Herbs, Spices, and plants with Aromatic Leaves

Auntie Lilli's South Sea Salad Bele Tree, known by the Latin name of Abelmoschus manihot, isn't a tree at all. It is in the botanical family Malvaceae, same as okra and the woody-stemmed hibiscus. It may have the growth of a shrubby tree due to its tropical nature, as it is native to tropical portions of Asia and also northern Queensland and can grow up to 9 feet tall when given the right conditions.
The South Sea Salad Tree has been a traditional green vegetable in Fiji for some time. It is grown as an tender ornamental perennial in Hardiness Zones 8-10. It does have a beautiful flower, but lesser known is the fact that both its flowers and leaves are delicious as well as nutritious! The laves are high in Vitamins A and C and Iron, and have 12% protein by dry weight. Leaves and flowers can be eaten raw in salads, and the leaves can also be lightly cooked similarly to spinach. Delicious, nutritious and a beautiful flower - talk about a perfect edible plant for tropical/subtropical landscapes and temperate annual gardens and patios.

Allspice, Jamaica Pepper, pimento tree. Leaves and bark also contain the allspice scent. Excellent container plant for indoor or greenhouse culture. This spice scent will be with you right away and will stay all the time, don't have to wait till bloom or fruit...
This plant has antimicrobial properties.

Bixa orellana, the enchanting Lipstick Tree, brings a splash of South American magic to any garden with its bold, heart-shaped leaves and charming pink blooms. But the real showstopper? Its vibrant seed pods brimming with annatto - a natural pigment famed for painting dishes with rich golden hues and spicing up kitchens worldwide. Annatto isn't just a culinary delight; it's a beauty secret too, adding natural, radiant color to lipsticks and cosmetics. Beyond its practical uses, Bixa makes a striking hedge or screen, adding both beauty and function. This tree is your garden's ticket to tropical flair and everyday usefulness! In culinary arts, annatto serves as a popular spice in Latin American, Caribbean, and Filipino cuisines, adding a mild, slightly peppery flavor and a rich yellow-orange color to dishes like rice and stews.

Bay Rum Tree. This 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...

Black pepper. Grow your own spice! Pepper is cultivated since millennia. While black and white pepper were already known in antiquity, but green pepper (and even more, red pepper) is a recent invention. Black pepper, grown in Southern India since more than two thousand years, has always been much valued all over the world. Pungent and aromatic. The pungency is strongest in white pepper and weakest in green pepper, while black and green pepper are more aromatic than the white one. Moderate growing vine that can be grown on a trellis. Prefers shade to semi-shade.
See Article about this plant.

Chinese ginger, Fingerroot. Boesenbergia rotunda is a medicinal and culinary herb from China and Southeast Asia. It is widely used in Javanese cuisine in Indonesia. In Thai cooking it is called krachai. In the west it is usually found pickled or frozen. Kra Chai is used as an antiflatulent, expels air and nurtures strength. Used as a male tonic, vigor, health promotion, longevity, aphrodisiac.

This Pigeon Pea variety called Fuerte (meaning "strong"), was brought to Florida by a family from Holguin, Cuba, several decades ago. There, it is considered to be be the finest of many cultivars which are widely cultivated.
True to its name, it is the largest, strongest, most long lived, and most productive variety we have trialed. Also, it regularly produces pods with more and larger beans than any other. This is a vastly improved variety, and likely one of the documented polyploid cultivars. Highly recommended!
Pigeon Pea is popular food in developing tropical countries. Nutritious and wholesome, the green seeds (and pods) serve as a vegetable. Pigeon Pea is hardy, widely adaptable, and more tolerant of drought and high temperatures than most other crops.
See Article about this plant: Cajanus cajan - Pigeon Pea. The plant that saw paws of the newborn Great Sphinx....

European Holistic Medicinal Plant. Callisia fragrans is a low growing plant that has waxy leaves that have a slight purplish color underneath, reminding maize with alternating placement on its stem. Green leaves that will turn purplish at the edges when placed in strong light. It has small, white fragrant flowers arranged in clusters of three. This is a good groundcover for mild, moderately dry climates, as well as a nice container or hanging basket plant. With a good care Callissia fragrans can reach more than 3 feet high as an indoor plant. In this case you need to make a support to it that the plant wouldn't broken under its own weight.
It is not only a decoration plant, it has wide medicinal use in Europe. Active biological substances that are in Callissia fragrans can struggle with any types of infections, stimulate metabolic processes, strengthen immunity and circulatory system, has positive influence on growths. Substances from steroid group contained in Callissia fragrans give it these wonderful possibilities.