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Herbs and Flowers

Herbs are herbaceous plants used to flavor foods and for home remedies. It is best to seed or transplant herbs during cooler months in the tropics. Flowers, as well as being pleasing ornamentals, serve to attract pollinators and beneficial insects. Flowers are also used as companion plants, to repel insect and nematode pests, and to improve the soil.

  1. Dill Anethum graveolens

    Dill

    Dill is a freely-branching, blue-green, feathery-leafed, annual herb, with yellow flowers in an umbrella-like cluster, growing to 1 m tall. Dill has been cultivated for centuries from the Mediterranean to southern Russia for both the seeds and leaves. It is now naturalized and grows wild on...

  2. Oregano Origanum vulgare

    Oregano, Wild Marjoram

    Oregano is a tangled, bushy, perennial, aromatic herb, with stems up to 1 m long, and used as a culinary herb and for essential oil. Oregano has good heat and drought tolerance.

  3. Coriander/Cilantro Coriandrum sativum

    Cilantro, Chinese Parsley, Dhania, Coriander (Seed)

    Coriander/Cilantro is a cool-climate, annual crop, up to 1.5 m in height, with small white flowers, valued for its seeds (coriander) and leaves (cilantro). Leaves are used in soups, stews, salads, and stir-fry dishes. Seeds are used whole or ground in bread, cheeses, curry, sausages, and soups.

  4. Basil Ocimum basilicum

    Basil, Sweet Basil

    Basil is an upright, aromatic, annual plant, up to 75 cm in height, and used as a culinary herb and for essential oil. The leaves of basil are often used as a seasoning in tomato sauces and the basis for making pesto. There are many varieties of basil with different colored leaves and unique...

  5. Parsley Petroselinum crispum

    Parsley, Flat Leaf Parsley, Italian Parsley, Curly Parsley, Continental Parsley

    Parsley is an upright, herbaceous plant, growing to 70 cm in height. In temperate regions, parsley is a biennial, putting on vegetative growth the first season, over-wintering, then flowering the following season. In tropical regions it will not flower or produce seeds. It is commonly used as a...

  6. Culantro Eryngium foetidum

    Culantro, Spiny Coriander, Sawtooth Coriander

    Culantro is a biennial or short-lived perennial native to tropical America. It is grown mainly for its leaves which are used as a culinary herb in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Plants grow 8 to 40 cm tall with leaves arranged in a spiral pattern around a central stem. Leaves...

  7. Tithonia Tithonia diversifolia

    Mexican sunflower, Tree Marigold

    Mexican Sunflower is a woody, perennial, plant with showy yellow flowers growing to 3 m in height. It can be used as an ornamental, hedge, compost ingredient, fodder, green manure, and soil erosion control. Mexican sunflower is known to be efficient in extracting phosphorus from the soil. Green...

  8. African Marigold Tagetes erecta

    American Marigold, Aztec Marigold, Big Marigold, Mexican Marigold

    African marigold is aupright growing, aromatic, annual plant, up to 1.25 m in height, with showy, fragrant flowers up to 10 cm in diameter. This plant is noted for repelling nematodes.

  9. French Marigold Tagetes patula

    French marigold is an upright growing, aromatic, compact, annual plant, up to 40 cm in height, with showy, fragrant flowers up to 5 cm in diameter. This plant is noted for repelling nematodes.