Plants & Trees Encyclopedia

Gardenia — Gardenia is a genus of about 250 species of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae, native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, southern Asia, Australasia and Oceania. The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus after Dr Alexander Garden (1730-1791), Scottish-born American naturalist. They are evergreen shrubs and small trees growing to 1-15 m tall. The leaves …

Fuchsia — Fuchsia is a genus of flowering plants, mostly shrubs, which were identified by Charles Plumier in the late 17th century, and named by Plumier in 1703 after the German botanist Leonhart Fuchs (1501–1566). The English vernacular name Fuchsia is the same as the scientific name. There are about 100–110 species of Fuchsia. The great majority are native to …

Freesia — Freesia (Ecklon ex Klatt) is a genus of 14-16 species of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae, native to Africa. Of the 14 species, 12 are native to Cape Province, South Africa, the remaining two to tropical Africa, one species extending north of the equator to Sudan. The genus was named in honor of Friedrich Heinrich Theodor Freese …

Foxglove — Digitalis is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennials, shrubs, and biennials that was traditionally placed in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae. Due to new genetic research, it has now been placed in the much enlarged family Plantaginaceae. The genus is native to Europe, western and central Asia, and northwestern Africa. The members of this genus are …

Forsythia — Forsythia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae (olive family). There are about 11 species, mostly native to eastern Asia, but one native to southeastern Europe. The common name is also Forsythia; the genus is named after William Forsyth. They are deciduous shrubs growing to 1–3 m (rarely 6 m) tall, with rough grey-brown bark. …

Forget-me-not — The Forget-me-nots are the genus Myosotis of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae. There are about 50 species in the genus, and among them there is considerable variation. Nevertheless a considerable number of the species fit the same description, of a small (1 cm diameter or less) rather flat 5-petalled blue flower growing profusely on straggly stems, flowering …

Flax — Flax (also known as common flax or linseed) is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. The New Zealand flax is unrelated. Flax is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent. It was extensively cultivated in ancient Egypt. It is an erect …

Fir — Firs (Abies) are a genus of between 45-55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. All are trees, reaching heights of 10-80 m (30-260 ft) tall and trunk diameters of 0.5-4 m (2-12 ft) when mature. Firs can be distinguished from other members of the pine family by their needle-like leaves, attached to the twig by a …

Filbert — The filbert, or hazelnut or Corylus maxima, is the fruit of plants belonging to the genus Corylus of the birch family, Betulaceae. Of the 10 major species, the most widely grown are the European filbert (C. avellana), the American filbert (C. americana), the Turkish filbert (C. colurna), and the beaked filbert (C. cornuta). Filberts are deciduous shrubs or …

Fig — Ficus is a genus of about 800 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemi-epiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the warm temperate zone. The so-called Common Fig (F. carica) is a temperate species from the Middle East and southern Europe, which …