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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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Silene multifida (fringed campion)

Fringed campion is a tall perennial with white, frilled flowers.

More: Alpines, Ornamentals

Silene schafta (autumn catchfly)

Autumn catchfly is a popular plant for a rock garden, flowering at a time when most other alpines are long finished.

More: Alpines, Ornamentals

Solanum phoxocarpum (osigawai)

Solanum phoxocarpum is a spiny African tree with bright yellow pointed fruits that may have medicinal properties.

More: Kew discoveries

Solanum ruvu

A rare, African spiny aubergine, Solanum ruvu has been collected only once and is now likely to be extinct in the wild.

More: Kew discoveries

Solanum tuberosum (potato)

Potato is widely cultivated for its edible tubers, which are used to produce a variety of products including chips, crisps and vodka.

More: Food

Sparassis crispa (cauliflower fungus)

Cauliflower fungus grows parasitically on the roots of conifers, and can be recognised by its distinctive, whitish to pale buff, much-lobed fruitbodies, which have been considered to resemble a cauliflower.

More: Fungi

Stachys germanica (downy woundwort)

The downy woundwort is rare in the UK, and so benefits from full protection under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act.

More: Mint family

Stanhopea tigrina (tiger-spotted stanhopea)

The spectacular and heavily scented tiger-spotted stanhopea has, as the name suggests, large flowers marked with distinctive purplish-brown streaks and stripes on a yellowish background.

More: Orchids, Ornamentals

Strelitzia reginae (bird-of-paradise flower)

A bold, architectural plant, the bird-of-paradise flower has been grown at Kew since 1773.

More: Kew discoveries, Ornamentals, Great plant hunters

Strongylodon macrobotrys (jade vine)

Strongylodon macrobotrys is commonly known as the jade vine, due to its striking blue-green flowers. The destruction of rainforests in the Philippines threatens this species in the wild.

More: Legume family, Saving species

Styphnolobium japonicum (pagoda tree)

The pagoda tree was introduced to Britain in 1753; Kew’s own specimen is believed to date back to 1760.

More: Legume family, Trees, Building materials, Textiles and dyes, Medicinal

Sutherlandia frutescens (balloon pea)

Balloon pea is a South African herbal remedy traditionally used for stomach problems, diabetes and lately as an important tonic to improve the overall health of cancer and HIV/AIDS patients.

More: Medicinal, Legume family, Ornamentals

Swainsona formosa (Sturt's desert pea)

Sturt's desert pea has striking, blood-red flowers with bulbous black centres, and is the South Australian floral emblem.

More: Legume family, Out of the ordinary, Ornamentals, Traditions and beliefs

Tahina spectabilis (dimaka)

Large enough to be visible in satellite imagery, dimaka is an enormous ‘self-destructive’ palm that remained undetected by science until 2007.

More: Palms, Out of the ordinary, Little and large, Making the news

Talbotiella velutina

Talbotiella velutina is a rare rainforest tree, which is only found in two localities.

More: Trees, Legume family

Tamarindus indica (tamarind)

From the sausage-shaped fruits of the tamarind tree comes the sticky acidic pulp that has been used as a food ingredient for thousands of years.

More: Trees, Legume family, Food, Ancient

Taraxacum officinale (dandelion)

Commonly known as the dandelion, Taraxacum officinale has many culinary and medicinal uses, despite being generally regarded as a weed.

More: Medicinal, Food

Tarchonanthus camphoratus (camphor bush)

An aromatic shrub from Africa and Saudi Arabia, camphor bush is used in traditional medicine and also valued for its wood.

More: Building materials, Medicinal, Ornamentals

Taxodium distichum (bald cypress)

Bald cypress is an iconic tree that epitomizes the southeastern USA for residents and visitors alike.

More: Trees, Building materials, Conifers

Taxus baccata (common yew)

A densely branching evergreen that can live for centuries, the common yew is often found in British churchyards.

More: Trees, Building materials, Medicinal, Traditions and beliefs, Conifers

Tecophilaea cyanocrocus (Chilean blue crocus)

Chilean blue crocus has brilliant blue flowers, and was thought for many years to be extinct in the wild.

More: Alpines, Ornamentals

Tectona grandis (teak)

Teak is well known for its high quality timber, and has also been used for traditional medicine in southeast Asia.

More: Building materials, Trees, Mint family, Medicinal

Tephrosia chimanimaniana

A Near Threatened shrub belonging to the pea and bean family, Tephrosia chimanimaniana is restricted to the Chimanimani Mountains in eastern Zimbabwe.

More: Legume family

Tetraberlinia bifoliolata (ekaba)

Tetraberlinia bifoliolata is a tropical African tree with yellow flowers and explosive seed pods.

More: Trees, Legume family, Plant fungal relationships

Thalictrum delavayi (Chinese meadow rue)

Chinese meadow rue is a tall perennial with highly divided leaves and numerous, small, pinkish-purple flowers.

More: Ornamentals

Theobroma cacao (cocoa tree)

The cocoa tree is the source of one of the world’s most delicious and familiar products… chocolate.

More: Trees, Food, Traditions and beliefs, Medicinal, Beauty and cosmetics

Thunbergia mysorensis (clock vine)

The clock vine can reach up to 10 metres in length with hanging stems of stunning yellow and reddish-brown flowers.

More: Ornamentals, Little and large

Thymelaea hirsuta (mitnan)

Mitnan is a yellow-flowered desert shrub, the leaves of which are used in traditional medicine and the branches and bark are woven to make strong rope.

More: Textiles and dyes, Medicinal, Alpines

Tilia platyphyllos (large-leaved lime)

A giant among European trees, large-leaved lime can grow up to 35 m tall.

More: Trees, Building materials, Ornamentals

Tillandsia ionantha (blushing bride)

Blushing bride is a common houseplant, admired for its contrasting violet flower spikes and red inner leaves.

More: House plants, Ornamentals

Tillandsia usneoides (Spanish moss)

Spanish moss is a superb 'air plant' which grows in silverish festoons up to 30 m long, hanging from tree limbs, cliffs and even telephone wires.

More: Fuels, Medicinal, Building materials

Trichodiadema densum

Trichodiadema densum is a low-growing succulent that is extremely reluctant to flower, but when it does, it has numerous bright pink daisy-like flowers in autumn.

More: Ornamentals

Trifolium pratense (red clover)

Red clover is grown widely across the world as a forage crop for livestock and poultry and has also been used in folk medicine.

More: Legume family, Medicinal, Food

Trillium nivale (snow trillium)

Snow trillium is one of the earliest alpine plants to bloom in spring and often flowers as the snow melts around it.

More: Alpines, Ornamentals

Triticum aestivum (bread wheat)

Bread wheat is more widely cultivated than any other crop, and world trade is of greater monetary value than all other cereals combined.

More: Food, Grass family, Textiles and dyes, Building materials

Trochetiopsis ebenus (St Helena ebony)

From the two surviving wild St Helena ebony plants, Kew’s horticulturists and conservationists have taken part in propagation programmes with colleagues in St Helena to produce thousands of new plants from cuttings and seeds.

More: Saving species

Tropaeolum tricolor (three-coloured Indian cress)

Three-coloured Indian cress is a delicate, colourful climber with thread-like stems and small, bright red, purple and yellow, long-spurred flowers.

More: Alpines, Ornamentals

Tulipa sprengeri

Extinct in the wild, Tulipa sprengeri is a late-flowering, bright-red tulip with small flowers and shiny green leaves.

More: Ornamentals, Alpines

Urocystis primulicola (bird’s-eye primrose smut)

Bird’s-eye primrose smut, regarded as an extinct British fungus until its rediscovery in 2010, lives concealed inside its pink-flowered host, only attracting attention when it replaces the plant’s seeds with masses of blackish smut spores.

More: Fungi, Kew discoveries

Ursinia speciosa (Cape daisy)

The Cape daisy is native to southern Africa and is cultivated for its bright orange to yellow flowerheads.

More: Ornamentals

Urtica dioica (nettle)

The nettle is one of the most useful plants in Britain and even its sting can be beneficial.

More: Food, Medicinal, Beauty and cosmetics, Textiles and dyes

Ustilago maydis (maize smut)

Maize smut is an economically important fungus which infects the stems, leaves and flowers of sweetcorn and may cause severe crop losses.

More: Fungi, Food

Vaccinium corymbosum (blueberry)

Blueberry is cultivated in North America and Europe for its edible fruits, which have been promoted as an antioxidant-containing ‘superfood’.

More: Food

Vallea stipularis (capuli)

Vallea stipularis is a beautiful, evergreen, South American shrub with masses of pinkish-red or crimson, bell-shaped flowers.

More: Alpines, Ornamentals

Vanda coerulea (blue vanda)

The stunning blue vanda is responsible for the dramatic blues and purples seen in many cultivated vanda orchids.

More: Orchids, Ornamentals

Vanilla planifolia (vanilla)

Vanilla planifolia is the source of vanilla, one of the most popular flavours in the world, and weight for weight, one of the most valuable spice crops.

More: Orchids, Food, Beauty and cosmetics, Medicinal