Loquat is a fruit tree native to East Asia. For more than a hundred years, it has been grown in the Mediterranean area. The species belongs to the Rose family and the relationship is evident when looking at the flowers and fruit. Loquat fruits are basically built like apples. The tree is always flowering in the autumn. The flowers have a strong scent of bitter almond. After flowering, nothing much happens with the fruits, but when spring arrives, development is fast. Loquat is the kind of fruit that matures first in the year. The fruits are fragile and hard to transport. Hence, they are rarely seen for sale in Swedish shops.

Mediterranean dwarf palm grows in Western Mediterranea and it is one of only two palm species native to Europe

In cultivation, the Mediterranean dwarf palm may grow a couple of meters tall, but under natural conditions it is usually a knee-high, dense cushion. It has rigid fan-shaped leaves that are yellowish green to silvery blue in colour. The trunk is hairy.

Fibres extracted from young leaves were previously used as filling in furniture.