Plant profiles

From sunburn remedies to tonics that aid digestion, Aloe vera is one of the most used plants in the world.

Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) is the most widely used species of coffee in your morning brew.

Argan oil is one of the best natural ingredients for your hair and skin; it comes from the seeds of the argan tree (Sideroxylon spinosum).

Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) bursting into bloom and carpeting woodland floors are a sure sign of spring.

There are over 1,000 banana varieties in the world, but the Cavendish banana (Musa acuminata ‘Dwarf Cavendish’) is the supermarket favourite.

Clusters of nodding cowslip (Primula veris) flowers are a sight to behold in British springtime.

The meadow clary’s (Salvia pratensis) striking blue flowers and wonderfully aromatic leaves are a flower-arrangers' favourite.

Dashes of purple pasqueflowers (Pulsatilla vulgaris) are one of the great wildflower spectacles.

For thousands of years, the pomegranate (Punica granatum) has been celebrated by different cultures and civilizations around the world.

Once used as a cheap alternative to saffron, safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is one of the oldest known cultivated crops.

Shortleaf liveforever (Dudleya brevifolia) is a tiny succulent under serious threat from trampling by hikers.

Tea is the most popular beverage in the world aside from water; it is made from the hand-picked leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis).

Titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) is one of the smelliest plants on Earth; its foul stench of rotten flesh attracts pollinators from up to half a mile away.

One of the most popular flavours in the world, vanilla, comes from the dried and cured fruits of the orchid Vanilla planifolia.

The venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a feisty, flesh-eating plant with jaw-like leaves that snap shut to trap and devour insects and spiders. 

The wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca) produces miniature versions of the much-loved and commercially-produced juicy red ‘fruits’.