Complete Plant Guide

Easy 💧 4 days ☀️ Bright indirect

Blue moor grass is a low, tufted evergreen ornamental grass native to Europe, including the limestone grasslands and pavements of Great Britain and Ireland. It forms dense, neat clumps of narrow, arching leaves that are blue-green above and glossy dark green beneath, giving the plant its characteristic blue-grey cast. In spring, short purplish flower spikes rise just above the foliage, fading to a pale buff colour as they mature. A tough, low-maintenance calcicole grass, it is prized in gardens for its compact habit, year-round structure and tolerance of poor, stony, alkaline soils.

3031

Foxtail Grass

Setaria

Setaria is a large genus of warm-season annual and short-lived perennial grasses in the Poaceae (grass) family, commonly known as foxtails or bristlegrasses for their dense, bristly, cylindrical seed heads that resemble the bushy tail of a fox. The genus includes both common weedy species -- such as green foxtail (S. viridis) and yellow foxtail (S. pumila) -- found along roadsides, fields, and disturbed soil across temperate regions worldwide, and the important cereal crop foxtail millet (S. italica), domesticated roughly 8,000 years ago along the Yellow River in China and still cultivated across Asia, Africa, and parts of Europe for grain, hay, and birdseed. As a genus-level entry, care guidance here reflects general growing conditions for Setaria species, with cultivated foxtail millet as the best-documented reference point.

3032

Green Foxtail

Setaria viridis

Easy 💧 7 days ☀️ Direct sun

Setaria viridis, known as green foxtail or green bristlegrass, is a fast-growing annual grass native to Eurasia and now naturalized worldwide. It forms leafy tufts with slender, arching stems topped by soft, bristly, cylindrical seed heads that resemble a fox's tail. Highly adaptable, it thrives in disturbed soils, roadsides, and open fields, and is recognized by botanists as the wild ancestor of foxtail millet. Because of its short life cycle and ease of cultivation, it has also become an important model species for studying C4 photosynthesis in bioenergy grasses.

3033

Country Mallow

Sida cordifolia

Easy 💧 9 days ☀️ Direct sun

Sida cordifolia, commonly called country mallow or flannel weed, is a perennial subshrub in the mallow family (Malvaceae) native to India and now naturalized throughout the tropics and subtropics. It grows 50-200 cm tall on branched, woody-based stems, with heart-shaped, velvety leaves covered in soft white hairs and small yellow flowers, sometimes with orange centers. Long valued in Ayurvedic medicine as "Bala," it has also spread widely as a roadside and pasture weed, and is now considered invasive in parts of Africa, Australia, the southern United States, and several Pacific islands.

3034

Fanpetals

Sida sp

Easy 💧 5 days ☀️ Bright indirect

Fanpetals (Sida sp) is a genus of herbs and subshrubs in the Malvaceae family, encompassing over 170 species native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. Plants grow up to 2 meters tall with hairy, felt-like stems and small five-petaled flowers in shades of yellow, orange, or white. Several species have a long history of use in traditional medicine across Brazil, India, and Africa.

3035

Brown Spiderwort

Siderasis fuscata

Easy 💧 7 days ☀️ Low light

Siderasis fuscata, commonly known as Brown Spiderwort, is a perennial herbaceous plant native to the tropical rainforests of Brazil. It features broad, velvety dark green leaves with distinctive purple undersides, forming a compact rosette. Small violet-purple flowers emerge directly from the foliage during summer. An excellent low-light houseplant for those seeking exotic tropical beauty with minimal care.

3036

Silaum silaus

Easy 💧 5 days ☀️ Direct sun

Pepper-saxifrage (Silaum silaus) is a perennial plant from the Apiaceae family, the only species of the genus Silaum. It is widespread throughout Europe to western Siberia and also grows in Croatia, in moist, unmanaged meadows and pastures on clayey, neutral to slightly alkaline soils. Its stem grows up to 100 cm, and small yellowish flowers are gathered in umbellate inflorescences that bloom from June to August. Crushed parts of the plant emit an unpleasant hydrogen sulfide odor. It is considered an indicator species of old, traditionally maintained meadows.

3037

Campion

Silene

Easy 💧 12 days ☀️ Direct sun

Silene is the largest genus in the Caryophyllaceae family, encompassing approximately 500–900 species of annual, biennial, and perennial flowering plants known as campions and catchflies. Native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, they are celebrated for their delicate tubular flowers in shades of pink, red, white, and purple, often with notched petals and an inflated calyx. Many species attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators, making them valuable additions to wildflower gardens, meadows, and rock gardens.

3038

Rose Campion

Silene coronaria

Rose Campion (Silene coronaria, syn. Lychnis coronaria) is a low-maintenance, short-lived perennial or biennial from the carnation family (Caryophyllaceae), native to the Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. The plant is renowned for the striking contrast between its silvery-grey, felted leaves and vibrant magenta, pink, red, or white flowers, approximately 2–3 cm in diameter. In its first year, it forms a basal rosette of velvety leaves; in the second year, upright, branched stems emerge, reaching a height of 60–90 cm. Thanks to its ability to self-seed, it reliably maintains its presence in the garden for many years.

3039

Silphium

Easy 💧 10 days ☀️ Direct sun

Silphium is a genus of robust, perennial prairie plants from North America, belonging to the sunflower family (Asteraceae). The genus comprises approximately 17–18 species, including the well-known Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum), Compass Plant (Silphium laciniatum), and Wholeleaf Rosinweed (Silphium integrifolium). These impressive perennials can reach up to 3 meters in height and bear bright yellow, sunflower-like flower heads in summer and autumn. The leaves of the Compass Plant orient themselves north-south to minimize water loss in the intense midday sun, while the Cup Plant's perfoliate leaves form natural "cups" that collect rainwater for birds and insects. Silphium species are essential for prairie biodiversity and attract a wide variety of pollinators, birds, and insects.

3040

Paradise Tree

Simarouba amara

Easy 💧 12 days ☀️ Bright indirect

Simarouba amara, commonly known as the Paradise Tree or Bitterwood, is a majestic tropical evergreen tree native to the rainforests of Central and South America. It is distinguished by its glossy, dark green pinnate leaves and a straight trunk with smooth, greyish bark. The tree produces small, inconspicuous yellowish flowers that develop into oval drupes, which turn from red to blackish-purple when ripe. It is highly valued in its native range for its medicinal properties, particularly the bark, which contains bitter quassinoids used to treat various ailments.

3041

Bitterwood

Simarouba glauca

Bitterwood (Simarouba glauca) is a fast-growing evergreen tree native to Central America, the Caribbean, and southern Florida, belonging to the Simaroubaceae family. It features glossy, pinnately compound leaves that emerge reddish-orange before maturing to deep green, and clusters of small yellow-to-creamy-white flowers that bloom from late winter into spring, followed by dark purple, olive-shaped drupes. Highly adaptable, it tolerates a wide range of soils, drought, salt spray, and poor conditions once established, making it a popular shade and street tree in warm climates. Its bark and leaves have a long history of traditional medicinal use, particularly for fevers and dysentery.

3042

Jojoba

Simmondsia chinensis

Easy 💧 30 days ☀️ Direct sun

Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) is a perennial evergreen shrub native to the desert regions of the Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico (Sonoran Desert). As the sole member of the Simmondsiaceae family, it forms a dense, rounded bush that can reach 6 to 8 feet in height, featuring thick, leathery, gray-green leaves designed to minimize water loss. It is a dioecious plant (separate male and female plants) whose seeds produce a unique liquid wax very similar to human sebum, widely used in cosmetics as jojoba oil. Extremely drought-tolerant once established, it can survive on only 10 to 30 inches of annual rainfall and tolerate poor, saline soils.

3043

Sinningia

Medium 💧 3 days ☀️ Partial shade

Sinningia is a genus of tuberous flowering plants native to Brazil, belonging to the family Gesneriaceae. Known for their stunning bell-shaped flowers in shades of purple, pink, red, and white, they are prized as ornamental houseplants worldwide. The most famous species, S. speciosa, is commonly called Florist's Gloxinia. Plants are deciduous, entering dormancy in winter and re-emerging each spring from their tubers.

3044

Florist's Gloxinia

Sinningia speciosa

Sinningia speciosa, commonly known as Florist's Gloxinia or Brazilian Gloxinia, is a tuberous perennial native to the rocky slopes and forests of Brazil, in the family Gesneriaceae. It is celebrated for its large, velvety, trumpet-shaped flowers in shades of purple, violet, red, white, and pink. It blooms in spring and summer, then enters a dormancy period before returning the following season.

3045

Hedge mustard

Sisymbrium

Easy 💧 4 days ☀️ Partial shade

Sisymbrium is a genus of around 40 species of annual and biennial herbs in the mustard family (Brassicaceae), commonly known as hedge mustards. The most widespread species, Sisymbrium officinale, is a weedy plant of disturbed ground, roadsides and hedgerows across Europe and naturalized worldwide, bearing small yellow four-petaled flowers and slender seed pods. Historically nicknamed "the singer's plant", it was used by opera singers and orators to soothe hoarseness and protect the voice.

3046

Japanese Skimmia

Skimmia japonica

Japanese Skimmia (Skimmia japonica) is a compact, slow-growing evergreen shrub from the Rutaceae family. It is an ornamental shrub native to Japan, notable for its fragrant, creamy-white to pink flowers in spring, followed by bright red berries that persist throughout fall and winter. The foliage releases an aromatic scent when crushed.

3047

Sarsaparilla

Smilax aspera

Smilax aspera, commonly known as sarsaparilla or rough bindweed, is an evergreen, thorny climbing vine native to the Mediterranean Basin, southern Europe and North Africa. Using tendrils, it scrambles over shrubs, walls and trellises, reaching 1 to 4 metres in length. Its wiry, zigzagging stems and leathery, heart-shaped leaves are armed with small spines, and from September to November it produces clusters of tiny, strongly fragrant greenish-white flowers followed by red berries that ripen to black.

3048

Cat Greenbrier

Smilax glauca

Medium 💧 4 days ☀️ Bright indirect

Smilax glauca, commonly known as Cat Greenbrier or Sawbrier, is a thorny deciduous climbing vine native to the woodlands and thickets of Eastern North America. It is recognized by its ovate to cordate leaves with a distinctive bluish-white waxy bloom on the undersides, giving the species its name "glauca". The stems are armed with sharp prickles. It produces small greenish-yellow flowers in spring to early summer, followed by clusters of dark blue-black berries that are an important wildlife food source.

3049

Beautiful Sobralia

Sobralia decora

Sobralia decora is a medium-sized terrestrial or epiphytic orchid with bamboo-like reed-stem canes reaching up to 75 cm tall. Native to parts of Central America (Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua) and Mexico (Nayarit, Oaxaca, Veracruz), it grows on damp hillsides and shaded ravines in lower-elevation rainforests, between 50 and 1700 meters. It produces large, fragrant flowers ranging from pink to lavender, often with a white-tipped lip and a yellow-to-brown throat. Each flower lasts only a single day, but the plant blooms in succession for weeks.

3050

Argentine White Torch Cactus

Soehrensia candicans

Easy 💧 14 days ☀️ Direct sun

The Argentine White Torch Cactus (Soehrensia candicans) is a columnar cactus native to northern Argentina, renowned for its spectacular large white fragrant flowers that bloom at night. It forms sprawling clumps up to 3 m (10 ft) wide, with individual stems reaching 60 cm (24 in) tall. Hardy, drought-tolerant, and cold-resistant to -6°C (21°F), it thrives in xeriscapes and rock gardens.

3051

Golden Torch Cactus

Soehrensia spachiana

Medium 💧 21 days ☀️ Direct sun

Soehrensia spachiana, formerly known as Echinopsis spachiana, is a columnar cactus that branches from the base and can reach up to 2 meters in height. It is famous for its spectacular, large white flowers that bloom at night. Its stems are lime green with well-defined ribs and golden-yellow spines that turn gray with age. It is a highly valued species in xeriscaping due to its hardiness and shrubby growth habit.

3052

Nightshades

Solanum

Easy 💧 5 days ☀️ Direct sun

Solanum is one of the largest and most diverse plant genera on Earth, comprising 1,500–2,000 species of herbs, shrubs, vines, and small trees in the family Solanaceae. It includes three of humanity's most economically important crops — potato (S. tuberosum), tomato (S. lycopersicum), and eggplant (S. melongena) — alongside hundreds of ornamental and wild species. Most green parts contain toxic alkaloids such as solanine, making this a genus of remarkable duality: life-sustaining food and potential danger, often in the same plant.

3053

Ethiopian Eggplant

Solanum aethiopicum

Solanum aethiopicum, commonly known as Ethiopian eggplant or scarlet eggplant, is a fruiting shrub in the Solanaceae family native to tropical Africa. It grows up to 2.5 m tall with lobed leaves, produces star-shaped white to violet flowers, and bears small egg-shaped berries that ripen from green to vivid orange-red. It is one of the five most economically important vegetables in sub-Saharan Africa, valued for both its edible fruits and nutritious leaves.

3054

American Black Nightshade

Solanum americanum

Medium 💧 7 days ☀️ Direct sun

American black nightshade (Solanum americanum) is an annual or short-lived perennial herbaceous plant in the Solanaceae family, widely distributed across tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Native to the Americas, it has become a cosmopolitan weed found in disturbed soils, roadsides, gardens, and waste ground. It produces small white star-shaped flowers and round berries (5–10 mm) that ripen from green to glossy black. All parts are considered severely toxic — particularly the green parts and unripe berries, which contain solanine, chaconine, and solamargine — though the plant has traditional medicinal uses across Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

3055

Tamarillo

Solanum betaceum

The tamarillo (Solanum betaceum) is a small tree or shrub native to the Andes of South America. It produces egg-shaped fruits ranging from orange to red or deep purple, with a tangy, bittersweet flavor. Highly valued both for its ornamental appeal and its edible fruits, which are rich in vitamins A, C, and E.

3056

Tall nightshade

Solanum chenopodioides

Medium 💧 7 days ☀️ Partial shade

Tall nightshade (Solanum chenopodioides) is a weedy, sprawling perennial subshrub in the nightshade family, native to South America and now naturalized in disturbed ground, coastal scrub, and gardens across mild-climate regions worldwide. It bears small star-shaped white flowers followed by round berries that ripen from green to dark purple-black. As with other Solanum species, its leaves and unripe berries contain solanine and related glycoalkaloids, making the whole plant toxic if eaten.

3057

Bittersweet Nightshade

Solanum dulcamara

Bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) is a semi-woody perennial climbing vine native to Europe, northern Africa, and Asia, belonging to the Solanaceae family. It produces charming star-shaped purple flowers with yellow stamens, followed by clusters of berries that ripen from green to orange to bright red. WARNING: All parts are SEVERELY TOXIC — containing solanine and other alkaloids that can cause serious poisoning in humans, cats, and dogs.

3058

Granular Nightshade

Solanum granulosoleprosum

Hard 💧 10 days ☀️ Bright indirect

Solanum granulosoleprosum is a fast-growing shrub or small tree native to southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern Argentina. A member of the Solanaceae family, it is a pioneer species that thrives in disturbed soils, forest edges, and arid terrain. Its cylindrical, granular stems are covered with dense hairs, and it produces white to pale purple flowers in terminal clusters, followed by globose yellow berries at maturity.

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3059

Hairy Wild Tomato

Solanum habrochaites

Solanum habrochaites is a wild relative of the cultivated tomato, native to the western, arid slopes of the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Andes, where it grows at elevations up to 3,300 m. Unlike the smooth-leaved garden tomato, its entire stem and foliage are covered in dense, soft glandular trichomes (hairs) that give the species its name — "habrochaites" roughly means "soft bristles." These trichomes exude strong-smelling terpenes, such as zingiberene, that repel insects and deter pathogens, making the species a prized source of pest and disease resistance genes for tomato breeding programs worldwide. It produces small, star-shaped yellow flowers and small green, fuzzy fruit that typically stays green and is not eaten. As with all Solanum species, the foliage, stems and unripe fruit contain glycoalkaloids and are toxic if ingested.

3060

Lance-leaf Nightshade

Solanum lanceolatum