Plants & Fungi A - Z
Explore our profiles of plants and fungi.
These illustrated profiles contain a wealth of facts, including details on conservation, uses and habitats – as well as Kew’s connections with the species. They have been chosen to inspire interest in plants, detail our science and conservation work and showcase star plants in the Gardens.
This is a constantly growing resource with new profiles added every week - so do be sure to check back regularly.
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Fritillaria thunbergii (Thunberg fritillary)
Thunberg fritillary is widely cultivated and has been grown commercially as a medicine in China for 700 years.
More: Medicinal, Ornamentals
Gagnebina commersoniana
A small shrub from Madagascar, Gagnebina commersoniana was named in honour of the 18th century French naturalist J.-P. Commerson.
More: Legume family
Galanthus nivalis (common snowdrop)
The common snowdrop is one of the most popular of all cultivated bulbous plants, and its flowering is traditionally seen to herald the end of winter.
More: Alpines, Ornamentals, Traditions and beliefs
Galanthus panjutinii (Panjutin’s snowdrop)
Galanthus panjutinii is an endangered snowdrop from Russia and Georgia.
More: Alpines, Kew discoveries
Galanthus woronowii (Woronow's snowdrop)
A snowdrop with wide, green, shiny leaves, Galanthus woronowii is currently the subject of research into sustainable harvesting of bulbous plants.
More: Ornamentals, Medicinal, Alpines
Galium aparine (cleavers)
Cleavers is a botanical hitchhiker with a medicinal past, present and future.
More: Traditions and beliefs, Medicinal, Coffee family
Gardenia nitida (glossy-leaved gardenia)
Native to west tropical Africa, Gardenia nitida is a small tree or undershrub with woody fruits and strongly-scented flowers.
More: Traditions and beliefs, Great plant hunters, Ornamentals
Gardenia thunbergia (white gardenia)
The large, showy, creamy-white flowers of the white gardenia have an overpowering scent, which is particularly noticeable at night and typical of moth-pollinated plants.
More: Coffee family, Medicinal, Ornamentals
Gazania linearis (treasure flower)
Treasure flowers, originally from South Africa, have been in cultivation since the 19th century, but are now also invasive plants in some parts of the world.
More: Ornamentals, Textiles and dyes
Gentiana acaulis (stemless gentian)
Stemless gentian is a central European species and can be seen on the back of the Austrian € 0.01 (one euro cent) coin. It has also been chosen as the logo of the Alpine Garden Society.
More: Alpines, Ornamentals, Medicinal
Geranium farreri (Farrer’s geranium)
Farrer’s geranium is described as one of the most delicate and charming of all geraniums.
More: Alpines, Ornamentals
Geranium macrorrhizum (rock crane's-bill)
Geranium macrorrhizum is an aromatic perennial with attractive soft leaves and pink or purplish flowers, and provides good ground cover.
More: Ornamentals
Gilbertiodendron dewevrei (abeum)
Gilbertiodendron dewevrei is a large, evergreen tree that dominates forests in parts of central Africa.
More: Trees, Legume family, Building materials, Medicinal
Ginkgo biloba (maidenhair tree)
Ginkgo biloba, or maidenhair tree, has been described as a ‘living fossil’ because it is the sole survivor of an ancient group of trees older than the dinosaurs.
More: Trees, Kew favourites, Medicinal, Ancient
Gladiolus dzavakheticus (sword lily)
The eye-catching sword lily adds beauty to sub-alpine landscapes and lakesides, especially in foggy weather, when only its pink flowers are visible.
More: Alpines, Ornamentals, Saving species
Gloriosa superba (flame lily)
Flame lily is a climber with spectacular red and yellow flowers, but all parts of the plant (especially the tubers) are extremely poisonous and can be fatal if eaten.
More: Medicinal, Ornamentals
Glycyrrhiza glabra (liquorice)
A herb belonging to the pea and bean family, liquorice is cultivated for its underground stems that are used to flavour confectionery; it is also valued for its medicinal qualities.
More: Legume family, Food, Medicinal
Gmelina arborea (gamhar)
Gamhar is a southeast Asian tree that produces high-quality wood, which is used to make furniture and musical instruments, such as Indian sitars and drums.
More: Trees
Grevillea robusta (silky oak)
Silky oak is one of the finest flowering trees from Australia, with fern-like leaves and rich yellow, comb-like flowers in late spring.
More: Ornamentals, Building materials
Guibourtia ehie (black hyedua)
A tall forest tree from west Central Africa, black hyedua is valued for its timber, which is used in general carpentry in Ghana as a substitute for rosewood (Dalbergia spp.)
More: Legume family, Building materials
Gymnosiphon afro-orientalis
This flowering plant does not photosynthesise, but depends on fungi instead for survival.
More: Kew discoveries, Little and large, Plant fungal relationships, Out of the ordinary
Hagenia abyssinica (hagenia)
A beautiful tree from African mountain forests, hagenia is much-used in local medicine.
More: Medicinal, Trees, Building materials
Harpagophytum procumbens (devil's claw)
Used for centuries by the indigenous peoples of the Kalahari as a medicinal plant, devil's claw is now also used in Western medicine.
More: Medicinal
Hedera helix (common ivy)
A woody climber native to Europe, common ivy has long been collected for winter decorations and is an important food-source for wildlife.
More: House plants, Medicinal, Ornamentals, Textiles and dyes, Traditions and beliefs
Heliamphora nutans (Venezuelan marsh pitcher)
Venezuelan marsh pitcher is a carnivorous plant from the mountains of Venezuela and Guyana. It has short cone-shaped pitchers with a small lid and nodding white flowers.
More: Carnivorous, Ornamentals
Helixanthera schizocalyx
A striking new mistletoe, recently discovered in the ‘lost forest’ of Mt Mabu in northern Mozambique, is currently known from just five collections made in the same small area.
More: Kew discoveries, Making the news
Helleborus thibetanus (tie kuai zi)
Helleborus thibetanus is a delicate hellebore, separated from its closest relatives in western Eurasia by more than 5,000 km.
More: Ornamentals
Hemerocallis fulva (orange daylily)
The orange daylily bears a succession of striking orange-red flowers on long stems, but each flower lasts only one day, opening in the morning and closing in the evening.
More: Ornamentals
Hericium erinaceus (bearded tooth)
A wood-recycling fungus of conservation concern, bearded tooth has distinctive white football-sized fruitbodies, covered in icicle-like projections.
Heterospathe barfodii
Heterospathe barfodii is a critically endangered palm from Papua New Guinea with a striking white crownshaft and maroon young flowering stems.
More: Palms, Kew discoveries
Hevea brasiliensis (rubber tree)
Hevea brasiliensis, better known as the rubber tree, is the primary source of natural rubber.
More: Trees, Building materials, Gums and resins
Hierochloe odorata (sweet grass)
Hierochloe odorata is an aromatic grass native to Europe, Asia and North America, which has been used for incense and basketry by Native Americans.
More: Grass family, Traditions and beliefs, Textiles and dyes, Medicinal
Hoodia gordonii
Used for generations by the indigenous peoples of the Kalahari to quench their thirst, Hoodia gordonii is now widely used in the commercial production of slimming aids.
More: Medicinal, Beauty and cosmetics
Hordeum marinum (sea barley)
Sea barley is a wild relative of the well-known cereal barley (Hordeum vulgare).
More: Grass family
Houttuynia cordata (heart-leaved houttuynia)
Heart-leaved houttuynia is a creeping herb with fleshy stems and a scent that has been described as lemon, sandalwood, coriander or raw fish.
More: Food, Medicinal, Ornamentals
Hyacinthoides non-scripta (bluebell)
Bluebells, almost half the global population of which is found in the UK, can create a stunning carpet of woodland colour during the spring.
More: Making the news, Ornamentals
Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus (chalara ash dieback)
Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus is a virulent fungal pathogen of ash trees that causes ‘chalara ash dieback’ in northern and central Europe and has recently spread to the UK.
More: Making the news, Fungi
Ilex aquifolium (common holly)
Well-known as a festive winter decoration, common holly is one of Britain's few native evergreen trees.
More: Traditions and beliefs, Trees
Ilex fargesii (Farges’s holly)
Farges’s holly, named after the French missionary Paul Farges, is a Chinese holly with glossy dark green leaves and fragrant white flowers, followed by red berries.
More: Ornamentals
Illicium verum (star anise)
An evergreen tree from China and Vietnam, star anise is cultivated for its aromatic fruits that are used to produce a spice similar in flavour to aniseed.
Imperata cylindrica (alang-alang)
Alang-alang is considered one of the ten worst weeds in the world, but has many uses as a traditional medicine.
More: Medicinal, Grass family, Beauty and cosmetics, Textiles and dyes
Ipomoea batatas (sweet potato)
A vine from the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae), sweet potato is widely cultivated for its edible root tubers.
More: Food, Ornamentals
Iris afghanica
Iris afghanica has been described as the finest plant introduction from Afghanistan, and the most superb of the regelia irises.
More: Alpines
Iris japonica (fringed iris)
Fringed iris is common in many parts of China and Japan and appears to have been cultivated in Europe since 1792.
More: Ornamentals, Medicinal
Iris latifolia (English iris)
English iris, which is in fact native to France and Spain, is a tall, sturdy, bulbous iris with deep blue flowers in mid-summer.
More: Ornamentals
Iris sibirica (Siberian iris)
The striking Siberian iris was first brought into cultivation in the Middle Ages, and is still widely grown in temperate regions.
More: Ornamentals
Iris variegata (Hungarian iris)
Iris variegata has striking bicoloured flowers and is the source of many of the most colourful bearded iris cultivars.
More: Ornamentals, Alpines
Isoberlinia doka (doka)
Doka is a vigorously colonising African tree which often dominates the woodland belt that stretches from Guinea in the west to Uganda in the east.
More: Legume family, Building materials, Traditions and beliefs
Isoetes eludens
Part of an ancient group of plants related to the ferns, this species eluded discovery until 2007, hence its Latin name eludens.
More: Little and large, Ancient, Kew discoveries
Isoglossa variegata
A newly described rare species of forest floor herb, discovered growing in the glasshouses at Kew!
More: Kew discoveries
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