User:Tr3ndyBEAR/plants of interest

As of February 2024, Catalogue of Life describes 379,410 species of plants in 21,357 genera across 253 orders.


 * Plants that break through concrete or are very hard to get rid of Trema orientalis, Zanthoxylum schinifolium, Prosopis juliflora, Paulownia tomentosa
 * Sideroxylon grandiflorum misses the dodo (see: Evolutionary anachronism).
 * Plants that practice predator satiation.
 * Plants who exhibit poikilohydry like the resurrection plant which rapidly revives apparently dead leaves when the rain comes. Only about 300 species of vascular plants are desiccation-tolerant. Other examples include many aerophytes (like Tillandsia species) and other resurrection plants like Selaginella lepidophylla (an incredible spikemoss that can even detach from its roots if it become too dry).
 * Some Boea species (B. hygrometrica and B. hygroscopica) are also known as resurrection plants due to their ability to survive desiccation.
 * Craterostigma plantagineum is another resurrection plant. It is in the Linderniaceae family. Under ideal conditions it can become a groundcover.
 * More resurrection plants: Sporobolus stapfianus (a grass in dry grasslands in southern Africa, Nigeria, and Yemen. Also resistant to extreme salinity, temperatures, and to ionic radiation)
 * Guiera senegalensis a pioneer species, that exhibits hydraulic redistribution making it a very effective companion species.
 * Camellia taliensis and other lesser known teas.
 * Some plants are capable of thermogenesis (creating heat).
 * The last time devil's ivy was recorded flowering was 1964 despite it being a common houseplant.
 * Shade trees (umbrella-like canopy) and trees for treehouses:
 * ombú is a massive deciduous tree native to the Pampas of South America. Because it is derived from herbaceous ancestors, its trunk consists of anomalous secondary thickening rather than true wood. As a result, it is fast growing, but its wood is soft enough to be cut with a knife.
 * Because of its short lifecycle, Arabidopsis lyrata is very useful for research (as with many Arabidopsis species).
 * Some plants have been shown to actively promote the growth of their floral microbiomes. For example, the bertram palm bears long-lived (sometimes up to 4 months) flowers to cultivate the growth of yeasts which help the plant produce an alcoholic beverage enjoyed by its mammal pollinators (treeshrews, squirrels, and murids).
 * Bullhorn acacia produces beltian bodies on the tips of its leaves. These are very high in protein, fiber, and sugar and have led to the evolution of the only known spider with a mostly herbivorous diet, Bagheera kiplingi. The nectar, which is produced by special glands instead of flowers, is also sipped by the spider. In addition, the tree has coevolved a symbiotic relationship with ant species from Pseudomyrmex who live in the hollowed out thorns and aggressively protect the plant from pests.
 * Other interesting topics related to plant adaptations to symbiotic relationships with bugs: food bodies (including pearl bodies, Beltian bodies, and Beccarian bodies), myrmecophytes are plants that live in association with a colony of ants, domatium are produced by certain plants to house ants or other bugs, extrafloral nectaries are specialized nectar-secreting plant glands that develop outside of the flowers usually to feed other organisms, elaiosomes are fleshy structures attached to some plant seeds that are rich in fats and proteins and usually used to attract ants or
 * See: Mallotus japonicus, Cayratia japonica, Chelidonium majus, Macaranga spp.
 * Nitraria retusa (Nitrariaceae) grows in deserts of northern Africa where it forms nabkhas that create an ecological home for many other species. Humans, camels, and goats alike all enjoy its fruit.
 * The !nara melon (Curcubitaceae'') has a similar ecological role in the Namib desert.
 * The creosote bush (Zygophyllaceae) also plays a similar role in the Mojave Desert, Sonoran Desert, and Chihuahuan Desert
 * Quercus humboldtii — the only oak that made it to South America
 * Sociable weaver birds make complex giant nests out of Stipagrostis ciliata. These nests even host a bird of prey that occasionally feasts on the weavers. They tolerate this because these birds tend to fight off predators that are often even more destructive: snakes and skinks.
 * The trees generally used for nest-building are Acacia erioloba, Boscia albitrunca and Aloidendron dichotomum.
 * The birds at Etosha National Park also use Colophospermum mopane trees for nesting
 * Plants that starred in an article I came across:
 * (Acer pseudoplatanus) The Sycamore Gap tree held a particularly deep place in people’s hearts
 * (Amelanchier arborea) The Serviceberry: An Economy of Abundance
 * (Boquila trifoliolata) The myster of the mimic plant
 * (Boswellia sacra) A Brief History of Frankincense
 * (Ferula assa-foetida) The world's semlliest spice (hubski)
 * (Ferula drudeana) This miracle plant was eaten into extinction 2,000 years ago—or was it? (hubski)
 * (Fritillaria delavayi) This Plant Evolved to Hide From a Predator. It Might Be Us.
 * (Ginkgo biloba) Immortal by Default: A brief history of humans and the ginkgo tree
 * (Intsia bijuga) Gõ Nước: An Endangered Tree That Offers Hope for Conservation Efforts
 * (Marcgravia evenia) A leaf that's loud and proud
 * (Nymphaea caerulea) Blue Water Lilies Hold the Key to a Stunning, Different High
 * (Triantha occidentalis) The Carnivorous Plant Guild Welcomes a New Member
 * (Pinus strobus) White Pine: The Natural and Human History of a Foundational American Tree
 * (Spigelia genuflexa) New to Nature No 81: Spigelia genuflexa
 * (Welwitschia mirabilis) A Plant That ‘Cannot Die’ Reveals Its Genetic Secrets

=Wishlist=

Life goals

 * All time favorite trees
 * Mongongo: "why should we plant when there are so many mongongo nuts" &mdash; something to dream for
 * Mulberries: I grew up eating these on the way to elementary school
 * baobabs, coconuts, bananas, avocados
 * Afrormosia is an incredible leguminous rainforest tree from the Congo. Seed pods provide food for monkeys and birds, seeds feed beetles, and flowers provide homes for butterflies. The hardwood is extremely valued in woodworking. It is also fire proof and often acts as a pioneer species in disturbed soils.
 * guaraná: I wanna grow it in a greenhouse or fruit trench!


 * Landraces. I want to buy a lot of varieties of certain crops and grow them to seed and let them cross pollinate
 * Peppers, Corn, Potatoes
 * Sea buckthorn


 * Tropical fruit
 * Camu camu
 * Stamvrug


 * Cooler tubers
 * mashua
 * sunchokes


 * Sea buckthorn is a non-leguminous nitrogen fixing plant that basically just shows up to revive dead soils and then gets outcompeted by trees and woodland species and leaves. It has a lot of known edible and medicinal uses.
 * Perennial grains and perennial greens don't get enough love and attention
 * MVP utility plants: luffa, calabash, spanish moss


 * A bamboo forest. The two best species (two most commonly eaten species by the panda, a carnivore):
 * Bashania fargesii (edible shoots and even leaves)
 * Fargesia qinlingensis

Cool cultivars

 * Cool Brassica to have in a garden: Jersey cabbage, Romanesco broccoli, etc.
 * Egyptian walking onion is so named because its bulbs form above ground and eventually gain enough weight to make the plant bend and causing it to self-plant. In this way, it "walks" across the garden
 * The up-yam is grown more for its bulbils (which are above ground) than its tubers. The bulbils look like tubers and are edible. The cultivars grown in Nigeria also have edible tubers though wild versions can be toxic if not very thoroughly boiled.

Other

 * Acmella oleracea - "Brazil's answer to the Sichuan pepper". Also hopefully Brazil's answer to my toothaches...
 * Alchornea cordifolia

Fruit trees I wanna grow

 * Wineberry
 * Buffalo thorn (closely related to Jujube)

=Medicinal=

Eczema and skin uses

 * Bittersweet nightshade is a very woody herbaceous perennial vine that occurs in woodlands, hedges, marshes, and scrublands. Although its berries are poisonous for humans (though poisonings are rare) and most mammals, they provide food for certain birds and its understory habit creates shelter for a number of animals. Its stems are approved in Germany for supportive therapy for chronic eczema where 1-3g of the stem are infused in 250mL of water daily. It's traditionally been used externally for skin abrasians and inflammation.
 * Huutah or "Chamise" is native to California, Oregon, Nevada, and northern Baja California. Chamise is useful for eczema and Adam's disease therapy. A balm is made by placing 50 grams of branches and leaves into 2 liters of extra virgin olive oil to infuse for 1 month. Then the olive oil is poured into a mixing bowl and 135 grams of beeswax is melted and thoroughly mixed in a water bath at 75 degrees Celsius. The mixture is then poured into 35 milliliter containers and allowed to harden into a balm. The balm can be rubbed with the finger tips and used as needed daily on rashes and lesions on the skin.
 * Weeping pittosporum (very closely related to P. angustifolium) is used by Australians to treat sprains and eczema. Decoctions of the fruits were drunk and applied for eczema and pruritus.
 * Ajilai
 * Black nightshade
 * Shamel ash is a tree from central turtle island. The bark, macerated in water and sometimes combined with lime juice, is applied topically to combat skin problems such as eczema or itching.
 * Frogfruit
 * Spilmay is an evergreen perennial shrub in the dogbane family (which includes periwinkles, milkweeds, iboga, frangipani, natal plums, etc). A poultice is applied for rheumatism, wounds, eczema, pigmentation and other skin inflammations; it's heated in oil to be applied externally to treat joint pain and swellings.
 * Papri (elm family) is used by Meo people for a large variety of medicinal uses including eczema for which a paste of these leaves and garlic is applied topically.
 * Biskhapra (ice plant family) is also used by Meo people for treating eczema. A paste of roots in urine of milk feeding calf is applied on eczema, and wounds between fingers of hands and feet of humans.

That's Drug Related

 * Many Searsia species (cashew family) have an affinity with the NMDA receptor. Note, NMDA receptor antagonists include hallucinogenic drugs like ketamine.
 * Zanthoxylum schinifolium
 * Desmanthus illinoensis has been studied extensively for companion planting/intercropping applications. It is also mixed with passionflower to produce an analog of Ayahuasca.
 * Turnera diffusa is possibly one of the most commonly used psychedelic plant in Mexico but not much known outside of it
 * Banisteriopsis caapi contains harmala alkaloids
 * Peganum harmala the OG MAOI
 * Ephedrine comes from Ephedra species which is how we got meth. Ephedrine was banned from supplements in 2004, but you can still buy OTC asthma medicines that contain it
 * Some really cool liverworts in the Radula genus (e.g. Radula perrottetii) contain perrottetinene, a canabinoid. Smoking these plants dried produces effects that are somewhat similar to marijuana though milder. Would be cool to try to domesticate this liverwort (liverworts aren't even vascular plants!)
 * I'm not the only one
 * LATimes article
 * Pre-workout supplements find interesting botanical ingredients like Pelargonium graveolens (might have DMAA), Dendrobium nobile, and Ephedra sinica
 * Erythrina americana
 * Lots of cool Erythroxylum species that aren't illegal and have interesting compounds
 * Secrets: Boophone disticha, Carnegiea gigantea

South American Entheogens

 * Anadenanthera peregrina
 * Calliandra angustifolia

Dental

 * The toothache plant is an herb from the sunflower family whose likely original range is Brazil. It's perennial in warmer climates, grows quickly, and attracts fireflies when in bloom. Fresh leaves can be shredded to add a unique flavor to salads, but cooked leaves lose their strong flavor and can be used as leafy greens. A decoction/infusion of the flowers and leaves are used as a toothache remedy.
 * Acmella alba is also used for toothaches by the Siona who call it gũhĩ sɨrɨ.
 * Tuvaraka is a tree in the Achariaceae family. It's oil has historically been used as a treatment for leprocy. It's sometimes been called the "toothache tree". It enhances the action of berberine in treating Staphylococcus aureus by preventing its removal from within S. aureus cells.
 * Salvadora persica
 * Codonanthopsis dissimulata is used by the Siona as a headache and toothache remedy as well as to treat stings of a type of ant. For toothaches, leaves are pounded and then boiled and that mixture is held in the mouth.
 * Drymonia coriacea is also used by the Siona in the same way. It is called macenidsi.
 * Kielmeyera coriacea
 * Melastoma malabathricum. Ethnopharmacologically, the leaves, shoots, barks, seeds, and roots of M. malabathricum have been used to treat diarrhoea, dysentery, hemorrhoids, cuts and wounds, toothache, and stomachache.

Bookmark
For later.
 * Annickia affinis and Annickia chlorantha (both synonyms for "Enantia chlorantha")

=Ecological=

Hyperaccumulators

 * Arabidopsis halleri: cadmium and zinc
 * Waterthyme: mercury (not hyper), cadmium, chromium, and lead
 * Sedum plumbizincicola: mercury, and zinc
 * Pycnandra acuminata: nickel
 * nickel concentration is so high its sap is blue
 * Alpine pennycress: chromium and zinc'
 * Chengiopanax sciadophylloides: manganese
 * foraged in the spring as sansai (mountain vegetables)
 * Pteris vittata: arsenic
 * the best hyperaccumulator of arsenic we know of, and it survives

See also:
 * as of 2021, no plant has been identified as a mercury hyperaccumulator so phytoremediation is hard, but many plants have been identified for use as phytostabilization. Phytovolatization (plants take up Hg in roots and release it into atmosphere) is very inefficient. Vegetation that bioaccumulates Hg removes less than 0.2% of Hg in soil even when chemically assisted (for contrast, Sedum plumbizincicola can remove 32.4-84.5% of cadium)
 * for phytostabilization, see: Juncus maritimus and Dactylis glomerata
 * List of hyperaccumulators
 * https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26684673/

Desalination
Read more: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780323909433000201


 * Sesuvium portulacastrum seems quite promising and is also edible
 * Read more: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960852410005742

Cat garden
Cats love to munch on grass and taking fat hits of some nip. When it comes to grass, almost any species works as catgrass so long as it's not toxic to them. But did you know that catnip isn't the only plant that can have that effect on cats? Many other plants produce nepetalactone and some cats that are not sensitive to catnip are sensitive to other plants that contain nepetalactone or, potentially, actinidine.
 * Catnip is the OG cat drug. Many other Nepeta species also contain nepetalactone and have similar effects. 68% of cats responded to catnip in a study.
 * Kuppaimeni contains iridoid compounds that cause an excited reaction in cats said to be stronger than catnip. It contains isodihydronepetalactone (nepetalactone), and isoiridomyrmecin (iridolactone).
 * Lemongrass is also often cited as an alternative to catnip.
 * Silver vine contains actinidine and dihydroactinidiolide and tends to be more powerful than catnip. 79% of cats responded to silver vine in a study.
 * Tatarian honeysuckle. 53% of cats responded to tatarian honeysuckle in a study.
 * Valerian contains actinidine. 47% of cats responded to valerian in a study.

Chemicals of interest

 * nepetalactone: catnip (small amounts in: tatarian honeysuckle)
 * actinidine: silver vine, valerian
 * dihydroactinidiolide: silver vine

Common grasses used as catgrass

 * Dactylis glomerata
 * Spartina spp.
 * Wheat, oat, rye, and barley.

Non Leguminous Nitrogen Fixers

 * Charcoal tree (Trema orientalis from the hemp family) is a tree with soft wood that's suitable for paper or pulp production. It's bark can also be used to make string or rope. It is native to tropical and southern Africa (including Madagascar), Asia, and Australia. The leaves and bark have a wide range of medical uses. At least 14 species of butterflies use it as a larval food plant; several species of birds eat the fruit or feed on the abundant insects which live in the trees; and cattle, buffalo, and goats use the leaves, pods, and seeds as fodder. It can also act as a pioneer species.
 * Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides from the oleaster family)
 * Chuchua (Viburnum triphyllum from moschatel family) associates with mycorrhizal fungi and nitrogen-fixing bacteria
 * Mountain alder (Alnus incana subsp. tenuifolia from the birch family) harbors nitrogen-fixing bacteria in root nodules
 * lungwort lichen growing on red maple (amongst many other trees) can fix nitrogen.
 * Two related edible and non-leguminous nitrogen fixers in the Elaeagnus genus are japanese silverberry and goumi berry (a cool article)

Fast Growing Trees

 * Balsa tree (Ochroma pyramidale from the mallow family) is a fast growing tree that can grow 30m tall (up to 27m in 10-15 years). It is native to Mexico, South America, and Central America. It is an effective pioneer plant that can establish itself in clearings in forests or abandoned agricultural fields. It's wood is less dense than cork. Trees generally don't live longer than 30 to 40 years. It is closely related to baobabs and the cuipu tree (Cavanillesia platanifolia) which has even softer wood. As the only member of its genus, it is monotypic.
 * Quiop wood is softer than balsa wood. The bark is also used as a source of fibre. It is a tree from the mallow family that grows in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. It is very fast growing.
 * Paulownia species are (one of?) the only known species of trees that utilize C4 photosynthesis. This makes them possibly the fastest growing species of tree known.
 * Chupa-chupa fruit is popular and can be eaten raw. It is another fast growing tree species of the mallow family that grows in the southern Andes. It is suitable as a pioneer species and can help establish woodland gardens.

Other

 * Wineberry is fast-growing, short-lived, and deciduous making it a great pioneer species. In addition, it's fruit is edible raw or cooked and it has many medicinal uses.

Non-Grass Groundcovers

 * Herniaria glabra

=Useful=

Hella useful

 * Spanish moss is a bromeliad that is neither moss nor lichen, nor is it from Spain. It has been used for building insulation, mulch, packing material, mattress stuffing, fiber, and much more.
 * Calabash' is a gourd that has been used to make water jugs for ages. When harvested young, it can also be eaten as a vegetable.
 * Two species of Luffa (also gourds) are grown for their fruits which are used as cleaning sponges. They are also used as vegetables.

Dyes
Rose madder (Rubia tinctorum from coffee family): roots are harvested after 2 years to make a red dye called madder lake. The outer red layer gives the common variety of the dye, the inner yellow layer the refined variety.

Bermuda buttercup (Oxalis pre-caprae from wood sorrel family): yellow dye can be made from the golden petals.

Sumomo (Prunus salicina from the peach genus in the rose family): fruits produce a dark grey to green dye that's been in use in Japan for many years. Fruit are also used to make a plum wine later in the year.

Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus from sunflower family): indigo dye is obtained by boiling the petals with alum and then strained.

Chuchua (Viburnum triphyllum from moschatel family): violet dye from its fruits. It associates with mycorrhizal fungi and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. It's important in ecological restoration due to its high rate of foliar exchange and is useful for watershed protection and as a windbreak.

By Product

 * copal: Hymenaea verrucosa (legume family), Protium copal (tochwood family)
 * frankincense: Boswellia sacra (tochwood family), Boswellia papyrifera, and other Boswellia species
 * myrrh: Commiphora myrrha (tochwood family), Commiphora habessinica, and other Commiphora species

Other: By Family
tochwood family
 * tabonuco
 * gumbo limbo

=Aesthetic=

Botany world records

 * Streptocarpus wendlandii has the largest cotyledons of any dicot. They can measure 2.5 ft long.
 * However, Lodoicea (a monotypic palm), has even larger cotyledons. This palm also have rare massive coconut-like fruit which are used as a flavor enhancer and the shells are used to make bowls.

Geocarpy

 * The peanut, also known as the groundnut, is an example of geocarpy wherein the plant fruits underground. After flowers are pollinated, they grow pegs that go into the ground which end up fruiting. Geocarpy in general is very rare, but much rarer is a type of geocarpy in which the flowers themselves also grow underground. This is known as protogeocarpy and one example of this feature is the genus Alexgeorgea. Amphicarpy, bicarpy, and geocarpy has been reported in 21 families and 40 genera of angiosperms.
 * Other examples: Spigelia genuflexa, Cardamine hirsuta, Haplocarpha schimperi, Catananche lutea, Tribulopis ssp., Aphragmus hinkuensis, and more.
 * Subclover (Trifolium subterraneum) is a species of clover often used as livestock feed.

Seeds that Are Very Consistent in Weight

 * The unit of measurement often used in jewelry, the carat, derives from the use of carob seeds as a unit of measurement because of the belief that their seeds were very consistent in weight. However, studies show that their seeds might actually vary about as much as other plants. However, that same study also showed people were much more able to tell which carob seeds varied more than others making it still useful. Carob is a legume (and therefore nitrogen fixing) that is often used as a chocolate substitute due to its sweet pods.

Sick as Fuck

 * Traveller's tree is just so bizarre and beautiful.
 * Giant rhubarb has massive leaves that can reach 10x10ft.
 * Passionflowers are fucking gorgeous. Passiflora incarnata is one we might be able to grow here. It's beautiful, edible, and psychedelic.
 * Monkeychair is a rare succulent from eastern Africa that can grow to be THICC.
 * Yareta (Azorolla compacta) is native to Abya Yala. It looks like fucking moss, but it's actually in the carrot family.
 * Inside-out flowers (3 species) look really cool
 * Sandfood looks like something from the seashore. It used to be a common source of food, but is now endangered.

Weird Photosynthesis
Although the majority of plants use carbon fixation, C4 carbon fixation is present in around 3% of plants. Even rarer is CAM photosynthesis which is present in Crassulaceae as well as a number of unrelated genera. carbon fixation occurs in 40% of monocots, but only around 4.5% of dicots. Poaceae, specifically within the PACMAD clade make up the bulk of known plant species. Most plants posses a characteristic leaf anatomy called kranz anatomy, though some exceptions exist which operate through a unique  mechanism that uses a single cell rather than 2 specialized types of cells for photosynthesis. There are very few trees apart from Paulownia, 7 species of Euphorbia, and a few desert shrubs that become trees as they age. However, trees are known to be extremely fast-growing with some species of Paulownia being thought to be the fastest growing species of tree known.
 * Suaeda aralocaspica a halophytic plant that lacks the kranz anatomy. It is a monoecious annual that produces 2 different seed types that differ in sizes, color, shape, dormancy, and germination characteristics.
 * Bienertia cycloptera and Bienertia sinuspersici are also plants that lack the kranz anatomy. B. cycloptera'' is a rare monoecious annual plant used medicinally for its antimicrobial effects.
 * Megathyrsus maximus is a grass in which PEPCK is the enzyme that plays the role of catalyzing decarboxylation in bundle-sheath cells.
 * Paulownia is a genus containing trees. They are extremely fast growing with very high quality timber that is lighter and stronger than balsa wood.
 * Salvadora persica uses CAM photosynthesis.

Beautiful trees

 * Betula alleghaniensis
 * Eucalyptus saligna
 * Zelkova serrata
 * Amburana cearensis

=Food=

All Parts Are Edible

 * winged bean - young seedpods (cooked or eaten raw in salads); immature seeds (used in soups); mature seeds (cooked like beans, roasted like peanuts, fermented like tempeh; roasted as coffee substitute); seed oil; root (raw or cooked); leaves and young shoots (raw or cooked, older leaves are best cooked like spinach, not edible after flowering); flowers and flower buds (raw as garnish, sauté makes them taste like mushrooms)
 * dhaniya - fresh leaves (for chutneys, salads, etc or as garnish); dried seeds, whole or ground (spice/seasoning and for pickling, roasting as a snack, or brewing); fresh green seeds; roots; flowers (raw as garnish)

nasturtium? watercress? chickpeas? fava beans? okra?

brassicas? mallows?

Greens

 * Michicha is yet another "weed" that is an important leaf vegetable to those who know what's up
 * Kotu cola
 * Miner's lettuce is native to California. It's a perennial in certain zones, but even where it's not a perennial it readily reseeds itself so there's no need to store seeds.
 * Crithmum
 * Porophyllum ruderale is often used to prepare llajua in Peru
 * Nakati, aka bitter tomato, is an edible green from tropical Africa and Asia
 * Cowslip has been used in Spanish cooking as a salad green
 * Olax zeylanica is commonly eaten as a green in salads and curries.

Perennial greens

 * Chaya is a large, fast-growing, perennial shrub in the spruge family (which means it exudes a toxic milky sap). The leaves are edible but must be cooked 5-15 minutes before being eaten. Seeds are produced rarely so propagation is usually by woody stems. A USDA study in Puerto Rico found that greater yields were able to be obtained with chaya than with any other green. The plant grows wild from southern Texas through Yucatán and Chiapas. It is closely related to the genus Manihot (cassava). There are many varieties and subspecies within this taxon, but there are 4 varieties that are cultivated: 'Estrella', 'Picuda', 'Chayamansa', and 'Redonda'. The first two are hard to differentiate from wild specimens. 'Chayamansa' is the most clearly domesticated with reduced stinging hairs and mature fruit being rare, never producing viable seed. 'Redonda' varieties lack stinging hairs.
 * Katuk, also called sweet leaf, is a shrub growing ~3 meters tall that is widely cultivated in east and southeast Asia as a medicinal plant and vegetable. It is very prolific and nutritious and considered one of the most appetizing green vegetables. Young leaves can be eaten raw, but older leaves should be cooked. Plants can also be grown as hedges or for shade for vegetables. The seeds readily germinate. One study looked at "acceptability scores" of 5 different ways to cook them with "pakodi, "bajiji", and "dhal with greens" being the most popular (though all were well liked). The bajiji method consists of mixing the greens with Bengalgram batter and deep frying them in a cooking medium. Pakodi is essentially the same but with chopped onions added to the mix.
 * minor greens
 * tibig: young leaves are eaten in the Philippines

Year Round Fruit

 * Inga species, like the joaquiniquil (aka the icecream bean), can produce fruit year round. They are legumes and therefore nitrogen fixing. Unlike most legumes, the presence of ammonium levels in the soil results in an increase, rather than an increase, in nodule formation. In addition, the tree also increases the amount of extractable phosphorus in the soil. It's natural distribution ranges from Central to South America often found at the margins of large rivers like the Amazon River. It has been used in agroforestry in association with cocoa and coffee since pre-Columbian times.
 * Natal plum can fruit year round, peaking in summer and fall with flowers and fruit appearing at the same time.
 * The peanut butter fruit can fruit and flower year round. It is a shrub to small tree that is native to South America where it grows as an understory tree in dry and moist limestone forests near the coast. The plant can be grown in tropical to temperate areas and will fruit in the first year of growth. It is known for its fruit which tastes very similar to peanut butter. The fruit can be eaten raw.

White Berries
One of the most well-known rules of thumb in foraging that actually generally holds up is don't eat white berries. So I'm gonna keep track of exceptions to this rule as I come across them.

Edible
 * Midgim berries are native to heathlands of Eastern Australia. It is a shrub in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae).
 * White mulberry is a fast-growing, medium-sized tree in the fig family (Moraceae) that is native to China and India. It is often cultivated to feed silkworms, who eat the leaves, for the production of silk. The berries are delicious. The tree is usually short-lived (<100 years), but some specimens are known to have reached 250+ years. It is capable of the fastest known example of rapid plant movement by using its stamens to catapult the pollen at about 350mph (over half the speed of sound).
 * The common snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) from the honeysuckle family is a deciduous shrub native to North America throughout Canada and most of the western United States that is mostly dispersed by birds. Besides containing saponins, the berry is edible. It is an important food source for bighorn sheep, white tailed deer, and grizzly bears and it is often used in ecological restoration projects for erosion control.

Poisonous
 * Mistletoe is the common name for a number of species in the Santalales order. They are usually parasitic vines and are usually toxic due to the presence of tyramine or phoratoxin. Although consumption can be dangerous (though not commonly fatal), the plants have also been used medicinally in a number of cultures.
 * White baneberry is another poisonous North American plant. Although they're harmless to birds, the berries and the entire plant is considered toxic to humans. It is related to black cohosh and both are members of the buttercup family.

Staple Foods of Other Mammals

 * Grains of paradise (from the ginger family) can make a large portion of a wild gorilla's diet.
 * Elephant apples (from the Dilleniaceae family) is native to China and tropical Asia and is a favorite of elephants and megafauna.

Cool Fruit

 * Chupa-chupa (Quararibea cordata from mallow family) fruit can be eaten raw and the flavor is reminiscent of a very sweet pumpkin with overtones of mango and apricot. The tree is fast-growing and can reach a height of 10-30m. It is also suitable for use as a pioneer species in its native range to restore native woodlands. It is grown in association with avocadoes because both trees have the same soil requirements and chupa-chupa can provide the shade that avocado trees need.
 * Hǎitáng (Malus spectabilis): The apple that tastes better when it goes "bad".
 * Woodapple is a monotypic large deciduous Eastern Asian tree that bears edible fruit but is also widely used for a large number of medicinal uses. It is very slow growing, taking 15 years before fruiting begins. It's drought resistance makes it a good rootstock for grafting citrus.
 * The icecream bean is a legume that can produce fruit year round.

da coolest fruit trees

 * Loquat is cool as shit. It flowers in the fall and fruits throughout spring to early summer
 * White mulberry is also cool as shit. It explodes its pollen at over half the speed of sound.

Spices
Canellales Magnoliales Ranunculales Zingiberales
 * Winteraceae
 * Tasmanian pepperberry: (woodlands and cool temperate rainforest of south-eastern Australia) 2-10m high shrub
 * Annonaceae: pawpaw,
 * Selim pepper: (savanna zones of Africa) evergreen tree up to 20m
 * Ranunculaceae: black cohosh
 * Nigella: (eastern Europe and western Asia) annual
 * Zingiberaceae: turmeric, ginger, cardamom
 * Grains of paradise: (swampy habitats along the West African coast) herbaceous perennial

Grows like weeds

 * sunchokes
 * zucchini

Sweet Proteins
Proteins that make things taste sweet. At least 8 have been described so far: miraculin, monellin, thaumatin, mabinlin, pentadin, curculin, brazzein, and neoculin. Of these, monellin, brazzein, and thaumatin are the best studied.


 * brazzein --> Pentadiplandra brazzeana (Brassicales::Pentadiplandraceae)
 * curculin --> Curculigo latifolia (Asparagales::Hypoxidaceae)
 * mabinlin --> Capparis masaikai (Brassicales::Capparaceae)
 * miraculin --> Synsepalum dulcificum (Ericales::Sapotaceae). A similar protein has been isolated from Murraya koenigii
 * monellin --> Dioscoreophyllum volkensii (Ranunculales::Menispermaceae)
 * neoculin --> also Curculigo latifolia
 * pentadin --> also Pentadiplandra brazzeana
 * thaumatin --> Thaumatococcus daniellii (Zingiberales::Marantaceae)

See also: stevia and monkfruit. Cynarine, from artichoke, can also make things taste sweeter, but it is not a protein.

Other food

 * Flying spider-monkey tree fern
 * Plants with Cauliflory are cool as shit: Syzygium moorei, Ficus sycomorus, cempedek, jackfruit, jabuticaba, etc.
 * The candlestick tree (Parmentiera cereifera) produces edible pods in large numbers. It is endangered in its native range but commonly grown as an ornamental. There's little information about its edibility online. It is from the Atlantic coasts of Panama

=References=