— This article by Jerry Cates, first published on 3 September 2016, was last expanded on 10 September 2016. © Budsinthenews Vol. 7:9(1). This plant is variously referred to as the cacao tree and the cocoa tree. It is a relatively small evergreen in the Malvaceae family, and is native to the tropics of Central ...

— This article by Jerry Cates was first published on 18 April 2016, and revised last on 11 September 2016. © Budsinthenews Vol. 7:4(1). Spearmint, also spelled as two words, i.e., spear mint — is named for its pointed leaf tips, and is native to much of Europe and Asia. It is now cultivated throughout the ...

— This article by Jerry Cates was first published on 23 October 2015, and revised last on 14 April 2016. © Budsinthenews Vol. 6:10(9). —————————————– The plant we know as cayenne pepper is a cultivar. In other words, it is one of several varieties within a group of plants that was subjected — at some time in the ...

— This article by Jerry Cates was first published on 23 October 2015, and revised last on 11 September 2016. © Budsinthenews Vol. 6:10(2). The woody perennial evergreen herb we know as rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) has green needle-like leaves that resemble those of hemlock, and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers. It is a member of the ...

— This article by Jerry Cates was first published on 23 October 2015, and revised last on 11 September 2016. © Budsinthenews Vol. 6:10(10).  The lavenders (Lavandula spp.) comprise a genus of 25-30 species of flowering plants in the Lamiaceae (the mint family). All are native to the Mediterranean region southward to Africa and eastward to a ...

— This article by Jerry Cates was first published on 23 October 2015, and revised last on 12 September 2016. © Budsinthenews Vol. 6:10(8). Peppermint (Mentha × piperita), is also known as M. balsamea Willd. As the species designation — G x s — indicates, it is a hybrid, being a cross between watermint and spearmint, and ...

— This article by Jerry Cates was first published on 23 October 2015, and revised last on 12 September 2016. © Budsinthenews Vol. 6:10(9). Ricinus communis is variously known as the castorbean or castor-oil-plant, and is a flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. The genus Ricinus and the subtribe Ricininae are both monotypic, as they contain only ...

— This article by Jerry Cates was first published on 23 October 2015, and revised last on 3 April 2016. © Budsinthenews Vol. 6:10(6). Bay (Laurus nobilis) is an aromatic evergreen tree with green, glossy leaves. It is a Mediterranean native, and one of several plants used for bay leaf seasoning in cooking. Known as bay, bay laurel, ...

— This article by Jerry Cates was first published on 23 October 2015, and revised last on 12 September 2016. © Budsinthenews Vol. 6:10(2). The spice we know as cinnamon is obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum. One of these trees, of the species Cinnamomum verum, is commonly known as Ceylon ...