well, i think plant tycoon plants are really beautyful, and since i'm a botanist i thought to write a list of th game's plants associating them to real plants and flowers. this may be useless but in my opinion it's a fun thing.
i'm not english, i'm italian, so forgive me if i make some grammar mistakes or don't know the english name of the pants (i will use the latin one).
FOLIAGE:
reptans = ivy (Hedera helix)
scandens = Hypoestes phyllostachia
grass = there are a lot of species similar to Grass, expecially te Graminaceae family
orchid = Paphiopedilum orchid
astera = -> grass
gladiatus = sansevieria fasciata
fern = fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)
ananas = Agave (various species) and Ananas Comosus
maranta = Dieffembachia species
fanleaf = Hedychium species
lemonbush = Rosa species
bamboo = Acer dissectum (red leaves)
maple = a tree (there are too much types of trees that looks like a maple)
rare oak = Quercus robur (the red leaves hybrid)
pipe cactus = Carnegiea gigantea
pear cactus = Opuntia species (not the thin ones)
ball cactus = mammillaria or Echinocactus grusonii
glaber = Zantedeschia or Arum
tigerfern = Vriesea splendens
pitcher = sarracenia stevensii (carnivorous plant)
weeper = Nolina species or various palms
multiflora = Rosa (dark foliage)
ridgeball = Uebelmannia

FLOWERS:
spotted = primerose (Primula vulgaris)
painted = flowes of many Mammillaria cactus or aster novae-angeliae
daisy = daisy (Bellis perennis or Chrysanthemum leucanthemum)
nox = black Cattleya orchid
bluestar = Gentiana verna or blue species of Sysirynchium
mystic = purple hybrids of Epicactus or Epiphyllum or Seleliocerus
rosaceae = a double rose (hybrid of Rosa tea)
viola = Viola tricolor or wittrochiana
jalapa = a simple rose (Rosa canina) or a Clematis hybrid
fabled = a hybrid of double rose (Rosa blue baccara)
fragrant = Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (an orange hybrid)
blazing = sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
fourpetal = a pink flower of the Cruciferae family
aureus = Acacia armata
venomous = berries of Vaccinum myrtillus
mela = apples (Malus domestica golden)
citrus = lemons (Citrus limon)
arthurium = red Anthurium flowers (with N not R = aNthurium)
venus = a white Cattleya or a Coelogyne orchid
tahitian = Cereus species
lilia = orange Epicactus or Epiphyllum
baccatus = berries of Ruscus
tilia = green apples or young ball flowers of Allium species

i hope you like my post and if you find plants that i forgot and that are more similar to the virtual species than the ones i posted, please advise me!

I really like your post.

Cool! I never really knew that! :3

I really like the whole blazing to sunflower comparision, I never really noticed.

I noticed that too, nice to have a list though, I was thinking of listing them at one point but you beat me to it XD

well i'd like to see your list too, so we can compare our lists and make a better one!!

Your list is great, thanks.

I always wondered if the PT plants were take offs of real one, now we know.

Nicely done! I like it!

awesome list!

While the individual foliage and flower types seem to be based on real plants, many of the combinations do not exist in real life. E.g. real ferns are spore plants and never produce flowers. But that's part of the fantasy aspects of the game I guess.

Awesome list! "Life Imitates Art"