Enter the Courtyard  from the gift shop in the AOS Visitors Center.  You now have a good view of the Courtyard and Botanical Garden.

This colorful fountain adorns the Courtyard.  The plaque attached to the fountain is shown below.

They help disperse the seeds by causing them to stick to anything touching the plants. Flowers that are blue, like the Plumbago, are relatively uncommon. Blue Plumbago flowers best in full sun and needs little water. Internet reference

The Vanda Miss Joaquim is Singapore's national flower, chosen in 1981. It was first discovered in the garden of Miss Agnes Joaquim in 1893. The selection of a national flower was part of Singapore's effort at fostering national pride and a sense of identity. Vanda Miss Joaquim was selected particularly because of its hardy and resilient qualities and its ability to bloom throughout the year. It is an indigenous hybrid between Vanda teres and Vanda hookerana. Internet reference

Spathoglottis is a genus of tropical, terrestrial orchids with 40+ species.  The foliage is palmlike with showy flower spikes producing successive flowering. These are hardy terrestrial orchids suitable for use in landscaping in South Florida with  purple, yellow, and white colors.  Pictured here is  Spathogottis `Peach' donated by Frank Smith and planted by Krull-Smith Orchids. Internet reference

Common name:   Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow Botanical name:   Brunfelsia magnifica ‘Eau Imperiale’ Family name:         Solanaceae Hedges of this shrub are located at the east and west ends of the Courtyard. The descriptive name of this shrub comes from its blooms that fade from purple to blue to white over the course of a few days; Yesterday (purple), Today (blue), and Tomorrow (white).

Common name:       Fragrant Champaca, Joy Perfume Tree Botanical name:       Michelia champaca var. alba Family name:            Magnoliaceae This tropical evergreen from India is noted for fragrance. It is the oil of this Michelia that is the essence of JOY, the world's most expensive perfume. The white Michelia flower is also the city flower of Shanghai, China. Internet reference Internet reference Internet reference

In this bed are three different palm species in the genus Coccothrynax. Cocothrynax is slow growing and is very drought, sand and salt tolerant after it is established. Several Oncidiums are mounted on these palms.

Common name:      Weeping Bottlebrush Botanical name:    Calistemon viminalis Family name:          Myrtaceae From Australia, C. viminalis is an evergreen small tree that blooms intermittently in warm months.  Clusters of red, bottlebrush-like flowers appear near the branch tips.  It is salt tolerant and tolerates wet conditions.  The genus name Calistemon means "beautiful stamens." Llamas, Kirsten A. 2003. Tropical Flowering Plants. Timber Press, Portland. Page 283.

Common name:         Cliff Date Palm Botanical name:         Phoenix rupicola Family name:               Palmaceae Phoenix rupicola is native to India where it thrives among the rocks and cliffs in the Himalayan Mountains.  Unlike the commoner date palms it grows only to 20 feet and has a tidy trunk that does not retain the old leaf bases.  The bright green leaves are arranged in a flat plane on the stems.  The fronds with their natural arching, curving, and twisting create a very graceful palm. This ornamental palm is drought resistant and easy to grow but requires good drainage. Internet reference

This beautiful Philodendron cultivar `Burgundy Glow' surrounds Poinciana `Sliced Peaches'

Riffle, Robert L. 1999. The Tropical Look. Timber Press, Portland. Page 247. Internet reference

At the head of the stairs is a recent addition - a Live Oak, Quercus virginiana. This tree and the attached orchids were generously underwritten by the Shreveport Judging Center and the Shreveport Orchid Society in memory of Mickey Parker. Internet reference

Underneath the Coccothrynax palms is a bed of the Giant Sword Fern.

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Common name:   Poinciana `Sliced Peaches’  Botanical name:   Delonix regia cv. Family name:         Leguminosae, Fabaceae D. regia, a native of Madagascar, used to be in the genus Poinciana, hence the common name `Royal Poinciana' for the bright red flowered variety.  It is now in the bean family.  In Florida it is semi-evergreen with attractive lacy, fern-like leaves.  This naturally occurring cultivar has yellow-orange flowers in spring and summer. It is located at the east wall of the Courtyard.  - Darrin Duling Barbara Shafer donated this specimen in memory of Douglas B. Shafer

Common name: Botanical name:        Cissus species Family name:             Vitaceae At the corners of the eastern pergola adjacent to the White Clock Vine is this handsome red Cissus species from tropical and subtropical regions. Cissus species are vining plants suitable for hanging pots or for training on a trellis.  The genus contains about 350 species.  The flower color becomes an intense red at Christmas time. Internet reference

Common name:     Caribwood Botanical name:    Poitea carinalis Family name:          Fabaceae From the West Indies, this deciduous small tree (6-10 ft) produces a gorgeous display of pea-shaped, crimson flowers late winter and early spring along arching branches.   Blooming time is prolonged if watering is withheld during the dry season. Sid Gardino donated this specimen from Gardino Nursery. Llamas, Kirsten A. 2003. Tropical Flowering Plants. Timber Press, Portland. Page 222.

On the wall to the right is Creeping Fig.

Common name:    Heavenly Bamboo Botanical name:    Nandina domestica Family name:         Berberidaceae (barberry family) From China and Japan heavenly bamboo is a semi-evergreen shrub that is growing as a hedge against the east wall.  In the spring panicles of white flowers turn to red-orange berries that attract birds. it requires a rich soil and is listed as mildy invasive in Florida. Internet reference

The flowers may occur sporadically all year, but usually are most abundant in winter-spring. Some are fragrant; the cultivated variety growing here, ‘Eau Imperiale’ produces an especially heady lilac-type fragrance that is used in French perfumes. This is a fairly tough plant that likes full to partial sun and moist soil. It may reach heights of 8-10’ with an equal spread, but is easily trimmed into a desired shape. - Darrin Duling

Common name:     Macho Fern, Giant Sword Fern Botanical name:     Nephrolepis biserrata, N. falcata Family name:           Oleandraceae Widespread in tropical areas, N. biserrata is very fast growing and large, up to 3-4 feet.  The arching dark green leaves may reach 5 feet and have teeth on their margins. It prefers some shade and moist soil. The Giant Sword Fern has occasionally been found in the central and southern regions of Florida.

Go down the stairs to the right to begin the walk around the Courtyard.  A planting of palm trees is located here.

A Caribwood tree is located at the east and west ends of the courtyard. Mounted on the east one is Howeara Lava Burst, a stunningly beautiful man-made orchid.   This man-made genera is a product of Oncidium sarcodes, Leochilus oncidioides, and Rodriguezia lanceolata.  All three of these parents or grandparents are species. This form of hybridizing has led to the Oncidium intergenerics.  Many new and exciting plants continue to be created through these methods.

Common name:    Yellow Trumpet Tree, Yellow Tab Botanical name:    Tabebuia caraiba Family name:          Bignoniaceae Located in the Coccothrynax palm bed is this tree from Brazil that can grow to thirty feet.  It produces its yellow trumpet shaped flowers in the spring and the deciduous leaves fall off just before flowering.  A member of the Trumpet vine Family (Bignoniaceae), “Yellow Tab” as it is called here in South Florida, creates a show-stopping display of abundant golden-yellow flowers every spring.

Common name:   Blue Plumbago Botanical name:   Plumbago auriculata Family name:         Plumbagnaceae The name Plumbago comes from the Latin word for lead.  This South American plant was once used to treat lead poisoning. In Africa, a powder of the charred roots is rubbed into cuts in the skin to produce the decorative welts so admired by some tribes. The flower has interesting, hairy buds.  These hairs are sticky and persist after the flower has bloomed.

Located on one of the Coccothrynax palm trees  is  Oncidium Space-Pow, a hybrid from Oncidium sphacelatum x Oncidium  powellii.

Common name:    Lady Palm Botanical name:   Rhapis excelsa Family name:         Palmaceae Lady Palm is located in the northeast corner. Displaying exquisite beauty, Rhapis excelsa has acquired the popular name of "Lady Palm". Rare, slow-growing, and extremely versatile, they are undemanding and long-lived. Enchanted by these exceptional qualities, the Japanese first began collecting Rhapis from China in the 17th century, as exclusive possessions for the Imperial

Located on this Live Oak just as you go down the stairs on the right to the courtyard is Ctna. Why Not 'Comet' x Ctna. Why Not 'Radiance', Ctna. = Cattleytonia = Broughtonia x Cattleya. Cattleytonia Why Not = Cattleya aurantiaca x Broughtonia sanguinea. This orchid flowers frequently with small bright red flowers.

Common name:        White Clock Vine Botanical name:        Thunbergia grandiflora Family name:              Acanthaceae     Supported on the pergolas at the east and west sides of the Courtyard is this striking vine with five-lobed serrated white flowers and yellow centers from India.  It is almost always in bloom. This is a popular white cultivar, even more outstanding than the more common blue-flowered variety.

The dense mass of heavy thick leaves needs a strong support as it may grow to fifty feet  or more in cultivation.  Bees like to pollinate this vine. Riffle, R. L.  The Tropical Look. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, 1999 page 342.

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Common name:     Creeping Fig Botanical name:     Ficus repens  or Ficus pumila Family name:           Moraceae This ficus continues to creep over the east wall of the court.  It is a rapid grower and prefers shade.  It adheres to walls and if it is removed any paint underneath will also come off. Small hybrid Phalaenopsis orchids attached to Creeping Fig provide color.

Handsome leaves complement the flowers; long-stemmed, palmate, dark green with silver undersides that impart a shimmering effect on the canopy with the slightest breeze. Yellow Tab is very drought resistant and fast growing, reaching a height of 30’ or more. It has a tendency to grow in an upright, twisted shape that gives it great appeal as a landscape subject. Its bark is very thick and corky making it an excellent tree on which to mount epiphytes. It is a good orchid host and several different Cattleyas can be found on it. - Darrin Duling

palaces. Japanese Samurai developed cultivars of "Miniature Lady Palms", some reaching only 5' after decades of growth.  Over 100 different varieties are presently known in the Orient, propagated by division only. Internet reference