Plant Profile: Christ’s Thorn Jujube (Zizphus spina-christi)
Karen Christ’s thorn jujube is a shrub or small tree native to Africa, the Levant, and southern and western Asia where it grows in a variety of habitats including deserts, semi-desert…
Plant Profile: Wild Jujube (Ziziphus lotus)
Also known as lotus tree, this deciduous shrub or small tree is a member of the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae, and is native to the arid and semi arid areas of…
Plant Profile: Red Sandalwood (Pterocarpus santalinus)
Endemic to the dry deciduous forests in the southern Eastern Ghats in South India, red sandalwood is also know as red sanders, Rakt Chandan, and saunderswood. It is a member…
Plants for a Plant Zoo: Bat- Faced Cuphea (Cuphea llavea aka C. blepharophylla)border
Whether you find the flowers of this evergreen sub-shrub scary or beautiful you will have to admit they are unusual and fascinating! With a hairy purple calyx and 2 upward…
Plant Profile: Eelgrass (Zostera marina)
Also known as seawrack and tapegrass, eelgrass is a submerged perennial native to shallow marine environments from subtropical to subpolar regions of North America and Eurasia. It is a member…
Plant Profile: Blue Lotus (Nymphae caerulea)
A member of the water lily family, Nymphaeaceae, this tropical aquatic perennial goes by many names including Egyptian lotus, blue water lily, Cape water lily, frog’s pulpit, and sacred lily…
Plants for a Plant Zoo: Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis)
Called fuzzy wuzzy by early pioneers because of its fluffy, tufted seeds, this West Coast native was important to the Indians who used its leaves to reduce swelling and its…
Plant Profile: White Egyptian Lotus (Nymphae lotus)
Also known as tiger lotus, Egyptian white water lily, and white lotus, this aquatic fresh water perennial is a member of the water lily family, Nymphaceae, a small family of…
Plant Profile: Western Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum)
Native to moist grassy areas and woodlands of California and Oregon west of the Sierra Nevada, this semi-evergreen herbaceous perennial is not a true grass but is in the iris…
Plants for a Plant Zoo: Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
Native Americans smoked it in ceremonial pipes, modern Americans use it for many things from treating urinary tract problems to skin lightening, but bearberry is most valued as an outstanding…