Looking outside from the front window of the nursery house, a tall slender palm tree with bright red fruits hanging downward in clusters has caught my eye. The palm tree is Gaussia maya, the Maya Palm Tree. This palm tree flowers from several sites up and down its trunk. The fruits start out green, but…
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Caesalpinia pulcherrima – This variable species is commonly known as the Pride of Barbados, Peacock Flower, or, inaccurately, Dwarf Poinciana. It has become widespread in the tropics, but its origin was probably the West Indies and northern South America. It flowers prolifically, and the more common hues of its 2-in. blooms are orange-red, yellow, white and pink. The ultimate…
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Today’s topic is all about Ground Orchids (Spathoglottis). Ground orchids are as the name suggests, terrestrial orchids which grow in moist, light shaded areas of the garden. There are several hybrids and cultivars producing a wide variety of colors, ranging from white to yellow, along with bicolored flowers. The most common color is violet and…
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A fruit tree currently at the nursery bearing fruit is June Plum (Spondias dulcis). Trees are grown from seed, and start bearing at a very young age, usually in less than a year from germination. The pale yellow flowers appear in large terminal panicles, followed by long stalked oval fruits which dangle in bunches. The…
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Today’s topic is about three members of the Euphorbiaceae Family (The Spurge Family). Euphorbia is the biggest genus in this family, but today focuses on the little known Cnidoscolus genus and the better known Jatropha genus. First let’s focus on Cnidoscolus aconitifolius, the Chaya or Tree Spinach shrub. It is native to the Yucatan Peninsula…
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