Soapberry

3 seeds per pack. A deciduous tropical tree bearing round, 1" fruits that contain a single seed--the soapnut. The soapnut is high in saponin and makes a great substitute for household soaps and detergents. A few of the nuts in your washing machine can wash a load of clothes! It is a graceful and ornamental tree and should be hardy to about freezing. Large seeds. view plant information #1525

Soapberry

4 seeds per pack. Closely related to the Soapnut, the Soapberry has a similar shape and appearance. Fruits are slightly smaller than the Soapnut and the tree is hardier, able to withstand frosts and light freezes. The soapnut is high in saponin and makes a great substitute for household soaps and detergents. A few of the nuts in your washing machine can wash a load of clothes! #1561

Queen of the Night

10-15 seeds per pack. A gorgeous night blooming cactus with large white flowers that grow to several inches. The flowers are also fragrant, with a mild vanilla-like scent. Bears spiny, 2-4" long red ripening fruits that are edible and fairly tasty, with much similarity to the dragon fruit. There are numerous subspecies and crosses of this species. #2481

White Milkwood

5 seeds per pack. A medium sized South African native tree bearing small purple-black berry-like fruits. Some sources list the fruits as edible, but the tree has a popular history of landscape use in South Africa, with many historic and protected specimens. Features glossy green leaves and small, oddly fragrant white flowers. Grows to 20-40 ft. Unknown frost hardiness. #2491

Jojoba Nut

5 seeds per pack. Desert shrub bearing the jojoba nut, an edible nut tasting somewhat like a hazelnut. The jojoba is famously known as the source of jojoba oil, an oil with important uses in cosmetics and skin care. The jojoba shrub can tolerate temperature extremes, surviving to 20F, and over 110F. #776

Kangaroo Apple

25-50 seeds per pack. Medium sized shrub native to Australia. Produces medium tomato sized fruits bright yellow-orange in color. Fruits are said to be edible when fully ripe, unripe fruits are poisonous. Hardy to 28F. view plant information #134

Bittersweet

25-50 seeds per pack. A perennial, bushy, spreading vine best-known for its use in herbal medicine. It is a pretty vine, with purple potato bush-like flowers and bright red fruits. All parts of the plant, including fruits are poisonous to humans, though the fruits are quite popular with birds. Hardy, can be invasive in some areas. view plant information #1532

Pumpkin Tree

30-60 seeds per pack. Tomato/eggplant relative producing orange fruits that can grow to the size of lemons. Fruits have an eggplant-like flavor but are also very ornamental and used in florist arrangements as they look like mini-pumpkins. The plant looks and grows much like a regular eggplant. Annual, or perennial in warmer climates. #972

Garden Huckleberry

25-50 seeds per pack. Small, purple-black fruit similar in appearance to the huckleberry. The true garden huckleberry is larger (about 1.5-2x) than the wonderberry (a hybrid relative). This variety is sweeter than most and of higher quality flavor than average garden huckleberries. Annual, easily grown in pots, growth requirements are similar to the tomato, but berries need much less time to ripen. Some parts of the plant including unripe (green) fruits are poisonous. view plant information #665

Naranjilla

10 seeds per pack. Orange, fuzzy skinned fruit about the size of a large cherry tomato. Has tasty acidic green pulp that can be eaten fresh but is also used in Central and South America to make a popular beverage. Subtropical shrub, to 6-10ft, with large, fuzzy and thorny leaves having prominent purple veins. Can fruit from seed in 9-12 months. Hardy to the 20's (F), easily container grown. view plant information #671

Cocona

10-15 seeds per pack. Orange-red colored fruit from the Amazon, used fresh and for drinks. Hardiness unknown, though the plant is native to tropical mountainous regions so it may survive some frosts. Fruits are popular in its native region. Herbaceous shrub to 6ft, with similarities to the naranjilla. view plant information #672

Kanta Kari

15-25 seeds per pack. The flowers and fruits of the Kanta Kari plant are used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine. This interesting eggplant relative produces small, red-orange fruits up to an inch long. The fruits are also occasionally used in curries. Small perennial that is not hardy to frosts, but can be grown as an annual. #1513

Yellow Mombin

2 seeds per pack. Juicy, yellow fruit the size of a small plum. Has an acidic flavor and is eaten out of hand, or used to flavor ice creams and desserts. Trees grow best in subtropical to tropical climates and do not take freezes or frosts. Small to large tree growing from 15-60 ft. view plant information #187

Spanish Plum

2 seeds per pack. Popular fruit of the American tropics. Purple-red colored, with yellow flesh having a nice plum like flavor. Trees are somewhat cold sensitive. view plant information #685

Buddha Coconut

5 seeds per pack. A large, dry tropical tree bearing woody fruits containing edible seeds. One of a number of "wild almond" species native to India and southeast Asia. Grows well in dry-wet season tropical climates. Deciduous. Unknown frost hardiness, though likely not below 32-35F. #3026

Stevia

15-25 seeds per pack. The source of the growing in popularity Stevia sweetener. Plants are compact and grow to about 1-2ft. Easily grown as an annual in colder climates. The leaves have a sweet flavor and when dried, can be used to sweeten foods. Hardy to 28F. view plant information #1504

Toad Tree

5 seeds per pack. An exotic shrub of South Africa, beautiful as an ornamental for its white, clustered, finely fragrant flowers. Bears odd, warty, green fruits that look like a toad. Sources say the fruits are edible and used by the Zulu, but the plant is in a famously poisonous family, so much caution would be advised. Grows to 4-15 ft. Hardiness unknown. #2494

Tamarind

5 seeds per pack. Beautiful large tropical tree native to Africa. Can withstand temperatures down to 28F. Fruit is a 4-8" long pod with several large seeds surrounded by sticky, paste-like flesh with a tasty sweet/sour flavor. Used to a make a popular drink in Mexico and is often used in flavoring foods. Will produce in 6-8 years from seed. view plant information #117

Snake Gourd

10-20 seeds per pack. A huge-fruited member of the melon family with fruits that can reach five feet long! The fruits look a bit like elongated cucumbers and have soft flesh similar to the luffa. The fruits are very popular in a variety of Asian cuisines. The leaves can be eaten as greens. Annual. #2409

African Medlar

8 seeds per pack. A popular and traditional fruit in portions of Africa but barely known in the rest of the world. Fruits are usually eaten raw but can also be processed into drinks and alcoholic beverages. Flavor is mildly sweet to sour, somewhat like an apple. The tree also has a history of medicinal uses and folklore surrounding its supposed magical properties. Unknown hardiness, but may be hardy to short frosts. #3041

Ashwagandha

25-50 seeds per pack. Small bushy tomatillo relative well-known for its many medicinal qualities. Roots, leaves, and fruits are regularly used to treat stress, exhaustion, memory problems, and much more. Small bright red/orange fruits resemble small chinese lanterns. Simple to grow, needs little care, grow as an annual or perennial. view plant information #661

Banana Yucca

8-10 seeds per pack. A desert yucca bearing a 4-6" long, yellow fruit resembling a banana. The fruits are sweet and were once considered a delicacy by many Native American tribes who used the food as a staple. The flowers, leaves, and seeds are also edible. This yucca grows to 3ft and is quite hardy, surviving temperatures to the teens. The large flowers spikes during spring are quite ornamental and the plant lends itself well to arid landscapes. #1533

Our Lord's Candle

10-20 seeds per pack. Native to the Pacific coast, from California to Mexico, this yucca has a number of uses, both edible and ornamental. Yields edible fruits that were once part of the diet of local tribes. The flowers are also edible. Grows to 2-3ft, with a huge, 8ft flower spike. Drought and heat tolerant. Hardy to the 10's-20's. #2407

Bengal Ginger

5 seeds per pack. A delightful edible, ornamental and cold hardy ginger native to the eastern Himalayas. The seed capsules are used as a spice. The flowers are born directly from soil level and are brightly colored, with red, white and yellow striations. Leaves are large, glossy green, and quite attractive. Grows well in warm climates, but the rhizomes will survive to 10-15F in the ground. #2489

Jujube

5 seeds per pack. Native to China, but now grown throughout the subtropics and temperate world. Fruit can be eaten at different stages, with a taste reminiscent of a mild and sweet apple. Very hardy, to -25F. Small, deciduous tree. view plant information #118

Indian Jujube

5 seeds per pack. Small or large tropical tree similar to the jujube but better suited for tropical climates. Fruits are very similar to the jujube in taste and appearance. Will stand only brief frosts, does well in warm, humid regions. view plant information #644

Buffalo Thorn

5 seeds per pack. A jujube relative bearing tan-red, grape sized fruits with a variety of uses. Seeds can be used as a coffee substitute, leaves are cooked like spinach, and the fruit is edible, though not well appreciated. An uncommon shrub outside of its native range. Grows to 15-30 feet. Fairly tough once established. Unknown frost hardiness. #2461

Gray Thorn

6 seeds per pack. A jujube relative bearing small, red-blue fruits that are edible, but lacking in much flavor. A shrub, growing to 5-10 feet. Hardy to 15F. Native to the arid regions of the southwestern United States, from California through Texas, as well as portions of Mexico. Trees are tough, drought and heat tolerant once established. Popular with birds. #2469

Christ's Thorn

5 seeds per pack. A medium sized African tree that is highly versatile and prized in its native range. The fruits are edible and have a sweetish flavor similar to the common Jujube. The tree is also a source of honey and a flavoring for alcoholic drinks. Some believe the tree to be the source of Christ's Crown of Thorns, hence its common name. #1559

Suan Zao Ren

5 seeds per pack. A Ziziphus bearing olive-shaped fruits that bear a resemblance to the common jujube. Fruits have an acid-sweet flavor. The tree is best known for its use in Chinese medicine. The seeds have a number of purported medicinal benefits including use as a sedative, for calming and to treat high-altitude sickness. Shrubby tree, hardy to the 20's. #1522