AgarwoodAqualaria crassna (Thymelaeaceae) Characteristics There are 17 species in the genus Aquilaria, large evergreen trees, and nine are known to produce agar wood. Aquilaria crassna is one source of agar wood, a resinous heartwood, used for perfume and incense. The resin is produced by the tree as an immune reaction in response to infection by…
TeakTectona grandis (Lamiaceae) Characteristics Large tree, deciduous, up to 40 m tall. High-quality wood. Greyish-brown branches. Leaves ovate, 15-45 cm long, 8-23 cm wide, margins entire, papery, hairy on lower surface. Flowers small, fragrant, white, arranged in dense clusters at the end of the branches. Distribution Native to India and Southeast Asia but naturalized in…
Indian SandalwoodSantalum album (Santalaceae) Characteristics Evergreen tree, 4-9 m tall. Up to one hundred years old. It parasitizes the roots of other tree species with a haustorium adaptation on its own roots, but without major detriment to its host. Bark reddish to brown (to black), smooth in young trees, becoming cracked with a red reveal.…
Shampoo gingerZingiber zerumbet (Zingimberaceae) Characteristics Perennial herb, leafy stem up to 1.2 m tall. From autumn until spring it goes dormant above ground as the leafy stems shrivel and die away, leaving the pale brown rhizomes at ground level. In the spring, the plant springs up anew. 10-12 blade-shaped leaves, 15-20 cm long, alternate. Among…
TaroColocasia esculenta (Araceae) Characteristics Perennial, tropical plant. Primarily grown as a root vegetable for its edible, starchy corm. Leaves up to 40×35 cm and sprout from the rhizome, dark green above and light green beneath, highly water-repellent. Taro is one of few crops (along with rice and lotus) that can be grown under flooded conditions.…
Golden ShowerCassia cf. fistula (Fabaceae) Characteristics Medium-sized tree, 10-20 m tall, with fast growth. Leaves deciduous, 15-60 cm long, pinnate. Flowers yellow. Fruit is a legume, 30-60 cm ling. Wood very strong and durable, has been used to construct “Ehela Kanuwa”, a site at Adams Peak in Sri Lanka. Distribution Native to the Indian subcontinent…
Crape jasmineTabernaemontana divaricata (Apocynaceae) Characteristics Evergreen shrub, up to 2 m tall. Dichotomously branched. Stem excludes a milky latex when broken. Leaves large, shony, deep green, 15 cm long, 5 cm wide. Flowers white, waxy, in small clusters on the stem tips. The flowers have the characteristic “pinwheel” shape also seen in other genera in…
Simpleleaf chastetreeVitex trifolia (Lamiaceae) Characteristics Large coastal shrub or small tree, less then 5 m tall. Stem covered by soft hairs. Leaves opposite, compound (composed of 3 linear leaflets which range between 1-12 cm in length). Upper surface of the leaves is green, lower surface grayish green. Flowers born in clusters up to 18 cm…
RuelliasRuellia sp. (Acanthaceae) Characteristics Evergreen perennial, up to 1 m tall, forming colonies of stalks with lance-shaped leaves (15-30 cm long, 2 cm wide), opposite. Flowers trumpet-shaped, metallic blue to purple, with five petals. Distribution Native to Mexico, the Caribbean and South America. Grown around the world as an ornamental. It has become a widespread…
Beach cabbageScaevola taccada (Goodeniaceae) Characteristics Shrub, up to 4 m tall. Typical of littoral zones where it grows very close to the sea exposed to the salt spray, usually on sandy soil. Leaves slightly succulent, about 20 cm long, crowded at the stem tips, glabrous. Flowers, white, bloom whole year round, flowers fan-like shape. Fruits,…
