The name Saritaea magnifica implies something special, and, indeed, ‘magnificent’ is an appropriate word to describe the flowers of the Glow Vine. This native of Colombia and Ecuador produces large clusters of showy mauve-purple, trumpet-shaped blooms up to 2½ in. wide, accentuated by white throats. Even when not in flower, S. magnifica is ornamental, bearing…
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The Chinese Perfume Tree, Aglaia odorata, differs from a lot of fragrant species in that its strongest scent is not confined to a certain time of day. Rather, its perfume waxes and wanes throughout the day. This evergreen shrub, which may reach 10-15 ft. slowly in southern Florida, produces small yellow, ball-shaped flowers whether planted…
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Fewer plants have a stranger appellation than Monstera deliciosa, but at least the name is half right! This sturdy aroid has been described by one prominent botanist as “probably the finest foliage plant ever introduced into horticulture.” But it is even more than that, because it produces a delicious fruit that combines the tastes of…
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No less a publication than Southern Living magazine has long recommended our native Firebush, Hamelia patens, to its readership. And it’s no wonder. The species has many endearing qualities. First, if not foremost, it’s rather cold-tolerant. The Florida Native Plant Society regards it as suitable for planting through Zone 9a, whose northern limit is along…
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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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