Small trees or large shrubs, 5-8 m tall. Opposite leaves. The flowers are white, 10-15mm in diameter. The fruit is red (in cultivated forms yellow or purple).

Arabic coffee was first found in Yemen and documented by the 12^th century. Today, it is cultivated throughout the tropical areas of the world.

Used to improve energy levels, to make you smarter and to burn fat. It is believed to drastically improve physical performance. In Fiji, it is used to prevent from Alzheimer’s disease.

60% of the global Coffee production is represented by Coffea arabica, the rest is mostly Coffea robusta.

Small, deciduous fruit tree or shrub, 5-10 m tall. Leaves alternate, oblong, 10-20 cm long and 2-5 cm wide. Fragrant flowers. Fruits 8-16 cm, compound (made of several pollinated flowers, like a pineapple), yellow to brownish when ripe.

Native to Central America, now widespread in the tropics between 0 and 1500 m.

Vitamin C in the fruit is believed to help to dilate blood vessels in case of high cholesterol and high blood pressure. The presence of vitamin B6 in the fruit is believed to help to control fat deposits near the heart, further preventing heart related issues.

Custard apple can be eaten raw as a fresh fruit. It is considered not as delicious as the closely related “Sugar apple” (Annona squamosa) or “Cherimoya” (Annona cherimola).

Small trees, up to 13 m tall. Bark brown-gray, smooth, peeling in strips. Leaf blade elliptic, 6-12cm long, leathery. Fruit (berry) 5-10 cm long, light yellow with a pink, granular flesh. Edible. Numerous very hard seeds (3 mm long).

Native to Central and South America. Cultivated throughout the tropics.

The juice of the squeezed fruits is used for maintaining healthy skin. The leaves are chewed to prevent diarrhea.

“Common Guava” is related (same family) to Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus sp.). You can easily tell from the peeling bark. Guavas are of special interest to home growers in subtropical areas as one of the few tropical fruits that can grow to fruiting size in pots indoors.

The “Red Malaysian Guava” variety has red fruits, fluffy pink flowers, and reddish-purple leaves. It produces some of the largest Guava fruits.

Originally domesticated in the Philippines, spreading to the rest of the Island South East Asia and Eastward to Oceania including Melanesia and Polynesia.

The juice of the squeezed fruits is used for maintaining healthy skin. The leaves are chewed to prevent diarrhea.

Guavas in general are rich in Vitamin A and C. In fact, they have more vitamin C than oranges.

Group of mostly epiphytic (growing on other plants), tropical orchids. Characterized by their spirally twisted floral segments and asymmetrical flowers. Mostly vigorous, robust and tall-growing plants which require warm, tropical conditions.

Native to northern Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia, Philippines and Pacific Islands.

No known.

Dendrobium is one of the largest genera in the world containing more than 1800 species (largest genus is Astragalus with more than 3000 species).

Tropical fruit tree, normally around 10 m high (maximal 35 m). Leaves from oblong to elliptical, 10-20 cm long, 3-6 cm wide. Ripe fruits with smooth, bright yellow skin, 1-4 seeds. Fruits edible: sweet, mild taste, strong hint of caramel and vanilla. Often used in ice cream or eaten out of hand.

Native to the Amazonian region of South America.

The fruits are used to relieve cough, bronchitis and respiratory complaints. Tree sap is believed to help as de-worming medication and heals swollen wounds.

Mature abiu trees produce 100-1000 fruits per year. Abiu is related (same family) to the “miracle fruit” (Synsepalum dulcificum), known for its taste-changing characteristic (from sour to sweet).

Large shrub growing to 8 meters. When bruised or cut the branches have a spicy resinous fragrance, causing respiratory distress which can be dangerous for some individuals. The leaves are ovate and glossy while new leaves are bronze and a red cherry fruit as pictured. When bruised or cut the branches have a spicy resinous fragrance, causing respiratory distress which can be dangerous for some individuals.

Native to tropical South America’s East Coast.

Used to prevent inflammation. Anti-oxidants in the plant like Anthocyanines seem to boost insulin and to control blood sugar levels.

The essential oil is antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antitumor and analgesic. It has shown significant anti-inflammatory properties and is used in South America against stomach diseases.

There are 17 species in the genus Aquilaria, large evergreen trees, and nine are known to produce agar wood. Aquilaria crassna is one source of agar wood, a resinous heartwood, used for perfume and incense. The resin is produced by the tree as an immune reaction in response to infection by mould. Prior to infection, the heartwood is odorless, relatively light and pale colored. As the infection progresses, the tree produces the dark aromatic resin, called agar (not to be confused with the edible, algae-derived agar), which results in a very dense, dark, resin-embedded heartwood.

Native to Southeast Asia and New Guinea. Cultivated in plantations in some tropical regions.

The grated wood enters into various preparations used especially during and after childbirth, and to treat rheumatism, smallpox and abdominal pains. Decoctions of the wood are said to have anti-microbial properties, e.g. Against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Shigella flexneri.

First grade agarwood is one of the most expensive natural raw materials in the world, with prices for superior pure material as high as US$ 100’000 per kg. The current global market for agarwood is growing rapidly.

Large tree, deciduous, up to 40 m tall. High-quality wood. Greyish-brown branches. Leaves ovate, 15-45 cm long, 8-23 cm wide, margins entire, papery, hairy on lower surface. Flowers small, fragrant, white, arranged in dense clusters at the end of the branches.

Native to India and Southeast Asia but naturalized in many countries in Africa and the Caribbean. Myanmar’s teak forests account for nearly half of the world’s naturally occurring teak.

Teak is propagated mainly from seeds. Germination of the seeds involves pretreatment to remove dormancy arising from the thick pericarp. Pretreatment involves alternate wetting and drying of the seed.

The plant is widely cultivated because of its valuable wood. Indian Sandalwood (Santalum album) is the primary source of sandalwood and the derived oil. The woods are heavy, fine-grained and unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Indian Sandalwood still commands high prices for its essential oil, but due to lack of sizeable trees it is no longer used for fine woodworking as before.

Native to southern India and Southeast Asia. Now cultivated in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Australia and some parts of Oceania.

Sandalwood oil is little used in modern herbalism, its main application is in aromatherapy.

The high value of the species has caused its past exploitation to the point where the wild population is vulnerable to extinction.