Get to know 20 plants selected from Rwanda. Discover their scientific names, identifying features and growing needs.
Phaseolus vulgaris
The wild common bean from which a vast number of edible beans have been bred, including all the 'French' beans. They are annual, twining climbers with green tri-foliate leaves, though many selected varieties are dwarf. The flowers are mostl
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Spathiphyllum wallisii
S. wallisii is an evergreen perennial with erect, lance-shaped, glossy dark green leaves, and ovate white flowering spathes to 15cm in length, each with a slender cream spadix within
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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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Lantana camara
L. camara is an evergreen shrub with sometimes prickly stems bearing wrinkled, ovate leaves and terminal clusters of salver-shaped flowers 1cm across, opening yellow and ageing to red, from late spring to autumn
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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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Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
A compact evergreen shrub with ovate to broadly lance-shaped glossy dark green leaves. Single 5-petalled flowers 10cm across with yellow anthered red stamens are produced from the leaf axils from summer to autumn, though in cultivation semi
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Schefflera arboricola
Schefflera arboricola, commonly known as the Dwarf Umbrella Tree, is an evergreen shrub native to Taiwan. It features palmate compound leaves typically composed of 7-9 leaflets, glossy and leathery. The plant has a compact, bushy habit with
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Opuntia ficus-indica
A bushy, tree-like cactus with divided, spiny, flat, oblong or elliptic grey to green stems. Bowl-shaped yellow or orange flowers are produced from spring until summer, followed by purple, orange or red fruit
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Phoenix roebelenii
P. roebelenii is a dwarf palm with a slender trunk, occasionally clustered, bearing pinnately-divided leaves to 1m in length; panicles of small yellow flowers may be followed by small edible black fruit
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Tradescantia spathacea
An evergreen perennial to 30cm, forming a clump of rosettes of narrowly lance-shaped, dark green leaves, deep purple beneath, to 30cm in length; axillary clusters of small white flowers with leaf-like purple bracts
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Portulaca grandiflora
A spreading annual, with prostrate to ascending reddish stems and small, linear, fleshy green leaves. Single or double flowers that open in the sun are produced in summer, in bright shades of red, pink, yellow or white
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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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Begonia rex
R. rex is an evergreen perennial to 30cm, with large, obliquely ovate leaves which are metallic green with a silvery zone on the upper surface, reddish beneath; panicles of small pink flowers in winter
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Cattleya labiata
An evergreen, epiphytic orchid with elongated, upright, club-shaped stems (pseudobulbs). Each stem is covered with thin, papery sheaths and carrying one large, firm leaf, up to 30cm long and 4-5cm wide. The leaves are oblong, leathery, mid-
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Tagetes minuta
A tall, upright, half-hardy annual to 1.5m high with deeply-divided, aromatic foliage and heads of small white flowers with yellow centres. Often grown for its reputed ability to repel nematodes and kill weeds by means of root secretions ra
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Amaranthus hybridus
An annual plant with an upright growth habit and flower spikes. Green stems, leaves and flowers can be tinged with red colouring. Flowers are produced in summer and autumn. Seeds provide food for birds
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Polyscias guilfoylei
A tender, evergreen shrub with pinnate leaves composed of rounded, irregularly-margined, glossy dark green leaflets. Grow in a warm conservatory or as a houseplant
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Oxalis corniculata
A ground-hugging perennial with branched, creeping stems, small, clover-like leaves, varying from bright mid-green to dark red-purple. Small, yellow, five-petalled flowers are followed by upright, five-ribbed seed pods
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Podocarpus macrophyllus
Podocarpus macrophyllus is an evergreen conifer with narrow, leathery, dark green leaves that resemble yew. It develops a dense, upright to columnar habit, often branching from the base. Male cones are catkin-like, while female trees produc
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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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