Vanilla — Vanilla is a flavouring derived from orchids in the genus Vanilla native to Mexico. The name came from the Spanish word “vainilla,” meaning “little pod.” Vanilla is valued for its sweet flavor and scent and is widely used in the preparation of desserts and perfumes. Today, the majority of the world’s vanilla is produced in a small region …

Turnip — The turnip (Brassica rapa var. rapa) is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, bulbous taproot. Small, tender, varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties are grown as feed for livestock. The most common type of turnip is mostly white-skinned apart from the upper 1–6 centimeters, which protrude above the ground …

Tarragon — Tarragon or dragon’s-wort (Artemisia dracunculus L.) is a perennial herb in the family Asteraceae related to wormwood. Corresponding to its species name, a common term for the plant is “dragon herb.” It is native to a wide area of the Northern Hemisphere from easternmost Europe across central and eastern Asia to western North America, and south to northern …

Spindle Tree — The spindles, genus Euonymus, comprise about 170-180 species of deciduous and evergreen shrubs and small trees. They live mostly in East Asia, including the Himalayas, and they also have a distribution in Europe, Asia, Australasia, North America and Madagascar. The flowers are situated in small groups, inconspicuous and of green or yellow shades. The leaves are opposite …

Saga — Adenanthera pavonina (Barbados pride, Coral-wood, Coralwood, Peacock flower fence, Red beadtree, Red sandalwood tree, Red sandalwood, Sandalwood tree; syn. Adenanthera gersenii Scheff., Adenanthera polita Miq., Corallaria parvifolia Rumph.) is a timber tree. This plant is found in the wild in India, where in each language it has its own name (for example in Kerala it is known as …

Rice — Domesticated rice Poaceae (“true grass”) family, Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima. These plants are native to tropical and subtropical southern Asia and southeastern Africa. Rice provides more than one fifth of the calories consumed worldwide by humans. (The term “wild rice” can refer to the wild species of Oryza, but conventionally refers to species of the related genus …

Rhubarb — Rheum is a genus of perennial plants that grow from thick short rhizomes. The genus is in the family Polygonaceae, and includes the vegetable rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum or Rheum x hybridum). The plants have large leaves that are somewhat triangular shaped with long fleshy petioles. The flowers are small, greenish-white to rose-red, and borne in large compound leafy …

Raspberry — The raspberry (plural, raspberries) is the edible fruit of a number of species of the genus Rubus; the name also applies to these plants themselves. The name originally referred to the European species Rubus idaeus, with red fruit, and is still used for that species as its standard English name in its native area. Several other species, mostly …

Poison Sumac — Poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix or Rhus vernix) is a woody shrub or small tree growing to 7 m (20 ft) tall. All parts of the plant contain a resin called urushiol that causes skin and mucous membrane irritation to humans. When burned, inhalation of the smoke causes diarrhea and other internal irritations. The head of the tree …

Pansy — The pansy or pansy violet is a plant cultivated as a garden flower. Pansies are derived from Viola tricolor also called the Heartsease or ‘Johnny Jump Up’. However, many garden varieties are hybrids and are referred to as Viola × wittrockiana but sometimes they are listed under the name Viola tricolor hortensis. The name “pansy” also appears as …