Plant Encyclopedia
Search and identify 1,000+ plants, flowers, trees, and succulents — with care, light, water, and how to tell them apart.
Hibiscus
A tropical shrub famous for large, flamboyant trumpet-shaped flowers in vivid colors. Each bloom lasts only a day or two but plants flower prolifically in warmth.
shrub
Rose of Sharon
A hardy deciduous hibiscus that blooms profusely in late summer with showy, often two-toned flowers. Upright and easy to grow, it brings tropical-looking color to temperate gardens when little else is flowering.
shrub
Rose Mallow
A vigorous perennial hibiscus native to North American wetlands, famous for its enormous dinner-plate-sized blooms in white, pink, or red with a contrasting eye.
flower
Scarlet Sage
A bold bedding salvia famous for its dense spikes of fiery red tubular flowers, a magnet for hummingbirds and a mainstay of summer color schemes.
flower
Pitcher Plant
A carnivorous plant whose leaves form hanging, fluid-filled pitchers that lure, trap, and digest insects. Tropical Nepenthes species dangle their colorful 'monkey cups' from vining stems.
houseplant
Moonflower
A fast-growing tropical vine whose large, fragrant white flowers unfurl at dusk and bloom through the night, closing by morning. Related to morning glory, it is grown on trellises for evening fragrance and night-garden drama.
flower
Okra
Okra is a heat-loving annual in the mallow family, grown in warm-climate gardens for its showy hibiscus-like flowers and slender, ridged green seed pods. It thrives in hot summers.
herb
Silk Floss Tree
The silk floss tree is a striking subtropical tree with a bulging, thorn-studded green trunk and large pink-and-cream hibiscus-like flowers in autumn. Its seed pods burst to release silky white fibers, giving the tree its name.
tree
Castor Bean
Castor bean is a fast-growing, dramatic plant with huge tropical leaves and spiny seed pods, often used as a bold ornamental for an instant tropical effect in gardens.
shrub
Turmeric
Turmeric is an aromatic tropical perennial in the ginger family, grown for its vivid orange rhizome.
herb
Elephant Ear
A dramatic tropical plant grown for its huge, heart- or arrowhead-shaped leaves resembling elephant ears.
houseplant
Mango Tree
The mango is a large tropical evergreen tree grown for its stone fruit. It thrives in hot, frost-free climates.
tree
Lemongrass
Lemongrass is a tall tropical grass with a bright citrus aroma, grown as a culinary grass and aromatic ornamental in warm gardens.
grass
African Tulip Tree
The African tulip tree is a fast-growing tropical tree topped with vivid orange-red, tulip-shaped flowers held above glossy foliage. Its showy blooms make it a popular ornamental, though it is invasive in many tropical regions.
tree
Swiss Cheese Plant
A climbing tropical vine famous for its large, glossy leaves that develop holes and splits as they mature. It is one of the most iconic and popular houseplants.
houseplant
Norfolk Island Pine
Norfolk Island Pine is a tropical conifer with symmetrical tiers of soft, feathery branches, popular as a houseplant and living Christmas tree. It is not a true pine.
houseplant
Bromeliad
Bromeliads are tropical rosette plants grown for their long-lasting, brilliantly colored flower bracts. Many hold water in a central cup formed by their overlapping leaves.
houseplant
Angel's Trumpet
A tropical shrub or small tree bearing enormous, pendulous trumpet-shaped flowers that release a powerful fragrance at night. It is grown as a dramatic ornamental in warm climates.
shrub
Silver Pothos
Silver pothos is a trailing tropical vine prized for its thick, heart-shaped leaves splashed with shimmering silvery markings, despite not being a true pothos.
houseplant
Passion Fruit
A vigorous tropical climbing vine grown for its intricate, exotic flowers and its rounded fruit. The purple passion fruit is the most widely cultivated variety.
shrub
Moon Valley Pilea
Moon Valley pilea is a compact tropical houseplant grown for its deeply textured, quilted bright green leaves with bronze sunken veins that resemble a lunar landscape.
houseplant
Devils Ivy
Devil's ivy, or golden pothos, is one of the world's most popular and indestructible houseplants, a fast-growing tropical vine with glossy, heart-shaped leaves marbled in gold.
houseplant
Goldfish Plant
The goldfish plant is a tropical trailing houseplant named for its bright orange, pouched flowers that look like leaping goldfish among glossy dark green leaves.
houseplant
Ginger
Ginger is a tropical perennial herb grown for its knobbly, aromatic underground rhizome, cultivated across the warm regions of the world.
herb