I know some of you have been waiting since last season ended. The wait is finally over. The jackfruit is back, and we have a beautiful fruit this year.
If you aren’t familiar with jackfruit, this is a tropical treasure. It has a unique flavor somewhere between banana and pineapple mixed with other tropical notes of flavor. The spiny fruits are spectacular in size and can get upwards of 70 pounds.
For a really unique experience, come by our nursery in Miami today and buy some jackfruit for a taste of this Asian treasure.
Today’s topic is all about Ground Orchids (Spathoglottis). Ground orchids are as the name suggests, terrestrial orchids which grow in moist, light shaded areas of the garden. There are several hybrids and cultivars producing a wide variety of colors, ranging from white to yellow, along with bicolored flowers. The most common color is violet and various shades of violet.
Richard Lyons Nursery has several different color varieties available.
A fruit tree currently at the nursery bearing fruit is June Plum (Spondias dulcis). Trees are grown from seed, and start bearing at a very young age, usually in less than a year from germination. The pale yellow flowers appear in large terminal panicles, followed by long stalked oval fruits which dangle in bunches. The fruits are 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches long turning golden yellow when ripe. A word of caution when eating this fruit, the spiny seed inside can be very painful. Best to cut the flesh away from the seed when eating this fruit.
While this tree is native to southeast Asia, it was introduced to Jamaica in 1782, where it remains very popular on the island to this day.
Richard Lyons Nursery has this tree for sale, and the fruit when in season.
Today’s topic brings me to 3 native Lantana species. Lantana is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the Verbenaceae family (Verbena Family). The first native lantana is Lantana depressa var. depressa (Pineland Lantana). This plant grows in the Pine Rocklands habitat which has been greatly reduced in area over the years due to development. It is officially listed as endangered and only grows in Miami-Dade County along with another species of Lantana, Lantana canescens (Hammock Shrubverbena). Finally, a third native species, Lantana involucrata (Buttonsage), occurs in 16 coastal counties, including the Florida Keys to Key West. This species is more upright and can attain a height of 6-7 feet. All three of these species are excellent nectar sources for our local butterflies and are currently in stock at Richard Lyons Nursery.
Today’s topic is about three members of the Euphorbiaceae Family (The Spurge Family). Euphorbia is the biggest genus in this family, but today focuses on the little known Cnidoscolus genus and the better known Jatropha genus.
First let’s focus on Cnidoscolus aconitifolius, the Chaya or Tree Spinach shrub. It is native to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. It is used as a leaf vegetable in Mexican and Central American cuisines similar to spinach, thus its common name. Unlike spinach, Chaya leaves must be cooked before being eaten. In South Florida however, I believe the main reason to grow this plant is its excellent nectar source for honey bees and butterflies.
Along the lines of nectar sources, are two Jatrophas. Jatropha podagrica (The Gout Plant) and Jatropha integerrima (Peregrina Tree or Spicy Jatropha). Both with bright red flowers which tend to draw in Monarch Butterflies to their flowers. While Jatropha integerrima is a small tree which by the way blooms year-round, Jatropha podagrica is a smaller plant, which can attain a height of 3-4 feet over time with a swollen caudex for moisture storage during times of drought. This feature is very popular with collectors of caudiciform plants. Like all members of the Euphorbiaceae Family, their seed pods explode, sending seeds several feet from the mother plant, and seedlings are very commonly found all around the plant.
Richard Lyons Nursery has all three of these plants in stock.
Today, ‘Under The Jakfruit Tree, will actually be about Jakfruit trees. No matter how you spell it, Jakfruit or Jackfruit, it is the largest fruit that grows on a tree in the world. It is native to India, but it has been cultivated throughout Southeast Asia and right here in our own backyard of South Florida. The fruit grows on the trunks of the trees and old growth branches. While most fruit weighs an average of 20-40 pounds, there has been fruit weighing in at 100 pounds. August is the peak month for ripe Jackfruit, but green fruit, used in cooking, can be harvested as early as May and June.
Richard Lyons Nursery currently has many fruits on the trees in various stages, so stop on by and marvel at how large this fruit can be.
Artocarpus heterophyllus (Jackfruit, bottom fruit 86lbs.)
