Dichrostachys cinerea is a long-lived, spiny, moderate-sized Old World legume that may be just the thing to add something unusual to your yard. In the wild it ranges from 5-23 ft. in height, and it bears a resemblance to an Acacia. Its thin trunk produces a rough and often fissured bark. Young twigs are slightly…
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Ornamental grass, that is, and we’d like to introduce you to some of our favorite species. Fakahatchee Grass, Tripsacum dactyloides and Dwarf Fakahatchee Grass, Tripsacum floridana: Around most of the world, these grasses are known as Eastern Gamagrass, but folks in Florida prefer to give it a more localized moniker. Native over a large range…
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Perhaps you have an area in your yard that can’t readily be mowed. Or maybe you’re just tired of mowing at all. Then consider replacing grass with attractive, flowering ground covers. Here is a sampling of suitable species being grown at Richard Lyons’ Nursery: Perennial Peanut, Arachis pintoi and Arachis glabrata: According to Florida’s Institute of Food…
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If the Desert Cassia could talk, it would almost certainly wail, “Woe is me!” And who could blame it? After all, botanists have been tinkering with its name seemingly for years. It was moved from the genus Senna to the genus Cassia, then back to Senna. Despite the turmoil, however, Senna polyphylla has continued to…
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Alcantarea imperialis is endemic to Brazil and is one of the largest terrestrial bromeliads. Its leaf color is very variable, ranging from all green to deep purple and various combinations in between. You may recognize this bromeliad as Vriesea imperialis, its former botanic name. At 5′ across it can take up to ten years to…
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