4,295 articles
Strophanthus
Strophanthus DC. (Apocynaceae), a genus of about 38-39 liana and shrub species from Africa to Malesia, source of cardiac glycosides such as ouabain, used as arrow poison and in heart medicine.
Strophanthus kombe
Strophanthus kombe (kombe arrow poison) is an East and southern African Apocynaceae liana whose glycoside-rich seeds served as arrow poison and yielded the heart medicine strophanthin-K, distinct from S. gratus (ouabain).
Strychnos
Strychnos L., a pantropical genus of about 200 species in Loganiaceae (trees, shrubs, spiny lianas), source of strychnine from Strychnos nux-vomica seeds; strongly monophyletic with 12 clades, most sections non-monophyletic.
Strychnos nux-vomica
Strychnos nux-vomica (maqianzi, Kupilu, Tumdgha), the strychnine tree of Loganiaceae, is a tropical Asian tree whose seeds yield strychnine and brucine, used in Ayurvedic, Chinese and Tibetan medicine after detoxification processing.
Stryphnodendron
Stryphnodendron (barbatimão) is a Neotropical Fabaceae genus of tannin-rich trees and suffrutices from Nicaragua to southern Brazil, split in 2022 into Stryphnodendron s.str., Gwilymia, and Naiadendron, with bark used in Brazilian folk medicine.
Stylosanthes
Stylosanthes (stylo) is a genus of about 49 tropical legume species in Fabaceae, tribe Dalbergieae, including S. guianensis, S. hamata, S. humilis, and S. scabra, widely grown as pasture, hay, and green-manure forage.
Stylosanthes guianensis
Stylosanthes guianensis (stylo, Brazilian lucerne) is a perennial tropical forage legume native to Mexico to South America, grown for ruminant feed and soil improvement; the anthracnose-tolerant accession CIAT 184 underpins cultivars such as Reyan in China.
Styphnolobium japonicum
Styphnolobium japonicum, the Japanese pagoda tree or huai (槐), formerly Sophora japonica, is a Chinese leguminous tree to 25 m, flowering only at 30-40 years, grown worldwide as a pollution-tolerant ornamental for timber, rutin-rich buds, and dyes.
Styrax
Styrax (安息香属) is a genus of about 130 shrub and tree species in Styracaceae, native from the Americas to Europe and Asia, best known as the source of benzoin resin (Siam and Sumatra types) used in incense, flavoring, and medicine.
Submarine sandwich
Submarine sandwich (sub, hero, hoagie, grinder, po' boy): a long split roll filled with cold cuts, cheese, and vegetables, an Italian-American creation; "sub" dominates nationally while "hoagie" is Philadelphia's regional term, first printed as "submarine sandwich" in 1940.
Succisa
Succisa (devil's-bit scabious genus) is a Caprifoliaceae genus of perennial herbs with hemispheric flower heads, native from Madeira and Cameroon to Siberia; type species Succisa pratensis hosts the marsh fritillary butterfly.
Succulent plant
Succulent plants, or succulents, are plants that store water in leaves, stems, or roots to survive drought; the trait occurs across many plant families, mostly with water-efficient CAM photosynthesis.
Sugar beet
Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) is a temperate biennial root crop storing 16-18% sucrose, discovered as a sugar source by Marggraf in 1747, industrialized by Achard in 1801, and supplying about 20% of world sugar, led by the EU.
Sugarcane
Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is a tropical grass, domesticated in New Guinea, supplying about 80 percent of the world's sugar and a major feedstock for bioethanol.
Sultana (grape)
Sultana, or Sultanina (Thompson Seedless in the US), is a white seedless Vitis vinifera grape of Turkish origin, the world's most widely planted light-skinned variety, used mainly for raisins called sultanas.
Sumac
Sumac: ground spice from Rhus coriaria (Arabic summāq, dark red), a purple sour Mediterranean seasoning; also the Rhus genus (~150 species), distinct from poisonous Toxicodendron vernix (poison sumac), which causes urushiol dermatitis.
Summer savory
Summer savory (Satureja hortensis) is an annual mint-family herb from southeastern Europe to western Asia with mild, peppery, thyme-like leaves; the classic bean herb of European, Acadian, and Newfoundland cooking, milder than winter savory.
Sunflower oil
Sunflower oil, also called sunflower seed oil, is the vegetable oil pressed from sunflower seeds, making up about 9 percent of global vegetable oil production.
Sunflower seed
Sunflower seed, the achene of Helianthus annuus, domesticated once in eastern North America ~4,000-5,000 years ago; eaten as snack and birdseed, pressed for oil high in linoleic acid; major producers Ukraine and Russia.
Sweet corn
Sweet corn (Zea mays, su/se/sh2 types) is maize bred for sweet kernels via starch-pathway mutations; supersweet sh2 corn from John Laughnan's 1953 work stores longer and dominates Florida fresh-market production.
Sweet pea
Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is a scented annual climbing legume native to Sicily and southern Italy, introduced to Britain around 1691–1699, grown for fragrant cut flowers; Grandiflora and Spencer cultivar types; toxic seeds.
Sweet potato
Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas, kumara), a tropical hexaploid root crop from northwestern South America, seventh-ranked world food crop; China grows most of the roughly 90 million tonnes, and orange-fleshed varieties combat vitamin A deficiency.
Swertia
Swertia L. is a genus of about 170 gentian-family herbs native from subarctic Northern Hemisphere to Old World tropical mountains, with xanthone- and iridoid-rich species such as S. chirayita used in Asian traditional medicine.
Swietenia
Swietenia (mahogany genus, Meliaceae) is a New World genus of three species, S. mahagoni, S. macrophylla, and S. humilis, plus hybrid S. x aubrevilleana, native from Mexico to Bolivia and Florida to the Caribbean, source of true mahogany timber, CITES-listed.
Swietenia macrophylla
Swietenia macrophylla, known as big-leaf or Honduran mahogany (caoba), is a large tropical tree of the mahogany family native from Mexico to Bolivia, prized for its valuable timber.
Syagrus
Syagrus (palm genus, Mart. 1824; queen palm Syagrus romanzoffiana) is a Neotropical Arecaceae genus of about 71 species, mostly Brazilian, sister to the coconut, with 14 natural hybrids and bitter palm-heart species.
Symphonia
Symphonia L.f. (Clusiaceae, Malpighiales) is a genus of tropical trees with 16 accepted species native to Mexico to Tropical America, tropical Africa, and Madagascar; best known for Symphonia globulifera, a pantropical timber and gum tree with pore-like stigmas and bird pollination.
Symphoricarpos
Symphoricarpos (snowberry), Caprifoliaceae genus of about 15 deciduous shrub species native to North America and central-southern China, grown for white to purplish drupes; type S. orbiculatus, published by Duhamel 1755.
Symphoricarpos albus
Symphoricarpos albus (L.) S.F.Blake, the common snowberry, is a suckering deciduous shrub in the honeysuckle family, native across North America to Baja California, with pink flowers and waxy white berries lasting into winter.
Symphytum
Symphytum (comfrey), Boraginaceae genus of about 34-40 perennial herbs native to Europe and W. Asia; knitbone topical remedy for sprains and bruises, but contains hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids limiting use.