Plants that start with A

Ais forAnise

Scientific name: pimpinella anisum

Anise or aniseed is a small plant related to fennel and celery. It is grown for its seeds, which have a similar taste to liquorice. It is a different plant to star anise.

Herbs & spices, Plants

kate hiscock / CC BY-SA

The apple is the fruit of the apple tree. Apple trees are small deciduous trees growing to around 5-12 metres high. Apples may be red, yellow or green. You can eat all of the apple except the core in the middle, which is full of seeds.

Fruit, Plants

Kathy Kimpel / CC BY-SA

Ais forApricot

Scientific name: prunus armeniaca

The apricot is a small, soft, sweet orange fruit closely related to the plum. You can eat the fruit fresh or dried, and apricots can also be made into jam.

Stone fruit

Pizzodisevo / CC BY-SA

Ais forArtichoke

Scientific name: cynara cardunculus

Globe artichokes are a type of thistle. The edible part of the artichoke is the young flowerbud. Artichokes are usually boiled in salted water until they are tender. In some countries they are deep fried.

Vegetables, Plants

Benson Kua / CC BY-SA

Ais forAsparagus

Scientific name: asparagus officinalis

The asparagus spears that you buy in the shops are the new shoots of a type of plant. They are eaten as a vegetable, and can be cooked in a variety of ways. They are usually eaten alone as a side dish rather than mixed into something else like a stew.

Vegetables, Plants

Lisa / CC BY-SA

Ais forAvocado

Scientific name: persea americana

The avocado is the fruit of a tree native to south and central America. It prefers to grow in tropical areas. Avocados are much higher in fat than other fruits. The avocado has a big seed inside it, and a hard skin, so you can only eat the soft flesh in between. Their flesh is yellow to green, and has a texture that is a little like butter, hence one of their common names of "butter fruit". The flesh of the avocado can be spread on bread or crackers, or the flesh can be diced and used as an ingredient in salads.