If you’re searching for a plant that’s easy to grow, look no further than Portulaca. Also known as Moss Rose, this genus comprises somewhere between 40 and 100 species native to both Old World and New World locales. Fast-growing on thick reddish stems and featuring fleshy leaves, it literally thrives in the absence of attention. Topping…
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Verawood is a tree with a spreading, rounded growth habit, which creates dense shade under its canopy. Over time the canopy becomes wider than the overall height of the tree which can obtain a height of 20-30 feet. It has shiny dark green pinnately compound leaves composed of 7-14 pairs of leaflets. It produces brilliant yellow…
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Bixa orellana, the Lipstick Tree, has to be one of the most fascinating plants found anywhere. It has been valuable, versatile and popular for so long that no one knows exactly where in the New World Tropics it originated. The species name honors Francisco de Orellana, a Spanish conquistador of the 16th century, who, according…
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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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