Helichrysum arenarium is also known as sandy everlasting , and as immortelle, is herbaceous perennial plant belonging to Asteraceae family and it is native to Europe, Central Asia, and China. It grows to be an average of 0.3 m tall. The plant grows 10–30 (50) cm high with obliquely descendent, strong and short rhizome. The stem is usually branched at the upper part and carries alternate leaves, which are 2–5 cm in length. Both the leaves and the stem are covered with gray or silvery wooly hairs. The flower heads are arranged in loosely, a cross between umbel and panicle. They are 3Continue Reading…

Hyssopus officinalis, commonly called hyssop, is a herbaceous plant of the genus Hyssopus native to Southern Europe, the Middle East, and the region surrounding the Caspian Sea. Hyssop is a brightly coloured shrub or subshrub that ranges from 30 to 60 cm (12 to 24 in) in height. The stem  is woody at the base, from which grow a number of straight branches. Its leaves are lanceolate, dark green in colour, and from 2 to 2.5 cm (0.79 to 0.98 in) long. During the summer, the plant produces bunches of pink, blue, or, more rarely, white fragrant flowers. Foliage, flowers and plant oils have a long history of culinary and folk medicine uses. Leaves haveContinue Reading…

 Attalea speciosa (babassu, babassu palm, babaçu, cusi) is a palm native to Brazil, Guyana, Suriname and Bolivia. It is now widespread in Mexico. The babassu palm is an perennial evergreen palm, reaching up a height of 15 to 30 m. The trunk is slender, ringed with leaf scars, 20-50 cm in diameter. A dense rounded crown, 8 m in diameter, is formed by 15-20 huge leaves up to 9 m long. Attalea speciosa bears 2-4 inflorescences of whitish or yellowish flowers. Bunches are 1 m long, weigh 40-90 kg and bear 250 to 600 fruits twice a year. The fruits are oblong nuts (8-15 cm longContinue Reading…

Leptospermum scoparium, commonly called manuka, manuka myrtle, New Zealand teatree, broom tea-tree, or just tea tree, is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, native to Australia and New Zealand but has been introduced and cultivated in a number of countries, including the United States, Britain, South Africa and Madeira. It is typically a shrub growing to 2–5 m (7–16 ft) tall, but can grow into a moderately sized tree, up to 15 m (49 ft) or so in height. It is evergreen, with dense branching and small leaves 7–20 mm long and 2–6 mm broad, withContinue Reading…

Myrtus communis, the common myrtle, is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It is an evergreen shrub native to southern Europe, north Africa, western Asia, Macaronesia, and the Indian Subcontinent. The plant is an evergreen shrub or small tree, growing to 5 metres (16 ft) tall. The leaves are 2–5 centimetres (0.79–1.97 in) long, with a fragrant essential oil. The flowers are white or tinged with pink, with five petals and many stamens that protrude from the flower.The fruit is a berry, blue-black when ripe. Plant has long history of cultivation and use. Symbol of loveContinue Reading…

Aloysia citrodora is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family Verbenaceae, native to western South America. Common names include lemon verbena. It was brought to Europe by the Spanish and the Portuguese in the 17th century and cultivated for its oil. Lemon verbena is a perennial shrub or subshrub growing to 2–3 m high. The 8-cm-long, glossy, pointed leaves are slightly rough to the touch and emit a powerful scent reminiscent of lemon when bruised (hence the Latin specific epithet citrodora—lemon-scented). Lemon verbena leaves are used to add a lemon flavor to fish and poultry dishes, vegetable marinades,Continue Reading…

The sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) belongs to the family Elaeagnceae. Sea buckthorn is native to Europe and Asia and was introduced to Canada some time ago. The sea buckthorn is a medium deciduous shrub six to 13 feet (2 to 4 m) in height. The trees are dioecious meaning there are male and female plants. Tremendous potential for functional food and nutraceutical uses. Very high vitamin C and anti-oxidant properties. Only female plants produce fruit. Unfortunately, plant type cannot be determined until flowers are produced. Flowers are small, yellow and appear before the leaves being produced on three-year-old wood.Continue Reading…

Schisandra chinensis (common name: magnolia vine, schisandra) is a deciduous woody vine native to forests of Northern China and the Russian Far East. The plants are vigorous climbers and can reach 30 feet in length. Their leaves are fragrant, and in the spring they produce even more fragrant flowers. The plants are dioecious, which means you’ll need to plant both a male and a female plant in order to get fruit. In mid-summer, their berries ripen to deep red. Schisandra is sometimes called the five flavor fruit because its berries’ shells are sweet, their meat sour, their seeds bitter andContinue Reading…

Angelica archangelica, commonly known as Garden Angelica, Holy Ghost, Wild Celery, and Norwegian Angelica, is a biennial plant from the Apiaceae family, a subspecies of which is cultivated for its sweetly scented edible stems and roots. Angelica archangelica grows wild in Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland, mostly in the northern parts of the countries. Like several other species in Apiaceae, its appearance is similar to several poisonous species (Conium, Heracleum, and others), and should not be consumed unless it has been identified with absolute certainty. It has fluted stems with jagged leaves made ofContinue Reading…

Caryocar brasiliense, known as pequi or “souari nut”, is a native fruit from Brazil, found in the Amazon, Caatinga, Cerrado and Atlantic Rain Forest regions. The pequi tree grows up to 10 m (30 ft) tall. The yellowish-white flowers are hermaphroditic and bear many stamens. There are often two dozen or more flowers per inflorescence. Fruits start off dark purple, turning olive green and finally buffy green as they ripen, taking about 5–6 months. Ripe fruits are about the size of an orange. They have a few (usually 1-4) segments of pulpy pericarp inside the skin, yellow and with aContinue Reading…