This beautiful plant is Lychnis chalcedonica, which is also known as Maltese cross. It is in the same family as carnations and pinks. The plant comes from eastern and western Europe and Asia. It can be found in parts of central and eastern Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, northwest China, Ukraine, and the Caucasus. It has also become a native species in some parts of North America. The Scarlet Lightning, the Red Campion, the Iron Cross, the Fireman’s Cross, the Amalfi Cross, the Flower of Bristol, the Regency Cross, the George Cross, the Cross of Anjou, the Cross of Malta, the Jerusalem…
Author: Sylvia
The scientific name for the Indian round gourd is Praecitrullus fistulosus. It is in the same family as cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins, which is Cucurbitaceae. It is the most important and popular summer food grown all over Pakistan and its neighboring country, India. The only species in the genus Praecitrullus is this one. The plant comes from India and has been grown there for a very long time. It’s now popular in Southeast Asia, like India, Sri Lanka, China, Nepal, and Indonesia, as well as in the Middle East. It’s also becoming more popular in Southern California. People often call…
The formal name for the Azores laurel is Laurus azorica. It is a species of laurel in the Lauraceae (Laurel Family), which also has the well-known bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) and avocado (Persea Americana). The plant comes from the Azores region, which is made up of nine volcanic islands about 1,400 km (870 miles) west of Portugal’s mainland. The species does best in laurel forests that are higher up on several Azorean islands. The biggest populations are on São Miguel, Pico, and Terceira. People often call these plants Azores bay tree, Azores evergreen laurel, Azores laurel cherry, Azorean laurel, Macaronesian…
Fortunella hindsii, also known as the Hong Kong Kumquat or the Wild Kumquat, is a type of kumquat that belongs to the Rutaceae family. The plant is native to parts of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand, as well as parts of Laos and Thailand. Some of the well-known common names of the plants are Kumquat lemon, Kumquat kaffir, Kumquat kangaroo, Kumquat tangerine, Kumquat lime, Kumquat cumquat, Kumquat mandarin, Kumquat small round, Kumquat citrus, Kumquat oval, Kumquat calamansi, Kumquat mini orange, Kumquat golden orange, Kumquat round, Kumquat key lime and Kumquat tangerine. The name “Fortunella” comes from the name of Robert…
Medicago minima, also called “little medick” or “small bur clover,” is a small annual plant in the family Fabaceae, which is also called the pea or legume family. The plant is from Europe and western Asia. It lives in the wild in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon. It has grown wild in some parts of North America and other places, and in some places it is called an invasive weed. It lives in harmony with the bacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti, which is able to fix nitrogen. Some popular common names include Common little medick, Burr…
Heuchera cylindrical is a type of annual flowering plant in the Saxifragaceae Juss. family. It is also known as Roundleaf alumroot or coral bells. The plant is native to North America. It can be found from British Columbia to California in the west, and from parts of Canada to Wyoming and Montana in the east, as well as in the central and eastern United States. Some common names for the plants are Cylindrical Coral Bells, Common Roundleaf Coral Bells, Tube-leaf Coral Bells, Round-leaved Coral Bells, Cylindrical Alumroot, Round-leaved Alumroot Coral Bells, Roundleaf Alumroot Coral Bells, Round-leaved Alumroot, Tube-leaf Coral Bells,…
The formal name for Wild Caper Bush is Capparis sepiaria. It is a spreading or climbing shrub in the family Capparaceae. The plant grows all over India, China, the Indian Subcontinent, Indo China, Malesia, northern Australia, and tropical Africa, from Senegal in the west to Eritrea and Ethiopia in the east and from northern South Africa in the south to northern South Africa in the north. Madagascar has it as well. Capparis sepiaria is in the same family as the better-known Capparis spinosa, or Mediterranean caper bush. It is also used in some of the same ways in food and…
Laportea canadensis, commonly known as wood nettle or Canada nettle, often regarded as a lesser-known cousin of the more infamous stinging nettle, is an herbaceous plant that belongs to the Urticaceae Juss. (Nettle family), which includes other nettles as well. Despite its common name, Wood Nettle lacks the intense stinging sensation associated with its counterpart. The plant is native to eastern and central North America. In U.S., the species occurs from Louisiana to Oklahoma to North Dakota and thence across the country to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. In Arkansas, it occurs statewide except for portions of the Mississippi Alluvial…
Catalpa ovata, also called Chinese catalpa or yellow catalpa, is a tree in the Bignoniaceae Juss. (Trumpet-creeper family) that has pods. The plant is native to China’s temperate regions (Anhui, Liaoning, Hebei, Sichuan, Heilongjiang, Henan, Nei Monggol, Hubei, Jiangsu, Xinjiang, Shandong, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Gansu, Shanxi and Jilin) and other parts of East Asia. North America and Europe are also places where it is grown. Some of the popular common names of the plants are Chinese Bean Tree, Chinese Trumpet Tree, Catalpa Fargesii, Yellow Catalpa, Yellow Trumpet Tree, Northern Catalpa, Hardy Catalpa, Tung Oil Tree, Orchid Catalpa, Manchurian Catalpa, Chinese…
Spear Saltbush, also called fat hen or Atriplex recumbent, is a species of flowering plant in the Atriplex genus. It is a member of the Amaranthaceae family, which also includes pigweed and amaranths. The plant is native to Macaronesia, Europe, western Siberia, Ethiopia, the Middle East, northern Africa and Central Asia. It has been brought to temperate North America, Australia, South America, New Zealand, Japan, northern Mexico, Korea, and Primorsky Krai in far eastern Russia. It can grow in saltwater if it wants to. Some of the popular common names of the plant are Spear Saltbush, Native Spear Saltbush, Shrubby…
Ochna serrulata is an ornamental yard plant in the Ochnaceae DC. (Ochna family). It is often called the Mickey Mouse plant or Mickey Mouse bush because its ripe black fruit looks like Mickey Mouse’s ears when turned upside down, and its bright red sepals look like his pants. The plant is native to many parts of Africa, including South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland, which are all in southern Africa. It has also been brought to other places with warm temperatures and grown there. In some places of Australia and New Zealand, it is seen as a weed that spreads quickly.…
The formal name for Bandicoot Berry is Leea indica. It is a tropical plant that is part of the Leeaceae Dumort family. In different parts of the world, the plant is important for its cultural, culinary, and medical uses. The plant is native to Indo-Malaya, Indochina, the Western Ghats of India, and Sri Lanka, all of South-East Asia, northern Australia, the Solomon Islands, New Hebrides, and Fiji. Plants in Malesia, New Guinea, Australia, and the southwestern Pacific islands were once thought to be this species, but now they are thought to be a different species called Leea nova-guineensis. Some common…
The scientific name for Giant Mucuna is Mucuna gigantea. It is a big, strong climbing plant in the Fabaceae Lindl. (Pea family), which is also called the pea or bean family. This plant is well-known for its beautiful look, fast growth, and unusual root system. The plant is native to sub-Saharan Africa, tropical southern Asia, Japan, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. It lives in tropical Africa from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique. It is also found on Madagascar and other islands in the Indian Ocean. Some of the popular common names of the plants…
Helianthus strumosus also called the pale-leaf forest sunflower or Pale Sunflower, is a species of sunflower that belongs to the Asteraceae Bercht. & J. Presl (Aster family), which also includes daisies and sunflowers. It is in the genus Helianthus, which is made up of many different kinds of sunflowers. It is a native annual sunflower that looks like the Pale Sunflower (Helianthus decapetalus), the Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus), the Hispid Sunflower (Helianthus hirsutus), and the Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus). The plant is native to North America, from eastern Canada to parts of the United States. People call it the Pale…
Duboisia hopwoodii is often called Pituri is a bush in the family Solanaceae, which is also called the nightshade family. Some well-known plants in this family are tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers. The plant is native to dry and semi-dry parts of Australia, such as New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia. Some of the popular common names of the plants are pituri, Piturri, pitchuri thorn apple, Black-pituri, Pitory, pitcher, Pitchuri, Piturie bush, Corkwood, Pitcheri, Duboisia, Pituri plant, Pituri tree, Pitari, Pittory, Pituris, Pitourie, Pitoura, Piturika, Pitury, Berrima, Poison bush, Pituri shrub, Piturya and Piturin. The…
Ladder Fern, also called Pani Amala, is a type of fern with the official name Nephrolepis cordifolia. It is in the genus Nephrolepis and the family Nephrolepidaceae. Different kinds of ferns in the genus Nephrolepis are often called sword ferns. Ladder Fern’s exact native range is not well known, but it is thought to be in tropical and subtropical areas like Nepal, India, Korea, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Hainan, Taiwan, China, Lesser Sunda Is., Nansei-shoto, Fiji, Tibet, Assam, Himalaya, Borneo, Sulawesi, Myanmar, Malaya, Queensland, Thailand, Vietnam, etc. It has also become naturalized in warm and subtropical parts of the Americas,…
Himalayan Bayberry, also called Box Myrtle or Kafal, is a tree or big shrub in the Bayberry family. Its scientific name is Myrica esculenta. The plant is native to the Himalayas of Nepal, southern China east of Guangdong province, Burma, Indo-China, Thailand, and rocky parts of northern India, especially Garhwal, Kumaon, and the eastern part of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya. It is also found in the Arunachal Pradesh districts of Pakke-Kessang, Kurung Kumey, Lower Subansiri and certain parts of Himachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. It lives in Peninsular Malaysia, the Philippines, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java, and the Lesser…
The formal name for the Himalayan Gooseberry is Ribes himalense. It is an evergreen shrub in the family Grossulariaceae, which is also called the “Currant family.” The plant grows naturally in the Himalayas, especially in India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, East Himalaya, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Tibet, and West Himalaya. The plant is prized for its ornamental and edible fruit, and its leaves are an important part of how it looks and how it lives. Indian Gooseberry tree, Himalayan Gooseberry, Wild Gooseberry, Indian Gooseberry, Amala, Amla berry, Emblic Gooseberry, indian Amla, Amalaki fruit, Indian Phyllanthus, and Emblic fruit are some of the…
The formal name for the White Brazil Guava is Psidium acutangulum. It is a tropical fruit-bearing plant that is in the family Myrtaceae and the genus Psidium. The scientific name follows the standard method for naming and classifying living things called binomial nomenclature. The plant is native to tropical Central and South America, such as Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Belize, and Brazil. Some popular names for the plants are Frosty Guava, White Brazilian Guava, Pale Guava, White Guava, Creamy White Guava, Snow White Guava, White Flesh Guava, Ivory Guava, Brazilian White Guava,…
The Australian Boab tree, also called the Boab tree, is a unique and well-known tree in the Malvaceae family. Its formal name is Adansonia gregorii. The tree is native to northwestern Australia, from Broome to the Fitzmaurice River area in the Northern Territory, which is in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. People also call it the “baobab tree” or “boab,” but it is not the same as the baobab trees in Africa and Madagascar. It is linked to the African baobab (Adansonia digitata), but it is much smaller and has flowers that stand straight up. Some common names for…
The sea coconut, also called the double coconut, is a single-species genus in the palm family, Arecaceae Bercht. & J. Presl. The tree is only found on the Seychelles islands of Praslin and Curieuse. It used to live on the nearby small islands of St. Pierre, Chauve-Souris, and Ile Ronde (Round Island), but it went extinct there for a while and has only recently been brought back. Love Nut, Coco de Mer, Seychelles Coco, Sea Coconut, Lodoicea Palm Nut, Seychelles Nut, Seychelles Coco de Mer Seed, and Lodoicea Palm Nut are some of the familiar names for these plants. Seychelles…
Bouea oppositifolia, also called Marian plum or Membangan fruit, is a tropical fruit tree in the family Anacardiaceae (sumac family). It is closely related to the mango and cashew families, which are also in the Anacardiaceae family. The plant is native to the Cambodia, Vietnam, Andaman Islands, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, South China (Yunnan, Hainan), Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, and Kalimantan), Malaysia, and other nearby areas. Few of the popular common names of the plants are Burmese Plum, Marian Tree, Maran Plum, Wild Plum, Marian Plum, Gandaria Mango, Plum-Mango, Maprang Plum, Philippine Wild Mango, Membangan, Gandhara, Thai Mango, Gourka, Mangga Pulo, Gandarusa,…
Perennial Buckwheat scientifically known Fagopyrum dibotrys is an herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the Polygonaceae family, which includes rhubarb and sorrel, two well-known plants. It is related to the more familiar annual buckwheat, which is called Fagopyrum esculentum and is grown for its grain-like seeds. Perennial buckwheat can live for more than one year, unlike the more common annual buckwheat. This makes it a strong and useful addition to any yard. The plant comes from parts of Asia, such as southwestern China and the eastern Himalayas. It is thought that the plant was grown and used in neighboring East Asian…
Phytelephas aequatorialis is a species of palm tree that is often called the tagua palm or the Ecuadorian ivory palm. It belongs to the family Arecaceae, which is a group of flowering plants that are often called palms. It is also part of the Phytelephantoideae group. The plant is native to the jungles of Ecuador. It grows in Esmeraldas, Manab, Guayas, El Oro, and Loja, which are all in the western part of the country. It’s also common in Australia, Brazil, Central America, Panama, Peru, and other parts of South America. Some of the popular common names of the plants…
The formal name for Lemon-Scented Geranium is Pelargonium crispum. It is a member of the Geraniaceae family, which is also called the Geranium family. It belongs to the subgenus Pelargonium, along with Pelargonium graveolens, Pelargonium capitatum, and Pelargonium tomentosum. South Africa is where the plant comes from. It can be found in South Western Cape from Worcester to Bredasdorp. Some of the popular common names of the plants are Crisped Leaf Pelargonium, Lemon Ginger Geranium, Finger Bowl Geranium, Lemon Geranium, Lemon Pop Geranium, Lemon Glow Geranium, Lemon-Scented Geranium, Variegated Lemon- Scented Pelargonium, Lemon Frost Geranium, Lemon Mist Geranium, Lemonade Geranium,…
The Rukam plant, or Flacourtia rukam, is a type of flowering plant in the family Salicaceae, which also includes willows and saules. The plant is native to Madagascar and Malesia, but it is rare in the Moluccas (Maluku) and New Guinea. It grows both in gardens and in the wild all over Malesia, but it is not in one place. It was brought to Indo-China, Southern China, Taiwan, Thailand, India, and other tropical places. Some common names are Chinese Lantern, Governor’s Plum, Inca Berry, Indian Prune, Rukam, Peruvian Ground cherry, Rukam Fruit, Cape Gooseberry, Peruvian Ground cherry, Star Gooseberry, Aztec…
Persicaria maculosa, also called “Redshank” or “Lady’s-thumb,” is an ornamental plant in the same family as knotweed, renouées, and buckwheat. The plant is native to Azerbaijan, Russia, Tajikistan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan, as well as Nepal in the Indian Subcontinent and Taiwan, Japan, China, Korea, and Indonesia in eastern Asia. It is also an introduced and invasive species in North America, where it was first seen in the Great Lakes area in 1843 and has since spread to most of the continent. Some common names for the plants are Jesus plant, Heartweed, lady’s-thumb smartweed, persicaria, red shank,…
Cyperus papyrus, also called Egyptian papyrus, papyrus, or Nile grass, is a species of water flowering plant in the sedge family Cyperaceae Juss. It is also known by the common names Egyptian papyrus, papyrus, and Nile grass. It grows in Africa (Zaire, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, Cameroon, Sudan, Benin, Nigeria, South Africa, Malawi, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Botswana, and Senegal) and is a tender herbaceous perennial. In shallow water, it makes tall stands of reed-like swamp vegetation. It is also called Paper reed, Giant papyrus, Papyrus sedge, Papyrus rush, Umbrella papyrus, Bulrush papyrus, Nile papyrus, Egyptian paper plant, Paper plant,…
Marsh pennywort, or Hydrocotyle umbellata, is a perennial aquatic plant that belongs to the Apiaceae Lindl. (Carrot) family. Its roots anchor the plant in the soil and absorb water and nutrients. The plant is endemic to South America, Central America, the Caribbean, the Atlantic coast of South America, Chile, and Paraguay. Pennywort herb, Marsh pennywort, Water navelwort, Dollarweed, Water penny, Indian pennywort, Water pennywort, Water pennywort herb, Pennyweed, Navelwort, Marshmallow weed, Water penny grass, Marsh pennywort herb, and Marsh penny are common names for these plants. Marsh pennywort is typically cultivated as an aquatic or marginal plant; flowering and fruiting…
Daphne Bholua, also referred to as Himalayan Daphne or Nepalese paper plant, is a floral shrub native to the Himalayas and adjacent ranges, from Nepal through Bhutan, India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Vietnam, into Sichuan and north-west Yunnan. It is a member of the Thymelaeaceae family and has a distinct, sweet fragrance. The plant’s appealing flowers and foliage make it an excellent choice for ornamental purposes, as it is favored by gardeners. Himalayan Spurge, Himalayan Paper Plant, Uttarakhand Daphne, Paper Daphne, Paper flower, Indian Paper Plant, Lokta Bush, Nepal Daphne, Bhutan Paper Plant, Nepalese Paper Plant, Bholua Daphne, Bhutanese Daphne,…