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 Order FabalesFamily FabaceaeGenus TrifoliumSpecies Trifolium incarnatum (Crimson clover) […]
Crops
676 posts
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.
Red clover improves soil by fixing nitrogen. It is often used in temperate farms as a green manure or as a forage crop for livestock.
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.
Lion's mane mushroom is an edible mushroom, often used in Chinese vegetarian cuisine. It is cultivated commercially on wood or sawdust. It is sold fresh or dried.
Poplar mushroom is an edible mushroom species. It is cultivated commercially in Japan, Korea, Australia, China and the USA.
Jelly ear (also Judas's ear or Jew's ear) is an edible mushroom, often used in Chinese and Japanese dishes.
The Indian oyster is an edible mushroom species. It belongs to the genus Pleurotus, and is the most cultivated oyster mushroom species in Europe and North America.
The golden oyster mushroom is an edible mushroom, which can be cultivated commercially on a medium of grain, straw or sawdust.
Paddy straw mushroom is an edible mushroom which is very popular in Asian cuisines. It is cultivated commercially throughout East and Southeast Asia.
Capsicum frutescens is a species that includes several varieties of chili peppers: Piri piri, Malaguete pepper, Tabasco pepper, and Thai pepper.
The name Lupine refers to many species in the genus Lupinus. Some are used as fodder or for soil improvement; others have edible seeds that are used as food.
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.
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.
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.
Chia originates from central and southern Mexico and Guatemala. It is grown for its seeds, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids..
Foxtail millet is the second most widely planted species of the smaller cereals that are known as 'millets'. It is an old crop which was already used in China over 7000 years ago.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Iroko or African teak is a tree which grows in the African rain forest. The tree yields a strong and durable dark brown hardwood timber.
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.
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.
Artichoke is a thistle which is grown for the edible parts of the immature flowers.
Cardoon is the same species as artichoke, but it is a wild variety. The stems are eaten as a vegetable.
The immature green pods are eaten as a vegetable. They are called "drumstick". Also the leaves are edible and sold as vegetables.
Tossa jute (Corchorus olitorius) is a tropical annual plant that is cultivated as a fiber crop or as a leaf vegetable.
The related White jute (Corchorus capsularis) is also a fiber crop.
Safflower is a thistle-like plant with yellow, orange or red flowers. It is cultivated to extract vegetable oil from the seeds.
Flowers of Safflower are sometimes used as a cheaper substitute for saffron, which is why it is sometimes called "bastard saffron".
Basil is a culinary herb which is used a lot in Italian food. It is also common in certain dishes of Northeast and Southeast Asia. There are different varieties of basil, each with a slightly different taste.
St John's wort, is a medicinal herb that is used to treat depression. It is grown commercially in some parts of south east Europe, but in other places it is considered a weed. The plant is poisonous to grazing livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, horses).
Jicama is a vine with edible tuberous root which can be eaten raw. After peeling the skin the tuberous roots look a bit like potato and have a watery but fresh taste.
The seeds of the plant are toxic as they contain rotenone, which is a pesticide used to kill insects and fish.
The Indian Screw Tree is a shrub which can be found in Asia (India, South china, Thailand, Malaysia, Java) and Australia. The fruits are pods that are twisted like a screw with a pointed tip.
This plant is sometimes classified in the Malvaceae family but sometimes in a different family: Sterculiaceae.
Snow fungus (also White jelly mushroom) consists of white, gelatinous fruiting bodies, which measure about 7 centimeters. It is commercially cultivated and very popular in China, often used in soups or savory dishes. It has a crispy rubbery texture.
Matsutake is an expensive mushroom which is especially valued in Japan and China. The mushroom has a spicy-aromatic odor.
White goosefoot is usually considered a weed but it is cultivated in some regions and used as a leaf vegetable. It is sometimes called pigweed, which is confusing as that name is also used for Common purslane and for Amaranthus spp.
Green amaranth is a species of vegetable in the Amaranth family (Amaranthaceae). The leaves are edible.
Fruits of the silver date palm are used to make wine or jelly. The sweet sap which is tapped from the tree can be drunk fresh, or is boiled to make palm sugar.
Kapok or Ceiba is a large tropical tree which produces a type of cotton. These fibers are the hairs that grow on the seeds and are used as a filling in mattresses, pillows, padding of seats, stuffed toys, and for insulation.
Kapok originates from Central America, northern South America, and the Caribbean.
Irises are flowering plants in the genus Iris which includes many wild and cultivated species. The flowers are gold-yellow, yellow, white, blue, or purple, but cultivated varieties can have different colors (pink, orange, etc.).
Cultivated irises are used as ornamental plants in gardens or as cut flowers.
Fruits of the strawberry tree are used to make wine, jam or liquors.
The strawberry tree is not related to the strawberry. it is a shrub with fruits that look like strawberries.
Jojoba is a shrub which is grown for the jojoba oil, a liquid wax in its seeds.
The jojoba oil has various uses for example as lubricating oil, in pharmaceutical products, as bio-diesel fuel, or cooking oil.
Jojoba originates from North America and is cultivated in desert and semi-desert regions.
Four species in the genus Zizania are known as wild rice, but they should not be confused with Asian rice (Oryza sativa), which is a plant in a different genus.
Of all species the grains can be used as a cereal, but the Manchurian wild rice is nowadays mainly cultivated in China to use the thickened stems as a vegetable.
Job's tears is a tropical plant in the grasses family which is sometimes used as a cereal. It is also sometimes grown as an ornamental plant.
In China it is used together with other herbs in traditional Chinese medicine.
Fonio or White fonio (Digitaria exilis) is a cereal crop grown in the savannas of West Africa. It has very small seeds and is therefore one of the cereals that are called "millets". Sometimes it is called "hungry rice".
A related species Digitaria iburua is called Black fonio.
Allspice is the dried fruit of Pimenta dioica. It combines the smell and taste of several spices including cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pepper.
Winter purslane is a small annual plant which originates from North America and which is used as a leaf vegetable. It is sometimes called Miner's lettuce because during the California Gold Rush miners used to eat it as a source of vitamin C.
Daisies are flowers with a yellow center with white petals. They are often seen growing wild in lawns.
But daisies are also cultivated, for example as ground cover in gardens.
Daisy young leaves are edible and can be used raw in salads or cooked. Also flower buds and petals are edible and can be used in salads or soups or as a tea.
Spelt is a primitive type of wheat. It is an annual plant in the grasses family (Poaceae) which was already cultivated as a cereal 8 - 9,000 years ago.
Spelt wheat originates from the Fertile Crescent of the Near East, the same region where also other early cereals such as emmer wheat and barley were grown.