Cantaloupe
Cantaloupe is one of the varieties in the species Cucumus melo. Cantaloupes are melons with orange flesh.
Crops
Individual crops in the World Crops Database
Fenugreek
Fenugreek seeds are used to prepare pickles and curry powders. Fenugreek is also used by lactating women to increase the supply of milk.
Key lime
Key lime is a citrus fruit. It has globose fruit with a diameter of 2.5 to 5 cm. When left to ripe on the tree the fruits turn yellow, but usually they are picked when still green.
The fruits have a strong and unique flavor and are used as an ingredient for Key lime pie.
Horseradish
Horseradish is grown for its root. The roots have not much aroma until they are cut or grated. Then because of certain enzymes, a chemical is produced which has a very pungent effect, similar to wasabi. After exposure to air it soon loses its pungency.
Sichuan pepper
Sichian pepper is a spice. It has a flavor that is not hot or sharp like black pepper or chili peppers. Instead it creates a numbness on the tongue and lips, with a tingling, almost electrical sensation.
Teak
Teak is a tropical hardwood tree, cultivated for its valuable timber. The wood is very durable and resistant to termites. It is used for furniture, exterior construction, carving, boat building and other purposes.
Celery
Celery is a widely used vegetable. it is usually grown for its crisp leaf stalks. The leaves have a strong flavor and are used to flavor soups and stews, or as a dried herb.
Groundnut
The groundnut, or peanut, is not a nut, but a legume. It belongs to the 'bean' family.
Groundnuts originate from South America and were already cultivated in Peru thousands of years ago.
The flowers self-pollinate and then the stalk at the base of the ovary elongates and grows downward to bury the fruits in the ground. This explains their name.
Sisal
Sisal is an agave which is grown as a fiber crop. The fibers can be used to make ropes and mats.
Sisal originates from Mexico. It is closely related to Henequen, which is another agave species grown for its fibers.
Leek
Leek is a vegetable that is a close relative of onion, garlic, elephant garlic and kurrat. The 'stem' or 'stalk' of leek is actually a bundle of leaf sheaths, which makes it a leaf vegetable.
Finger millet
Finger millet is a cereal grown mainly in drier regions of Africa and Asia. Seeds are used to make flour which can be used to make bread, porridge or pancakes.
In some regions finger millet is used for human consumption as a staple food. Seeds are also used as animal feed.
Common mushroom
The Common mushroom or White mushroom or Button mushroom is probably the most commonly cultivated mushroom in the world. It is known with many different names, including Champignon mushroom. The name 'champignon' is the French word for 'mushroom'.
Guayabilla
Guayabilla or Sundrop is a rather rare fruit tree originating from South America.
The fruits have an shiny orange color and sour tasting flesh.
Tangelo
The Tangelo or Honeybell is a Citrus fruit. It is a hybrid of tangerine and pomelo or grapefruit.
The fruits are a bit bigger than an orange and are very juicy. They taste a bit like tangerine.
Pond apple
Pond apple is a tropical fruit tree, related to Soursop and Cherimoya.
The tree grows in swamps and is tolerant of saline water. It cannot grow in dry soil.
Avocado
Avocado originates from Southern Mexico and Central America. It is a very nutritious fruit with a fatty flavor and a creamy texture. Avocado is often used in salads and can be regarded as a vegetable.
Snake gourd
Snake gourd is a tropical or subtropical vine, which is cultivated for its fruit. The fruit, which resembles a snake, is used as a vegetable.
Other names for snake gourd include serpent gourd, chichinga and padwal. The snake gourd is a common vegetable in south and south east Asia.
Thai long pepper
Thai long pepper is a vine in the pepper family (Piperaceae) and therefore related to black pepper (P. nigrum)and betel leaves (P. betle). It is native to South and Southeast Asia.
The fruits are used fresh or dried to give flavor to food. In Bangladesh the stems and roots are used as a spice which is cooked with mutton or in other meat and fish dishes.
White jute
White jute (Corchorus capsularis) is an annual plant which produces long stems with fibers that are used to make ropes. It originates from India and grows in tropical and subtropical climates.
White jute is close related to another jute species called Tossa jute (Corchorus olitorius).
Egyptian cucumber
The Egyptian cucumber is also called sponge gourd or vegetable sponge. The young fruits can be eaten as a vegetable, but older fruits are very fibrous and become inedible. They are then used to make bath sponges.
Marang
The marang tree originates from Borneo.
Fruits of marang are among the most tasty fruits in the genus Artocarpus.
Marang fruits have a shape between breadfruit and jackfruit.
Rubber tree
Rubber trees are commercially grown for the milky latex which can be extracted from the tree. This latex is the primary source of natural rubber.
Wax apple
Wax apple or Water apple is native to Southeast Asia.
Fruits of some varieties are eaten fresh, but of other varieties the fruits are stewed or cooked.
The fruits are 4 to 5 cm long, and are wider than they are long. They have some resemblance to the pear-shaped Malay apple.
Taro
Several plants in the Araceae family are called Taro. Their corms are used as vegetables. Colocasia esculenta is the most widely cultivated type of Taro.
Calabash
The genus Lagenaria includes several species, such as the calabash (Lagenaria siceraria). Fruits of Lagenaria are either used as vegetables, when harvested young, or as utensils (bottles) when harvested mature. The name 'bottle gourd' is also used for some other crops.
Bilimbi
Bilimbi has a sour taste and is usually not eaten fresh but is used to make jams or chutney. The bilimbi fruits are also used in some rice and fish recipes.
Bilimbi is a close relative of the Carambola.
Bignay
Bignay is native to Malaya and Asia.
Fruits of bignay grow in grape-like clusters with often twenty or thirty fruit per cluster. Fruits are used to make jelly, jam or wine. The fruits ripen unevenly so within a cluster the fruits have different colors.
Henna
Henna is a shrub or small tree. It is leaves are ground to a powder which is used as a red dye to dye skin, hair, fingernails, leather and wool.
Common madder
Roots of the common madder are used to produce a red dye that is used for leather, wool, cotton and silk. This vegetable dye is sometimes called rose madder or Turkey red.
Root chicory
Root chicory is used as a substitute for coffee. Names Scientific Cichorium intybus var. sativumEnglish Root chicoryDutch KoffiecichoreiFrench Chicorée à café Chicorée à torréfier Taxonomy Genus CichoriumFamily AsteraceaeOrder Asterales Crop categories Temperate crops Pictures
Chinese tallow tree
An Asian tree of which the waxy coating of the seeds can be used ta make candles or soap. Another use of the wax is to produce bio-diesel. The leaves are sometimes used as a herbal medicine.
Chinese tallow tree is also planted as an ornamental tree.
Chinese tallow tree Read More »
Khorasan wheat
Khorasan wheat is an ancient cereal which probably originates from the Fertile Crescent. It is probably a natural hybrid between Triticum durum and Triticum polonicum. The ears and grains of this type of wheat are longer than in modern wheat (Triticum aestivum).
White currant
White currants belong to the same species as red currants (Ribes rubrum). The difference is just a variation in color.
Common rue
Common rue can be grown as a deterrent for cats and is also used as an insect repellent. It is a herb with a bitter taste. In Ethiopia leaves of common rue are dipped in coffee to give the coffee an additional flavor. Also used as a medicinal plant to improve appetite and digestion.
Wasabi
Wasabi is a Japanese plant in the cabbage family and is related to cabbage, horseradish and mustard. It is grown for its root which is used as a spice often used in Japanese cuisine.
Feverfew
Feverfew is a herb which is sometimes used as a herbal medicine for example to prevent headaches, migraines, and to reduce fever.
The pretty flowers look a bit like daisies and are therefore sometimes planted in gardens as an ornamental plant. Leaves smell a bit like citrus.
Black cumin (Bunium persicum)
Bunium persicum is often confused with Nigella sativa because both plant species are called “black cumin”.
The dried fruits are used as a spice and also the tuber-like root is edible and can be used as a vegetable.
Black cumin (Bunium persicum) Read More »
Black cumin (Nigella sativa)
There are two different species of plant that are called Black cumin which can create some confusion. Nigella sativa is an annual plant which originates from south and southwest Asia. The fruit is a capsule which contains many black seeds which are used as a spice.
Black cumin (Nigella sativa) Read More »
Zucchini
Zucchini are usually grown for their fruits which, usually cooked, are eaten as a vegetable. But also zucchini flowers are edible and may be used as garnish.
Snow pea
Pisum sativum var. saccharatum is a variety of the pea (Pisum sativum) where the entire pod can be eaten.
Balsam of Mecca
Balsam of Mecca is the gum of a tree originating from southern Arabia. It is used to produce perfume. Sap, wood, bark, and seeds have medicinal properties.
Aloe vera
Aloe vera is grown for its medicinal properties. It is used to treat wounds and as a skin moisturiser.
Tobacco
The tobacco plant originates from America where it was 'discovered' by Columbus on his first trip to the new world. The local population had already discovered that the plant can be used for smoking.
Velvet bean
Velvet bean is a tropical legume grown in Africa, India and the Caribbean. The plant produces serious itchiness on contact, especially the young leaves and seed pods. The German name 'Juckbohne' means 'itch bean'.
Pigeon pea
Pigeon pea is a legume which can grow in any warm climate and is mostly found in tropical regions. It originates from India where it probably has been cultivated for over 3500 years. Nowadays it is common in many countries with a suitable climate including East Africa and the Caribbean islands.
Cashew nut
The cashew nut is a small evergreen tree which originates from Brazil. It is now planted in many tropical regions. The cashew nut is an edible seed. Also the so called 'cashew apple' is edible or can be used to produce juice.
Sweet potato
Sweet potato originates from North and South America, but its highest production is in China.
Sweet potato is usually grown for the sweet tasting tuberous roots. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes used as a leaf vegetable.