Plants & Fungi A - Z

Pachypodium lealii (bottle tree)

The bottle tree owes its name to the unusual swollen shape of its trunk, which acts as a water store. Traditional hunters in northern Namibia have used its highly toxic sap as an arrow poison.

More: Amazing adaptations

Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng)

American ginseng roots, which can resemble the human body, are dried for use as a popular herbal medicine.

More: Medicinal, Out of the ordinary

Papaver orientale (oriental poppy)

Few hardy, herbaceous flowers are more spectacular than the oriental poppy, a perennial that has long been popular in cultivation.

More: Ornamentals, Alpines

Papaver rhoeas (common poppy)

A distinctive symbol of remembrance, the common poppy has seeds that can lie dormant for over 80 years.

More: Traditions and beliefs, Food, Medicinal, Textiles and dyes

Paphiopedilum armeniacum (golden slipper orchid)

The endangered golden slipper orchid is highly prized as an ornamental.

More: Orchids, Ornamentals

Paradisea liliastrum (St Bruno’s lily)

The common name St Bruno’s lily refers to the founder of the Carthusian order of monks, and its medicinal properties have been known for a millennium.

More: Medicinal, Ornamentals

Paris japonica (Japanese canopy plant)

The genome of the Japanese canopy plant contains 50 times more DNA than the human genome and is 15% larger than the previous record holders (the marbled lungfish and a trillium).

More: Alpines, Kew discoveries, Food, Making the news

Paris quadrifolia (herb paris)

Flowering in late spring or early summer, herb paris is an attractive woodland plant with broad, spreading leaves and unusual, wispy flowers.

More: Ornamentals

Parkia bicolor

A tree from the forests of West and Central Africa, Parkia bicolor has large, reddish, pendent flower heads that are pollinated by fruit bats at night.

More: Legume family, Building materials, Medicinal

Passiflora cristalina

This striking new species of passion flower was discovered during an expedition to the Amazon Forest in Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Passiflora racemosa (red passion flower)

The red passion flower is a beautiful evergreen climber with hanging clusters of showy red flowers.

More: Ornamentals

Pelargonium acetosum (sorrel-leaved pelargonium)

Originating in South Africa, the sorrel-leaved pelargonium is an elegant evergreen with a long flowering season that has been grown in England since 1724.

More: Ornamentals

Pelargonium cordifolium (heart-leaved pelargonium)

As the name suggests, the heart-leaved pelargonium has velvety, heart-shaped leaves scented of apple.

More: Ornamentals, Great plant hunters, Out of the ordinary

Persea americana (avocado)

A rapidly-growing tree or shrub from Mexico and Central America, avocado is well-known for its edible, green-fleshed fruits.

More: Beauty and cosmetics, Food, Medicinal

Persicaria affinis (knot weed)

This mat-forming perennial with smooth leaves and spikes of small pink or red flowers was once admired in the Himalaya by Sir Joseph Hooker, one of Kew’s early directors.

More: Alpines, Medicinal, Ornamentals

Phalaenopsis amabilis (moth orchid)

The moth orchid was one of the first orchids to be described from the Far East and its hybrids are now popular as houseplants.

More: Ornamentals, House plants, Orchids

Phlomis russeliana (Turkish sage)

Turkish sage is a stately plant, bearing whorls of hooded pale yellow flowers in summer and autumn.

More: Mint family, Ornamentals

Pimenta dioica (allspice)

Said to combine the flavour of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, allspice is best known as an ingredient in cakes and baking, but is also used in a variety of sweet and savoury dishes and drinks.

More: Food, Eucalyptus family, Beauty and cosmetics, Medicinal

Pinus caribaea (Caribbean pine)

Caribbean pine is an important timber tree, one variety of which is under threat from an introduced scale insect.

More: Trees, Building materials, Gums and resins, Saving species, Conifers

Pinus pinea (stone pine)

Highly valued for its edible seeds known as ‘pine nuts’, the stone pine has been cultivated in Europe for almost 2,000 years.

More: Trees, Conifers, Ornamentals, Gums and resins, Food

Piper nigrum (black pepper)

A climber from India, black pepper is the source of hot and pungent peppercorns, one of the most popular spices in the world.

More: Food, Medicinal, Beauty and cosmetics

Plantago moorei (Moore's plantain)

Forming low cushions of densely packed hairy leaves, Moore’s plantain survives the harsh drying winds, cool temperatures and strong ultraviolet light prevailing in the Falkland Islands.

More: Amazing adaptations

Platanus orientalis (oriental plane)

Native to southeast Europe and southwest Asia, oriental plane is a long-lived tree with widely spreading branches and spiky round fruits.

More: Trees, Medicinal, Building materials, Ornamentals

Plectranthus cataractarum

This small member of the mint family lives in and around waterfalls in West Africa.

More: Mint family

Plectranthus esculentus (Livingstone potato)

Livingstone potato is a yellow-flowered member of the mint family, with elongated edible tubers.

More: Mint family, Food

Polygonum maritimum (sea knotgrass)

Sea knotgrass is a coastal plant and is the rarest of the knotgrasses in Britain.

Potentilla vesca (woodland strawberry)

A perennial herb from Europe, temperate Asia and North America, woodland strawberry has small, delicate ‘fruits’ considered by many to be superior in flavour to commercial strawberries.

More: Food

Premna serratifolia (malbau)

Malbau is a common beach plant from southeast Asia and the Pacific. The crushed leaves smell of cat's urine.

More: Mint family, Out of the ordinary, Medicinal

Primula beesiana (candelabra primula)

Primula beesiana is a popularly cultivated hardy perennial producing tiers of purple-red flowers in summer, and is especially dramatic when grown en masse.

More: Ornamentals, Alpines

Primula bulleyana (Bulley's primula)

Primula bulleyana is a candelabra primula from China with rich golden yellow-orange flowers.

More: Alpines, Ornamentals

Primula denticulata (drumstick primula)

The drumstick primula is the most common Himalayan primula in the wild and is very popular in cultivation.

More: Alpines, Ornamentals

Primula verticillata (yellow primrose)

An attractive perennial with elegant yellow flowers, Primula verticillata is native to north-east Africa and south-west Arabia, and is one of the parents of the Kew primrose (‘P. kewensis’).

More: Alpines, Ornamentals

Primula vialii (orchid primrose)

Primula vialii is a striking perennial, with unusual spikes of pinkish flowers, tipped with red.

More: Alpines, Ornamentals

Prosthechea cochleata (cockleshell orchid)

The cockleshell orchid is the National Flower of Belize, where it is known to residents as the black orchid.

More: Orchids, Traditions and beliefs

Protea cryophila (snow protea)

A mountain shrub with striking flower heads, the snow protea can withstand impressive extremes of temperature.

More: Amazing adaptations, Saving species

Prunella vulgaris (selfheal)

Selfheal is a common herb in Britain and has a long history of medicinal use.

More: Mint family, Medicinal, Food

Prunus mume (mume)

One of China and Japan's most popular plants, mume blossoms have long been a favourite subject in traditional East Asian art and poetry.

More: Ornamentals, Traditions and beliefs

Prunus spinosa (blackthorn)

A shrub with pure white flowers and dark, thorny branches, blackthorn is perhaps best known for its fruits, which are used to produce sloe gin.

More: Food

Pterocarpus lucens (small-leaved bloodwood)

Small-leaved bloodwood is an African shrub or tree with many uses, and is considered threatened in northern Burkina Faso.

More: Legume family, Building materials, Medicinal, Fuels

Puccinia libanotidis (moon carrot rust)

Unrecorded since 1946, moon carrot rust was regarded as a fungus extinct in Britain until it was rediscovered in 2009 in three populations of its host, a rare plant of the southern English chalk hills.

More: Fungi

Pyrostegia venusta (flame vine)

Flame vine is a rampant climber that carries cascades of bright orange tubular flowers. Although a dazzling spectacle when in full flower, in some parts of the world it has become naturalised and a weed.

More: Ornamentals, Medicinal

Quercus castaneifolia (chestnut-leaved oak)

An extremely rare sight in Britain, the chestnut-leaved oak is native to the mountains of the Caucasus and Iran.

More: Trees, Ornamentals

Quercus robur (English oak)

Unrivalled king of the forest in Britain, English oak (pedunculate oak) is synonymous with strength, size and longevity.

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Quercus rubra (red oak)

Red oak is a North American tree with spectacular reddish brown leaves in autumn.

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Quercus suber (cork oak)

The thick bark of the cork oak has been harvested for thousands of years, and was used to make Roman sandals.

More: Trees, Textiles and dyes, Building materials

Rafflesia arnoldii (corpse flower)

A rare, parasitic, rootless and leafless plant, Rafflesia arnoldii has the largest known flower in the world.

More: Little and large, Out of the ordinary, Medicinal

Ramosmania rodriguesii (café marron)

Café marron is endemic to the island of Rodrigues, Mascarene Islands, where it is presently known from just a single wild individual.

More: Coffee family, Saving species

Raphanus sativus (radish)

Grown worldwide for its fleshy, edible taproot, radish is thought to have originated in the eastern Mediterranean region.

More: Food

Rhinanthus minor (yellow rattle)

The yellow rattle may look pretty and innocent – but it is a vampire at heart.

More: Out of the ordinary

Rhizophora mangle (red mangrove)

Red mangrove trees produce thickets of submerged stilt roots which form an important habitat for a variety of marine life, especially young fish.

More: Amazing adaptations, Building materials, Medicinal