
1. Barbados aloe
Aloe vera
An evergreen perennial to 0.6m, forming rosettes of fleshy, narrow, dull green leaves with spiny margins, with long racemes of tubular greenish-yellow flowers 3cm in length in racemes to 90cm in length
Learn more →Get to know 20 plants selected from Oman. Discover their scientific names, identifying features and growing needs.

Aloe vera
An evergreen perennial to 0.6m, forming rosettes of fleshy, narrow, dull green leaves with spiny margins, with long racemes of tubular greenish-yellow flowers 3cm in length in racemes to 90cm in length
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Jasminum sambac
J. sambac is a twining or scrambling evergreen shrub with glossy simple leaves and clusters of very fragrant white flowers 2.5cm across, in summer and sporadically at other times
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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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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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Ficus carica
A large shrub or small, spreading tree to around 3m tall and 4m wide with rounded, lobed leaves. Insignificant flowers are followed by edible fruit that ripen to shades of green and purple. Many cultivated varieties of fig have been develop
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Capsicum annuum
This is the wild plant from which many of our cultivated sweet peppers and chillies have been bred. It shows a wide range of fruit shapes, colours, sizes and degree of capsaicin production - from where the heat may or may not be felt. It ha
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Medicago sativa
Also known as 'alfalfa'or 'purple medic' this herbaceous perennial legume with a deep tap-root and clover-like green foliage produces small purple flowers in the summer followed by flat pea-like fruits. Used in many countries as animal foo
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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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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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Olea europaea
Has a rugged, much-branched habit and slow growth, eventually 4.5-9m. Leaves are narrowly obovate or oval, to 7.5cm long, leathery, silvery beneath. Very small white flowers are borne in axillary racemes to 5cm long. Many cultivated varieti
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Sonchus oleraceus
An upright biennial to 1.5m, with a strong taproot, hollow stems, long, narrow, lobed, wavy leaves edged with soft spines. Clusters of yellow, dandelion-like flowers in summer are followed by fluffy, white seedheads
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Epipremnum aureum
An evergreen self-clinging climber to 4m or more, with glossy bright green ovate leaves spotted and streaked with cream or yellow; green flowering spathes appear only rarely in cultivation
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Nerium oleander
N. oleander is an evergreen shrub with narrowly lance-shaped grey-green leaves and terminal clusters of salver-shaped, pink, white or red flowers 3-4cm across, in summer
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Cucumis melo
A wild species of melon from which all other cultivars have been bred. It's a deciduous annual, spreading, twining plant to 1.5 m long, with large, soflty-haired leaves and unbranching tendrils. It produces yellow separate male and female f
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Phoenix dactylifera
A tall, tender palm with elegant, arching leaves composed of many linear, grey-green leaflets. In its native environments it produces 1-2m long flower spikes from the crown of the tree; these are followed by sweet, edible fruits (dates)
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Punica granatum
P. granatum is a rounded shrub with glossy, narrowly oblong leaves, bronze in spring, and funnel-shaped bright scarlet flowers 3-4cm across in summer, sometimes followed by spherical, reddish-brown fruits up to 12cm across
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Vitex agnus-castus
A deciduous shrub, reaching up to 2.5m, with pleasingly aromatic foliage. This is a distinctive shape with 5-7 splayed leaflets. Upright panicles of fragrant, lavender flowers are borne in autumn
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Alcea rosea
A robust biennial or short-lived perennial to 2m or more, with shallowly lobed, rounded leaves and long erect racemes of open funnel-shaped flowers to 10cm across, which may be pink, purple, red, white or yellow
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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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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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