From simple, earthy radishes all the way to the classically beautiful rose, a wide range of plant life can be found starting with the letter “R.”
Here’s a selection of some of that fantastic plant life, so you can get to know them a bit better. Also, make sure to check out our list of 25 Beautiful Flowers That Start With R for further inspiration.
Plants Starting With R – Quick Look
- Radish
- Reed Grass
- Redbud
- Raspberry
- Red-Hot Poker
- Rocket
- Royal Palm
- Rhododendron
- Rockcress
- Rue Anemone
- Rush
- Rain Lily
- Ribbon Grass
- Rodgersia
- Rattlesnake Grass
- Rock Rose
- Rabbit’s Foot Fern
- Royal Poinciana
- Rosemary
- River Oats
- Ranunculus Flower
- Rocktrumpet
- Rice Paper Plant
- Rangoon Creeper
- Rose
25 Plants Starting With R
1. Radish
- Common Name(s): Radish
- Scientific Name: Raphanus raphanistrum
- Native to: Asia
These crunchy vegetables make a great snack, usually enjoyed raw. The unique peppery flavor is created by the same compound present in mustard, horseradish, and wasabi.
2. Reed Grass
- Common Name(s): Reed grass, Common reed
- Scientific Name: Phragmites australis
- Native to: North America
Reeds have so many uses. They can be eaten, the stems can be used as straws, or the stems can be dried and created into a food that can be toasted like marshmallows.
3. Redbud
- Common Name(s): Redbud, Eastern redbud
- Scientific Name: Cercis canadensis
- Native to: Eastern North America
In some places, the flowers of this tree are fried and eaten. They contain anthocyanins, which have been shown to have antioxidant properties.
4. Raspberry
- Common Name(s): Raspberry
- Scientific Name: Rubus
- Native to: Turkey
Although citrus fruits are famous for their high vitamin C content, raspberries contain even more! The seed-filled fruits are highly nutritious, and the leaves can be made into a delicious tea.
5. Red-Hot Poker
- Common Name(s): Red hot poker, Tritoma, Torch lily. Poker plant.
- Scientific Name: Kniphofia
- Native to: Africa
It’s not hard to see where these tall plants get their name from, with long stems and fiery colors giving them the appearance of a red-hot stick.
Their height and striking appearance make them a popular addition to ornamental gardens.
6. Rocket
- Common Name(s): Rocket, Arugula, Eruca
- Scientific Name: Eruca vesicaria
- Native to: Southern Europe
Although known as arugula in American English, “rocket” is another common term for this peppery leaf, used in British English. It’s fortunately never confused with spacecraft there.
7. Royal Palm
- Common Name(s): Royal palm, Cuban royal palm, Florida royal palm,
- Scientific Name: Roystonea regia
- Native to: Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean
This majestic palm tree grows between 50 and 80 feet high. Its most common use is as an ornamental tree, but it can also be used for construction timber. The Royal Palm is also the national tree of Cuba.
8. Rhododendron
- Common Name(s): Rhododendron
- Scientific Name: Rhododendron
- Native to: Temperate regions of Asia, North America, and Europe
These bright blooms have seen their fair share of literary mentions, and are used as a motif in two of the most famous classic novels: James Joyce’s Ulysses and Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebbeca.
9. Rockcress
- Common Name(s): Rockcress
- Scientific Name: Arabis
- Native to: Europe
As the name would suggest, this small flowering plant is best suited to rock gardens. It releases a sweet scent when in bloom.
10. Rue Anemone
- Common Name(s): Rue Anemone
- Scientific Name: Thalictrum thalictroides
- Native to: North America
These small pale flowers are part of the buttercup family and are easy to cultivate in wildflower gardens.
11. Rush
- Common Name(s): Rush
- Scientific Name: Juncaceae
- Native to: Europe, Asia, and the Americas
The dried piths of rushes were used to make an inexpensive type of candle for the masses in the 17th century known as a “rushlight.”
12. Rain Lily
- Common Name(s): Rain lily, Rainflower, Zephyr lily, Magic lily, Atamasco lily, Rain lily.
- Scientific Name: Zephyranthes
- Native to: Western Hemisphere
These delicate small flowers show up in late summer or fall, often after heavy rainfall, hence the name.
13. Ribbon Grass
- Common Name(s): Reed grass, Reed canary grass, Gardener's-garters
- Scientific Name: Phalaris arundinacea
- Native to: Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and North America
This grass is often grown ornamentally in North America. It can live in two extremes, being both drought-resistant but water-loving enough that it can survive as a semi-aquatic plant, too.
14. Rodgersia
- Common Name(s): Rodgersia
- Scientific Name: Rodgersia
- Native to: East Asia
American taxonomist, A. Gray, named the plant after the commander of his expedition, John Rodgers, in 1885, leading to the unusual name.
15. Rattlesnake Grass
- Common Name(s): Rattlesnake Grass, Quaking grass, Greater quaking-grass, Blowfly grass, Shelly grass, Rattle grass
- Scientific Name: Briza maxima
- Native to: Northern Africa, Azores, Western Asia, and Southern Europe
This grass is grown ornamentally as it grows long slender stems with small seeds that rustle in light wind.
16. Rock Rose
- Common Name(s): Rock Rose
- Scientific Name: Cistus
- Native to: The Mediterranean
These beautiful blooms of singular flowers look like roses and can be white, pink, or purple. They are a popular choice because they can withstand tough conditions from cold winters to searing summers.
17. Rabbit’s Foot Fern
- Common Name(s): Rabbit’s foot fern, Deersfoot fern, Hare's foot fern, Shinobu fern, Ball fern
- Scientific Name: Davallia
- Native to:
These ferns make popular houseplants. The name comes from a furry rhizome that grows atop the soil and resembles a rabbit’s foot.
18. Royal Poinciana
- Common Name(s): Royal poinciana, Flamboyant, Flame of the forest, Flame tree
- Scientific Name: Royal Poinciana
- Native to: Madagascar
The trees are native to Madagascar, you now find them around the world in tropical regions. In the US, they are often remembered from holidays in Florida.
They are distinctive, as they produce a vivid red flower when in bloom.
19. Rosemary
- Common Name(s): Rosemary
- Scientific Name: Salvia rosmarinus
- Native to: The Mediterranean
This shrub produces long, fragrant needle-like leaves which make the well-known delicious herb. Its use stretches back across history, with the earliest mention of it on a cuneiform stone in 5000 BCE.
It is also known that it was used in burials in ancient Egypt.
20. River Oats
- Common Name(s): River oats, Wood oats, Inland sea oats, Northern sea oats
- Scientific Name: Chasmanthium latifolium
- Native to: United States, Manitoba, and northeastern Mexico
These confuse many who mistake them for sea oats and wonder what they are doing so far inland. Though neither is a true oat, they can be used as a cereal or ground into flour.
21. Ranunculus Flower
- Common Name(s): Ranunculus Flower, Persian Buttercup
- Scientific Name: Ranunculus asiaticus
- Native to: The Eastern Mediterranean region in southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe, and northeastern Africa.
Many hybrid “double-flower” forms of this buttercup are used in floristry. These pretty versions look great in a bouquet but aren’t as hardy in the wild.
22. Rocktrumpet
- Common Name(s): Rocktrumpet
- Scientific Name: Mandevilla
- Native to: The Southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and South America
These are a great option to display in a flower basket. As well as the bright, elegant flowers they produce, they will also grow long trailing vines in the right conditions.
23. Rice Paper Plant
- Common Name(s): Rice Paper Plant
- Scientific Name: Tetrapanax papyrifer
- Native to: Asia
This tropical plant’s pithy stems are used to make ‘rice paper.’ The plant is also simply grown ornamentally.
24. Rangoon Creeper
- Common Name(s): Rangoon creeper
- Scientific Name: Combretum indicum
- Native to: Tropical Asia
This long vine’s flowers change color with age. This is thought to be a strategy to attract a wider variety of pollinators. The initial plain white attracts moths.
On the second and third day of bloom, it turns pink and then white, attracting bees and birds.
25. Rose
- Common Name(s): Rose
- Scientific Name: Rosa
- Native to: Asia, Europe, North America, and northwestern Africa
Roses are one of the oldest flowers in the world, with most species originating in Asia. They are famous for their fragrant smell, a staple in the perfume industry, and their beauty which has been inspirational to thousands of artists.