Common name:     Walter’s Viburnum Botanical name:     Viburnum obovatum Family name:           Caprifoliaceae This dense shrub may grow to 12 feet.  In the spring it is covered with pure white flowers making it an attractive accent shrub. Berries follow the flowers, turning from green to purplish black in autumn, coveted by birds and small wildlife.  Suckers should be removed to prevent formation of a thicket. Caldonia Nursery donated this specimen.

Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A Gardener’s Guide to Florida’s Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Page 217-218.  Internet reference

Common name:     Marble-Berry, Marlberry Botanical name:     Ardisia escallonioides Family name:           Myrsinaceae An evergreen shrub, Marble-Berry intermittently produces small, fragrant white flowers that stand out against the dark green foliage. The one-seeded berries that follow have a nice taste.  This is a good under story plant for shady or sunny spots and it is drought tolerant when established and can be trimmed to the desired size.

Enter the Florida Native Garden by walking along the southwest Jungle Garden path past the steps to the boardwalk. The area on the right adjacent to the Jungle Garden has a mix of native and non-native specimens.  Green labels signify native plants; blue labels, non-native; black labels, orchids.

Common name:     Simpson’s Stopper Botanical name:     Myrcianthes fragrans Family name:           Myrtaceae This is a delightful accent shrub or small tree.  It is a densely packed plant with dark green mature leaves and contrasting fragrant white flowers.  Orange-red berries follow the flowers and fruit and flowers may be present at the same time.  The flaking bark has an attractive range of colors. Folklore has it that the common name “stopper” referred to an extract of the plant being able to stop diarrhea. Studies have not confirmed this but the name stuck. Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A Gardener’s Guide to Florida’s Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Page 263-264. Internet reference

Common name:     Shrubby Lantana Botanical name:     Lantana involucrata Family name:          Verbenaceae Native to South Florida, Keys and Tropical America this plant grows in thickets along the edges of roads and hammocks. The light green leaves are rough and have toothed edges and smell spicy like sage when crushed. Small clusters of white flowers with yellow spots are produced all year round in our area. Bok Tower Gardens donated Shrubby Lantana. Internet reference

Common name:      Sweet-Gum Botanical name:      Liquidambar styraciflua  Family name:            Hamamelidaceae (witch-hazel) This tall deciduous tree may reach 70 feet.  The leaves resemble a five pointed star similar to a maple leaf but are alternate rather than in opposite pairs like the maple.  In the autumn the foliage turns various shades of yellow and red before falling.  Sweet-Gum is named for the resin produced when the trunk is injured.  Chewing this gum was believed to have medicinal properties.  The wood is hard and is used to make furniture and pulpwood for fine papers. Sweet-Gum is a favorite of yellow-bellied sapsuckers. Look for their parallel rows of little square holes in the bark.

Common name:     Black Calabash Botanical name:     Amphitecna latifolia Family name:          Bignoniaceae Not native to North America but grown in South Florida, Black Calabash has dark, glossy large leaves and grows with dense foliage to a height of 25 feet. Throughout the year small tubular purplish-white flowers are followed by 4 inch long shiny green fruit containing edible black seeds. Internet reference

Common name:      Firebush Botanical name:     Hamelia patens Family name:           Rubiaceae Firebush is an evergreen, dense, large shrub that produces terminal clusters of red-orange flowers (even the flower stems are red) contrasting with bright green leaves.  Hummingbirds and butterflies flock to these flowers.  The juicy fruit berries are a treat for local birds and small animals.  Extracts of Firebush contain antibacterial and antifungal chemicals that may explain its use by natives in tropical

Common name:     Cardinal Airplant Botanical name:     Tilandsia fasciculata Family name:          Bromeliaceae Mounted on the Live Oak is this epiphytic bromeliad commonly found on cypress, live oak, and pine trees.  It grows best in wet hammocks as long as there is free drainage.  A new pest in Florida, a weevil grub, has destroyed many plants.  Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A Gardener’s Guide to Florida’s Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Page 308.

Across from the Pigeon Plum on the north side are Fakahatchee Grass and epiphytes on the Live Oak.

NEXT

Common name:     Fakahatchee grass, Eastern Mock Grama Botanical name:    Tripsacum dactyloides Family name:         Gramineae/Poaceae (grass family) Fakahatchee grass is probably the largest and most robust of Florida native grasses. Although it is well suited for low wet areas, it is also drought tolerant and may be used as a xeriscape plant.  Very tall flower spikes add to its appearance. This clump is located on the northerly path near a Live Oak. Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A Gardener’s Guide to Florida’s Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Page 141.

Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A Gardener’s Guide to Florida’s Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Page 260. Internet reference

Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A Gardener’s Guide to Florida’s Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Page 158-159. Internet reference

The  yellow Tabebuia is not a native Floridian but is here as it is a great tree for displaying orchids. Mounted on this tree is a collection of hybrid Cattleyas, including the one shown below.

Common name:      Seashore Ageratum Botanical name:     Ageratum littorale  Family name:           Asteraceae Seashore Ageratum is a sprawling annual that will self-sow if older plants are removed.  The blue flowers are held well above the bright green leaves putting on a lovely show in springtime. Clumps of this plant are also located in front of the Coral Bean Tree. Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A Gardener’s Guide to Florida’s Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Page 59.

Please walk back to the beginning of the Florida Native Garden  to view the specimens on the west side of the path.

Iwanagara Appleblossom, a hybrid orchid, is located on a log next to Black Calabash.  It is a popular plant with varied colors and is compact, fragrant, and grown under Cattleya conditions. Internet reference

Common name:     Wild Plumbago, Leadwort, Botanical name:     Plubago scandens, Plumbago mexicana Family name:           Plumbaginaceae An evergreen vine or shrub, P. scandens has five petaled white flowers most of the year. It is a hardy coastal ground cover growing to three feet. The roots contain a chemical, plumbagin, that has some antibacterial action.  Contact with the roots should be avoided because they cause a skin irritation. Plumbagin stains the skin to a purple color appearing like a bruise. It was used in Turkey to produce false evidence of violence. Internet reference Internet reference

Common name:      Pearlberry, Tearshrub Botanical name:     Vallesia antillana Family name:           Apocynaceae Pearlberry is a very rare South Florida native plant that grows very slowly and may reach five feet or more.  It produces white flowers anytime followed by white, almost translucent fruit.  Salt tolerant, it does best in  moist, well-drained limestone soils, with a top layer  of humus.  Internet reference

Angraecum eburneum – A gift from AOS volunteer, Russ Curtis, this specimen sits in the crotch of the Live Oak. A shiny white lip and slender green sepals and petals make this fragrant orchid most attractive. Its spur is three inches long.  Another white Angraecum species (A. sesquipedale) is famous for Darwin’s prediction over 120 years ago that a moth with a proboscis long enough to obtain nectar from the base of the ten-inch spur would be found.  Many years later such a moth was found. Northen, Rebecca T. 1970. Home Orchid Growing. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York. Page 144-145.

Please cross over to the north side of the path to the Chickee hut to view the following specimens.

Florida coastal gardens as it tolerates drought, high winds and salt. It is also very fast growing and may be trained as a hedge for windbreaks. – Darrin Duling

Brassolaeliocattleya Arthur Bossin `Rapture’ (Brassolaeliocattleya Tampico x Cattleya walkeriana)

Common name:     Pitch Apple, Autograph Tree Botanical name:    Clusia rosea Family name:          Clusiaceae   The Pitch Apple Tree is salt and drought tolerant.  Note the oval, thick, leathery leaves.  If you scratch your name on a leaf it will remain for many months, hence the nickname "Autograph Tree".  In warm months showy flowers with pink and white petals appear followed by fruit pods that turn from green to brown and split to reveal black seeds. Internet reference

Common name:      Grayleaf Botanical name:     Melochia tomentosa Family name:           Sterculiaceae Grayleaf is a very hardy, evergreen shrub with greenish gray leaves.  The foliage is densely branched and the branches gracefully reach toward the apex.  Small pink flowers with a lilac scent  contrast with the silvery leaves.  The flowers appear year round but last only a day.  There are so many of them their fleeting nature is not noticed. Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A Gardener’s Guide to Florida’s Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Page 199-200.

Common name:     Pigeon Plum Botanical name:    Coccoloba diversifolia Family name:          Polygonacea The Pigeon Plum is one of the most abundant seacoast trees of subtropical Florida that grows in very harsh conditions where other species perish. This dense-canopied, evergreen tree usually tops out at 15 - 25 feet with a spread of 20 to 35 feet. Glossy round leaves set off short terminal spikes of tiny white flowers that appear in early summer. The fruit that follows is a dark red to black berry that is relished by wildlife and was once a staple part of the Native Americans' diet in Florida. This is a highly valued tree in south

Common name:    Towering Inferno Botanical name:    Acalypha wilkesiana `Inferno' Family name:          Euphorbiaceae This dense, low, spreading Acalypha looks like it is on fire.  Many cultivars are available with different leaf forms and colors. It is native to the South Pacific. Internet reference

Common name:    Bloodberry Botanical name:    Cordia globosa Family name:          Boraginaceae This densely branched and leafy shrub tends to grow in a symmetrical, round shape.  It is evergreen and flowers and produces fruit year round except during very dry or cold spells.  The small white flowers produce an abundance of nectar that attracts butterflies.  The red berries following the flowers give it the common name. C. globosa makes an excellent hedge and can be trimmed as desired. Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A Gardener’s Guide to Florida’s Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Page 174-176.

areas who use it for skin infections.  Several Firebush specimens occur throughout the garden. Internet reference

HOME

Common name:    Flame of the Forest Botanical name:    Butea monosperma Family name:         Fabaceae From India, this deciduous tree may grow to 50 feet.  As the leaves fall off clusters of stunning red flowers appear January-March.  The trunk is crooked with irregular branches.  it is salt-tolerant and can be used in coastal areas.  In India it is considered a sacred tree; the flowers are used in place of blood in sacrifice rituals. Internet reference Internet reference

Common name:     Golden Milkweed Botanical name:     Asclepias curassavica `Silky Gold' Family name:           Asclepiadaceae The common variety, scarlet milkweed, has orange and red flowers.  Our cultivar has yellow flowers. Like all milkweeds its leaves are opposite and pointed.  The milky sap from which the name is derived is a skin irritant and all milkweeds are poisonous if ingested. Originally native to South America, milkweed is now a naturalized weed throughout tropical and subtropical areas including South Florida. Internet reference