Brooks Tropicals of Homestead this week issued a colorful, informative notice to remind us that starfruit season is upon us. It encourages consumers to incorporate the fruit in cooked dishes in addition to its customary use as a garnish. Take a minute to examine some of Brooks’s dining suggestions, republished with permission below. (Click on the bottom…
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Caesalpinia is one of the more interesting genera of ornamental trees belonging to the pea family, known botanically as Fabaceae. There is considerable disagreement about the number of species in the genus – it’s somewhere between 70 and 165 – but Richard Lyons’ Nursery will acquaint you with three that have proven desirable and reliable in…
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Today Richard Lyons’ Nursery takes a look at the Tamarind Tree. At first glance, Tamarindus indica would seem to be a strange appellation for this wondrous tropical tree. After all, it’s native not to India, but to tropical Africa. So this nomenclatural dysfunction must just be the result of some sloppy botany, right? Well, it’s not as simple as that.…
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The genus Bauhinia, is named after 16th century Swiss-French identical twin brothers who were botanists, Johann and Caspar Bauhin. Appropriately named, because the leaves of Bauhinia, are two-lobed and perfectly symmetrical. This particular species blooms year round with pink and white whispy flowers, and is an excellent nectar source for butterflies, especially, the Giant Swallowtail. As a…
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Here is the final installment in our series on fragrant shrubs and trees growing at Richard Lyons’ Nursery. Brugmansia sp. (Angel’s Trumpet) – In bloom, this genus of seven species is hard to forget. It bears large, pendant, trumpet-shaped flowers that emit a pleasing fragrance that is strongest during evening hours. Brugmansias, related to peppers, potatoes and…
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