Verbena's small flowers vary in color between red, white and lavender. They grow on deciduous shrubs, which according to Ernest Small, author of "Culinary Herbs," may reach a height of 5 meters. Lemon verbena, one of the most well-known species of the Verbenaceae family, is a hardy wildflower native to much of South America's grasslands. Lemon verbena, with its lemony scent, is often used to season and flavor desserts, meats and teas.
Most types of mimosa are woody shrubs. Native to Uruguay is the species Mimosa pigra, which has spread from South America to become one of the world's most notoriously invasive species. This is especially true in Australia, where active pesticide campaigns have often been waged against it. The plant is also an invasive species in many parts of Africa and Asia. The flowers of Mimosa pigra are tiny, golden yellow and grow in bunches.
El Ceibo is the Spanish name for the cockspur coral tree, which bears the national flower of Uruguay. The distinctive flowers of this tree are a bright scarlet, with petals that grow from 3.5 to 6 centimeters long. These flowers bloom throughout the year. The trees themselves grow up to around 10 meters in height. While planted in urban areas as ornamental trees, ceibos thrive naturally in the wet soil of Uruguay's riverbank forests. Though this tree is native to Uruguay and Brazil, its beautiful blossoms make it a popular ornamental plant all over the world.
One of the many types of indigenous myrtle, or plants from the Myrtaceae family native to Uruguay, is the feijoa, which bears fruit known as the pineapple guava or guavasteen. This evergreen shrub produces flowers with soft white petals and a multitude of bright red stamens. The plant is prized for its delicate green fruit, which begins to deteriorate shortly after harvest, and is therefore very rare to most of the world. Both fruit and flowers are high in iodine, and used in folk medicine to treat thyroid problems and rashes on the skin.
