Sphyrospermum sp.

Long pendant stems hang 6 feet or more with thumbnail sized leaves and pea-sized blue fruits after flowering.

Spigelia marilandica

Spigelia marilandica can be grown from seed and does well in cultivation if given moist conditions and partial shade. The plant contains alkaloids and calcium oxalate crystals and was used traditionally as a parasite remedy.

Spiraea japonica

Spiraea japonica is a dense, upright, mounded, deciduous shrub that typically grows 4-6' tall with a slightly larger spread. Leaves are oval and sharply-toothed. Tiny pink flowers in flat-topped clusters.

A common habitat for Spiraea japonica in general seems to be in riparian areas, bogs, or other wetland habitats. It is found growing along streams, rivers, forest edges, roadsides, successional fields, and power line right-of-ways. It prefers lots of water during the growing season; however, it cannot tolerate saturated soils for extended periods of time.

It is naturally variable in form and there are many varieties of it in the horticulture trade.

Spiraea sp.

This genus consists of 80 species of deciduous or semi-evergreen shrubs, mostly from Europe, Asia and North America to Mexico.

Spireas are adaptable plants that thrive under most garden condition in temperate climates.

Spiranthes odorata

It features small, very fragrant, hooded, white flowers densely arranged in vertical, slightly spiral-like rows on spikes.

Moist meadows, moist woodland gardens, moist wooded slopes or edges of ponds, streams or water gardens. A classic bog plant.

Spondias dulcis, Spondias cytherea

This exciting fruit tree plant will amaze you with its ability to flower and fruit at a young age. It fruits in winter and holds the fruit up to 6-8 months, long after the leaves have dropped. The fruit appears in pairs and will turn a brushed-golden color as it ripens. Its feel and juiciness resembles that of a mango but with completely different flavor. The Golden apple is used both in sweet and savory dishes depending on its ripeness. When green, the fruit is commonly eaten as is (with or without skin just like green mangoes) with salt and other salty/spicy dips, made into salsas, chutneys, and into juices and smoothies. When fully ripe, the Golden Apple will be deep yellowish-orange in color. When yellow, the fruit is eaten just like an apple or stewed with sugar to make an applesauce-like dessert.

The fruit has a single sharp, rather large, spiny seed. Young leaves can be used in salad.

Very prolific, it can fruit itself to death. May lose its leaves in winter. Dwarf variety has become popular for limited spaces

See VIDEO: Ambarella - Delicious June Plum.

Spondias mombin, Spondias purpurea var. lutea

Mombin is fast growing, spreading tree with thick branches. Compound leaves to 15. Showy, fragrant flowers appear from dormant, leafless branches in red, purple or yellow indicating the color of the fruit to come. Fruit oval to round, 1 - 2 1/2. This is heavy producing tree. The pleasant smell of the fruit can be noted many feet away. The 1 to 2 inch long oval or oblong fruits have a fairly large sigle seed. The skin is waxy and thin and the juicy flesh is aromatic with a plum-like flavor that is acid to subacid. The fruit can be eaten fresh or stewed with sugar as a dessert or can be used to make a very good jam or pickled green in East Indian cooking. Mombin butter, using an apple butter recipe, is exceptionally tasty. The tree is deciduous, fast growing, and may produce fruit before leafing out in the spring. The young leaves can be eaten cooked but they have a sour flavor. The tree grows well in a wide variety of soils. They can be propagated easily by putting large cuttings in the ground and they make a good living fence. It bears May through July.

Spondias purpurea

Mombin is fast growing, spreading tree with thick branches. Compound leaves to 15. Showy, fragrant flowers appear from dormant, leafless branches in red, purple or yellow indicating the color of the fruit to come. Fruit oval to round, 1 - 2 1/2. This is heavy producing tree. The pleasant smell of the fruit can be noted many feet away. The 1 to 2 inch long oval or oblong fruits have a fairly large sigle seed. The skin is waxy and thin and the juicy flesh is aromatic with a plum-like flavor that is acid to subacid. The fruit can be eaten fresh or stewed with sugar as a dessert or can be used to make a very good jam or pickled green in East Indian cooking. Mombin butter, using an apple butter recipe, is exceptionally tasty. The tree is deciduous, fast growing, and may produce fruit before leafing out in the spring. The young leaves can be eaten cooked but they have a sour flavor. The tree grows well in a wide variety of soils. They can be propagated easily by putting large cuttings in the ground and they make a good living fence. It bears May through July.

Spondias tuberosa, Spondias cirouella

Spondias tuberosa Arruda, is a low-branching tree to 13 or 16 ft (4-5 m) high, spreading to a width of 30 ft (9 m). It has a shallow system of soft, tuberous roots called cunca, which store much water. The fruit, borne in great abundance, exhibits minor seedling variations; is usually more or less oval, with greenish-yellow, fairly thick, tough skin and tender, melting pulp, acid unripe, sweet when ripe, and adherent to the single stone.

The tree thrives in very dry soil, gravelly loam, sandy or partly clay, throughout much of subtropical, semi-arid northeastern Brazil. It is rarely cultivated. It is a much-appreciated, bountiful, wild food resource of rural people. The fruits are gathered from the ground and sold in village markets. They are eaten out-of-hand, or the juice is blended with boiled milk and sugar, or made into ice cream or jelly. The roots have been consumed in emergency and they readily yield potable water.

Sprekelia formosissima

The brilliant scarlet or crimson flowers are bilaterally symmetrical, like an orchid.