Plectranthus amboinicus
Plectranthus amboinicus is an attractive, evergreen perennial plant with lemon-scented, thick, succulent, sprawling stems and fleshy leaves; it can grow 50 - 100cm tall. The lower parts of the stems become more or less woody.
The plant is harvested from the wild, mainly for local use as food and medicine. It is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental and also for medicinal uses and for its edible leaves, which are particularly popular in Mexico and parts of the Caribbean.
Plumeria alba
Plumeria alba is a somewhat succulent, evergreen shrub or a tree that does not have a true crown of foliage, but forms a somewhat vase-shape with a few stout, soft and brittle erect branches ending in clusters of crowded, spreading leaves; it can grow 3 - 8 metres tall. The bole can be 10cm in diameter.
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of wood. A very ornamental plant, with clusters of showy and intensely fragrant, tubular and spreading, waxy, white flowers.
Psidium guajava
Psidium guajava is an ornamental, evergreen shrub or small tree with an open crown, growing 3 - 10 metres tall.
The short, often crooked bole can be 20 - 30cm in diameter.
Very popular fruit crop, widely eaten worldwide; also used extensively in traditional medicine and other commodities.
Widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas as an edible fruit, pioneer species, and ornamental plant.
Punica granatum
Punica granatum is a deep-rooted, slow-growing, spiny, deciduous shrub or small tree.
It reaches a height of around 5 metres with an open canopy and low-branched crown.
Scaevola taccada
Scaevola taccada is an erect, spreading, evergreen shrub or small tree with somewhat succulent, soft-wooded, pithy stems. It usually grows up to 4 metres tall, with occasional specimens to 7 metres.
The plant is a widely used traditional medicine, also providing food and materials for local use. It is commonly gathered from the wild, often protected when land is cleared and sometimes also cultivated, especially as a hedge plant. It is grown in erosion control schemes in Florida.
Scutia myrtina
Scutia myrtina is an evergreen shrub or small tree with spiny branches that can be scandent, straggling, or erect.
It can range in height from 1 - 5 metres tall.
The edible fruit is sometimes gathered from the wild for local use. The plant is grown as a hedge.
Senna alata
Senna alata is a deciduous shrub or small tree with horizontal branches; it can grow up to 8 metres tall, but is more commonly around 2 metres.
The plant is highly valued in many areas of the tropics for its medicinal virtues. It is commonly gathered from the wild, mainly for medicinal use but also as a food and source of materials. It is often cultivated for medicinal purposes, and also as an ornamental plant in tropical to warm temperate areas.
Sideroxylon inerme
Sideroxylon inerme is a spreading, much-branched, evergreen shrub or a tree with a large, dense, rounded crown; it can grow up to 15 metres tall, often with a gnarled appearance. The sturdy bole can be up to 60cm in diameter. The tree yields a locally useful wood as well as being used locally as a medicine and food. It does not burn easily and can be planted as a fire-break.
Spathodea campanulata
African tulip tree is an evergreen or semi-deciduous tree with a dense, bushy, oval crown; it can grow from 10 - 35 metres tall.
The stem tends to become hollow, dropping large branches as the tree ages.
A very ornamental tree, the flowers bloom with great profusion, and at that time the tree can be seen from great distances. It is widely cultivated in the tropics in large gardens, parks etc.
The tree is harvested from the wild for food, medicines and various commodities that are used locally. It is planted in reforestation schemes, for soil conservation and as a plantation crop for the production of plywood in the Philippines.
