Under The Jakfruit Tree

Posted on by March 17, 2019

Two very colorful trees are blooming all over South Florida right now. The first is the Silver or Golden Trumpet Tree. Botanically it is a Tabebuia, but the species seems to change every time I look up. Once argentea, then caraiba, and now it seems like aurea is in vogue. No matter, you can’t miss it with its bright yellow flowers filling the entire canopy before there are many leaves on it.

The other tree is the Pink Shower Tree. Actually there are two different species. Cassia bakeriana and Cassia javanica. More than likely, the one everyone is seeing is Cassia bakeriana, as it has bigger and fuller blossoms than the latter. It very much resembles an apple tree in bloom or perhaps a cherry tree if you’ve ever traveled to a northern temperate climate.

Richard Lyons Nursery has both of these trees for sale.

  • Tabebuia aurea (Silver or Golden Trumpet Tree)
  • Tabebuia aurea (Silver or Golden Trumpet Tree)
  • Cassia bakeriana (Pink Shower Tree)
  • Cassia bakeriana (Pink Shower Tree)
  • Cassia bakeriana (Pink Shower Tree)

Under The Jakfruit Tree

Posted on by March 10, 2019

The Mango Trees are in full bloom now and the Jakfruit trees are flowering and forming fruit as well. The Sapodilla trees still have ripe fruit ready for sale. As always, Richard Lyons Nursery has a wide variety of tropical fruit trees for sale as well as ornamentals for your yard.

  • Mangifera indica (Mango Flower)
  • Sapodilla in a bowl
    Sapodillia
  • Manilkara zapota ‘Tikal’ (Sapodilla Tree)
  • Manilkara zapota (Sapodilla Tree)
  • Manilkara zapota ‘Alano’ (Sapodilla Tree)
  • Jakfruit
    Jakfruit

Under The Jakfruit Tree

Posted on by March 3, 2019

Just a quick hit and run post before leaving for the weekend. The most noticeable blooms in the nursery continue to belong to the Blue and White Queen’s Wreath Vines (Petrea volubulis and Petrea volubulis ‘Albiflora’). Richard Lyons Nursery has these two color varieties in various sizes.

  • Petrea volubilis (Queen’s Wreath)
  • Petrea volubilis (Queen’s Wreath)
  • Petrea volubilis (Queen’s Wreath)
  • Petrea volubilis var. albiflora (White Queen’s Wreath Vine)
  • Petrea volubilis var. albiflora (White Queen’s Wreath Vine)
  • Petrea volubilis var. albiflora (White Queen’s Wreath)

Under The Jakfruit Tree

Posted on by March 10, 2019

I took a ride around the nursery this morning and quickly realized South Florida ‘winter’ has quickly given way to summer. It seems spring got swept away in global warming. Perhaps there is still time to get back to more seasonal temperatures as March quickly approaches. Anyway, I did see the spectacular blossoms of the Queen’s Wreath Vine (Petrea volubilis), the Jade Vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys), the Asoka Tree (Saraca indica), and the Rabbit’s Foot Shrub (Ruttya fruticose) to name a few. Richard Lyons’ Nursery, has all of these plants for sale currently.

  • Petrea volubilis (Queen’s Wreath)
  • Petrea volubilis (Queen’s Wreath)
  • Petrea volubilis (Queen’s Wreath)
  • Strongylodon macrobotrys (Jade Vine)
  • Strongylodon macrobotrys (Jade Vine)
  • Strongylodon macrobotrys (Jade Vine)
  • Ruttya fruticosa (Orange Rabbit Ears Shrub)
  • Ruttya fruticosa (Orange Rabbit Ears Shrub)
  • Ruttya fruticosa (Light Orange Rabbit Ears)
  • Saraca indica (Asoka Tree)
  • Saraca indica (Asoka Tree)
  • Saraca indica (Asoka Tree)

Under The Jakfruit Tree

Posted on by February 16, 2019

I took a ride around the nursery today, and the Aristolochia vine on the south fence caught my attention. Aristolochia is a genus of woody vines commonly called, Dutchman’s Pipe or Pipe Vines.  This is due to the shape of the flower resembling a pipe in the species ringens.  Many butterfly enthusiasts in South Florida grow this vine for the larval food of the Polydamus Swallowtail (Battus polydamus), sometimes called the Gold Rimmed Butterfly.  A black butterfly with gold around the wings and no extended ‘tails’ on the hind wings.  It is the only eastern United States Swallowtail without tails. The larvae or caterpillars of this butterfly, is what caught my eye this morning, along with the flower of course. The caterpillars aren’t the most attractive as caterpillars go, but they feed in an interesting pattern. They line up in a row devouring leaf after leaf. Richard Lyons’ Nursery has two species of Aristolochias in 3gal. containers, including, A. ringens.

  • Battus polydamus Larvae on Aristolochia sp. (Polydamus Butterfly Larvae on Dutchman’s Pipe Vine)
  • Aristolochia ringens (Dutchman’s Pipe Vine)
  • Battus polydamus Larvae on Aristolochia sp. (Polydamus Butterfly Larvae on Dutchman’s Pipe Vine)