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Lepidium
Lepidium (peppergrasses, cresses) is a cosmopolitan genus of about 264 accepted species in Brassicaceae, tribe Lepidieae, first published by Linnaeus in 1753; it includes garden cress (L. sativum) and maca (L. meyenii).
Lepidium coronopus
Lepidium coronopus (L.) Al-Shehbaz, greater swinecress or swine cress, formerly Coronopus squamatus, is a prostrate annual or biennial mustard native from Macaronesia and Europe to Central Asia, with warty indehiscent fruits, introduced in North America, Australia, and New Zealand.
Lepidium meyenii
Lepidium meyenii (maca) is a Brassicaceae perennial of the high Andes, cultivated at 4,000–4,400 m for its hypocotyl; synonyms include Lepidium peruvianum; studied for sexual function with limited clinical evidence.
Lepidodendron
Lepidodendron, commonly called the scale tree, is an extinct genus of tree-sized lycophytes related to club mosses that dominated the Carboniferous coal swamps about 360 to 300 million years ago.
Lepidozamia
Lepidozamia, also called scaly zamia or pineapple cycad, is an Australian cycad genus of two species, L. hopei and L. peroffskyana, in Zamiaceae; sister to African Encephalartos, with large cones, toxic red seeds, and Eocene fossils at Anglesea, Victoria.
Leptochilus (plant)
Leptochilus (Java fern genus, incl. Colysis, Paraleptochilus) is an Old World Polypodiaceae fern genus of about 50 species in tropical-subtropical Asia and Pacific islands; monophyletic, six clades, type L. axillaris.
Leptochilus pteropus
Leptochilus pteropus, the Java fern (有翅星蕨), is an aquatic Polypodiaceae fern from the Himalayas to New Guinea, formerly Microsorum pteropus, with dark green simple leaves and worldwide aquarium cultivation.
Leptospermum
Leptospermum (tea trees) is a Myrtaceae genus of shrubs and small trees native from Indo-China to New Zealand, most diverse in Australia; type species mānuka (L. scoparium), split into five genera by 2023 revision.
Leptosporangiate fern
Leptosporangiate ferns (Polypodiopsida) are ferns whose sporangia develop from a single cell with a one-layer wall and spore-flinging annulus; about 10,323 species in 44 families, homosporous except Salviniales, with a Cenozoic radiation.
Leptosporangium development
Leptosporangium development is the mode defining leptosporangiate ferns: a single superficial cell forms a stalked, one-cell-thick capsule with few spores and an annulus that flings them out.
Lespedeza
Lespedeza (bush clover) is a Fabaceae genus of 48 accepted species native to Asia, Australia, and North America; some species are forage legumes, while sericea lespedeza (L. cuneata) is an invasive, tannin-rich noxious weed in the United States.
Lettuce
Lettuce (Lactuca sativa), an Asteraceae leafy annual vegetable; types include iceberg, butterhead, romaine, looseleaf, and celtuce. Domesticated in the Caucasus around 4,000 BC; cool-season crop prone to bolting and tipburn.
Leucaena
Leucaena (lead tree, ipil-ipil) is a Fabaceae genus of about 25 unarmed, bipinnate-leaved trees and shrubs native from the southern USA to Peru; L. leucocephala is a major tropical fodder tree containing toxic mimosine and listed among the world's worst invasive species.
Leucanthemum
Leucanthemum (oxeye daisies, marguerites) is a genus of 51 accepted Asteraceae species native from the Azores and Europe to the Russian Far East and Iran, including Leucanthemum vulgare, the oxeye daisy.
Leucanthemum vulgare
Leucanthemum vulgare, oxeye daisy (formerly Chrysanthemum leucanthemum), a rhizomatous Asteraceae perennial native from Europe to Siberia and Iran, introduced worldwide and a noxious pasture weed producing up to 26,000 seeds per plant.
Leucospermum
Leucospermum, the pincushions, is a genus of 48 Proteaceae shrubs from southern Africa, centered in the Cape Floristic Region; named by Robert Brown in 1810, with new sections Hamata and Secundifolia described in 2022.
Leucothoe
Leucothoe (doghobble) is a genus of five evergreen Ericaceae shrubs native to East Asia and the western and southeastern United States, reduced from about 45 species after phylogenetic splits into Agarista, Eubotrys, and Eubotryoides.
Leyland cypress
Leyland cypress (× Hesperotropsis leylandii, Leylandii) is a sterile hybrid conifer from Leighton Hall, Wales, grown as fast hedges, screens, and Christmas trees; prone to Seiridium canker and UK hedge disputes.
Leymus
Leymus (wild rye), a Triticeae grass genus separated from Elymus in 1848, with about 57 rhizomatous perennial species of temperate Northern Hemisphere steppes, dunes, and salt marshes; allopolyploid NsXm genomes, Ns from Psathyrostachys; includes forage grass Leymus chinensis.
Leymus chinensis
Leymus chinensis (羊草, yang cao, sheepgrass) is a perennial Triticeae grass dominating Eurasian steppe grasslands across northern China, Mongolia, and Siberia; a key forage with two ecotypes, used for fodder and grassland restoration.
Liana
Liana: a long-stemmed woody climbing plant (also called vine, bejuco, cipo) rooted in soil and using trees for support to reach the canopy; abundant in tropical forests, where it competes with trees, reduces carbon storage, and is increasing in abundance.
Liatris
Liatris (blazing star, gayfeather) is a genus of about 32-42 species of corm-forming perennial herbs in Asteraceae, tribe Eupatorieae, native to North America and the Bahamas, grown as ornamentals.
Libocedrus
Libocedrus is a genus of five cypress-family conifer species native to New Zealand and New Caledonia, published by Endlicher in 1847, placed in subfamily Callitroideae, and paraphyletic unless Pilgerodendron is included.
Licania
Licania Aubl. is a Neotropical tree genus of Chrysobalanaceae, apetalous flowers, ovary at receptacle base, about 100 species from Mexico to southeastern Brazil after the 2016 split of the former polyphyletic 214-species genus into eight genera.
Lignum vitae
Lignum vitae, the heartwood of Guaiacum officinale and G. sanctum, is an extremely hard, dense, self-lubricating tropical wood historically used for ship stern-tube bearings; both species are CITES Appendix II listed.
Ligularia
Ligularia (leopard plant) is a genus of about 150 perennial Asteraceae herbs native to temperate Eurasia, centered in the Hengduan Mountains, with yellow daisy flowers, medicinal terpenoids, and garden use in moist shade.
Ligusticum
Ligusticum (lovage, licorice-root) is a genus of Apiaceae perennial herbs established by Linnaeus in 1753, type L. scoticum, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere; polyphyletic, with medicinal species such as chuanxiong and osha.
Ligustrum lucidum
Ligustrum lucidum, known as glossy privet, is an evergreen tree in the olive family native to China; its ripe fruits are used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Ligustrum vulgare
Ligustrum vulgare (European, common, or wild privet), Oleaceae shrub native from NW Africa and Europe to NW Iran, long grown for hedges; invasive in parts of North America, less damaging than Chinese privet.
Liliaceae
Liliaceae, the lily family (Liliales), is a conserved family of monocot herbs with bulbs, 3+3 tepals, six stamens, and superior ovaries; about 700 species in 15 genera including Lilium and Tulipa, mostly north temperate, split from the old broad Liliaceae by APG molecular classifications.