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.

Before consumption, it must be properly prepared, as improper preparation can leave enough residual cyanide to cause cyanide intoxication.

Native to South America. Cultivated around the world in tropical and subtropical regions.

Cassava is often used in traditional medicine and has several applications.
The plant is antifungal, antiviral, mutagenic and antibacterial.
The roots of bitter varieties can be used to treat scabies, diarrhoea and dysentery.
The juice of the grated tubers is used to treat constipation and indigestion.
A flour made from the roots can be used as a dusting powder on the skin in order to help dry weeping skin.
Soaked with Carapa oil, it is used as a poultice on shattered muscles.
It is mixed with rum and rubbed onto children’s skin as a treatment for abscesses and skin eruptions.
It can be made into an ointment to treat fungal dermatitis.
The leaves are haemostatic.
They are made into a poultice to treat wounds.
The leaves are infused in bath water to treat influenza and fevers.
The leaves are heated and rubbed across sore eyes.
The stem is folded and rubbed across the eyes of people suffering from glaucoma.
The bark of the plant, together with that of Cordyline terminalis, is thought to prolong life.
Sugar cane and annatto are employed in an antidote to ingested water which has been poisoned by the soaking roots of this plant.

It is one of the most drough-tolerant crops, capable of growing on marginal soils.

Shrub, up to 4 m tall. Leaves 50-80 cm long (with many leaflets). Inflorescence looks like a yellow candle (“Candle bush”). Fruit shaped like a straight pod, up to 25 cm long. Seeds distributed by water or animals.

Native to most of the Neotropics (from Mexico and the West Indies to Paraguay) and can be found in diverse habitats. Invasive species in Austronesia. Planted as medicinal and ornamental plant in Southeast Asia, Australia and Africa

No known.

The Candle bush is often called “Ringworm bush” because of its very effective fungicidal properties, for treating ringworm and other fungal infections of the skin.

Shrubby, perennial herb, up to 60 cm tall. Stem densely branched. Flowers white (sometimes purplish). Botanically, the Chilli fruits are berries that may be green, yellow, orange or red when ripe. While Capsicum annuum can tolerate most frost-free climates, it is especially productive in warm and dry climates.

Native to southern North America and northern South America. Cultivated around the world in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, both mild and hot, such as bell peppers, jalapenos and cayenne peppers.

The fruit of the hot, pungent cultivars is ant haemorrhoidal when taken in small amounts, antirheumatic, antiseptic, diaphoretic, digestive, irritant, rubefacient, sialagogue and tonic.
It is taken internally in the treatment of the cold stage of fevers, debility in convalescence or old age, varicose veins, asthma and digestive problems.
Externally it is used in the treatment of sprains, unbroken chilblains, neuralgia, pleurisy etc.It is an effective sea-sickness preventative.

Although the species name annuum means annual (Latin “annus”: year), the plant is not an annual but is frost tender. In the absence of winter frosts, it can survive several seasons and grow into a large perennial herb.

Water lilies are aquatic, rhizomatous, perennial herbs. Leaves grow from the rhizome on long petioles. Most of the leaves float on the surface of the water. Flowers are pollinated by insects, often beetles. Plant reproduce by root tubers and seeds.

The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution. Many species are cultivated as ornamental plants and many cultivars have been bred.

The Water Lilly has a long history of traditional medicinal use and modern research has shown the presence of several medically active compounds in the plant.
The alkaloid nymphaeum is found in all parts of the plant, other than the seed, whilst coclaurine has been found in the leaves and stem.
The plant contains several flavonoids such as kaempferols, quercetins and myricetins – these are found especially in the flowers.
The plant also contains a glycoside, nymphalid, which has a digitalis-like action upon the heart.
Alcoholic extracts of the rhizome, containing the alkaloid nymphaeum, have a mild sedative and spasmolytic action. They do not significantly depress the heart; in large doses though, they have a paralysing effect on the medulla.
The rhizomes are astringent, demulcent, diuretic, emollient and tonic.
A decoction is given in the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery, stomach-ache, colic and dyspepsia.
An infusion of the fresh rhizomes is used for treating blennorrhagia and infections of the urinary tract.
The powdered rhizome is used as a demulcent for treating piles.
The slightly bitter juice of the leaves and petioles is used in the treatment of gonorrhoea.
The juice possesses mildly narcotic properties and is rubbed on the forehead and temples to produce sleep.
The juice from the leaves, or the macerated leaves, are an ingredient of a lotion applied to the skin for fever.The flowers are taken as a cardiotonic because of their astringent properties.

Water lilies have several edible parts. The young leaves and unopened flower buds can be boiled and served as a vegetable.

Perennial herb, up to 1 m tall. Leaf base formed pseudobulb. Leaves lanceolate, up to 1 m long and 7-12 cm wide. Aromatic, white inflorescence.

Native to Indian Ocean Islands, East Asia, Tropical Asia, Australia and Pacific Islands. It is regarded as naturalized in Mexico, Florida and Madagascar. It is widely planted in many warmer regions as an ornamental.

No known.

All parts of the plant are poisonous if ingested, especially the bulb. Eaten by mistake can cause various symptoms like vomiting, abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, nervous system paralysis and death.

Evergreen shrub or tree, 3-7 m tall, spreading crown. Grows in dry forests, ridge forests, pastures and along roadsides, at elevations up to 900 meters. The plant flowers and produces fruits all year round.

.Endemic to Fiji.

No known.

This species is noteworthy for its pollination mechanism, which involves a symbiotic relationship with moths of the genus Epicephala. This closely parallels that found in Yucca species.

Tree, up to 25 m, wide-canopied with large, symmetrical, umbrella-shaped crown. Pinkish flowers with white and red stamens, set on heads with around 12-25 flowers per head. These heads may number in the thousands, covering the whole tree. Large branches of the tree tend to break off, particularly during rainstorms. This can be hazardous as the tree is very commonly used for avenue plantation.

Native to Central and South America, but has been widely introduced to South and Southeast Asia, as well as the Pacific Islands, including Hawaii.

The leaves and seeds are used in the treatment of eye problems such as ophthalmia.
The bark is astringent. It is taken internally to treat diarrhoea, dysentery and piles.
The bark is used externally to treat boils.
The flowers are applied locally to maturate boils and alleviate skin eruptions.
The powdered seeds are used to treat scrofula.
Saponin from the pods and roots has spermicidal activity.
Studies have shown that a methanol extraction of the plant is a very effective treatment for diabetes.

The Fijian name “Vaivai” means “watery” (in allusion to the tree’s “rain”).