Plant Database Search Page:

Edible, Medicinal and other uses of over 7,000 plants

Search for name: Common or botanical Name or Family. You can use a fragment of a name if you are unsure of the spelling.

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> Common names: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z

> Family ( shows classification of plants into division, order, families, etc.)

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> Edible Uses (full list and description of edible uses)

> Medicinal Uses (full list and description of medicinal uses

> Other Uses (fibre, wood, etc)

Search for word: Search by Use & Properties Select any of the keywords below to locate plants with this property. Select the 'HELP' link below the column to get more information on the keywords used and further database links. Select the 'Help with these terms' link to see a helpful reference list of keywords while selecting. ** Less is more! The fewer conditions specified the more plant will be returned. Less is more! The fewer conditions specified the more plant will be returned. Help with these terms Edible Rating 1 Minor 2 3 4 5 Great Medicinal Rating 1 Minor 2 3 4 5 Great Edible Uses Chocolate Coffee Colouring Condiment Curdling agent Drink Egg Gelatine Gum Milk Oil Pectin Rutin Salt Stabilizer Sweetener Tea Help Medicinal Uses Abortifacient Acrid Adaptogen Alterative Anaesthetic Analgesic Anaphrodisiac Anodyne Antacid Anthelmintic Antiaphonic Antiarthritic Antiasthmatic Antibacterial Antibilious Antibiotic Anticholesterolemic Anticoagulant Antidandruff Antidermatosic Antidote Antiecchymotic Antiemetic Antifungal Antihaemorrhoidal Antihalitosis Antihydrotic Antiinflammatory Antiperiodic Antiphlogistic Antipruritic Antipyretic Antirheumatic Antiscorbutic Antiscrophulatic Antiseptic Antispasmodic Antitumor Antitussive Antivinous Antiviral Aperient Aphrodisiac Appetizer Aromatherapy Aromatic Astringent Bach Balsamic Birthing aid Bitter Blood purifier Blood tonic Cancer Cardiac Cardiotonic Carminative Cathartic Cholagogue Contraceptive Cytostatic Cytotoxic Decongestant Demulcent Deobstruent Deodorant Depurative Detergent Diaphoretic Digestive Disinfectant Diuretic Emetic Emmenagogue Emollient Enuresis Errhine Expectorant Febrifuge Foot care Galactofuge Galactogogue Haemolytic Haemostatic Hallucinogenic Hepatic Homeopathy Hydrogogue Hypnotic Hypoglycaemic Hypotensive Infertility Irritant Kidney Laxative Lenitive Lithontripic Miscellany Mouthwash Mydriatic Narcotic Nervine Nutritive Odontalgic Ophthalmic Oxytoxic Parasiticide Pectoral Plaster Poultice Purgative Refrigerant Resolvent Restorative Rubefacient Salve Sedative Sialagogue Skin Sternutatory Stimulant Stings Stomachic Styptic TB Tonic Uterine tonic Vasoconstrictor Vasodilator VD Vermifuge Vesicant Vulnerary Warts Women's complaints Vitamin C Antiflatulent Antihistamine Anticonvulsant Antineoplastics Appetite Stimulants Appetite Suppressant Antianxiety Antipanic Antipsoriatic Women Antiseborrheic Antiarrhythmic Antidepressant Antidiarrhoeal Help Other Uses Adhesive Alcohol Baby care Basketry Beads Bedding Besom Biomass Blotting paper Bottles Broom Brush Buttons Charcoal Cleanser Compost Containers Cork Cosmetic Cotton wool Darning ball Deodorant Disinfectant Dye Essential Fencing Fertilizer Fibre Filter Fire retardant Friction sticks Fruit ripening Fuel Fungicide Furniture Green manure Gum Hair Hedge Herbicide Incense Ink Insecticide Insulation Kindling Lacquer Latex Leather Lighting Lining Liquid feed Litmus Microscope Miscellany Mordant Mulch Musical Nails Needles Oil Packing Paint Paper Parasiticide Pectin Pencil Pins Pioneer Pipes Pitch Plant breeding Plant support Plaster Polish Pollution Porcelain Potash Pot-pourri Preservative Raffia Repellent Resin Roofing Rooting hormone Rootstock Rust Sandpaper Scourer Shelterbelt Size Soap Soap making Soil conditioner Soil reclamation Soil stabilization Starch Straw Strewing String Stuffing Tannin Teeth Thatching Tinder Varnish Waterproofing Wax Waxed paper Weather forecasting Weather protection Weaving Wick Wood Companion Cut flowers Houseplant Help Special Uses Nitrogen Fixer Attracts Wildlife Scented Plants Hedge Food Forest Dynamic accumulator Carbon Farming Ground Cover Help Edible Parts Apical bud Flowers Fruit Inner bark Leaves Manna Nectar Oil Pollen Root Sap Seed Seedpod Shoots Stem Help Properties Habit Tree Shrub Annual Biennial Perennial Annual/Biennial Annual/Perennial Bamboo Bulb Corm Fern Litchen Climber Annual Climber Perennial Climber Decid/Evergreen Deciduous Evergreen Height 0-10cm 10-50cm 50cm-1m 1m-5m 5m-10m 10m-50m 50m+ Width 0-10cm 10-50cm 50cm-1m 1m-5m 5m-10m 10m-50m 50m+ Hardiness PFAF UK 1 Arctic 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 tropical How hardy is it on a scale from 1 - 10. One will survive arctic winters, ten is tropical. Cornwall is about eight, but can grow some plants from zone nine. Most of Britain is zone seven, going down to zone six in the north and four in the mountains. Hardiness USDA 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 USDA hardness zone: a geographically defined area in witch a pecific category of plant life is capable of growing, as defined by dimatic conditions, including its ability to withstand the minimum temperatures of the zone. For Example, a plant that is described as "hardy to zone 10" means that the Plant can withstand a minimum temperature of -1 C(30 F). Amore resilient plant that is "Hardy to zone 9" can tolerate a minimum temprature of -7 C(19 F). More>> Growth Rate Fast Medium Slow Soil Light(sandy) Medium(Loam) Heavy Heavy Clay Poor Soil pH Very Acid Acid Neutral Base/Alkaline Very Alkaline Saline Shade Full Semi None Full Shade: deep woodland, a north-facing wall etc; Semi Shade: light woodland, a position that is shaded for part of the day etc; No Shade: is unshaded positions. Moisture Dry Soil Moist Soil Wet or Boggy Soil Water Plants Well-drained Tolerates Drought Wind Tolerates Maritime Exposure Tolerates Strong Winds Not Wind Tolerant Tolerates Pollution Y N Frost Tender Y N Flowering times and types Month : Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec In Leaf : Flowering time: Seed ripens: Flower Type Hermaphrodite Monoecious Dioecious Self-fertile Hermaphrodite: the flower has both male and female organs. Monoecious: individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant. Dioecious: individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. Pollinators Moths, bats Beetles, Flies, Bees Cleistogamous Beetles, flies Apomictic Bats Bees, flies, self Flies, beetles, self Bees, flies, beetles, self Flies, Beetles, Insects Self, Bees, Insects Insects, self Diptera Bees, hoverflies, self Self. Occasionally bees Birds, bees Bees, lepidoptera, flies, beetles, self Butterflies birds Bees, beetles Birds, Insects. Bees, beetles, lepidoptera Insects, hand Flies, Bees, Ants, Wind Moths Humble bees Flies, bees, self Insects, wind, Apomictic Insects, Birds Wind, self Wasps Lepidoptera, bats Lepidoptera, bees Insects, beetles Bats, Birds, Ants, Bees Birds, Bats Insect, self Bees, moths Bees, flies, apomictic Bees, Insects, Parthenocarpic wasps and flies Honey Bees, Insects Bumblebees, butterflies Bees, butterflies, insects Bees, Butterflies, Wasps Flies, beetles Bees, lepidoptera Wind, self, cleistogamous Insects, self, apomictic Insects. Bees, wasps Bees, Cleistogamous Midges Insects, Humming birds Insects, wind, wind-blown sand, self Bees, Bats, Flies, Ants Insects, especially bees Bees, flies, wind Sugar Birds, Butterflies Insects, cleistogamy Self. Occasionally flies Bees. lepidoptera Bees, flies, self, cleistogamy Butterflies, Insects Bees, Flies, Ants Self, Butterflies Self Insects, bats Self, Insects Flies, midges, self Bees, flies, lepidoptera, beetles, self Moths, self Apomictic, wind Flies, bees, beetles, self Bats, Moths, Bees Wind, midges Flies, beetles, lepidoptera Bees, flies, beetles Bees, Insects Bees, Sunbirds Bees, Insects, Birds Bees, hoverflies Bees Sunbirds, Bees Wind, insects, self Bees, wasps, birds Bees,Butterflies Bees, insects, self Insects, wind Bee, Insects Bees, butterflies, birds Sunbirds Bees, flies, self, apomictic Wind, Insects Dryoptera, hymenoptera, self Lepidoptera, self Bees, flies, lepidoptera, self Bees, Insects. Cleistogamous, self Bees, self Moths, bats, birds Slugs, snails Thrips, Insects Water Insects, Apomictic Lepidoptera, flies Hummingbirds Bees, flies, lepidoptera, wind Flies,insects Flies, lepidoptera, self Flies and small bees Bees, Beetles, Flies Bees, Flies, Ants, Wasps Wind, flies Bees, beetles, butterflies,wasps Bees, lepidoptera, insects Lepidoptera, insects Self, Bees, Butterflies Insects, Birds, Bats Moths, insects Bees, flies, lepidoptera, beetles Flies, self Birds, Wind Bees, flies, beetles, lepidoptera, self, apomictic Bees, hover-flies Bats, Insects Bees, wind Butterflies, Flies Bees, lepidoptera, self Insects, cleistogamous Flies, midges Bees. self Insects? Self Flies Bats, Bees, Insects Red ants, Bees, Wasps Birds, Bees, Insects Lepidoptera Bees, beetles, lepidoptera, self Bats, Bees Bees/Insects Bats, Birds Moth Bees, flies, beetles, lepidoptera Beetles, wind Hand Bees, Flies, Butterflies Insects, self? Bees, Moths, Thrips Bees, Butterflies. Lepidoptera, bees, Apomictic Wind, cleistogamous Bees, Birds Bees, flies, beetles, lepidoptera, self Bees, flies lepidoptera Bees, flies, beetles, apomictic Bats, Bush Babies, Insects Beetles Bees, insects, lepidoptera Wind, flies, beetles Bees, lepidoptera, insects, self Thrips Beetles, insects Bees, Butterflies Bees, flies, lepidoptera Lepidoptera, bees, self Bees, flies Thrips, Midges, Ants, Aphids Flies, bees, wind, self Apomictic, insects Flies, bees Beetles, flies, self Bee, Bats Wind Bees, self, cleistogamous Insects, bees Insects Wasps, Bees, Butterflies Birds Carrion flies Bees, Moths, Wind Wind, flies, beetles, bees Apomictic: reproduce by seeds formed without sexual fusion. Cleistogomous: self-pollinating without flowers ever opening. Lepidoptera: Moths & Butterflies. General Disclaimer To the best of our knowledge all the information contained herein is accurate and true.



However we cannot guarantee that everyone will react positively to all edible plants or other plant uses.



It is commonly known that many people suffer allergic reactions to conventional foods and products. Even amongst the more commonly eaten fruits, for example, there are plenty of instances where people react badly to them: Many people are allergic to strawberries and will come out in a rash if they eat them.

Some people develop a rash if they touch the stems of parsnips.

Potatoes become poisonous if they turn green.

Eating large quantities of cabbage can adversely affect the thyroid gland. In general, we believe that the overall health of people will be greatly improved by bringing more diversity into their diet and through using more natural products.



We strongly recommend the following preventative precautions when trying anything new: Make sure you have identified the plant correctly

Try a small taste of anything new in your diet. If there are no side effects increase the quantity at the next meal.

When trying new soaps or skin applications try them on a very small area before proceeding to larger areas of the body. Look for any uncomfortable reactions or changes and if there is do not proceed with further application. No liability exists against Plants for a Future or any member of Plants for a Future, nor can they be held responsible for any allergy, illness or injurious effect that any person or animal may suffer as a result of information in this catalogue or through using any of the plants mentioned by Plants for a Future.









