Flora Singapore List U-Z

 Climbing shrubs or scandents. Stems caulescent, young branches inconspicuously ribbed, white sericeous. Leaves 5–12 by 3–6 cm, elliptic, margin entire or serrate, apex acute or obtuse, base rounded, subcoriaceous; upper surface puberulous without glands; lower surface sericeous with T-shaped hairs; lateral veins 7–11-paired; petioles up to 1 cm long. Capitulescences terminal and axillary, thyrsoid paniculate. Capitula narrowly campanulate, 10–15 mm long. Receptacle convex, ca. 1 mm in diam., glabrous. Involucres narrowly campanulate or slightly oblong-cylindrical, in 3–4 series, 3–4 mm long, ca. 3 mm in diam. Phyllaries imbricate, green or purple apically, margin piliferous, outer surface arachnoid glandular; the outer and the middle ones ovate, obtuse to rounded; the inner ones obovate, apex acute or obtuse. Florets 4–5; corollas funnelform, purple or white, glandular, corolla tubes 4.5–5.5 mm long; corolla lobes 2–3 mm long. Anthers 3–3.5 mm long, apical appendage acute, base obtuse. Styles purple, 5.5–7 mm long, branches ca. 2 mm long. Achenes turbinate, ca. 2 mm long, 4–7-ribbed, covered with sparse hairs and capitate glands. Pappus in 2 series of bristles, the inner ones 5–6 mm long, persistent. less ↑

An erect to scandent or trailing, evergreen shrub, up to 3 m tall, commonly used for hedges round the gardens etc. Leaves elliptic-ovate to obovate, opposite, entire, petiolate, subcoriaceous. Flowers white, in axillary, trichotomous cymes, terminating the branches, c. 2 cm across; pedicels 1.5-4 cm long; bracts minute, linear. Calyx 5-6 mm long, cupular, minutely 5-toothed, persistent, slightly broader than the base of corolla-tube. Corolla-tube 2.5-3.5 cm long, glabrous; lobes ovate, c. 8 mm long, obscurely crenulate, obtuse. Stamen filaments pubescent, dark violet or purple, much exserted, curved above. Drupe pear-shaped, c. 10 mm long, 4-lobed, glabrous, enclosed by the persistent calyx, green. less ↑

Willughbeia edulis aka Willughbeia cochinchinensis is a tropical fruit of the genus Willughbeia. It is a yellow sour edible fruit. It is known by several names, among them are kuy in Cambodia, gedraphol, laleng-tenga, bel-tata in India, dton-kuy (ต้นคุย), kuiton (เถาคุย,), kreua (เครือ) and katong-katiew (กะตังกะติ้ว) in Thai, talaing-no in Myanmar and guồi in Vietnamese. Kubal madu in Indonesia refers to a similar edible relative, W. sarawacensis. less ↑

Rhizome shortly creeping; rhizome scales shiny brown, 6-9 mm long, narrowly lanceolate in outline, apex with hair-like tip, margins sparsely ciliate. Fronds simple, arching out from tree trunk, seldom pendulous; stipe absent with the lamina extending to the rhizome. Lamina linear, up to 35 × 0.45 cm, base green or pale brown when dry; midrib hardly visible, not raised. Sori in two continuous lines just inside the lamina margin. less ↑

Zamia furfuracea is a cycad native to southeastern Veracruz state in eastern Mexico. Although not a palm tree (Arecaceae), its growth habit is superficially similar to a palm; therefore it is commonly known as "Cardboard Palm" but the alternate name Cardboard Cycad is preferable. Other names include Cardboard Plant, Cardboard Sago, Jamaican Sago and Mexican Cycad (from Mexican Spanish Cícada Mexicana). The plant's binomial name comes from the Latin zamia, for "pine nut", and furfuracea, meaning... less ↑

Vigna is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, with a pantropical distribution. It includes some well-known cultivated species, including many types of beans. Some are former members of the genus Phaseolus. According to Hortus Third, Vigna differs from Phaseolus in biochemistry and pollen structure, and in details of the style and stipules. less ↑

The azuki bean (from the Japanese アズキ（小豆） (azuki?)), also known as adzuki or aduki, is an annual vine, Vigna angularis, widely grown throughout East Asia and the Himalayas for its small (approximately 5 mm) bean. The cultivars most familiar in Northeast Asia have a uniform red color. However, white, black, gray and variously mottled varieties are also known. Scientists presume Vigna angularis var. nipponensis is the progenitor. less ↑

The mung or moong bean (also known as green gram or golden gram) is the seed of Vigna radiata, native to the Indian subcontinent, and mainly cultivated in India, China, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Burma, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, but also in hot and dry regions of Southern Europe and the Southern United States. It is used as an ingredient in both savory and sweet dishes. less ↑

Wrightia antidysenterica, the coral swirl, is a flowering plant in the genus Wrightia. Wrightia antidysenterica is sometimes confused with the species Holarrhena pubescens due to a second, taxonomically invalid publication of the name Holarrhena pubescens. It's been long known in Indian Ayurvedic tradition, and is called " kuṭaja " in Sanskrit. It is also known as "White Angel" in the Philippines. less ↑

Zinnia is a genus of 20 species of annual and perennial plants of the family Asteraceae. They are native to scrub and dry grassland in an area stretching from the Southwestern United States to South America, with a centre of diversity in Mexico. Members of the genus are notable for their solitary long-stemmed flowers that come in a variety of bright colors. The genus name honours German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn (1727–59). less ↑

Vernonia amygdalina, a member of the Asteraceae family, is a small shrub that grows in the tropical Africa. V. amygdalina typically grows to a height of 2--5 m. The leaves are elliptical and up to 20 cm long. Its bark is rough.V. amygdalina is commonly called bitter leaf in English because of its bitter taste. African common names include grawa (Amharic), ewuro (Yoruba), etidot (Ibibio), onugbu (Igbo), ityuna (Tiv), oriwo (Edo), chusar-doki (Hausa), mululuza (Luganda), labwori (Acholi),... less ↑

Vitex /ˈvaɪtɛks/ is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae Martynov, nom. cons. (Labiatae Jussieu, nom. cons. et nom alt.). It has about 250 species. Its type species is Vitex agnus-castus. There is no universal English name, though "chastetree" (commonly referring to V. agnus-castus specifically) is common for many species. Generally, they are simply called vitex however. less ↑

Vitex rotundifolia (beach vitex) is a species of Vitex that is native to seashores throughout the Pacific. Its range includes continents and islands stretching from India east to Hawaii and from Korea south to Australia. This woody perennial plant typically grows approximately 1 m in height. It has a sprawling growth habit and produces runners that root regularly at nodes. This rooting pattern allows the plant to spread rapidly. At maturity, V. rotundifolia produces blue-purple flowers... less ↑

Utricularia caerulea, the blue bladderwort, is a very small to medium-sized carnivorous plant that belongs to the genus Utricularia. U. caerulea spans a wide native range, including areas in tropical Africa, Asia, and Australia. It grows as a terrestrial plant in wet, shallow soils over rock, in wet grasslands, in swamps, or near streams in open communities, mostly at lower altitudes but ascending to as much as 2,100 m (6,890 ft). It was originally described and published by Carl... less ↑

Waltheria indica is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae, that has a pantropical distribution. It is believed to have originated in the neotropics. Common names include Sleepy Morning, Basora Prieta, Hierba de Soldado, Guimauve, Mauve-gris, Moto-branco, Fulutafu, Kafaki, and ʻUhaloa (Hawaii).W. indica is a short-lived subshrub or shrub, reaching a height of 2 m (6.6 ft) and a stem diameter of 2 cm (0.79 in). It is most common in dry, disturbed or well-drained, moist habitats.... less ↑

Wikstroemia indica (L.) C. A. Mey., also known as tie bush, Indian stringbush, bootlace bush, or small-leaf salago (Chinese: 了哥王; pinyin: liǎo gē wáng) is a small shrub with glossy leaves, small greenish-yellow flowers and toxic red fruits. It grows in forests and on rocky, shrubby slopes in central and southeastern China, Vietnam, India and the Philippines. less ↑

Victoria cruziana (Santa Cruz water lily, water platter, yrupe, synonym Victoria argentina Burmeist.) is a tropical species of flowering plant, of the Nymphaeaceae family of water lilies native to South America, primarily Argentina and Paraguay. The plant is a popular water garden plant in botanical gardens where its very large leaves (4-5.5 feet in diameter) can reach their fullest. It can be grown in cooler waters than its sister within the genus, the more familiar giant... less ↑

Zingiberales is an order of flowering plants. The order has been widely recognised by the taxonomists, at least for the past few decades. This order includes many familiar plants like ginger, cardamom, turmeric, galangal and myoga of the Zingiberaceae or ginger family, and bananas and plantains of the Musaceae or banana family, along with arrowroot of the Marantaceae or arrowroot family. less ↑

Ginger or ginger root is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family (Zingiberaceae). Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal. The distantly related dicots in the Asarum genus have the common name wild ginger because of their similar taste. less ↑

Zingiber zerumbet Sm.(Awapuhi), also known as the Shampoo Ginger (Malay = "Lempoyang") or as the Pinecone Ginger, is a vigorous species of the ginger family with leafy stems growing to about 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) tall. It is found in many tropical countries. The rhizomes of Z. zerumbet, have been used as food flavoring and appetizers in various cuisines while the rhizome extracts have been used in herbal medicine. less ↑

Maize (/ˈmeɪz/ MAYZ; Zea mays subsp. mays, from Spanish: maíz after Taíno mahiz), known in some English-speaking countries as corn, is a large grain plant domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain the grain, which are seeds called kernels. Maize kernels are often used in cooking as a starch. less ↑

Vanda coerulea, commonly known as Blue Vanda or Autumn Lady's Tresses, is a species of orchid found in Assam and neighbouring Khasi hills with its range extending to China (southern Yunnan). It is known as Kwaklei in Manipuri, October in Mizo and Vandaar in Sanskrit. It has bluish purple flowers (only Thelymitra crinita has true blue flowers) which are very long lasting compared to other orchids. less ↑