Plants that start with B

Plants that start with B

The most well-known plants and fungi, listed by their common names.
Photo of baby's tears
Sultmhoor / CC BY-SA

Bis forBaby's tears

Scientific name: soleirolia soleirolii
Baby's tears, also called baby tears, angel's tears, mind-your-own-business, peace-in-the-home, pollyanna vine, mother of thousands, Corsican curse or Irish moss is a small, soft, creeping green plant. It is not a moss. Baby's tears likes moist, shady areas and will grow alongside ferns or in tanks set up for amphibians.
Plants
Photo of bamboo
Nancy JonesFrancis / CC BY-SA

Bis forBamboo

Scientific name: family: poaceae, subfamily: bambusoideae
Bamboo is the largest kind of grass. There are thousands of different kinds of bamboo, some of which have stalks big enough to build houses from. Bamboo shoots reach their full height within a year, but unlike tree trunks, bamboo stems do not get thicker. The giant panda eats bamboo.
Plants
Photo of bananas on a plate.
Robert Nunnally / CC BY-SA

Bis forBanana

Scientific name: musa acuminata and musa balbisiana
The banana is a tropical fruit and is eaten all over the world. Bananas can be eaten raw, cooked, or used in other foods like cake. The bananas in the picture are on a plate.
Fruit, Plants
Photo of a banksia flower
Julia Gross / CC BY-SA

Bis forBanksia

Scientific name: family: proteaceae, genus: banksia
Banksias are a large group of Australian flowers that grow in the more temperate regions of Australia. They range from small shrubs to large trees. Their most distinctive feature is their flower spikes, which are generally quite large and make an excellent cut flower. Many types of birds eat the nectar from banksia flowers.
Plants
Photo of tree bark
Ken Bosma / CC BY-SA

Bis forBark (tree)

Bark is the outer layer of a tree or large plant. Many types of trees usually shed their bark once a year and grow fresh bark underneath the old. Insects like beetles and spiders like to live under loose bark.
Plant parts
Photo of barley
Dag Terje Filip Endresen / CC BY-SA

Bis forBarley

Scientific name: hordeum vulgare
Barley is a crop grown mainly for animal food, and for making malt that is turned into beer and whiskey.
Cereals
Photo of basil.
The Marmot / CC BY-SA

Bis forBasil

Scientific name: ocimum basilicum
Basil is a herb that is often used in Italian or Thai food. Sweet basil is used in Italian food and Thai basil is used in Asian food. Basil has a sweet, strong smell. Basil likes to grow in hot, dry conditions and does not tolerate frost at all. Basil stops producing the oil that gives it its flavour once it starts to flower, so you should pick off the flowers as they develop. You can leave one or two stems to flower without affecting the rest of the plant, so you have some seeds for next year.
Herbs & spices, Plants
Photo of a bay laurel tree
Charles Hutchins / CC BY-SA

Bis forBay laurel

Scientific name: laurus nobilis
Bay leaves are dried leaves from the bay laurel tree. Bay leaves are used to flavour soups and stews. The flavour of the leaves gets stronger when they are dried. The bay laurel itself can grow into a large tree, but is usually kept in a container and clipped into shapes by topiary. Bay trees like a frost-free area.
Herbs & spices, Plants
Photo of green beans
Sleepyneko / CC BY-SA

Bis forBean

Scientific name: family: fabaceae or leguminosae
The bean is the seed of the bean plant. It is eaten for food, with or without its pod, or grown to improve soil in a garden or farm. Beans are in the same family as peas. The picture is of some different coloured string beans, still in their pods.
Legumes
Photo of beech trees in a park
Per Ola Wiberg / CC BY-SA

Bis forBeech

Scientific name: family: fagaceae
Beech are a group of ten deciduous trees native to cooler regions in Europe, Asia and North America. Beech is grown both as an ornamental garden tree and for its wood.
Plants