Martinique Herbs

Aloe vera is a succulent plant species that is found only in cultivation, having no naturally occurring populations, although closely related aloes do occur in northern Africa. The species is frequently cited as being used in herbal medicine since the beginning of the first century AD. Extracts from A. vera are widely used in the cosmetics and alternative medicine industries, being marketed as variously having rejuvenating, healing, or soothing properties. There is, however, little scientific evidence of... less ↑

Eucharis × grandiflora (Amazon Lily) is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to western Colombia and western Ecuador. It is a natural hybrid between E. moorei and E. sanderi. In horticulture it is often confused with E. amazonica, usually differing in its slightly smaller flowers. Despite its common name, it is not closely related to the true lilies. less ↑

Halodule beaudettei, sometimes considered synonymous with Halodule wrightii, is a species of marine seagrass commonly known as shoal grass. It forms meadows in shallow sandy or muddy locations along the southern Atlantic coast of the United States, in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, the Indian Ocean and on both sides of the South Atlantic Ocean in South America and Africa. Shoal grass is found in locations where manatee grass (Syringodium filiforme) and turtle... less ↑

Ruppia maritima is a species of aquatic plant known by the common names widgeongrass, ditch-grass and tassel pondweed. Despite its Latin name, it is not a marine plant; is perhaps best described as a salt-tolerant freshwater species. The generic name Ruppia was dedicated by Linnaeus to the German botanist Heinrich Bernhard Ruppius (1689-1719) and the specific name (maritima) translates to "of the sea". less ↑

Spermacoce prostrata, prostrate false buttonweed, is a species of plants in the Rubiaceae. It is widespread in Florida, with a few isolated populations in Alabama and Mississippi. It is also found in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean (Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Turks & Caicos, the Lesser Antilles, and the Dutch and Venezuelan Antilles. It is also widespread in South America, found in every country except Chile. The species is reportedly naturalized in Hawaii, China... less ↑

Spermacoce remota, the woodland false buttonweed, is a species of plants in the Rubiaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States (Texas, Florida, Georgia, Alabama), West Indies (Bermuda, Bahamas, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, the Cayman Islands, Trinidad, Lesser Antilles, etc), Mexico, Central America and South America. It is naturalized in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia), China (Guangdong, Taiwan), India, Sri Lanka, New Guinea, Mauritius and many other oceanic islands (including Hawaii and the Galápagos). less ↑

Epidendrum secundum, one of the crucifix orchids, is a poorly understood reed stemmed species, which Dressler (1989) describes as "the Epidendrum secundum complex." According to Dressler, there are dozens of varieties, some of which appear to deserve species rank. Arditti and Ghani note that E. secundum has the distinction of bearing the longest seeds known in the Orchidaceae, 6.0 mm long. By comparison, the seeds of E. ibaguense (another crucifix orchid) are only 2.9 mm long. less ↑

Cynodon dactylon, also known as dūrvā grass, Dhoob, Bermuda grass, bermudagrass, dubo, dog's tooth grass, Bahama grass, devil's grass, couch grass, Indian doab, arugampul, grama, and scutch grass, is a grass native to north and east Africa, Asia, Australia and southern Europe. Although it is not native to Bermuda, it is an abundant invasive species there. It is presumed to have arrived in North America from Bermuda, resulting in its common name. less ↑

Potamogeton nodosus is a species of aquatic plant known by the common name longleaf pondweed. It is native to Eurasia and the Americas, where it is widespread and can be found in water bodies such as ponds, lakes, ditches, and streams. This is a perennial herb producing a thin, branching stem easily exceeding a meter in maximum length. The leaves are linear to widely lance-shaped and up to 15 centimeters long by 4 wide. Both floating... less ↑

Maranta arundinacea, also known as arrowrootmarantaWest Indian arrowroot,obedience plant, Bermuda arrowroot, araru, ararao or hulankeeriya, is a large, perennial herb found in rainforest habitats. It is cultivated for a starch obtained from the rhizomes (rootstock), which is called arrowroot. The name 'Arrowroot' lead many ayurveda doctors to use root stock of this plant instead of Curcuma angustifolia ("tikhur" in Hindi,"Koova" in Malayalam) a precious medicinal plant. less ↑

Guzmania lingulata or scarlet star is a species of flowering plant in the bromeliad family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae, native to rainforest habitats in Central America, northern South America and the West Indies. It is an evergreen epiphytic perennial. The Latin word lingulata means "tongue-shaped". Foliage grows in a star-shaped basal rosette which culminates in an orange and red bracted inflorescence. It is among the most commonly cultivated bromeliad types, with cultivars producing flowers in shades of... less ↑

Commelina diffusa, sometimes known as the climbing dayflower or spreading dayflower, is a pantropical herbaceous plant in the dayflower family. It has been introduced to the southeastern United States where it is most common in wet disturbed soils. There are two recognised varieties, one being the type and the other being C. diffusa var. gigas, which is native to Asia and has been introduced to Florida. It flowers from spring to fall and is most common... less ↑

Commelina benghalensis, commonly known as the Benghal dayflower or tropical spiderwort, is a perennial herb native to tropical Asia and Africa. It has been widely introduced to areas outside its native range, including to the neotropics, Hawaii, the West Indies and to both coasts of North America. It flowers from spring into the fall and is often associated with disturbed soils. less ↑

Canna glauca L. is a species of the Canna genus, a member of the family Cannaceae. It originates from the wetlands of tropical America and was introduced to England in 1730. It is a perennial growing to 1.5m. It is hardy to zone 10 and is frost tender. In the north latitudes it is in flower from August to October, and the seeds ripen in October. The flowers are hermaphroditic. less ↑

Canna indica L. (also known as saka siri, Indian shot, canna, achira, bandera, chancle, coyol, or platanillo, Marathi:kardaL करदळ, Sanskrit: vankeLii वनकेळी, sarvajayaa सर्वजया) is a species of the Canna genus, belonging to the family Cannaceae, a native of the Caribbean and tropical Americas that is also widely cultivated as a garden plant. It is a perennial growing to between 0.5 m and 2.5 m, depending on the variety. It is hardy to zone 10 and... less ↑

Bromelia pinguin, or penguin, is a species of the genus Bromelia. This species is native to Costa Rica, Mexico, Venezuela and Ecuador. It is very common in Jamaica, where it is planted as a fence around pasture lands, on account of its prickly leaves. The fruit, known as piñuela is dug out, protective "hair" removed, peeled like a banana, and eaten. They are slightly tart with a crunch from the seeds. The plant can be stripped... less ↑

Vanilla planifolia is a species of vanilla orchid. It is native to Mexico, and is one of the primary sources for vanilla flavouring, due to its high vanillin content. Common names are Flat-leaved Vanilla, Tahitian Vanilla (for the Pacific stock formerly thought to be a distinct species), and West Indian Vanilla (also used for the Pompona Vanilla, V. pompona). Often, it is simply referred to as "the vanilla". It was first scientifically named in 1808. less ↑

Vanilla planifolia is a species of vanilla orchid. It is native to Mexico, and is one of the primary sources for vanilla flavouring, due to its high vanillin content. Common names are Flat-leaved Vanilla, Tahitian Vanilla (for the Pacific stock formerly thought to be a distinct species), and West Indian Vanilla (also used for the Pompona Vanilla, V. pompona). Often, it is simply referred to as "the vanilla". It was first scientifically named in 1808. less ↑

Pistia is a genus of aquatic plant in the arum family, Araceae. The single species it comprises, Pistia stratiotes, is often called water cabbage, water lettuce, Nile cabbage, or shellflower. Its native distribution is uncertain, but probably pantropical; it was first discovered from the Nile near Lake Victoria in Africa. It is now present, either naturally or through human introduction, in nearly all tropical and subtropical fresh waterways. The genus name is derived from the Greek... less ↑

Oeceoclades maculata, sometimes known as the monk orchid or African spotted orchid, is a terrestrial orchid species in the genus Oeceoclades that is native to tropical Africa and now naturalized in South and Central America, the Caribbean, and Florida in North America. It was first described by the English botanist John Lindley as Angraecum maculatum in 1821 based on a specimen collected from South America. Lindley later revised his original placement and moved the species to... less ↑

Montrichardia arborescens, Yautia Madera, or Moco-Moco, is a tropical plant grows along river banks, swamps, or creeks to a maximum height of 9'. They consist of arrow shaped leaves that are food sources for animal species. The plant produces inflorescences which then leave a fruit of Montrichardia arborescens which is edible and can be cooked. Its fruiting spadices produces large infructescences, which contain about 80 edible yellow fruits. less ↑