To say that the collection of Passion Flower species is large and widespread is an understatement. Comprising some 500 species, the genus Passiflora is found growing natively in Old and New World Tropics, excepting Africa, and in temperate locales as well. In the United States, there are species as far west as California and as…
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We’ve all heard about 1,600-lb. pumpkins and 270-lb. watermelons. Those are impressive weights, and fortunately the fruits had the ground to support them as they increased in size. But do you know the largest fruit that grows on a tree? It’s the jackfruit (or jakfruit), and not only is it big, but it’s also very tasty – and versatile. Let’s take…
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You’ll probably agree that one of our favorite tropical fruits is ananas. No, we didn’t leave the ‘b’ off bananas. What most of the world calls ananas (usually pronounced ananás) is what English-speakers call pineapple. ‘Ananas’ came from the word that the Tupí, a Brazilian indigenous people, used for the plant. ‘Pineapple’ probably arose from…
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Portlandia grandiflora (Tree Lily or Bell Flower) has fragrant flowers like its relative, the Gardenia. It is a small tree or shrub from the Caribbean attaining a height of 6-8 feet. It grows best in filtered light and does very well in South Florida’s alkaline soils. It blooms from spring to fall with 6 inch…
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In the inventory and articles published on this website, we think it’s helpful to provide both botanical and common names, but sometimes the informal names are head-scratchers. For example, “Swiss Chard” is the appellation placed on a plant that’s native to the Mediterranean. Fortunately, most common names do make sense, and we believe there are few more descriptive than ‘Powderpuff.’ The most ornamental…
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