Names are so confusing sometimes. I mean, we seem to have trouble with directions. How did Cleveland, Ohio end up in the midwest? Probably not from continental drift. And we certainly can’t tell verbs from adjectives from nouns, so in football we play contain defense instead of containment defense, and in Congress we lock in the sequester instead of sequestration. Perhaps the explanation is…
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I thought our readers would like to know about this upcoming event. Dear Friends of the Gifford Arboretum, It is with great pleasure that I invite you to attend the 25th Annual Gifford Arboretum Lecture by Dr. Walter S. Judd. This event will occur on Thursday, April 4, 2013 in the University of Miami’s Cox…
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We’ve certainly had our share of strange winters in recent years. For instance, 2009-10 was remarkable for sustained cold. After an abnormally warm December 2009, January ushered in the coldest two-month period since 1940. There wasn’t much frost, except in the most interior districts of southern Florida, but persistent very cool days and nights eventually took a…
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An alternative to the more widely planted Cassia javanica (Apple Blossom Shower Tree), C. bakeriana, is smaller in stature, attaining a height of 20-30′, with a 10-15′ canopy spread. However, what it lacks in overall height, it more than makes up for in bloom size and quantity of flowers. Its long arching branches are completely…
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The genus Pimenta comprises 14 flowering species, among which are a some of the most interesting and desirable aromatic trees in the world. But it’s all a mistake . . . a big mistake. Spanish explorers poking around Mexico in the 16th century found an attractive medium-sized tree whose berry-like fruits resembled black pepper, so they called it…
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