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Inactive Plants
Here below, in no particular order, are plants that we do not have in stock
at the present time. Rather than erase them from the website completely,
we are storing them here with the possibility that we may have some to sell in
the future. In the meantime, feel free to browse through...
Bentinck Palm Bentinckia nicobarica
The Nicobar Islands, claimed as territory by India, are drops of land splattered along the eastern edge of
the Bay of Bengal. From there comes the Bentinck Palm, named after Lord
Bentinck, governor of Madras (1803-07). In the way of interesting
historical footnotes, Lord Bentinck distinguished himself by abolishing
suttee, the practice of tossing the (still-alive) widow of a deceased man
onto his funeral pyre. He also was instrumental in getting rid of the
Thugs, who were ordinary citizens for most of the year, but joined into gangs,
and went around robbing and strangling rich people, as part of an annual
multi-faith (including devout Muslims and Hindus) event held each autumn.
(source:
http://www.bartleby.com/65/be/BentinckWC.html)
Now that we know he was a man worthy of having such a fine palm named after
him, we can appreciate his palm even more. It is a solitary-growing
feather palm, when small preferring the shelter of understory conditions,
eventually reaching
a height of up to 50 feet or so, to become the upper level of the
canopy. Protect from cooling winds, and make sure it gets adequate water, and it
will grow to gracefully dust the sky for you.
Variegated Pandanus Pandanus sanderi
Pandanus is a tropical genus of 600 different plants scattered across
Africa and Asia. The variegated one below, P. sanderi,
is a classy plant from Malaysia.
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Make sure you give it enough room. Although it is very
slow-growing, it will eventually form a trunk and grow to as tall as 15'
high by 8 feet wide. |
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Cracker Rose Rosa sp.
Hardy rose that doesn't seem to need heavy fertilization to produce a lot of flowers in our alkaline soil.
Plant one in a sunny location and the sweet little things will charm you
for most of the year.
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Look closely at the photo to the left. It contains the
secret of life. In one cluster, we see flowers developing to
maturity and then dying. |
All of existence, including time, is made up of three qualities: becoming, being, and decaying.
In order to maximize your future potential, focus on becoming, rather than being, or decaying.
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Cafe con Leche Graptophyllum pictum
cv. Bronze Variegatum
Native to the South Pacific and Australia. In the alkaline soils
of South Florida, it needs regular fertilization to look its best.
This is commonly used in deep shade, where it becomes weedy over
time. Let it get enough sun and the colors will be more vibrant, and
it will stay full. Trim it regularly in a natural fashion.
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Acalypha Acalyphya wilkesiana vars.
Like crotons, there are lots of varieties, sometimes generically referred
to as "Copperleaf".
At right, Match-me-if-you-can.
Below, Moorea |
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Above, Java White
Left, Peach |
Chonemorpha Chonemorpha fragrans This is a stunning vine,
flowering profusely from May - July; one of the powerful lianas of the Indian
and Malayan forests, climbing to the tops of the tallest trees. It represents
just a part of the great variety of unusual tropical plants that we have.
Dahoon Holly Ilex cassine
We do not have any in stock now, but you can read about them anyway.
As far as natives go, dahoon holly is one of the more commonly used small
trees (typical mature height of 30 feet or so). Their native territory is throughout the southeastern U.S., and the Caribbean islands. They
prefer to be on the edge of wet areas, but can be used anywhere, with sporadic
watering.
You often see them planted at the edge of drainage areas behind newer gas
stations. Look for them the next time you fill up.
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plants with both male and female flowers. Above left, the male
(staminate) flowers hang in
profuse clusters. Above right, a close-up of the tiny flowers.
Pollinators scramble frantically around and through, like winners of a
three-minute shopping spree. They shout out things like, "Hey,
here's some nectar...here's some more over here, and here...and
here! Whew! I'm getting woozy...".
In the process, they get themselves fairly covered with pollen
hanging from sacs above the nectar. The pollen grains stick to their
bodies, and in a similar future feeding frenzy, they will rub or fall off
onto the female flower. Doesn't this sound slightly implausible
to you?
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It seems to work, though. At left is a group of female
(pistulate) flowers developing into berries |
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The fruits hang in clusters, each one developed from a
pollinated flower. This cluster looks like a little
alien soldier, with a big heart. |
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While the fruits are not tasty to
humans, birds like them. Remember, birds aren't allowed in
supermarkets (well, okay, yes, it's true that birds with money can go in).
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Jamaica Rain Tree Brya ebenus
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This is a tough, spiny tree with an erupting growth
habit. New branches burst straight up as if ejected by a volcano,
cascading onto the countryside below as they become longer and
heavier.
Mature height is 30 feet, but it's easy to keep under 15'
with annual pruning. Flowers in times of high humidity, which means
for a good part of the year here in South Florida. Picture one of
these flowing over your wall into your courtyard.
Stunning! |
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Spiral Gingers Costus speciosus
When the weather is tropical, our equatorial plant
friends burst out with sweet florid displays.
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Can be used alone, or as part of a tropical mix, under 10'
high. Delicate crepe flowers show up to
celebrate your kids being out of school for the summer.
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C. speciosus Variegatus
Interesting form, with dependable, yet striking, colors
through variegation.
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Dracaenas Dracaena reflexa
Since we're on the subject of variegation, these two shrubby cultivars give it to you in distinctive ways.
Members of the Agave family, there are more than forty species of
dracaenas found throughout tropical Africa and Asia.
Dracaenas, in general, have a bamboo-type look (the plant marketed as
"lucky bamboo" is really a dracaena), but will not grow to
panda-sustaining massiveness. They are typically quite hardy, which
accounts for their popularity. You can usually find a dracaena to fit in
just about any spot from roof-top garden to cabinet under the kitchen sink.
Plant one in a well-drained location. While they can take a wide
variety of light conditions, they look their best in partially sunny spots,
getting up to 12 feet high after a few years.
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Honoriae |
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Song-of-India |
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Bird's Nest Anthurium Anthurium cubense
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The native territory of this big-leafed tropical baby is
the Caribbean and South America.
If you are from Virginia and miss the look of tobacco
plants, this one is for you. Don't try smoking the leaves, though; nothing
will happen.
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The seed pods look like they are visitors from another
galaxy, but fear not, they are just seed pods. |
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Windowpane Palm Beccariophoenix
madagascariensis
Rare palm from Madagascar, prized for young leaflets, which are used in
making hats, and edible palm hearts. Its status in the wild was
critical ten years ago; not sure how well it's faring nowadays. It
may be collectors like you that keep it alive for future generations to
appreciate... |
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Angel's Trumpet Brugmansia x candida Shrubby
tree to 15 feet in height. Hybrid of two plants of the genus,
one from the mountains of Ecuador, and the other from lower-lying
valleys. It is now ubiquitous throughout the tropical and
subtropical worlds, being planted just about everywhere it has a chance of
surviving. |
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It reminds you of that time you spent in
Marseille, in the south of France, in that little cottage not too far from
the coast. You were oh, so young, and full of dreams, and the
angel's trumpets were in full bloom. Their fragrance carried romance on
the gentle evening breezes.
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Tahiti Gardenia Gardenia taitensis
This tropical shrub, indigenous to the South Pacific, can be kept as a shrub
or pruned into a small tree, reaching a height of up to 20 feet tall. It
has glossy dark green leaves, and splendidly fragrant white flowers that appear
regularly throughout the year.
Plant one in a slightly shaded spot, protected from cold winds..
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The fragrance of the flowers is dependably heavenly,
especially in the evenings. We have some nice ones available now in 3-gal. and 7-gal. pots. |
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In Tahiti, this plant is called Tiare. The flowers
are used in perfumes. There is a flavor of ice cream.
The ice cream tastes like the flowers smell, not like the flowers taste
(take my word for it).
Tahiti gardenia is the national flower of Tahiti and has
its own holiday. The flowers are a very important part of daily
life. |
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| Assorted Alocasias
At right is Alocasia plumbea, Metalica.
Below, left, Guinea Gold, about 3' high, in 7-gal.
Below right, Borneo
Giant, 6' high in 10-gal. |
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No Asian landscape was considered complete without the addition of one or
more of these fine, fruiting ornamental shade trees.
They were prominently used as
accents in dooryards, or to turn a sunny corner into a shady spot suitable for
relaxing, sipping sweet jasmine tea and reading scrolls of poetry to your
sweetie on a hot summer afternoon.
Longans Dimocarpus longan
The longan season is declared open in mid-July, with the picking of
not-quite-ripe fruit by people who just can't wait any longer. The season
continues through August.
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'Elian' is a handsome tree, with
lacy, light green foliage. The medium-sized fruits are the color of
gold. |
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'Big Boy' was developed
right here in South Florida. It bears large fruits, with large
seeds, generally towards end of the longan season. |
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'Kohala' from the slopes of the
Hawaiian islands, becomes a strikingly beautiful tree with deep green
foliage. One of the more commonly used varieties bearing consistently
heavy loads of sweet fruits. |
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Lychees Litchi chinensis
Lychees produce fruit May through July.
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'Groff', with fruit ripening in
mid-July, is perhaps the latest bearing lychee variety available in
Florida. Fruits are small, but with small unfertilized seeds (known
as "chicken tongues"). The flavor is slightly tart.
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'Haak Ip' is a vigorous
variety, also known as "Blackleaf." Fruit production is
light, but consistent, with dark red, large, heart-shaped fruits.
This one is known for its excellent flavor. It has small seeds, like the
one above. |
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'Wai Chee' forms a small, spreading
tree that generally bears fruit in mid-July, with inconsistent
yields. Fruits are small, with an excellent flavor. |
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Jakfruit Artocarpus heterophylla is
an inhabitant of regions of India and Malaysia. It grows fairly quickly
into a stunning, columnar tree, with huge tawny fruits, which can weigh
more than 40 lbs. The tree in the photo at right, is planted here at
the nursery and is about 25 feet, or so, high. |
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At left is a typical example of one in a 45-gal. pot, about
10'-12' ht. |
Clerodendrum wallichii
Clerodendrum is a genus consisting of 200 tropical trees, shrubs and
vines, primarily from Southeast Asia. General characteristics include
showy flowers and fruits, and a lack of tolerance to cold.
C. wallichii reaches a height of around 10 feet. You may plant
one in sun or shade, but not in spots that are exposed to temperature extremes
(not too cool, not too hot). Keep it out of the wind, and avoid putting it
where it will get late afternoon sun.
Verawood Bulnesia arborea
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