Shrub or small tree, up to 3 m tall with a spread of about 5 m. typically growing in littoral zones. Senescent leaves contain rosmarinic acid and derivates, which are known for its antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It may remove ciguatoxins produced by microscopic Gambierdiscus algae (dinoflagellat), which cause ciguatera fish poisoning.

Native to tropical Asia, Madagascar, Northern Australia and the Pacific Islands.

No known.

Historically in the Maldives, the leaves were often used as famine food. In the Pacific Islands, the wood was commonly used to make handicrafts, tools and frames for swim goggles.

Mostly terrestrial ferns, usually with a single tall, woody stem, up to 20 m. Rarely, the trunk may be branched or creeping. Many species also develop a fibrous mass of roots at the base of the trunk. The family Cyatheaceae appears in the fossil record in the late Jurassic and are therefore very ancient plants, though the modern genera (like Cyathea) likely appeared in the Cenozoic.

The genus has a pantropical distribution, with over 470 species. They grow in habitats ranging from tropical rain forests to temperate woodlands.

No known.

Evergreen shrub, rounded habit, dense branches. Bark greyish. Leaves dark green, shiny, leathery, with prominent veins, opposite. Flowers white, up to 10 cm in diameter, matte texture in contrast to the glossy leaves, among the most strongly fragrant of all flowers.

Native to India, Southern China and Southeast Asia. With its shiny leaves and heavily fragrant white flowers, it is widely used in gardens in warm temperate, subtropical and tropical climates, and as a houseplant in temperate regions.

The fruits are used against jaundice and diseases of the kidneys and lungs.

Related (same family) to coffee (Coffea arabica, # 6).

Robust palm tree, up to 30 m tall. Trunk grey, ringed with leaf scars (old leaves remain attached to the trunk for several years before falling cleanly). Leaves fan-shaped and 3 m long. Dioecious (male and female flowers on separate plants). Fruits black to brown with sweet, fibrous pulp and each seed is enclosed within a woody endocarp. Young palmyra seedlings grow slowly, producing only a few leaves each year (establishment phase), but at an as yet undetermined time, they grow rapidly, producing a substantial stem.

Native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Naturalized in Pakistan and parts of China. The Palmyra palm has a growth pattern, very large size, and clean habits that makes it an attractive ornamental tree, cultivated for planting in gardens and parks around the world as landscape palm species.

Nearly all parts of this palm tree can be used: The fruit to eat, the sap for sugar production, the sprouts to eat, the leaves for baskets and writing material, the trunk for construction works, etc.

Small tree, up to 5 m tall. Leaves dark green, glossy, up to 20 cm long, teardrop-shaped. Flowers white with yellow throats and each has five petals, fragrant, bloom in clusters. Flowers are most fragrant at night to attract moths and produce no nectar, tricking the pollinators who inadvertently pollinate them by travelling in search of the nectar (sexually-deceptive pollination).

Native to the Greater Antilles, Florida, Northern Central America. Cultivation Is common in the warmer regions of the world, Including the Pacific and South East Asia.It is reportedly naturalized in China

The root bark is depurative and purgative, causing thirst. It is used in the treatment of blennorrhagia, herpes and syphilis.
The root bark is used externally as a lotion on syphilitic ulcers, administered as powder macerated in sugar-water, wine or beer.
The latex from the stem is caustic. It is used for treating ulcers, darter (skin diseases) and scabies.
The flowers are bitter and caustic. They are an ingredient in a complex pectoral syrup for treating chest coughs and grippe.
The seeds are used in the treatment of dysentery (bloody flux)

The Plumeria is highly revered in many cultures and religions as being sacred including the Mayan and Aztec civilizations, Hinduism and Buddhism in all parts of tropical Asia. It is also culturally significant in the Pacific Islands.

The enormous, 20-35, paddle-shaped leaves, up to 11 m long, are borne on long petioles, in a distinctive fan shape aligned in a single plane (distichous). Large, white flowers with a green bract. Seeds brilliant blue. As the plant grows older, it progressively loses the lowest or oldest leaves and reveals a sturdy grey trunk.

Native to Madagascar. Cultivated around the world in warm regions as an ornamental.

No known.

It has been given the name “Traveler’s tree” because the sheaths of the stems hold rainwater, which supposedly could be used as an emergency drinking supply for needy travelers. However, the water inside the plant is murky, black and smelly and should not be consumed without purification.

Large tree, up to 40 m tall (rarely up to 60 m). Trunk develops aerial and buttressing roots to anchor it in the soil and help support heavy branches. Broad, shiny, oval leaves (10-35 cm long and 5-15 cm broad). The younger the plant, the larger the leaves. As with other members of the genus Ficus, the flowers require a particular species of fig wasp to pollinate it in a co-evolved relationship. Because of this relationship, the rubber plant does not produce highly colorful or fragrant flowers to attract other pollinators.

Native to eastern parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia. It has become naturalized in Sri Lanka, the West Indies and Florida. Ficus elastica is grown around the world as an ornamental plant, outside in frost-free climates from the tropical to the Mediterranean and inside in colder climates as a houseplant.

The “Rubber fig” yields a milky white latex which was used to make rubber. It should not be confused with the “Para rubber tree” (Hevea brasiliensis – Euphorbiaceae), the main commercial source of latex for rubber making. In both cases, the latex is an irritant to the eyes and skin and is toxic if taken internally.

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.