Corydalis ambigua is a tuberous early flowering East Asian flowering plant species in the poppy family Papaveraceae, a close relative of the poppy, and it is known to support muscle and joint comfort by increasing blood flow. Its exact native range is unclear due to taxonomic confusion. However it is said to have been originated from Siberia, northern China, and Japan, it is commonly grown in eastern and northeastern parts of China. It is one of the sources of the drug tetrahydro-palmatine. The plant is an important Chinese remedy used at least since the 8th century to help “revitalize the…
Author: Sylvia
Commiphora myrrha, called myrrh, African myrrh, herabol myrrh, Somali myrrhor, common myrrh, or gum myrrh belongs to Commiphora species and Burseraceae family. Commiphora mukul, a related species, is not a source of myrrh. It is one of the primary trees used in the production of myrrh, a resin made from dried tree sap. The tree is native to southwest Asia, including Arabia, and most commonly east and northeast Africa near the region of the Red Sea or Arabian Gulf, specifically Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya. More than 150 different variety of this same species tress have abundantly grown in this area.…
Plectranthus barbatus, also known by the synonym Coleus forskohlii is a tropical perennial plant related to the typical coleus species. It is composed of about 150 species under the Mint family of plants (Lamiaceae) and is closely related to spearmint, peppermint, basil, thyme, oregano and salvia. It produces forskolin, an extract useful for pharmaceutical preparations and research in cell biology. The plant is native to Pakistan, India, Nepal and Ceylon south through Arabia, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, East African, South Tropical Africa and naturalized into southern Africa. It was popular as an ornamental plant in the 19th century and today…
Codonopsis pilosula commonly known as Codonopsis is a species of perennial flowering plants belonging to the Campanulaceae Bellflower family. As currently recognized, Codonopsis includes two other groups sometimes separated as distinct genera, i.e. Campanumoea and Leptocodon. The enlarged genus Codonopsis is widespread across eastern, southern, central, and southeastern Asia, including China, Japan, the Russian Far East, Kazakhstan, the Indian Subcontinent, Iran, Indochina, Indonesia, etc. and it grows in meadows, forests, and scrubs. Woodland bonnet bellflower, poor man’s ginseng, codonopsis, bastard ginseng, false ginseng, Dang Shen, tangshen, bonnet bellflowers, Bonnet Bellflower, Chuan Dang, Codonopsis Modestae, Dong Seng and Ginseng Bâtard are…
Cinchona officinalis commonly known as Cinchona is actually an evergreen tree belonging to Rubiaceae (Madder family). The plant is native to mountainous tropical regions of South America, especially Peru; cinchona is now also grown in India, Java, and parts of Africa, and is cultivated intensively on tree farms. Lojabark, Quinine, red cinchona, cinchona bark, Jesuits bark, loxa bark, Jesuits powder, countess powder, Peruvian bark are some of the popular common names of the plant. The plant is best known as the source of quinine, which for centuries was the most extensively taken antimalarial remedy in the world. It was first…
A traditional South African remedy Buchu is a flowering plant belonging to Rutaceae family and an indigenous species of Western Cape Province, South Africa where it is widely cultivated on hillsides. It is also grown in parts of South America. It is considered a traditional medicinal plant in Western Cape province of South Africa and essential oil is derived from the leaves is distributed in large volumes. The herb was first exported to Britain in 1790 and became an official medicine in 1821, being listed in the British Pharmacopoeia as an effective remedy for “cystitis, urethritis, nephritis and catarrh of…
Murraya paniculata commonly known as Orange Jasmine or orange jessamine is a tropical evergreen plant native to southern China, Taiwan, the Indian sub-continent (i.e. India, Nepal, north-eastern Pakistan and Sri Lanka), south-eastern Asia (i.e. Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines) and northern Australia (i.e. the northern parts of the Northern Territory, far northern Queensland and northern Western Australia). The species is extensively grown as an ornamental tree or hedge. Murraya is closely related to Citrus, and bears small white flowers followed by small orange to red fruit resembling kumquats, though some cultivars do not set fruit.…
Star jasmine vine (confederate jasmine) is also known as trachelospermum jasminoides in scientific name and Shi Teng in mandarin is a flowering vine which is not a true jasmine plant. It is named after jasmine just because it has a very similar look and sweet fragrance when its white star-like flowers bloom. It is a climbing or creeping plant species in the genus Trachelospermum which contains between 11 and 13 species and belongs to the family of the Apocynaceae (Dogbane Family). The plant is native to eastern and southeastern Asia including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam where it grows on…
Wild jasmine scientifically known as Jasminum angulare is an evergreen climber with sweetly scented blooms that appear in summer and autumn. It is a species of flowering plant in the family Oleaceae. The plant is native to coastal areas from Eastern Cape to Natal, South Africa where it can be found growing amongst hillside boulders and near streams. It’s half-hardy, so in areas that receive frosts it can be grown in a cool conservatory or greenhouse. It does not tolerate being frozen, so in temperate regions it is best grown under glass, in an unheated greenhouse or conservatory. In the…
Italian jasmine or Yellow Jasmine scientifically known as Jasminum humile is a much-branched shrub commonly found in the Himalayan region. It is a species of flowering plant in the Oleaceae family and is native to Afghanistan, Assam, China North-Central, China South-Central, East Himalaya, Greece, Iran, Italy, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sicilia, Tadzhikistan, Tibet, West Himalaya and Yugoslavia. The species is extensively cultivated and supposedly naturalized in Greece, Sicily and the former Yugoslavia. Some of the popular common names of the plant include Italian jasmine, Italian yellow jasmine, yellow Jasmine and Nepal jasmine. The Latin specific epithet humile means “low-growing”. Plant Description…
Cestrum nocturnum commonly known as queen of the night is a popular ornamental species widely distributed for its strongly fragrant flowers that bloom at night. It is a species of Cestrum in the plant family Solanaceae (the potato family) native to Mexico, Central America (i.e. Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama) and Cuba. It aggressively colonizes disturbed sites such as road edges and forest gaps forming dense impenetrable thickets and resulting in competition with and displacement of native plant species. Evening scented jessamine, jessamine, lady of the night, lady-of-the-night, night blooming jasmine, night cestrum, night jessamine,…
Jasminum officinale, known as the common jasmine or simply jasmine, is a species of flowering plant in the olive family Oleaceae. The plant is native to the Caucasus, northern Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Himalayas, Tajikistan, India, Nepal and western China (Guizhou, Sichuan, Xizang (Tibet), Yunnan). The species is also widely cultivated in many places, and is reportedly naturalized in Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Algeria, Florida and the West Indies. It is also known as Summer Jasmine, Common jasmine, Jasmine, Jessamine, Poet’s jasmine, White jasmine, True Jasmine, downy jasmine and night blooming jasmine, and…
Duranta erecta popularly known as Golden dewdrop is a species of flowering shrub in the verbena family Verbenaceae. The plant is native from Mexico, Central America, and South America to Argentina, southern Florida (possibly naturalized), Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the West Indies. It is extensively cultivated as an ornamental plant in tropical and subtropical gardens throughout the world, and has become naturalized in many places. It is considered an invasive species in Australia, China, and South Africa and on several Pacific Islands. Popular common names include Golden dewdrops, Pigeon berry, Skyflower, Vanilla bush, Forget-me-not tree, duranta, golden eardrops, angels whisper,…
Alliaria petiolata, or garlic mustard, is a biennial flowering plant belonging to the mustard family Brassicaceae ⁄ Cruciferae. The plant is native to Europe, western and central Asia, north-western Africa, Morocco, Iberia and the British Isles, north to northern Scandinavia, and east to northern Pakistan and Xinjiang in western China. Garlic-root, garlicwort, hedge-garlic, Jack-by-the-hedge, Jack-in-the-bush, mustard-root, penny hedge, poor-man’s-mustard, sauce-alone and garlic mustard plant are some of the popular common names of the plant. Alliaria, the genus name, means ‘of the allium family’, and is botanically incorrect; however, as a reference to the odor of these plants it seems quite…
Cucamelon scientifically known as Melothria scabra is basically a vine that is grown for its fruit that is appropriate for eating. Cucamelons are a member of the cucumber family, Cucurbitaceae and is native to Mexico and Central America, where it is called sandiita (little watermelon). It is supposed to have been a domesticated crop before Western colonization of the Americas began. Creeping cucumber, Cucamelon, Guadeloupe cucumber, Mexican miniature watermelon, Mexican sour cucumber, Mexican sour gherkin, Mouse melon and Pepquinos are some of the popular vernacular names of the plants. The name of the fruit suggests that these fruits are a…
Hemerocallis fulva, popularly known as orange day-lily and tawny daylily is a species of daylily belonging to Liliaceae (Lily family). The plant is native to East Asia mostly China (Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang). It is cultivated in China, Taiwan, Korea, India, Vietnam and Japan and, as an ornamental, in many temperate and subtropical countries. It is very widely grown as an ornamental plant in temperate climates for its showy flowers and ease of cultivation. It is not a true lily in the genus Lilium, but…
Ixora, Jungle Geranium scientifically known as Ixora coccinea Linn is a species of flowering plant in the Rubiaceae (Madder family). Santan or Jungle flame is a common flowering shrub native to Southern India and Sri Lanka but has long become a popular hedging plant in tropical and subtropical regions such as in South Asia, Africa, southern America such as in Florida and other warmer climates. There are about 400 species spread from Africa to India to Southern Asia. It has become one of the most popular flowering shrubs in South Florida gardens and landscapes. Its name derives from an Indian…
Coral Vine scientifically known as Antigonon leptopus is a flowering plant from the buckwheat family, polygonaceae. The plant is native to Mexico (Baja Sur, Chihuahua, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacan, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Sinaloa and Sonora), now common in warm tropical countries globally. Bride’s Tears, Chain-of-Love, Chinese Love Vine, Confederate Vine, Confederate-Vine, Coral Bells, Coral Creeper, Coral Vine, Coralita, Corallita, Coral Vine, Hearts on a Chain, Honolulu Creeper, Love Chain, Love-Vine, Mexican Coral Vine, Mexican Creeper, Mexican-Creeper, Mexican Love Vine, Mountain Rose, Mountain-Rose Coralvine, Mountain-Rose Coralvine, Pink Vine, Queen’s Jewels, Queen’s Wreath, San Miguelito Vine, Sandwich Island Creeper, coral rose vine, Mexican rose…
Typha angustifolia, commonly known as narrowleaf cattail, is a semi-aquatic, perennial plant of genus Typha belonging to Typhaceae (Cat-tail family). The plant is native to Nova Scotia south through parts of New England along the coast to southern Florida. It occurs in the Midwest south to southeastern Texas. It has been planned that the species was introduced from Europe to North America. In North America, it is also supposed to have been introduced from coastal to inland locations. The plant has got several common names including Cattail, Lesser Bulrush, Lesser Reed-Mace, Nail- Rod, Narrow-Leaf Cattail, Narrowleaf Cattail, Reed-Mace, Small Reed-Mace,…
Antirrhinum majus commonly known as common snapdragon; often – especially in horticulture simply as snapdragon is a species of flowering plant belonging to the genus Antirrhinum. The plant was placed in the family Plantaginaceae following a revision of its prior classical family, Scrophulariaceae. The plant is native to Mediterranean region, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern France, and east to Turkey and Syria. Some of the popular common names of the plants are Dragon Flower, Garden snapdragon, Snapdragon, Common snapdragon, Greater snapdragon, large snapdragon, dragon’s-mouth and great snapdragon. The common name “snapdragon”, originates from the flowers’ reaction to having…
Jungle rice scientifically known as Echinochloa colona is a kind of annual weed belonging to Poaceae ⁄ Gramineae (Grass family) which produce tiny yellowish white grains. The plant is native to Tropical Asia – Himalaya to West Malaysia. It is cultivated as a fodder grass and cereal in tropical Asia, Africa, Australia, western United States and Canada and in China- Anhui, Guangxi, Guizhou, Heilongjiang, Henan, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Sichuan, Yunnan and Taiwan. The grain looks like rice but it is smaller. And the fact that it grows at waste areas, roadsides, or even jungle instead of farm field, makes it…
Ficus auriculata commonly known as Roxburgh fig is a type of fig tree seen all over Asia belonging to Moraceae (Mulberry family), noted for its big and round leaves. The plant is used as fodder in Nepal. It is least resistant to fire, but likes good sunlight. The plant is native to India (Himalaya region), Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, South China (South Guangdong, Guangxi, South West Guizhou, Hainan, South West Sichuan, and Yunnan). The name of the genus is the Latin one utilized for the common fig (Ficus carica); the name of the species comes from the…
False barley scientifically known as Hordeum murinum is a common weed in areas of human disturbance belonging to Poaceae ⁄ Gramineae (Grass family).The plant is native to Central Europe, North Africa, western Asia, and the Caucasus region. It has naturalized in North America, South America, Australia, and New Zealand. It is supposed to have originated around sea sides, sandy riverbanks, and animal watering holes. It is now an established weed in the southwestern Flora region and other distributed locations. The records in Alaska are from the Anchorage area. Prostrate plants are related with grazing. Hare barley may have reached in…
Combretum indicum, also known as the Rangoon creeper or Chinese honeysuckle, is a vine with red flower clusters belonging to Combretaceae (Indian almond family). It is not closely related to the true honeysuckle species Lonicera tragophylla which is also called the Chinese honeysuckle. The plant is native to India, Southeast Asia (Kampuchea, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines) and tropical Africa (Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo, Tanzania, Zaire and Angola). Few of the popular common names of the plant are Burma creeper, Chinese honeysuckle, quisqualis, rangoon-creeper, Combretums, Rangoon jasmine, drunken sailor,…
Scarlet runner beans, botanically classified as part of Phaseolus coccineus, are an open-pollinated runner bean and member of the legume family, Fabaceae. It is the one species in this genus which is grown both as a vegetable food plant for its edible pods (green beans) and seeds (fresh or dried beans) and/or as an ornamental plant for appreciation of its showy flowers. Flowers (addition to salads) and young leaves (pot herb) are also edible. Another common name is butter bean, which, however, can also refer to the lima bean, a different species. It is grown both as a food plant…
Cocona scientifically known as Solanum sessiliflorum is a tropical shrub belonging to the Solanaceae (Potato family) along with tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants. Cocona closely resembles a number of close relatives, including naranjilla and pseudolulo. The plant is native to Andean region of South America. Cocona is not known in the wild, having been observed only in cultivation in swiddens and surrounds of human abodes in the upper Amazon Basin of southern Colombia, Ecuador, and northern Peru, cultivated sporadically in settlements along the Amazon and Orinoco River systems of Brazil and Venezuela as far east as Belém. It has been partially domesticated…
Kalamata olives scientifically known as Olea europaea are a special type of olive belonging to Oleaceae (Olive family) that is grown in the small town of Kalamata, located in southern Peloponnese, Greece. The plant is native to Southern Europe, Eastern and southern Africa, through Arabia to Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal and China. A cherry-sized fruit, have been grown abundantly on the local kalamon trees for centuries. Unlike other olive trees, the kalamon tree has large leaves that are twice the size of other varieties. African olive, brown olive, common olive, European olive, olive, olive tree, small-fruited olive and wild…
Coffea Canephora, or Coffea robusta, is a coffee plant that is most commonly known to grow Robusta coffee beans. It is a species of coffee belonging to Rubiaceae (Madder family). Though widely known as Coffea robusta, the plant is scientifically identified as Coffea canephora, which has two main varieties, robusta and nganda. The plant has its origins in the northern forests of Ethiopia and now grows indigenously throughout western and central sub-Saharan Africa (Liberia – Tanzania – Angola). Some of the popular common names of the plant are Congo coffee, Congo coffeetree, Robusta coffee and robusta coffee tree. Robusta coffee…
Egg Mango scientifically known as Mangifera laurina is a species of flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae. The plant is native to Myanmar, Indochina (Kampuchea, Vietnam) and Malesia, from peninsular Thailand to New Guinea. The tree is found both wild and cultivated in Southeast Asia, where the fruit is widely valued and consumed. It is being used less frequently, however, with the introduction of the related mango (Mangifera indica) which is generally considered to have a superior fruit. Egg Mango, Padi Mango, Water Mango and mangga aer are few of the well-known health benefits of Mangifera laurina. It is commonly…
Heuchera Americana also known as known as Alum Root is one the prettiest plants for the landscape belonging to Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage family). This perennial, herbaceous plant is native to eastern and central North America. It has been found to thrive well in the sheltered stony cliffs along the Atlantic, across to the Carolinas and even extends to the Midwest. Some of the well-known common names of the plants are Rock Geranium, American alumroot, Alumroot, Coral Bells, Rock Geranium, American tormentil, Crowfoot, Cranesbill, Cranesbill root, Cora bells, spotted geranium, Heuchera Americana, Alum, Storksbill and Wild cranesbill. Genus name honors Johann Heinrich…