Plant Descriptions

The chamomile looks like a daisy. In fact, it is a flowering garden plant that belongs to the daisy family. It is originally from areas in Europe and Asia. The name is Greek in origin, meaning “apple from the ground”. This is a fair enough description of a plant that smells of apples.

Medicinal benefits of chamomile

The garden plant’s name itself is reflective of its soothing abilities. Chamomile reminds you of something mild and quiet. Indeed, the garden plant does play an important role in curing both anxiety and insomnia. However, chamomile’s medicinal abilities do not stop there. The garden plant can also be prepared as a cure for diarrhea, indigestion, skin irritations, and other digestive or skin ailments.

Chamomile as a popular tea ingredient

You probably first encountered the chamomile plant while drinking a cup of tea. In tea form, chamomile is more easily ingested. So if you want to relax, you can just prepare yourself some tea.

Though the garden plant presents so many benefits, using it during pregnancy and breastfeeding is prohibited. It is believed to have the ability to induce abortion.

Have you seen a field of sunflowers? The sight is definitely breathtaking. The big head of a sunflower consists of several florets. A sunflower can attract all sorts of creatures, such as birds, butterflies, and bees. This garden plant loves sunlight, so this explains the name.

A guide to growing sunflowers

To protect sunflower seeds during cooler weather, plant them indoors first before taking the grown plant into the sunlight. However, in summertime, the flower can survive being planted directly in soil outdoors. To allow your sunflowers to thrive, grow them in a sheltered location that sunlight can easily reach. Use soil with good drainage to avoid stunted growth.

Medicinal benefits of growing sunflowers

A sunflower has many medicinal benefits, particularly a cure for pulmonary ailments such as cough, colds, and bronchitis. The seeds, for example, can be baked to create a cure for whooping cough. Other sunflower cures are obtained by mixing seeds with wine.

Growing a sunflower does not only help you in attracting attention from the neighbors and from a few flying animals but it also provides medicinal benefits.

I have a classmate who knows a lot about scientific names of plants and trees. Her father is a botanist that's why she's taken interest in the same field as well. I often hear her say that she wants to become like her father. She used to tell us that all the trees and plants in their house have name plates where the scientific names are indicated. Myrtle, my classmate, was named after a famous medicinal plant -- Myrtle. The myrtle plant is widely used in the arena of alternative medicine as an antiseptic.

During our Botany class, our professor told us to do a research on any plant we like and we're going to present it next week. It's like a show and tell class where the students have to bring with them a plant sample and a research about that plant. Myrtle used the myrtle plant. She found a lot of information from her dsl broadband internet. She told us that Myrtle originated in the Mediterranean region. People cultivated this plant so that they can have an oil source. In fact, Greeks used this to clean and tend to their wounds during ancient times. Myrtle is really a wonderful and useful plant.

One late afternoon, Myrtle narrated to me (even though, I wasn't asking at all) the scientific name of the Myrtle plant. She told me it's called Myrtus Communis. I repeated the scientific name like a chant. I even teased her that beginning that day, I'm going to call her Myrtus Communis. She also informed me that Myrtle plant has medicinal use. The antiseptic and astringent elements of the plant enables it to cure wounds. If you have any digestive and urinary problems, you can use the leaves of Myrtle to heal it. The oil of Myrtle is used to cure any chest ailments. Myrtle may be a simple plant, but it has lots of uses.

When I was cleaning my room, I found a newspaper that narrated the story of the world’s largest flower in 2003. It was found out that titan arum, the world’s biggest known flower, was blooming right at the heart of US Botanic Garden in Washington DC. According to science books, this flower rarely blooms since it only flowers every fifteen years. Aside from its enormous size, its stinky smell is also its distinct trait.

The flower of Titan Arum or Amorphophallus Titanium is about five feet high, up to twelve feet in height. For the record, the height of Titan Arum is double the size of the average height of people. The leaves of this plant are equally towering as its height. It can grow up to eighteen feet in height and fifteen feet in diameter. If you’re interested in this flower, you can visit the US Botanic Garden and savor its pleasing appearance using the best video recorder. You may also visit the rainforest areas of Sumatra, Indonesia to view this flower if you wish.

The stinky smell of Titan Arum is the reason it’s also called as corpse flower. It smells like a dead fish. Another intriguing element of Titan Arum is its flower only lasts for two days; afterwards, it will start to wither. So, bride-to-bes, who want to use Titan Arum for their wedding, should have second thoughts about using such. The guests and even the groom might leave the ceremony because of the deadly smell of the flower.

Have you seen the so-called sensitive plant or sleeping grass? When I was a kid, I always play in the garden. One time, I accidentally hit this plant with small leaves, then I saw them folding. They look like those kids who turn blush and become shy whenever they see they're crushes. Out of curiosity, I ran to my mom and asked about it. I found out from that its the sensitive plant or Mimosa pudica, a plant which is known for its leaves that fold when touched. Their leaves also fold during the evening. Mimosa genus is common in Southern Mexico and Central America. However, this genus is widely cultivated as an indoor plant in temperate places and as an outdoor plant in the tropics.

According to my mom, the genus Mimosa have already accumulated 3,000 names for itself throughout the history. Because of that, there are circumstances that the name Mimosa is being used for other species who were transferred to other genera. This genus was used also to other species with similar characteristics like plants pinnate or bipinnate leaves like Silk Tree (Albizia julibrissin) and Silver Wattle (Acacia dealdata). She also told me that it is customary to present women in Russia with yellow mimosas during the International Women's Day. However, these flowers are not true Mimosa, but are actually Acacia dealdata.

Galanthus nivalis or commonly known as the "Common Snowdrop" is the most famous representative from the small genus of Galanthus. It is comprised of about 20 species under the family Amaryllidaceae. Galanthus species possess bulbs, linear leaves, and erect flowering stalks, destitute of leaves, but bearing at the top is a solitary pendulous bell-shaped flower. A Common Snowdrop can reach 15 cm tall and and blooms in January or February in the northern temperate zone. Its white flower has six petals with the outer three segments being larger and more convex than the inner series. Its six anthers open by pores or short slits and the ovary is three-celled, ripening into a three-celled capsule.

This plant propagates by offsets or by seeds. There are professional growers and keen amateurs that use methods like "twin-scaling." This method increases the stock of choice varieties quickly. This specie is often compared to its relative Snowflakes or Leucojum. However, Leucojums are much larger compared to Galanthus. They also blossom in spring, with all six petals in the flower in the same size. Galanthus is one of the flowers blooming in our garden these days. My mom loves spending time there while reading her new entertainment magazine with actress Jodie Foster as its cover.

Iris is a genus with 200-300 species of flowering plants. They are showy flowers which got its name from the Greek word for "rainbow." This genus also has a wide array of flower colors. The term iris is used as a common name and also refers to all iris species and related genera. This genus is widely distributed throughout the north temperate zone. It thrives in cold regions as well as in grassy slopes, meadowlands, stream banks, and deserts of Europe, the Middle East, northern Africa, Asia, and across North America.

Accordingly, Iris are perennial herbs that rise from rhizomes and bulbs. These species possess long, erect, flowering stems which may be simple or branched, solid or hollow, and flattened or have a circular cross-section. Rhizomatous species have 3-10 basal, sword-shaped leaves growing in dense clumps. However, the bulbous species have cylindrical basal leaves. Inflorescences of Iris are fan-shaped and contains one or more symmetrical, six-lobed, slightly fragrant flowers. They grow on a pedicel or lack a footstalk, and the three sepals are spreading or droop downwards. They expand from their narrow base into a broader limb, often adorned with lines or dots. They are sometimes reduced, while petals stand upright, partly behind the sepal bases. Smaller species possess all six lobes pointing straight outwards. Their sepals and the petals differ from each other. They are connected at their base into a floral tube that lies above the ovary. Their styles divide towards the apex into petaloid branches.

I remember when we we're young, my brother and I always run in my mom's garden. No matter how my mom told us to stop, we still kept on running until she got very mad. One time, she was annoyed when my brother accidentally hit some flowers on one side of the garden. According to my mother, that plant was the hydrangea. It is a genus composed of 70-75 species of flowering plants native to Southern and eastern Asia like China and Japan, and North and South America. These plants are mostly shrubs that grow from 1-3 meters tall, however, there are also small trees as well as lianas reaching up to 30 m by climbing trees. These genus are either deciduous or evergreen. Mom added that the flowers are produced mainly from early spring to late autumn.

Flowers of this Hydrangea genus grow in flowerheads or corymbs or panicles at the ends of the stems. In most species of Hydrangea, flowerheads contain two types of flowers. These are small fertile flowers in the middle of the flowerhead, and a large, sterile bract-like flowers in a ring around the edge of each flowerhead. She also mentioned that other species have all the flowers fertile and of the same size. Flowers are mostly white, but some flowers can be blue, red, pink, or purple.

Spending time in our garden is my habit. It gives me a great feeling of relief especially when I see those lovely Impatiens flowers. For example, when I lost my Siemens SX66 phone, I just stared at those flowers and after that I felt fine. Impatiens are very lovely and alluring flowers. It is composed of about 900-1000 species of flowering plants in the family Balsaminaceae. They are widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere and tropics. However, they are not found in South America.

Some species of this genus are annual plants. Impatiens produce flowers from early summer until the first frost. There are also perennial species that can be found in milder climates. They can bloom throughout the whole year. This plant can exist both in, and out, of direct sunlight. I also found out that some Impatiens hybrids have commercial importance as garden plants. This species derive its scientific name Impatiens ("impatient") and the common name "touch-me-not" from the plant's seed pods. As you can see, when the seed pods mature, they "explode" when touched, sending seeds several meters away. That's why my mom always tells me not to touch them. Some species of Lepidoptera depend on this plant for survival.

Have you heard of the following plants cinquefoil, tormentil, and barren strawberry? Would you believe that these names point to only one plant, and that is Potentilla. This plant is a member of family Rosaceae and is native to North Hemisphere. If you're interested to know how this flower looks, then I will describe the plant for you. This specie has leaves that are divided into five leaflets which are arranged palmately, but there are also species with three leaflets. But don't be confused if you will see a Potentilla specie with 15 or more leaflets because it is possible.

In our garden, my mom plants Potentilla on one side and every time I go there, I notice that there are moths and butterflies flying near them. Then I learned that the leaves of this plant serve as food for the larvae of some Lepidopterans. My professor back in college told me that there had been some changes to the circumscription of Potentilla. According to him, these changes were the effects of recent genetic researches. If you have time, why don't you plant this flower to help in maintaining the balance in the environment. I am sure many Lepidopterans will appreciate it because there will be more available food for them.

I really find it hard to pronounce the word "Rhododendron." This is actually a genus of the plant that belongs to family Ericaceae. This genus is considered as big because it consists of more than 600 species, which are either evergreen or deciduous. These species have recognized for having showy flowers. Being a large group, it is subdivided into four groups namely Subgenus Rhododendron, Subgenus Hymenanthes, evergreen azaleas, and deciduous azaleas. Subgenus Rhododendron have the presence of scales on the leaves' underside while Subgenus Hymenanthes lacks these scales. This genus is widely distributed but mainly found in Sino-Himalayan mountains of southeast Asia. There is also other significant areas like in the mountains of Indo-China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan. There are several species that grow in North American region and in Europe.

According to experiments, most species of Rhododendron like acidic soil conditions. The best known species of this genus are noticed because of the many clusters of large trumpet-shaped blooms and glossy oval leaves. However, alpine species have small flowers or small leaves. Accordingly, this flower is named as Nepal's National flower. It is also the state flower of Washington and West Virginia of US and Sikkim of India.

Genus Heliconia is composed of about 100 to 200 species of flowering plants that are common to the tropical Americas and the Pacific Ocean islands west to Indonesia. This is the only genus belonging to the Family Heliconiaceae. Heliconia is also known as lobster-claw, wild plantain and false bird-of-paradise. Its leaves are ranges from 15-300 am long, oblong and growing opposite one another on non-woody petioles. Often, they are longer than the leaf and they form large clumps with age. Heliconia flowers are long, erect or drooping panicles. They are consist of brightly colored waxy bracts with small true flowers peeping out from the bracts. The growth habit of heliconias is comparable to that of Canna, Strelitzia (Bird-of-paradise), and bananas, to which they are related.

Aside from the beauty they exude, Heliconias have other roles in the environment. They are considered as an important source of food for forest hummingbirds. It is also being used by the hermits for nesting. There are species of Heliconia that were selected as cultivars for garden planting. They are Heleconia psittacorum L.f. which was crossed to Heleconia spathocircinata Aristeg. Both of these species came from South America majority from Brazil.

What is so special with Hibicus flowers? This is a question playing in my mind when I found out that some varieties of this genus are actually national flowers of other countries. For instance, Hibiscus syriacus, commonly known as Mugunghwa or "Rose of Sharon" is the national flower of South Korea. Did you know that Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, (Bunga Raya or "Chinese hibiscus") is Malaysia's national flower? Also, another Hibiscus flower, ma‘o hau hele (Hibiscus brackenridgei) is the state flower of Hawai‘i. There must be something in this plant that these nations view as special.

Hibiscus is a large genus having 200-220 number of species of flowering plants. This genus belongs to family Malvaceae which is common to warm temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. This group also includes both annual and perennial herbaceous plants and woody shrubs and small trees. Its leaves are alternate, simple, ovate to lanceolate, often with a toothed or lobed margin. Its fruit is a dry five-lobed capsule which contains several seeds in each lobe. These seeds are released when the capsule splits open during maturity. Its flowers are eye-catching because they are large, conspicuous, and trumpet-shaped. It has five petals with its color ranging from white to pink, red, purple or yellow.

Have you heard of a tree known as "Pride of Burma?" Yes, this is commonly known as Amherstia (Amherstia nobilis). This is a tropical tree belonging to the family Fabaceae, that bears exceptionally beautiful flowers is widely cultivated in the humid tropics. Ever wondered why it is called such name? This tree is native to Burma, known today as Myanmar, the largest country in mainland Southeast Asia. Its scientific name commemorates Lady Amherst.

This tropical tree's extravagant flowers are hanging from long inflorescence known as flower stalk that are bright crimson red at the end. Its flowers are made up of 5 petals, 2 are minute while the others have unequal sizes. Petals are also crimson; two medium-sized petals are yellow at the tip and the largest petal is broad and fan-shaped with a wavy upper margin and a yellow triangle of color extending from the lip down into the flower. The said large petal can measure 7.5 centimeters long and over 4 centimeters wide at the end. There are either 9 or 10 stamens, 9 of these are partially fused into a pink sheath; the stamens are of two differing lengths with the longer ones having larger anthers. Amherstia has compound leaves with 6 - 8 large leaflets. They are broadly oblong in shape and are a whitish underneath. Its seedpods or fruits measures from 11 to 20 centimeters long, with a scimitar-shaped. The woody outer case opens to disperse the seeds.

Are you surprised with the title? If you are, then you are not really that familiar with fig trees, right? Well, anyway, it does not matter, because I am telling you that fig trees in your landscaped house yard do have flowers, not only fruits.

But the thing with these plants are, the flower is not that apparent as with the other trees. The flower of a fig tree is, in fact, located inside the fig itself. So, the next question is, does it have the same parts like that of other normal flowers? Yes, it does, indeed. The brilliant news (well, not really news news) is that the flower also has stamen and pistil, and is very much capable of producing seeds. If one time you cannot resist on picking the fig and eating it, you may chance upon something that makes your teeth grit and grind -- that, folks, may just be the seeds that we are talking about. Thus, it is safe to say that you are also eating the flower, or specifically, the torus, where small flowers develop. The torus eventually grows sweet and becomes the fig.

The inconspicuous place of fig flowers just goes to show once again that nature has its wonders. Did you know that fig trees actually live the longest among the fruit trees? Yes, it can exist up to about two thousand years! They only generate about a couple of fig crops in one year, though.

My cat loves rubbing himself in his alfalfa shrub thingy. I don't know why he loves the plant, but I buy him the plant every month over at Whole Foods. I, on the other hand, love alfalfa in my gourmet sandwiches. It's healthy, it's kinda crunchy, and it actually tastes good.

The alfalfa is also very good to preventing and treating kidney stones. It's also a good herbal plant medicine for water retention and swellings. It's really very healthy and it contains a high amount of amino acids. If you have the dreaded diabetes disease, then the alfalfa is just perfect for you. It is also one very good herb for asthma attacks, arthritis, and many more.

The alfalfa plant usually grows starting from the month of July until the month of September. You'll actually see it growing around in most places, as long as there's a pleasant weather, then you'll see the alfalfa sprouting everywhere. It can grow until three feet in height and it has lovely purplish flowers. Man, this plant is just amazing. If only I can use it to get some hot chicks...

Every time I pass by my neighbor's yard, this certain plant would always catch my attention. I wanted to grow the same plant in my yard because it looks so nice. It would certainly give your nice house that country-style look to it. So what I did was to come up to my neighbor and ask her for that plant cutting. She instantly gave me some, of course.

The plant that I'm yapping about here is the Nemesia Nemo series. No, the plant does not look like that cute Disney/Pixar character, Nemo. The plant's flowers have an eggplant purple color to them. They look so warm and so spring-y. They're easy to plant too. You can simply grow them from cuttings from the Florensis. There's also a lot of colors to choose from with this plant. There's baby blue or light blue, there's the classic white color, there's lavender, and there's the old rose color. You can grow all of the colors in your yard if you want to. The Nemesia can grow in various weather conditions.

This plant also gives out a very pleasant perfume-like scent. Some flowers just look nice and pretty. But, the Nemesia Nemo series plants look pretty and they smell great, too. If you don't have a large garden, or if you don't have a garden at all, you can just grow this plant in other areas around your house. You can grow them in your flower pots and place them on your patios or terraces. You can also use them as borders for your mini-gardens or your window boxes. There are so many things you can do with this easy-to-grow plant.

Tea is one of the most natural drinks there is. I was not very fond of drinking tea since it was too old school for me. I also thought that it tastes bland and dull. I preffered drinking a lot of booze, which isn't very healthy. But there came a point wherein I had to do something about my liquid intake. I felt quite unhealthy with all the caffeinated drinks, the alcohol, and all the carbonated sodas. So, I ditched the unhealthy artificial drinks and I went for the natural ingredients.

Since I already knew that there are many edible flowers out there, I looked for some edible flowers in my very own backyard. I found the apple blossom plant. It was just there in my backyard, abundant and blooming. My grandma always told me that before I turn those magical plants into drinks, I would have to clean em' out first. So, I picked out apple blossom flowers from the backyard. Hey, you gotta' make sure that they are totally natural. If you used pesticides on them, don't even plan on eating the damn flowers. Edible flowers are said to have a soothing effect in the body. They also have certain natural medicinal contributions; well that depends on the flower per se.

Before you turn your apple blossom plant into an herbal concoction, wash it first with cold water. Check out the flowers if they're still fresh and healthy. Don't use the flowers with holes in it; they're already rotten. After you've cleaned them out, place your flowers in any clean bowl that has iced water in it. Leave your flowers soaked in the water for a minute. When it's time to drain out the flowers, use clean white table napkins or a clean cloth. After all the cleaning, you can proceed to making your apple blossom tea.

The apple is one of my most favorite fruits. It tastes good, it's very healthy, it goes with almost all the foods, and it is pretty much abundant everywhere. I am a guy who has a very sensitive digestive system, so I see to it that I include apples after my every meal. Just think, why do I have to stay away from all the juicy meat when all I have to do is finish up Eve's forbidden fruit? If you can't stay away from the meat and the junks, an apple a day would really keep the doctors away.

In fact, an apple a day is not enough. Word is, the apple blossom extract or essence also has its nutritional contributions. We just can't get enough of the apples, huh? Just like the apple fruit, the apple blossoms essence is said to contain "hydrogen cyanide". This ingredient is very good for the digestive tract. It can also improve your respiratory system. I also have asthma. Whenever I get the chronic asthma attacks, I take in very limited doses of the apple blossom essence. It can also be a good herbal medicine for cancer. If you want to try this magical essence out, you shouldn't consume it in large quantities.

The apple blossom essence is not from the apple flower itself. The apple seeds and the tree barks are mostly the medicinal parts of the plant. The tree bark essence is said to be good for gallstones and piles. It is also a good alternative for a mouth wash, if you always get the mouth sores. If you are too fond of apples, this is good news for you. But before you drown yourself with this apple magic, you better consult your doctors first. There are some people who are not compatible with hydrogen cyanide. Hey, what can you do? Sometimes, you need an apple and a doctor to make your life healthier.

Flowers are the traditional gifts on first dates. Flowers are also elements of many exquisite landscape designs. Flowers are generally regarded as positive symbols. Flowers represent beauty, affection, purity, and sympathy. It is not surprising why flowers are often used in both sad and joyful occasions. The fragrance and natural beauty of flowers invoke serenity.

Some flowers are even considered as symbols of the divine. It is not surprising why flowers are the most common adornment in many annual religious festivals. However, I was surprised when I read somewhere that flowers are also used as ingredients in some gourmet recipes.

I also found out that many types of flowers are used as medicines. For instance, the Adonis aestivalis, more commonly known as pheasant’s eye flower, is used in an herbal concoction to treat heart ailments. This flower originated from Southern Europe and is also a common cornfield wildflower in Central Asia. This plat grows to a maximum height of about 50 centimeters. The flower colors range from crimson to black. The flower appearance is similar to buttercups. This plant is commonly used as an ornamental garden plant.

The similarity between flowers and new car models lies on their ability to impress the opposite sex. Flowers and cars are considered as erotic symbols. It is not surprising why flowers are used to woe a potential romantic partner. Flowers represent beauty and affection. Flowers can also be taken as direct symbols of sexual intentions. In fact, flowers are actually the reproductive parts of many plants. Cars, on the other hand, are more recently associated with courtship. Cars indicate the social status of the owner.

Incarvillea sinensis, more commonly as fairy flower or trumpet flower, may not be an ideal gift for a romantic partner, but it is a beautiful ornamental garden plant. The flower resembles a trumpet. Some superstitious beliefs presume that this plant is a good side-pathway ornament because it somehow heralds good fortune.

This flower has a variety of colors, including pink, creamy white, and violet. The leaves of this plant are dark green and leathery. This plant usually grows as a compact bush. This plant is a seasonal annual plant that grows only during summer season. Incarvillea sinensis can grow as high as one meter.

Flowers are one of the favorite subjects of digital photography workshops. Flowers are used not only as decorative materials for photographs, but also as the main subjects of photographs. The variety colors and symmetry of flowers provide excellent angles for artistic photography. Flowers can be arranged in different ways to express the wide gamut of human emotion. Flowers express not only affection. Flowers can also express anger, lust, envy, and fear. All of these can be expressed in a photograph of a flower.

Carpanthea pomeridiana is commonly known as vetkousie and golden carpet. This flower is a good photographic subject. Golden carpet flowers can be an ideal design for greeting cards. The flower image provides certain other-worldly or ethereal effects when photographed under dim light.

This flower might not be a good gift for a romantic partner, but it is exciting to be photographed. The origin of this flower is South Africa. It is a rare species that is closely related to Mesembryanthemum species. This flower is commonly used to cover dry slopes. The flower itself resembles dandelions because of its hairy structure. It is a seasonal flower that grows during August and September.