Martinique Herbs

Tithonia diversifolia is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family that is commonly known as the tree marigold, Mexican tournesol, Mexican sunflower, Japanese sunflower or Nitobe chrysanthemum. It is native to eastern Mexico and Central America but has a nearly pantropical distribution as an introduced species. Depending on the area they may be either annual or perennial. less ↑

Tagetes erecta, the Mexican marigold, also called Aztec marigold, is a species of the genus Tagetes native to Mexico and Central America. Despite its being native to the Americas, it is often called African marigold. In Mexico, this plant is found in the wild in the states of San Luis Potosí, Chiapas, State of México, Puebla, Sinaloa, Tlaxcala, and Veracruz. This plant reaches heights of between 50–100 cm (20–39 in). The Aztecs gathered the wild plant as well... less ↑

Tradescantia pallida is a species of spiderwort (a genus of New World plants) more commonly known as wandering jew, a name it shares with the closely related species T. fluminensis and T. zebrina. Other common names include purple secretia, purple heart and purple queen. It is native to the Gulf Coast region of eastern Mexico. Edward Palmer was the first European to observe and assign a Latin name to the type specimen near Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas... less ↑

Tradescantia spathacea, or Moses-in-the-Cradle, is a herb native to Mexico with fleshy rhizomes. It has rosettes of waxy lance-shaped leaves. Leaves are dark to metallic green above, with glossy purple underneath. These will reach up to 1 foot (30 cm) long by 3 inches (7.5 cm) wide. They are very attractive foliage plants that will reach 1 foot (30 cm) tall. They are hardy in USDA zones 9-12. It is invasive exotic to South Florida. less ↑

Bacopa monnieri (waterhyssop, brahmi, thyme-leafed gratiola, water hyssop) is a perennial, creeping herb whose habitat includes wetlands and muddy shores. Brahmi is also the name given to Centella asiatica, particularly in North India, and Kerala where it is also identified in Malayalam as muttil (മുത്തിള്‍) or kodakan. This identification of brāhmī as C. asiatica has been in use for long in northern India, as Hēmādri's Commentary on Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayaṃ (Āyuṛvēdarasāyanaṃ) treats maṇḍūkapaṛṇī (C. asiatica) as a synonym of brahmi,... less ↑

Leonotis nepetifolia, also known as klip dagga or lion's ear, is a species of plant in the genus Leonotis and the family Lamiaceae (mint). While most other species in this genus are native to southern Africa, L. nepetifolia is native to tropical Africa and southern India. It can also be found growing abundantly in some parts of Mexico (at least in the states of Puebla and Guerrero). It grows to a height of 3 metres and... less ↑

Phyla nodiflora (frog fruit, sawtooth fogfruit, turkey tangle), is an ornamental plant in the Verbenaceae family, and is native to South America and the United States. It can be found in tropical areas around the globe, a naturalized species in many places. This plant is cited in Flora Brasiliensis by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius. It is often grown as groundcover, and is sometimes present in yards as a lawn weed. less ↑

Stachytarpheta jamaicensis Is a species of plant in the Verbenaceae family. Native throughout the Caribbean, the species is commonly known as Blue porterweed or Jamaica vervain. It is pantropical, being found in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeastern Asia and West Tropical Africa, where it is known as Indian Snakeweed and Nettle-leaved vervain, formerly thought to be a separate species (Stachytarpheta indica). It is usually found along country roadsides and it grows also well as a ruderal plant... less ↑

Nicotiana tabacum, or cultivated tobacco, is a perennial herbaceous plant. It is found only in cultivation, where it is the most commonly grown of all plants in the Nicotiana genus, and its leaves are commercially grown in many countries to be processed into tobacco. It grows to heights between 1 to 2 metres. Research is ongoing into its ancestry among wild Nicotiana species, but it is believed to be a hybrid of Nicotiana sylvestris, Nicotiana tomentosiformis,... less ↑

Physalis angulata is an erect, herbaceous, annual plant belonging to the nightshade family Solanaceae. It is known by several names, including cutleaf groundcherry, wild tomato, camapu and winter cherry, and occasionally other common names for the genus Physalis. It reproduces by seed. Its leaves are dark green and roughly oval, often with tooth shapes around the edge. The flowers are five sided and pale yellow; the yellow-orange fruits are born inside a balloon-like calyx. It is... less ↑

Physalis pubescens is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family known by many common names, including husk tomato and hairy groundcherry in English, and muyaca and capulí in Spanish. It is native to the Americas, including the southern half of the United States, Mexico, Central and much of South America. It can be found elsewhere as an introduced species and sometimes a weed. It can grow in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas.... less ↑

Capsicum annuum is a species of the plant genus Capsicum native to southern North America and northern South America. This species is the most common and extensively cultivated of the five domesticated capsicums. The species encompasses a wide variety of shapes and sizes of peppers, both mild and hot, ranging from bell peppers to chili peppers. Cultivars are descended from the wild American bird pepper still found in warmer regions of the Americas. In the past... less ↑

Ciclospermum leptophyllum (also, Cyclospermum l.) is a species of plant in the celery family known by the common names marsh parsley and fir-leafed celery. This is a plant found worldwide at warm temperate to tropical latitudes and is considered a noxious weed in many areas. It is a taprooted branching herb reaching just over half a meter in height at maximum. It has threadlike green leaves a few centimeters long and small umbels of spherical flowers. less ↑

Centella asiatica, commonly known as centella, is a small, herbaceous, annual plant of the family Mackinlayaceae or subfamily Mackinlayoideae of family Apiaceae, and is native to India, Sri Lanka, northern Australia, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Melanesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and other parts of Asia. It is used as a medicinal herb in Ayurvedic medicine, traditional African medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine. It is also known as the Asiatic pennywort or Indian pennywort in English, among various... less ↑

Rotala ramosior is a species of flowering plant in the loosestrife family known by the common name lowland rotala. This aquatic or semiaquatic plant is native to North America, where it grows in lakes, streams, and irrigation ditches. The branching stems of the plant grow up to about 40 cm long. Leaves are decussate, arranged oppositely in perpendicular pairs along the stems. The leaves are linear to lance-shaped to oval and up to 5 cm long.... less ↑

Coronopus didymus (common name Lesser swine-cress)is a species of Coronopus, which is a genus of plants in the Brassicaceae (mustard family). It is easily recognizable by its spreading stems, pinnate leaves, and biglobose fruits. It flowers between April and October. It has decumbent or ascending and glabrous green stems, up to 30 centimetres (12 in) long, radiating from a central position. The leaves are pinnate and opposite, and can reach a length of 5 cm (2 in). less ↑

Oxalis barrelieri, the Lavender Sorrel, also commonly called in French trèfle, oseille-marron, or oseille-savane, is a plant from the genus Oxalis. It also bears the Latin synonym, Oxalis bahiensis. It is native to the West Indies and to Central America and South America (Smith, 1985; pp. 624-625). It was introduced into parts of Africa, Ceylon, and Malesia (Smith, 1985; pp. 624-625). It is considered a weed in the Caroline and Mariana Islands and in Samoa (Smith, 1985; pp. 624-625). less ↑

Oxalis corniculata, the creeping woodsorrel, also called procumbent yellow-sorrel or sleeping beauty, resembles the common yellow woodsorrel, Oxalis stricta. It is a somewhat delicate-appearing, low-growing, herbaceous plant in the family Oxalidaceae. It has a narrow, creeping stem that readily roots at the nodes. The trifoliate leaves are subdivided into three rounded leaflets and resemble a clover in shape. Some varieties have green leaves, while others, like Oxalis corniculata var. atropurpurea, have purple. The leaves have inconspicuous... less ↑

Ammannia coccinea is a species of flowering plant in the loosestrife family known by several common names, including valley redstem, scarlet toothcup, and purple ammannia. It is native to most of the contiguous United States, with the exception of the Pacific Northwest and New England. It is generally found in moist areas, such as riverbanks and pond margins. It is weedy in some areas. This is an annual herb growing erect to heights approaching one meter... less ↑

Brassica rapa L. is a plant consisting of various widely cultivated subspecies including the turnip (a root vegetable); the mizuna, napa cabbage, and cime di rapa (leaf vegetables); and turnip rape (Brassica rapa subsp. oleifera, an oilseed which has many common names, including turnip rape, canola, field mustard, bird rape, keblock, and colza). The oilseed is sometimes confused with rapeseed oil, which however comes from a different Brassica species. less ↑

Brassica oleracea is the species of plant that includes many common foods as cultivars, including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, savoy, and Chinese kale. In its uncultivated form it is known as wild cabbage. It is native to coastal southern and western Europe. Its tolerance of salt and lime and its intolerance of competition from other plants typically restrict its natural occurrence to limestone sea cliffs, like the chalk cliffs on both sides of the... less ↑

Eryngium foetidum is a tropical perennial and annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Common names include culantro, Mexican coriander and long coriander. It is native to Mexico and South America, but is cultivated worldwide. In the United States, where it is not well known outside Latino and Caribbean communities, the name culantro sometimes causes confusion with Coriandrum sativum (also in Apiaceae), the leaves of which are known as cilantro, and which culantro is said to taste... less ↑

Abelmoschus moschatus (Abelmosk, ambrette seeds, annual hibiscus, Bamia Moschata, Galu Gasturi, muskdana, musk mallow,musk okra,musk seeds, ornamental okra, rose mallow seeds, tropical jewel hibiscus,Yorka okra; syn. Hibiscus abelmoschus L.) is an aromatic and medicinal plant in the Malvaceae family, which is native to India. less ↑

Okra (US /ˈoʊkrə/ or UK /ˈɒkrə/; Abelmoschus esculentus Moench), known in many English-speaking countries as lady's fingers, bhindi or gumbo, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of South Asian, Ethiopian and West African origins. The plant is cultivated in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions around the world. less ↑

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a plant species in the genus Foeniculum (treated as the sole species in the genus by most botanists). It is a member of the family Apiaceae (formerly the Umbelliferae). It is a hardy, perennial, umbelliferous herb, with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized in many parts of the world, especially on dry soils near the sea-coast and on riverbanks. less ↑

Hydrocotyle verticillata, also known as whorled pennywort or shield pennywort, is a flowering plant found in South and North America and the West Indies. The creeping plants with unusual leaves give it its common names. It grows in places that are marshy, boggy, and wet.Hydrocotyle verticillata is used in aquaria, where it is undemanding but prefers a good substrate, and at least moderate light. It benefits from additional carbon dioxide. It is widely used as a... less ↑

Achyranthes aspera (common name: prickly chaff flower,devil's horsewhip, Sanskrit: अपामार्ग apamarga) is a species of plant in the Amaranthaceae family. It is distributed throughout the tropical world. It can be found in many places growing as an introduced species and a common weed. It is an invasive species in some areas, including many Pacific Islands environments. less ↑