Chinese Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) is a woody, deciduous, perennial climbing vine in the genus Wisteria, native to China. It is a really beautiful twining deciduous vine. In springtime it leafs out and flowers with large, drooping, grape like clusters of purple-blue, fragrant flowers. This tough woody vine often climbs high into tree canopy when grown in mild winter climates.

The leaves are compound and consist of 7 to 13 leaflets to about 3 in in length. The flowers are followed by attractive velvety pods 6 in in length. In winter, wisteria is a tangled mass of naked woody stems that may or may not be picturesque depending on culture and circumstance. It is usually very long lived and trunks can become quite large and attractively gnarly with age.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order : Fabales
Family : Fabaceae
Subfamily : Faboideae
Tribe : Millettieae
Genus : Wisteria
Species : Wisteria sinensis

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Fabaceae (fab-AY-see-ay) - The Faba (broad bean) family, (formerly Leguminosae).
• Wisteria (wis-TEER-ee-uh) - Named for Caspar Wistar, 18th century American professor of anatomy.
• sinensis (sy-NEN-sis) - Of or from China.

Common Names:

• Chinese Wisteria

Links:

• Floridata - Chinese Wisteria
• Flowers of India - Chinese Wisteria
• BBC Gardening : Plant Finder - Chinese Wisteria

Golden Cane Palm (Dypsis lutescens) is a species of palm, native to Madagascar. It is clump-growing with ringed, bamboo-like stems and yellow leaf-ribs. The foliage is evergreen, of fine texture and yellow-green in color. Pinnate, 6 to 8 pale green leaves per stem, 80 to 100 leaflets, to 8 feet long. Yellow if grown with enough light, 2 feet long. Yellow male and female flowers on the same inflorescence. Flower stalk coming from below the leaves. Fruit is yellow to purple, 2 cm, oval in shape.

This is one of the most useful Palms of the tropics the world around. It is grown as an ornamental plant in gardens in tropical and subtropical regions, and elsewhere indoors.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Liliopsida
Order : Arecales
Family : Arecaceae
Genus : Dypsis
Species : Dypsis lutescens

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Arecaceae (ar-ek-AY-see-ay) - The Palm family (formerly Palmae).
• Dypsis (DIP-sis) - Of unknown derivation.
• lutescens (loo-TESS-enz) - Yellowish.

Common Names:

• Golden Cane Palm, Areca Palm, Butterfly Palm, Madagascar Palm

Links:

• Flowers of India - Golden Cane Palm
• Floridata - Golden Cane Palm

Image Courtesy of Shaista Ahmad.

Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) is a small annual flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe. It is an annual plant growing to 40-90 cm tall, with grey-green branched stems. The leaves are lanceolate, 1-4 cm long. The flowers are most commonly an intense blue colour, produced in flower heads 1.5-3 cm diameter, with a ring of a few large, spreading ray florets surrounding a central cluster of disc florets.

The annual blue cornflower is a slender plant of great charm. Its rich shades of blue are much sought after, both for garden decoration and for flower arrangements. It is grown as an ornamental plant in gardens, where several cultivars have been selected with varying pastel colours, including pink and purple. In herbalism a decoction of cornflower is effective in treating conjunctivitis, and as a wash for tired eyes.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order : Asterales
Family : Asteraceae
Genus : Centaurea
Species : Centaurea cyanus

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Asteraceae (ass-ter-AY-see-ay) - The Aster (daisy) family; formerly Compositae.
• Centaurea (sen-TAR-ee-uh) - Latin, referring to the Centaur Chiron who discovered the medicinal uses of the plant that came to be known as Centaury.
• cyanus (SY-an-us) - Blue.

Common Names:

• Cornflower, Bachelor’s Button, Basket Flower, Bluebottle, Boutonniere Flower, Hurtsickle

Links:

• Plants for a future - Cornflower
• BBC Gardening : Plant Finder - Cornflower

Image Courtesy of refmo.

One-sided Bottlebrush (Calothamnus quadrifidus) is a shrub from the south-west of Western Australia. Its common name is the One-sided Bottlebrush which alludes to the arrangement of the stamens of its inflorescence which line up on one side of the stem. It usually grows to around 2.5 metres in height and width and it flowers from mid-winter to early summer.

It has red, white and yellow flower forms, with the red flowered form most commonly seen in cultivation. The leaves are linear, about 30 mm long and 1-2 mm wide. Flowers occur in one-sided clusters in spring and are usually bright red but yellowish forms are known. Flowers are followed by woody seed capsules which retain the seed for many years. Propagation is easy from seed and presumably from cuttings.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order : Myrtales
Family : Myrtaceae
Genus : Calothamnus
Species : Calothamnus quadrifidus

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Myrtaceae (mir-TAY-see-ay) - The Myrtle family.
• Calothamnus (kal-oh-THAM-nus) - From the Greek kalos (beautiful) and thamnos (shrub).
• quadrifidus (kwad-RIF-ee-dus) - Four clefts; split into 4 parts.

Common Names:

• One-sided Bottlebrush, Australian Net Bush

Links:

• Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plants (ASGAP) - One-sided Bottlebrush

Image Courtesy of Van Swearingen.

Black-Eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia alata) is a twining perennial vine, which is used like an ornamental plant. The leaves are heart or arrow-shaped, softly hairy and sometimes toothed. Many flowers are borne singly in leaf axils with a small calyx enclosed in 2 large, ridged bracts. The corolla is obliquely trumpet-shaped and is usually bright orange in wild plants. The inside of the tube is a striking dark maroon or purplish black. Nurseries also have variants with white, cream- or peach-coloured, yellow to deep orange or nearly red flowers. The fruit is like a bird’s head with a spherical base and a long ‘beak’.

This plant flowers all summer but can continue all year in warmer areas. They are a great plant for hanging baskets or for trellises. They are fast growers and bloom quickly from seed. They are native to tropical Africa.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Subclass : Asteridae
Order : Lamiales
Family : Acanthaceae
Genus : Thunbergia
Species : Thunbergia alata

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Acanthaceae (ah-kanth-AY-see-ay) - The Acanthus family (from the Greek ákantha, meaning thorn, spine, or spike).
• Thunbergia (thun-BER-jee-uh) - Named for Carl Peter Thunberg, 19th century Swedish botanist.
• alata (a-LAY-tuh) - Winged.

Common Names:

• Black-Eyed Susan Vine

Links:

• Plantz Africa - Black-Eyed Susan Vine
• Missouri Botanical Garden : Plant Finder - Black-Eyed Susan Vine
• Plant of the week - Black-Eyed Susan Vine

Silver Banksia (Banksia marginata) is a species of tree or woody shrub in the plant genus Banksia. It is typically a medium shrub about 2 metres high by a similar spread but also occurs as a scrambling, prostrate plant and as a small to medium-sized tree. Leaves are linear, 15 to 60 mm long by 3 to 13 mm wide often with recurved (rolled under) margins. The leaf margins and tip may have small serrations. The upper surface of the leaves is dull green and the under surface is silvery, giving the plant its common name.

The flowers occur in cylindrical spikes which are 50 to 100mm long, 40 to 60mm wide and pale yellow in colour. The seeds are enclosed in follicles attached to a woody cone and are generally retained within the cone until burnt. Fire-sensitive and fire resistant forms are known. The former rely solely on seed for regeneration while the latter can regenerate from both seed and from vegetative growth from a lignotuber.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order : Proteales
Family : Proteaceae
Genus : Banksia
Species : Banksia marginata

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Proteaceae (pro-tee-AY-see-ay) - The Protea family.
• Banksia (BANGK-see-a) - Named for Sir Joseph Banks, 19th century botanist and President of the Royal Society.
• marginata (mar-jen-AY-tuh) - Margined.

Common Names:

• Silver Banksia

Links:

• Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plants (ASGAP) - Silver Banksia
• Metro Trees - Silver Banksia
• Plants for a future - Silver Banksia

Image Courtesy of Gary Ashley.

Dwarf Jamaican Heliconia (Heliconia stricta) is a “running” species of Heliconia, commonly found in the Caribbean islands, Central America and South America. This Heliconia grows in clumps to 6 ft with a spread of 5 ft. It has 6 ft long banana-like leaves. Each inflorescence has red or orange bracts edged with green. Dwarf Jamaican grows well in pots and is known to tolerate variable temperatures more than other Heliconias.

It blooms all year and can be planted in full sun to semi-shade. It can be propagated by clump division or rhizome.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Liliopsida
Order : Zingiberales
Family : Heliconiaceae
Genus : Heliconia
Species : Heliconia stricta

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Heliconia (hel-ih-KOH-nee-uh) - Named for Helicon, the mountain of the muses in Greek mythology.
• stricta (STRIK-tuh) - Erect, upright.

Common Names:

• Dwarf Jamaican Heliconia, Firebird

Links:

• Top Tropicals - Dwarf Jamaican Heliconia
• ZipCodeZoo - Dwarf Jamaican Heliconia

Image Courtesy of Michael Palmer.

Cockspur Coral Tree (Erythrina crista-galli) is a flowering tree in the family Fabaceae, native to Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay. It is a deciduous and thorny tree that is native to South America, and that can reach up to 20 ft (6 m) tall, although it is often smaller. Also, it bears striking deep-red flowers in summer. The leaves of the cockspur coral tree are deciduous, alternate and composed. This Erythrina has red-coral to bright red flowers, which generally appear in summer.

Flowers are grouped in clusters, and are typical of the Fabaceae family. It can be propagated by seeds, air-layers or cuttings.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order : Fabales
Family : Fabaceae
Subfamily : Faboideae
Tribe : Phaseoleae
Genus : Erythrina
Species : Erythrina crista-galli

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Fabaceae (fab-AY-see-ay) - The Faba (broad bean) family, (formerly Leguminosae).
• Erythrina (er-ith-RY-nuh) - Red coloured.
• crista-galli (KRIS-tuh GAL-ee) - Cock’s comb.

Common Names:

• Cockspur Coral Tree, Cry Baby Tree, Fireman’s Cap Tree, Brazilian Coral Tree

Links:

• Plants for a future - Cockspur Coral Tree

Image Courtesy of Linda De Volder.

Carambola (Averrhoa carambola) is a slow growing tree from the Malay Region. In nature, the trees will reach about 30 feet tall and about half as wide. The alternate, odd-pinnate leaves are somewhat sensitive — leaves fold together at night, much like mimosas. The trees produce a fruit known as a star fruit, which is an astringent fruit with a sweet and sour flavour. The slow growing nature of these trees makes them an excellent container tree. It is best propagated from seed.

The fruit is rich in juice to the extent that one can make wine out of them. In Burma, it is used for making Tea pickle. In western cuisines, it’s unique shape lends itself mainly as a garnish. Carambola wood is white, becoming reddish with age; close-grained, medium-hard. It has been utilized for construction and furniture.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order : Oxalidales
Family : Oxalidaceae
Genus : Averrhoa
Species : Averrhoa carambola

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Averrhoa (av-er-OH-uh) - Named for Averrhoes, an Arabian physician.
• carambola (kah-rahm-BOH-luh) - Latin form of an Aboriginal name.

Common Names:

• Carambola, Starfruit, Chinese Star Fruit, Five-angled Fruit, Star Apple, Bilimbi, Belimbing, Coromandel Gooseberry

Links:

• California Rare Fruit Growers - Carambola
• Plant of the Week - Carambola
• Purdue University : Center for New Crops & Plant Products - Carambola

Image Courtesy of Man-wah Leung.

Jade Plant (Crassula ovata syn. Crassula argentea, Crassula portulacea) is a large well-branched, compact, rounded, evergreen shrub 1-3 m tall with glossy, dark grey-green, oval, succulent leaves and rounded heads of pink flowers in winter-spring. The stem is stout and gnarled and gives the impression of great age, and its branches are also short and stubby but well-proportioned. Branches are succulent, grey-green in colour and in older specimens the bark peels in horizontal brownish strips.

The leaves are 30-90 mm long and 18-40 mm wide, egg-shaped to elliptic, often with a red margin and a somewhat pointed end. They are in opposite pairs, the one pair arranged at right angles to the next, and they are clustered towards the ends of the branches. The bush is covered in masses of sweetly scented, pretty pale-pink, star-shaped flowers in tight rounded bunches during the cool winter months (June-August). The flowers develop into small capsules, each holding many tiny seeds.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order : Saxifragales
Family : Crassulaceae
Genus : Crassula
Species : Crassula ovata

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Crassulaceae (krass-yoo-LAY-see-ay) - The Crassula family, so named because of the thick leaves.
• Crassula (KRASS-oo-la) - Somewhat thickened foliage; diminutive of the Latin crassus (thick, fleshy).
• ovata (oh-VAY-tuh) - Ovate in shape.

Common Names:

• Jade Plant, Jade Tree, Money Tree, Dollar Plant, Friendship Tree

Links:

• Plantz Africa - Jade Plant
• Succulent Plant Page - Jade Plant
• The Liverpool Branch of the British Cactus and Succulent Society - How to grow Jade Plant

Image Courtesy of Joey Ignacio.

Spanish Cherry (Mimusops elengi) is a lovely green small tree of the Indian subcontinent. With its small shiny, thick, narrow, pointed leaves, straight trunk and spreading branches, it is a prized ornamental specimen because it provides a dense shade and during the months from March to July fills the night air with the delicious heady aroma of its tiny cream coloured flowers. Flowers are small, star-shaped, yellowish white in colour, with a crown rising from the centre. Oval leaves, wavy at margin, about 5-16 cm and 3-7 cm wide. In the morning the fragrant flowers which so graciously scented their surroundings with their deep, rich, fragrance during the evening hours, fall to the ground.

It is used in the treatment and maintenance of oral hygiene. Rinsing mouth with water solution made with bakul helps in strengthening the teeth. It also prevents bad breath and helps keep the gums healthy.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order : Ericales
Family : Sapotaceae
Genus : Mimusops
Species : Mimusops elengi

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Mimusops (my-MOO-sops)
• elengi (EL-en-gee)

Common Names:

• Spanish Cherry, Bullet Wood (English)
• Maulsari (Hindi)
• Bakuli (Marathi)
• Magizhamboo (Tamil)
• Ilanni (Malayalam)
• Ranjal (Kannada)
• Bokul lei (Manipuri)
• Barsoli (Gujarati)
• Omval (Konkani)
• Bakul (Bengali)
• Kirakuli (Urdu)

Links:

• Flowers of India - Spanish Cherry
• ZipCodeZoo - Spanish Cherry

Eastern Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) is a low growing, foul smelling plant that prefers wetlands. It is the only species in the genus, although the genus Lysichiton is similar. The leaves are large, 40-55 cm long and 30-40 cm broad. It flowers early in the year; the flowers are produced in a 5-10 cm long spadix contained within a spathe, 10-15 cm tall and mottled purple in colour. It flowers in the early spring, when only the flowers are visible above the mud, with the stems buried below and the leaves emerging later. The rhizome is often 30 cm thick.

Skunk Cabbage is a splendid thing for hoarseness and sore throat, taken internally and used as a gargle. It is good in all cases of consumption where there is nervous irritation of the windpipe and bronchial tubes. The roots are the parts that are to be used.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Liliopsida
Order : Alismatales
Family : Araceae
Genus : Symplocarpus
Species : Symplocarpus foetidus

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Araceae (a-RAY-see-ay) - The Aroid or Arum family.
• Symplocarpus (sim-plo-KAR-pus) - From the Greek symploke (combination) and karpos (fruit), referring to the way the ovaries grow together to form fruit.
• foetidus (FET-uh-dus) - Stinking.

Common Names:

• Eastern Skunk Cabbage, Clumpfoot Cabbage, Foetid Pothos, Meadow Cabbage, Polecat Weed, Skunk Cabbage, Swamp Cabbage, Skunk Weed, Stinking Poke

Links:

• Connecticut Botanical Society - Eastern Skunk Cabbage
• The Nature Institute - Eastern Skunk Cabbage
• Plants for a future - Eastern Skunk Cabbage

Image Courtesy of ophis.

Firespike (Odontonema strictum) is native to Central America. It is an attractive, compact shrub that will reach 6 feet in nature and about 3 feet in containers. It has oblong leaves that are 6 inches (15 cm) long. When used as a shrub or patio plant it is a great hummingbird attractor. Firespike likes moist but well-drained soil. Once established it can tolerate all but the longest droughts. Softwood cuttings are very easy to root, and they will bloom in their first year.

The strikingly beautiful crimson flowers and glossy/shiny leaves of firespike brighten the fall landscape. Firespike is a must-have for southern butterfly and hummingbird gardens.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order : Scrophulariales
Family : Acanthaceae
Genus : Odontonema
Species : Odontonema strictum

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Acanthaceae (ah-kanth-AY-see-ay) - The Acanthus family (from the Greek ákantha, meaning thorn, spine, or spike).
• Odontonema (oh-don-toh-NEM-uh) - Tooth thread, referring to stamens.
• strictum (STRIK-tum) - Erect, upright.

Common Names:

• Firespike, Cardinal Guard, Scarlet Flame

Links:

• Floridata - Firespike
• Plant of the Week - Firespike
• University of Florida : IFAS Extension - Firespike

Image Courtesy of Dinesh Valke.

Octopus Tree (Schefflera actinophylla syn. Brassaia actinophylla) is a tree in the Araliaceae family. It is native to tropical rainforests in Australia, New Guinea and Java. It is an erect shrub or small tree getting up to 40 ft tall. The plant grows with multiple trunks, each topped with a small crown of large showy leaves. The compound leaves form an umbrella shaped rosette which gives the tree one of its common names. Ten to fifteen stalks of bright red flowers appear in summer and are followed by round dark berries.

Schefflera is commonly grown as a house plant where it stays in a juvenile condition, rarely exceeding a couple feet in height, and never blooming. This tree has become one of the most popular of indoor house plants.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order : Apiales
Family : Araliaceae
Subfamily : Aralioideae
Genus : Schefflera
Species : Schefflera actinophylla

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Schefflera (shef-LER-uh) - Named for Jacob Christoph Scheffler, 18th century German botanist.
• actinophylla (ak-ten-oh-FIL-uh) - Radiating leaves.

Common Names:

• Octopus Tree, Umbrella Tree, Brassaia, Schefflera

Links:

• Flowers of India - Octopus Tree
• Floridata - Octopus Tree
• Tropical Plants Library Online - Octopus Tree

Image Courtesy of mauroguanandi.

American Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton americanus syn. Lysichitum americanum) is a hardy rhizomatous herbaceous perennial, originating in America. Grown for bright yellow spathes which appear in spring. The name comes from the smell of the flower, which is attractive to pollinating insects and is said to be like a combination of skunk, carrion and garlic.

It is a native of peat bogs and marshes and, given an acid soil with plenty of wet humus, it will settle down after a season or two and produce its startling flower-head in mid-spring. The flowers themselves are tiny and clustered on a cylindrical spike or spadix. This is surrounded by a beautiful and conspicuous bright yellow spathe, which is gradually overtaken by the developing huge leaves. Plants may also be grown in shallow water at the edge of the pond.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Liliopsida
Order : Alismatales
Family : Araceae
Genus : Lysichiton
Species : Lysichiton americanus

Pronunciation/Meaning:

• Araceae (a-RAY-see-ay) - The Aroid or Arum family.
• Lysichiton (ly-sih-KY-ton) - From the Greek lysis (loosening) and chiton (cloak); as the fruit ripens the spathe is removed from the spadix.
• americanus (a-mer-ih-KAY-nus) - Of the Americas.

Common Names:

• American Skunk Cabbage, Western Skunk Cabbage, Yellow Skunk Cabbage

Links:

• Royal Horticultural Society - American Skunk Cabbage
• BBC Gardening : Plant Finder - American Skunk Cabbage

Image Courtesy of dphershman.