However, regardless of the species, almost all the flora species depend on the nitrogen cycle for their existence. Thereafter, we will begin the fauna section. Click 'Next' to explore the Nitrogen cycle or scroll down to learn about some common flora species.

Aloe - (Bromeliacaea)
Family: Liliaceae, the Lily Family
Physical description: thick stems 20 ft tall with dense, fleshy, spiny-tipped leaves. The leaves are smooth, thick, and leathery.
Location: the aloe plant is native to Egypt, the Near East, Bermuda, the Bahamas, West Indies, tropical America, Florida and Texas; it is cultivated commercially in Aruba and Bonaire.
Uses: The internal fleshy gel is used to allay skin inflammations, sores and burns. The pulp is used to treat sore throats, ulcers and intestinal ailments. Aloe is often used by cosmetic manufacturers for creams, lotions and ointments to soothe and moisten the skin.

Camphor - (Lauraceae)
Family: Lauraceae, the Laurel Family
Physical description: this tree usually grows to 40 ft high but has the potential to reach 100 ft in its homeland. The trunk is stout with dense layers of dark gray and dark brown bark. The leaves are semi-evergreen with an oblong shape. Pale yellow flowers grow in clusters bearing small oval-shaped fruit.
Location: Malaya, the Philippines, eastern and southern Africa, Central America, Cuba, eastern China.
Uses: Various parts of the Camphor are used differently, depending on the location. In India various parts of the tree are used for colds in chills; in Asia and Europe, camphor is applied to sprains, inflammations, gout and rheumatic joints; in Cuba, the leaves are crushed and added to alcohol to be applied as an ointment for arthritis; in the U.S. camphor is used as anaesthetic in lotions.

Castor Bean - (Euphorbiaceae)
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Physical description: 20-30 ft high treelike shrubs with fibrous roots and a dense, woody, layered trunk. The leaves are pointed at the apex; fruits are a greenish blue hue until turning brown upon ripening.
Location: Brazil, India, Thailand, Mexico , peru, Tanzania.
Uses: for the relief of headaches and fever; also applied to rheumatic joins/swelling/inflamed muscles. The oils are used on skin diseases and wounds from domestic animals.
Interesting feature: It is sometimes used in perfume, but the odor has been known to repel mosquitos.

Coca - (Erythroxylaceae)
Family: Erythroxylaceae, the Coca Family
Physical description: small, bushy tree with reddish brown bark with evergreen leaves and fragrant 5-petaled flowers housing oblong fruit
Location: Ecuadoror, Columbia, Peru, Bolivia, western Brazil, also commercial cultivation elsewhere.
Uses: Coca is most commonly used in food and beverages, but it also has significant medicinal uses as a remedy for asthma and as topical pain reliever in operations.

Jaborandi - (Rutaceae)
Family: Rutaceae, the Rue Family
Physical description: shrubs/ small trees 5-10 ft high with trifoliate or pinnate leaves. The leaves are shades of dull green and gray. The shrubs are rich with white and purple flowers with star-shaped petals.
Location: Northeastern Brazil
Uses: applied to the scalp to prevent baldness; also can be taken internally as a sudorific. the dried leaves can be used as a stimulant and expectorant in diabetes and asthma.

Levant Berry - (Menispermaceae)
Family: Menispermaceae, the Moonseed Family
Physical description: climbing shrub with waxy leaves, fragrant pendant-shaped flowers, fruits grow singly or in clusters of twos and threes and are white then dark red when ripened.
Location: India, Burma, Thailand, South Vietnam, Malaya, Philippines to New Guinea.
Uses: Fruit juice is applied on scabies and ulcers; dried fruit is an essential ingredient in lotion as a remedy for ring worm and lice. The fresh leaves of the levant berry can also be inhaled to relieve malaria. In the U.S. it is used as a respiratory stimulant to offset the effects barbiturates.

Opium Poppy - (Papaveraceae)
Family: Papaveraceae, the Poppy Family
Physical description: 2-4 ft tall herb with a hairy green stem. Flowers are 3-4 inches wide with wavy petals and a bluish white, purple splotch at the base. The fruit is globular, 2-4 inches wide with a tinted yellow color when mature.
Location: Pakistan, western Mediterranean, Thailand
Features: opium has narcotic properties and is extremely addictive; it is often used as a sedative. The poppy seeds, however, are harmless. The seeds are used in food, especially bakery products.

Sweet Gum - (Hamalidaceae)
Family: Hamamelidaceae, the Witch-Hazel Family
Physical description: a slender tree that reaches 150 ft in height with star-shaped leaves. The fruit is a round, hard, spiny capsule usually holding two glossy brownish black oblong winged seeds.
Location: Central America, Mexico to Nicaragua, Honduras
Uses: In Latin America the gum is a popular folk medicine applied to rounds and taken internally as a remedy for gonorrhea. In the past it has been added to ointments for use on ringworm and other parasitic skin afflictions.

Tragacanth - (Leguminosae)
Family: Leguminosae, the Pea Family
Physical description: a busy shrub 1-2 ft high with large, smooth branches and twigs with yellow spins and white-petaled leaves.
Uses: In 1965, the Chester Beatty Research Institute of London found that gum tragacanth inhibits cancer cells. The effect depends on the ionic strength of the gum solution. It is used in the U.S. for pharmaceutical purposes.