False christmas cactus gets its name from its flowering season; producing red purple pink or white flowers from fall to winter. Native to a small coastal strip on the east of Brazil this cactus prefers the shade and humidity of jungle conditions. In the wild hummingbirds pollinate the flowers.

Cardboard palm (Zamia furfuracea) is a tropical shrub that is not a true palm, but a cycad. Cardboard palm is an ancient plant that lived during the age of the dinosaur. It is often planted as a houseplant and needs moderate to bright light. The entire plant is poisonous, but the seeds are deadly and should be kept away from pets.

Wandering Jew has been introduced to North America where it is considered a noxious weed. It can be highly invasive - spreading across crops and pastures, outcompeting more desirable plants.

This tropical, evergreen shrub grows erect and blooms with bold dark blue or purple flowers through both summer and autumn, making it a lovely choice for hedges, borders, and walls. Though bush clockvine most commonly grows as a bush, it can be 'trained' to grow like a vine (as implied by the name).

Guava (*Psidium guajava*) is a fruit-producing evergreen shrub that grows natively in the Caribbean region and South America. Guava attracts the honey bee and other insects, and guava fruit is edible. Additionally, guava wood is used for smoking meat.

Sisal (Agave sisalana) is a succulent plant whose yellow flowers bloom along a stalk rising up to 9 m tall and have an unpleasant scent. The flowers, stalk, basal rosette and sap of this plant are edible. Plant in full sun outdoors or place in a bright, sunny location indoors.

The peace lily gets its scientific name Spathiphyllum wallisii from a combination of the two Greek words ‘spath’ and ‘phyl’, which means spoon and leaves, respectively. The large graceful white spathe of the peace lily resembles a white flag, which is an international symbol of truce or peace.

The bradford pear is native to China but is considered invasive in the U.S. and Australia. Although it does not self-pollinate, it can become invasive by hybridizing with other plants to create fertile fruits that may seed in natural areas. The bradford pear creates large populations of fruits that are spread by birds and animals, readily rooting in disturbed areas. It also forms thick colonies that may compete with other native species for natural resources. Alternative plants include the Trident Maple and the Serviceberry. The bradford pear can be controlled by manually pulling young plants, and a range of herbicides such as oil-based herbicides, foliar herbicides, and both basal bark and stump treatments. It is important to remove seed sources as the weed can reinvade areas where it has been previously removed.

Commonly grown as an ornamental plant in gardens, the wax mallow is native to Central America. It’s cultivated in sunny or shady areas to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. The showy and bright red flowers remain close and resemble a Turkish Turban, hence its other name, Turk’s Cap. The individual blooms generally last for about two days but contain enough nectar to attract birds.

Royal poinciana (Delonix regia) is also known as the “peacock tree” or the “flamboyant tree.” It’s a Madagascar native and is known for its brilliant crimson or red-yellow flowers. It grows exceedingly fast, reaching its maximum height of around 12 m in a short amount of time.

The garden croton is a showy tropical display that does well indoors or in warm climates. Known for its attractive foliage, this plant can have both color and structural variations in its leaves. Leaf colors can include orange, yellow, scarlet, white, and green, and many times all are present on one plant.

Tree tobacco (Nicotiana glauca) is a wild tobacco species native to South America. On other continents, tree tobacco is considered an invasive species. All parts of this plant are poisonous.

Centaurea cyanus is known by several names, like cornflower and bachelor’s button. This flower has a beautiful blue color that was a favorite of famed Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. Today it is a Crayola crayon color as well as an HTML color name. The color is defined as a medium to light blue that contains very little green.

Dwarf umbrella tree (*Schefflera arboricola*) is an evergreen, multi-stemmed shrub native to China. It is commonly grown as a houseplant or a garden plant in milder climates for its decorative palmate compound leaves. The leaves contain calcium oxalates, which can damage internal organs when ingested. It shouldn't be confused with the Australian umbrella tree, *Schefflera actinophylla*.

Calico kitten (Crassula pellucida) is an eye-catching succulent with heart-shaped leaves in white or green, each of which has a red rim. Dainty white, star-shaped flowers bloom in the spring and occasionally at other times of the year. It grows in mats and is often used as ground cover, though it also can be planted or hung.

Giant taro is native to Southeast Asian rainforests. It was first cultivated in the Philippines. Its massive leaves resemble elephant ears. If cooked for a long time, these leaves are edible; however, the sap from the plant might hurt the skin. This plant is toxic to dogs, cats, and horses.

The decorative houseplant, dendrobium Noble, produces pink and purple flowers in spring and winter. It is the state flower of Sikkim, a state in northeastern India. The specific epithet, Dendrobium nobile, means 'noble' and it is very popular as an ornamental plant. The delicate orchids have a sweet and pleasant scent, but it is not overpowering.

Desert rose is widely cultivated as a houseplant or as bonsai for its beautiful flowers. As a succulent plant originating from the Sahara and tropical Africa and Arabia, it requires a minimum temperature of 10 ℃ to survive. Its sap was used to poisoning arrows in Africa.

Cape leadwort is a flowering plant native to South Africa. Its Latin name, Plumbago auriculata, is derived from the word auriculata meaning "with ears," referring to the shape of its leaves. The leaves serve as food for the caterpillar of the Hummingbird hawk-moth. The plant's sticky sepals, on the other hand, can grab animals as small as a housefly.

Devil's-backbone (Euphorbia tithymaloides) is a succulent species of spurge native to North and Central America. It has been planted in gardens since the 17th century and valued for its unique appearance and its habit of attracting hummingbirds. However, nearly all parts of this species are toxic and should not be consumed.