2010 Tropical Plants

[mac]

Here is the Beach Sunflower (Helianthus debilis) blooming right after Christmas at the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge between Melbourne Beach and Wabasso Beach along Florida's east coast. This is a tough as nails drought resistant creeping perennial that doesn't know when to stop blooming. Plant her in full sun, she tolerates salt and total neglect. Great for stabilizing dunes and attracting butterflies.

[mac]

This Beach Morning Glory was also captured blooming right after Christmas at the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. Sand dunes are stabilized by this beautiful native perennial- there are a number of native morning glories, a sister specie with pink to lavender purple blooms also grows as a ground cover on the dunes-it is sometimes also called beach morning glory but usually is referred to as railroad vine, goat's foot vine(Ipomoea pes-caprae)- I will feature it in the future.I love Florida native plants and this is certainly one that is worthy of widescale use along tropical and subtropical beaches. Tolerant of sun,salt, sand, drought and total neglect yet bearing attractive blooms. Morning Glories are related to the Sweet Potato- some have hallucinogenic properies which explains why the Moonflower and Morning Glory seeds always sold out fast at the garden center I used to work for I am not sure if this one is worthy of eating or getting high off of

[mac]

I can't help but thinking of Australia and Koala Bears when I see Eucalyptus Trees. The River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis)is one of my favorites-it is widely planted in Hawaii, California, and occasionally in central and south Florida. The one pictured below is growing in St.Petersburg, Florida.I love the fragrance of their leaves when crushed, its tall upright habit with graceful willow-like leaves that flutter in the breeze and its interesting exfoliating bark. This is a very fast growing tree! Eucalyptus are quite drought tolerant once established- I witnessed them thriving in a sandy lot near Lakeland during a very hard drought (back in the '80's) where they were the only thing not showing drought stress! The River Red Gum grew for a number of years in Gainesville,Florida -climbing over 70 feet tall and then was killed by hard freezes! There are many species of Eucalyptus- I will feature others later this year.

[mac]

The fountain-like ,glossy,fan shaped fronds of the Chinese Fan Palm give it a special character. This is one of my favorites of the fan palms but it often gets cold damage where I live in 8b- it is much more reliable in zone 9.Chinese Fan will tolerate neglect but will look much better when given fertilizer and irrigation during dry spells. Although it cah grow to about 30 feet high in Florida it is often enjoyed while young and shorter. There is also a dwarf form (subglobosa) that is less likely to outgrow the spots that designers love to put small palms in

[mac]

The Swiss Cheese Plant or Monstera is an incredible tropical vine that is a cousin of the Philodendrons (Aroid Family). Native to central America from Mexico to Panama, today it is enjoyed as a house plant all over the world. It is tolerant of shade but grows up trees and other supports to reach more light- full sun will cause it to yellow and burn.The fruit is edible once fully ripe (which takes a little over a year) but contains oxalic acid crystals and can cause serious irritation when immature. It is a monster with incredible huge split leaves with windows in them and it has delicious fruit- so it truly earns it's latin name

[MajesticSC]

Great Pictures
_________________
www.majesticpalmtrees.com

[mac]

Thanks for the encouragement. I see that you are way up in Lancaster! You have a great website-I hope to visit your nursery someday. Many, many years ago back when I was single and living in Tallahassee,Florida I dated a beautiful, tall, slender, black haired, brown-eyed girl in West Columbia, South Carolina. Her tender smile, sweet spirit, intelligence (she was a school teacher),grace and wit made the miles between us seem but few as I traveled those many miles to see her.I was shocked to see all of the hardy palms we grow in north Florida thriving in West Columbia! I now know that South Carolina is a suprising state indeed- Stan McKenzie has a citrus nursery between Lake City and Olanta SC! I wound up marrying a South Georgia gal back in '86-and I dearly love her-but just the mention of "South Carolina" causes me to remember my past love. The "Palmetto State" will always have a special place in my memory and heart.Now I just hope that Pam doesn't read this!

[wisgrdnr]

Great plant of the week Mac! (Also nice story about a happy time in your life!)

Quick pair of questions, Mac: does the Monstera fruit (I've got five on one branch,) ripen a little bit each month or does it stay green for eleven months, then ripen quickly in the 12th month?

Also, can you take them off the vine and ripen them in a paper bag like a banana??

They look just like yours in the fine photo; I hope that no hurricane comes to undo their botanic well-being!!

Again, as always, Mac, from my heart, thanks for your stellar contributions to this web site! You alone make TWG totally First Class among garden information web-sites! I am sincerely grateful to you.

It appears that my health is not improving as I am in constant pain, and the doctor told me that my kidneys are beginning to fail.

I'll hang in the best I can, but if it were not for you, I can't begin to speculate where this e-zine would be! You are a good human being, Mac! No, you are the best!

Paul
_________________
www.palmdoctor.com & www.tropicriverwoods.com

[MajesticSC]

I have lived in SC all my life. My wife is from Califonia. LOL
_________________
www.majesticpalmtrees.com

[mac]

Thank you Paul- I really enjoy coming here and appreciate your encouragement. Here is some advice on Monstera fruit that I found

Quote:

Aroid expert Leland Miyano offers this information and a caution, "Pick or buy a mature fruit." It should be green and firm and there should be a slight separation between the scales near the peduncle. Wrap the fruit in a brown paper bag or aluminum foil. Do not attempt to eat it until the little green plates or scales of the rind begin to fall off. When the remaining plates are very easy to remove, it can be eaten. The inedible core should just pull away. Some people are sensitive to the calcium oxalate, even in fully ripe fruit. If you have never eaten Monstera deliciosa or are sensitive...caution is advised."

-taken from
http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Monsteradeliciosalargepc.html
One gardener gives this advice-

Quote:

harvest them when there is a strong fruit aroma several feet from the ripening fruit, and at that stage the fruit tends to collapse downward, and if left unpicked, will simply fall off the stalk and quite quickly disintegrate on the ground.

[mac]

Howdy MajesticSC,
We often overlook the girl next door don't we?

[mac]

Yesterday-Today and Tomorrow a good descriptive name for Brunfelsia pauciflora. This Brazilian shrub has fragrant flowers that open purple then fade to lavender and finally fade to white before dropping. Brunfelsia is semi-evergreen, growing best with light shade during the heat of the day-an eastern exposure or planting under palms will suit it nicely.

Brunfelsia is hardy in zone 9 and half-hardy in zone 8b. My first introduction to this shrub was in Gainesville,FL planted outside of one the lecture halls- I was suprised to see it bloom for months on end. Brunfelsia tolerates pruning well and can be trained as a clipped hedge or as a standard (tree form).

This shrub needs a fertile, mildly acid soil to look its best. It is a member of the nightshade family ( tomato and potato are also in this family) and contains toxins-so do not dine on its berries

[mac]

Firecracker Plant, Coral Plant, and Fountain Plant are some of the descriptive common names for Russelia equisetiformis.Russelia's cascading green stems bear very tiny scale-like leaves and loads of tubular red flowers for most of the year. Butterflies are attracted to Russelia as are hummingbirds! Russelia needs sun for best growth habit and blooming-but can look acceptable if it gets at least 4 hours of full sun. Dependable in zone 9, it is half-hardy in zone 8b where it often will grow back from the ground if cut back by the cold.Originally from Mexico it is widely planted in the tropics and is very capable of escaping from cultivation.

[MajesticSC]

I just created a new website:
www.palmtreezone.com/Ring.html

I also added www.thewisegardener.com to the information link.
Hope you enjoy...
_________________
www.majesticpalmtrees.com

[mac]

I have known this tall columnar branching cactus for years as Cereus peruvianus but now I am told that the species is actually repandus- I was pleased to read of at least one cacti expert who is resisting the change because he claims that the plants in cultivation do not match the botanical description for repandus. By any name this tall growing cactus is worthy of note and is eyecatching if for no other reason than its structural form.It has beautiful large light rose- white flowers that open at night and large, red edible smooth skinned fruit earning it a common name of Peruvian Apple Cactus.Hardy in zone 9-it can grow for years with special protection in zone 8b. Drought tolerant and tough as nails-but it really takes off and grows like a rocket if you give it a little loving care.The photo here I have previously shared is from one of my trips to St.Petersburg,Florida.

[MajesticSC]

I love the firecracker plant. Very nice
_________________
www.majesticpalmtrees.com

[mac]

The Golden Shower Tree comes from southern Asia and is the national tree of Thailand. It is a fast growing small tree that makes an attractive specimen planting. Although the leaves do drop off it is bare for only a brief period before new leaves emerge. In south Florida this tree is magical in the summer with its masses of golden yellow blooms making an eye catching display. The bad news is that it bears ugly one foot pods that contain poisonous seeds.Well no tree is perfect Give Cassia fistula full sun and a well drained soil and a nearly frost-free planting site for it to thrive. This tree will tolerate moderate salt and drought. This Cassia like many others will need staking when young and pruning for best form.

[mac]

I have loved this beautiful small semi-vine from Brazil for years -and have known it as Dipladenia. However botanists tell us that it is one of the Mandevillas. It sure looks different than 'Alice du Pont' Mandevilla- the leaves are smaller, more leathery and smoother and flowers are smaller on the"Dipladenia".It just barely climbs unlike Mandevilla spendens 'Alice du Pont' with its vigorous vining habit, thinner leaves and larger flowers. By any name the Red"Dipladenia"s on the market are beautiful color accents where a small vine can be appreciated.Hardy in zone 9 - it will usually recover from cold injury there and may grow for a few years in zone 8b before the cold zaps it for good. This is a great plant for containers placed in full or partial sun where it is sure to draw attention.