Curated category
Crops
- Bell pepperChristopher Columbus brought pepper seeds to Spain in 1493. This single event changed global agriculture forever. Before that year, the plant existed only in…
- MangoThe mango tree Mangifera indica first took root in the northeastern part of the Indian subcontinent. This region now includes Bangladesh, northeastern India…
- WheatHunter-gatherers in West Asia harvested wild wheats for thousands of years before they were domesticated, perhaps as early as 21,000 BC.
- LettuceCarl Linnaeus first described the species Lactuca sativa in 1753 within his work Species Plantarum. This scientific classification places lettuce within the…
- CassavaWild populations of Manihot esculenta subspecies flabellifolia live in west-central Brazil. These plants are the ancestors of all modern cassava crops.
- OnionCarl Linnaeus first described the onion plant in his 1753 work Species Plantarum. The scientific name Allium cepa comes from Latin, where cepa means onion…
- BeanThe legume family, known scientifically as Fabaceae, contains the plants that produce beans. These seeds grow in many different genera across the globe.
- SugarcaneThe tall, jointed stalks of Saccharum officinarum rise 2 to 6 meters above the soil in New Guinea. This specific region serves as the primary center for the…
- Chili pepperArchaeological evidence places the first cultivation of Capsicum plants in modern-day Peru and Bolivia around 7,500 BC. These berries became one of the…
- AlmondCarl Linnaeus named the almond Amygdalus communis in his Species plantarum of 1753. August Batsch placed the species in the genus Prunus for the first time…
- CoconutA fossilized fruit from New Zealand dates back to the Miocene epoch, roughly 23 million years ago. This specimen, named Cocos zeylandica, measured only about…
- CoffeeIn the middle of the 15th century, Sufi communities in Yemen began drinking a dark liquid made from roasted coffee beans.
- Nonfood cropA nonfood crop, also known as industrial crop, is a crop grown to produce goods for manufacturing. This designation applies to enterprises that attempt to…
- FlaxCarl Linnaeus coined the scientific name Linum usitatissimum in his 1753 book Species Plantarum. This flowering plant belongs to the family Linaceae and…
- CropEarly societies began transforming wild plants into cultivated crops during the first agricultural revolution. This shift marked a key stage in human history…
- Lime (fruit)The fruit and flower of a Persian lime (Citrus × latifolia) appear in botanical records as a distinct hybrid within the genus Citrus.
- TurnipThe word turnip appears in many regions, yet its origin remains uncertain. One hypothesis suggests it combines turn as in turned or rounded on a lathe with…
- AsparagusThe plant known as Asparagus officinalis grows to heights of up to two meters in its natural state. Its stems are stout and branch out into feathery foliage…
- Natural rubberThe Olmec culture of Mesoamerica used natural latex from the Hevea tree to make balls for their ballgame as early as 1600 BC.
- CerealGrains found at the Ohalo II site in Israel date back 19,000 years. These charred remnants of wild wheat and barley show early human gathering habits before…