25 Radiant Plants Starting With R (2024)

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 of25 Beautiful Flowers That Start With R forfurther 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

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

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.