Vanilla planifolia, a member of the Orchid Family (Orchidaceae) is the primary species of orchid grown commercially to produce the very expensive vanilla extract. This orchid is actually a vine which starts out in the shade and grows up the trunks of trees, eventually flowering, when it gets high enough up in the tree it…
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The true Shampoo Ginger is Zingiber zerumpet ‘Awapuhi’. The other Zingiber members are often referred to as Beehive Gingers. One in particular, Zingiber macrodenium ‘Chocolate Ball’ has a classic beehive shape. Zingiber have 3-5′ tall leafstalks which go completely dormant from fall through spring. Unlike other gingers, Zingiber flower stalks emerge directly from the rhizome…
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The Curry Leaf Tree (Murraya koenigii) is a small tree 6-15′ from India and Sri Lanka. It tends to sucker from its surface roots giving it a shrubbier look than a single trunk tree. Most people don’t realize it is a member of the Citrus Family (Rutaceae). It produces small clusters of fragrant white flowers…
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As the common name implies, this tree is endemic to southern Brazil. A medium sized fruit tree, 15-20′ tall with a fairly narrow crown. An excellent tree for a smaller yard. The fruit is small, about 1-2″ in diameter, purple to black when ripe, and very sweet. Richard Lyons Nursery currently has this tree in…
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Leucophyllum frutescens is a woody shrub native to the Chihuahuan Desert. It may be an arid growing shrub native to Texas, but it grows very well in South Florida. It thrives in well drained alkaline soils common to South Florida and can tolerate our humid rainy season as well as our drier winters. It flowers…
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Hamelia cuprea is a close relative to our native firebush (Hamelia patens). Bahama Firebush, is native to Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, and the Cayman Islands. However, despite its common name, is not native to the Bahamas. Its leaves are larger and glossier than our native firebush, and its flowers are bell shaped and much showier than…
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