Which plant family includes tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants?
Answer
Solanaceae
80 Gardening Trivia Questions with Answers
80 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Dig into gardening trivia covering plant families, useful crops, soil, medicinal plants, seeds, plant behavior, and practical garden design. This hub ranges from the Solanaceae family, which includes tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants, to the grass family behind wheat, rice, and corn. It also tests knowledge of bay leaves, digitalis, soil texture, and unusual plant adaptations.
Expect questions about the world’s largest seed, the leaves of the touch-sensitive Mimosa pudica, and the technique of training fruit trees flat against a wall or trellis. The mix is suitable for gardeners, botany students, horticulture clubs, classroom review, and garden-themed pub quizzes. Some answers depend on everyday growing experience, while others reward familiarity with plant classification, traditional uses, and specialized cultivation techniques.
Which plant provides the spice bay leaf commonly used in cooking?
Answer
bay laurel
Which plant is the source of the cardiac drug digitalis?
Answer
Foxglove
What is the name of the largest seed in the plant kingdom?
Answer
Coco de mer
Which plant is known for its leaves that fold when touched?
Answer
Mimosa pudica
Which herb is a key ingredient in traditional pesto?
Answer
Basil
Which genus contains the Venus flytrap, a carnivorous plant?
Answer
Dionaea
Which plant hormone is responsible for fruit ripening?
Answer
Ethylene
What is the name of the growth response of plants towards a light source?
Answer
Phototropism
Which plant produces the spice saffron from its stigmas?
Answer
Crocus sativus
Which parasitic plant produces the world's largest individual flower, up to 1 meter across?
Answer
Rafflesia arnoldii
Which type of soil has the largest particles and drains the fastest?
Answer
Sandy soil
What is the process by which plants lose water vapor through their leaves?
Answer
Transpiration
Which genus of plants includes chili peppers and bell peppers?
Answer
Capsicum
What is the name of the process by which plants convert sunlight into energy?
Answer
Photosynthesis
Which fruit grows on vines and is used to make wine?
Answer
Grape
Which spring-blooming bulb flower is commonly associated with Easter?
Answer
Easter lily
What is the name of the historically significant rose in Germany that may be over 1,000 years old?
Answer
Rose of Hildesheim
Which university developed the Honeycrisp apple variety?
Answer
University of Minnesota
Which UNESCO World Heritage Site is a tropical botanical garden in Singapore?
Answer
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Which invasive beetle pest attacks and kills ash trees?
Answer
Emerald ash borer
What is the name of the tool designed to hold and dispense water for plants?
Answer
Watering can
Which common garden flower is also known as 'bachelor's button'?
Answer
Cornflower
Which flower is the national emblem of Wales?
Answer
Daffodil
What is the most widely cultivated mushroom in the world?
Answer
Button mushroom
What is the name of the handheld tool used to prune small branches?
Answer
Pruning shears
Which vitamin is especially abundant in kale?
Answer
Vitamin K
What pumpkin variety holds the record for the heaviest fruit?
Answer
Atlantic Giant
What is the scientific name for the bacterium used to genetically engineer plants?
Answer
Agrobacterium tumefaciens
Which plant is known as the 'Queen of the Night' and blooms only at night?
Answer
Night-blooming cereus
Gardening trivia — quick answers
What are good gardening trivia questions?
Good gardening trivia questions cover plant identification, families, soil, seeds, cultivation methods, medicinal uses, and plant behavior. Examples include identifying the source of bay leaves, naming the plant family of tomatoes, and recognizing the technique used to grow fruit trees flat against a wall.
How hard is gardening trivia?
Gardening trivia ranges from accessible questions about familiar vegetables and herbs to more advanced clues about botany, plant families, medicinal compounds, and training systems. Gardeners and horticulture students may find it easier than players whose experience is limited to houseplants.
Which plant family includes tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants?
Tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants belong to the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The family also includes peppers and tobacco. Although some members are important food crops, Solanaceae contains both edible and poisonous species, so correct plant identification is important when gathering or growing unfamiliar plants.
What is the largest seed in the plant kingdom?
The largest seed in the plant kingdom is produced by the double coconut, or coco de mer, a palm native to islands in the Seychelles. Its large, heavy seed can weigh many kilograms and is famous for its distinctive shape as well as its size.
What is espalier in gardening?
Espalier is the practice of training trees or shrubs to grow in a flat, decorative form against a wall, fence, or trellis. Gardeners use pruning and support wires to guide the branches. Fruit trees are often espaliered to save space and improve exposure to sunlight.