acobaea maritima

Jacobaea maritima (silver ragwort) (formerly known as Senecio cineraria) is a perennial plant species in the genus Jacobaea in the family Asteraceae, native to the Mediterranean region. It was formerly placed in the genus Senecio, and is still widely referred to as Senecio cineraria; see the list of synonyms (right) for other names.
It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant for its white, felt-like tomentose leaves; in horticultural use, it is also sometimes called dusty miller, a name shared with several other plants that also have silvery tomentose leaves; the two most often to share the name are Centaurea cineraria and Lychnis coronaria.

Silver Ragwort is a very white-wooly, heat and drought tolerant evergreen subshrub growing to 0.5–1 m (1.6–3.3 ft) tall. The stems are stiff and woody at the base, densely branched, and covered in long, matted grey-white to white hairs. The leaves are pinnate or pinnatifid, 5–15 centimetres (2.0–5.9 in) long and 3–7 centimetres (1.2–2.8 in) broad, stiff, with oblong and obtuse segments, and like the stems, covered with long, thinly to thickly matted with grey-white to white hairs; the lower leaves are petiolate and more deeply lobed, the upper leaves sessile and less lobed.

The tomentum is thickest on the underside of the leaves, and can become worn off on the upper side, leaving the top surface glabrous with age. The flowers are yellow, daisy-like in dense capitula 12–15 millimetres (0.47–0.59 in) diameter, with central disc florets surrounded by a ring of 10–13 ray florets, and enclosed in a common whorl of bracts at the base of the capitulum. The seeds are cylindrical achenes.

Gaillardia pulchella

Gaillardia pulchella (firewheel, Indian blanket, Indian blanketflower, Indian paintbrush, or sundance), is a North American species of short-lived perennial or annual flowering plants in the sunflower family. It is native to northern Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Sonora, Tamaulipas) and the southern and central United States from Arizona east to Florida and the Carolinas and north as far as Nebraska. It is also naturalized in scattered locations in other parts of the United States as well as in Québec, Ontario, China, South Africa, and parts of South and Central America.


The central disc florets of the flower head tend to be more red-violet, with the outer ray florets being yellow. In one variety, almost the entire flower is red, with only the barest tips of the petals touched with yellow. It blooms practically year-round in some areas, but more typically in summer to early fall. The fruit is an achene.
The branching stem of Gaillardia pulchella is hairy and upright, growing to 60 cm (2 ft) tall. The leaves are alternate, mostly basal, 4–8 cm long, with edges smooth to coarsely toothed or lobed. The pinwheel, daisy-like inflorescences are 4–6 cm in diameter, vividly colored with red, orange and yellow. 

Gaillardia pulchella is a hardy plant, not picky about soil, though sandy and well-drained are best. It has a high drought tolerance and does best with a dry, hot climate in full sun. Its vibrantly colored flowers can be seen carpeting fields and the sides of highways for miles in the summer to late fall. Favored by honeybees, it produces a dark reddish amber buttery tasting honey. In the garden, the flowers can be removed/deadheaded to promote further blooming. It self-seeds freely.

Dasiphora fruticosa

Dasiphora fruticosa (syn. Potentilla fruticosa L., Pentaphylloides fruticosa (L.) O.Schwarz) is a species of hardy deciduous flowering shrub in the genus Dasiphora (formerly Potentilla) of the family Rosaceae, native to the cool temperate and subarctic regions of the northern hemisphere, often growing at high altitudes in mountains. Common names include shrubby cinquefoil, golden hardhack, bush cinquefoil, shrubby five-finger, tundra rose, and widdy.

It grows to 0.1–1 m (3.9–39.4 in) tall, rarely up to 1.5 m (4.9 ft). The habit is variably upright to sprawling or prostrate, but stems are often ascending especially those stems with many long branches. The bark of older stems is shreddy with long thin strips. The plants are densely leafy, the leaves divided into five or seven (occasionally three or nine) pinnate leaflets. The leaflets are linear-oblong, 3–20 mm (0.1–0.8 in) long, with entire margins and more or less acute ends. 

The foliage (both leaves and young stems) is pubescent, variably covered in fine silky, silvery hairs about 1 mm long. The flowers are produced terminally on the stems and are 2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in) cm across, buttercup-shaped, with five petals and 15–25 stamens; the petals are pale to bright yellow (orange to reddish in some western Chinese populations). 

The fruit is a cluster of achenes covered with long hairs. The species is variably dioecious or bisexual; flowering is typically from early to late summer. It is normally found growing in moisture-retentive soils in swamps and rocky areas.

Shrubby cinquefoil is a popular ornamental plant in temperate regions. Different cultivars are variable with flowers ranging from white to yellow, orange and pink, but they are all hardy plants that produce flowers for much of the summer. The flowers are always small, flat, and round, but there are many dozens on each bush. It is very often used by cities and businesses for landscaping because of its hardiness and low maintenance. 

It was introduced into cultivation in the 18th century, but many of the modern cultivars, particularly those with orange or red flowers, derive from collections by Reginald Farrer in western China in the early 20th century. The vast majority of sellers and gardeners still use the old name Potentilla fruticosa.

Panicum virgatum

Panicum virgatum, commonly known as switchgrass, is a perennial warm season bunchgrass native to North America, where it occurs naturally from 55°N latitude in Canada southwards into the United States and Mexico. Switchgrass is one of the dominant species of the central North American tallgrass prairie and can be found in remnant prairies, in native grass pastures, and naturalized along roadsides. 

It is used primarily for soil conservation, forage production, game cover, as an ornamental grass, and more recently as a biomass crop for ethanol and butanol, in phytoremediation projects, fiber, electricity, and heat production and for biosequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Other common names for switchgrass include tall panic grass, Wobsqua grass, blackbent, tall prairiegrass, wild redtop, thatchgrass, and Virginia switchgrass.

Switchgrass is a hardy, deep-rooted, perennial rhizomatous grass that begins growth in late spring. It can grow up to 2.7 m high, but is typically shorter than big bluestem grass or indiangrass. The leaves are 30–90 cm long, with a prominent midrib. Switchgrass uses C4 carbon fixation, giving it an advantage in conditions of drought and high temperature. 

Its flowers have a well-developed panicle, often up to 60 cm long, and it bears a good crop of seeds. The seeds are 3–6 mm long and up to 1.5 mm wide, and are developed from a single-flowered spikelet. Both glumes are present and well developed. When ripe, the seeds sometimes take on a pink or dull-purple tinge, and turn golden brown with the foliage of the plant in the fall. Switchgrass is both a perennial and self-seeding crop, which means farmers do not have to plant and reseed after annual harvesting.

Once established, a switchgrass stand can survive for ten years or longer. Unlike corn, switchgrass can grow on marginal lands and requires relatively modest levels of chemical fertilizers. Overall, it is considered a resource-efficient, low-input crop for producing bioenergy from farmland.

Switchgrass is a versatile and adaptable plant. It can grow and even thrive in many weather conditions, lengths of growing seasons, soil types, and land conditions. Its distribution spans south of latitude 55°N from Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia, south over most of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, and further south into Mexico.

As a warm-season perennial grass, most of its growth occurs from late spring through early fall; it becomes dormant and unproductive during colder months. Thus, the productive season in its northern habitat can be as short as three months, but in the southern reaches of its habitat the growing season may be as long as eight months, around the Gulf Coast area.

Phaseolus coccineus

Phaseolus coccineus, known as runner bean, scarlet runner bean, or multiflora bean,is a plant in the legume or Fabaceae family.
It is grown both as a food plant and an ornamental plant.

This species originated from the mountains of Central America. Most varieties have red flowers and multicolored seeds (though some have white flowers and white seeds), and they are often grown as ornamental plants. The vine can grow to 3 m (9 ft) or more in length.
It differs from the common bean (P. vulgaris) in several respects: the cotyledons stay in the ground during germination, and the plant is a perennial vine with tuberous roots (though it is usually treated as an annual).

The knife-shaped pods are normally green; however, there are very rare varieties bred by amateurs that have very unusual purple pods. An example of such a purple-podded runner bean is 'Aeron Purple Star'.
Runner beans have also been called "Oregon lima bean", and in Nahuatl ayocotl or in Spanish ayocote.

Runner beans, like all beans contain the toxic protein phytohaemagglutinin and thus should be cooked well before eating.''

In the US, in 1978, the scarlet runner was widely grown for its attractive flowers primarily as an ornamental.[6] Since that time, many US gardeners have adopted the bean as a regular member of the vegetable garden. The flower is known as a favourite of hummingbirds. In the UK - where the vegetable is a popular choice for kitchen gardens and allotments - the flowers are often ignored, or treated as an attractive bonus to cultivating the plant for the beans.
The seeds of the plant can be used fresh or as dried beans. The pods are edible whole while they are young and not yet fibrous. The starchy roots are still eaten by Central American Indians.

The beans are used in many cuisines. It is a popular side vegetable in British cuisine. A variety named 'Judión de la Granja' producing large, white, edible beans is cultivated in San Ildefonso, Spain. It is the basis of a Segovian regional dish also named Judiones de la Granja, in which the beans are mixed with pig's ears, pig's trotters, and chorizo, amongst other ingredients.

In Greece, cultivars of the runner bean with white blossom and white beans are known as fasolia gigantes (φασόλια γίγαντες). They are grown under protective law in the north of Greece within the regions of Kato Nevrokopi, Florina and Kastoria.

The beans have an important role in Greek cuisine, appearing in many dishes. In Austria the coloured versions are cultivated and served as "Käferbohnen", a dish made of the dry beans with pumpkin seed oil. It is considered a typical dish of regional Austrian cuisine, but dried runner beans are also consumed to a small extent in Germany.

Campanula rotundifolia

Campanula rotundifolia (harebell) is a rhizomatous perennial flowering plant in the bellflower family native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
In Scotland, it is often known as the bluebell. Elsewhere in Britain, bluebell refers to Hyacinthoides non-scripta, and in North America, bluebell refers to Virginia bluebell. Campanula rotundifolia was historically also known by several other names including blawort, hair-bell, lady's thimble, witch's bells, and witch's thimbles.

Campanula rotundifolia is a perennial species of flowering plant, a slender, prostrate to erect herb, spreading by seed and rhizomes. The basal leaves are long-stalked, rounded to heart-shaped, usually slightly toothed, with prominent hydathodes, and often wither early. Leaves on the flowering stems are long and narrow and the upper ones are unstemmed.[4] The inflorescence is a panicle or raceme, with 1 – many flowers borne on very slender pedicels. The flowers usually have five (occasionally 4, 6 or 7) pale to mid violet-blue petals fused together into a bell shape, about 12–30 mm (0.5–1.2 in) long and five long, pointed green sepals behind them. Plants with pale pink or white flowers may also occur. The petal lobes are triangular and curve outwards. 

The seeds are produced in a capsule about 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) diameter and are released by pores at the base of the capsule. Seedlings are minute, but established plants can compete with tall grass. As with many other Campanulas, all parts of the plant exude white latex when injured or broken.

The flowering period is long, and varies by location. In the British Isles, harebell flowers from July to November.

Cephalanthus occidentalis

Cephalanthus occidentalis is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, that is native to eastern and southern North America. Common names include buttonbush, common buttonbush, button-willow and honey-bells.

C. occidentalis is a deciduous shrub or small tree that averages 1–3 m (3.3–9.8 ft) in height, but can reach 6 m (20 ft). The leaves are opposite or in whorls of three, elliptic to ovate, 7–18 cm (2.8–7.1 in) long and 4–10 cm (1.6–3.9 in) broad, with a smooth edge and a short petiole. 

The flowers are arranged in a dense spherical inflorescence 2–3.5 cm (0.79–1.38 in) in diameter on a short peduncle. Each flower has a fused white to pale yellow four-lobed corolla forming a long slender tube connecting to the sepals. The stigma protrudes slightly from the corolla. The fruit is a spherical cluster of achenes (nutlets).

The species occurs in eastern North America with disjunct populations occurring in the west. In Canada, it occurs from southern Ontario and Quebec east to New Brunswick. Besides the eastern United States, and eastern regions of the Midwest, notable areas range into Arizona, the Mogollon Rim, and other mountain ranges; in California, the entire San Joaquin Valley West of the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains, only western Texas, Arizona, and California find C. occidentalis.

Dracaena reflexa

Dracaena reflexa, commonly called pleomele or song of India, is a species of Dracaena which is a tropical tree native to Madagascar, Mauritius, and other nearby islands of the Indian Ocean. It is widely grown as an ornamental plant and houseplant, valued for its richly coloured, evergreen leaves, and thick, irregular stems.

While it may reach a height of 4–5 m, rarely 6 m in ideal, protected locations, D. reflexa is usually much smaller, especially when grown as a houseplant. It is slow-growing and upright in habit, tending to an oval shape with an open crown. The lanceolate leaves are simple, spirally arranged, 5–20 cm long and 1.5–5 cm broad at the base, with a parallel venation and entire margin; they grow in tight whorls and are a uniform dark green.

The flowers are small, clustered, and usually white, appearing in mid winter. Neither the flowers nor the fruit are especially showy. D. reflexa var. angustifolia (syn. D. marginata) differs in having a magenta tint to its flowers, a shrubby habit, and olive green leaves.

Dracaena reflexa is a popular ornamental plant, both in the landscape and the home. It can be enjoyed as a specimen plant, accent, or pruned to create a border. Several cultivars have been selected, particularly variegated clones with cream and yellow-green margins. It performs well as a houseplant, tolerating infrequent waterings. It prefers bright, filtered light, without direct sun exposure, restricted outdoors to zones 10–11. 

It has average water needs and should be fertilized bi-weekly when actively growing. Although it can survive in relatively low light levels, the plant may grow spindly if given insufficient light. When grown indoors, temperatures of 18 °C to 25 °C (64 °F to 77 °F) should be maintained. It can be propagated via herbaceous stem cuttings.


Traditional medicine practitioners of Madagascar have long believed Dracaena reflexa to cure malarial symptoms, poisoning, dysentery, diarrhea, dysmenorrhea, and to be useful as an antipyretic and hemostatic agent. The leaves and bark are mixed with parts of a number of other native plants and mixed into herbal teas. Its effectiveness in any such treatment remains unproven.

Butea monosperma

Butea monosperma is a species of Butea native to tropical and sub-tropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, ranging across India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and western Indonesia. Common names include Palash, Dhak, Palah, Flame of the Forest, Bastard Teak, Parrot Tree, Keshu (Punjabi) and Kesudo (Gujarati).

It is a medium-sized dry season-deciduous tree, growing to 15 m tall. It is a slow growing tree, young trees have a growth rate of a few feet per year. The leaves are pinnate, with an 8–16 cm petiole and three leaflets, each leaflet 10–20 cm long. The flowers are 2.5 cm long, bright orange-red, and produced in racemes up to 15 cm long. The fruit is a pod 15–20 cm long and 4–5 cm broad.
In West Bengal, it is associated with spring, especially through the poems and songs of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who likened its bright orange flame-like flower to fire. In Santiniketan, where Tagore lived, this flower has become an indispensable part of the celebration of spring. The plant has lent its name to the town of Palashi, famous for the historic Battle of Plassey fought there.

In the state of Jharkhand Palash is associated with the folk tradition. Many folk literary expressions describe palash as the forest fire. The beauty of dry deciduous forests of Jharkhand reach their height when most trees have fallen their leaves and Palash is in its full bloom. Palash is also the State Flower of Jharkhand.
It is said that the tree is a form of Agni, God of Fire. It was a punishment given to Him by Goddess Parvati for disturbing Her and Lord Shiva's privacy. In Telangana, these flowers are specially used in the worship of Lord Shiva on occasion of Shivratri. In Telugu, this tree is called Modugu chettu.
In Kerala, this is called 'plasu' and 'chamata'.

The parts of the herb Butea Monosperma that are used for medicinal purposes are its flowers, its leaves the gum obtained from the plant, its seeds and the oil that can be extracted from the flowers as well as the seeds. 


The flowers of the tree are rich in glucosides, butin, neteroside and butrin whereas the seeds are a rich source of moodooga oil or kino- tree oil which is a fixed oil and is yellow color. This oil has various medicinal properties. The gum obtained from the tree is rich in gallic acid and tannic acid and is referred to as Bengal kino gum or simply Butea gum. The leaves of the Butea Monosperma are used as ingredients of tonics and aphrodisiacs and are also helpful in arresting bleeding or secretion.

The Butea Monosperma is famously known as the “flame of the forest” and the reason behind the tree getting accorded this name is that it bears very bright flowers which are either orange or scarlet in color. When the tree is in full bloom, the flowers grow in a number of clusters and the appearance of the tree is then such that it looks as if it has been set aflame, hence, the name. The tree Palas is of medium height and has compound leaves. The leaves of the tree fall off in the winter season and the flowers then bloom in the months of February and March. The flowers grow in huge clusters and on leaf-less branches. The fruits that the plant bears are in the shape of flat pods and each fruit contains a single seed within itself.

Aquilegia formosa

Aquilegia formosa (crimson columbine, western columbine, or (ambiguously) "red columbine") is a common and attractive wildflower native to western North America, from Alaska to Baja California, and eastward to Montana and Wyoming.

The Aquilegia formosa plant grows to 20–80 cm in height, averaging around 60 cm. 
Flowers, which can be seen from April to August (with some variation between regions), are about 5 cm long and red and yellow in color. Technically, the red or orange spreading outer parts of the flower are sepals, and the yellow inner parts are the true petals. The petals bear spurs that attract the plant's pollinators, the sphinx moths. Hummingbirds are also attracted to it in gardens.

The flowers are edible, with a sweet taste—though the seeds can be fatal if eaten, and most parts of the plant contain cyanogenic glycosides.

Within its range, the crimson columbine can be found in most kinds of habitat (chaparral, oak woodland, mixed-evergreen or coniferous forest). It is not found on desert floors, nor at altitudes above 3300 metres, and it is absent from the Central Valley of California. It prefers moist locations such as stream banks.

Some Plateau Indian tribes used the Aquilegia formosa to concoct a perfume. It is also used medicinally by several Native American tribes.

Columbine is easy to grow; just water and prune flower stalks to the ground once a year in early spring. The columbines attract hummingbirds, and are deer proof in many areas of California.

Pulsatilla vulgaris

Pulsatilla vulgaris (pasque flower, pasqueflower, common pasque flower, European pasqueflower, Dane's blood) is a species of flowering plant belonging to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), found locally on calcareous grassland in Europe. It used to be considered part of the Anemone genus, to which it is closely related.
It is classified as a Priority Species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan and as Vulnerable in Britain on the Red Data List.

This is an herbaceous perennial plant. It develops upright rhizomes, which function as food-storage organs. Its leaves and stems are long, soft, silver-grey and hairy. It grows to 15–30 cm high and when it is fruit-bearing up to 40 cm. The roots go deep into the soil (to 1 m). The finely-dissected leaves are arranged in a rosette and appear with the bell-shaped flower in early spring. The purple flowers are followed by distinctive silky seed-heads which can persist on the plant for many months.

The flower is 'cloaked in myth'; one legend has it that Pasque flowers sprang up in places that had been soaked by the blood of Romans or Danes because they often appear on old barrows and boundary banks.
This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

It grows in sparsely wooded pine forests or meadows, often on a sunny sloping side with calcium-rich soil. A large colony occurs on publicly accessible land in the Cotswolds, at the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust's Pasqueflower reserve.

It has a thick and somewhat woody root-stock, from which arises a rosette of finely-divided, stalked leaves, covered with silky hairs, especially when young, the foot-stalk often being purplish. 


The flowers, which are about 1 1/2 inches across, are borne singly on stalks 5 to 8 inches in height, with an involucre of three sessile (i.e stalkless) deeply-cut leaflets or bracts. The sepals are of a dull violet-purple colour, very silky on the under surfaces. The seed- vessels are small, brown hairy achenes, with long, feathery tails, like those of the Traveller's Joy or Wild Clematis.

The whole plant, especially the bases of the foot-stalks, is covered with silky hairs. It is odourless, but possesses at first a very acrid taste, which is less conspicuous in the dried herb and gradually diminishes on keeping. The majority of the leaves develop after the flowers; they are two to three times deeply three-parted or pinnately cleft to the base, in long, linear, acute segments.

The juice of the purple sepals gives a green stain to paper and linen, but it is not permanent. It has been used to colour the Paschal eggs in some countries, whence it has been supposed the English name of the plant is derived. Gerard, however, expressly informs us that he himself was 'moved to name' this the Pasque Flower, or Easter Flower, because of the time of its appearance, it being in bloom from April to June. The specific name, pulsatilla, from pulsc, I beat, is given in allusion to its downy seeds being beaten about by the wind.


Varieties of pulsatilla when cultivated in this country like a well-drained, light, but deep soil, and will flourish in a peat or leaf soil, with the addition of lime rubble.

Phyllanthus acidus

Phyllanthus acidus, known as the Otaheite gooseberry, Malay gooseberry, Tahitian gooseberry, country gooseberry, star gooseberry, starberry, West India gooseberry, grosella (in Puerto Rico), jimbilin (in Jamaica), damsel (in Grenada), karamay (in the Northern Philippines), cermai (in Indonesia and Malaysia), Goanbili (in Maldives) or simply gooseberry tree, is one of the trees with edible small yellow berries fruit in the Phyllanthaceae family. Despite its name, the plant does not resemble the gooseberry, except for the acidity of its fruits. It is mostly cultivated for ornamentation.

The plant is an intermediary between shrubs and tree, reaching 2 to 9 m (6½ to 30 ft) high. The tree's dense and bushy crown is composed of thickish, tough main branches, at the end of which are clusters of deciduous, greenish, 15-to-30-cm long branchlets. The branchlets bear alternate leaves that are ovate or lanceolate in form, with short petioles and pointed ends. The leaves are 2-7.5 cm long and thin, they are green and smooth on the upperside and blue-green on the underside. In general, the Otaheite gooseberry tree very much looks like the bilimbi tree.

Leaves
The flowers can be male, female or hermaphrodite. They are small and pinkish and appear in clusters in 5-to-12.5-cm long panicles. Flowers are formed at leafless parts of the main branches, at the upper part of the tree. The fruits are numerous, oblate, with 6 to 8 ribs, and densely clustered. They are pale yellow or white, waxy, crisp and juicy, and very sour. 4 to 6 seeds are contained in a stone at the center of each fruit.

The Otaheite gooseberry prefers moist soil. It can be cultivated in a variety of ways—budding, cutting and air-layering—in addition to the usual seed growth. The tree is cultivated for its ornamental value, but also for food and medicinal purposes. While it produces some fruit throughout the year, it is mainly harvested in January except in South India, where it bears crops in April–May and again in August–September. As the fruit does not soften when ripe, it is harvested when the fruit begins to drop.


Various parts of the plant are used for food. In India and Indonesia, the cooked leaves are eaten. While the fruit is eaten fresh, and is sometimes used as flavoring for other dishes in Indonesia, it is generally regarded as too tart to eat by itself in its natural form and is processed further. It is candied in sugar or pickled in salt, used in chutney, relish or preserves. In the Philippines, it is used to make vinegar as well as eaten raw, soaked in salt or vinegar-salt solution and sold along the roadside. It is candied as well, usually stored in jars with syrup. They make these into a syrup in Malaysia. Liberally sugared, it is also used to make fruit juice. 

Erica recurvata

Erica recurvata is a critically endangered species that was previously known only from a botanical painting published by Henry Charles Andrews between 1794 and 1830. This bonsai-like erica, with its striking hanging flowers, was only rediscovered in 2007 by botanist Ross Turner and is known from two populations of 34 individuals.

Description 
Erica recurvata is a small shrub growing of 0.3–0.6 m in ideal conditions. In nature, it has only been found tucked into rock crevices, and what are thought to be very old individuals, have a bonsai-like appearance. The plants are branched and the stems are covered with whorled, pale-green, linear, ericoid leaves.

At the tips of branches, leaves encircle a drooping cluster of white and brown flowers with bright red styles that protrude beyond the petals. The flowers are about the size of a thumbnail, slightly sticky and appear in the winter months.

The genus Erica belongs to the family Ericaceae, which is one of the distinctive and the largest genera comprising the South African fynbos flora. About 760 of the 860 Erica species occur in South Africa. Most Erica species have so-called ericoid or needle-like leaves with a narrow channel beneath which are borne in whorls around the stems. Flowers vary in size depending on species and petals are fused to form a corolla tube either narrow, or open and bell-shaped. Ericas grow naturally in many different habitats from coastal flats, marshes and rivers, to mountain peaks. The fruit is usually a loculicidal capsule (a capsule that dehisces by splitting down the middle of the locules) but can be an indehiscent capsule, drupe, achene or berry. Erica seed is extremely small and fine, and in all species, except for Erica sessiliflora , they are shed after ripening.

Conservation status 
Erica recurvata is Red Listed as Critically Endangered. Not only are there very few individuals known, but its habitat and immediate surroundings are scattered with alien invasive plants and have been burned frequently. It is thought that the existing plants have survived these frequent fires by being protected within rocky outcrops.


For 200 years, Erica recurvata , so named for its recurved leaves, was known only from a painting in Andrews' Coloured Engravings of Heaths published between 1794 and 1830. It was thought that the paintings were of a hybrid developed at Kew Gardens, until living specimens, growing naturally in the Napier Mountains were discovered by Ross Turner. 

Ted Oliver recognised it as the Erica in Andrews' painting, and speculated that the plant was grown from seed collected in the late 1700s to early 1800s and sent to England by James Nivens (1776–1827), an early plant collector in the Cape. The seed was grown to flowering stage from which the botanical drawings were made and specimens taken and stored at Kew and other United Kingdom herbaria. It is thought that the plants found in the Napier Mountains, could be the very same plants from which this seed was collected.

Erica recurvata has been successfully propagated by seed and cuttings. Collect the seed just as it starts to fall naturally and sow in autumn. Of all Erica species that have been tested for germination response to smoke treatment, 66% showed improved germination. It would therefore be advantageous to pre-soak E. recurvata seeds in an aqueous smoke extract or seed primer for 24 hours before sowing.

Use a well-drained, acidic sowing medium and firm down the surface of the medium. To prevent damping off, sow seeds evenly by mixing it with fine sand prior to sowing. A thin layer of propagation medium can be sieved over the seeds. Water the seeds with a very fine hose to prevent dislodging them and place containers under cover in a shade house until the seeds germinate.

Take cuttings from healthy, disease free plants about two months after flowering. At this stage, the plants would have grown shoots that are semi-hard. Nodal cuttings can be used, although heel-cuttings are most suitable. Carefully remove the leaves on the lower third, dip the cuttings into a rooting hormone and insert into a cutting medium of one part milled bark and one part polystyrene. Place the cuttings in a greenhouse with intermittent mist or in an open air mist spraying unit. Erica cuttings require good air circulation. When the cuttings have rooted well, they can be planted into pots in the same growing medium as for seedlings.


When the seedlings are 10 mm tall and the cuttings are well established, they can be placed in an open, but lightly shaded area. Ericas require good air circulation at all times. When seedlings are 20–50 mm in height, prick them out and plant into pots or plant bags. Ericas have very sensitive hair-like roots situated close to the surface of the medium and disturbance of these roots should be minimal. Like the propagation medium, the potting soil should be well-drained and acidic. A sandy loam with 50% humus, a pH of between 5 and 5.5, and low levels of phosphate is recommended. Three parts sand, two parts leaf mould/bark and one part soil can also be used. 

A mulch consisting of untreated woodchips, pine needles or stones can be placed around the plant on the surface of the potting medium to protect the delicate roots, keep them moist and cool, and to suppress weed growth. Once the plants are established, they can be moved out into the open. Water the plants well every second or third day, preferably in the mornings to prevent fungal infections from developing on the leaves. Fertilise with organic liquid fertilisers such as those derived from seaweeds, or a controlled-release granular fertiliser that is low in phosphate.

Jatroha multifida

Jatroha multifida is a hardy plant that thrives in nearly any lighting condition and grows like a weed.
The plant is grown for its huge, delicate leaves and brilliantly colored blooms. Sadly, this plant is tropical and suitable for United States Department of Agriculture zones 10 to 12 only. Those of us in the cooler zones can try growing coral plants as annuals during the summer.

Jatropha multifida is also called Guatemala rhubarb and, more commonly, coral plant. It is a showy ornamental plant in the Euphorbia family. Like all members of the family, Jatropha exudes latex sap, which is milky to opaque. Growing coral plants requires little fussing. They are vigorous plants that can grow 6 to 10 feet tall and up to 20 feet in their native habitat. This is a frost sensitive specimen which can be killed if temperatures drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 C.).

Coral plant is a single-trunked small tree or shrub. It is native to Mexico and Central America. The foliage is deeply lobed, up to 12 inches across and cut into 7 to11 leaflets in a palmate form. Upper surface of the leaf is dark green but the undersides display a whitish cast. Flowers arise from thick stalks in cymes. Each flat-topped cluster has numerous tiny, bright pink butterfly attracting blooms. The fruit is a flat pod. All parts of Guatemala rhubarb are extremely poisonous if ingested.

Jatropha mutifida requires moderately fertile soil with excellent drainage. It has some drought tolerance once established but performs best with regular watering in a full sun situation. In cool zones, plant the specimen in a large container with a gritty houseplant soil. In-ground plants can tolerate rocky or sandy soil.

Container plants should have water reduced in winter. The species tends to self-seed at the base of the plant and can also be propagated by cuttings. Pruning is necessary to keep the plant in habit and when damage is done to the stems.

Araucaria heterophylla

Araucaria heterophylla (synonym A. excelsa) is a member of the ancient and now disjointly distributed family Araucariaceae. As its vernacular name Norfolk Island pine implies, the tree is endemic to Norfolk Island, a small island in the Pacific Ocean between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The genus Araucaria occurs across the South Pacific, especially concentrated in New Caledonia (about 700 km due north of Norfolk Island) where 13 closely related and similar-appearing species are found. It is sometimes called a star pine, triangle tree or living Christmas tree, due to its symmetrical shape as a sapling, although it is not a true pine.

The trees grow to a height of 50–65 m, with straight vertical trunks and symmetrical branches, even in the face of incessant onshore winds that can contort most other species.
The young leaves are awl-shaped, 1-1.5 cm long, about 1 mm thick at the base on young trees, and incurved, 5–10 mm long and variably 2–4 mm broad on older trees. The thickest, scale-like leaves on coning branches are in the upper crown. The cones are squat globose, 10–12 cm long and 12–14 cm diameter, and take about 18 months to mature. They disintegrate at maturity to release the nut-like edible seeds.
The scientific name heterophylla ("different leaves") derives from the variation in the leaves between young and adult plants.

The first European known to have sighted Norfolk Island was Captain James Cook. In 1774 on his second voyage to the South Pacific in HMS Resolution, Cook noted the presence of large forests of tall, straight trees that appeared to be suitable for use as masts and yards for sailing ships. However, when the island was occupied in 1788 by convicts transported from Britain, it was found that Norfolk Island pine trees were not resilient enough for these uses and the industry was abandoned.

In the late 1950s a trial shipment of Norfolk pine logs was sent to plywood manufacturers in Sydney, Australia, with hopes to develop a timber export industry on Norfolk Island. Although the plywood companies reported excellent results, the industry was deemed not sustainable by the Norfolk Island Advisory Council, who decided to reserve timber production for local use. The timber is good for woodturning and together with the similar Cook pine is extensively used by Hawaii artisans.

Haworthia truncata

Haworthia truncata (locally known as "Horse's teeth") is a species of succulent plant in the genus Haworthia. It is found in the Little Karoo region, in the far east of the Western Cape Province, South Africa.

They are small plants, being approximately 2 cm (0.79 in) high by 10 cm (3.9 in) wide. This species is easily recognizable by its leaves which have a nearly rectangular crosssection and are arranged in two opposite rows. The leaves are gray or gray-green and are held more or less upright. The end of a leaf – the upper surface – gives the impression of having been cut (or truncated), hence the specific epithet truncata. The leaves are covered in white or gray lines with verrucosities.

In the wild, plants are often half-buried, leaving only the tips of the leaves visible above the soil. The truncated tip is translucent allowing light to enter for photosynthesis. In this respect the species resembles Lithops, Fenestraria, and Haworthia cymbiformis.
The flowers are not very showy, emerging in white, tubular clusters on a 20 cm (7.9 in) stem.

The naturally occurring variety "maughanii" has rounded leaves that grow in a spiral rosette (not in a distichous row, as in the more common type variety) and can be found in a small restricted area near Calitzdorp. This is to the far west of the natural range of the Haworthia truncata, and there are natural intermediates and hybrids on the boundary between the varieties.
The variety "minor / papillaris" ("tiny" / "haired") is a tiny variety, that forms the typical distichous leaf-rows, but with tiny hairs on the leaf tips. It is restricted to a small area near Dysseldorp.
The variety "crassa" ("fat") is an intermediate variety, between maughanii and the type variety truncata. It has the rounded leaf tips of maughanii, but unlike that variety they are arranged in distichous rows.

This species is increasingly common in cultivation and is very easy to propagate in large numbers. It can be grown from seed, from off-sets, from root cuttings and even from leaf-cuttings. It also readily hybridises with other Haworthia species.
It requires very well-drained soil, and some exposure to sun. It is also one of the few Haworthia species that can become adapted to a full sun environment. Its natural habitat in the little karoo is arid, but with sparse rainfall intermittently throughout the year. In the gentle (often semi-shade) conditions in cultivation, the leaves tend to grow upwards and outside of the soil.

Zantedeschia aethiopica

Zantedeschia aethiopica (known as calla lily and arum lily) is a species in the family Araceae, native to southern Africa in Lesotho, South Africa, and Swaziland.

It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant, evergreen where rainfall and temperatures are adequate, deciduous where there is a dry season. Its preferred habitat is in streams and ponds or on the banks. It grows to 0.6–1 m (2.0–3.3 ft) tall, with large clumps of broad, arrow shaped dark green leaves up to 45 cm (18 in) long. The inflorescences are large and are produced in spring, summer and autumn, with a pure white spathe up to 25 cm (9.8 in) and a yellow spadix up to 90 mm (3 1⁄2 in) long.

The spadix produces a faint, sweet fragrance.

Z. aethiopica is native to southern Africa in Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique. It has become naturalised in Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Madeira and Australia, particularly in Western Australia, where it has been classified as a toxic weed and pest.

A number of cultivars have been selected for use as ornamental plants.
'Crowborough' is a more cold tolerant cultivar growing to 90 cm (35 in) tall, suited to cool climates such as the British Isles and north-western United States.

'Green Goddess' has green stripes on the spathes which allow the flowers to last much longer than the original white form. 'Green Goddess' also has a more opened and wider spathe and has the tendency to develop curvy fringes at the edge of the spathe than the original white form. 
The first generation hybrid of 'Green Goddess' and the original white form has a light green underside on the spathe, allowing the flower to last longer than the original white form, but no green stripes on the top side.

'White Sail', growing to 90 cm tall, has a very broad spathe.
'Red Desire' has a red instead of yellow spadix and appears to be rather rare.

'Pink Mist' has a pinkish base to the spathe and pink spadix. 'Pink Mist' is not a hybrid, but a colour sport. The pink colour is best developed in semishade after rain. 'Pink Mist' is quite delicate and weak compared to the original white form and 'Green Goddess'. Unlike the latter, 'Pink Mist' has a dormant period during winter, where the leaves almost die down completely, although it is pure Zantedeschia aethiopica. The seedlings of 'Pink Mist' are also weaker than the original white form or 'Green Goddess'.

Z. aethiopica and its cultivars 'Crowborough' and 'Green Goddess' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

In order to introduce colours to the large white calla lilies, like the many colours available in the dwarf summer calla lilies, attempts have been made to hybridise Z. aethiopica with Z. elliotiana. These have resulted in albino progeny, which are non-viable.

Lobelia erinus

Lobelia erinus (edging lobelia, garden lobelia or trailing lobelia) is a species of Lobelia native to southern Africa, from Malawi and Namibia south to South Africa.

It is a prostrate or scrambling herbaceous perennial plant growing to 8–15 cm tall. The basal leaves are oval, 10 mm long and 4-8 mm broad, with a toothed margin; leaves higher on the stems are slender and sometimes untoothed. The flowers are blue to violet in wild plants, with a five-lobed corolla 8–20 mm across; they are produced in loose panicles. The fruit is a 5–8 mm capsule containing numerous small seeds.

Lobelia erinus is a very popular edging plant in gardens, especially for hanging baskets and window boxes. It has a particularly long flowering period, from mid spring to early autumn. It is perennial in subtropical climates, but often grown as an annual plant in colder areas. It is widely available in Spring as a young plant, but must be kept indoors until all danger of frost has passed.

Numerous cultivars have been selected, either with a bushy or a trailing habit, in a wide range of flower colours, including white, pink, red, pale to dark blue, and purple, often with a prominent white eye. Some of the better known cultivars include 'Blue Moon', 'Gracilis', 'Crystal Palace', 'Sapphire', 'Rosamund' and 'Riviera Rose'.

Alternanthera caracasana

Alternanthera caracasana is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family known by the common names khakiweed, washerwoman and mat chaff flower. It is native to Central and South America but is well-known elsewhere as a noxious weed. It is naturalized in some areas and invasive in others and can be found across the southern half of the United States, Australia (where many people are unaware it is not native) and in Spain and parts of Africa. 

The plant has long, prostrate stems covered in small leaves which vary in shape from diamond to rounded. It grows from a rhizome and often roots from its lower nodes. Each spike inflorescence is under a centimeter wide and is covered in tiny stiff white flowers. This is a tough weed of lots, roads, railroad tracks, cleared areas, and other places that are rough, sandy, and often well-traveled.

It is often confused with Khaki Burr, which is related but sports masses of sharp V-shaped prickles that are easily detached and embed themselves in the feet and skin.