Lemongrass
"This is lemongrass," says Huy. "We use the roots for cooking and mix the leaves with eucalyptus in boiling water to treat colds and flu."
"And what’s that?"
"Ah, that is the flower of the banana tree. The banana tree has many uses. Of course we eat the fruit, but we also use the leaves for cooking. Fish steamed in banana leaves is a famous dish. We make soup from the flower, and we use the wood for furniture."
"Very thorough. What’s that sweet little blue flower?"
"Oh that’s just some wild flower. Look here; this is a coconut tree. The coconut is very useful. We drink the juice. We make candy from the pulp, and burn the husk for fuel. The wood is good for furniture, and we dry the leaves and weave them together for roofing."
"Er, no waste there then. Hey, what’s that orange flower?"
"Just a flower."
"Uh-huh. That’s a pretty bush. Is that a hibiscus?"
"I suppose it is pretty. We like it because it makes a good fence. Now this over here, this is the chilaca tree. We burn the wood for fuel, eat the fruit, and make clothes from the bark, which we dye using extracts from the flowers. We chew the leaves to get high, the excess seeds make good ball-bearings, and the dried root is a low-cost substitute for palladium in the triggers of our nuclear weapons."
These are practical people.
Yes, I made up the chilaca tree.