Flowering plants, shrubs and trees provide the environment with much needed oxygen and fight soil erosion. They also provide food and shelter for many animals, as well as contribute to the fertility of soil with their dead leaves and flowers.
Plants that eat other creatures? It sounds like a genetic experiment gone awry. But there's actually nothing unnatural about it; carnivorous plants have been around for thousands of years. Find out all about the Venus Flytrap. See more »
Lotus, the common name of several species of water lilies. Lotuses are often grown for their fragrant, showy flowers.
See more »Love-in-a-mist, or Devil-in-the-bush, an annual plant native to the Mediterranean region.
See more »Lunaria, a group of plants related to the cabbage. Two European species are grown in gardens and have become naturalized in North America.
See more »Lungwort, a general term for plants that were folk remedies for diseases of the lungs.
See more »Madder, a perennial herb native to the warmer parts of Europe and Asia. Common madder is a spreading plant about four feet (1.2 m) high.
See more »Madeira Vine, or Mignonette Vine, a tropical American perennial sometimes grown as an ornamental plant.
See more »Madroña,an ornamental evergreen tree or shrub of the North American Pacific Coast.
See more »Magnolia, the common name of a family of plants and of a genus of this family. The family is made up of 12 genera and about 230 species, most of which are trees and shrubs.
See more »Mahogany, the name applied to several tropical hardwood trees. The typical mahogany tree is an evergreen that reaches a height of 100 feet (30 m) and has a trunk measuring 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 m) in diameter at the base.
See more »Maidenhair Fern, a genus of ferns, mostly tropical. The common species of temperate North America is a perennial 12 to 18 inches (30-45 cm) high.
See more »Mallow, a family of herbs. The name is applied particularly to plants of this family belonging to the genus Malva.
See more »Manchineel, a poisonous tree of tropical America. The tree grows from 20 to 40 feet (6 to 12 m) high.
See more »Mandrake, the name of several perennial herbs of Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America.
See more »Mangosteen, a tropical fruit tree of southeastern Asia and Indonesia. The tree grows about 30 feet (9 m) tall.
See more »Mangrove, a tropical evergreen tree or shrub. The mangrove grows along the seashore and the edges of tidal marshes and rivers.
See more »Manila, or Manila Hemp, a commercial fiber obtained from the abaca plant. Manila is used for rope, marine cable, twine, and coarse cloth.
See more »Manzanita, an evergreen tree or shrub of the North American Pacific coast. The common manzanita of California and Oregon may grow 30 feet (9 m) high.
See more »Maple, a hardwood tree valued for shade, ornament, lumber, and sugar. The maple is distantly related to the buckeye and horse chestnut.
See more »Marguerite, a popular name for several flowers that resemble daisies. The common marguerite, or Paris daisy, is native to the Canary Islands.
See more »Marigold, a name given to several yellow, orange, or reddish flowers. The two common species are the annual African and French marigolds; despite their names, both are native to Mexico.
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