Plants used for construction, building, housing, furniture and in folklore.

Tens of species of trees from the tropics and temperate zones are of importance as construction material and fuel. Twenty-five years ago the annual use of wood was already estimated on 2500 million cubic meters. About half of this amount was used as fuel (Miscellaneous plants 12), and of the other half two-third was sawn (Miscellaneous plants 9) into timber (Miscellaneous plants 10; Miscellaneous plants 11). A quarter was used in the paper industry, the remaining part in veneer, triplex, and other building materials. The cultivation of timber trees started in the 17th century in Europe. In the tropics forest plantations are more difficult to establish and maintain, as only few species grow well in monoculture. A notable example is teak, Tectona grandis, which has been successfully planted in Asia and Africa (Miscellaneous plants 16).

In the tropics bamboo, Bambusa vulgaris, together with many other related genera, and rattan, Calamus sp., are reputed for the many applications in construction and building (Miscellaneous plants 5; Miscellaneous plants 6).

In South America a rush, Scirpus totara, is used as a boatbuilding material; other temperate species are used for matting and basketwork. In the temperate zones reed, Phragmites australis, is used for thatching. Twigs of willow, Salix sp., are used in constructing dike bodies (willow matting); the wood is used for wooden shoes.

Many utensils are made of plants also, like baskets (Miscellaneous plants 2), mats (Miscellaneous plants 3), bags (Miscellaneous plants 4), screens (Miscellaneous plants 7) etc. In the tropics and subtropics the palmyra palm, Borassus aethiopicum; the doum palm, Hyphaene thebaica; the screw-palm, Pandanus sp., and the date palm, Phoenix dactylifera, are used for this purpose. World wide coir from the cocos palm, Cocos nucifera, is used for floor covering; raffia (Raphia sp.) as a tying material in horticulture and in handicraft; and white jute, Corchorus capsularis, for coarse sacs. For cordage, ropes, treads and textiles see Fibre plants.

In the tropics utensils like cups, bowls and bottles are made of the fruit of the calabash tree, Crescentia cujete; and the bottle gourd, Lagenaria siceraria, (L. siceraria 1).
Job’ s tears, Coix lachryma-jobi, are used as beads in necklaces and rosaries.
Vegetable ivory of the ivory-nut palm, Phytelephas macrocarpa, and the doum palm, Hyphaene thebaica, was for a long period the raw material for buttons, dices, chessmen, and other articles.
Corks and closing rings are made out of the bark of the cork oak, Quercus suber.

In folklore the double coconut, Lodoicea maldivica, has a special place. For centuries the nuts were believed to be the fruits of a large submarine tree, hence the French name coco-de-mer. Later, when the remote valley in the Seychelles was discovered, (the only place where the palm tree occurs), the theory was launched that this place must have been the garden of Eden and the tree must be the tree of knowledge. In Asia the banyan, Ficus benghalensis (see Ficus carica), is considered sacred, as Buddha would have meditated under it. Flowers are frequently used as offer gifts (Miscellaneous plants 8, Miscellaneous plants 13). Of historical importance is papyrus, Cyperus papyrus (C. papyrus 2).

Flowers are used worldwide for decoration purposes, both indoors and outdoors (Miscellaneous plants 15). Several plant species serve as national symbol, like the tulip (Miscellaneous plants 14) in the Netherlands, the clover leaf for Ireland, the lily for France, the edelweiss for Switzerland and Austria, and the maple leaf for Canada.