Alstroemeria lilies, native to South America, are suitable for cut flowers. Often given on Valentine’s Day they have long lasting attractive flowers that represent friendship and devotion. Commonly called the Peruvian lily or lily of the Incas, the root can…
We watched a fascinating TV programme recently where a team of historical costume makers were tasked with making a high status gown as shown in a 15th century painting by Jan Van Eyck called the Arnolfini portrait . They used material…
Plants For A Future have an excellent search tool to help you find plants for your project out of the 7700 available in the database. The Search tool can now be found on the homepage at pfaf.org. Search techniques includes:…
OneZoom is committed to heightening awareness about the diversity of life on earth and its evolutionary history. Here you can explore the tree of life in a new way: it’s like a map, everything is on one page, all you…
The Siberian Pea Tree – a species of legume – is a very easily grown deciduous shrub/small tree growing to 6m (20ft) by 4m (15ft) at a fast rate and yielding a good crop of edible seeds. Leaves are alternate…
Adansonia digitata are large deciduous trees with a large thick trunk (possibly the thickest in the world) that is thick-boled (bottle-shaped) reaching a diameter of 10-14 m (33-46 ft). The common name baobab is derived from Arabic meaning “father of…
An annual/perennial growing to 0.6m (2ft). Leaves are eaten raw. They can be finely chopped and added sparingly to salads or used as a flavouring for cooked dishes. A piquant flavour, somewhat resembling rocket (Eruca sativa), but with a sharp…
The strawberry tree is a beautiful small evergreen tree or shrub that can occasionally reach 9m tall and 8m wide, though it is usually rather smaller. There are several named forms and some of these are no more than 2–3m…
Azadirachta indica, the Neem trees also know as Nimtree and Indian Lilac is a large deep-rooted fast growing plant with many uses including excellent medicinal properties. Neem has a rounded spreading crown and a straight trunk with thick grey bark.…
Watercress is mainly used as a garnish or as an addition to salads, the flavour is strong with a characteristic hotness. Leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. It has a reputation as a spring tonic, and this is its…
