3,306 articles
Sansevieria
Sansevieria, or snake plant, mother-in-law's tongue, is a former genus of about 70 African and Asian succulent species merged into Dracaena in 2017 after molecular phylogenetics; known for strap-shaped leaves, saponin toxicity, and overstated air-purifying claims.
Santalaceae
Santalaceae R.Br. (sandalwood family), the mistletoe family Viscaceae included as synonym, is a nearly cosmopolitan family of hemiparasitic flowering plants in Santalales, including Santalum sandalwoods, Viscum mistletoe, and the large genus Thesium.
Santalales
Santalales, the sandalwood and mistletoe order of parasitic eudicots, about 18 families, 160 genera, 2,200+ species; aerial parasitism evolved five times; classification revised by Nickrent 2010 and Cauz-Santos 2025.
Santalum album
Santalum album, Indian sandalwood or chandan, is a Vulnerable hemiparasitic Santalaceae tree native to India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and northern Australia, prized for heartwood oil (6–10%, santalols) used in perfumery and carving.
Santolina
Santolina (lavender-cotton) is a genus of about 28 accepted species of dwarf aromatic evergreen shrubs in Asteraceae, native to the western Mediterranean Basin, Europe to the Caucasus and NW Africa; widely grown drought-tolerant ornamentals with button-like yellow flowers.
Sapindaceae
Sapindaceae, the soapberry family (Juss., 1789), is a Sapindales family of about 1,900 species in roughly 140-147 genera, now including maples (Aceraceae) and horse chestnuts (Hippocastanaceae); it yields lychee, longan, rambutan, guarana, and maple syrup.
Sapindales
Sapindales (Juss. ex Bercht. & J.Presl) is an APG IV order of flowering plants including Sapindaceae (soapberries, maples) and Meliaceae (mahogany); example species Sapindus saponaria, NCBI taxid 41937.
Sapindus
Sapindus (soapberry, soapnut, reetha) is a genus of about 20 accepted Sapindaceae trees native from Chad and Asia to the Pacific and the Americas, whose saponin-rich fruit pericarp is used as a natural detergent and whose seed oil suits biodiesel.
Sapindus mukorossi
Sapindus mukorossi (soapnut, Chinese soapberry, reetha, wu huan zi) is a Sapindaceae tree native to southern China whose saponin-rich pericarp is used as a natural detergent and in traditional medicine; IUCN Least Concern.
Sapium
Sapium is a genus of flowering plants in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae, with about 27 accepted species of monoecious trees and shrubs native to tropical and subtropical America.
Saponaria officinalis
Saponaria officinalis, soapwort or bouncing bet, is a Caryophyllaceae perennial native to Europe and the Caucasus whose saponin-rich roots foam as natural soap, and whose seed protein saporin is studied as an anticancer agent.
Sapotaceae
Sapotaceae, the sapodilla family (Sapotaceae Juss., 1789), is a pantropical family of latex-bearing trees and shrubs in Ericales with about 65-75 genera and 1,300 species, including Pouteria, Chrysophyllum, and Manilkara, sources of chicle, gutta-percha, and tropical fruits.
Saraca
Saraca L. (ashoka, Jonesia) is a genus of about 12 Asian legume trees and shrubs in Fabaceae subfamily Detarioideae, petal-less flowers with petaloid yellow-to-red calyx, ranging from India to Sulawesi; S. asoca is a vulnerable Ayurvedic medicinal tree.
Saraca asoca (सरका अशोक)
Saraca asoca (सरका अशोक), the ashoka tree, Fabaceae, is a vulnerable evergreen medicinal tree of South Asia whose bark is used in Ayurveda for gynecological disorders; wild Western Ghats populations are fragmented and overexploited.
Sarcobatus vermiculatus
Sarcobatus vermiculatus, black greasewood (greasewood, saltbush, seepwood), a spiny halophytic shrub of western North American saline-alkaline soils, family Sarcobataceae, with oxalate toxicity to livestock and forage value.
Sarracenia
Sarracenia, the American pitcher plants, a genus of 8-11 carnivorous perennial herbs in Sarraceniaceae native to eastern North American bogs, with hooded pitfall traps, microbe-assisted digestion, and several endangered species.
Sassafras
Sassafras (Sassafras albidum), white sassafras or mitten tree, an aromatic eastern North American laurel-family tree with three leaf shapes on one plant; root-bark oil (safrole) banned in food since 1960, and laurel wilt now threatens it.
Sassafras albidum
Sassafras albidum (white sassafras, ague tree), eastern North American laurel-family tree with entire, mitten-shaped, and three-lobed leaves on one plant; source of filé powder and safrole-restricted oil of sassafras; IUCN Least Concern but threatened by laurel wilt.
Satureja
Satureja (savory) is a Lamiaceae genus of aromatic Mediterranean-to-Central-Asian herbs including summer savory (S. hortensis) and winter savory (S. montana), rich in thymol and carvacrol essential oils used culinarily and medicinally.
Saxegothaea
Saxegothaea, Prince Albert's yew (Mañio), a monospecific podocarp conifer genus of Chile and Argentina; sole species Saxegothaea conspicua, a Near Threatened Valdivian rainforest tree with yew-like foliage and multi-scaled seed cones.
Saxifraga
Saxifraga (saxifrages), largest genus of Saxifragaceae, about 375 arctic-alpine herbs of the Northern Hemisphere, Andes, and Ethiopian mountains; North American origin around 74 Ma, lime-secreting hydathodes, and confirmed carnivory in S. candelabrum.
Saxifragaceae
Saxifragaceae, the saxifrage family (Juss., 1789), is a family of perennial herbs in the eudicot order Saxifragales, with about 640 species in roughly 33-40 genera, highest diversity in western North America, and type genus Saxifraga.
Saxifragales
Saxifragales is an order of eudicot flowering plants, sister to rosids in the superrosids, with about 2,400 species in 15 families including Saxifragaceae, Crassulaceae, Paeoniaceae, and Hamamelidaceae; origin dated to ~107 Ma.
Scabiosa
Scabiosa (scabious, pincushion flower) is a Caprifoliaceae genus of about 67-100 species native to Eurasia, Macaronesia, North Africa, and southern Africa, sister to Sixalix, with pincushion flower heads and iridoid-rich chemistry.
Scaevola
Scaevola, also called fan flower or naupaka, is a genus of about 100-130 Goodeniaceae shrubs with half-shaped fan flowers and drupes; Australian in origin, Pacific-radiated, with S. taccada invasive in Florida.
Scallion
Scallion, also called green onion, is a young onion (Allium fistulosum or young A. cepa) harvested before bulbing, with mild flavor; spring onions have small bulbs and stronger taste.
Schinus
Schinus is a genus of about 40 species of evergreen trees and shrubs in the cashew family, native to South America and best known as the source of pink peppercorns.
Schinus molle
Schinus molle (Peruvian peppertree, pirul, peppercorn tree), Anacardiaceae tree native to Peru to N. Chile and S. Brazil to NE. Argentina; drooping evergreen to 15 m, pink drupes sold as pink pepper, invasive in Australia, Hawaii, South Africa.
Schisandra chinensis
Schisandra chinensis, known as wuweizi, is a climbing medicinal plant of northeastern Asia whose fruit has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years.
Schismus
Schismus (Mediterranean grass) is a genus of five small annual Poaceae grasses native from the Mediterranean to Central Asia, with S. arabicus and S. barbatus invasive winter annuals in western North American deserts.