Plants & Trees Encyclopedia

Banyan — A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree (or on structures like buildings and bridges). “Banyan” often refers specifically to the species Ficus benghalensis, though the term has been generalized to include all figs that share a unique life cycle, and …

Banksia — Banksia is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. Iconic Australian wildflower and popular garden plants, they are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes and fruiting “cones” and can vary from prostrate woody shrubs to trees up to 30 metres tall. They are generally found in a wide variety of landscapes; sclerophyll forest, …

Beech American — The American Beech Fagus grandifolia is a species of beech native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario in southeastern Canada, west to Wisconsin and south to eastern Texas and northern Florida in the United States. Trees in the southern half of the range are sometimes distinguished as a variety, F. grandifolia var. …

Banana — Banana is the common name for a fruit and also the herbaceous plants of the genus Musa which produce the commonly eaten fruit. They are native to the tropical region of Southeast Asia and Australia. Today, they are cultivated throughout the tropics. Banana plants are of the family Musaceae. They are cultivated primarily for their fruit, and to …

Balsam Fir — The Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea) is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada (Newfoundland west to central Alberta) and the northeastern United States (Minnesota east to Maine, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to West Virginia). It is a small to medium-size evergreen tree typically 14-20 m tall, rarely to 27 m …

Balsa — Balsa (Ochroma pyramidale, synonym O. lagopus) is a large, fast-growing tree that can grow up to 30m (100ft) tall, native to tropical South America north to southern Mexico. It is evergreen, or dry-season deciduous if the dry season is long, with large (30¨C50 cm, 12-20 in) weakly palmately lobed leaves. The name balsa derives from Spanish for a …

Balloonflower — Platycodon grandiflorus is a species of perennial flowering plant of the family Campanulaceae and the only member of the genus Platycodon. These species are commonly referred to as platycodon, Chinese bellflower, sometimes also Japanese bellflower, common balloon flower, or simply balloon flower. It is native to East Asia (China, East Siberia, Japan, and Korea) and bears big blue …

Bald Cypress — Taxodium distichum (Baldcypress, Bald Cypress, or Swamp Cypress) is a species of conifer native to the southeastern United States. It is a large tree, reaching 25–40 m (rarely to 44 m) tall and trunk diameter of 2–3 m, rarely to 5 m. The bark is gray-brown to red-brown, shallowly vertically fissured, with a stringy texture. The leaves …

Bachelor’s Button — Bachelor’s button (Cornflower, Centaurea cyanus, Basket flower, Bluebottle, Boutonniere flower, Hurtsickle) 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 flowerheads …

Azalea — Azaleas are flowering shrubs making up part of the genus Rhododendron. Originally azaleas were classed as a different genus of plant, but now they are recognised as two of the eight sub-genera of rhododendrons – subgenus Pentanthera (deciduous), and subgenus Titsushi (evergreen). One major difference between azaleas and the rest of the rhododendron family is their size. Another …