Plants & Trees Encyclopedia

Hackberry — Hackberry (Celtis) is a genus of about 60-70 species of deciduous trees widespread in warm temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, in southern Europe, southern and eastern Asia, and southern and central North America, and south to central Africa. The genus is present in the fossil record at least since the Miocene of Europe. They are generally medium-sized …

Grapefruit — The grapefruit is a subtropical citrus tree grown for its fruit which was originally named the “forbidden fruit” of Barbados. These evergreen trees are usually found at around 5-6 m tall, although they can reach 13-15 m. The leaves are dark green, long (up to 150 mm) and thin. It produces 5 cm white four-petalled flowers. The fruit …

Gourd — Cucurbitaceae is a plant family commonly known as gourds or cucurbits and includes crops like cucumbers, squashes (including pumpkins), luffas, melons and watermelons. The family is predominately distributed around the tropics, where those with edible fruits were amongst the earliest cultivated plants in both the Old and New Worlds. Most of the plants in this family are annual …

Goldenrod — The goldenrod is a yellow flowering plant in the Family Asteraceae. About 100 perennial species make up the genus Solidago, most being found in the meadows and pastures, along roads, ditches and waste areas in North America. There are a handful of species from each of Mexico, South America, and Eurasia. Some American species have also been introduced …

Goldenrain Tree — Goldenrain tree (Koelreuteria paniculata, Pride of India, or China tree) is a species of Koelreuteria native to eastern Asia, in China and Korea. It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 17 m tall, with a broad, dome-shaped crown. The leaves are pinnate, 15-40 cm (rarely to 50 cm) long, with 7-15 leaflets 3-8 cm …

Gloxinia — Gloxinia is a genus of 3 species of tropical rhizomatous herbs in the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae. The species are primarily found in the Andes of South America but Gloxinia perennis is also found in Central America and the West Indies, where it has probably escaped from cultivation. Gloxinia perennis is the original (type) species of the genus …

Ginkgo — The Ginkgo, frequently misspelled as “Gingko”, and also known as the Maidenhair Tree after Adiantum, is a unique tree with no close living relatives. The ginkgo is classified in its own division, the Ginkgophyta, comprising the single class Ginkgoopsida, order Ginkgoales, family Ginkgoaceae, genus Ginkgo and is the only extant species within this group. It is one of …

Geranium — The cranesbills make up the genus Geranium of 422 species of annual, biennial, and perennial plants found throughout the temperate regions of the world and the mountains of the tropics, but mostly in the eastern part of the Mediterranean. These attractive flowers will grow in any soil as long as it is not waterlogged. Propagation is by semi-ripe …

Gentian — Gentiana is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Gentian family (Gentianaceae), tribe Gentianeae and monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. This a large genus, with about 400 species. This is a cosmopolitan genus, occurring in alpine habitats of temperate regions of Asia, Europe and the Americas. Some species also occur in northwest Africa, eastern Australia and New Zealand. They …

Garlic — Allium sativum L., commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion family Alliaceae. Its close relatives include the onion, the shallot, and the leek. Garlic has been used throughout recorded history for both culinary and medicinal purposes. It has a characteristic pungent, spicy flavor that mellows and sweetens considerably with cooking. There is much folklore and …