By Characteristics

Notable Flowers:

   Plants with flowers (or bracts) whose color, size, fragrance, and/or other features are worth noting.

Notable Fragrance:

   Plants whose flowers, fruits, and/or leaves contain or disperse a smell worth noting.   

Notable Foliage:

   Plants whose leaf shape, arrangement, and/or color are worth noting.

     Ficus lyrata

Notable Fruit:

   Plants whose fruit shape, arrangement, color, and/or uses are worth noting.


Notable Bark:

  Plants whose bark exhibits texture, color, and/or other features are worth noting. 


Notable Structure:

   Plants whose architecture and form are worth noting.


Street Trees:

   Plants that develop a single woody trunk, stand at least 20 feet at maturity, provide shade,     produce little to no rubbish, tolerate poor soil and air conditions, produce no human toxins,   pose little to no physical harm to humans and infrastructure, and appear handsome or   attractive are considered street trees. Some plants are used as street trees despite violations of   these rules. 

     Albizia saman
     Delonix regia

Groundcover Plants:

   Plants that grow along the soil surface to protect the soil are used as groundcover.


Vines:

   Plants whose stems climb or trail (especially by use of tendrils, adventitious roots, twisting shoots, twining petioles, or hooked structures) are considered vines.

Houseplants:

   Plants that tolerate household conditions including low light, low humidity, temperatures   between 65 F and 75 F as well as being confined to a container pot. Usually houseplants are   tropical or subtropical plants.


Hard-to-Kill Plants:

   Plants that usually require intention or effort to kill as these plants tolerant several conditions and stresses.

Edible and Medicinal Plants:

   Plants with notable edible tissues and/or accepted medicinal uses. Disclaimer: This site should not be taken as a reference or instruction for consumption or preparation of plants for food or medicine. Information provided is strictly educational and informative with no intention of being a foraging reference.

     Guaiacum officinale
     

Hawaiian Native Plants: Endemic and Indigenous Plants

   Plants found exclusively on the Hawaiian Islands (endemic) or found on the Hawaiian Islands   and else where (indigenous)


There are several well researched sites dedicated to Hawaiian plants like Native Plants Hawaii (available here) and Hui ku Maoli Ola (available here).




Most Popular Plants

Graptophyllum pictum (Caricature Plant)

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T ropPlant Accession Number (TPAN) : 0002 Botanical Name: Graptophyllum pictum Common Name: Caricature Plant Cultivars: 'Igneum', 'Lurido-sanguineum', 'Tricolor'/'Waimea', 'Eldorado' Family: Acanthaceae  (Acanthus Family) Graptophyllum pictum   Photo by Matthew Gaston Graptophyllum pictum 'Igneum'  Photo by Matthew Gaston Graptophyllum pictum 'Lurido-sanguineum'  Photo by Matthew Gaston Graptophyllum pictum 'Eldorado'  Photo by Matthew Gaston Graptophyllum pictum 'Tricolor' (believed to be the same as Graptophyllum pictum 'Waimea') Photo by Matthew Gaston Native To: New Guinea Landscaping Information
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Ficus microcarpa var. crassifolia (Wax Fig)

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T ropPlant Accession Number (TPAN) : 0016 Botanical Name: Ficus microcarpa var. crassifolia Common Name: Wax Fig, Taiwan Ficus Variety: crassifolia Family: Moraceae Native To: Southern Taiwan Ficus microcarpa var. crassifolia leaves. Note the bronze to bright yellow-green young leaves.  Photo by Matthew Gaston Landscaping Information Plant Type : Shrub Texture: Dense Form: Mound, Cushion Height (on average, in landscape use): 1.5' - 4' Height to Spread Ratio: 1:2 Growth Rate: Fast Landscape Values: Border, Color, Edging, Facer, Filler, Foundation, Framing, Hedge, Indoor, Lanai, Patio, Space Division, Groundcover, Specimen Outstanding Quality: Foliage and Form; often used for Bonsai  Ficus microcarpa var. crassifolia  as a hedge/groundcover below a tree  Photo by Matthew Gaston Botanical Descriptions Flowers/Fruits: paired figs, sessile, 0.2"-0.4" long, glabrous, purple to black when ripe.
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Bucida buceras 'Variegated' (Dwarf Variegated Geometry Tree)

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TropPlant Accession Number (TPAN) : 0083 Botanical Name: Bucida buceras 'Variegated' Common Name: Dwarf Variegated Geometry Tree, Variegated Madagascar Almond, Spiny Black Olive, Oxhorn Bucida Cultivar: 'Variegata' Family: Combretaceae Native To: Mexico, Central America, The Caribbean, and Northern South America Bucida beceras ' Variegata' growing in a Malaysian neighborhood parkway Photo by Mahmud Yussop of Laman Kambatik Plants List Landscaping Information Plant Type : Broadleaf Evergreen Tree Texture: Fine, Open Form: Upright-Narrow to Spreading, somewhat Irregular Height (on average, in landscape use): 5'-8' (As a house plant), 30'-60' (Outdoors) Height to Spread Ratio: 1:1 to 2:1 Growth Rate: Fast Landscape Values: Accent, Street Tree, Color, Framing, Indoor, Lanai, Patio, Sculptural Form, Specimen, Windbreak, Erosion Control, Shade Outstanding Quality: Foliage Color, Variegation,
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Pseuderanthemum carruthersii var. carruthersii (Variegated False Eranthemum)

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T ropPlant Accession Number (TPAN) : 0005 Botanical Name: Pseuderanthemum carruthersii var. carruthersii (syn. Pseuderanthemum reticulata) Common Name: Variegated False Eranthemum, El Dorado, El Dorado False Eranthemum, El Dorado Eranthemum, Yellow Veined Eranthemum Variety: carruthersii (See Additional Notes at the bottom of the page) Family: Acanthaceae Pseuderanthemum carruthersii var. carruthersii  Photo by Matthew Gaston Native To:   Melanesia   Landscaping Information Plant Type : Shrub Texture: Dense Form:   Upright-broad Height (on average, in landscape use):   4'- 6' Height to Spread Ratio: 1:1 Growth Rate: Medium Landscape Values: Background, Border, Color, Edging, Facer, Filler, Foundation, Framing, Hedge (large one really), Mass, Screen, Space Division Outstanding Quality: Foliage Characters Pseuderanthemum carruthersii var. carruthersii growing tightly between a walkway and a wall.  Photo by Matthew Gaston
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Breynia disticha (Snow Bush)

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TropPlant Accession Number (TPAN) : 0151 Botanical Name: Breynia disticha 'Roseopicta' Common Name: Snowbush, Snow bush, Ice-Cream Bush, Calico Plant, Sweetpea Bush, Foliage Flower Shrub, Laukalakoa (Hawaiian) Cultivar: 'Roseopicta' is likely the cultivar seen in the images on this page. Family: Phyllanthaceae Breynia disticha Photo by Matthew Gaston Native To: Vanuatu and New Caledonia  Landscaping Information Plant Type : Treelet, Shrub Texture: Dense Form: Upright-broad to even Weeping/Irregular, but usually seen trimmed into a hedge Height (on average, in landscape use): 2'- 4' (can reach 10' in ideal conditions) Height to Spread Ratio: 1:1 to 1:2 Growth Rate: Medium to Fast Landscape Values: Accent, Background, Border, Color, Edging, Facer, Filler, Foundation, Framing, Hedge, Mass, Quick Effect, Specimen Outstanding Quality: Foliage Color Breynia disticha between a fence and
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Jatropha integerrima (Peregrina)

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TropPlant Accession Number (TPAN) : 0069 Botanical Name:   Jatropha integerrima Common Name: Peregrina, Spicy Jatropha, Rose-Colored Jatropha, Fire Cracker Jatropha Cultivar: N/A Family: Euphorbiaceae Jatropha integerrima  Photo by Matthew Gaston Native To: Hispaniola and Cuba Landscaping Information:  Plant Type : Treelet Texture: Medium, Open Form:  Round Headed to Upright-broad. Can be somewhat easily trimmed into a Spreading form. Height (on average, in landscape use): 10'-20' Height to Spread Ratio: 1:1 Growth Rate: Medium Landscape Values: Accent, Color, Framing, Screen, Specimen Outstanding Quality: Flower Color Jatropha integerrima  Photo by Matthew Gaston Jatropha integerrima  in Honolulu acting as a large hedge and screen. Note the staircase where the plant can be appreciated from above. Photo by Matthew Gaston Jatropha integerrima at UH Manoa trimmed into a spreading form Photo by Matthew
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