There are about 380,000 known
species of plants, of which the majority, some 260,000,
produce seeds. They range in size from single cells to the tallest
trees. Green plants provide a substantial proportion of the world's molecular oxygen; the sugars they create supply the energy for most of Earth's
ecosystems and other
organisms, including animals, either
consume plants directly or rely on organisms which do so. (Full article...)
These are
featured articles, which represent some of the best content on English Wikipedia.
Image 1
Adenanthos obovatus, commonly known as basket flower (which usually refers to Centaurea, though), or, jugflower, is a shrub of the
plantfamilyProteaceaeendemic to
Southwest Australia. Described by French naturalist
Jacques Labillardière in 1805, it had first been collected by
Archibald Menzies in 1791. Within the genus Adenanthos, it lies in the
sectionEurylaema and is most closely related to A. barbiger. A. obovatus has hybridized with A. detmoldii to produce the hybrid A. × pamela. Several common names allude to the prominent red flowers of the species. It grows as a many-stemmed spreading bush up to 1 m (3.3 ft) high, and about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) across, with fine bright green foliage. Made up of single red flowers, the
inflorescences appear from April to December, and peak in spring (August to October).
The shrub grows on sandy soils in seasonally wet lowland areas as well as hills and dunes. It regenerates after bushfire by resprouting from its underground
lignotuber. Pollinators include
honeyeaters, particularly the
western spinebill, which can access the nectar with its long curved bill, and the
silvereye, which punctures the flower tube. The most commonly cultivated Adenanthos species in Australia, it has a long flowering period and attracts honeyeaters to the garden. It is harvested for the
cut flower industry. (Full article...)
Image 2
Telopea oreades, commonly known as the Gippsland-, mountain- or Victorian waratah, is a large shrub or small tree in the family
Proteaceae. Native to southeastern Australia, it is found in wet
sclerophyll forest and
rainforest on rich
acidic soils high in organic matter. No
subspecies are recognised, though a northern isolated population
hybridises extensively with the Braidwood waratah (T. mongaensis). Reaching a height of up to 19 metres (62 feet), T. oreades grows with a single trunk and erect
habit. It has dark green leaves with prominent veins that are 11–28 centimetres (4.3–11 in) long and 1.5–6 cm (0.6–2.4 in) wide. The red flower heads, known as
inflorescences, appear in late spring. Each is composed of up to 60 individual flowers.
In the garden, T. oreades grows in soils with good drainage and ample moisture in part-shaded or sunny positions. Several commercially available
cultivars that are hybrid forms with T. speciosissima have been developed, such as the 'Shady Lady' series. The timber is hard and has been used for making furniture and tool handles. (Full article...)
Image 3
Inflorescence
Banksia speciosa, commonly known as the showy banksia, is a species of large shrub or small tree in the
familyProteaceae. It is found on the south coast of
Western Australia between
Hopetoun (33°57′ S) and the
Great Australian Bight (approximately 33° S 130° E), growing on white or grey sand in
shrubland. Reaching up to 8 m (26 ft) in height, it is a single-stemmed plant that has thin leaves with prominent triangular "teeth" along each margin, which are 20–45 cm (7.9–17.7 in) long and 2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) wide. The prominent cream-yellow flower spikes known as
inflorescences appear throughout the year. As they age they develop up to 20
follicles each that store seeds until opened by fire. Though widely occurring, the species is highly sensitive to
dieback and large populations of plants have succumbed to the disease.
Collected and described by
Robert Brown in the early 19th century, B. speciosa is classified in the
seriesBanksia within the genus. Its closest relative is B. baxteri. B. speciosa plants are killed by
bushfire, and regenerate from seed. The flowers attract nectar- and insect-feeding birds, particularly
honeyeaters, and a variety of insects. In cultivation, B. speciosa grows well in a sunny location on well-drained soil in areas with dry summers. It cannot be grown in areas with humid summers, though it has been
grafted onto Banksia serrata or B. integrifolia. (Full article...)
Image 4
Wild form of Xerochrysum bracteatum
Xerochrysum bracteatum, commonly known as the golden everlasting or strawflower, is a
flowering plant in the family
Asteraceae native to Australia. Described by
Étienne Pierre Ventenat in 1803, it was known as Helichrysum bracteatum for many years before being transferred to a new genus Xerochrysum in 1990. It is an
annual up to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall with green or grey leafy
foliage. Golden yellow or white flower heads are produced from spring to autumn; their distinctive feature is the papery
bracts that resemble petals. The species is widespread, growing in a variety of
habitats across the country, from rainforest margins to deserts and
subalpine areas. The golden everlasting serves as food for various larvae of
lepidopterans (butterflies and moths), and adult butterflies,
hoverflies, native bees, small beetles, and grasshoppers visit the flower heads.
The golden everlasting has proven very adaptable to
cultivation. It was propagated and developed in Germany in the 1850s, and annual
cultivars in a host of colour forms from white to bronze to purple flowers became available. Many of these are still sold in mixed seed packs. In Australia, many cultivars are perennial
shrubs, which have become popular garden plants. Sturdier, long-stemmed forms are used commercially in the
cut flower industry. (Full article...)
Image 5
Lambertia formosa, commonly known as mountain devil, is a
shrub of the family
Proteaceae,
endemic to
New South Wales, Australia. First
described in 1798 by English botanist
James Edward Smith, it is the
type species of the small genus Lambertia. It is generally found in
heathland or open forest, growing in
sandstone-based soils. It grows as a multistemmed shrub to around 2 m (7 ft) with a woody base known as a
lignotuber, from which it regrows after
bushfire. It has stiff narrow leaves, and the pink to red flowerheads, made up of seven individual tubular flowers, generally appear in spring and summer. It gains its common name from the horned woody
follicles, which were used to make small devil-figures.
The flowers hold profuse amounts of nectar and are pollinated by
honeyeaters. Although L. formosa is uncommon in
cultivation, it is straightforward to grow in soils with good drainage and a partly shaded to sunny aspect. It is readily
propagated by seed. Unlike all other members of the genus Lambertia, L. formosa is greatly resistant to the soil pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi. (Full article...)
Image 6
Several plants in cultivation
Drosera regia, commonly known as the king sundew, is a
carnivorous plant in the sundew genus Drosera that is
endemic to a single valley in
South Africa. The genus name Drosera comes from the
Greek word droseros, meaning "dew-covered". The
specific epithetregia is derived from the
Latin for "royal", a reference to the "striking appearance" of the species. Individual leaves can reach 70 cm (28 in) in length. It has many unusual
relict characteristics not found in most other Drosera species, including woody
rhizomes,
operculatepollen, and the lack of
circinate vernation in
scape growth. All of these factors, combined with
molecular data from
phylogenetic analysis, contribute to the evidence that D. regia possesses some of the most ancient characteristics within the genus. Some of these are shared with the related
Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula), which suggests a close evolutionary relationship.
The
tentacle-covered leaves can capture large prey, such as beetles, moths, and butterflies. The tentacles of all Drosera species have special stalked glands on the leaf's upper surface that produce a sticky
mucilage. The leaves are considered active
flypaper traps that respond to captured prey by bending to surround it. In its native
fynbos habitat, the plants compete for space with native marsh grasses and low
evergreenshrubs. Of the two known populations of D. regia, the higher elevation site appears to be overgrown and is essentially
extirpated. The lower elevation site is estimated to have about 50 mature plants, making it the most endangered Drosera species, since it is threatened with extinction in the wild. It is often cultivated by carnivorous plant enthusiasts, and a single
cultivar has been registered. (Full article...)
Banksia serrata, commonly known as the saw banksia, the old man banksia, the saw-tooth banksia or the red honeysuckle and as wiriyagan by the
Cadigal people, is a species of woody
shrub or tree of the genus Banksia, in the family
Proteaceae.
Native to the east coast of Australia, it is found from
Queensland to
Victoria with outlying populations on
Tasmania and
Flinders Island. Commonly growing as a gnarled tree up to 16 m (50 ft) in height, it can be much smaller in more exposed areas. This Banksia species has wrinkled grey bark, shiny dark green serrated leaves and large yellow or greyish-yellow flower spikes appearing over summer. The flower spikes, or
inflorescences, turn grey as they age and pollinated flowers develop into large, grey, woody seed pods called
follicles.
B. serrata is one of the four original Banksia species collected by
Sir Joseph Banks in 1770, and one of four species published in 1782 as part of
Carolus Linnaeus the Younger's original
description of the genus. There are no recognised
varieties, although it is closely related to Banksia aemula. Throughout its range, it grows exclusively in sandy soil, and is usually the dominant plant in
scrubland or low
woodland. B. serrata is
pollinated by and provides food for a wide array of
vertebrate and
invertebrate animals in the autumn and winter months, and is an important source of food for
honeyeaters. It is a common plant of parks and gardens. (Full article...)
Banksia violacea, commonly known as violet banksia, is a species of
shrub or tree in the plant genus Banksia (family
Proteaceae). It generally grows as a small shrub to 1.5 m (5 ft) high with fine narrow leaves, and is best known for its unusually coloured dark purple-violet
inflorescences. The colour of the inflorescences, short leaves, and flattened follicles which are sticky when young, help identify this species from others in the field. It is found in low
shrubland in southern regions of
Western Australia from
Esperance in the east to
Narrogin in the west, growing exclusively in sandy soils.
First described in 1927 by the West Australian botanist
Charles Gardner, the species was at one stage considered a
variety of B. sphaerocarpa. Although there are no recognised subspecies or varieties, both
lignotuberous and nonlignotuberous forms exist for Banksia violacea. Wasps, ants and flies have been recorded visiting flower spikes. Banksia violacea is classified as Not Threatened under the
Wildlife Conservation Act of Western Australia. Regarded as of little value to
floriculture, it is rarely cultivated. (Full article...)
Image 9
A field of iceberg lettuces in California
Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is an
annual plant of the family
Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable, but sometimes for its stem and seeds. Lettuce is most often used for
salads, although it is also seen in other kinds of food, such as soups, sandwiches and wraps; it can also be grilled. One variety,
celtuce (asparagus lettuce), is grown for its stems, which are eaten either raw or cooked. In addition to its main use as a leafy green, it has also gathered religious and medicinal significance over centuries of human consumption. Europe and North America originally dominated the market for lettuce, but by the late 20th century the consumption of lettuce had spread throughout the world. , world production of lettuce and
chicory was 27 million
tonnes, 53percent of which came from China.
Lettuce was originally farmed by the
ancient Egyptians, who transformed it from a plant whose seeds were used to obtain oil into an important food crop raised for its succulent leaves and oil-rich seeds. Lettuce spread to the Greeks and Romans; the latter gave it the name lactuca, from which the English lettuce is derived. By 50 AD, many types were described, and lettuce appeared often in medieval writings, including several
herbals. The 16th through 18th centuries saw the development of many
varieties in Europe, and by the mid-18th century, cultivars were described that can still be found in modern gardens. (Full article...)
Image 10
Adenanthos cuneatus, also known as coastal jugflower, flame bush, bridle bush and sweat bush, is a shrub of the family
Proteaceae, native to the
south coast of Western Australia. The French naturalist
Jacques Labillardière originally described it in 1805. Within the genus Adenanthos, it lies in the
sectionAdenanthos and is most closely related to A. stictus. A. cuneatus has hybridized with four other species of Adenanthos. Growing to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) high and wide, it is erect to prostrate in
habit, with wedge-shaped lobed leaves covered in fine silvery hair. The single red flowers are insignificant, and appear all year, though especially in late spring. The reddish new growth occurs over the summer.
It is sensitive to Phytophthora cinnamomidieback, hence requiring a sandy soil and good drainage to grow in cultivation, its natural habitat of sandy soils in
heathland being an example. Its pollinators include bees,
honey possum,
silvereye and
honeyeaters, particularly the
western spinebill. A. cuneatus is grown in gardens in Australia and the western United States, and a dwarf and prostrate form are commercially available. (Full article...)
Image 11
Inflorescence with unopened buds (left), opened flowers (right)
Banksia marginata, commonly known as the silver banksia, is a species of tree or woody shrub in the plant
genusBanksia found throughout much of southeastern Australia. It ranges from the
Eyre Peninsula in
South Australia to north of
Armidale, New South Wales, and across
Tasmania and the islands of
Bass Strait. It grows in various habitats, including Eucalyptus forest,
scrub,
heathland and
moorland. Banksia marginata varies widely in
habit, ranging from a 20-centimetre (7.9 in) shrub to a 12-metre (40 ft) tree. The narrow leaves are
linear and the yellow
inflorescences occur from late summer to early winter. These flower spikes fade to brown and then grey and develop woody
follicles bearing the winged seeds. Originally described by
Antonio José Cavanilles in 1800, further collections of B. marginata were designated as several separate species by
Robert Brown in 1810. However, all were reclassified as a single species by
George Bentham in 1870. No distinct
subspecies have been recognised by Banksia expert
Alex George, who nonetheless concedes that further work is needed.
Many species of bird, in particular
honeyeaters, forage at the flower spikes, as do native and European honeybees. The response to
bushfire varies. Some populations are
serotinous: they are killed by fire and regenerate from large stores of seed, which have been held in cones in the
plant canopy and are released after a fire. Others regenerate from underground
lignotubers or
suckers from lateral roots. Although it has been used for
timber, Banksia marginata is most commonly seen as a garden plant, with
dwarf forms being commercially
propagated and sold. (Full article...)
Image 12
Alloxylon pinnatum, known as Dorrigo waratah, is a tree of the family
Proteaceae found in
warm-temperate rainforest of south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales in eastern Australia. It has shiny green leaves that are either
pinnate (lobed) and up to 30 cm (12 in) long, or
lanceolate (spear-shaped) and up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long. The prominent pinkish-red flower heads, known as
inflorescences, appear in spring and summer; these are made up of 50 to 140 individual flowers arranged in
corymb or
raceme. These are followed by rectangular woody seed pods, which bear two rows of winged seeds.
Known for many years as Oreocallis pinnata, it was transferred to the new genus Alloxylon by
Peter Weston and
Mike Crisp in 1991. This genus contains the four species previously classified in Oreocallis that are found in Australasia. Its terminal globular flowers indicate that the species is pollinated by birds. Classified as near threatened under the Queensland
Nature Conservation Act 1992, the Dorrigo waratah has proven difficult to keep alive in cultivation. (Full article...)
Image 13
Banksia telmatiaea, commonly known as swamp fox
banksia or rarely marsh banksia, is a shrub that grows in marshes and swamps along the lower west coast of Australia. It grows as an upright bush up to 2 metres (6 feet 7 inches) tall, with narrow leaves and a pale brown flower spike, which can produce profuse quantities of nectar. First collected in the 1840s, it was not published as a separate species until 1981; as with several other similar species it was previously included in B. sphaerocarpa (fox banksia).
The shrub grows amongst
scrubland in seasonally wet lowland areas of the coastal sandplain between
Badgingarra and
Serpentine in
Western Australia. A little studied species, not much is known of its
ecology or
conservation biology. Reports suggest that a variety of birds and small mammals pollinate it. Like many members of the series Abietinae, it has not been considered to have much horticultural potential and is rarely cultivated. (Full article...)
Image 14
Brachychiton rupestris (
commonly known as the narrow-leaved bottle tree or Queensland bottle tree) is a
tree in the
familyMalvaceae,
endemic to
Queensland,
Australia.
Described by Sir
Thomas Mitchell and
John Lindley in 1848, it earned its name from its bulbous
trunk, which can be up to 3.5 metres (11 ft) in
diameter at breast height (DBH). Reaching around 10–25 m (33–82 ft) high, the Queensland bottle tree is
deciduous, losing its leaves seasonally, between September and December. The
leaves are simple or divided, with one or more narrow
leaf blades up to 11 centimetres (4 in) long and 2 cm (0.8 in) wide. Cream-coloured
flowers appear from September to November, and are followed by woody, boat-shaped
follicles that
ripen from November to May. No subspecies are recognised.
As a
drought deciduoussucculent tree, much like the
baobab (Adansonia) of
Madagascar, B. rupestris adapts readily to cultivation, and is quite tolerant of a range of soils and temperatures. It is a key component and
emergent tree in the endangered central semi-evergreen vine thickets (also known as bottletree scrub) of the Queensland
Brigalow Belt. Remnant trees are often left by farmers on cleared land for their value as shade and fodder trees, and as homes for various birds and animals. (Full article...)
Banksia grossa is a species of
shrub in the
familyProteaceae and is
endemic to
Southwest Australia. It is one of fourteen species of
banksia of the series Abietinae, all of which bear predominantly cylindrical or oval
inflorescences. Collected in 1965, it was first formally described in 1981 by
Alex George. Its thick leaves and large seeds distinguish it from other members of the Abietinae, and are the basis of its species name.
Found in sand or sand over
laterite among
heath between
Eneabba and
Badgingarra in Western Australia, the species grows as a many-stemmed shrub to 1 m (3.3 ft) high with narrow leaves and oval brownish flower spikes up to 10 cm (4 in) high, composed of hundreds of individual flowers. Flowering occurs throughout the cooler months of March to September. Flower spikes develop woody
follicles which bear the seeds. After
bushfire, Banksia grossa regenerates from its woody
lignotuber; bushfires also stimulate the release of seeds, which germinate after disturbance. Visitors to (and likely
pollinators of) inflorescences include insects and a nocturnal mammal, the
white-tailed dunnart. (Full article...)
The history of cannabis and its usage by humans dates back to at least the third millennium BC in written history, and possibly as far back as the
Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (8800–6500 BCE) based on archaeological evidence. For millennia, the plant has been valued for its use for fiber and rope, as food and medicine, and for its psychoactive properties for religious and recreational use.
The earliest restrictions on
cannabis were reported in the Islamic world by the 14th century. In the 19th century, it began to be restricted in colonial countries, often associated with racial and class stresses. In the middle of the 20th century, international coordination led to sweeping restrictions on cannabis throughout most of the globe. Entering the 21st century, some nations began to take measures to decriminalize or legalize cannabis. (Full article...)
The genus has a highly disjunct distribution spread across two major groups of tepuis: the
western range in Amazonas and the
eastern range in Bolívar. The western range can be further subdivided into two complexes of neighbouring tepuis. The more southerly of these consists of
Cerro de la Neblina,
Cerro Aracamuni, and
Cerro Avispa, and supports four Heliamphora species. The more northerly group of the western range, home to only two species, includes the massive
Cerro Duida and neighbouring
Cerro Huachamacari and
Cerro Marahuaca. The remaining 17–19 species are native to the eastern range, which includes the
Aprada Massif,
Auyán Massif,
Chimantá Massif,
Eastern Tepuis chain,
Los Testigos chain, and a number of outlying tepuis. Many of the summits of the eastern range are situated on a vast plateau known as the
Gran Sabana. Only two species (H. ciliata and H. heterodoxa) are known with certainty from the Gran Sabana, and only H. ciliata is
endemic to this habitat. (Full article...)
The arrival of humans around 50,000 years ago and the settlement by
Europeans from 1788, has had a significant impact on the flora. The use of
fire-stick farming by Aboriginal people led to significant changes in the distribution of plant species over time, and the large-scale modification or destruction of vegetation for agriculture and urban development since 1788 has altered the composition of most terrestrial ecosystems, leading to the extinction of 61 plant species by 2006, and endangering over 1000 more. (Full article...)
Date palms reach up to 30 metres (100 feet) in height, growing singly or forming a
clump with several stems from a single root system. Slow-growing, they can reach over 100years of age when maintained properly. Date fruits (dates) are oval-cylindrical, 3 to 7 centimetres (1 to 3 inches) long, and about 2.5 cm (1 in) in diameter, with colour ranging from dark brown to bright red or yellow, depending on variety. Containing 61–68percent sugar by mass when dried, dates are very sweet and are enjoyed as desserts on their own or within
confections. (Full article...)
Image 5
The olive, botanical name Olea europaea, meaning 'European olive', is a
species of small
tree or
shrub in the family
Oleaceae, found traditionally in the
Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as Olea europaea'Montra', dwarf olive, or little olive. The species is cultivated in all the countries of the
Mediterranean, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, North and South America and South Africa. It is the
type species for its genus, Olea. The tree and its fruit give their name to the
Oleaceae plant family, which also includes species such as
lilac,
jasmine,
forsythia, and the true
ash tree.
The olive's fruit, also called an "olive", is of major agricultural importance in the Mediterranean region as the source of
olive oil; it is one of the core ingredients in
Middle Easternand Mediterranean cuisines. Thousands of
cultivars of the olive tree are known. Olive cultivars may be used primarily for oil, eating, or both. Olives cultivated for consumption are generally referred to as "table olives". About 80% of all harvested olives are turned into oil, while about 20% are used as table olives. (Full article...)
Image 6
Foliage and fruit drawn in 1771
The fig is the edible fruit of Ficus carica, a species of small tree in the
flowering plant family
Moraceae,
native to the
Mediterranean region, together with western and southern Asia. It has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world. Ficus carica is the
type species of the genus Ficus, containing over 800 tropical and subtropical plant species.
A fig plant is a small
deciduous tree or large shrub growing up to 7–10 m (23–33 ft) tall, with smooth white bark. Its large leaves have three to five deep
lobes. Its fruit (referred to as
syconium, a type of
multiple fruit) is tear-shaped, 3–5 cm (1–2 in) long, with a green skin that may ripen toward purple or brown, and sweet soft reddish flesh containing numerous crunchy seeds. The milky
sap of the green parts is an
irritant to human skin. In the Northern Hemisphere, fresh figs are in season from late summer to early autumn. They tolerate moderate seasonal frost and can be grown even in hot-summer continental climates. (Full article...)
Iris is a
flowering plantgenus of 310 accepted
species with showy
flowers. As well as being the scientific name, iris is also widely used as a common name for all Iris species, as well as some belonging to other closely related genera. A common name for some species is flags, while the plants of the
subgenusScorpiris are widely known as
junos, particularly in
horticulture. It is a popular garden flower.
Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) is a species of
flowering tree in the
mulberry and
jackfruit family (
Moraceae) believed to be a
domesticated descendant of Artocarpus camansi originating in
New Guinea, the
Maluku Islands, and the
Philippines. It was initially spread to
Oceania via the
Austronesian expansion. It was further spread to other tropical regions of the world during the
Colonial Era. British and French navigators introduced a few Polynesian seedless varieties to Caribbean islands during the late 18th century. Today it is grown in some 90 countries throughout South and Southeast Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean, Central America and Africa. Its name is derived from the texture of the moderately ripe fruit when cooked, similar to freshly baked bread and having a potato-like flavor.
The trees have been widely planted in tropical regions, including lowland
Central America, northern
South America, and the
Caribbean. In addition to the fruit serving as a
staple food in many cultures, the light, sturdy
timber of breadfruit has been used for
outriggers, ships, and houses in the tropics. (Full article...)
Image 9
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall,
perennial grass (in the genus Saccharum, tribe
Andropogoneae) that is used for
sugarproduction. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in
sucrose, which accumulates in the
stalk internodes. Sugarcanes belong to the grass family,
Poaceae, an economically important
flowering plant family that includes maize, wheat, rice, and
sorghum, and many
forage crops. It is native to the warm temperate and tropical regions of India, Southeast Asia, and
New Guinea.
Sugarcane was an ancient crop of the
Austronesian and
Papuan people. It was introduced to
Polynesia,
Island Melanesia, and
Madagascar in prehistoric times via Austronesian sailors. It was also introduced to southern China and India by Austronesian traders around 1200 to 1000 BC. The Persians and Greeks encountered the famous "reeds that produce honey without bees" in India between the sixth and fourth centuries BC. They adopted and then spread sugarcane agriculture. Merchants began to trade in sugar, which was considered a luxurious and expensive spice, from India. In the 18th century, sugarcane plantations began in the Caribbean, South American, Indian Ocean, and Pacific island nations. The need for sugar crop laborers became a major driver of large migrations, some people voluntarily accepting
indentured servitude and others forcibly imported as
slaves. (Full article...)
Garden roses are predominantly
hybridroses that are grown as
ornamental plants in private or public gardens. They are one of the most popular and widely cultivated groups of flowering plants, especially in temperate
climates. An enormous number of garden
cultivars have been produced, especially over the last two centuries, though roses have been known in the garden for millennia beforehand. While most garden roses are grown for their flowers, often in dedicated
rose gardens, some are also valued for other reasons, such as having ornamental fruit, providing
ground cover, or for
hedging.
The cultivars are classified in a number of different and overlapping ways, generally without much reference to strict
botanical principles. Taking overall size and shape, the most common type is the bush rose, a rounded plant from 2 foot up to about 7 foot tall, above which height roses generally fall into the "'climbing and rambling'" class, the latter spreading wider; support is needed for these. There are also miniature roses, generally small bushes, and low sprawling
ground cover roses, both up to about 15 inches tall. Most modern roses are propagated by
budding onto
rootstocks much closer to wild species; in "standard" shapes there is a single bare stem, with the graft at the top of that. Shrub roses are a rather loose category that include some of the original
species and cultivars closely related to them, plus cultivars that grow rather larger than most bush roses. Technically all roses are
shrubs. In terms of ancestry, roses are often divided into three main groups: Wild, Old Garden, and Modern Garden roses, with many subdivisions of these. (Full article...)
Bernard de Jussieu was born in
Lyon. He took a
medical degree at
Montpellier and began practice in 1720, but finding the work uncongenial he gladly accepted his brother's invitation to
Paris in 1722, when he succeeded
Sebastien Vaillant (1669–1722) as sub-demonstrator of plants in the
Jardin des Plantes. In 1725 he brought out a new edition of
Joseph Pitton de Tournefort's Histoire des plantes qui naissent aux environs de Paris, 2 vols., which was afterwards translated into English by
John Martyn, the original work being incomplete. In the same year he was admitted into the
French Academy of Sciences, and communicated several papers to that body. (Full article...)
Image 13
Tropical vegetation is any
vegetation in
tropicallatitudes. Plant life that occurs in climates that are warm year-round is in general more biologically diverse that in other latitudes. Some tropical areas may receive abundant rain the whole year round, but others have long
dry seasons which last several months and may vary in length and intensity with geographic location. These seasonal
droughts have great impact on the vegetation, such as in the
Madagascar spiny forests.
Rainforest vegetation is categorized by five layers. The top layer being the upper tree layer. Here you will find the largest and widest trees in all the forest. These trees tend to have very large canopy's so they can be fully exposed to sunlight. A layer below that is the middle tree layer. Here you will find more compact trees and vegetation. These trees tend to be more skinny as they are trying to gain any sunlight they can. The third layer is the lower tree area. These trees tend to be around five to ten meters high and tightly compacted. The trees found in the third layer are young trees trying to grow into the larger canopy trees. The fourth layer is the shrub layer beneath the tree canopy. This layer is mainly populated by sapling trees, shrubs, and seedlings. The fifth and final layer is the herb layer which is the forest floor. The forest floor is mainly bare except for various plants,
mosses, and
ferns. The forest floor is much more dense than above because of little sunlight and air movement. (Full article...)
Image 14
Monocotyledons (/ˌmɒnəˌkɒtəˈliːdənz/), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianaesensu Chase & Reveal) are
grass and grass-like
flowering plants (angiosperms), the
seeds of which typically contain only one
embryonic leaf, or
cotyledon. They constitute one of the major groups into which the flowering plants have traditionally been divided; the rest of the flowering plants have two cotyledons and are classified as
dicotyledons, or dicots.
Monocotyledons have almost always been recognized as a group, but with various
taxonomic ranks and under several different names. The
APG III system of 2009 recognises a clade called "monocots" but does not assign it to a taxonomic rank. (Full article...)
Image 15
Horticulture is the science, technology, art, and business of cultivating and using plants to improve human life. Horticulturists and Horticultural Scientists create global solutions for safe, sustainable, nutritious food and healthy, restorative, and beautiful environments. This definition is seen in its
etymology, which is derived from the Latin words hortus, which means "garden" and cultura which means "to cultivate". There are various divisions of horticulture because plants are grown for a variety of purposes. These divisions include, but are not limited to:
gardening, plant production/
propagation,
arboriculture,
landscaping,
floriculture and
turf maintenance. For each of these, there are various professions, aspects, tools used and associated challenges; Each requiring highly specialized skills and knowledge of the horticulturist.
Typically, horticulture is characterized as the ornamental, small-scale/non-industrial cultivation of plants, as compared to the large-scale cultivation of crops/livestock that is seen in
agriculture. However, there are aspects of horticulture that are industrialized/commercial such as greenhouse production across the globe. (Full article...)
Symphyotrichum kentuckiense (formerly Aster kentuckiensis) is a rare
species of
flowering plant in the
Asteraceaefamily and is commonly known as Kentucky aster, Price's aster, Miss Price's aster, Sadie's aster, or lavender oldfield aster. It is a
perennial,
herbaceous plant that is
endemic to broken
limestonecedar glades and roadsides in
Alabama,
Georgia,
Kentucky, and
Tennessee. It blooms from August through October, reaches heights between 30 centimeters (1 foot) and 100 cm (3.3 ft), and has green to reddish-brown stems. It is a nearly
hairless plant with blue to blue-violet
ray florets.
Symphyotrichum priceae was once considered the name of the plant, with S. kentuckiense and Aster kentuckiensis placed as its
taxonomic synonyms. In 2021,
botanist MaxE. Medley proposed that this treatment was incorrect. , what was originally described as Aster priceae was accepted to be the
hybrid between S. kentuckiense and Symphyotrichum pilosumvar. pilosum and has been named Symphyotrichum× priceae. The hybrid is a somewhat hairy plant rather than a hairless one, and its characteristics are intermediate between its parents. (Full article...)
Image 2
Veronica jovellanoides, commonly known as Riverhead speedwell, is a threatened flowering plant in the family
Plantaginaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand, where only three plants are known in the wild. All are found within the Ernest Morgan Reserve, a 20ha forest northwest of
Auckland. Its discovery is accredited to a retired
plant nursery owner, Geoff Davidson, who organised the land's protection a few decades prior, and found it by chance on a walk in November 2007.
V. jovellanoides has a
prostrate growth habit, forming large 2 to 3 m (6.6 to 9.8 ft) mats on the ground, and long stems with small, spatula-shaped leaves. Flowering begins in spring (September to November in New Zealand), producing small four-petalled white flowers which have a purple ring around their throats; the inner and centre-most section of the flower. Once
pollinated, these become small brown seeds which are
dispersed by the wind. (Full article...)
Image 3
Cylindropuntia imbricata, the cane cholla (walking stick cholla, tree cholla, or chainlink cactus), is a
cactus found in the
Southwestern United States and northern
Mexico, including some cooler regions in comparison to many other cacti. It occurs primarily in the arid regions of the Southwestern United States in the states of
Kansas,
Oklahoma,
Texas,
New Mexico,
Arizona,
Colorado, and
Nevada. It is often conspicuous because of its shrubby or even tree-like size, its silhouette, and its long-lasting yellowish fruits. (Full article...)
Image 4
A cultivar is a kind of
cultivated plant that people have selected for desired
traits and which retains those traits when
propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root and stem cuttings, offsets,
grafting,
tissue culture, or carefully controlled seed production. Most cultivars arise from deliberate human
manipulation, but some originate from wild plants that have distinctive characteristics. Cultivar names are chosen according to rules of the
International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP), and not all cultivated plants qualify as cultivars. Horticulturists generally believe the word cultivar was coined as a term meaning "cultivated variety".
Popular
ornamental plants like
roses,
camellias,
daffodils,
rhododendrons, and
azaleas are commonly cultivars produced by
breeding and selection or as
sports, for floral colour or size, plant form, or other desirable characteristics. Similarly, the world's agricultural
food crops are almost exclusively cultivars that have been selected for characters such as improved yield, flavour, and resistance to disease, and very few wild plants are now used as food sources. Trees used in
forestry are also special selections grown for their enhanced quality and yield of
timber. (Full article...)
Image 5
Myco-heterotrophy (from
Greekμύκηςmýkes'fungus', ἕτεροςhéteros'another', 'different' and τροφήtrophé'nutrition') is a
symbiotic relationship between certain kinds of
plants and
fungi, in which the plant gets all or part of its food from
parasitism upon fungi rather than from
photosynthesis. A myco-heterotroph is the
parasitic plant partner in this relationship. Myco-heterotrophy is considered a kind of
cheating relationship and myco-heterotrophs are sometimes informally referred to as "mycorrhizal cheaters". This relationship is sometimes referred to as mycotrophy, though this term is also used for plants that engage in
mutualisticmycorrhizal relationships. (Full article...)
Image 6
Flower and fruit
Eucalyptus rhodantha, commonly known as rose mallee or rose gum, is a species of straggly
mallee or shrub
native to parts of
Western Australia. It has smooth
bark and a
crown composed entirely of circular to heart-shaped juvenile leaves arranged in
opposite pairs and attached directly to the
stems with no
stalks. The flower buds appear singly in the leaf
axils and are red, the fruits hemispherical to conical and
pendent. The rose mallee is grown as an
ornamental shrub suitable for gardens in hot and dry climates. It is found more often in urban gardens and cultivation than in the wild and is readily available in seed form.
Trillium grandiflorum is most common in rich, mixed upland forests. It is easily recognised by its attractive three-petaled white flowers, opening from late spring to early summer, that rise above a
whorl of three leaf-like
bracts. It is an example of a
spring ephemeral, a plant whose life-cycle is synchronised with that of the
deciduous woodland which it favours. (Full article...)
Zombia antillarum, commonly known as the zombie palm, is a species of
palm tree and the
only member of the genus Zombia. It is
endemic to the island of
Hispaniola (both the
Dominican Republic and
Haiti) in the
Greater Antilles. Usually found in dry, hilly areas of northern and southern Haiti and the northwest of the Dominican Republic, Z. antillarum is a relatively short fan palm with clustered stems and a very distinctive appearance caused by its persistent spiny
leaf sheaths. Threatened by
habitat destruction in Haiti, Z. antillarum is a popular ornamental species due to its distinctive appearance, low maintenance requirements and salt tolerance. (Full article...)
Image 9
c. 1680Portrait of a Mathematician by
Mary Beale, conjectured to be of Hooke but also conjectured to be of
Isaac Barrow
Robert HookeFRS (/hʊk/; 18 July 1635 – 3 March 1703) was an English
polymath who was active as a physicist ("natural philosopher"), astronomer, geologist, meteorologist and architect. He is credited as one of the first scientists to investigate living things at
microscopic scale in 1665, using a
compound microscope that he designed. Hooke was an impoverished scientific inquirer in young adulthood who went on to became one of the most important scientists of his time. After the
Great Fire of London in 1666, Hooke (as a surveyor and architect) attained wealth and esteem by performing more than half of the
property line surveys and assisting with the city's rapid reconstruction. Often vilified by writers in the centuries after his death, his reputation was restored at the end of the twentieth century and he has been called "England's
Leonardo [da Vinci]".
Hooke was a
Fellow of the Royal Society and from 1662, he was its first Curator of Experiments. From 1665 to 1703, he was also
Professor of Geometry at Gresham College. Hooke began his scientific career as an assistant to the physical scientist
Robert Boyle. Hooke built the
vacuum pumps that were used in Boyle's experiments on
gas law and also conducted experiments. In 1664, Hooke identified the rotations of
Mars and
Jupiter. Hooke's 1665 book Micrographia, in which he coined the term cell, encouraged microscopic investigations. Investigating
optics – specifically light
refraction – Hooke inferred a
wave theory of light. His is the first-recorded hypothesis of the cause of the expansion of matter by heat, of air's composition by small particles in constant motion that thus generate its pressure, and of heat as energy. (Full article...)
Image 10
The bush coconut, or bloodwood apple, is an
Australian bush tucker food. It is an insect
gall with both plant and animal components: an adult female
scale insect and her offspring (of genus Cystococcus) live in a gall induced on a bloodwood eucalypt tree (Corymbia). Bush coconuts can vary from golf ball to tennis ball size. They have a hard and lumpy outer layer. The inner layer is a white
flesh that contains the female insect and her offspring. There are three known species of Cystococcus responsible for forming the bush coconut: Cystococcus pomiformis, Cystococcus echiniformis and Cystococcus campanidorsalis. C. pomiformis is the most common species. The bush coconut is found in
Western Australia, the
Northern Territory,
Queensland and
New South Wales.
The bush coconut is picked from the
host tree and cracked open to allow the flesh and scale insects to be eaten. Both have a high
protein content and are used as a food source by humans and other animals. The name 'bush coconut' is derived from the white flesh of the inner layer, which is similar in appearance to that of a coconut, and the taste of the flesh has been said to have a coconut flavour. The bush coconut has been depicted in
Indigenous Australian dreaming and used as inspiration in their artwork. (Full article...)
Image 11
Sabinaria magnifica is a species of
palm tree and the
only member of the
genusSabinaria. Native to the
Darién Gap on the border between
Colombia and
Panama, it grows from 1 to 6 metres (3 ft 3 in to 19 ft 8 in) tall with large, deeply-divided leaf blades. It has been described as "striking", "spectacular" and "beautiful" by
taxonomists.
Although known by local
mule drivers, it was first collected in April 2013 by Saúl Hoyos, and described scientifically by Colombian palm experts
Gloria Galeano and
Rodrigo Bernal who named the genus Sabinaria after their daughter. Despite being locally abundant, the limited range occupied by the species makes it vulnerable to
habitat destruction. (Full article...)
Marsileaceae (/mɑːrˌsɪliˈeɪsi.iː/) is a small
family of
heterosporousaquatic and semi-aquatic
ferns, though at first sight they do not physically resemble other ferns. The group is commonly known as the "pepperwort family" or as the "water-clover family" because the leaves of the genus Marsilea superficially resemble the leaves of a
four-leaf clover. In all, the family contains 3
genera and 50 to 80 species with most of those belonging to Marsilea. (Full article...)
Image 13
In
botany, a tree is a
perennial plant with an elongated
stem, or
trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with
secondary growth, plants that are usable as
lumber or plants above a specified height. In wider definitions, the taller
palms,
tree ferns,
bananas, and
bamboos are also trees.
Trees are not a
monophyletic taxonomic group but consist of a wide variety of plant species that
have independently evolved a trunk and branches as a way to tower above other plants to compete for sunlight. The majority of tree species are
angiosperms or hardwoods; of the rest, many are
gymnosperms or softwoods. Trees tend to be long-lived, some reaching several thousand years old. Trees evolved around 370 million years ago, and it is estimated that there are around three trillion mature trees in the world currently. (Full article...)
Wheat is grown on more land area than any other food crop (220.7 million hectares or 545 million acres in 2021). World trade in wheat is greater than for all other crops combined. In 2021, world wheat production was 771 million
tonnes (850 million short tons), making it the second most-produced cereal after
maize (known as corn in North America and Australia; wheat is often called corn in countries including Britain). Since 1960, world production of wheat and other grain crops has tripled and is expected to grow further through the middle of the 21st century. Global demand for wheat is increasing because of the usefulness of
gluten to the food industry. (Full article...)
E. reichenbachii is one of the smaller Echinocereus species. They reach 7.5 to 30 centimetres (3.0 to 11.8 in) tall and 4 to 10 centimetres (1.6 to 3.9 in) wide. Plants are solitary or clustered in as many as 12, with erect stems that have 10 to 19 ribs. The stems are dark green and often obscured by the
spines, which range from tan, brown, black, or pink, and the tips are usually darker than the shaft. The
areoles are elliptical or oval, with seven to 36 spines each. The purple or pink flowers bloom in early May to late June, growing to approximately 4.5 to 8 centimetres (1.8 to 3.1 in) by 5 to 10 centimetres (2.0 to 3.9 in). E. reichenbachii are cold and heat
tolerant, and prefer dry, well-drained soils near rock outcroppings. (Full article...)
... that residents at Alterlaa, a housing complex in Vienna, have large concrete planters in which plants can be grown?
... that blind botanist John Grimshaw Wilkinson used his tongue to tell the difference between plants?
... that police officers had to be flown in by helicopter to seize hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of cannabis plants found growing illegally in Jerrawangala National Park?
Image 7The Devonian marks the beginning of extensive land colonization by plants, which – through their effects on erosion and sedimentation – brought about significant climatic change. (from Evolutionary history of plants)
Image 8Transverse section of a fossil stem of the Devonian vascular plant Rhynia gwynne-vaughani (from Botany)
Image 10This is an electron micrograph of the epidermal cells of a Brassica chinensis leaf. The stomates are also visible. (from Plant cell)
Image 11Thale cress, Arabidopsis thaliana, the first plant to have its genome sequenced, remains the most important model organism. (from Botany)
Image 121 An oat
coleoptile with the sun overhead.
Auxin (pink) is evenly distributed in its tip. 2 With the sun at an angle and only shining on one side of the shoot, auxin moves to the opposite side and stimulates
cell elongation there. 3 and 4 Extra growth on that side causes the shoot to
bend towards the sun. (from Botany)
Image 16Leaf lamina. The megaphyllous
leaf architecture arose multiple times in different plant lineages (from Evolutionary history of plants)
Image 17The evolution of syncarps. a: sporangia borne at tips of leaf b: Leaf curls up to protect sporangia c: leaf curls to form enclosed roll d: grouping of three rolls into a syncarp (from Evolutionary history of plants)
Image 18The branching pattern of megaphyll veins may indicate their origin as webbed, dichotomising branches. (from Evolutionary history of plants)
Image 20Structure of
Azadirachtin, a terpenoid produced by the
Neem plant, which helps ward off microbes and insects. Many secondary metabolites have complex structures (from Evolutionary history of plants)
Image 21Micropropagation of transgenic plants (from Botany)
Image 22A
banded tube from the Late Silurian/Early Devonian. The bands are difficult to see on this specimen, as an opaque carbonaceous coating conceals much of the tube. Bands are just visible in places on the left half of the image. Scale bar: 20 μm (from Evolutionary history of plants)
Image 29A
late Siluriansporangium, artificially colored. Green: A spore tetrad. Blue: A spore bearing a trilete mark – the Y-shaped scar. The spores are about 30–35 μm across. (from Evolutionary history of plants)
Image 30The
Linnaean Garden of Linnaeus' residence in Uppsala, Sweden, was planted according to his Systema sexuale. (from Botany)
Image 32The fruit of Myristica fragrans, a species native to
Indonesia, is the source of two valuable spices, the red aril (
mace) enclosing the dark brown
nutmeg. (from Botany)
Image 33Five of the key areas of study within plant physiology (from Botany)
Image 34Echeveria glauca in a Connecticut greenhouse. Botany uses Latin names for identification; here, the specific name glauca means blue. (from Botany)
Image 35A nineteenth-century illustration showing the morphology of the roots, stems, leaves and flowers of the rice plant Oryza sativa (from Botany)
Image 37The trunk of early tree fern Psaronius, showing internal structure. The top of the plant would have been to the left of the image (from Evolutionary history of plants)