Complete Plant Guide

Medium 💧 4 days ☀️ Bright indirect

African violet (Streptocarpus sect. Saintpaulia, formerly genus Saintpaulia) is a compact, rosette-forming perennial from the Gesneriaceae family, native to the Eastern Arc Mountains and coastal forests of Tanzania and Kenya. Prized for its fuzzy, deep-green leaves and near-continuous clusters of purple, pink, blue, or white flowers, it is one of the most popular flowering houseplants worldwide.

3422

Marmalade bush

Streptosolen jamesonii

The marmalade bush (Streptosolen jamesonii) is an ornamental perennial, semi-woody, and scrambling shrub native to the Andean regions of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in South America. Belonging to the Solanaceae family, it can reach 1.5 to 2 meters in height, featuring long, flexible, and arching branches. Its leaves are ovate to elliptical, dark green, glossy, and deeply veined. The trumpet-shaped flowers bloom in clusters and change color as they mature—starting yellow and evolving into shades of orange and red—an effect reminiscent of orange marmalade, which gives the plant its popular name. It flowers intensely during spring and summer, attracting hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies to the garden.

3423

Persian shield

Strobilanthes dyeriana

Medium 💧 6 days ☀️ Partial shade

Strobilanthes dyeriana, commonly known as Persian Shield, is a stunning tropical evergreen subshrub native to Myanmar. It is highly prized for its lance-shaped leaves that feature a brilliant iridescent purple sheen with silver highlights and dark green veins. The underside of the foliage is a deep maroon. While it can produce small violet flowers in winter, it is primarily grown for its spectacular foliage which adds a dramatic touch to any plant collection.

3424

Old-man-of-the-woods

Strobilomyces strobilaceus

Hard ☀️ Low light

Strobilomyces strobilaceus, commonly known as Old-man-of-the-woods, is a distinctive mycorrhizal fungus found in deciduous forests. It is easily recognized by its cap, which is covered in large, dark, woolly scales resembling a pine cone. The flesh stains pinkish then black when cut, and the underside features a greyish pore surface rather than gills.

3425

Stromanthe

Stromanthe is a genus of approximately 13 tropical plant species in the family Marantaceae, native to the rainforests of South America, particularly Brazil. Celebrated for their stunning variegated foliage in shades of green, white, pink, and red, they are among the most visually spectacular houseplants available. The most famous species is Stromanthe sanguinea 'Triostar', whose tricolored leaves make it a standout specimen. Like other prayer plants, Stromanthe leaves move throughout the day in response to light.

3426

Tricolor Stromanthe

Stromanthe sanguinea

Stromanthe sanguinea, commonly known as the Tricolor Stromanthe or Triostar, is a stunning tropical plant native to the rainforests of Brazil. Its long, lance-shaped leaves display a breathtaking palette of dark green, pink, cream, and deep burgundy on the undersides, making it one of the most visually striking houseplants available. A member of the Marantaceae family and relative of Calathea and Maranta, this species exhibits nyctinastic leaf movements — folding its leaves upward at dusk in response to changing light conditions.

3427

Tricolor Stromanthe

Stromanthe thalia

Medium 💧 10 days ☀️ Bright indirect

Tricolor Stromanthe (Stromanthe thalia) is a stunning Brazilian tropical plant from the Marantaceae family, celebrated for its spectacular tricolor foliage in shades of green, pink, and cream with deep magenta-purple undersides. As a prayer plant, its leaves fold upward at dusk and reopen at dawn. It thrives indoors with bright indirect light and high humidity.

3428

Cape Sprays

Struthiola

Struthiola is a genus of approximately 31 species of ericoid shrubs in the family Thymelaeaceae, native to the fynbos biome of South Africa's Cape Floral Region. These evergreen shrublets are renowned for their sweetly scented tubular flowers at dusk and their remarkable drought tolerance in sandy, well-drained soils.

3429

Japanese Pagoda Tree

Styphnolobium japonicum

Medium 💧 12 days ☀️ Direct sun

The Japanese Pagoda Tree (Styphnolobium japonicum), formerly known as Sophora japonica, is a large deciduous tree native to China and widely cultivated across East Asia. Belonging to the Fabaceae family, it can reach up to 25 meters in height and is highly valued for its generous shade and fragrant creamy-white flowers produced in summer. It is a hardy tree, adaptable to poor soils and urban pollution, frequently used in parks, avenues, and historic gardens.

3430

Larch bolete

Suillus grevillei

Hard ☀️ Partial shade

The larch bolete is an edible and highly flavorful mushroom from the Suillaceae family. It is characterized by its bright yellow to orange cap, which becomes very slimy when wet. It grows exclusively in symbiosis (mycorrhiza) with larch trees, making it a species that cannot be commonly cultivated at home without the presence of a host tree. It features a yellow stem with a ring and pores that are covered by a veil when young.

Easy 💧 3 days ☀️ Partial shade

3431

Velvet bolete

Suillus variegatus

Hard ☀️ Partial shade

Suillus variegatus, known as the velvet bolete or variegated bolete, is an edible mushroom from the Suillaceae family. It is characterized by a sandy-yellow or olive cap with a granular, felt-like surface that, unlike other Suillus species, is not slimy. It forms a mycorrhizal relationship primarily with pine trees, preferring sandy and acidic soils.

3432

Bacopa

Sutera cordata

Sutera cordata (syn. Chaenostoma cordatum) is a fast-growing ornamental plant from the Scrophulariaceae family, native to South African wetlands. It is characterized by small, dark green, opposite leaves with slightly serrated edges and tiny white star-shaped flowers with yellow-orange centers. It is ideal for hanging baskets, containers, and as a groundcover due to its trailing growth habit. It is known for its rapid growth and profuse blooming throughout summer and fall.

3433

Sturt's Desert Pea

Swainsona formosa

Hard 💧 14 days ☀️ Direct sun

Sturt's Desert Pea is one of Australia's most striking wildflowers, a low, sprawling groundcover native to the arid interior of every mainland state except Victoria. Its trailing stems of soft grey-green, pinnate leaves are studded with large, waxy blood-red blooms, each marked with a glossy black boss at the base of the standard petal. Adopted as the official floral emblem of South Australia in 1961, it thrives in harsh, sun-baked, well-drained conditions and is famously difficult to keep alive in humid or overly generous garden settings.

3434

Queen Palm

Syagrus romanzoffiana

Easy 💧 10 days ☀️ Direct sun

The Queen Palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana) is a stately feather palm native to Brazil and South America, belonging to the family Arecaceae. Prized for its graceful arching fronds and slender trunk, it is one of the most popular landscape palms in subtropical and tropical regions worldwide. It can reach heights of 10-15 meters and produces clusters of bright orange fruits that attract wildlife.

3435

Common Snowberry

Symphoricarpos albus

Common snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) is a deciduous shrub in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae), native to North America. It is known for its characteristic snow-white berries that cling to the branches long into the winter season after the leaves have fallen. The shrub grows up to 6 feet (180 cm) tall and wide, forming dense thickets through root suckers, and is extremely hardy down to -40 °F (-40 °C). The flowers are small, bell-shaped, and whitish-pink, blooming in the summer. Snowberry is an excellent garden and wildlife plant that attracts birds, bumblebees, and butterflies.

3436

Rice Button Aster

Symphyotrichum dumosum

Symphyotrichum dumosum is a herbaceous perennial native to eastern North America. It forms bushy, branching clumps about 60 to 90 cm tall, covered in late summer and fall with masses of small daisy-like flowers with white to pale lilac rays and yellow centers that age to reddish purple. It is a valuable late-season nectar source for bees, butterflies and skippers.

3437

White Panicle Aster

Symphyotrichum lanceolatum

Symphyotrichum lanceolatum, commonly known as White Panicle Aster, is a native North American perennial wildflower in the Asteraceae family. Formerly classified as Aster lanceolatus, it produces masses of small daisy-like white flowers with yellow disc centers from mid-summer through fall, reaching up to 1.5 meters tall. A vital late-season pollinator plant, it thrives in moist, sunny conditions and spreads via rhizomes.

3438

New York Aster

Symphyotrichum novi-belgii

Symphyotrichum novi-belgii, commonly called the New York aster or Michaelmas daisy, is a hardy herbaceous perennial native to eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, often found in wet meadows and abandoned fields near the coast. Valued for its abundant daisy-like flower heads in shades of purple, pink, and white surrounding bright yellow centers, it blooms from late summer through fall, often peaking around Michaelmas (September 29). Growing 3-5 feet (90-150cm) tall, it thrives in sunny garden borders and wildlife gardens, attracting bees, butterflies -- including Pearl Crescents, for which it is a host plant -- and seed-eating songbirds.

3439

Shore Aster

Symphyotrichum tradescantii

Symphyotrichum tradescantii, commonly known as Shore Aster or Tradescant's Aster, is a native perennial wildflower of northeastern North America. This deciduous herbaceous plant produces an abundance of small, daisy-like flowers with white ray florets and pale yellow to purple disk florets in late summer and fall. It grows naturally along rocky shores, riverbanks, and freshwater estuaries, thriving in full sun to partial shade and moist soils. An excellent choice for naturalistic gardens, rain gardens, and native plant landscapes.

3440

Russian Comfrey

Symphytum × uplandicum

Easy 💧 6 days ☀️ Partial shade

Russian comfrey (Symphytum × uplandicum) is a vigorous, hardy herbaceous perennial in the borage family (Boraginaceae), arising as a natural hybrid between common comfrey (Symphytum officinale) and rough comfrey (Symphytum asperum). It forms large clumps of coarse, bristly, lance-shaped leaves and sends up branching stems topped with nodding, bell-shaped flowers that open pink-blue and mature to violet-purple, blooming from late spring through summer. Prized by organic gardeners as a "dynamic accumulator," its deep taproot draws potassium and other minerals up from the subsoil, making the leaves an excellent source material for compost activators, liquid feeds, and mulch. Note that comfrey contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids that are toxic to the liver if ingested, so its historical internal medicinal use has been discouraged in favor of external, topical applications only.

3441

common comfrey

Symphytum officinale

Symphytum officinale, commonly known as comfrey, is a robust perennial herb famous for its large, hairy, lanceolate leaves and clusters of bell-shaped flowers. It is a 'dynamic accumulator' with a deep taproot that mines minerals from the subsoil, making its foliage an excellent organic fertilizer and compost activator.

3442

African Milk Bush

Synadenium grantii

Medium 💧 12 days ☀️ Bright indirect

The African Milk Bush (Synadenium grantii, synonym of Euphorbia umbellata) is a perennial succulent shrub native to East Africa—specifically the Great Lakes region, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda—where it grows on rocky slopes between 950 and 2,100 m in altitude. In Brazil, it is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant and in folk medicine, known primarily for the abundant milky latex that flows from any wound on the stem or leaves. In nature, it can reach 2 to 10 m in height, but in pots, it tends to remain much more compact. The leaves are fleshy, green or reddish-purple (as seen in the ornamental cultivar 'Rubra'), and the flowers are small, greenish, and inconspicuous, surrounded by purplish bracts. WARNING: All plant latex is toxic and extremely irritating—contact with skin or eyes can cause burning, dermatitis, and blisters, and ingestion is dangerous for humans and animals. Always cultivate with protective gloves and keep out of reach of children and pets.

3443

Yellow hatpins

Syngonanthus flavidulus

Hard 💧 2 days ☀️ Direct sun

Syngonanthus flavidulus, commonly known as yellow hatpins, is a small, perennial herb in the pipewort family (Eriocaulaceae), endemic to the southeastern United States (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina). It grows in moist, sandy pine savannas, pond margins, bogs, and ditches, in areas with constant groundwater seepage maintained by natural fires. It forms dense tufts of narrow, grass-like leaves from which thin stems (scapes) emerge, topped with tiny, spherical, white-to-yellowish inflorescences resembling pinheads—hence the name "yellow hatpins." It blooms from spring to early summer.

3444

Arrowhead Vines

Syngonium

Syngonium is a genus of tropical climbing and trailing plants in the family Araceae, native to the rainforests of Central and South America. Its young leaves display a distinctive arrowhead shape that gradually transforms into multi-lobed forms as the plant matures. Widely grown as a houseplant for its lush ornamental foliage, Syngonium comes in dozens of cultivars with green, variegated, pink, and silvery leaves. Important: the plant is toxic to cats, dogs, and humans due to calcium oxalate crystals present throughout its tissues.

3445

Five Fingers

Syngonium angustatum

Syngonium angustatum, commonly known as Five Fingers or Climbing Arrowhead Vine, is a tropical climbing plant native to Mexico and Central America. It belongs to the Araceae family and is prized for its distinctive foliage that transforms dramatically as the plant matures — juvenile leaves are simple arrowhead-shaped, while adult leaves develop deep lobes resembling spread fingers, hence the name Five Fingers. It is a versatile houseplant that thrives as a trailing vine or trained climber.

3446

Five-Fingered Philodendron

Syngonium auritum

Syngonium auritum, commonly known as Five-Fingered Philodendron or Five Fingers, is a tropical climbing plant from the Araceae family, native to the Caribbean and Central America. Its juvenile leaves are arrow-shaped, but as the plant matures, they develop into divided leaflets resembling an open hand with five fingers — hence the popular name. It is a vigorous climber widely used in interior decoration and tropical gardens.

3447

Red Arrow Syngonium

Syngonium erythrophyllum