Triticum spelta is an annual grass in grass family Poaceae and is inherent to Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. Spelt is one of the various species and numerous varieties of cultivated wheat and was an important grain in Europe from Bronze Age till medieval period. Through 1800s and early 1900s and cultivated in Mediterranean. In late 1800s spelt was brought to U.S. and production was increased in during early 1900s. Spelt has slender and loose spikes measuring 12.5 to 20.5 cm long. Each spikelet possesses two grains which is enclosed in glumes or husks after threshing. It is very hardy…
Author: Sylvia
Fagus sylvatica, commonly known as European beech, beech, European beech, common beech, oriental beech, copper beech is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae. The plant is native to Asia, Europe, Canada and North America. European colonists brought this tree to America in the mid-1700s and it has been a popular ornamental shade tree since that time. European beech is primarily distinguished from the similar American beech (see Fagus grandifolia) by (a) smaller size, (b) darker gray bark, and (c) shorter leaves that have wavy mostly untoothed margins. The word Fagus is from a Greek word meaning ‘to…
Japanese maple scientifically known as Acer palmatum is a member of the Aceraceae family native to Japan, North Korea, South Korea, China, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russia. Apart from Japanese maple it is also known as Japanese maple, Smooth Japanese maple, Blood leaf Japanese maple, Green Japanese Maple, palmate maple. It is a deciduous shrub or small tree (generally 6–10 m tall) with low branches and a rounded to dome-shaped crown. Many different cultivars of this maple have been selected and they are grown worldwide for their dramatic leaf shapes and colors, and are widely used in bonsai. It is…
Angostura trifoliate (Galipea officinalis) commonly known as Angustura, Angusture, Angusture Vraie, Angostura trifoliata, Bonplandia trifoliata, Carony Bark, Chuspa, Cusparia, Cusparia Bark, Cusparia febrifuga, Cusparia trifoliata, Galipea officinalis, True Angostura is a medicinal plant native to South America. Its bark is commonly misconstrued as being used in Angostura brand bitters which is named after the town in Venezuela. It is also used in a number of other aromatic bitters, such as Abbott’s Bitters. The tree was given the name of Galipea officinalis to symbolize the true variety of Angostura and thus differentiate it from the very dangerous substitute and contaminant. Plant…
Sunflower scientifically known as Helianthus annuus, is a genus of plant which comprises about 70 species belonging to the family Asteraceae. Sunflower is known from other names such as Annual Sunflower, Hopi Sunflower, Common Sunflower, Sunfl ower, Giant Sunflower and Kansas Sunflower. Sunflower is inherent to prairies, dry plains, foothills and meadows in Canada, western U.S. and Northern Mexico. The plant is annual, fast growing, leafy, hairy and coarse which typically grows to the height of 100 to 300 cm. It is a weedy plant which is commonly grows along fences, roads, fields and in waste areas. Sunflower has erect…
Scientifically known as Apium graveolens, Celery is originated in Mediterranean region. Celery belongs to the family Apiaceae which is commonly used as vegetable. Seeds are used as a spice. The plant of celery grows upto 1 meter tall. It was cultivated as a medicinal plant thousands of years ago. Later on it was cultivated for its leaves which are used to add flavor to foods. In 1887, celery was introduced to North America from France in the form of two cultivars: self blanching “Paris Golden Yellow Self-Blanching” and green cultivar known as “Pascal”. Being a biennial plant, it produces…
Nymphaea odorata, also known as the American white waterlily, Fragrant Water Lily, Cow cabbage, Cow lily, Fragrant water lily, Pond lily, Sweet scented pond lily, Sweet scented water lily, Sweet water lily, Toad lily, Water cabbage, Water nymph, White pond lily, White water lily, Tuberous water lily, is an aquatic perennial plant belonging to the genus Nymphaea. The plant is native to Eastern North America, from Manitoba and Ontario to the Atlantic Provinces south to Texas and Florida. It can commonly be found in shallow lakes, ponds, and permanent slow moving waters throughout North America where it ranges from…
Pumpkin is one of the species in gourd family Cucurbitaceae and is native to South America and has been cultivated by indigenous people for more than 2000 years. Pumpkin is an annual monoecious herb having soft and rounded stems. It has extensive and shallow root system having branched taproot. The plant bears alternate, simple and exstipulate leaves with 5 to 20 cm long petioles, reniform, not lobed lamina which is deeply cordate at base. Margins are finely toothed. The solitary flowers are axillary, regular, unisexual, large, pentamerous, measures 10 to 20 cm across and is lemon yellow to orange yellow…
Pawpaw, (Asimina triloba), also spelled papaw, paw-paw is a deciduous tree or shrub of the custard-apple family, Annonaceae (order Magnoliales), which also includes cherimoya, ylang ylang, soursop and custard-apple. The plant is native to the Eastern, Southern, and Midwestern United States and adjacent southernmost Ontario, Canada, from New York west to southeastern Nebraska, and south to northern Florida and eastern Texas. Pawpaw is also known by other different names such as wild banana, prairie banana, Indiana banana, Hoosier banana, West Virginia banana, Kansas banana, Kentucky banana, Michigan banana, Missouri banana, the poor man’s banana, Ozark banana, and banango, false banana,…
Hepatica nobilis commonly known as Liverworts is an herbaceous perennial in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). The plant is native to the eastern United States ranging as far north as Iowa and south to the Florida panhandle and to central and eastern Canada. Apart from Liverworts it is also known by several other names such as Hepatica, Sharplobe hepatica, Roundlobe hepatica, herb trinity, kidneywort, liverleaf, liverweed, noble liverwort, round-leaved hepatica and trefoil. Normally a lowland plant, it has been spotted in the Allegheny mountain range. Many variations of the species hepatica exist around the world, including those on the Asian and…
Parthenocissus quinquefolia, known as Virginia creeper, Victoria creeper, five-leaved ivy, or five-finger Woodbind, woodbine, false grapes, five leaves, American Ivy, thicket creeper, Wild woodbine, is a species of flowering plant in the grape family, Vitaceae. The plant is native to eastern and central North America, from southeastern Canada and the eastern United States west to Manitoba and Utah, and south to eastern Mexico and Guatemala. It occurs statewide, typically being located in open areas of ravines, valleys, rich woods, thickets, rocky bluffs, hillsides and fence rows. Virginia creeper belongs to the same genus as the Boston, or Japanese ivy. Genus…
Bignay is a nourishing and fresh fruit which are found abundantly in Southeast Asian nations. It is popular for its health benefits. Fruits are small in size, brown and smooth. Antidesma bunius is the scientific name of Bignay fruit. Bignay fruit is also known from these names such as Chinese Laurel, Black Currant Tree, Currant Tree, Currentwood, Salamander Tree, Nigger’s Cord, Wild Cherry, Bugnay or bignai, Herbert River-cherry, Queensland-cherry and Salamander-tree. It is able to grow 15 to 30 meters high having trunk diameter of 20 to 85 cm. Leaves are leathery, evergreen, oval shaped and is about 20 cm…
False Hellebore (American Hellebore) scientifically known as Veratrum viride is a species of Veratrum native to eastern and western North America. It is extremely toxic so it is considered a pest plant by farmers with livestock. The species has acquired a large number of other common names within its native range, including Indian Poke, Indian Hellebore, Green False Hellebore, giant false-helleborine, American False Hellebore, American White Hellebore, Bear Corn, Big Hellebore, Corn Lily, Devils Bite, Duck Retten, Itch-weed, Itchweed, Poor Annie, swamp hellebore, Blue Hellebore, Tickleweed, bugbane and green hellebore. The native North American plant was named according to its…
Mulberries are the sweet fruits of genus Morus L. and family Moraceae. It is a deciduous tree which is grown in various temperate areas of the world. From long time, Black mulberry has been cultivated for its edible fruit and is naturalized West across much of Europe including Ukraine and east into China. It is believed to be originated in mountainous areas of Persia and Mesopotamia and has widely spread in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Iran, Turkey and Syria. In 17th century, Black mulberry was imported to Britain with the hope that it is effective in silkworm’s cultivation. It was…
Bittersweet scientifically known as Celastrus scandens, is a species of Celastrus that blooms mostly in June and is commonly found on rich, well-drained soils of woodlands. Bittersweet is commonly known as American bittersweet, bittersweet, bitter nightshade, woody nightshade, climbing bittersweet, false bittersweet, climbing orange-root, fever-twig, fever-twitch, staff-vine, jacob’s-ladder and waxwork. The plant is native to central and eastern North America including Missouri. In Missouri, bittersweet is typically found in woodland areas, thickets, rocky slopes, bluffs, glade peripheries and along fence rows throughout the State (Steyermark). In the 1700s, plants were given the name bittersweet by European colonists because their fruits…
Dragon fruit is a fast growing vine like cactus. The fruit is spherical, red colored with notable scales. It has slim rind skin which is protected in scales. The pulp of the fruit is white or red and tastes fairly sweet. Generally, the dragon fruit is deep red in color but some varieties might be pink or yellow. Belonging to cactus family, it got its generic name from what the locals of Southeast Asia refers it as dragon crystal, dragon scales, green dragon and dragon pearl fruit. It is inherent to Southern and Central America and is brought to Southeast…
Lingonberry scientifically known as Vaccinium vitis-idaea is a short evergreen shrub that bears edible fruits. The lingonberry fruit, also known as foxberry, quailberry, bearberry, beaverberry, mountain cranberry, red whortleberry, lowbush cranberry, cougarberry, mountain bilberry, partridgeberry, redberry and alpine cranberry is native to boreal forest and Arctic tundra throughout the Northern Hemisphere from Eurasia to North America. The plant belongs to heath family, the same family as the cranberry and blueberry. The name lingonberry originates from the Swedish name lingon for the species, and is derived from the Norse lyngr, or heather. The genus name Vaccinium is a classical Latin name…
Native to West Malaysia, the name rambutan is derived from Malay word which means hairy. The outer part of the fruit is hairy and the flesh inside is tender and fleshy. It tastes sweet and sour like grape. Though it is imported in Southeast Asia, Rambutan is imported all around the world. Fruit resembles the appearance of lychees. Similar to lychees, it is found in bunches with stem sticking out of them. Rambutan could also have greenish yellow or orange exterior. The tree of Rambutan is 15 to 25 meters tall which produces fruits twice every year. The fruit has…
Jacobaea vulgaris commonly known as ragwort, common ragwort, tansy ragwort, benweed, St. James-wort, ragweed, stinking nanny/ninny/willy, staggerwort, dog standard, cankerwort, mare’s fart, cushag, stinking willie and stinking nanny is a very common wild flower in the daisy family (Asteraceae). In the western US it is generally known as “Tansy Ragwort”, or even more confusingly “Tansy”, though its similarity to the true tansy is superficial at best. This is a potentially dangerous misuse of names, since the true tansy has been used for culinary purposes. The plant is native to Europe, North Africa, Caucasus and Western Asia, usually in dry, open…
Alkanna tinctoria commonly known as alkanet, bugloss, anchusa, Spanish bugloss, dyer’s bugloss, orchanet, common alkanet and hoary puccoon is a plant in the Boraginaceae (Borage family) whose roots are used as a red dye. The plant is native in the Mediterranean region. The name Anchusa is derived from the Greek word anchousa which means paint, from the use of the root as a dye. The root produces a fine red coloring material which has been used as a dye in the Mediterranean region since antiquity. The root as a dyestuff is soluble in alcohol, ether, and the oils, but is…
Water Plantain scientifically known as Alisma plantago-aquatica is an aquatic or semi-aquatic plant belonging to the family Alismataceae. Water-plantain is quite different from regular plantain, which belongs to the genus Plantago. Apart from water plantain it is also known as European water-plantain, common water-plantain, mad-dog weed, Great Water Plantain, ZE-XIE, American water plantain, Northern water plan, deil’s spoons, devil’s spoons and thumbwort. The plant is widespread across most of Europe and Asia from Portugal and Morocco to Japan, Kamchatka and Vietnam. It is also considered as native in northern and central Africa as far south as Tanzania. It is supposedly…
Botanically known as Aegle marmelos, Wood Apple is inherent to India but also found in Thailand, Sri Lanka and other regions of Southern part of Asia. Tree grows from 6 to 15 meters high and edible fruits measures 7 to 10 cm in diameter. The shells of the fruit are tough. It contains brownish pulp and small white seeds inside the fruit. Other names for Wood Apple are Curd Fruit, Indian Wood-Apple, Monkey Fruit and Elephant Apple. But popularly it is known as Bael fruit. Wood Apple is considered to be sacred since it has been cultivated in India for…
Traditionally Yacon is grown in northern and central Andes from Colombia to Northern Argentina for its sweet tasting, crisp and tuberous roots. It is well cultivated in Tasmania, Southern Australia and New Zealand. Recently it has been introduced to Malaysia, Philippines, Czech Republic, Southern USA, Russia, Korea, Taiwan and Japan. Yacon is also known as Bolivian sunroot, Strawberry jicama, Earth Apple, Sweet root, Yacon Strawberry, Yacón and Peruvian ground apple. Yacon is a close relative of Jerusalem artichoke and sunflower. The plant have perennial rhizome which are attached succulent storage roots. Rhizomes form under the surface of soil and produce…
Amanita muscaria, also known as fly agaric, fly Amanita, bug Agaric, Amanite Tue-Mouches, Fausse Oronge, Matamoscas and Soma, and is a psychoactive mushroom which is found growing widely in the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The mushroom has been widely transported into the southern hemisphere, including New Zealand, Australia, South America and South Africa, generally to be found under introduced pine trees. Although un-related to other psychoactive fungi such as the Psilocybe species it has also been used in shamanic cultures to connect with the spirit world. The main psychoactive compound in this mushroom is muscimol, and…
Hypoxis hemerocallidea (Hypoxis rooperi) commonly known as African potato, African star grass, Bantu Tulip, Papa Silvestre Africana, and Pomme de Terre Sauvage d’Afrique, South African Star Grass and Sterretjie is a medicinal plant in the Hypoxidaceae family. The plant has no relationship with the potatoes you’re probably most familiar with. It’s actually part of the lily family. The plant is native to southern Africa from South Africa as far north as Mozambique + Zimbabwe. This plant is the best known member of this genus. Its most common name is the African wild potato. It is a hardy very attractive drought…
Cinnamomum camphora is a large evergreen tree which could be found in particular areas of Asia such as Borneo islands, Sumatra and Indonesia. Camphor is a combustible and translucent white solid that has sour taste and piquant smell. The trees which have become 50 years old produce a waxy substance and are used as camphor oil. Camphor oil is extracted by the process of steam distillation from stems of tree. Camphor is really a naturally sourced perfumed substance which was produced from the camphor laurel before the 1920s, whenever chemists effectively produced it. The exclusive smell is well known to…
Cyperus articulates commonly known as Adrue, Guinea Rush, jointed flatsedge, priprioca, chintul and piripiri is a species of sedge in the Cyperaceae plant family which include approximately 36 genera and about 128 species of Cyperus. Although native to the Amazon, piri-piri can be found in many other tropical areas and countries, including the southern United States, Africa, Asia, Australia, and across the South American continent. It can be found growing alongside the Nile River in Africa just as it grows alongside the Amazon River in South America. It is used by the cosmetic industry, and increasingly as a flavoring for food. The…
Adonis vernalis, known variously as pheasant’s eye, spring pheasant’s eye, yellow pheasant’s eye and false hellebore, Adonis, Sweet Vernal, Oxeye, Red Morocco and Rose-a-Rubie, is a perennial flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. The herb is native to dry meadows and steppes in Southern Europe and to Siberia and Labrador. Isolated populations are found from Spain in the west across Central Europe with fine examples in Valais, Switzerland, and southern Europe, reaching southern Sweden in the north, with its main area of distribution being the Pannonian Basin and the West Siberian Plain. Pheasant’s eye is an herb. The parts…
Caraway belongs to carrot family Apiaceae. The plant is much branched, hollow stemmed and grows upto 30 to 80 cm high. The flowers are small and white in color which is borne in compound umbels. Fruit is 4 to 6 mm long by 1 to 1.5 mm wide and is light brown in color. Caraway root is recognized as a tap root as well as grows in the slender form to around eight to nine inches long. It features a yellow tone into it so when cooked, becomes a rich creamy white color. Caraway is cultivated in Mediterranean, Europe, Middle and…
Polemonium reptans commonly known as Abscess Root, Creeping or Spreading Jacob’s Ladder, False Jacob’s Ladder, American Greek Valerian, Blue bells, Stairway to Heaven, Sweatroot, Skunk Weed, Onechte Jacobsladder and Polemonie Fausse is a flowering plant in the polemoniaceae (phlox family) and genus Polemonium, native to eastern North America. Abscess root is also called “false Jacob’s ladder,” because it has astringent activity similar to Jacob’s ladder. These two plants are used in similar ways, but differ chemically. It also gets its common name from the pairs of opposite leaflets on the compound leaves which resemble a series of steps on a…