Category: Did You Know?

Rare & Unusual Tropical Trees & Plants, Flowering, Fruit, Native, Palm, Bamboo, Heliconia, Hummingbird, Butterfly

Richard Lyons Nursery no longer sells citrus trees.

Citrus Greening Update

As has been stated in this space periodically over the past several years, Richard Lyons’ Nursery has ceased selling citrus. That’s because of the continuing incidence of citrus greening (or Huanglongbing), a disease that so far has no cure. A news story published May 31 in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune focuses attention on the subject in a…
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June 2, 2017 0

Neem Tree (Azadirachta indica)

Does the name ‘azadirachtan’ ring a bell? It probably should, because it is a hugely versatile chemical compound that has made the neem tree legendary in India and surrounding lands for some 2,000 years. And chances are that its full medicinal and insecticidal potential has yet to be tapped. The neem tree (Azadirachta indica), a…
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March 25, 2017 0

News About Citrus Greening Remains Grim

From time to time in this space, we report on the course of citrus greening in Florida. Citrus greening is a bacterial disease spread primarily by an insect known as a psyllid, and its presence in the state has been documented since 2005. The disease has had a devastating effect on commercial production here. Unfortunately,…
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March 11, 2017 0

U.S. Consumers ‘Discover’ Jackfruit

Fresh Plaza is an online publisher of news concerning the global fresh produce industry. An article it ran this week reports that consumers around the U.S. are discovering what we in southern Florida have known for a long time: Jackfruit is really good to eat! Richard Lyons’ Nursery has been growing jackfruit for over a…
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January 20, 2017 0

Plants Toxic to Dogs and Cats

Many of us reside in southern Florida because of the wonderful winter climate that permits us not only to enjoy the great outdoors without bundling up, but to cultivate thousands of tropical plants.  However, as the old saying goes, there is no good unalloyed, and not every plant is benign. If you own a dog…
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January 6, 2017 0