Curated category
Plants described in 1753
- TomatoThe red-fruited Solanum pimpinellifolium grows wild in western South America. This plant likely served as the ancestor for all modern tomatoes.
- MaizeIn the Balsas River valley of southwestern Mexico, a short bushy plant called teosinte grew wild. Its kernels fell off the cob naturally when ripe.
- PeachIn 1753, Carl Linnaeus named the peach tree Amygdalus persica in his book Species plantarum. The name changed to Prunus persica when August Batsch published…
- GarlicThe species Allium sativum grows wild in central and southwestern Asia, stretching from the Black Sea through northeastern Iran.
- PapayaThe word papaya derives from the Caribbean Taíno language as paapaía. Some etymologists argue that the word comes from the Mayan páapay-ya, which means…
- PotatoArchaeologists have uncovered potato remains at the coastal site of Ancon in central Peru, dating back to 2500 BC. These ancient tubers provide the earliest…
- RyeArchaeologists uncovered rye grains at the Epipalaeolithic site of Tell Abu Hureyra in northern Syria. This discovery suggests systematic cultivation began…
- 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…
- OatThe common oat Avena sativa stands as a genetic mosaic, its DNA woven from three distinct ancestral species. Molecular analysis reveals this cereal grass…
- PeaCarl Linnaeus assigned the scientific name Pisum sativum to this species in 1753. The Latin phrase translates directly to cultivated pea.
- SpinachSpinacia oleracea grows as a flowering plant native to Central and Western Asia. It belongs to the order Caryophyllales within the family Amaranthaceae.
- Phaseolus vulgarisCarl Linnaeus classified the common bean in 1753 within the genus Phaseolus. This species belongs to the legume family Fabaceae alongside other related…
- Black pepperThe pepper plant is a perennial woody vine that grows up to 10 meters in height. It climbs on supporting trees, poles, or trellises found in Southeast Asia…
- CucumberThe cucumber plant Cucumis sativus belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae, a group of creeping vines that root in soil and climb trellises using thin spiraling…
- 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…
- FlaxCarl Linnaeus coined the scientific name Linum usitatissimum in his 1753 book Species Plantarum. This flowering plant belongs to the family Linaceae and…
- CuminThe word cumin traveled a long road before it reached the English language. It began as Akkadian in ancient Mesopotamia.
- ChickpeaTen thousand years ago, hunter-gatherers in the Fertile Crescent began harvesting wild plants that would eventually become chickpeas.
- Common wheatAbout 95 percent of all wheat produced worldwide is common wheat. This species holds the title of the most widely planted crop by area as of 2009.
- Indigofera tinctoriaA shrub from the bean family grows to a specific height depending on its environment. This plant may live as an annual, biennial, or perennial based on local…
- Gossypium barbadenseLinnaeus described the species in 1753, naming it Gossypium barbadense after the island of Barbados. Modern botanists place this plant within the mallow…
- Hyoscyamus nigerThe name henbane dates from AD 1265, when the word bane meant thing that causes death. Other etymologies derive from the Indo-European stem bhelena meaning…
- Ficus religiosaThe leaves of Ficus religiosa measure between 10 and 17 centimeters in length. They display a cordate shape with a distinctive extended drip tip that…
- Juglans regiaThe Latin name Juglans combines two ancient words. Jovis refers to Jupiter, the chief god of Roman religion. Glans means acorn or nut in that same language.
- Angelica archangelicaDuring its first year, the plant grows only leaves. In the second year, a fluted stem reaches 2.5 meters in height. This is just over eight feet of vertical…