Papaya: tropical fruit and plant (Carica papaya) Papaya Overview of the papaya plant and fruit, including botanical traits, history, cultivation needs, uses in food and industry, and distinguishing features.
Para rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) Para rubber tree A tropical tree native to the Amazon that produces milky latex used to make natural rubber; widely cultivated in South and Southeast Asia and harvested by tapping.
Parsley: varieties, cultivation, culinary uses and nutrition Parsley Parsley is a versatile green herb used worldwide for flavor, garnish and nutrition. This article covers its varieties, growing needs, culinary and traditional uses, harvesting, and…
Passiflora (passionflower): overview, characteristics, and uses Passiflora Passiflora is a diverse genus of flowering plants—commonly passionflowers—valued for ornate blooms, edible passionfruit, and ecological roles. This article covers features, distrib…
Passifloraceae — the passionflower family Passifloraceae Passifloraceae is a tropical family of flowering plants including passionflowers and passionfruits. Members are vines, shrubs, trees and lianas, valued ornamentally, ecologically a…
Pea (Pisum sativum): the plant, its seeds, and uses Pea Overview of the pea (Pisum sativum): botanical identity, types, cultivation, culinary uses, historical significance and its role in genetics and agriculture.
Peach (Prunus persica): overview, cultivation, uses and varieties Peach Peach (Prunus persica) is a stone fruit of the rose family, valued for its sweet flesh and culinary versatility. This article covers traits, origin, cultivation, uses and notable v…
Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) Peanut Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is a legume valued for its edible seeds. Native to the Americas, it is cultivated worldwide for food, oil, animal feed and industrial products.
Pear (fruit): description, varieties, cultivation and uses Pear Pears are temperate tree fruits with a distinct teardrop shape. This article covers their appearance, varieties, cultivation, ripening, culinary uses, nutrition and botanical relat…
Peat: formation, types, uses, and environmental importance Peat Peat is partially decayed plant material that accumulates in waterlogged landscapes. This article explains how peat forms, its types and uses, and the environmental issues and rest…
Pecan (Carya illinoinensis): tree, nut, uses and distribution Pecan Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) is a North American hickory species valued for its edible nuts and wood. Native to the US and Mexico, it has culinary, ecological and economic importanc…
Pedaliaceae: the sesame family of flowering plants Pedaliaceae Pedaliaceae is a small family of tropical and subtropical flowering plants that includes sesame and several medicinal and ornamental species; notable for oil-rich seeds and distinc…
Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium): description, history, uses and safety Pennyroyal Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) is a mint-family herb used historically as a culinary flavor, insect repellent and folk remedy. Its essential oil contains pulegone and can be toxic; i…
Peony (Paeonia): botany, cultivation and cultural importance Peony Peonies (genus Paeonia) are perennial flowering plants—herbaceous or woody—valued for large, showy blooms. Native to Asia, southern Europe and western North America, they have hort…
Pepper: Capsicum, Piper, and other plants called 'pepper' Pepper An overview of plants and spices commonly called pepper — Capsicum chiles and bell peppers, Piper black pepper, their botany, history, culinary and medicinal uses, and key differen…
Peppermint (Mentha × piperita) Peppermint Peppermint is a perennial hybrid mint known for its cooling aroma and menthol-rich oil; used in food, oral care, medicine and aromatherapy, originally described in Europe and now g…
Perennial (plant): Definition, Life Cycle, Types and Uses Perennial Perennial plants live for multiple years and regrow foliage and often flowers each season. This article explains their life cycles, types, ecological roles, horticultural uses, and…
Perilla (shiso): description, cultivation, culinary uses and safety Perilla Perilla is an annual herb in the mint family valued for aromatic leaves, seeds and oil. Known as shiso, kkaennip or tía tô, it occurs in green and purple forms and is used in East…
Periwinkle: molluscs, plants, color and cultural uses Periwinkle Periwinkle refers to several littorinid sea snails, two genera of flowering plants (Vinca and Catharanthus), a pale blue-lavender color, and assorted cultural references and charac…
Persian lime (Citrus × latifolia): description, cultivation and uses Persian lime Overview of the Persian (Tahiti/Bearss) lime: botanical features, commercial production, culinary and industrial uses, grading, storage and historical notes on cultivation in the A…
Pest control: methods, history, and environmental considerations Pest control Overview of pest control: common pests, control techniques (cultural, biological, chemical, IPM), history, risks such as resistance and non‑target harm, and distinctions between pe…
Petal (flower structure) Petal A petal is a modified leaf forming part of a flower’s corolla. Petals vary in colour, shape and scent to attract pollinators, protect reproductive organs and contribute to horticul…
Petasites (butterbur): appearance, habitat, uses and safety Petasites Petasites, or butterbur, is a small genus of large-leaved perennial herbs in Asteraceae. Native to temperate wetlands, it is used ornamentally and medicinally but can contain toxic…
Petunia Petunia is a genus of colorful flowering plants in the nightshade family, widely grown as ornamental bedding and container plants. This article covers appearance, cultivation, hist…
Peyote (Lophophora): traditional use, chemistry, and conservation Peyote Peyote is a small, spineless cactus of the genus Lophophora, notable for its psychoactive alkaloids (especially mescaline), long cultural history in North America, and contemporary…
Philodendron — characteristics, care, uses, and taxonomy Philodendron Philodendron is a large tropical genus of Araceae grown as ornamentals. This article summarizes appearance, growth habits, care, propagation, common species, uses, toxicity and hor…
Phloem: living tissue that transports sugars, nutrients, and signals in plants Phloem Phloem is the living vascular tissue that distributes sugars and other organic nutrients from photosynthetic 'source' tissues to growing or storage 'sinks', and plays roles in sign…
Phormium tenax (New Zealand flax) Phormium tenax Phormium tenax, or harakeke, is an evergreen perennial native to New Zealand and Norfolk Island, valued for its long straplike leaves, traditional fibre uses, and ornamental cultiv…
Phototropism: plant growth responses toward light and their mechanisms Phototropism Phototropism is the directional growth of organisms, especially plants, toward or away from light. It is driven by light receptors and hormone redistribution and is important for p…
Phyllotaxis: patterns and principles of leaf arrangement Phyllotaxis Phyllotaxis describes how leaves (and related organs) are arranged on a plant stem, the common patterns, their functional role in light capture and packing, and mathematical connec…
Physalis: the lantern‑husk fruit (groundcherries, tomatillos, cape gooseberries) Physalis Physalis is a genus of 75–90 nightshade plants known for berries enclosed in papery husks. Many species are edible (groundcherries, tomatillos, cape gooseberries) and are used fres…
Phytoplasma: obligate plant‑pathogenic bacteria Phytoplasma Phytoplasmas are wall‑less, phloem‑limited bacteria that infect many plants, spread by sap‑feeding insects, cause symptoms like yellowing and witches'‑broom, and are difficult to c…
Phytoremediation: plant-based cleanup of contaminated soil and water Phytoremediation Phytoremediation uses plants to remove, stabilize or transform pollutants in soil, sediment and water. It includes techniques such as phytoextraction, phytostabilization and phytom…
Pinaceae (pine family): overview, characteristics, distribution and uses Pinaceae Pinaceae is the pine family of conifers—trees and shrubs including pines, firs, spruces and cedars—widely distributed across the Northern Hemisphere and important ecologically and…
Pine (Pinus): overview, characteristics, distribution, and uses Pine Pines (genus Pinus) are evergreen conifers of the family Pinaceae, native across the Northern Hemisphere, valued for timber, resin, ecological roles, and some exceptionally long-li…
Pineberry (white strawberry cultivar with pineapple-like flavor) Pineberry Pineberry is a white-fruited strawberry cultivar noted for its pineapple-like flavor, white flesh with red seeds, and limited commercial availability; first bred in the Netherlands…
Pinus pinaster — maritime pine (pinaster pine) Pinus pinaster Pinus pinaster, the maritime pine, is a Mediterranean conifer used for timber, pulp and resin. Drought- and fire-adapted, it is widely planted, valued in forestry and restoration,…
Piperaceae (pepper family): overview, traits, uses and diversity Piperaceae Piperaceae is a mostly tropical family of flowering plants that includes black pepper and many ornamental Peperomia species; it is characterized by aromatic leaves and inconspicuou…
Piperales: the botanical order containing pepper, kava, and related plants Piperales Piperales is an order of flowering plants in the magnoliid group that includes Piperaceae, Aristolochiaceae, Saururaceae and other related families; notable members are black peppe…
Pistacia lentiscus (mastic tree) — Mediterranean shrub valued for its resin Pistacia lentiscus Pistacia lentiscus, the mastic tree, is an evergreen Mediterranean shrub whose aromatic resin 'mastic' is harvested for culinary, medicinal, cosmetic and industrial uses and has cu…
Pitcher plant: pitfall-trap carnivorous plants and their ecology Pitcher plant Pitcher plants are pitfall-trap carnivorous plants whose modified leaves capture and digest animals to obtain nutrients in poor soils. They show convergent evolution, diverse forms…
Planaria — freshwater flatworms noted for simple bodies and regeneration Planaria Planaria are free-living flatworms mostly in freshwater or damp habitats. They possess simple organ systems, are hermaphroditic, and can regenerate lost parts, making them valuable…
Plants: their biology, structure, diversity and human uses Plant An overview of plants: definition, anatomy, photosynthesis, diversity, reproduction and importance in ecosystems and human life.
Plant anatomy: internal structure, tissues, and methods Plant anatomy Survey of plant anatomy: the study of internal structure, major tissue systems, cell types, developmental zones and techniques used to examine plants at the microscopic level.
Plant breeding: principles, methods, history and societal importance Plant breeding Overview of plant breeding: aims, methods from selection to molecular approaches, historical development, practical uses, and distinctions between conventional breeding, cultivars…
Plant City, Florida — overview, history, and community highlights Plant City, Florida A central Florida city in Hillsborough County known for strawberry production, the Florida Strawberry Festival, a historic downtown, and its role as an agricultural and transport h…
Plant community A plant community is an assemblage of plant species interacting and coexisting in a definable area; its composition, structure, and dynamics inform ecology, conservation, and land…
Plant cutting — vegetative propagation by cuttings Plant cutting Plant cutting is a common method of asexual propagation where a piece of a parent plant is encouraged to form roots and grow as an independent clone; used widely in horticulture an…
