Erect, evergreen shrub, up to 2 m tall. Leaves small, ovate, dark green, opposite. Thin, brown stems. Flowers slightly fragrant, dark blue to purple, yellow throat. Grows in full sun to partial shade.

Native to Western Africa, but commonly cultivated in India and other tropical and subtropical regions as an ornamental.

No known.

Related (same family) to Mexican ruellia (Ruellia simplex, #98).

Ornamental, evergreen, rounded or narrow domed, succulent shrub or small tree, up to 4 m tall. In cultivation usually smaller. Grows in frost-free climates. Leaves glossy-green, lobed to oval. Clusters of scarlet flowers with bright yellow stamens year-round.

Native to Cuba, but widely grown as ornamental in many tropical and subtropical countries and often persistent after cultivation.

No known.

Peregrina is closely related (same subfamily) to Cassava (Manihot esculenta, #67) and Garden Croton (Codiaeum variegatum, #104).

Annual, sometimes perennial herb, 30-150 cm tall. Many varieties of the species. Used for its leaves (culinary, folk medicine), which contain a number of essential oils and are richly green and ovate, 3-11 cm long and 1-6 cm wide. Basil grows a thick, central taproot. Flowers are small and white. They grow from a central inflorescence that emerges from the central stem at the top of the plant.

Native to India and other tropical regions stretching from Central Africa to Southeast Asia. Has become globalized due to human cultivation (more than 5000 years ago).

Sweet basil has been used for thousands of years as a culinary and medicinal herb. It acts principally on the digestive and nervous systems, easing flatulence, stomach cramps, colic and indigestion.
The leaves and flowering tops are antispasmodic, aromatic, carminative, digestive, galactagogue, stomachic and tonic.
They are taken internally in the treatment of feverish illnesses (especially colds and influenza), poor digestion, nausea, abdominal cramps, gastro-enteritis, migraine, insomnia, depression and exhaustion.
Externally, they are used to treat acne, loss of smell, insect stings, snake bites and skin infections.
The leaves can be harvested throughout the growing season and are used fresh or dried.
The mucilaginous seed is given in infusion in the treatment of gonorrhoea, dysentery and chronic diarrhoea.
It is said to remove film and opacity from the eyes.
The root is used in the treatment of bowel complaints in children.
Extracts from the plant are bactericidal and are also effective against internal parasites.
The essential oil is used in aromatherapy. Its keyword is ‘Clearing’.

Basil was found in mummies in Egypt because the ancient Egyptians used this herb for embalming.

Elaphoglossum is a mostly tropical fern genera with over 600 species. It is one of the most diverse genera of ferns. They feature large unlobed leaves, not unlike Asplenium, Pyrrosia (which is also called Tongue fern) or Lepisorus. In some species, the leaf is short, wide and thick and quite un-fern-like. Elaphoglossum prefers a warm, moist, mountainous habitat, but a few taxa have developed some measure of cold tolerance.

Pantropical distribution, occurring principally in wet-montane and cloud forests. The center of diversity is tropical America with ca. 450 described species.

No known.

Some people in Central America are studying a chemical produced by Elaphoglossum species. It is called “Crassipin” and is believed to have antidepressant activity.

No known.

Small, herbaceous, perennial shrub, up to 1.5 m tall. Short, stocky stem with tough, waxy leaves. Unpollinated flowers (up to 200) fuse to form a multiple fruit. The fruit of a pineapple is usually arranged in two interlocking helices. Typically, there are 8 helices in one direction and 13 in the other, each being a Fibonacci number. The plant is normally propagated from the offset produced at the top of the fruit or from side shoots, and typically mature within a year. The pineapple carries out CAM photosynthesis.

Native to South America. Introduction to Europe in the 17^th century as an icon of luxury. Since 1820s, pineapple has been commercially grown in greenhouses and many tropical plantations. It is the third most important tropical fruit in world production.

Pineapple fruits contain bromelain, a protein-splitting enzyme that aids digestion.
The sour, unripe fruit improves digestion, increases appetite and relieves dyspepsia.
In Indian herbal medicine it is also thought to act as a uterine tonic.
It is used as a treatment to ease sore throats.
It is eaten in some areas, either on its own or cooked with Citrus aurantiifolia) to procure an abortion.
The ripe fruit cools and soothes – it is used to settle wind and reduce excessive gastric acid.
Its significant fibre content makes it a useful laxative for relieving constipation.
The juice of the ripe fruit is both diuretic and a digestive tonic.
The leaves are anthelmintic and purgative.
They considered useful in encouraging the onset of menstruation and easing painful periods.
The leaves are used to treat fractures
The juice of the plant is applied to burns, itches and boils.

In the wild, pineapples are pollinated primarily by hummingbirds. Certain wild pineapples are foraged and pollinated at night by bats. Under intensive cultivation, because seed development diminishes fruit quality, pollination is performed by hand and seeds are retained only for breeding.

Perennial grass, 2-6 m tall, about 5 cm in diameter. It has stout, jointed fibrous stalks that are rich in sucrose, which accumulates in the stalk internodes. Sugarcane accounts for 79% of sugar produced; most of the rest is made from sugar beets.

Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of Southeast Asia and New Guinea. It was an ancient crop of the Austronesian and Papuan people and was introduced to Oceania and Madagascar in prehistoric times (canoe plant). The Persians and Greeks encountered the famous “reeds that produce honey without bees” in India between the 6^th and 4^th centuries BC. They adopted and then spread sugarcane agriculture. Merchants began to trade in sugar, which was considered a luxurious and expensive spice, from India. In the 18^th century AD, sugarcane plantations began in Caribbean, South America, Indian Ocean and Pacific island nations and the need for laborers became a major driver of large migrations of people, some voluntarily accepting indentured servitude (e.g. Indo-Fijians) and others forcibly exported as slaves.

No known.

In Fiji, there is also growing Saccharum edule (duruka, dule), used for its edible inflorescence.

Tropical shrub, 2-6 m tall. Thick trunk. Leaves 1- or 2-pinnate, rounded or oval, toothed or sometimes cut. Tiny flowers occur in erect panicles of umbels. Shield aralia is often used to form bonsai. It grows best in moderately humid environments with no direct sun-light and adapts rather well indoors.

Native to Southwest Pacific Islands. Commonly grown in tropical gardens.

No known.

Shield aralia is related (same family) to Ivy (Hedera sp.) and Lancewood (Pseudopanax crassifolius).

The caterpillars of the Commander (Limenitis procris), a brush-footed butterfly, utilize this species as a foodplant.

Native to West Africa. Cultivated as ornamental plant around the world.

No known.

Red flag bush is related (same family) to Coffee (Coffea arabica, #6).

Small, fast-growing tree. Used for a variety of purposes, such as fencing, soil fertility (N-Fixation), firewood (high biomass production), fiber and livestock fodder (high protein content). During the 1970s and 1980s, it was promoted as a “miracle tree” for its multiple uses. However, it has also been described as a “conflict tree” because it is used for forage production but spreads like a weed in some places (highly invasive).

Native to southern Mexico and northern Central America (Belize and Guatemala) and now naturalized throughout the tropics.

No known.

The legume provides an excellent source of high-protein cattle fodder. However, the fodder contains Mimosine, a toxic amino acid. Horses and donkeys which are fed it lose their hair.