chinese herbal medicine huái niú xī. Two-toothed Chaff Flower, Ox knee, Pig’s knee and Nui Xi are some of the well-known common names of the plant. In Nepal its root juice is used for toothache. Its seeds have been used as a substitute for cereal grains in famine…
Abies balsamea or balsam fir is a North American fir belonging to Pinaceae (Pine family). The plant is native to most of eastern and central Canada (Newfoundland west to central Alberta) and the northeastern United States (Minnesota east to Maine, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to West Virginia). Some of the popular common names of the plants are Balm of Gilead, Balsam Canada, Balsam, Balsam Fir, Balsam Fir Canada, Balsam of Fir, Bálsamo de Canadá, Baume de Galaad, Baume de Galahad, Baume de Gilead, Baume du Canada, Canada Turpentine, Canadian Balsam, Eastern Fir, Fir Balsam, Gomme de Sapin, Pinus…
Scutellaria baicalensis also known as Huang Qin or Chinese Skullcap is a flowering plant belonging to family Lamiaceae; it is considered as one of 50 fundamental herbs in Chinese medicine. This herbaceous plant is native to China and is also grown in eastern Asian countries like Korea, Japan and India and it is also found in Far East Russia, Siberia and Mongolia. Genus Scutellaria has over 350 species, which are present, worldwide; some of them, such as Scutellaria laterifolia or S. floridana are native to USA. Chinese Skullcap is the most common name of Scutellaria baicalensis. Baical skullcap, Chinese skullcap,…
Schisandra chinensis commonly known as magnolia-vine, Chinese magnolia-vine, whose fruit is called magnolia berry or five-flavor-fruit, is a deciduous woody vine belonging to the family Schisandraceae. The plant is native to forests of northeastern China, especially in the provinces of Jilin, Lianoning, Heilongjiang, and Hebei and the Russian Far East (Amur region, Sakhalin). Schisandra fruit is popularly known as the Five Flavor Berry because its taste captures the five major favors i.e. sour, sweet, salty, bitter, and spicy. Few of the common names of the plant are Chinese magnolia vine, Five-flavor-fruit, Magnolia vine, Schisandra, Schizandra, Schizandra berry, lemon wood, herb…
Salvia miltiorrhiza, also known as red sage, Chinese sage, is a perennial plant in the genus Salvia and belongs to the mint or deadnettle family (Lamiaceae). It is part of the mint family. The plant’s roots are called Danshen and have been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for over 2000 years. (+,+)The plant is native to China and Japan and is cultivated for commercial use in northeast China and Mongolia; it grows at 90 to 1,200 m (300 to 3,940 ft.) elevation, preferring grassy places in forests, hillsides, and along stream banks. Chinese salvia, Redroot sage, red sage, Dan shen,…
Persicaria chinensis (synonym Polygonum chinense),commonly known as creeping smartweed or Chinese knotweed, is a plant species belonging to the family Polygonaceae. The plant is widespread across Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand. In Myanmar it is found in Ayeyarwady, Bago, Kachin, Mandalay, and Yangon. It is a common plant in Malaysia and Vietnam, where it is used in herbal remedies, such as for the treatment of dysentery, enteritis, and sore throat. It is a weed in some coastal areas of New South Wales and…
Rehmannia glutinosa, commonly known as Chinese foxglove is a perennial medicinal herb in the Scrophulariaceae family. The plant is native to northern and northeastern China, particularly in Hunan province and in Japan, and Korea. Chinese foxglove (Chinese name of di huang) is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. Roots are used to treat a number of aliments including adrenal and renal disorders. Chinese foxglove, Chinese rehmanniae Radix, Chinese RR, Di Huang, Gun-Ji-Whang, Japanese Rehmanniae Radix, Shu Di Huang, Sook-Ji-Whang and To-Byun are some of the well-known common names of the plant. It’s occasionally called Chinese…
Tea tree scientifically known as Melaleuca alternifolia, is a species of tree or tall shrub in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae including myrtle, bay laurel, and sassafras for a start. The plant is native to Australia, and it occurs in southeast Queensland and the north coast and an adjacent range of New South Wales where it grows along streams and on swampy flats, and is often the prevailing species where it occurs. Narrow-leaved Paper bark, Narrow-leaved Tea-tree, Narrow-leaved Ti-tree, Snow-in-summer, Tea tree, Australian Tea tree are some of the popular common names of the plant. Melaleuca is a combination of two…
Lycium chinense commonly known as Chinese wolfberry is a major Chinese tonic herb, first mentioned in the Divine Husbandman’s Classic, written in the 1st century AD. It is one of two species of boxthorn shrub in the family Solanaceae. Along with Lycium barbarum, it produces the goji berry (wolfberry). Two varieties are recognized, L. chinense var. chinense and L. chinense var. potaninii. The plant is native to China (Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang), Taiwan and Japan and widely cultivated in…
Orchis mascula, the early-purple orchid, early spring orchis, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. The plant is native to Europe including the British Isles, North-West Africa, the Middle East and western and northern Asia. Early Purple Orchid, salep, blue butcher, clue butcher orchid, male orchid, Salep Orchid, Dead Mans Fingers and Male Orchis are some of the popular common names of the plant. Plant Description Early purple orchid is a perennial herbaceous plant that normally grows about 25–40 cm (10–16 in.) tall. The plant is found growing in woodland, copses, and open pastures in base…
Varuna tree is a member of the plant (Capparidaceae) family and belongs to Genus Crataeva and, hence, the Latin name of this deciduous tree is Crataeva Nurvula. The plant is found growing in parts of India to Southeast Asia and south of China. This herb can be found at the edges of forests and near rivers and lakes. Some other common names of Varuna are three leaved caper, barun, baruna, crataeva, borun, holy garlic pear, scared lingam tree, triune, triune leaf tree and Lengam tree. In Sanskrit, it is called Varana, Setu and Rodha Vrushka. Its English name is Three-leaved…