Tropical lands are home to a multitude of foods and spices.  Some are familiar to us, some are not.  We invite you to sample these exotic treasures as you learn about them.  All of the items in the list below are available at supermarkets or ethnic food markets.  The plants pictured here all can be found growing in the Tropics.  Some are native to the Tropics or Subtropics and grow only there.  Others originated in the Tropics, but now are grown in many regions of the world.  Still others originated in subtropical areas, but are adapted to growing in rain forests.  As you become acquainted with these plants, you will want to learn more about them and the Tropics.   A good place to start is with the encyclopedia or any of the books listed in the bibliography.

Bacon, Josephine (1988) Exotic Fruits A-Z, Salem House Publishers, Topshelo, Massachusetts
Buishand, Tjerk; Houwing, Harn P. and Jansen, Kees The Complete Book of Vegetables (1986),    Gallery Books
Mulherin, Jennifer (1988) Spices and Natural Flavorings, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York
Pijpers, Dick; Constant, Jac. G. and Jansen, Kees The Complete Book of Fruit (1986), Gallery Books
Rosengarten, Jr., Frederic (1984) The Book of Edible Nuts, Walker Publishing Company, Inc., New York
Schneider, Elizabeth (1986) Uncommon Fruits & Vegetables, A Commonsense Guide, Harper &Row, Publishers, New York
Simpson, Beryl Brintall,and Conner-Ogorzaly, Molly (1986) Economic Botany, Plants in Our World, McGraw Hill Book Company, New York
Smartt, J. and N. W. Simmonds, eds., (1995) Evolution of Crop Plants. 2nd Edition, Conxxx Scientific and Technical, Essex, England

Glenn Kopp/glenn.kopp@mobot.org