Crops

Individual crops in the World Crops Database

Argan

Fruit of argan tree

Argan is a tree that is endemic to the semi-desert Sous valley of southwestern Morocco. The nuts are cold pressed to produce argan oil, which is used to treat hair and skin.

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Patchouli

Patchouli

Patchouli is a bushy perennial herb with small, pale pink-white flowers. It grows in the tropics and is mainly used to make perfumes and incense.

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Asian pigeonwings

Butterfly pea flower

Asian pigeonwings is a legume with edible flowers. Flowers can be eaten raw or are dipped in batter and fried. Flowers can also be used as food colouring to colour glutinous rice. In India the plant is a holy flower, used in rituals.

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Caraway

Caraway seeds

Caraway is a plant in the carrot family, which is cultivated for its small fruits. The dry fruits, which look like seeds, are used as a spice. The roots of the plant can be used as a root vegetable and the leaves can be used as a herb, similar to parsley.

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Custard apple

Custard apple

The name custard apple is sometimes used for sugar apple (sweetsop) which actually is a different but related fruit species. Because of its shape the custard apple is also called Ox heart or Bull’s heart.

The fruits are usually eaten fresh as a snack or dessert. Open the fruit and spoon out the white flesh which is soft, juicy and has a sweet taste.

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Banana

Banana

Bananas are the world's best-selling fruits, followed by apples and oranges. They originate from tropical South-East Asia but are now found in almost all tropical regions of the world.

The genus Musa includes several species and cultivars of bananas. Some are used as fruits, some as vegetables.

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Kumquat

Kumquat

Kumquat is a small fruit-bearing Citrus tree. The fruits look a bit like oranges but are much smaller.

Kumquat fruit are usually consumed whole with the peel, or are used in fruit salads.

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Dog rose

Rosa canina - Dog rose

Fruits of the dog rose (rose hips) are used to make jam, syrup and tea. They are rich in vitamin C.

The term Rose hip (or rose haw) is used for fruits of rose plants.

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Daikon

Daikon

Daikon is a large white type of radish, which originates from East and Southeast Asia. As a root vegetable it is used in Chinese, Japanese and Thai recipes. In North America it is grown as a fallow crop and the leaves can be used as animal fodder.

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Yellow lupin

Yellow lupin

Yellow lupin is often found growing as a wild plant in Mediterranean region. It is sometimes grown as a green manure. In the past, seeds were a common food in some Mediterranean countries, but nowadays they are just used as a pickled snack food.

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Ugli

Ugli fruit

Ugli is a fruit created by hybridizing a grapefruit, orange and tangerine. It originates from Jamaica.

As the name suggests, it is not a very beautiful fruit. It has a rough, wrinkled, greenish-yellow surface.

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Crimson clover

Crimson clover

Crimson clover is a type of clover which can be grown as a forage crop for cattle. It is native to Europe. Crimson clover is sometimes grown on roadsides for erosion control. Names Scientific   Trifolium incarnatumEnglish   Crimson clover   Italian cloverDutch   InkarnaatklaverSpanish   Trébol encarnado   Trébol escarlata   Trébol italianoFrench   Trèfle du Roussillon   Trèfle farouche   Trèfle incarnatGerman   Blutklee   Inkarnat-Klee   Italienischer Klee   Rosenklee Taxonomy Genus   TrifoliumFamily   FabaceaeOrder   Fabales Basic information and facts Origin: Europe Distribution: Europe,

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White clover

White clover flower

White clover can be grown as a companion crop among lawn grasses. It tolerates close mowing and is considered to be a beneficial component of lawn care because it can fix nitrogen and competes with lawn weeds. White clover is also a good forage crop for livestock.

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Ana tree

Faidherbia albida - Ana tree

Ana tree is a thorny tree that is used in Africa for nitrogen fixation and erosion control. The wood is used to make canoes, mortars and pestles. The pods are used as a fodder for livestock.

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Lupine

Lupine

There are many species in the genus Lupinus. Several species are used as fodder or for soil improvement. Some species have edible seeds that are used as food.

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Bitter bean

Bitter bean

The Bitter bean or stink bean is tree of which the beans are used in Indonesian dishes. The big, flat beans are inside long, often twisted pods.

Stink beans are also used in several other South East Asian countries (Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, southern Thailand, Burma) and in north-eastern India. They have a strong smell and give a special aroma to the food in which they are used.

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Gaub tree

Gaub tree

Gaub tree is a tree species in the ebony family, which originates from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South East Asia. A sticky substance discharged from the tree is used for sealing boats. Unripe fruits contain tannins and can be used for curing nets and leather. Leaves and fruits can be used to dye cloth black.

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Mango

Mango

Mango is often known as the “apple of the tropics”. It is one of the most popular tropical fruits in the world (together with pineapple, banana, papaya and avocado). Mango fruits are usually eaten ripe, when they are soft and sweet. But some people prefer them unripe, when they are harder with a more sour taste. Mango is also used to produce juice, jam or jelly. Unripe fruits can be used to prepare pickles or chutney.

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Chia

Chia

Chia originates from central and southern Mexico and Guatemala. It is grown for its seeds, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. In the past it was probably used as a staple food in the region where it was cultivated.

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Rice

Rice field

Rice is a tropical cereal, but it also grows in some temperate regions with a warmer climate.

It is the second most important cereal in the world after maize. In the tropics it’s the primary cereal for human consumption. Rice is the main staple food for half the world’s population.

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Enokitake

White Enokitake

Enokitake (or Enoki) is an edible mushroom. The cultivated variety is a bundle of long thin white mushrooms. They are white because they are not exposed to light. In the wild, the mushroom looks different with a brown color, shorter and thicker stems, and bigger caps.

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Velvet apple

The Velvet apple (also called Mabolo) is not a real apple but rather a rare tropical fruit that is related to ebony trees. The name is well chosen as it looks like an apple but with a rather velvety skin, similar to a peach.

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Cherimoya

Cherimoya fruit

Cherimoya originates from the Andes area in South America. It is a small tree which is grown for its sweet fruits. The fruits are sometimes known as “custard apple” but that name is also used for several different (but related) fruit species.

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Great morinda

Great Morinda

Fruits of the Great morinda can be eaten raw or is used in cooking (for example in curry. Seeds can be eaten when roasted. Leaves can be used as a green vegetable.

Great morinda is a fruit related to coffee.

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Cardamom

Gree cardamom

True cardamom or Green cardamom is a plant in the ginger family. The green seed pods of the plant are dried and the seeds are used as a spice, sometimes whole but often as a ground powder. Cardamom is commonly used in Indian and other Asian food.

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