PlantFiles: The Largest Plant Identification Reference Guide - Dave's Garden
PlantFiles is the largest plant database in the world, with information and photos for 206,702 different plants! View our 361,013 images and read our 133,669 detailed and helpful comments. Search for a plant by its common or botanical name using the green button below, or scroll down the page and browse through hundreds of popular cultivars, or search for plants by their characteristics (height, hardiness, etc.)
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Who would have thought that a genus name would be the result of a love triangle? Mentha is a large group of plants named for the nymph Mintho, mistress of the Greek god of the underworld, Pluto. When Proserpine, his queen, discovered the affair, she transformed Mintho into a low-growing plant, destined to be walked upon forever. To make this terrible sentence more bearable, Pluto decreed that the more the plant was trampled, the sweeter it would smell. Found throughout the world, Mentha will survive in just about any condition, but is happiest in moist, sunny locations where it can be invasive if left unchecked.
The Plant of the Week
Ohio Buckeye Aesculus glabra
The Ohio Buckeye, Aesculus glabrais a lovely small tree or shrub, native to the central part of the eastern United States. It prefers rich, moist soils of valleys, and lower slopes of mountain areas. The clusters of light yellow or greenish flowers bloom in the spring. Many report an unpleasant odor from the flowers, so siting it some distance from patios or porches may be advisable. The glorious show of flowers makes up for the odor however, as each branch tip ends in an impressive column of blooms. The Ohio legislature designated it the official state tree in 1953; its common name refers to the nuts, which resemble the eyes of buck deer. These nuts were carried by early pioneers in their pocket to ward off rheumatism and arthritis; some people today carry one for luck. If you are offered a "buckeye" to eat, make sure it's a confection made from peanut butter and chocolate, as the actual nuts are toxic to cattle and possibly to humans as well.
The Ohio Buckeye makes for a great landscape tree if planted a distance from driveways and walkways. The wood is useful in furniture, flooring and musical instruments.
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