Get to know 20 plants selected from Chad. Discover their scientific names, identifying features and growing needs.
Citrullus lanatus
Citrullus lanatus, commonly known as watermelon, is a vigorous annual vine with deeply lobed, rough-textured leaves and yellow, monoecious flowers. The fruit is a large, oblong to round berry with a hard green rind often striped or mottled,
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Catharanthus roseus
A woody-based evergreen perennial, to 45cm in height, with somewhat fleshy stems bearing ovate leaves and 5-petalled flowers, to 4cm across, pink, red or white in colour
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Zea mays
Sweetcorn is relatively easy to grow and without a doubt tastes so much better that shop bought. There's a great range of varieties to grow, both heritage and modern, and something to suit most gardens and the shorter British summers. If y
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Codiaeum variegatum, commonly known as croton, is a striking evergreen shrub grown primarily for its bold, leathery leaves. The leaves come in a dazzling array of colors including green, yellow, orange, red, and purple, often with variegate
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Adenium obesum
A succulent, shrubby perennial with very swollen stem-like caudex tapering to a branched apex bearing small clusters of red, pink or white flowers, which open before the ovate leaves
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Abelmoschus esculentus
A deciduous perennial from tropical regions that is grown as an annual in temperate climates. It has hairy leaves deeply cut into 5-7 lobes and hibiscus-like pale yellow flowers to around 7cm wide with dark centres borne in summer and follo
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Koelreuteria paniculata
An elegant small deciduous tree. Leaves pinnate, pinkish in spring, turning yellow in autumn. Small yellow flowers in conspicuous large panicles, followed by ornamental bladdery bronze fruits
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Kalanchoe blossfeldiana
K. blossfeldiana is a bushy evergreen succulent perennial to 40cm, with fleshy, ovate leaves, and terminal panicles of tubular red flowers spreading lobes in early spring
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Carica papaya
A tree-like, evergreen,herbaceous plant that can reach 6m in tropical conditions. The single, upright stem is topped with a palm-like spread of large, long stemmed, deeply divided leaves. Cream, scented flowers, which may be male, female or
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Lythrum salicaria
L. salicaria is a robust herbaceous perennial with upright stems to 1.2m tall, clad in narrow, willowy leaves, and small vivid purplish-pink flowers 2cm wide in dense terminal spikes over a long period in summer
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Melissa officinalis
An aromatic, bushy perennial up to 1m tall and wide. Heart-shaped leaves are lemon-scented with scalloped edges are 2-8 cm long. Leafy spikes of creamy-white or pale purple flowers are full of nectar, attracting bees and other pollinators i
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Ocimum basilicum
An aromatic tender annual or short-lived perennial, 30-60cm tall and 30cm wide, with bright green, elliptic leaves approximately 5cm long and 2-3cm wide. Many different cultivars available, varying in size and colour. Small, tubular white o
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Pinus patula
P. patula is an evergreen conifer making a medium-sized tree of elegant habit, with slender, drooping bright green needles to 30cm in length, and contrasting reddish bark. Cones curved, to 10cm in length, pale brown
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Psidium guajava
An evergreen shrub or small tree up to 6m tall with prominently-veined, ovate to oblong leaves up to 15cm long with serrated margins. White flowers to 2.5cm across with brush-like clusters of long stamens are borne singly or in small groups
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Hedera helix
H. helix is a vigorous, self-clinging climber with three- to five-lobed, glossy, evergreen leaves, often with pale green veins, and some reddish or bronzy colours in autumn. Mature plants produce bushy, non-clinging branches with diamond-sh
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Baptisia sphaerocarpa
An herbaceous perennial, forming a clump to around 1m high, with upright stems bearing blue-green leaves divided into three clover-like leaflets. Tall clusters of bright yellow flowers are produced in late spring, followed by inflated, pale
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Delonix regia
A tropical, evergreen tree to 10m tall and wide in its native Madagascar. It bears elegant, fern-like leaves and clusters of exotic-looking, bright red flowers. In frost-prone areas grow in a temperate greenhouse as foliage plants, since th
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Pentas lanceolata
A tropical evergreen woody-based perennial or sub-shrub, to 2m high, with glossy, hairy, lance-shaped green leaves with deeply impressed veins. Dome-shaped clusters of flowers, with long tubes and spreading, star-shaped petals in shades of
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Euphorbia pulcherrima
A semi-evergreen shrub with large, bluntly toothed, ovate leaves and tiny yellow flowers with leaf-like bright red bracts, opening in winter
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Bougainvillea glabra
A virgorous climber with semi-glossy leaves to 13cm long. In summer it bears flowers formed of papery, petal-like magenta bracts. It requires the protection of a temperate glasshouse or conservatory, although potted plants can be moved outs
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