Berberis, commonly known as barberry, is a large genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from 1–5 m (3.3–16.4 ft) tall, found throughout temperate and subtropical regions of the world (apart from Australia). The best-known Berberis species is the European barberry, Berberis vulgaris, which is common in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and central Asia, and has been widely introduced in North America. Its leaves are small oval, 2–5 centimetres (0.79–1.97 in) long and 1–2 centimetres (0.39–0.79 in) broad, with a serrated margin; they are borne in clusters of 2–5 together, subtended by a three-branched spine 3–8 mm long. TheContinue Reading…

Melaleuca viridiflora, commonly known as broad-leaved paperbark is a plant in the myrtle family and is native to woodlands, swamps and streams of monsoonal areas of northern Australia and New Guinea. It is usually a small tree, 3-7 m tall with papery bark and spikes of cream, yellow, green or red flowers. The bark is grey to cream, fibrous and in papery layers. Leaves are broad thick lanceolate dull dark green with 5-7 longitudinal veins. They are about 7-19 cm long x 2.5-5.5 cm wide. Flowers in dense creamy-green spikes with staminal filaments 18-23 mm long. Fruit is a capsuleContinue Reading…

Aspalathus linearis, the source of rooibos tea, is a shrub found in the western mountainous parts of the Western Cape, South Africa. Aspalathus linearis is an erect to spreading, highly variable shrub or shrublet up to 2 m high. Its young branches are often reddish. The leaves are green and needle-like, 15-60 mm long and up to about 1 mm thick. They are without stalks and stipules and may be densely clustered. The yellow flowers, which appear in spring to early summer, are solitary or arranged in dense groups at the tips of branches. The fruit is a small lance-shapedContinue Reading…

Theobroma grandiflorum, known as Cupuaçu, is a tropical rainforest tree related to cacao. Common throughout the Amazon basin, it is cultivated in the jungles of Colombia, Bolivia and Peru and in the north of Brazil, with the largest production in Pará. Cupuaçu trees usually range from 5–15 m (16–49 ft) in height, though some can reach 20 m (66 ft). They have brown bark, and the leaves range from 25–35 cm (9.8–13.8 in) long and 6–10 cm (2.4–3.9 in) across, with 9 or 10 pairs of veins. As they mature, the leaves change from pink-tinted to green, and eventually theyContinue Reading…