3,306 articles
Bursera graveolens
Bursera graveolens, palo santo or incense tree, is a dry-forest tree from Mexico to Peru, burned as incense and distilled for limonene-rich essential oil; IUCN Least Concern but Critically Endangered under Peruvian law.
Bursera simaruba
Bursera simaruba (gumbo limbo, West Indian birch, palo mulato) is a Burseraceae tree native from Mexico to Brazil and the Caribbean, with peeling coppery bark, IUCN Least Concern status, and medicinal, fencepost, and fuel uses.
Burseraceae
Burseraceae Kunth, a conserved name published in 1824, is a pantropical family of resin-producing trees and shrubs in Sapindales, best known as the source of frankincense, myrrh, and copal.
Butea
Butea (palash, flame-of-the-forest) is a Fabaceae genus of five accepted species native from the Indian subcontinent to Indo-China, known for orange-scarlet bird-pollinated flowers, lac insect host use, and Ayurvedic medicine.
Butea monosperma
Butea monosperma (Palash, पलाश, Flame of the Forest, Dhak) is a Fabaceae tree of the Indian subcontinent and Indochina with scarlet flowers, sacred in Hinduism, used in Ayurveda, IUCN Least Concern.
Butia
Butia (Becc.) Becc. is a South American palm genus (Arecaceae, Arecoideae, Cocoeae) of about 25 accepted species from Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina, forming Pampa palm groves, with several threatened species and underutilized edible fruit.
Butomus
Butomus, flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus), a genus of two aquatic plant species native to temperate Eurasia and NW Africa; B. umbellatus is a high-risk invasive ornamental in North America with diploid and triploid cytotypes.
Buxaceae
Buxaceae (boxwood family), order Buxales; evergreen trees and shrubs including Buxus, Sarcococca, Pachysandra; petals absent, capsule or drupe fruits; APG IV merged Haptanthaceae into it.
Buxus
Buxus (box, boxwood), a genus of evergreen Buxaceae shrubs native to Europe, Asia, Africa, Mexico, and the Caribbean, prized for hedging and topiary and threatened by boxwood blight and the box tree moth.
Byrsonima
Byrsonima (murici, nance) is a Neotropical genus of about 160 species of trees and shrubs in Malpighiaceae, native from Florida and Mexico to Paraguay, with fleshy bird-dispersed drupes, medicinal and edible species such as B. crassifolia, and savanna diversification since the mid-Miocene.
Cactaceae
Cactaceae (cactus family), Caryophyllales family defined by areoles; nearly all New World succulents with centers in Mexico, the Andes, and eastern Brazil; 31% of evaluated species are threatened, and a 2025 phylogenomic classification recognizes six subfamilies and 155 genera.
Cactus
Cactus (family Cactaceae): about 2,000 species of American succulent plants defined by areoles, spines as modified leaves, and CAM photosynthesis; convergent with African Euphorbia; whole family CITES-listed since 1975.
Caesalpinia
Caesalpinia Plum. ex L. is a genus of about ten neotropical legume trees and shrubs, once a pantropical genus of c. 150 species, split by 2016 phylogenetics into 26 genera including Paubrasilia.
Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Sw., pride of Barbados or peacock flower (formerly Poinciana pulcherrima), is a prickly leguminous shrub native to SE Mexico to Central America, widely grown in tropics for red-orange flowers; medicinal, toxic seeds, national flower of Barbados.
Cajanus
Cajanus, a Fabaceae genus of 34 species native to the tropical Old World to north Australia; its sole cultivated species, Cajanus cajan (pigeonpea, arhar), was domesticated in India from C. cajanifolius.
Calabash
Calabash, most often the bottle gourd Lagenaria siceraria (ユウガオ), an African-domesticated climbing cucurbit grown for edible young fruits and hard shells used as utensils, instruments, and watermelon rootstock; distinct from Crescentia cujete.
Caladenia
Caladenia (spider orchids), genus of over 250 geophytic terrestrial orchids in tribe Diurideae, described by Robert Brown in 1810, native Java to Australia and New Zealand, with 71 Australian species federally threatened.
Caladium
Caladium, a genus of Araceae tuberous foliage plants including Caladium bicolor and the hybrid Caladium x hortulanum, grown for colorful heart-shaped leaves; Florida produces nearly all commercial tubers, centered on Lake Placid.
Calamagrostis
Calamagrostis, known as reed grass, is a genus of about 130 species of perennial grasses in the grass family Poaceae, found from Himalayan meadows to North American prairies.
Calamagrostis arenaria
Calamagrostis arenaria, commonly called marram grass or European beachgrass and formerly Ammophila arenaria, is a dune-building perennial grass native to European coasts and planted widely for sand stabilization.
Calanthe triplicata
Calanthe triplicata (Christmas orchid, tsururan, 三褶虾脊兰) is a widespread terrestrial orchid from tropical Asia to the Pacific, with white deceptive flowers, up to 1.3 m inflorescences, 48 synonyms, and natural hybrids with C. sylvatica.
Calathea
Calathea is a genus of Marantaceae native from S. Mexico to tropical America, with 59 accepted species after the 2012 transfer of most former Calathea species to Goeppertia; grown as patterned foliage houseplants showing nyctinasty.
Calceolaria
Calceolaria (slipper flowers, lady's purse) is a genus of about 250-310 Andean plants in Calceolariaceae, from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego, with nectarless oil-offering flowers pollinated by Centris and Chalepogenus bees.
Calea
Calea L. (Mexican dream herb, Calea ternifolia) is a species-rich Asteraceae genus native from Mexico to tropical America, with about 170 species, yellow florets, scale pappus, and sesquiterpene lactone chemistry.
Caledonian Forest
Caledonian Forest, or Caledonian pinewood, is Scotland's relict indigenous Scots pine woodland with birch and juniper. Once about 1.5 million hectares, under 2% survives; deer browsing, non-native conifers, drought and wildfire are the main threats.
Calendula
Calendula (marigold) is a Mediterranean-centered genus of Asteraceae herbs including pot marigold (Calendula officinalis), used in traditional herbal medicines, cosmetics, and food, with C. maritima Critically Endangered.
Calendula officinalis
Calendula officinalis (pot marigold), an Asteraceae herb native to the western Mediterranean, grown as an ornamental, edible flower, and traditional medicine; EU-registered herbal product Calendulae flos rich in terpenoids, flavonoids, and carotenoids.
Callaloo
Callaloo is a Caribbean dish of cooked leafy greens and the greens themselves: amaranth in Jamaica, taro/dasheen in Trinidad, where it is a crab-and-okra soup; national dish of Dominica and Trinidad & Tobago.
Callicarpa
Callicarpa (beautyberry) is a Lamiaceae genus of about 140-170 shrub and small tree species, type species C. americana, native from the Americas to Asia, the Pacific, and Australia, with showy purple drupes and mosquito-repellent leaf compounds.
Callirhoe
Callirhoe (poppy mallow, wine cup) is a genus of nine Malvaceae herbs native from the central United States to northeastern Mexico, typified by C. digitata, with gynodioecious species and the endangered Texas poppy-mallow.