Food

Common name for members of the Malvaceae, a family of herbs and shrubs distributed over most of the world and especially abundant in the American tropics. Tropical species sometimes grow as small trees. The family is characterized by often mucilaginous sap and by showy, five-part flowers with a prominent column of fused stamens. MORE

Common name for members of the Asclepiadaceae, a family of mostly perennial herbs and shrubs characterized by milky sap, a tuft of silky hairs attached to the seed (for wind distribution), and (usually) a climbing habit. MORE

Common name for various members of the family Rutaceae, a large group of plants distributed throughout temperate and tropical regions and most abundant in S Africa and Australia. Most species are woody shrubs or small trees; many are evergreen and bear spines. MORE

Any species of the large genus Salvia, aromatic herbs or shrubs of the family Labiatae (mint family). The common sage of herb gardens is S. officinalis, a strongly scented shrubby perennial, native from S Europe to Asia Minor. MORE

Aromatic vegetable product used as a flavoring or condiment. MORE

Tree or bush, its leaves, and the beverage made from these leaves. The plant (Camellia sinensis,Thea sinensis, or C. thea) is an evergreen related to the camellia and indigenous to Assam (India) and probably to parts of China and Japan. MORE

Any of a group of large-leaved plants belonging to the nightshade family, native to tropical parts of the Americas. MORE

The vetches are chiefly annuals, distributed over temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere and of South America. Most of the species cultivated for food and forage are Old World in origin. The common vetch (V. sativa), also called spring vetch, is a purple- or pink-flowered climber native to Europe, where it is grown for fodder. MORE

Name for any plant of the genus Corchorus and for its fiber. Many species yield fiber, but the chief sources of commercial jute are two Indian species, grown primarily in the Ganges and Brahmaputra valleys. MORE

Any of several tropical and subtropical evergreen trees that grow in salt marshes and on mudflats, along tropical coasts and in tidal estuaries, producing aerial roots from their branches that form a dense tangled network. MORE

Common name for the Myrtaceae, a family of shrubs and trees almost entirely of tropical regions, especially in America and Australia. The family is characterized by leaves (usually evergreen) containing aromatic volatile oils. MORE

Any plant of the genus Picea, evergreen trees or shrubs of the family Pinaceae (pine family) widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. The needles are angular in cross section, rather than flattened as in the related hemlocks and firs. The Norway spruce (P. abies), an important timber tree of Europe, is one of the most commonly cultivated evergreens. MORE

A deciduous tree or shrub with smooth grey bark, pale-green glossy leaves, and triangular edible fruits known collectively as beech mast. MORE

Any of various broad-leaved deciduous trees of northern regions whose seeds float by means of winglike growths. MORE