Common Name:  Mango, King of Fruits. Latin Name:  Mangifera indica. Origin:  India. Description (what it looks like):  An evergreen tree with a broad thick canopy, grown for its delicious fruit.  A slow growing, large tropical tree, growing up to 24m high and 24m wide.  It can be pruned and kept to a manageable height for a suburban backyard (ideally 4m

Common Name:  Mexican Tarragon, Sweet Mace, Winter Tarragon, Cloud Plant, Sweet Marigold. Latin Name:  Tagetes lucida. Origin:  Mexico. Description (what it looks like):  An easy to grow herbaceous perennial.  Grows to 70cm and produces a cluster of erect stems with linear leaves that are 4cm long and 1cm wide.  The bright golden yellow flowers, 1cm across, occur in clusters of

Common Name:  Moringa, Horseradish Tree, Drumstick Tree, Ben Tree, Miracle Tree, Tree of Life. Latin Name:  Moringa oleifera. Origin:  India. Description (what it looks like):  A fast-growing, semi-deciduous tree up to 10m high, spreading to 3m wide with drooping branches  The stems are soft wood and cork like bark.  The leaves are fern-like and delicate, up to 50cm long.  Flowers

Common Name:  Mulberry, Black Mulberry. Latin Name:  Morus nigra. Origin:  Asia. Description (what it looks like):  A fast growing, attractive, domed, deciduous tree, with pendulous, smaller branches and veined, green leaves with downy undersides.  Tree can grow to 10m high and 10m wide.  Fruits are cylindrical, rubbery fruits of red, purple and black. Uses (function):  By closely planting mulberries and

Common Name:  Mushroom Plant, Acanth Spinach, Shombay, Moku, Tani, Aimbe, Kenkaba. Latin Name:  Rungia klossii. Origin:  Papua New Guinea. Description (what it looks like):  A low-growing, perennial clumping plant, up to 1 metre in height, with glossy oval shaped dark green leaves that taste similar to mushrooms.  Leaves grow up to 8cm long and form slightly crinkled.  Some leaves form

Common Name:  Okinawa Spinach, Hong tsoi, Okinawa lettuce, Cholesterol spinach. Latin Name:  Gynura crepioides. Origin:  Indonesia. Description (what it looks like):  A dense, low growing plant to 70cm high.  The top of the leaves are dark green and the undersides are purple.  The flowers are very small and orange.  One of the easiest, low-maintenance, perennial, leafy green vegetables to grow. 

Common Name:  Papaya, Paw Paw. Latin Name:  Papaya carica. Origin:  Tropics of the Americas, now widespread in the tropics. Description (what it looks like):  A large, tree-like plant, with a single stem growing from 5-10m tall, with leaves confined to the top of the trunk.  Known to branch out if the top is cut and covered with a bucket.  Stems

Common Name:  Passion Fruit, Granadilla, Purple Granadilla, Yellow Passion Fruit. Latin Name:  Passiflora edulis. Origin:  South America. Description (what it looks like):  A shallow-rooted, woody, perennial vine, climbing by means of tendrils; little curly spring-like things.  Passion fruit are vigorous growing to a height between 2-5 metres, provided there is a suitable trellis to support its growth.  Leaves have 3

Common Name:  Peanut Butter Fruit. Latin Name:  Bunchosia argentea. Origin:  South America. Description (what it looks like):  A perennial, evergreen shrub or small tree up to 5m high, often with multiple trunks.  Leaves are simple, opposite, ovate, up to 15cm long and 8cm wide with a wavy margin, forming a very ornamental canopy.  Clusters of yellow flowers form in spring. 

Common Name:  Pigeon Pea, Congo Pea, Red Gram, Yellow Dahl. Latin Name:  Cajanus cajan. Origin:  Asia and Africa. Description (what it looks like):  A legume, wood shrub or small tree, 1–4 m tall with a deep taproot to 2m.  Young stems are angled and pubescent.  Flowers usually yellow, with purple or red streaks or plain red with oval to round

Common Name:  Pinto Peanut, Amarillo Peanut. Latin Name:  Arachis pintoi. Origin:  Brazil. Description (what it looks like):  Not edible.  Pinto Peanut is a low growing, creeping, perennial legume that forms a thick mat 20-30cm deep.  It is strongly tap-rooted and has many secondary nodulated roots.  The leaves are emerald green and the flowers are bright yellow, resembling small orchids.  Once

Common Name:  Pomegranate. Latin Name:  Punica granatum. Origin:  Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa, Afghanistan and Iran. Description (what it looks like):  A small deciduous tree growing to about 8m.  In late spring to summer single scarlet/orange flowers with crepe-like petals appear.  The fruit develops from late summer to early winter.  The fruit start small (in the shape of crowns) and grow