HERBS, SPICES, & PLANTS WITH AROMATIC LEAVES

This is a very valuable edible used as a vegetable, with many medicinal properties. One of them is amazing affect on diabetes, people who regularly use this vegetable in their diet claim they were able to get rid of this illness. Stir fry or saute with some onions, garlic, etc.
Prickly Pear is fast-growing desert plant with showy bright red flowers. Drought tolerant, but also doesn't mind Florida rains. It will grow in neglect and pretty much any conditions. Perfect for easy landscaping.

Root Beer Plant, Acuyo, False Kava-Kava. Close relative of Piper methysticum (Kava-Kava), and Piper nigrum (Black Pepper), this herb originated from Tropical America and grows also in the South Pacific. Large-leaved perennial, known for its leaves, which are used for their spicy aromatic scent and flavor, some liken to root beer, others to anise-clove. This species is easily identified by its huge leaves which can grow over a foot long in older specimens. The leaves are chopped and used for flavoring, as well as used whole, as wrappings for meats, tamales, etc. P. auritum is very often confused with Piper methysticum (Kava-Kava), and probably has some similar effects.
See Article about this plant.

Betel leaf - very popular Indian spice with medicinal properties. Great for wrapping food (similar to grape leaves). See Article about this plant.

Chaa-plu, Vietnamese Pepper, Lalot,Wild Betel. Eaten raw in salads or cooked with other greens or dishes, or wrap meats and cook in oven or on stove or grill. It is used medicinally in India and South China as well as Indonesia for feverish diseases, for digestive disorders, and toothache, to treat pain in the bones. When the root is chewed with betel nut, it is said to be helpful for the treatment of coughs and asthma. The leaves are used as food (food wraps) in Vietnam.
See Video and Article about this plant.

Camphor plant - previously called as Ocimum kilimanscharicum. Wonderful scent! Very rare herb great for ground cover, xeriscape or rock garden, needs no care, grows fast, very drought tolerant. Plant it along walkway and enjoy pleasant scent as you walk by or brush on it.

Patchouli, Pucha-pat - fragrant herb yielding a volatile oil by distillation. It is used in coarser perfumes and in 'White Rose' and 'Oriental' toilet soaps. Sachets are made of the coarsely-powdered leaves. Often grown in Indian gardens for home use.

Elephant's Food, Elephant Bush, Baby Jade. This interesting plant can be used as an indoor bonsai where sunlight or strong artificial light is sufficiently available. The common names derive from the succulent nature of the plant's leaves and stout trunk. The diameter of the trunk can grow to 9" or more.
In Africa, it is a favorite food for both Elephants and Rhinoceros, and is grown in farms for feeding both animals and people. The foliage when eaten raw, steamed, lightly boiled, or especially stir-fried, is not only delicious but actually very nutritious, containing more beneficial Beta 3 fatty acids than most fish.
Read interesting Article about this plant.

Ruda, Herb of Grace, Garden Rue. It is a small evergreen bush with flat bluish-green aromatic leaves and small yellow or greenish flowers that bloom in late summer. Rue fragrance is strong, characteristically aromatic and sweet; it cannot be compared with any other spice. Used in many cultures as medicinal herb.

Variegated variety of Katuk, Tropical Asparagus. Delicious young shoots! It is one of the most popular leaf vegetables in South Asia and Southeast Asia and is notable for high yields and palatability. The shoot tips have been sold as tropical asparagus. In Vietnam, people cook it with crab meat, minced pork or dried shrimp to make soup. In Malaysia, it is commonly stir-fried with egg and dried achovies. It is among only a few flora containing vitamin K.
See Article about this plant..

Katuk, Tropical Asparagus. Delicious young shoots! It is one of the most popular leaf vegetables in South Asia and Southeast Asia and is notable for high yields and palatability. The shoot tips have been sold as tropical asparagus. In Vietnam, people cook it with crab meat, minced pork or dried shrimp to make soup. In Malaysia, it is commonly stir-fried with egg and dried achovies. It is among only a few flora containing vitamin K.
See Article about this plant.

Hummingbird Tree - flowers resembling little birds. The tender leaves, green fruit, and flowers are eaten alone as a vegetable or mixed into curries or salads. Flowers may be dipped in batter and fried in butter. During winter, the tree may lose leaves.

Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean, French Vanilla, Vanilla Orchid. Make your own vanilla! Fast growing, providing right conditions for orchids. Bright filtered light, high humidity.
Watch video: How to produce my own Vanilla? Secrets of Vanilla pollination.

Vanilla Tahitensis is a cross between Vanilla planifolia and Vanilla odorata. These vanilla beans are generally shorter, however they contain a much higher oil and water content than Vanilla planifolia.
Fast growing, providing right conditions for orchids. Bright filtered light, high humidity.
Vanilla Bean, French Vanilla, Vanilla Orchid. Make your own vanilla!
Watch video: How to produce my own Vanilla? Secrets of Vanilla pollination.

Very rare, collectible species! This plant propagated at TopTropicals nursery from Robert Riefer's unique specimen, the biggest potted specimen in the World grown in 100 gal pot, originated in 1927, awarded in 2011 with CHM certificate of Horticultural Merit by American Orchid Society. Leafless Vanilla Orchid is amazing exotic vanilla that forms a multi-branched, leafless vine reaching lengths up to 15 ft. The light green flowers are similar to Vanilla barbellata but the petals and sepals are longer and the fluted lip is a deep reddish-purple with a yellow crest. Vanilla dilloniana is distributed throughout the West Indies and had been reported on the banks of the Miami River in South Florida.
Vanilla dilloniana is a very rare species and considered vulnerable, endangered across its range. Pieces of plants from the original colony have been shared and may be found in local collections.
See the Video of the original specimen.

Burma Ironwood, Pyinkado, Jambu. This handsome tree from Vietnam is very conspicuous in the flowering season owing to its bright yellow flowers. X. xylocarpa produces hardwood, and in Vietnam it is classified as an ironwood with its name referring to use in traditional cart making. The seeds of this tree are edible. This tree is considered a medicinal plant in India.

Cardamom is a principal ingredient in curry powders, and is used to flavor confectioneries, liqueurs and chewing gums. This South Indian perennial is popularly grown for use in Indian and Asian Cuisine. The seeds are dried (and often crushed) for adding unique flavor to meals and curries. This plant is cold sensitive, requires moist soil and will grow best in a shady warm location. Cardamom makes an attractive addition to the subZingiber tropical landscape.

Heat Pack (Shipping Warmer) maintains warm temperature while plants are in transit for up to 72-96 hours (depending on outside temperature). Heat Pack is a must if temperature drops below 40F in your area. Large orders require 2-3 packs. When ordering large 3-7 gal size plants (especially sensitive ultra-tropical plants), you may need 1 pack per plant. Contact us for more information and advise on particular species.
Without heat pack, your order shipping may be postponed until weather permitting.

The famous Neem tree from India - used cosmetically and medicinally by many cultures for centuries, also offers an environmentally safe alternative to synthetic pesticides. Used for thousands of years in medicine, farming, and daily life.
Almost every part of the tree is useful: leaves brewed as tea or applied to skin, twigs chewed as toothbrushes, seeds pressed into neem oil for garden pest control, and ripe fruit eaten fresh. In India, Neem is planted for shade, clean air, and natural insect protection.
Easy to grow in hot, dry conditions with little care. Drought tolerant, fast-growing, and evergreen, Neem is a practical tree for tropical and subtropical gardens.
Learn more: Neem - Free Tree of India.

Lemon Bay Rum Tree, Citrus Bay - all plant parts have strong lemon scent, very pleasant and relaxing. One of the rarest plants, cuttings are hard to root.
Bay Rum is a small sized tree related to the Allspice, with leaves containing and aromatic oil that somewhat resembles clove oil. This essential oil is distilled from the leaves and is used in perfumes. A type of cologne named 'Bay Rum' was historically made in the early 20th century by distilling the oil using rum and water, hence the common name of the plant. Leaves of can be used in cooking and tea. For generations, Bay Rum has been used in folk medicine. This spice scent will be with you right away and will stay all the time, don't have to wait till bloom or fruit...

Tea plant. Yes, tea comes from a camellia! Small evergreen tree, usually pruned back to shrubs in cultivation. Interesting white flowers with golden stamens in fall and winter. Tea is the second most commonly drank liquid on earth after water. It has numerous medicinal benefits mainly due to its antibacterial and antioxidant properties.

See instructions how to make tea

An exceptionally distinct pepper, it is likely an ancient hybrid of Capsicum annuum (bird pepper) and Capsicum chinense (habanero group).
While of small size (something around an inch or so long), these oddly shaped bright orange to finally red fruits are prolifically produced along the branches of compact plants with small leaves.
What separates this variety from others is its unique flavor which packs quite a bang! Not because of its heat (because our strain has either no heat what-so-ever, or so little it is hard to even detect), but because of its intense fruity habanero flavor.
If one who knows that distinct habanero super fruit flavor (which is then normally followed by the heat blast), then tries a biquinho pepper, the flavor is so distinctly habanero that when the heat blast doesn

Wiri Wiri Pepper. A variety from Guyana, the Wiri Wiri pepper is the illustrious gem; hard sought and rarely found. This plant produces good yields of small 1/2" berry shaped hot peppers. Peppers grow upright, are very hot, and turn from green, to orange, to red when mature.
What makes it so much different than any other hot pepper grown in the garden or bought at the store?
Hot? Yes, it is important that hot peppers are, but the people who really know, know that it is not just about heat, it is about flavor! And that is exactly what makes this little red gem so special. Guyanese dinners will only take one of those meals for you to never forget! The secret of their food is the flavor, and one of the cornerstone ingredients in many of their dishes is the Wiri pepper. The Guyanese population claim that it is not just a key ingredient to their diet, but also to why they are so good looking, live so long, and have such great skin.

Cinnamon is a very popular culinary spice and is also used in candy, gum, incense, toothpaste and perfumes. The oil is used in medicine as a carminative, antiseptic and astringent and source of cinnamon extract. Leaves are very fragrant and used as tea.
Read more about Cinnamon.

Peacock Fern is a rare collectible, valued for its habit of producing bulbils along its fronds which then develop into cute young plants right on the stem! Lush, green fern that thrives in the moist, shaded understory of forests. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.