Croton bonplandianus, also called Bonpland’s croton or monkey face, is a great medicine plant in the family Euphorbiaceae Juss. The plant is native to warm and subtropical parts of the Americas, such as parts of South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Bonpland’s croton, Sangre de Grado, Sangue-de-drago, Drago, Dragon’s Blood, Dragon’s Blood palm, Croton plant, Red resin plant, Sangre de Drago tree, Peruvian croton, Dragon’s Blood tree, Sangre de Grado, Tento, Dragon’s Blood palm, Croton tree, Sangre de Drago palm, wild croton, fever nut, Yerba mora, Jarabe, Wild rose, velvetleaf croton, painted-leaf croton, blood of the dragon, Brazilian fever…
Author: Sylvia
The formal name for Coastal Pigface is Carpobrotus acinaciformis. It is a low-growing plant in the Fig-marigold family, Aizoaceae Martinov. This plant belongs to the family Aizoaceae and is loved for its unique look, ability to survive in dry conditions, and ability to adapt to difficult coastal conditions. The plant is native to South Africa, but it has become naturalized in many other places around the world, especially along the coasts of southern Australia (including parts of Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales), California, and the Mediterranean, which all have a similar climate. Pigface Ice Plant, Sea…
Erythrina crista-galli is the formal name for the Cockspur Coral Tree or Cry-baby tree. It is a flowering tree in the Fabaceae Lindl. (Pea family), which has about 130 species and grows in tropical and subtropical areas all over the world. The plant comes from eastern Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern Argentina. It has become a naturalized species along the coasts of eastern Australia, especially in south-eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales. It has also sometimes become a naturalized species in northern Queensland. It may have also moved into the seaside areas of central New South Wales.…
Prunus davidiana, also called Persica davidiana, is a tree in the family Rosaceae in the genus Prunus. The plant comes from East Asia, which includes China, Korea, and Japan. Some common names for the plants are David’s Plum, Chinese Plum, Indian Olive, David’s peach, Sweet Olive Plum, Madagascar Plum, Sweet Olive, Indian Plum, Malay Gooseberry, Batoko Plum, Himalayan Plum, Malayan Olive, Kedondong, Governor’s Plum, Orange berry, Prickly Plum, Ganda, Chinese wild peach, and Nthlaba. The formal name “Prunus davidiana” is in honor of Armand David, a French missionary and botanist who found and wrote about the plant in the late…
Portulaca quadrifida is a type of flowering plant in the Purslane family (Portulacaceae Dumort.) and the Portulaca genus. It is also known as pusley, wild Purslane, chicken weed, or chicken weed. The plant comes from warm Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, India, and South East Asia. It is very common in the tropics of the Old World and has been brought to other places. Some of the popular common names of the plants are Four-leafed Pigweed, Duckweed, Alligator weed, Purslane-leaved Pigweed, Moss Rose, Garden Purslane, Broadleaf Portulaca, Four-leafed Portulaca, Chicken weed, Wild Purslane, Red Pigweed, Summer Purslane, common Purslane, Yellow Pigweed,…
Rumex alpinus, also known as Alpine dock, monk’s-rhubarb, or Munk’s rhubarb, is a leafy annual plant in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae Juss. The plant comes from mountainous and semi-mountainous areas in Europe and Asia. It grows in mountainous places like the Alps, Carpathians, Pyrenees, Caucasus, Siberia, Mongolia, and northern China. However, its current range has been changed in part by the fact that it was used as a vegetable and medicine in the past. Alpine sorrel, Alpine sour leaf, Mountain sorrel, Alpine wild rhubarb, Alpine field sorrel, Field dock, Alpine dock weed, Alpine sour dock, Alpine knotweed, Alpine sour grass,…
Pyrus pashia, also known as Pyrus pashia or the Himalayan Pear is a species of pear tree that belongs to the Rosaceae family. This is the same family as apples and cherries, which are also fruit-bearing trees. The plant grows all over the Himalayas, from Pakistan to Vietnam and from the southern state of China to the northern part of India. It is also found in Afghanistan, Iran, Nepal, Bhutan, and Kashmir. Himalayan wild pear, Wild Himalayan pear, Nepalese pear, Indian pear, Nepal pear, Pyrus calleryana Himalayan, Chalpat pear, Kainth, Kaiphal, Pashia pear, Khejur, Kainthola, Kainthola Choti, Kangoo, Kithela,…
The formal name for frog fruit or fog fruit is Phyla nodiflora. It is a flowering plant with broad leaves that belongs to the Verbenaceae J. St.-Hil. The plant is native to North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia, and it can be found in many other places around the world. Many people think of this plant as a weed because it grows in fields, especially those that are watered often. Some common names for the plants are Frog fruit, Trailing clusterweed, Fog fruit, Cat’s foot, Carpetweed, Sawtooth fogfruit, wild long pepper, Turkey-tangle frogfruit, Capeweed, Turkey tangle fogfruit, Frog…
The Himalayan Balsam, also called Impatiens glandulifera, is an invasive species of tall annual plant in the family Balsaminaceae A. Rich. It is also known as the Himalayan Balsam. (Family of touch-me-nots). The plant is native to the foothills of the Himalayas in Asia, especially India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet. But it has been brought to many other parts of the world, such as Austria, New Zealand, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Croatia, Denmark, Liechtenstein, Estonia, Switzerland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, Finland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Romania, Montenegro, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Germany, Spain, Canada, Sweden, the United States, and…
Erigeron Multiradiatus, also called Himalayan fleabane, is a flowering plant species from Asia. It is a member of the Asteraceae Bercht. & J. Presl (Aster family), which is one of the largest plant groups and has many flowering plants in it. It belongs to the genus Erigeron, which has about 350 species all over the world. The plant grows at high altitudes in the mountains of Iran, Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Tibet. It is also found in parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas in the southwestern United States, as well as in some parts of Mexico. Himalayan Fleabane,…
The scientific name for African Mustard is Brassica tournefortii. It is a type of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae Burnett, which also includes other mustard plants and cruciferous veggies. The plant is native to Spain, Italy, Greece, northern Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and northern Libya in northern Africa, western Asia, and Pakistan. It has spread to many parts of southern and central Australia, including southern and central Queensland, many parts of New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia, southern and central Western Australia, and the southern parts of the Northern Territory. It also naturalized only rarely in the…
The formal name for the Benghal dayflower is Commelina benghalensis. It is a species of flowering plant in the family of spiderworts called Commelinaceae Mirb. It is native to Africa (i.e. Cameroon, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Congo, Somalia, Nigeria, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi, South Africa, Benin, Lesotho, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Togo, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland), the Arabian Peninsula (i.e. Saudi Arabia), the Indian Sub-continent (i.e. Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka), southern China, Japan and south-eastern Asia (i.e. Indo-china, Indonesia and the Philippines). Some common names for the plants are Benghal dayflower, Indian dayflower, Jio,…
The Giant Ironweed is a perennial blooming plant with the scientific name Vernonia gigantea. It is a member of the Asteraceae family, which includes a wide range of flowering plants. It is in the genus Vernonia, which has about 1,000 kinds all over the world. The specific name for the Giant Ironweed is Vernonia gigantea, which makes it stand out within the group. This plant is native to the eastern and central parts of North America. It grows naturally from the eastern United States to New York state and Ontario in the north, and from Texas in the southwest to…
Indian Fleabane, scientifically known as Pluchea indica, is an extraordinary flowering plant that belongs to the esteemed Asteraceae family. The Pluchea genus is made up of about 80 different species that live in warm and subtropical areas all over the world. It looks beautiful in a lot of different places, like the beautiful open spaces of East Asia, which include Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, among others. Its natural beauty also spreads to Africa and the Americas, where it can be found in countries like India, Japan, Ethiopia, Mexico, and Brazil. Notably, this…
Melilotus Indicus, also called Sour Clover or Yellow Sweet Clover, is an interesting herb that comes from the Fabaceae Lindl. family, which is more widely known as the Pea family. This interesting plant comes from India, the Mediterranean, and south-western Europe. Over time, it has spread all over the world and become naturalized in places like Europe, the United Kingdom, southern and Pacific North America, Chile, Australia, Japan, southern Africa, Hawaii, and New Zealand. It now grows well on every continent. Some of the names for it are sweet clover, Bokhara clover, sour clover, common melilot, annual yellow sweet clover,…
Scarlet Caterpillarclub fungus, also called the Cordyceps Militaris mushroom, is a unique species that belongs to the family Cordycipitaceae and the genus Cordyceps. This parasitic fungus is known for its powerful medicinal qualities and wide use in traditional Chinese medicine. It mostly attacks insects, especially caterpillars. Cordyceps Militaris grows well in high-altitude areas, especially in the beautiful mountains of Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, and different parts of China. Because of this, traditional Tibetan, Chinese, and Ayurvedic medicine groups have a lot of respect for it. It is a valuable natural resource because it can make people healthier, help them live longer,…
Onion weed or Onion-leaved Asphodel scientifically known as Asphodelus Fistulosus is a perennial herbaceous plant that belongs to the Asphodelaceae family. It is also known as Onion-leaved Asphodel, Onion weed, Jacob’s rod, Hollow-stemmed Asphodel, asphodelus, Onion weed, Asphodel-leaved onion, Wild asparagus, Onion asphodel, Wild onion, Egyptian onion, asphodel, and common onion weed. It gets the name “hollow-stemmed asphodel” because it has a long, cylinder-shaped stem. This plant was originally from the Mediterranean area, which includes North Africa, the Middle East, and southern Europe. It has since spread around the world and can now be found in North America, Australia, and…
Macroptilium lathyroides, which is also called Phasey bean or cowpea, is a legume that has been grown for its tasty seeds for hundreds of years. This plant is a proud member of the Pea family. It is in the genus Macroptilium and the family Fabaceae Lindl. This plant is native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, but it has spread all over the world and is now an invasive species in many tropical and subtropical areas. Because of how famous it is, it has been brought to Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa, and the southern United States. This…
Toona ciliata is a large tree that loses its leaves every year. It is a member of the Mahogany family (Meliaceae Juss. ), which includes important woods like African mahogany and American mahogany. This tree is also called Indian Mahogany, Toon, Tuna, Red cedar, Surian, Australian Red Cedar, Burma Cedar, Lud, Toona Tree, Indian cedar, Moulmein cedar, Australian-cedar, Toon tree, red toon, Queensland red cedar, Sandal neem, and Chinese mahogany. Because of its pretty leaves and fragrant flowers, Toona ciliata is often used as a decorative tree in parks and gardens. The plant comes from tropical parts of eastern and…
Kalantas also spelled calantas, scientifically known as Toona calantas, is an evergreen tree belonging to the Meliaceae family, which includes other well-known trees like mahogany and neem. The plant is native to Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. Few of the popular common names of the plants are Philippine mahogany, Red cedar, Kalantas (also spelled calantas), Toog and Philippine-cedar. Toona Calantas is extensively cultivated in the Philippines for its valuable wood, which is resistant to decay and insects. Its wood is used for building houses, furniture, and boats due to its durability. The tree also produces edible…
Kenaf, which has the formal name Hibiscus cannabinus, has been used as a fiber crop in Africa for more than 6,000 years. It is now grown in many warm and subtropical parts of the world, such as Asia, Australia, and the Americas. This plant is a part of the mallow family, which also includes cotton, okra, and hibiscus, which are all well-known crops. Kenaf is grown not only for its fiber, but also for its oil. It is also used as a food item and a medicine plant. The leaves of the plant are sold in local shops, while its…
Cornus sanguinea, also called common dogwood or red dogwood, is a member of the Dogwood family (Cornaceae Bercht. & J. Presl). This beautiful plant is native to temperate parts of Europe, Turkey, the Caucasus, and Western Asia. It can be found as far east as the Caspian Sea. With its wide spread, it’s no wonder that the common dogwood is a highly sought-after ornamental plant. In fact, it is so popular that it goes by many names, including bloody twig, Blood twig dogwood, Dogberry, Dogwood, Pegwood, Red dogwood, Flowering Dogwood, Pacific Dogwood, Cornelian Cherry Dogwood, Red Osier Dogwood, Gray Dogwood,…
Ammannia baccifera, also called Blistering Ammannia, is a beautiful water plant in the family Lythraceae J. St.-Hil. This exotic plant is from warm and subtropical Asia and Africa, but you can now find it in many places, like Greece, Australia, China, and parts of Europe. In India, it can be found in Darjeeling, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu, among other places. This plant is known for its striking beauty and many uses. It is also known as Tooth cup, Blistering joy weed, and Red Rotala. It has been used for hundreds of years to treat skin diseases and to get rid…
The Indian Acalypha, which has the scientific name Acalypha indica, is a “wonder herb” that has been used for hundreds of years in traditional treatment. It is a small plant with branches that is in the family Euphorbiaceae Juss. and the genus Acalypha. This perennial plant is from Eastern and Southern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, India, and South East Asia. It has spread to other parts of the world, such as the islands in the Indian Ocean, Central America, and Samoa. Indian nettle, Indian copperleaf, three-seeded mercury, Indian acalypha, Indian mercury, Copperleaf, and Poiret’s copperleaf are all names for the…
Melothria pendula, which is also called Guadeloupe cucumber or growing cucumber. This plant is in the same family as cucumbers, melons, and pumpkins, which is called Cucurbitaceae Juss. It started in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, but has now spread to other parts of the world, including parts of East Asia, Africa, and North America. Melothria pendula is also called Creeping Cucumber, Drooping Melonette, Guadeloupe Cucumber, Little Cucumber, Squirting Cucumber, Wild Cucumber, Small Wild Cucumber, Meloncito, Diversely-Leaved Melothria, Climbing Cucumber, and Speckled Gourd. Melothria pendula is a plant whose name comes from the Greek word Melothron, which…
Symphytum tuberosum, which is also called Tuberous Comfrey, is a fascinating perennial plant in the same family as borage and forget-me-nots. This plant came from Europe and western Asia, but now it is also in North America. Tuberous comfrey, also known as Tuber comfrey, tuberous-rooted comfrey, Creeping Comfrey, Knit bone, blue Comfrey, Heal-all, Gum Plant, Boneset, Slippery Root, Ass’s Ears, Russian Comfrey, Healing Herb, Black wort, Bruise wort, Wall Comfrey, True Comfrey and Quaker Comfrey, is a very useful herb that has been used in traditional medicine in many ways. The word “Symphytum” comes from the Greek word “sumfuton,” which…
The scientific name for Buffalo Spinach is Enydra fluctuans. It is a perennial herb in the family Asteraceae Bercht. & J. Presl, which is one of the largest flowering plant groups. In this family are plants like sunflowers, daisies, and chrysanthemums, which are all well-known. The plant is native to warm Asia and Africa and has Indo-Chinese roots. It grows in the wild and is sometimes grown in South-East Asian countries. It is very common in Bangladesh, Malaysia, China, and the rest of South East Asia and Tropical Africa. This plant is mostly found in the north-eastern part of India,…
The American chestnut, also called Castanea dentata, used to be a huge, beautiful tree that ruled the woods in the eastern United States. This big tree with leaves that fall off was an important part of the environment from Georgia to Mississippi and even as far north as southern Maine and southern Ontario. The genus name of this tree comes from the Latin name for a tree that grows in large numbers in the town of Castania in Thessaly. This tree is also known as the American chestnut, toothed chestnut, and American sweet chestnut. Its name, which means “toothed,” comes…
The breathtakingly beautiful Strongylodon macrobotrys, known by its popular names Jade vine or Emerald vine is actually a plant species that belongs to the distinguished pea family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae). With close relations to kidney and runner beans, this rare and exotic plant is native to the tropical rainforests of Philippines, particularly Catanduanes, Luzon, and Mindoro, where it elegantly crawls up towering trees for searching sunlight. Tragically, this stunning plant is on the brink of extinction due to the rampant deforestation that has ruined its natural environment. However, thanks to careful cultivation in the Philippines and in nurseries and gardens across…
The sea apple is a beautiful tree with the formal name Syzygium grande. It is a member of the Myrtaceae Juss. family, which is also called the Myrtle family. People all over the world love this tree, which is native to Borneo, Andaman Islands, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Brunei, China (Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Yunnan and Hubei), Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Sumatra, and India. It is no wonder, given its numerous common names, including Sea Apple, Kilat Jambu, Jambu Ayer Laut, Jambu Laut, Jambu Air Laut, Jembah, Keriang Batu, Jambu Jembah, Kerian Ayer, Kerian Acheh and Ubah.…