The Plant Subsystem produces, stores, and provides raw agricultural products to the Food Subsystem while regenerating air and water.

Plants are the primary autotroph considered for most CELSS, because they provide both a food source and photosynthesize oxygen.

The subject of horticulture contains a vast body of knowledge extending well beyond the focus of CELSS. The search box below redirects to the Gardenology.org website which contains a wealth of plant cultivation information.



The focus of this CELSS knowledge base is on the knowledge specific to closed systems, such as oxygen production, pollination requirements, and other special requirements that may be effected.

Plants complement animals ecologically, requiring animal waste, water and light to grow.

Common name	Latin name	Pollinator	Commercial product of pollination	Pollinator impact	# beehives per acre	Geography of cultivation
Okra	Abelmoschus esculentus	Honey bees (incl. Apis cerana), Solitary bees (Halictus spp.)	fruit	2-modest		temperate
Kiwifruit	Actinidia deliciosa	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	fruit	4-essential
Bucket orchid	Coryanthes	Male Euglossini bees (Orchid bees)
Onion	Allium cepa	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed			temperate
Cashew	Anacardium occidentale	Honey bees, Stingless bees, bumblebees, Solitary bees (Centris tarsata), Butterflies, flies, hummingbirds	nut	3-great		tropical
Atemoya, Cherimoya, Custard apple	'Annona squamosa	Nitidulid beetles	fruit	4-essential		tropical
Celery	'Apium graveolens	Honey bees, Solitary bees, flies	seed			temperate
Strawberry tree	'Arbutus unedo	Honey bees, bumblebees	fruit	2-modest
Carambola, Starfruit	'Averrhoa carambola	Honey bees, Stingless bees	fruit	3-great		tropical
Hemp
Brazil nut	'Bertholletia excelsa	Bumblebees, Orchid bees (Euglossini), Carpenter bees	nut	4-essential		tropical
Beet	Beta vulgaris	Hoverfly, Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed	1-little		temperate
Brassica alba, Brassica hirta, Brassica nigra	Honey bees, Solitary bees (((Osmia cornifrons, Osmia lignaria)		seed	2-modest	temperate
Rapeseed	'Brassica napus	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed	2-modest		temperate
Broccoli	'Brassica oleracea cultivar	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed			temperate
Cauliflower	'Brassica oleracea Botrytis Group	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed			temperate
Cabbage	Brassica oleracea Capitata Group	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed			temperate
Brussels sprouts	Brassica oleracea Gemmifera Group	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed			temperate
Chinese cabbage	'Brassica rapa	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed			temperate
Turnip, Canola	'Brassica rapa	Honey bees, Solitary bees (Andrena ilerda, Osmia cornifrons, Osmia lignaria, Halictus spp.), flies	seed	3-great	1	temperate
Pigeon pea, Cajun pea, Congo bean	Cajanus cajan	Honey bees, solitary bees (Megachile spp.), Carpenter bees	seed	1-little
Jack bean, Horse bean, Sword bean	'Canavalia spp.	Solitary bees, Carpenter bees (Xylocopa confusa)	seed	2-modest
Chile pepper, Red pepper, Bell pepper, Green pepper	Capsicum annuum, Capsicum frutescens	Honey bees, stingless bees (Melipona spp.), bumblebees, solitary bees, hover flies	fruit	1-little (pollinators important in green houses to increase fruit weight, but less in open fields)
Papaya	Carica papaya	Honey bees, thrips, large sphinx moths, Moths, Butterflies	fruit	1-little
Safflower	Carthamus tinctorius	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed	1-little
Caraway	Carum carvi	Honey bees, Solitary bees, flies	seed	2-modest		temperate
Chestnut	Castanea sativa	Honey bees, Solitary bees	nut	2-modest		temperate
Star apple, Cainito	'Chrysophyllum cainito	Insects, bats	fruit	1-little		tropical
Watermelon	Citrullus lanatus	Honey bees, bumblebees, solitary bees	fruit	4-essential	1-3	temperate
Tangerine	Citrus reticulata	Honey bees, bumblebees	fruit	1-little		sub-tropical
Tangelo	Citrus spp.	Honey bees, Bumblebees	fruit	1-little		sub-tropical
Coconut	'Cocos nucifera	Honey bees, Stingless bees	nut	2-modest		tropical
Coffee spp. Coffea arabica, Coffea canephora	Coffea spp.	Honey bees, Stingless bees, Solitary bees	fruit	2-modest		tropical
Cola nut	Cola nitida, Cola vera, Cola acuminata	flies	nut	3-great
Coriander	Coriandrum sativum	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed	3-great
Crownvetch	Coronilla varia L.	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed (increased yield from pollinators)
Hazelnut	'Corylus cornuta var. californica	Wind pollinated.	nut			temperate
Azarole	Crataegus azarolus	Honey bees, Solitary bees	fruit	1-little
Melon	'Cucumis melo L.	Honey bees, Squash bees, bumblebees, Solitary bees (Ceratina spp.)	fruit	4-essential	2-4	temperate
Cucumber	Cucumis sativus	Honey bees, Squash bees, Bumblebees, Leafcutter bee (in greenhouse pollination), Solitary bees (for some parthenocarpic gynoecious green house varieties pollination is detrimental to fruit quality)	fruit	3-great	1-2	temperate
Squash, Pumpkin, Gourd, Marrow, Zuchini	Cucurbita spp.	Honey bees, Squash bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	fruit	4-essential	1	temperate
Guar bean, Goa bean	Cyamopsis tetragonoloba	Honey bees	seed	1-little
Quince	Cydonia oblonga Mill.	Honey bees	fruit			temperate
Carrot	Daucus carota	Flies, Solitary bees, Honey bees	seed			temperate
Hyacinth bean	'Dolichos spp.	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed	2-modest
Longan	Dimocarpus longan	Honey bees, Stingless bees		1-little
Persimmon	'Diospyros kaki, Diospyros virginiana	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	fruit	1-little
Durian	Durio zibethinus	Bats, birds		3-great		tropical
Oil palm	Elaeis guineensis	Weevils, thrips	seed	1-little		tropical
Cardamom	Elettaria cardamomum	Honey bees, Solitary bees		3-great
Loquat	'Eriobotrya japonica	Honey bees, Bumblebees	fruit	3-great
Buckwheat	Fagopyrum esculentum	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed	3-great	1	temperate
Feijoa	Feijoa sellowiana	Honey bees, Solitary bees	fruit	3-great		tropical
fig	Ficus spp.	Fig wasps (incl. Blastophaga psenes) The Calimyrna Fig & Its Pollinator Wasp	fruit	2-modest
Fennel	'Foeniculum vulgare	Honey bees, Solitary bees, flies	seed	3-great		temperate
Strawberry	Fragaria spp.	Honey bees, Stingless bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees (Halictus spp.), Hover flies	fruit	2-modest	1	temperate
Soybean	Glycine max, Glycine soja	Honey bees, bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed	2-modest		temperate
Stanhopea	Stanhopea	Male Euglossini bees (Orchid bees)
Cotton	Gossypium spp.	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed, fiber	2-modest
Sunflower	'Helianthus annuus	Honey bees, bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed	2-modest	1	temperate
Walnut	Juglans spp.	Wind pollinated.	nut			temperate
Flax	Linum usitatissimum	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed	1-little		temperate
Lychee	Litchi chinensis	Honey bees, flies	fruit	1-little
Lupine	Lupinus angustifolius L.	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed			temperate
Macadamia	Macadamia ternifolia	Honey bees, Stingless bees (Trigona carbonaria), Solitary bees (Homalictus spp.), Wasps, Butterflies	nut	4-essential		tropical
Acerola	'Malpighia glabra	Honey bees, Solitary bees	fruit (minor commercial value)
Apple	May bees, Stingless bees, flies, ants, wasps	fruit	3-great		temperate
Sapodilla	Manikara zapotilla	thrips	fruit	4-essential		tropical
Alfalfa	Medicago sativa	Alfalfa leafcutter bee, Alkali bee, Honey bees	seed		1	temperate
Rambutan	'Nephelium lappaceum	Honey bees, Stingless bees, flies	fruit	1-little		tropical
Cactus, Prickly pear	Opuntia spp.	Bumblebees, Solitary bees	fruit	2-modest
Sainfoin	Onobrychis spp.	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed			temperate
Passion fruit. Maracuja	Passiflora edulis	Carpenter bees, Solitary bees, bumblebees, humming birds	fruit	4-essential		tropical
Avocado	Persea americana	Honey bees, Stingless bees, Solitary bees	fruit	3-great
Lima bean, Kidney bean, Haricot bean, Adzuki bean, Mungo bean, String bean	Phaseolus spp.	Honey bees, Solitary bees	fruit, seed	1-little
Allspice	Pimenta dioica	Honey bees, Solitary bees (Halictus spp., Exomalopsis spp., Ceratina spp.)		3-great
Apricot	'Prunus armeniaca	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees, flies	fruit	3-great	1	temperate
Sweet Cherry	Prunus avium spp.	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees, flies	fruit	3-great		temperate
Sour cherry	Prunus cerasus	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees, flies	fruit	3-great		temperate
Plum		Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees, flies	fruit	3-great	1	temperate
Almond	Prunus dulcis, Prunus amygdalus, or Amygdalus communis	Honey bees, bumblebees, Solitary bees (Osmia cornuta), flies	nut	3-great	2-3	temperate
Peach, Nectarine	'Prunus persica	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees, flies	fruit	3-great	1	temperate
Guava	Psidium guajava	Honey bees, Stingless bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees (Lasioglossum spp.)	fruit	2-modest		tropical
Pomegranate	Punica granatum	Honey bees, Solitary bees, beetles	fruit	2-modest
Pear	Pyrus communis	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees, Hover flies (Eristalis spp.)	fruit	3-great	1	temperate
Black currant, Red currant	'Ribes nigrum, Ribes rubrum	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	fruit	2-modest		temperate
Rose hips, Dogroses	Rosa spp.	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Carpenter bees, Solitary bees, Hover flies		3-great		temperate
Boysenberry	Rubus spp.	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	fruit			temperate
Raspberry	Rubus idaeus	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees, Hover flies (Eristalis spp.)	fruit	3-great	1	temperate
Blackberry	Rubus fruticosus	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees, Hover flies (Eristalis spp.)	fruit	3-great		temperate
Elderberry	Sambucus nigra	Honey bees, Solitary bees, flies, Longhorn beetles	fruit	2-modest		temperate
Sesame	Sesamum indicum	Honey bees, Solitary bees, wasps, flies	seed	2-modest
Eggplant	Solanum melongena	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	fruit	2-modest (pollinators important in green houses, but less in open fields)		temperate
Naranjillo	Solanum quitoense	Bumblebees, Solitary bees	fruit	3-great		tropical
Rowanberry	Sorbus aucuparia	Honey bees, Solitary bees, Bumblebees, Hover flies	fruit	4-essential		temperate
Service Tree	Sorbus domestica	bees, flies	fruit	2-modest
Hog plum	Spondias spp.	Honey bees, Stingless bees (Melipona spp.)	fruit	1-little
Tamarind	Tamarindus indica	Honey bees (incl. Apis dorsata)	fruit	1-little
Cocoa	Theobroma cacao	Midges	4-essential		tropical
Clover (not all species)	Trifolium spp.	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed		1	temperate
http://www.agry.purdue.edu/Ext/forages/publications/legumes/alsike.htm Alsike clover	Trifolium hybridum L.	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed		1	temperate
Crimson clover	Trifolium incarnatum	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed	1
Red clover	Trifolium pratense	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed	1		temperate
Arrowleaf clover	Trifolium vesiculosum Savi	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed	1		temperate
Blueberry	Vaccinium spp.	Honey bees, Alfalfa leafcutter bees	fruit	3-great	3-4	temperate
Cranberry	'Vaccinium oxycoccus, Vaccinium macrocarpon	Honey bees, Bumblebees (Bombus affinis), Solitary bees (Megachile addenda, Alfalfa leafcutter bees)	fruit	3		temperate
Vanilla	Vanilla planifolia, Vanilla pompona	Solitary bees	fruit	4-essential		tropical
Tung tree	Vernicia fordii	Honey bees	seed
Broad bean	Vicia faba	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed	2-modest
Vetch	Vicia spp.	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed			temperate
Cowpea, Black-eyed pea, Blackeye bean	Vigna unguiculata	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed	1-little
Grape	Vitis spp.	Honey bees, Solitary bees, flies	fruit	0-no increase		temperate
Jujube	Zizyphus jujuba	Honey bees, Solitary bees, flies, beetles, wasps	fruit	2-modest
Karite	Vitellaria paradoxa''	Honey bees	nut	2-modest		tropical
Tomato		Bumble bees	fruit	4-essential		temperate