In the ideal world, when a plant name is changed, you’d prefer for the new moniker to be simpler than the old one. But life isn’t always fair, and there’s no better example than that of the plant commonly called Blackberry Jam Fruit. Long known as Randia formosa, the species is now named, alas, Rosenbergiodendron…
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If you’re not already familiar with Duranta erecta, now is a good time to get acquainted with this very attractive New World flowering species. Like a lot of plants, it comes with its own little bag of mysteries: Its current specific epithet, erecta, means upright. Yet an older epithet, repens, means creeping. That sounds like…
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Believe it or not, we do have seasons here in southern Florida. And spring is upon us! I just completed a tour of the nursery, where there is evidence everywhere of the new season. Sweet Almond (Aloysia virgata) is extremely fragrant, in contrast with its much milder scent during the winter. Mysore Raspberries (Rubus niveus) are…
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The genus name is from the Ancient Greek meaning ‘A climbing plant’. Most of the species of this genus are found throughout the temperate regions of the world. One exception is Clematis smilacifolia. This Clematis is native to India and grows well in South Florida. It grows well on a trellis in full sun and…
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This week we conclude with the Passion Flower species which Richard Lyons’ Nursery recommends for our area. Many of these plants are available at the nursery. Passiflora incarnata (Maypop Passion Vine) is among the hardiest of the Passion Vines. The Cherokee word for P. incarnata is ocoee, a name also given to the Ocoee River of the…
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