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Sequoia (genus)
Sequoia is a monotypic conifer genus of the cypress family containing the coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), the world's tallest tree, up to 112 m; giant sequoia now sits in Sequoiadendron, and the hexaploid redwood genome is 26.5 Gbp.
Sequoia sempervirens
Sequoia sempervirens, the coast redwood or California redwood, is the world's tallest tree, native to coastal central California to southern Oregon, Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and dependent on summer fog for up to 40% of water uptake.
Sequoiadendron giganteum
Sequoiadendron giganteum, the giant sequoia or Sierra redwood, is a Cupressaceae conifer endemic to 65-75 Sierra Nevada groves; world's largest tree by volume (General Sherman, 1,487 m3), up to 3,266 years old, losing 18% of large trees to wildfire since 2015.
Sequoioideae
Sequoioideae, the redwood subfamily of Cupressaceae, contains three species: coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens, hexaploid, tallest tree), giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum, largest tree), and deciduous dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) of China.
Serapias
Serapias is a Mediterranean genus of terrestrial tuberous orchids (Orchidaceae), type species S. lingua, with dark red hooded flowers that pollinate by shelter imitation, offering insects a nectarless floral tube, and unusually show no pollinarium reconfiguration.
Serenoa
Serenoa (saw palmetto, Serenoa repens) is a monotypic palm genus native to the southeastern United States, a creeping, spiny-petioled shrub palm whose blue-black fruit is used in prostate supplements despite weak clinical benefit.
Serotiny
Serotiny (pyriscence) is delayed seed release in plants, where seeds are stored in woody cones or fruits and released after fire heat melts sealing resin; found in pines, Banksia, eucalypts, and cypresses.
Service canadien de la faune herbarium
Service canadien de la faune herbarium (SCFQ), Sainte-Foy, Quebec: Canadian Wildlife Service herbarium of about 2,500 vascular plant specimens started in 1970, collectors including DeRepentigny and Stirrett.
Sesame
Sesame (Sesamum indicum, syn. S. orientale), an annual Pedaliaceae oilseed domesticated in India, grown for seeds with 45–60% rancidity-resistant oil rich in sesamin lignans; Sudan leads production.
Sesamum
Sesamum is a genus of about 31 Pedaliaceae herbs native from tropical Africa and Asia to Australia; its type species Sesamum indicum is sesame, the ancient oilseed crop with 45-60% seed oil.
Sesbania
Sesbania (sesbania, sesban) is a genus of about 50-80 legume species (Fabaceae, tribe Sesbanieae) of herbs, shrubs, and small trees in tropical wet habitats, used as green manure, fodder, and fuelwood; S. rostrata uniquely forms nitrogen-fixing stem nodules.
Sesbania grandiflora
Sesbania grandiflora, known as agati or vegetable hummingbird, is a fast-growing legume tree native to Malesia and New Guinea, cultivated across the tropics for food, forage, and medicine.
Seseli
Seseli L. is a genus of 141 accepted Apiaceae herbs native to temperate Eurasia, North Africa, and Somalia; non-monophyletic, rich in coumarins and essential oils, used in traditional medicine.
Setaria
Setaria (foxtail grasses), Poaceae genus established by Beauvois in 1812, about 130-140 cosmopolitan species with bristle-subtended spikelets; includes foxtail millet (S. italica) and green foxtail (S. viridis), a C4 model grass.
Setaria viridis
Setaria viridis, known as green foxtail or green millet, is a widespread C4 grass that is the wild ancestor of foxtail millet, domesticated in China thousands of years ago.
Sethoxydim
Sethoxydim (Poast, Segment) is a cyclohexanedione, WSSA Group 1 postemergence herbicide inhibiting ACCase in grasses, used in broadleaf crops; slightly toxic, low soil persistence.
Shade tolerance
Shade tolerance is a plant's capacity to survive and grow at low light, defined as the minimum light for survival. Key traits include low light compensation points, high leaf mass per area, and conservative growth, contrasting with shade avoidance.
Shakuhachi (尺八)
Shakuhachi (尺八), the Japanese end-blown bamboo flute of Zen komusō monks, introduced from China in the Nara period, with Shōsōin examples from 752, Fuke sect honkyoku repertoire, and Meiji-era secular schools.
Shallot
The shallot, also called the French shallot, is a bulb vegetable and variety of onion that grows in cloves, with a mild, sweet flavor favored in French cooking.
Shamrock
The shamrock, also known as the three-leaf clover, is a small three-leaved plant symbolizing Ireland, most often Trifolium dubium or Trifolium repens, and one of Ireland's official State emblems.
Shaoxing wine (绍兴酒)
Shaoxing wine (绍兴酒, Shaoxing Jiu) is a fermented Chinese yellow wine (huangjiu) from Shaoxing, Zhejiang, made from glutinous rice, wheat, and Jianhu Lake water; 15-18% ABV, EU PGI since 2021, heritage-listed brewing technique.
Shea butter
Shea butter (karité) is the fat from kernels of Vitellaria paradoxa, a wild tree of the African shea belt from Senegal to Uganda. About 90% of exports feed chocolate and bakery uses as cocoa butter equivalents; the rest serves cosmetics, supporting millions of West African women producers.
Shipova
Shipova (×Sorbopyrus auricularis), the Bollwiller pear, is a rare nearly sterile pear × whitebeam hybrid from Bollwiller, Alsace, before 1610, propagated by grafting, slow to fruit, with sweet yellow apricot-sized fruit.
Shiso
Shiso (Perilla frutescens, zisu, beefsteak plant) is an East Asian mint-family herb used as food and medicine; green PK chemotype eaten fresh, purple PA type medicinal, seed oil ~60% omega-3.
Shōno Shōunsai
Shōno Shōunsai (生野祥雲斎, 1904–1974), real name Shōno Akihei, was a Japanese bamboo craft artist from Beppu who became the first Living National Treasure of bamboo art in 1967.
Shorea
Shorea (娑罗属), a Dipterocarpaceae tree genus from the Indian Subcontinent to Malesia, source of meranti and balau timber; masting, thrips pollination, 47 accepted species per Kew.
Shorea robusta
Shorea robusta (sal, साल, 娑罗双) is a large Dipterocarpaceae timber tree dominating sal forests of the Indian subcontinent; IUCN least concern, ~105,790 km2 of sal forest in India, threatened by heartwood borer epidemics, fire, and poor regeneration.
Short rotation coppice
Short rotation coppice (SRC) is the farming of densely planted willow or poplar, harvested on a 2 to 5 year cycle and regrown from the stool for biomass fuel.
Shrub
Shrub: a perennial woody plant, also called a bush, shorter than a tree with multiple stems from near ground level; no strict scientific definition exists, defined by stem number and height conventions of 12-20 feet.
Sicana
Sicana Naudin (1862) is a genus of four accepted climbing cucurbit species in Cucurbitaceae, tribe Cucurbiteae, native from the Caribbean to Peru and Bolivia; its best-known species, Sicana odorifera (cassabanana, musk cucumber), is the sister group of Cucurbita with 2n = 40, and S. trinitensis of Trinidad is IUCN Endangered.