TROPICAL LOOKING PLANTS - Other Than Palms

9,820 topics in this forum

1. 

   Some Succulent

   February 27, 2008 by BS Man about Palms

   • 20 replies
   • 1.9k views

   I had tried to describe this to Steve in So Cal. But I think a picture is better. This house has a variegated one of these that they said I can have a pup off of some day. What is it?

   

   Last reply by BS Man about Palms, October 12, 2011
3. 

   Taming Stormwater

   October 11, 2011 by swamptreenelly

   • 1 reply
   • 550 views

   http://www.arborday.org/trees/stormwater.cfm

   

   Last reply by Palm crazy, October 11, 2011
4. 

   Cassia fistula - Golden Shower Tree

   July 29, 2011 by Palms1984

   • 35 replies
   • 5.2k views

   I discovered this 20ft plus tall Golden Shower tree a couple of weeks in City Heights, San Diego, CA. It was just starting to bloom then.

   

   Last reply by Palms1984, October 10, 2011
5. 

   Massive Cycas media

   October 7, 2011 by Tropicgardener

   • 10 replies
   • 1.2k views

   I saw this specimen of the native Cycas media growing on the Esplanade at Airlie Beach when I was on holidays. It certainly would have been there long before Captain Cook sailed by in 1770 and no doubt was well known the the local Aboriginal people. The Coconut Palm next to it gives you some impression of its size.

   

   Last reply by dalmatiansoap, October 9, 2011
6. 

   Australian waterlilies

   September 16, 2011 by Really full garden

   • 12 replies
   • 1.3k views

   I love tropical water lilies and one of my favorites is the Australian water lily Albert de Lestang ,N. gigantea. These are massive plants and the flowers are easily 15cm in diameter standing 80-100 cm above the water making them quite visible.Mine bloom year round.The flower has a hint of blue on the first day and them becomes bright white.

   

   Last reply by Patricia-CR, October 8, 2011

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7. 

   Palm Parka

   October 8, 2011 by Palm crazy

   • 1 follower
   • 3 replies
   • 1.3k views

   Just when you think you've seen it all. Along comes the Palm Parka. A device to help protect your tender palms from a hardy freeze by protecting the heart of the palm (growing point). Ask anyone who has done this with a home made Palm Parka and they will tell you their tender palm still died from the base freezing in a severe cold spell. :lol: :lol: The Palm Parka

   

   Last reply by CardiffPalmNut, October 8, 2011
8. 

   Unknown shrub/tree from CRFG seed

   July 30, 2011 by Cindy Adair

   • 12 replies
   • 1.4k views

   Due to the heat wave here, my camera lens fogged up which led to poor quality photos. I'll take more if needed. This gangly deciduous shrub ? came from California Rare Fruit Grower's seed bank 10-15 years ago as I recall. Unfortunately the tag was lost long ago. Please help me know if I should take this to the tropics , keep it in a pot in Virginia (in a greenhouse for the winter) or plant it in the ground in zone 8B? I have no clue what it is! Thanks!

   

   Last reply by Cindy Adair, October 7, 2011
9. 

   Cycad photos from my walks

   October 7, 2011 by Walter John

   • 3 replies
   • 871 views

   See this thread for details Brisbane BGs and Southbank Here are my varied cycad pics from my walks around the city BGs and Southbank, enjoy..Cycads are quite photogenic me thinks

   

   Last reply by Patricia-CR, October 7, 2011
10. 

    Ficus cyathistipula

    October 5, 2011 by Palms1984

    • 4 replies
    • 2k views

    My Ficus cyathistipula is growing into a monster! This tree grew into the ground 5 years ago through the holes at the bottom of the pot. I used to keep it at about 6ft/2m tall for many years. It's one of the easiest Ficus species to grow...it needs no water and grows very quickly.

    

    Last reply by Palms1984, October 6, 2011
11. 

    Not Certain but it looks like

    September 21, 2011 by bubba

    • 13 replies
    • 1.1k views

    This appears to be the first specimen of Wizard Wood I have recently noticed:

    

    Last reply by palmmermaid, October 6, 2011
12. 

    Clivia miniata

    October 3, 2011 by SubTropicRay

    • 12 replies
    • 2.2k views

    My co worker was handing out potted Clivia miniata pups today. I know nothing about this plant or its requirements. Is anyone here growing this plant? Thanks, Ray

    

    Last reply by DoomsDave, October 5, 2011
13. 

    Mystery Tillandsia bloom

    October 3, 2011 by BS Man about Palms

    • 9 replies
    • 1.7k views

    I picked this up a while back and posted apic of it. I am not sure if I read Gonzers comment right that it was a " T. straminea "... But it is big and white Based on general descriptions from Gonz, I hung it and basically never water it. Well it threw out a bloom recently... Does this determine the species for sure Greg?

    

    Last reply by bgl, October 5, 2011

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14. 

    Jen holding one of her melons

    September 12, 2011 by MattyB

    • 23 replies
    • 2.2k views

    We usually don't have luck growing melons, because we don't seem to have enough heat to make them sweet, but this year we had great luck with this variety. Does anyone know what kind it is? I forgot. It was sweet and sorta tasted like a cantaloupe.

    

    Last reply by JD in the OC, October 4, 2011
15. 

    Vengeance is mine sayeth the Gonz

    July 2, 2011 by Gonzer

    • 9 replies
    • 1.1k views

    Many of you remember my beautiful Schizolobium? The one I USED to have until last Wednesday when the manager of our park took it out due to a neighbor's repeated whining about the leaflets and flowers. Well, actually it WAS on my next-door neighbor's property so there wasn't much I could do about it. Well, what to do??? Get two more and plant them on MY property directly across from the sniveling, whiney resident. Of course I have the manager's approval. Although taking the old tree out created a bunch of problems for my shade loving stuff, everything transplanted out back real well. No harm done. So I feel vindicated, happy, smug, and down right rightous right now!

    

    Last reply by BS Man about Palms, October 3, 2011
16. 

    Jacaranda

    May 27, 2011 by MattyB

    • 13 replies
    • 1.6k views

    The Jacaranda blooming season is just getting started here in Southern California. Some of the trees in harsher, drier conditions tend to flower while completely leafless, making for a dramatic splash of color. When an entire avenue is planted with this tree it's truely breathtaking. The second pic has the added bonus of the Bougainvillia growing up into the tree. Enjoy

    

    Last reply by AJQ, October 2, 2011
17. 

    Acacia

    August 25, 2011 by Scott

    • 4 replies
    • 670 views

    This guy is a real survivor. Got it from MattyB four? years ago in a solo cup, now it nice and big. Probably my best success story LOL.

    

    Last reply by AJQ, October 2, 2011
18. 

    Ulu

    September 29, 2011 by www.dadluvsu.com

    • 8 replies
    • 772 views

    just need a cool place to access this info from different locations via internet... A.altilis-breadfruit.pdf

    

    Last reply by kahili, October 2, 2011
19. 

    Cycad roots?????????

    September 28, 2011 by MattyB

    • 16 replies
    • 15.8k views

    Hi everyone. I'm working on a new area of the garden that sits on top of my septic leach area. I'm gonna want to plant relatively shallow rooted plants over most of this area so as not to clog my perforated pipes below. That means no palms, no trees, no shrubs. I'll mostly have shallow rooted groundcover in some areas, some smaller succulents, perennials, etc. I'm wondering about the root structures of cycads. I only have a couple of cycads but it would be nice to put a specimine type plant, like a cycad, in some areas just to break up the plantings. So, how agressively rooted are cycads? What are the roots like, hair roots or large tubers? Do they go deep or ar…

    

    Last reply by rprimbs, October 1, 2011
20. 

    Strange Zamia

    September 29, 2011 by Jeff in St Pete

    • 8 replies
    • 1.3k views

    This plant belongs to a friend of mine. It came from a batch of seeds from his Zamia fairchildiana but it sure doesn't look like one. Could it be a hybrid?

    

    Last reply by XYZ, October 1, 2011
21. 

    Plant ID

    September 13, 2011 by edric

    • 11 replies
    • 945 views

    I've noticed this a couple of years in a row, growing in the bottom of my Blackberry bush, the leaf is kinda thick, not like Oxalis, any guess's, thanks, Ed

    

    Last reply by edric, September 30, 2011
22. 

    Acacia xanthophloea- Fever Trees

    September 26, 2011 by Eric in Orlando

    • 7 replies
    • 1.3k views

    I was at Busch Gardens in Tampa last Thursday and saw these Acacia xanthophloea, Fever Trees. They are one of the charateristic trees of eastern and southern Africa. Busch Gardens has quite a few planted out and several have gotten quite large. The trunks have a powdery coating and are greenish underneath. The trunks can also photosynthesize. This first one is the largest there. It has a huge spread, really incredible to stand underneath

    

    Last reply by Eric in Orlando, September 30, 2011
23. 

    Brom flowers

    September 14, 2011 by Bill Austin

    • 1 follower
    • 14 replies
    • 2.6k views

    Some of the broms I removed from a friend house early this year are putting out a few flowers .

    

    Last reply by Patricia-CR, September 30, 2011
24. 

    Bamboos Suitable as Houseplants

    June 18, 2011 by hydrophyte

    • 22 replies
    • 1.7k views

    I'd like to start this topic to relate some of my experiences growing bamboos as houseplants and it would be great to getmore observations too. A couple of nights ago I recieved via UPS a couple of really nice plants that supposedly can do OK with indoor culture; most bamboos hate to be inside. It will be interesting to see what these two do. I will keep them growing outside protected or on the porch somewhere this summer, but then I'll have to overwinter them through our long cold winter here in Wisconsin.

    

    Last reply by tjwalters, September 29, 2011
25. 

    Dragon Fruit

    September 19, 2011 by MattyB

    • 12 replies
    • 2.1k views

    Our Dragon Fruit (pitayah) has performed very well after only about a year in the ground. Both the White Fleshed (left) and Pink Fleshed (right) varieties have set fruit and they are both ripening up nicely. We've already had a couple of the whites and they were surprisingly sweet, more so than the store bought ones by a long shot. We can't wait to try our pink variety. In the middle we have a yellow variety and another, different pink cultivar that are just starting to climb the post. This trellace is gonna be a hot mess of prickly vines, but boy is it worth it for the fruit! We did have to hand pollinate the pink variety but it was very easy by just ripping off so…

    

    Last reply by Stevetoad, September 25, 2011
26. 

    Pineapples from seed?

    September 22, 2011 by John in Andalucia

    • 1 reply
    • 567 views

    My father-in-law wants to grow pineapples in Peru, but not by planting tops. He is looking for seeds of Hawaiian-grown stock. Is anyone here growing a pineapple from seed, or know where to buy seeds, for that matter?

    

    Last reply by The Silent Seed, September 23, 2011