Common Name
and Description

Cinnamomum zeylanicum

Cinnamon - Beautiful subtropical or tropical tree producing the cinnamon of commerce. The dried bark is the cinnamon. New growth is bright red in color and very ornamental. Tree takes light frosts. Short viability, only available for a short time. Four undried seeds per pack. #194 more info...

Coccinia sessilifolia

Borobohlolo Melon - A very uncommon cucumber-melon-like fruit native to Botswana and parts of South Africa. The fruits are eaten fresh and boiled, with a slightly sweetish flavor. The fruit and plant is little known, but can be cultivated much like regular melons, though the vine is a perennial. Fruits grow to a few inches. #1582

Coccoloba uvifera

Sea Grape - Tropical/subtropical tree, often used for landscaping near the ocean due to its high tolerance for salinity. Grows well in sandy soils and will stand some frost. Fruits are produced in clusters on long stalks. #164 more info...

Coffea arabica

Coffee - Grow your own coffee! Coffee is an easy to grow small or medium sized shrub that does very well as a house plant. Will survive temperatures to the 30's if put outside. Coffee beans are the seeds of the berries which grow in abundance throughout the year. (Mixed Arabica varieties.) #150 more info...

Coffea arabica

Coffee 'Kona' - Seeds are from the well-known Kona variety which produces a superior tasting bean. Grow your own coffee! Coffee is an easy to grow small or medium sized shrub that does very well as a house plant. Will survive temperatures to the 30's if put outside. Coffee beans are the seeds of the berries which grow in abundance throughout the year. #198 more info...

Coffea catura

Catura Coffee - A dwarf commercial coffee variety known for its high quality beans. Trees generally grow to 5-8ft, and unlike many other coffee species, will grow in full sun. Makes an attractive and easy to grow house plant. Hardy to about 30F. #942

Coffea racemosa

Racemosa Coffee - Commercial coffee variety known for its compact and prolific-bearing trees. Grows to 4-6ft. A single tree may produce thousands of berries in a single season when mature. Makes an attractive and easy to grow house plant. Hardy to about 30F. #967

Coix lacryma

Job's Tears - Perennial grass grown for its pea-sized seeds which are edible when cooked. The seeds have numerous uses, being employed as grains, in coffees, teas, and eaten out of hand. They have a mild, slightly peanut-like flavor. The plant also has a variety of medicinal uses. Perennial above 25F, but often grown as an annual. #925 more info...

Dillenia indica

Elephant Apple - Large, tart flavored fruit weighing up to a couple of pounds. The tree is well-known and cultivated in many tropical areas both for its fruits, edible out of hand when ripe, and used unripe to make chutneys and jams. Leaves are long, glossy green, and along with its ornate yellow-white flowers bestow a stately appearance to this tree. #762 more info...

Diospyros kaki

Persimmon - A very popular and hardy tree bearing softball-sized, orange-skinned fruits with a soft custardy pulp having a sweet flavor. Trees can grow to 25ft and are hardy to about 0F. The mature tree makes for a nice ornamental and has a tropical look. Trees can be mature to male, female or both sexes on a single tree. #107

Diospyros lotus

Date Plum - A deciduous tree bearing yellow-black fruits about the size of a walnut. Fruits have an excellent flavor when over-ripe, and when dried, have a date-like flavor. The fruits are esteemed in Asia and in much of the Middle East. The small tree is hardy to well below 0F (zone 5). #978

Elettaria cardamomum

Cardamom - A clumping ginger relative bearing the important spice cardamom, used in curries and as a flavoring in a vast array of foods. Cardamom grows to 4-8ft and is hardy to the mid 30's (F). Flowering and fruiting happens best in humid/tropical climates. #970

Ensete glaucum

Snow Banana - A mainly ornamental banana and possibly the hardiest of all Ensete and banana species. The Snow Banana is a gorgeous plant with huge green leaves growing to several feet long, having red veins. The tubers of other Ensete species are edible and a popular food in some types of China. It is not known whether this species is used similarly. Grows to 15', will survive frosts and light freezes. #1523

Eriobotrya japonica

Loquat - Medium sized, yellow-orange, soft-fleshy fruit with a sweet flavor having some similarities to a peach or apricot. Trees are hardy to 12-15F. Fruits are wonderful for eating fresh or using for dessert flavorings. Seeds are very short-lived, 3-5 seeds/pack. #120 more info...

Eugenia uniflora 'Black'

Surinam Cherry 'Black' - Seeds are from a black skinned variety. Cherry sized fruit with a sweet flavor. Trees can be very prolific if conditions are right. Hardy to the upper 20's when mature. Grows on a small tree or bush. Excellent container specimen. Limited viability, four undried seeds per pack. #651 more info...

Eugenia victoriana

Guayabilla - 2-3", orange fruit with a delicious sweet acidic flavor. Often used in juices and other beverages. Small tree, unknown hardiness. Limited. #938