Select African Diaspora Plant Inventory (Complete)

Black eyed peas, a staple of African-American cuisine.

Over the past weeks, Gardening While Black has published an inventory of select African Diaspora plants in five parts. For your reference, this is the complete list. We have assembled more than 100 plants from various sources - books, publications, prototype gardens and conferences - in order to identify plants that inextricably connected to the descendants of the Middle Passage and the peoples of West Africa.

Our select African Diaspora plant inventory is currently North American and Caribbean-centric.  We will eventually add more plants from the gardening scene in West Africa, the Caribbean and South America.

PLANT	CLASS	BACKGROUND / ORIGINS	SOURCE
Ackee/Akee Apple	Blighia sapida	West Africa;  tropical;  Ackee and salt fish - popular dish in Caribbean;  fruit of Sapindaceae (Soapberry)	NYBG-Caribbean;  In the Shadow of Slavery:  Africa’s Botanical Legacy In The Atlantic World - 2009 (J. Carney)
Aloe	Aloe vera	Native to tropical and southern Africa, Madagascar, Jordan, the Arabian Peninsula and islands in the Indian Ocean	NYBG-African-American
Amaranth:   Calaloo	Amaranthus spinosus	Domesticated in Africa, Americas and the Caribbean;  Vegetable amaranth	NYBG-Caribbean; Truelove Seeds;  In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Annatto	Bixa orellana	Orange-red condiment/food coloring;  thrives in warm, humid climates (India, Mexico, Brazil, Jamaica and other locations)	NYBG-Caribbean; Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity (Slow Food Foundation)
Arrowroot	Maranta arundinacea	West Indian arrowroot;  from indigenous group, arawak; tropical root vegetable	NYBG-Caribbean; Slow Food Foundation
Banana:  African rhino horn,  Grand Palm	Musa acuminata x musa balbisiana		NYBG-Caribbean
Basil:  Besobela (Ethiopian Basil);  Vana Tulsi	Ocimum basilicum var. minimum;  Besobela - Ocimum spp/;  Vana - Ocimum gratissimum	Besobela - Ethiopia;  Vana - Africa, Madagascar, southern Asia,Bismarck Archipelago of New Guinea  Vana - West African culinary herb	NYBG-Caribbean; Truelove Seeds;  Colonial Williamsburg Sankofa Heritage Garden
Bay Laurel	Laurus nobvbilis		NYBG-Caribbean
Bean (legume):  Black turtle, Kebariuka,  Red kidney bean (light),  Pole snap bean	Phaseolus vulgaris		Farming While Black:  Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land - 2018 (L. Penniman); NYBG-Caribbean;  Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance
Bean:  Lima bean;  Speckled Brown Butterbean (Bush)	Phaseolus lunatus	Per Truelove, Speckled Brown Butterbean considered a traditional delicacy of North American South;  origin in South America	NYBG-Caribbean; Truelove Seeds
Bean:  Mbogo green	Lablab purpureus	Kenya;  East Africa;  Creator god Mbombo	Farming While Black - 2018 (L. Pennman);  In the Shadow of Slavery:  Africa’s Botanical Legacy In The Atlantic World - 2009 (J. Carney)
Butterfly milkweed	Asclepius tuberosa	Native to eastern and southwest North America	NYBG-African-American
Cassava, manihot, yuca	Manihot esculenta;  Euphorbiaceae	Edible leaves and tuber;  requires special cooking technique to reduce poison;  Origin - tropics	NYBG-Caribbean;  Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance;  Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science
Catnip	Nepeta cataria	Mint family;  medicinal properties	NYBG-African-American
Chayote	Sicyos edulis (educe);  Sechium edule	Mexico-Central America-Caribbean;  Squash, in gourd family - cucurbitaceae;  used in many Cuban recipes;  hot tropical gardens	NYBG-Caribbean; Slow Food Foundation;  Heirloom Vegetable Gardening:  A Master Gardener’s Guide To Planting, Seed Saving, and Cultural History - 2018 (W.W. Weaver)
Cilantro (Coriander)	Coriandrum sativum	Edible annual herb likely native to the Mediterranean	NYBG-Caribbean
Coffee (robusta)	Coffee robusta	West Africa	In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Corn:  Sea Island White Flint	Zea mays	Crops from Sea Islands, Georgia, South Carolina	NYBG-African-American
Cucumber:  Burr Gherkin, West Indian gherkin	Cucumis anguria	Angola to Caribbean	Farming While Black  - 2018 (L. Penniman);  In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Cucumber:  Cerasee (African cucumber/bitter melon/balsam pear)	Momordica charantia 'big top’, charantia ‘goya’, 'jade dragon’, ‘cundeamor'	Bitter melon leaf used in Jamaica for healing properties of leaves	NYBG-Caribbean; Truelove Seeds;  In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Culantro	Eryngium foetidum	Culinary and medicinal leafy greens commonly used in Caribbean and Latin America	NYBG-Caribbean
Curry tree	Murraya koenigii	Tropical and subtropical tree native to Asia	NYBG-Caribbean
Eggplant:   Louisiana long green eggplant, Rosita, White Garden Egg	Solanum melongena	From Asia to Africa; fruits, Southern and Creole gardens	Farming While Black - 2018 (L. Penniman)
Eggplant: Striped Garden Egg (Striped Toga Eggplant), White Garden Egg,  Rotunda Red Eggplant	Solanum aethiopicum var. Gilo	Rotunda Red Eggplant arrived in Europe from Africa by end of the 19th century	Truelove Seeds;  Sistah Seeds; Slow Food Foundation;  In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Elderberry	Mentyha x piperita		NYBG-African-American
Garlic:  Music	Allium sativum var. Ophioscorodom		NYBG-African-American
Ginger, Peruvian yellow	Zingiber officinale		NYBG-African-American; NYBG-Caribbean
Gourd:   Birdhouse Gourd, Bradshaw’s  Bottle Gourd	Lagenaria siceraria		NYBG-African-American; While Black - 2018 (L. Penniman);  In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Greens (Collard Greens):   Alabama Blue, Green Glaze,  Nancy Malone Wheat Purple, Variegated,  William Alexander	Brassica oleracea		NYBG-African-American;  Farming While Black - 2018 (L. Penniman);  Truelove Seeds
Greens:  Dandelion	Cichorium intybus ‘Catalogna’		NYBG-African-American;  Farming While Black - 2018 (L. Penniman)
Greens:  East African,  Ethiopian Blue Kale	Brassica carinata	Amara Ethiopia	Farming While Black - 2018 (L. Penniman);  Sistah Seeds
Greens:  Efo Gburę, Waterleaf	Talinum fruticosum;  Talcum triangulare	Nigeria leafy vegetable	NYBG-African-American; Truelove Seeds;  Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance
Greens:  Efo shoko, Lagos spinach/Nigerian spinach	Celosia argentea	Nigeria, Benin, Congo and Cameroon; type of Celosia;  related to Amaranth	NYBG-African-American;  Truelove Seeds
Greens:   Eggplant, Gbognome collard	Solanum melongena;  Solanum macrocarpon	Togo, West Africa;  edible leaves	Farming While Black - 2018 (L. Penniman); Sistah Seeds
Greens:  Lacinato Rainbow Mix,  Premier, Moses Smith Yellow Cabbage Collard	Brassica oleracea	Moses Smith Yellow Cabbage Collard is part of the heirloom collards project;  received by the Seed Savers Exchange in 2016.	NYBG-African-American;  Sistah Seeds
Greens (Mustard):  Carolina Broadleaf, Southern Giant Curled	Brassica juncea		NYBG-African-American;  Sistah Seeds
Greens  (Turnip):   Seven Top Turnips	Brassica rapa	1830s Virginia	Truelove Seeds
Greens (Spinach):   Molokhia Egyptian Spinach	Corchorus olitorius	Ghana, Burkina Faso;  Palestine	Farming While Black - 2018 (L. Penniman);  Truelove Seeds
Greens (Cress):  Creasy Greens	Barbarea verna	Commonly referred to as  mountain cress	NYBG-African-American;  Slow Food Foundation
Guinea pepper	Xylopia aethiopica		In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Hibiscus (Sorrel):  Doc’s North, Florida, Roselle, Red	Hibiscus sabdariffa	Roselle, Hibiscus, Bissau	NYBG-African-American;  In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney);  NYBG-Caribbean;  Truelove Seeds
Hibiscus (Sorrel):   Shoeblack Hibiscus	Hibiscus rosa-sinensis	Choeblack;  rose cayenne	NYBG-Caribbean
Hibiscus (Sorrel):  White	Hibiscus albus	Senegal	Farming While Black  - 2018 (L. Penniman);  In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Jamaican vervain	Stachytarpheta jamaicensis	Grows in Caribbean and  Central America;  commonly used for medicinal purposes and tea	NYBG-Caribbean
Jute Mallow:  ewedu	Corchorus Olitorius	West Africa;  Leafy green vegetable (soups/sauces)	Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance
Melon:  Georgia Rattlesnake Watermelon	Citrullus lanatus	West Africa	Truelove Seeds;  NYBG-African-American;  Farming While Black - 2018 (L. Penniman)
Melon:  Muskmelon	Cucumis melo L.	West Africa	In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Melon:  Egusi melon	Cucumeropsis edulis (cucurbitaceous)	West Africa	In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney);   Colonial Williamsburg Sankofa Heritage Garden
Millet:   Dragon’s Claw	Eleusine coracana	Finger Millet	NYBG-African-American;  Farming While Black - (L. Penniman);  Colonial Williamsburg Sankofa Heritage Garden
Millet:  Pearl Millet; Guinea Millet	Pennisetum glaucum; Cenchrus americanus;  Brachiaria deflexa		NYBG-African-American; In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney); Colonial Williamsburg Sankofa Heritage Garden
Nut:  Bambara Groundnut, Goober pea, Zimbabwe Red Bambara	Vigna subterranea (formerly Voandzia subterranean)	Africa - Ethiopia, Mali Angola, Northern Nigeria/Caneroon; Bambara nut, Pindar	NYBG-African-American; Farming While Black - (L. Penniman); In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney);  Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance;  Colonial Williamsburg Sankofa Heritage Garden
Nut:  Peanut (Goober nut), Carolina Runner, Peanut Black Runner;  Black Pindar Peanut	Arachis hypogaea	Native to South America	NYBG-African-American; Farming While Black - 2018 (L. Penniman); NYBG-Caribbean; 100 Vegetables - 2000 (W.W. Weaver);  Colonial Williamsburg Sankofa Heritage Garden
Nut:  Kola nut	Cola nitida;  Cola acuminata	West African	In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Okra:  Alabama Red, Burgundy, Cowtown, Hill Country Red, Puerto Rico Everblush, Sea Island Red, White Velvet; Catawba Freedman Okra	Abelmoschus esculentus;  Hibiscus esculentus	Sea Island Red (Gullah Geechee community);  White Velvet (variety provided to William Woys Weaver in the. Mid-1990s)	NYBG-African-American;  Farming While Black - (L. Penniman);  Truelove Seeds;  Sistah Seeds;  The Whole Okra - 2019 (Chris Smith);  In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney);  Heirloom Vegetable Gardening - 2018 (W.W. Weaver);  Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance
Okra:  Moody Family Okra	Abelmoschus caillei	West Africa	Sistah Seeds
Onion:  Alisa Craig, New York Early, Red Wethersfield, Figaro Rodriguez	Allium cepa;  Allium cepa var. Aggregatum		NYBG-African-American; NYBG-Caribbean
Onion:  Chives	Allium schoenoprasum		NYBG-African-American
Onion (Scallions):   Evergreen White Bunching	Allium fistulosum		NYBG-Caribbean;  Heirloom Vegetable Gardening - 2018 (W.W. Weaver)
Palm:  Coconut Palm	Cocos nucifera		NYBG-Caribbean
Palm:  Oil Palm	Elaeis guineensis	Guinea, West and Southwest Africa	In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Pepper (hot):    Buena Mulata, Fish Pepper;  Ole Pepperpot	Capsicum annuum	Collected and preserved by painter Horace Pippin and reintroduced by William Woys Weaver.	NYBG-African-American; Truelove Seeds;  Sistah Seeds; 100 Vegetables and Where They Came From - 2000 (W.W. Weaver)
Pepper (hot):   Aji Dulce, Chocolate seven pot, Scotch Bonnet, Tobago, Trinidad seven pot, West Indies Red	Capsicum chinense		NYBG-African-American;  NYBG-Caribbean;  100 Vegetables - 2000 (W.W. Weaver)
Pepper (hot):   Mboga, Tabasco;  Piri Piri Pepper Mix (African Bird’s Eye Chili)	Capsicum frutescens	Vegetable pepper Zanzibar	Farming While Black - 2018 (L. Penniman);  NYBG-Caribbean;  Sistah Seeds
Pepper (hot):  Melegueta Pepper	Aframomum melegueta		In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Pepper (low heat):  Trinidad Seasoning Pepper	Capsicum Chinese	Popular cooking pepper in Trinidad and Tobago	Sistah Seeds
Parsley:  Giant of Italy	Petroselinum crispum		NYBG-Caribbean
Pea:  Red peas, Sea Island;  Purple Hull Pinkeye,  Sea Island Rice Pea; Ezell Family Fish Eye Blackeyed Pea, Brown Crowder, Iron and Clay, First Lady Northern, Whippoorwill	Vigna unguiculata	West Africa; Gullah Geechee variety;  Beecher red pea	Truelove Seeds;  Sistah Seeds; Farming While Black - 2018 (L. Penniman);  NYBG-African-American;  NYBG-Caribbean;  Heirloom Vegetable Gardening - 2018 (W.W. Weaver);   Colonial Williamsburg Sankofa Heritage Garden
Pea:  Pigeon peas, Gandules, Gungo peas	Cajanus cajan	Gandules in Spanish;  Gungo peas in Jamaica	NYBG-Caribbean;  Truelove Seeds
Plantain	Plantago major		NYBG-African-American
Plantain:  Dwarf Puerto Rican	Musa		NYBG-Caribbean
Potato:  Irish Potato	Solanum tuberosum		NYBG-African-American
Potato:  Dazo/Fingerling	Plectranthus esculentus	West Africa	In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Potato:  Hausa potato/piasa	Solenostemon rotundifolius	West Africa	In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Potato, Sweet Potato:   Beauregard, Boniato, Pumpkin yam sweet potato	Ipomoea batatas	“Diasporic King of Crops”;  in North America, sweet potatoes became a substitute for true yams from Africa;  Boniato is a sweet potato with dry, white flesh	NYBG-African-American;  Farming While Black;  NYBG-Caribbean;  100 Vegetables - (W.W. Weaver);  Colonial Williamsburg Sankofa Heritage Garden
Pumpkin:   Calabaza, Haitian pumpkin	Cucurbita moschata	Joumou pumpkin	NYBG-Caribbean;  Farming While Black - 2018 (L. Penniman);  Heirloom Vegetable Gardening - (W.W. Weaver)
Pumpkin:  Fluted pumpkin	Telfairia occidentalis	West Africa	In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Purslane	Portulaca oleracea		NYBG-African-American
Rabbits tobacco:  Sweet everlasting	Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium		NYBG-African-American
Rice	Oryza Glaberrima		Black Rice: The African Origins of Rice Cultivation in the Americas - 2001 (J. Carney)
Rice:  Buffalo, Carolina Gold, Djubuh, M’Bale, WAB 56-104	Oryza Sativa		NYBG-Caribbean;  Black Rice - 2001 (J. Carney)
Sesame:   Blue Sesame, Sea Island Benne, Beniseed	Sesamum indicum;  Sesamum radiatum	West Africa	Truelove Seeds; Sistah Seeds; NYBG-African-American;  In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Sorghum:   Coral, Sugar Drip (Guinea Corn)	Sorghum bicolor	South of Sudan to Mauritania	NYBG-African-American;   Farming While Black - 2018 (L. Penniman);  Truelove Seeds;  In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney);  Colonial Williamsburg Sankofa Heritage Garden
Spices:  Turmeric, Cardamon, Cinnamon, Vanilla, Nutmeg, Allspice, Curry;  Allspice	Turmeric-Curcuma longa; Cardamon-Elletaria cardamomum;  Cinnamon-Cinnamomum verum;  Vanilla-Vanilla planifolia (orchid family-Orchidaceae);  Nutmeg-Myristica fragrans;  Allspice-Pimenta dioica; Curry-Murraya koenigii;  Allspice-Pimenta dioica		NYBG-Caribbean
Squash:   White bush scalloped squash	Cucurbita pep	North American indigenous people	Farming While Black - 2018 (L. Penniman)
Squash:  Green-striped Cushaw pumpkin	Cucurbita mixta;  Curcurbita argyrosperma		Farming While Black - (L. Penniman);  Sistah Seeds
Sugar Cane:   Bourboriat Suriname,  Homeowners green, Jamaican stripe, Purple Ribbon,  Red variety	Saccharum officinarum		NYBG-African-American;  NYBG-Caribbean
Sunchoke:  Jerusalem artichoke	Helianthus tuberosus		NYBG-African-American
Sweet flag root	Acor acorus calamus var. americanus	Used by Native American tribes for ceremonies, medicine and trade.	NYBG-African-American
Tamarind	Tamarindus indica	Native to tropical Africa; used for foods, beverages and medicines;  legume family	NYBG-Caribbean;   Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science
Taro	Colocasia esculenta	Food staple, root vegetable;  African, Oceanic, East Asian, Southeast Asian	NYBG-Caribbean
Tomato:   Aunt Lou’s Underground Railroad Tomato,  Moyamensing (Eastern State Prison),  Goose Creek,  Paul Robeson,  Plate de Haiti, Purple Calabash	Solanum lycopersicum	According William Woys Weaver, the Plate de Haiti has been grown in Haiti and the Dominican Republic since before the 1560s.	Truelove Seeds;  Sistah Seeds;  NYBG-African-American;  Farming While Black - 2018 (L. Penniman);  From Seed to Skillet:  A Guide to Growing, Tending, Harvesting and Cooking Up Fresh, Healthful Food to Share with People You Love - 2010 (Jimmy Williams)
Tomato:  Black nightshade;  Nightshade	Solanum nigrum; Solanum macrocarbon		Farming While Black - 2018 (L. Penniman);  In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Tomato:  Chiapas, bitter tomato	Solanum pimpinellifolium;  Solanum incanum		NYBG-Caribbean;  In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Yam:  African White	Dioscorea rotundata	West Africa	NYBG-African-American;  In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Yam:  Guinea Yam, Yellow Yam	Dioscorea cayenensis	West Africa	NYBG-African-American;  In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Yam:  Indian Yam, Inhame, Cush-Cush	Dioscorea trifida	Caribbean, Central/South America	NYBG-Caribbean
Yam:  True Yam (Air potato yam)	Dioscorea bulbifera		NYBG-Caribbean;  In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Yam:  Three-leaved bitter yam	Discorea dumetorum	West Africa	In the Shadow of Slavery - 2009 (J. Carney)
Yam: Yam potato	Solanum tuberous	Plant migrated from South Carolina to England in the 1700s;  Weaver: “a living artifact of African-American history…”	100 Vegetables - 2000 (W.W. Weaver)
Yautia Lila, Malanga blanca	Xanthosoma sagittifolium	Root vegetable;  South America and the tropics; Puerto Rican starchy tuber;  substitute for potatoes or yams	NYBG-Caribbean