Plant Profile: Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus)
Karen Native to Sicily, southern Italy and the Aegean Islands, this bushy annual or climbing annual vine is a member of the legume family, Fabaceae, that also includes peanut, mimosa and…
Plant Profile: Croton (Codiaeum variegatum)
Native to open forests and scrub in tropical and subtropical Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and the islands of the western Pacific Ocean, this tender evergreen shrub is a member of the…
Plant Profile: Gloriosa Lily (Gloriosa superba)
Also known as flame lily, climbing lily, creeping lily, glory lily, tiger claw, agnishikha and fire lily, this deciduous perennial vine is native to tropical and southern Africa and temperate…
Plant Profile: Coyotillo (Karwinskia humboldtiana)
Native to the prairies, plains, meadows, pastures, and savannas of southern and western Texas as well as much of Mexico, this evergreen shrub or small tree is a member of…
Plant Profile: Black Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger)
Also known as stinking nightshade, this herbaceous annual or biennial is native to rocky, arid areas of Europe and Asia and is a member of the Solanaceae, nightshade family, that…
Plant Profile: Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus)
Also known as rock poppy, wartwort, tetterwort, nipplewort, and swallowwort, this herbaceous biennial or short-lived perennial is native to Europe and western Asia but has been introduced as an ornamental…
Plant Profile: Peyote (Lophophora williamsii)
Also called mescal button, this spineless cactus is native to southern Texas and northern Mexico, and is a member of the cactus family, Cactaceae, that also includes prickly pear and…
Plant Profile: Heartleaf Penstemon (Keckiella cordifolia aka Penstemon cordifolius)
Native to chaparral and woodlands of the coast and coastal mountains of southern California and northern Baja California, this summer deciduous shrub is a member of the plantain family, Plantaginaceae,…
Weeds and their Control: Rattlebox (Crotalaria spectabilis)
Also called cat’s bell, this herbaceous annual is native to India and Southeast Asia but was introduced the southeastern US, probably as green manure, but it escaped cultivation, naturalized, and…
Book Review: The Value of Weeds
Karen Meyers In her book, The Value of Weeds, author Ann Cliff explores the beneficial potential of weeds and how we can use them. She begins with a discussion of the many…