2,112 articles
Prunus virginiana
Prunus virginiana (chokecherry), Rosaceae, a thicket-forming North American shrub or small tree with three varieties (virginiana, melanocarpa, demissa), astringent dark drupes, rhizomatous spread, strong fire resprouting, and hydrocyanic-acid pits.
Psidium
Psidium (guava genus), Myrtaceae, native Mexico to tropical America, 71-92 species including cultivated Psidium guajava and invasive strawberry guava Psidium cattleyanum, one of the world's 100 worst invasive organisms.
Psophocarpus
Psophocarpus, a small African-Madagascan legume genus in Fabaceae tribe Phaseoleae, is known for the winged bean P. tetragonolobus, a protein-rich multipurpose tropical crop with four-winged, explosively dehiscent pods.
Psophocarpus tetragonolobus
Psophocarpus tetragonolobus, the winged bean or goa bean, is a twining tropical legume grown in hot, humid regions for its edible pods, seeds, leaves, and tubers.
Psoralea
Psoralea L. (fountainbush) is a Cape-centered legume genus in tribe Psoraleeae, described by Linnaeus in 1753, native Mozambique to South Africa, with about 129 species after absorbing Otholobium.
Psychotria
Psychotria L. (synonyms Cephaelis, Mapouria) is a pantropical genus of understory Rubiaceae shrubs with about 1,600-1,800 species, heterostylous flowers, red drupes, and bacterial leaf nodules; once broader, now split among Palicourea, Eumachia and others.
Psychotria viridis
Psychotria viridis (chacruna), a Rubiaceae shrub from Mexico to tropical South America, is the DMT-containing leaf ingredient of ayahuasca, containing 1–1.6 mg DMT per gram of dry leaf; often confused with the alkaloid-free P. carthagenensis.
Psyllium
Psyllium, also known as isabgol or ispaghula, is the gel-forming husk fiber of the plant Plantago ovata, used as a bulk laxative and to lower cholesterol.
Pterocarpus
Pterocarpus (padouk, narra, red sanders) is a pantropical legume tree genus in Fabaceae, tribe Dalbergieae, with winged indehiscent pods and red resin; prized timbers include P. indicus, P. soyauxii, and endangered P. santalinus.
Pterocarpus macrocarpus
Pterocarpus macrocarpus, Burma padauk, pradoo, thnong: a deciduous Fabaceae timber tree native to Indochina, 10-30 m tall, with red termite-resistant heartwood, winged pods, and EU Annex D trade controls.
Pterocarpus santalinus
Pterocarpus santalinus (red sandalwood, red sanders) is an Endangered Fabaceae tree endemic to southern India's Eastern Ghats, CITES Appendix II since 1995, yielding claret-red heartwood and the dye santalin for furniture, medicine, and instruments.
Pterocarya
Pterocarya (wingnuts), genus of six Juglandaceae tree species native from Türkiye and Iran to East Asia; Cenozoic relict with Caucasus–East Asia disjunction, winged nutlets in pendulous catkins, and Miocene divergence from Juglans.
Pueraria
Pueraria (kudzu vine genus) is a genus of tuberous-rooted climbing legumes in Fabaceae, tribe Phaseoleae, native to Asia and the W. Pacific; established by de Candolle in 1825, later shown polyphyletic and split into five genera including Haymondia and Toxicopueraria.
Pulicaria
Pulicaria (fleabane), genus of aromatic Asteraceae herbs in tribe Inuleae, published by Gaertner in 1791; about 75-100 species native from Africa and Europe to the Indian Subcontinent, used as herbal tea and traditional medicine.
Pulmonaria
Pulmonaria (lungwort) is a Boraginaceae genus of about 18 perennial species native to Europe, Siberia, and N. China, with red-to-blue aging flowers, distyly, spotted leaves, and shade-garden use.
Pulmonaria officinalis
Pulmonaria officinalis, lungwort or pulmonaire officinale, is a spotted-leaved European borage-family perennial whose flowers shift from red to blue; IUCN Least Concern, long used for lung ailments.
Punica
Punica is a two-species genus of Lythraceae: the cultivated pomegranate Punica granatum and the wild, Socotra-endemic Punica protopunica, its probable ancestor with n=7 chromosomes.
Purshia tridentata
Purshia tridentata, antelope bitterbrush, is a deciduous Rosaceae shrub native from British Columbia to the US Southwest, covering about 340 million acres, valued as mule deer and livestock browse, with Frankia nitrogen fixation and deep taproots.
Pussy willow
Pussy willow (Salix discolor, American pussy willow) is a North American willow shrub of wetlands, known for silky catkins opening before leaves in early spring; dioecious, a major early bee forage, and often confused with Eurasian Salix caprea.
Pyracantha
Pyracantha (firethorn) is a genus of six accepted evergreen, thorny Rosaceae shrubs native from southern Europe to China, grown for white spring flowers and red, orange, or yellow winter berries, prone to scab and fireblight.
Pyracantha coccinea
Pyracantha coccinea, scarlet firethorn (buisson ardent), a thorny evergreen Rosaceae shrub native from southern Europe to Iran, grown for white flowers and red berries, invasive in Florida, Brazil, and South Africa.
Pyrola
Pyrola (wintergreens) is a genus of about 42 accepted evergreen herbs in Ericaceae, tribe Pyroleae, native to subarctic and temperate Northern Hemisphere to Guatemala and Sumatera; Asian origin, dust-seed mycoheterotrophy, and use as the Chinese medicine Luxiancao distinguish it.
Pyrus
Pyrus is the pear genus of Rosaceae, native to temperate Eurasia and NW Africa, with about 77 accepted species, Occidental and Oriental clades, and independently domesticated European and Asian pears.
Pyrus calleryana
Pyrus calleryana, Callery or Bradford pear, is an Asian Rosaceae tree native to China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Vietnam, planted ornamentally in the US since the early 1900s and now invasive there because cultivar cross-pollination yields viable, bird-dispersed seed.
Pyrus communis
Pyrus communis, the European pear, is a Rosaceae tree native from Europe to northern Iraq, domesticated separately in Europe and the Caucasus, fifth most produced fruit worldwide, with cultivars like Bartlett and Bosc.
Quercus
Quercus (oaks), genus of Fagaceae trees and shrubs with 400-450 species across the northern hemisphere, defined by acorns; fossil record from about 55 Ma, with Mexico and East Asia as diversity centers.
Quercus acutissima
Quercus acutissima, the sawtooth oak (Japanese kunugi), is a deciduous oak native from the Himalaya to Korea and Japan, with bristle-tipped leaf teeth and biennial acorns.
Quercus alba
Quercus alba, white oak (stave oak), a large long-lived deciduous oak of eastern North America with rounded-lobed leaves, barrel-grade wood, and declining young age classes since 1988.
Quercus cerris
Quercus cerris, Turkey oak (Saçlı Meşe), a fast-growing deciduous oak of section Cerris native to S. Europe to Türkiye and Anti-Lebanon; two-year acorns, bristly cups, drought-tolerant, IUCN least concern.
Quercus coccinea
Quercus coccinea, scarlet oak (also Spanish oak), an eastern US red oak of dry upland soils, 50-80 ft tall, with C-shaped leaf sinuses, scarlet fall color, thin fire-susceptible bark, and vigorous postfire sprouting; state tree of Washington, DC.