Catalog of Species

Amsoy King Mustard (also known as Amsoi or Indian leaf mustard) is a fast-growing leaf mustard variety (Brassica juncea), prized for its characteristic spicy flavor and high productivity. It belongs to the Brassicaceae family, the same as wasabi, cabbage, and broccoli.

It is an annual herbaceous plant with an upright habit reaching 30-60 cm in height. Its leaves are large, oblong, and slightly serrated, of an intense green color, with a firm texture and a characteristic spicy and pungent flavor, due to the presence of glucosinolates, sulfur compounds that also give it its medicinal properties.

It is one of the fastest leafy vegetables to grow: baby leaves can be harvested in 25-30 days and mature plants in 40-50 days from sowing. It is a cool-season crop, ideal for spring and autumn, which tolerates light frosts. Intense heat causes the leaves to become more spicy and bitter, and accelerates bolting.

La ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), también conocida como ginseng indio, cereza de invierno o bufera, es una planta medicinal de la familia de las solanáceas —la misma del tomate y el pimiento— cultivada desde hace más de 3.000 años en la medicina ayurvédica. Es una de las plantas adaptógenas más importantes del mundo, utilizada para ayudar al organismo a resistir el estrés físico y mental.

Es un arbusto perenne de porte erguido y ramificado, que alcanza entre 50 y 120 cm de altura. En climas templados se cultiva como anual, completando su ciclo en una temporada. Sus hojas son ovadas, de color verde grisáceo y ligeramente aterciopeladas. Las flores son pequeñas, de color amarillo verdoso, y dan paso a bayas de un rojo intenso envueltas en un cáliz papiráceo que recuerda a un farolillo, similares a las de la uchuva. Su nombre en sánscrito significa «olor a caballo», en alusión al aroma característico de su raíz y al supuesto vigor que confiere a quien la consume.

La parte medicinal más valiosa es la raíz pivotante, que se cosecha a los 5-6 meses desde la siembra, aunque las hojas y los frutos también tienen aplicaciones tradicionales.

Autumn Beauty (Helianthus annuus) is a branching annual sunflower selection with flowers ranging from yellow and gold to bronze, red, and mahogany. Plants usually reach 150 to 300 cm and produce several side flower heads on firm stems.

It is grown for cut flowers, pollinator gardens, and late-summer colour. Despite its name, it can start flowering in late summer and continue through autumn in mild weather.

Batavia Green lettuce, also known as Summer Crisp or French Crisp, is a lettuce variety that combines the best of two worlds: the crispy texture of Iceberg lettuce with the sweet and juicy flavour of loose-leaf lettuces. The Vanguard type is a historical selection within this group, recognised for its exceptional resistance to heat and premature bolting.

It belongs to the Asteraceae (composite) family, the same as endive and sunflower. It is an annual plant with a semi-erect habit that forms a semi-dense head of broad, wavy leaves with slightly curled edges, bright green in colour with a firm, crispy and juicy texture. The heart of the plant is more tender and yellowish-green in colour.

Unlike other lettuces that turn bitter with heat, the Vanguard-type Batavia was specifically developed to tolerate high temperatures without bolting, making it one of the best lettuces to grow in late spring and summer. Its growing cycle is 55 to 70 days from sowing to harvest.

The bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria), also known as calabash, birdhouse gourd, or white-flowered gourd, is a climbing cucurbit cultivated for thousands of years not only as food but also as a raw material for making containers, utensils, and musical instruments. It is one of the first plants domesticated by humanity.

It is an annual climbing plant with long stems that can reach 5-10 meters in length, equipped with branched tendrils. The leaves are large, heart-shaped or rounded, with a velvety texture and a characteristic musky aroma. It produces white flowers — unlike pumpkins and zucchinis that have yellow flowers — which open at dusk and are pollinated by nocturnal moths.

The fruits are extremely variable in shape and size depending on the variety: from elongated and thin bottles to rounded, pear-shaped, or elongated forms. The skin is smooth and light green when young, turning to beige-brown and hardening into a woody shell as it dries. The young flesh is edible, but the main value of the bottle gourd lies in its use as an artisanal container once dried.

Calendula (Calendula officinalis) is an annual or biennial herb in the Asteraceae family. It forms branched plants 20 to 50 cm tall with slightly sticky, oblong leaves. Flower heads are about 4 to 8 cm wide and range from yellow and gold to orange, sometimes with a red reverse.

It grows quickly, is easy to cultivate, and flowers for months when spent blooms are removed. It suits borders, vegetable gardens, containers, and cut-flower planting. It is not the same plant as French marigold, which belongs to Tagetes.

The Cantaline melon is a modern hybrid resulting from the cross between two classic melon groups: the Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis or reticulatus) and the Honeydew (Cucumis melo var. inodorus). It combines the best of both parents: the intense musky aroma and sweetness of the cantaloupe with the firm, crisp texture and refreshing juiciness of the honeydew.

It belongs to the cucurbit family, the same as cucumber, pumpkin, and watermelon. It is an annual herbaceous plant with a trailing or climbing habit, with long, angular stems that spread over the ground, equipped with tendrils. The leaves are large, orbicular, and lobed, of an intense green color. It produces yellow unisexual flowers (male and female) that require insect pollination, primarily by bees.

The fruits are medium to large in size (1-2 kg), with an oval or slightly flattened shape. The skin features a characteristic netting inherited from the cantaloupe, though softer, over a light green to beige background. The flesh is dense, juicy, and buttery in texture, with a color ranging from orange-salmon to light green, depending on the degree of influence from each parent. Its flavor is intensely sweet, with floral notes and a refreshing finish.

Christ's blood is a common name for Fumaria officinalis, an annual herb in the Papaveraceae family. Its weak, branched stems grow upright or lean on nearby vegetation. The grey-green leaves are alternate and finely divided. Pink or purple flowers grow in clusters and have a dark crimson mark at the tip.

It occurs naturally in disturbed ground, fallow fields, crop margins, and fertile soils. The common name is regional and may refer to other species, so this sheet identifies it specifically as Fumaria officinalis.

Common ivy (Hedera helix) is a perennial evergreen climber in the Araliaceae family. Young stems attach to surfaces with aerial roots and carry glossy, dark-green, lobed leaves. Mature plants can produce non-climbing flowering branches with more entire leaves and small flowers.

Flowers appear in autumn and develop into black or bluish berries that ripen in winter and may remain until spring. Ivy can cover the ground, climb walls, grow in containers, or form dense foliage. It tolerates shade and moderate drought, but its vigorous growth needs regular control.

Darwin hybrids are ornamental bulb tulips known for large flowers, strong stems, and good performance in gardens and vases. The group contains many commercial cultivars with different colours, heights, and flowering times. Flowers are usually cup- or egg-shaped, 30 to 60 cm above broad, blue-green leaves.

The group is horticultural rather than a single botanical variety. Modern Darwin hybrids descend from late-flowering Darwin tulips crossed with early-flowering Tulipa fosteriana.

The dog rose, also called wild rose or rose hip, is a deciduous shrub in the Rosaceae family. Its arching stems reach 1 to 3 m and carry curved prickles. The compound leaves have five or seven toothed leaflets. Simple white or pale-pink flowers appear in spring and early summer, followed by orange or red rose hips in autumn.

It is useful in hedges, wildlife planting, and bird habitat. The hips are the main harvest, but their internal hairs and seeds must be removed carefully.

Dwarf Green Curled Kale is a traditional kale variety with a compact, dwarf habit, reaching 30-60 cm in height, ideal for home gardens and container growing. It belongs to the Brassicaceae (cruciferous) family, the same as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.

Its leaves are intensely curly and crinkled, of a deep dark green color, with finely curled edges that give it a very distinctive ornamental appearance. Unlike other kale varieties, its compact growth requires less space and makes it especially resistant to wind.

It is a biennial plant grown as an annual, known for its extraordinary cold resistance, withstanding frosts down to -15°C. In fact, intense cold transforms some of its starches into natural sugars, significantly improving its flavor and making it sweeter. Its optimal season is autumn and winter, when other vegetables are no longer producing.