TopTropicals Plant Catalog

This catalog is for information only. If you don't see the price - the plant is not for sale.

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Widely used in Thai (Tom Yum Gum soup) and Vietnamese cooking. Lemon grass is a perennial, which means once you plant it, the grass comes back year after year. Depending on the area you live in the plant will go dormant in the winter. In harsh climates the plant will need to be potted and wintered indoors. This aromatic herb is used in Caribbean and many types of Asian cooking and has become very popular in the United States. Most of the commercial crops for the United States are grown in California and Florida. Lemon grass is also used for medicinal purposes. This fragrant grass is a versatile performer in the kitchen where it can be used in teas, beverages, herbal medicines, and Eastern inspired soups and other dishes. Lemongrass is equally versatile in the garden. This tropical grass grows in dense clumps that can grow to 6 ft (1.8 m) in height and about 4 ft (1.2 m) in width. The straplike leaves are 0.5-1 in (1.3-2.5 cm) wide, about 3 ft (0.9 m) long, and have gracefully drooping tips. The evergreen leaves are bright bluish-green and release a citrus aroma when crushed. It is the leaves that are used as flavoring and in medicine. They are steam distilled to extract lemongrass oil, an old standby in the the perfumer's palette of scents. The lemongrass plants that you are likely to encounter are cultivars and do not typically produce flowers. Gardeners in subtropical areas will enjoy using lemongrass in beds and borders. It also does well in tubs and containers. It is especially nice along walkways where plants release fragrance when brushed against by passersby. If you live in a frosty area, you can enjoy it as an annual. You can also pot it up for the winter and keep it in a brightly lit area indoors. Lemongrass has been used for centuries as the source of an aromatic oil that is used in perfumery, flavorings and herbal medicine. Keep some around the house to add a lemony snap to ice tea and interest to your stir fries. To harvest, dig up a clump, separate the sections, cut off the roots and tops keeping about 6 in (15 cm) of the light colored base. Natural way or controlling mosquitoes and other pests - try some near your patio. Good for dogs and gives them fresh breath.

It is grown commercially in Sri Lanka, India, Burma, Indonesia and Java. Its graceful arching leaves and overall vertical form provide subtle opposition when planted near bushy or rounded shrubs and flowers. Citronella is clump-forming tropical grass, the clump increases in size as the plant matures. Plant it along a walkway or near the porch where its fragrance can be appreciated. The plant is the source of the commercial citronella oil, used in perfumery and as an insect repellent. Inexpensive soaps sold in Asian markets are scented with citronella oil. Citronella oil can be mixed with other vegetable oils and used in massage or rubbed on the skin for an insect repellent. The essential oils extracted from citronella grass are much used in aroma therapy as a stimulant when inhaled or rubbed on the skin, and an antiseptic that can be used to sterilize food preparation surfaces. It is reported that citronella oil repels cats. Inhaling the essential oils of citronella may increase heart rate in some people. Rhizome is used medicinally as a treatment for leukorrhea.

Cardamom makes an attractive addition to the subtropical landscape.

Cardamom is a principal ingredient in curry powders, and is used to flavor confectioneries, liqueurs and chewing gums.

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A hardy southern European annual, grown since the sixteenth century, with smooth, glossy, lyrate leaves and pale citron-yellow flowers. It can be eaten young and tender in salads or mixed into pasta and rice dishes. It is used as a leaf vegetable, which looks like a longer leaved and open lettuce. It is rich in vitamin C and potassium. It has been grown in the Mediterranean area since Roman times, and is considered an aphrodisiac. In addition to the leaves, the flowers (often used in salads as an edible garnish), young seed pods and mature seeds are all edible. It is now cultivated in various places, especially in Veneto, Italy, but is available throughout the world. In India, the mature seeds are known as Gargeer. It has a rich, peppery taste, and has an exceptionally strong flavor for a leafy green. It is generally used in salads but also cooked as a vegetable or used raw with pasta or meats in northern Italy and in coastal Slovenia. On the island of Ischia in the Gulf of Naples, a digestive alcohol called rucolino is made from the plant, a drink often enjoyed in small quantities following a meal.

Fitweed is an annual tropical herb, indigenous to the Amazon rainforest and other tropical areas of the Americas. It grows best under moist, shaded conditions near cultivated areas. Culantro or long coriander as it is called, is often mistaken for its relative, coriander (cilantro). Fitweed is a herb with a pungent odor; the leaves have toothed margins and they grow in a basal rosette pattern. Culantro is rich in iron, carotene, riboflavin and calcium. This plant is widely used as food flavoring and seasoning herb for dishes and chutney in the Caribbean; it is popular in Asia for food use. Culantro has also applications in herbal medicine: as a tea for diarrhea, flu, fevers, vomiting, diabetes and constipation. Propagation: seeds. Grown in shady and moist spots, well drained soil. Can be planted in pots for indoor use in the cooler zones.