Some Pics of the Arboretum

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

In the merry merry month of May.....

Here are some pics I had on my camera. These are taken from January through to May. You will see some shots of mild winter damage as they were taken before things got bad. I lost my little USB cable to upload them to my PC but I found it the other day.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

The pics above are

#1 Kopsia singaporiensis, a nice small tree in Apocynaceae, this tree is about 7' tall and almost everblooming. Easy from the large seed and they only get 12' tall or so.

#2 and #3 are Bauhinia acuminata. A small deciduous tree that blooms almost all warm months.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Here is Clusea lanceolata. This is a great slow growing shrub with a cute little flower. The foliage looks somewhat ficus like. This is growing in a mostly shady spot but it will grow very well in full sun and probably prefers it.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

1,2 and 3 are Brunfelsia. I am not sure of the species, perhaps americana?

#4 and #6 are Dracaena draco.

#5 Can you tell why they call it the Mickey Mouse Plant?

[epicure3]

The flowers sure look like B. americana but the leaves seem too elongated.

[palmislandRandy]

My favorite palm in the arboretum!

Sabal lisa

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

#1 and #2 is Schizolobia. The first pic was taken in January and the second in May. No cold damage and fast growth. Thanks to Jody Haynes for the donation.

#3 is a large unknown Tabebuia/Handroanthus.

#4 is some very small Jack Fruit. You can see both the male and female flowers/fruit.

#5 and#6 is a small Ombu tree. There is a small Gumbo Limbo inside of this that I have since cut out.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

#1 and #2 are Mast Trees. Polyalthia longifolia pendula. They grow straight up just like a tropical version of Italian Cypress. You can plant them close together to create a very high hedge and wind break.

#3 is a mistake that the landscape installer made. He planted the tree upside down.

#4 is the same tree planted right side up.

#5 is Ficus petiolaris, Rock Fig.

#6 is Ficus pseudopalma, about 10' or 12' tall.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

#1, #2 and #3 are Mouse Trap Plant, Uncarina grandidieri. It is named because the fruit capsule is about ping pong ball size that have tiny hooks all over them that stick to whatever touches them. #1 pic shows some winter discoloration taken in January. #2 and #3 were taken in May.

#4, #5 and #6 are breadfruit. #4 was taken the morning after the first cold night of winter. So far so good. The windbreak is holding up. #5 is taken a week later. You can see a lot more leaf damage. Inside, you can see where it died back to from last year's winter. #6 is taken a month later. It's a goner. Notice the Amherstia nobilis to its right, almost no damage besides leaf spotting. The Pigafetta behind was fried too, also a goner.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Because of the long cold winter, it forced some trees to bloom which had never bloomed before.

#1 and #2 are Tabebuia/Handroanthus impetiginosa (avelenadae) This tree is 35' tall at least and this is the first time it has bloomed.

#3 is Shooting Star, Clerodendron quadriloculare. It normally blooms in February but got pushed back to May this year.

#4 and #5 is Golden Penda. It bloomed before but this year was exceptional.

#6 is Gardenia "Viet Nam". I don't know which species it is but is a reliable bloomer.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

#1 is an Azalea. This particular variety is called "Sweet Forgiveness" and is one of the few that grows well in South Florida. I rescued this from a building that was going to be torn down. It was growing in pure sand, on a south wall in full sun with no irrigation. It bloomed its head off in those conditions.

#2 is Mexican Sunflower, don't ask me the genus or species. Anyway, we started this plant with a single rooted cutting about 10" tall. It now is a huge screen about 30' wide.

#3 is Rose Apple, Syzigium jambos. The flower is very pretty and a typical Myrtaceae shape. The fruit tastes like a rose smells but we have never gotten this one to set fruit.

#4 is plain ordinary Powder Puff. Nothing fancy but it always gets attention from passers by.

#5 is a different PP, don't know the name.

#6 is Hong Kong Orchid Tree, which, coincidentally enough, was originally found growing in Hong Kong!

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

#1 is Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Brunfelsia pauciflora. In Solanaceae.

#2 and #3 are Potato Tree, Solanum micranthum. Also in Solanaceae.

#4 is Potato vine. Also with the YTT style flowers and in Solanacea.

#5 and #6 I've heard it called the Don Juan Plant but I think that is a dumb name. It is Juanulloa aurantica. Cool looking flower that is an orange you don't see too often. It looks nothing like the others but is also in Solanaceae.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

#1 is Rose Allamanda, Strophanthus gratus. A medium sized vine than is almost everblooming and can be kept shrub sized by pruning. Apocynaceae.

#2 and #3 are Frangi Pani, Plumeria rubra.

#4 is Milky Way Tree, Stemadenia litoralis. A small tree to about 15 feet or so. Almost everblooming and has a great fragrance. Apocynaceae again.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

#1 is Little Gem Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora. This is supposed to be a dwarf variety and is said to perform better than other magnolias in South Florida. Magnolias have there own family, it is Magnoliaceae. Magnolias are one of the oldest genus' of flowering trees. When Pine trees first decided to evolve into flowering trees, Magnolias were the ones they went with.

#2 is Joy Tree, Michelia champaca, now Magnolia champaca. The flowers are used to make Joy perfume. In Hawaii I saw these 100 feet tall and wide, here it seems to have topped out at about 35' but it is still young, we planted it less than ten years ago at only 6'tall. Look at the "cone" which is actually a fruit. Note the structural similarity to pine cones.

#3 is Michelia alba. All of these trees are very fragrant and through the miracle of modern technology I have uploaded these pics as "scratch and sniff". That's right, if you scratch your monitor screen you can smell the flowers.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Randy, this one is for you. Sabal "Lisa"

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

#1 and #2 are pics of a large shrub, small tree in the Hibiscus family, Malvaceae. It needs a good common name that landscapers and nurserymen can sell. It used to be known as Thevetia portico but has now been saddled with the unlikable moniker, Talipariti hamabo. Just say that a couple of times, Talipariti hamabo, Talipariti hamabo. It starts to hurt your tongue. Anyway this is a well behaved shrub that does not volunteer all over creation but does need a good pruning now and then. Its flowers come out in the morning as bright yellow and over the course of the day darken to this maroon color. They only last one day and fall off in the evening. This shrub is everblooming.

#3 This is an unopened flower of Guiana Chestnut, Pachira aquatica. It seems to have overdosed on Viagra. This is a medium to large tree with huge flowers as big as two hands. The fruit that follows is a hard football shaped fruit that is inedible, although you can eat the seeds inside.

#4 is the trunk of the Rainbow Eucalyptus. It is aptly named as all the colors of the rainbow appear as the trunk exfoliates its outer layers of bark.

#5 is an unknown crinum. Nice color. The foliage comes up about 12"-18" with the flower stem at least 6" above that.

#6 was identified (tentatively) as Lagerstroemia floribunda. Anybody know? It is not deciduous.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

#1 is one of the Saraca's, common name is Asoka or Sorrowless Tree. It is one of the trees considered sacred in Buddhism as Buddha was born under one. It is also referred to as a "handkerchief tree" as the new foliage emerges limp like a handkerchief hanging down, often having a pink or salmon coloring. As the leaves mature they firm up and turn green

I know what #2 is and you don't.

#3 is a medium to large scandent vine, sometimes called Dwarf Orchid, Bauhinia galpinii. It needs a strong support to hold it up but it has no grasping haustoria or tendrils and neither does it twine. Care should be taken to sterilize your pruners before and after working on this plant as it is very susceptible to ugly galls.

#4 is Radermachera kunming. A small tree in Bignoniaceae that has a pleasant fragrance.

#5 is either a large Senna or small Cassia. Bad picture but the elm like leaves are pretty unique. Anybody know what it is?

#6 is an unknown Bauhinia vine. It is a rampant vigorous thing that will take over any tree canopy. When I purchased it, it was said to have big orange flowers. Well I waited years and years for it to bloom and it finally did. Guess what? No orange flowers. Here are its uninspiring white flowers. Anybody know what it is? Is it worth keeping?

[fastfeat]

The flowers sure look like B. americana but the leaves seem too elongated.

Yep, not B. americana. Probably B. lactea or B. jamaicencis.

[fastfeat]

#3 is a large unknown Tabebuia/Handroanthus.

#5 and#6 is a small Ombu tree.

RE #3: Is this the one on the east side of the tennis courts? If so, I think it's Tabebuia rosea.

RE#5,6: I'm surprised to see this doing so well for you! Native to dry areas of South America; I wouldn't expect it to take heavy FL rains well...Good job.

[fastfeat]

#2 is Mexican Sunflower, don't ask me the genus or species. Anyway, we started this plant with a single rooted cutting about 10" tall. It now is a huge screen about 30' wide.

#5 is a different PP, don't know the name.

#2 is Tithonia diversifolia.

#5 is Calliandra surinamensis.

[fastfeat]

#1 is Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Brunfelsia pauciflora. In Solanaceae.

#4 is Potato vine. Also with the YTT style flowers and in Solanaceae.

#1 looks more like Brunfelsia grandiflora to me.

#4 is Solanum wendlandii.

[fastfeat]

#6 was identified (tentatively) as Lagerstroemia floribunda. Anybody know? It is not deciduous.

Maybe Lagerstroemia parviflora?

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Thanks for the IDs Ken. Yes, the Tab is the one on the east side of the tennis courts. I thought of rosea but was not sure. The leaves looked a little different than the ones I've seen. T. rosea is really pretty rare here though it should not be.

I have no idea about the Lagerstroemia. I got it from Dolores and she did not know what it was. She got in some unidentified seed.

Ombu tree grows just fine here with good drainage. I have another in a 20 gallon can that gets water everyday. I have to keep cutting the roots as it plants itself through the pot drain holes. Fairchild has one that is much larger but still not that impressive looking. I think they need to be several decades old to take on the melted baobab character.

I got the Brunfelsia with the yellow flower from Jesse Durko. He grew them from seed and had a large batch of them. They were quite variable with all different leaf shapes so I grabbed a few that were all alike leaving the others behind.

How about the last two pics, the Cassia and the Bauhinia vine? Any idea?

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

False Monkey Puzzle or Bunya Bunya, Araucaria bidwillii. This is about 35' tall. Notice about halfway up the foliage looks different. In 2004, the hurricanes plowed through here and broke off the top. The tree tried to recover by growing a new crown, sending up four new leaders. I was going to let them grow a year or so and select the strongest leader and remove the other three when in 2005 Hurricane Wilma came through and again broke off the top. The four new leaders were weakly attached so I thought that is what would break off, but I was wrong. They new leaders held fast but the main trunk snapped about 18" below them. It resprouted again, I directed the guy in the bucket truck to select the strongest new leader and what you see in the top half has grown since October of 2005. Notice the strong pointy "leaves".

Macadamia nut. We don't get to eat any as the squirrels get them all.

This is a Kapok Tree. Notice the top 10' or 15' have been killed back from the winter cold. This surprised me how tender this tree is.

This is White Geiger or Texas Olive. Cordia boisieri. A nice small tree with white flowers that is well behaved and does not get too big. And if you are starving, you could probably subsist on the fruit. Native to Texas, it is not bothered by Florida winters.

Dwarf Pomegranite. Nice red-orange carnation looking flowers on a medium size shrub. Strictly ornamental and not edible.

[fastfeat]

I know what #2 is and you don't.

#5 is either a large Senna or small Cassia. Bad picture but the elm like leaves are pretty unique. Anybody know what it is?

#6 is an unknown Bauhinia vine. It is a rampant vigorous thing that will take over any tree canopy. When I purchased it, it was said to have big orange flowers. Well I waited years and years for it to bloom and it finally did. Guess what? No orange flowers. Here are its uninspiring white flowers. Anybody know what it is? Is it worth keeping?

#2 is probably a Lonchocarpus species.

#5: Is this on the south side of the tennis courts? Looks like Senna spectabilis to me (or possibly S. ligustrina, which is shrubby/small caliper though.)

#6: I'll send pic off to Kukiat in Thailand. Maybe a Phanera species?

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

We have a few different Bromeliads. I do not know this family well. The one in the center is very mean and has nasty teeth. When it blooms the center leaves color up very red. It is so well armed that it is used for cattle fencing in Cuba as well as security fencing in Gitmo. You can see when debris from the surrounding Sabals fall into this bed, it pretty much stays there as you would be cut to ribbons removing it.

A very nice Cane Begonia, brilliant, maintenance free color.

Purple Fire Spike. Medium to large shrub with purple butterfly attracting flowers. Easy to control and easy to propagate.

This is Jamaican Caper, a Florida and Caribbean relative of the edible caper. It is a small tree with a very compact form that blooms in late spring. The fruit comes along and is ripe in mid summer, giving a second color display as it splits open. The binomial name is Capparis cynophallophora, which shows that even taxonomists have a bit of a sense of humor because that literally means "Caper with the shape of a dog's penis", describing the shape of the fruit. Nice, huh? How did he explain that one to his mother?

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

I know what #2 is and you don't.

#5 is either a large Senna or small Cassia. Bad picture but the elm like leaves are pretty unique. Anybody know what it is?

#6 is an unknown Bauhinia vine. It is a rampant vigorous thing that will take over any tree canopy. When I purchased it, it was said to have big orange flowers. Well I waited years and years for it to bloom and it finally did. Guess what? No orange flowers. Here are its uninspiring white flowers. Anybody know what it is? Is it worth keeping?

#2 is probably a Lonchocarpus species.

#5: Is this on the south side of the tennis courts? Looks like Senna spectabilis to me (or possibly S. ligustrina, which is shrubby/small caliper though.)

#6: I'll send pic off to Kukiat in Thailand. Maybe a Phanera species?

I am impressed! It is Lonchocarpus capassa.

The Cassia is on the South side of the tennis courts. It is almost twenty feet wide and tall so not shrubby at all.

[Kumar]

#1 and #2 are Mast Trees. Polyalthia longifolia pendula. They grow straight up just like a tropical version of Italian Cypress. You can plant them close together to create a very high hedge and wind break.

Great photographs jerry. You have there the 'droopy' cultivar of Polyalthia longifolia. There is another cultivar where the shoots are more rigid and grow upwards, in a triangular fashion similar to conifers. The latter do not tolerate pruning as well as the 'droopy' variety and so are usually passed over in gardens. Here is the robust variety-

Edited June 27, 2010 by Kumar83

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Hi Kumar,

Yes I am familiar with that one but do not have a picture of it. We have one in the Deerfield Beach Arboretum but If I remember it correctly, the leaves are smaller than yours. It is definitely an underused tree.

[virtualpalm]

Jerry, after this past winter you might have to consider changing (or removing?) the 5th line in your sig file, eh? BTW, it got down to 28F here in Cutler Bay (20 mi SW of Miami, 1 mi from the ocean) two nights in a row in January. What temps did you guys see up there?

Jody

[bubba]

How did I miss this! Ficus pseudopalma amongst many others.

[SubTropicRay]

I just saw this thread. Great photos Jerry. Is there a Solandra maxima Chalice vine in there anywhere?

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

We have a Solanum guttata on our tennis fence. I don't know if it is a different species or synonym. I don't have any pics of it though.

[palmislandRandy]

I was Googling for some info on a few trees & came up with this thread. If you haven't seen it, it's worth a read. Thanks Jerry

Randy

[epiphyte]

It's a great thread...I was able to identify my friend's vine (Solanum wendlandii) because of it!

[palmmermaid]

Jerry,

Great shots! Love all the flowering trees. I have been looking for a mouse trap tree but haven't been able to find one. I saw one in a friend's yard here and just was fascinated by it.

I need to get back down and visit you.

[ariscott]

How did I miss this?? Beautiful, Jerry... loved your flowering trees.... my favourite.... If you were closer, we could compare notes

Regards, Ari

[Daryl]

Yeah, I missed this first time around as well...

Great photos Jerry...thanks for posting them. How prickly is your Bunya Pine? Has it drawn blood yet?

Daryl

[Eric in Orlando]

Nice specimens !!!