Common name:     Carnauba Wax m Botanical name:     Copernicia prunifera Family name:          Arecaceae From Brazil this palm is best known for the hard, heat resistant wax that is harvested from its leaves.  Production of carnauba wax is an important industry in Brazil.  This palm grows to 30 feet and has fan shaped blue-green waxy leaves. Internet reference

Common name:      Flame Copper Leaf Botanical name:    Acalypha `Inferno' Family name:          Euphorbiaceae This Australian cultivar looks like it is on fire with bright red-orange-yellow leaves.  It provides color all year.  The more sun, the brighter the color. Internet reference Internet reference

Common name:     Picomba Botanical name:     Eugenia luschnathiana Family name:          Myrtaceae  The Pitomba comes from Brazil.  It is an evergreen tree that grows to 20 feet and has dark green leaves above and light green below.  Fruits appear in the summer and resemble apricots.  Mature trees are cold hardy. Internet reference

Common name:     Devil's Trumpet, Horn-of-Plenty Botanical name:     Datura metel Family name:          Solanaceae From China but widely naturalized,   this evergreen shrub has striking fluted white and purple flowers that tend to be upright.  In contrast, Angel's trumpets, Brugmanasia species, have pendent flowers. All contain scopolamine and are highly poisonous.  Cool nights promote flowering. Internet reference Llamas, Kirsten A. 2003. Tropical Flowering Plants. Timber Press, Portland. Page 351.

Common name:      Cashew Botanical name:     Anacardium occidentale Family name:          Anacardiaceae Native to Tropical America, A. occidentale is the source of cashew nuts.  The tree grows to about 20 feet in cultivation and has thick, oval leaves with blunted tips and prominent veins  and is not cold

Common name:     Midnight Horror Tree Botanical name:     Oroxylum indicum Family name:          Bignoniaceae From India, this strange deciduous tree grows rapidly to 40 feet with 4 foot seedpods hanging down like swords. The tree is also a night-bloomer and is pollinized naturally by bats. After the large leaf stalks wither, they fall off the tree and collect near the base of the trunk, appearing to look like a pile of broken limb bones. Internet reference

protein and starch value. It can be eaten after being cooked in boiling water. This palm is cultivated commercially for the fruit. Internet reference

Common name:     Jelly Palm, Pindo Palm Botanical name:     Butia capitata Family name:          Arecaceae From South America, this palm has attractive long pinnate leaves that arch and recurve towards the ground from atop a thick stout trunk. The trunk can grow about 12-15 feet. Bright orange fruit , pindo palm dates, has a nice taste but contain a large seed and fibrous flesh.  It likes regular watering but tolerates dry conditions. It is the hardiest feather leafed palm, growing in North Carolina. Internet reference

a day or two, and fall to carpet the ground underneath. Inside the thin-skinned fruit is a thick white flesh somewhat resembling that of an apple or pear surrounding a single large seed. Fruits can be eaten fresh but are more tasty if cooked. Internet reference

Common name:     Botanical name:     Gloxinia sylvatica`Bolivian Sunset' Family name:          Gesneriaceae FromSouth America, this perennial plant has striking tubular red-orange flowers during short days (late fall-winter) . It prefers dappled shade. It goes dormant in the spring to return in the fall. Internet  reference

Common name:      Ice Cream Bean Botanical name:      Inga jinicuil Family name:          Leguminosae From Central America, several Inga species are called Ice Cream Bean trees, especiialy Inga edulis. Fruit is a long pod, sometimes a few feet in length, containing a bright-white pulp surrounding several large seeds. Flavor is sweet and resembles vanilla ice cream.  I. jincuil is often planted to shade coffee plantations. The genus is noted for its ability to fix nitrogen. Internet reference

Back across the path and at the beginning of the gravel path near a wooden post is the Malay Apple tree.  Follow these specimens on the right side of the gravel path

Common name:     White Butterfly Ginger Botanical name:     Hedychium coronarium Family name:           Zingiberaceae This evergreen member of the Ginger family is now cultivated in warm-climate gardens all over the world for its heavily fragrant clusters of pure white flowers. The flowers are used to make leis in Hawaii. The plants arise from a thick, fleshy rhizome that sends out long, slender, leafy stems up to 6’ high. Once established, a small clump will quickly form a huge colony, so care must be taken to plant this ginger where it has plenty of room to spread out. In fact, in some areas of the tropics it is now considered an invasive exotic pest plant and its sale and cultivation is illegal. Our plants bloom in late spring through summer.  In more northerly climates it is grown as a perennial and usually blooms in the autumn. – Darrin Duling.

Crescentia cujete , Calabash Tree, was previously described in JungleGarden1.

appear above the foliage in late spring. The common name, Apostle Plant, comes from the belief that a Neomarica will not bloom until the plant has 12 leaves. Internet reference

Coming soon!

leaves forming its unique and characteristic "petticoat".  It does best in full sun with hot, humid conditions and is drought tolerant.  Internet reference

Common name:     Mexican Honeysuckle Botanical name:     Justicia spicigera `Sidicaro' Family name:          Acanthaceae From Central America, Axillary clusters of golden-orange, tubular flowers are more numerous in light shade. It is adaptable to various soils, requires little fertilzation, withstands extreme heat, has few insect pests and is easily size controlled. Internet reference

This completes the tour of the Lake Huntington Walk and the garden tour.  We hope you enjoyed it and would appreciate your comments. E-mail them to alan.kaitz@gmail.com. or newy@aos.org.

Common name:     Peach Palm, Pupunha Botanical name:     Bactris gasipaes Family name:          Arecaceae From Central and South America, this palm growns to 65 feet and has multiple stems that are used to extract the delicious heart of palm.  Female flowers develop into a small red, yellow or orange fruit, measuring around 2 inches in diameter that is rich in vitamin A, and has a high

Common name:     Looking Glass Tree Botanical name:     Heritiera littoralis Family name:          Malvaceae  An evergreen tree, H. littoralis is found in coastal regions of Africa near mangroves.  Striking buttresses form at the base.  The elliptic leaves are green on top and silvery white underneath where scales reflect sunlight.  The bark has a rough, cracked surface.  The flowers are small and bell-shaped. The fruit is oval shaped and very hard. Traditional uses are for charcoal, firewood and building wood. Internet reference

Common name:     Indian Cork Tree Botanical name:     Millingtonia hortensis Family name:          Bignoniaceae From Myanmar (Burma), this fast growing tree flowers at night and sheds flowers early in the morning. The tree has a straight trunk and only a few branches. It is also called the Cork Tree, as an inferior cork is processed from its corky bark. The white, waxy flowers last  a long time and are in demand for their fregrance. Internet reference

Common name:    Botanical name:     Pandanus pulcher Family name:          Pandanaceae From Madagascar, P. pulcher  is grown for its evergreen foliage.  It has a big crown when young but as it matures the crown is lost and the leaves are smaller and thinner.  It needs lotsof water. Internet reference

Common name:     Spanish Shawl Botanical name:     Dissotis rotundifolia Family name:          Melastomataceae From Africa, this plant serves as a ground cover or hanging basket.  Purple-crimson flowers are 2 inches wide.  Other common names areTrailing or Dwarf Tibouchina and Pinklady. Internet reference

Common name:     Forsthia sage Botanical name:     Salvia madrensis Family name:           Lamiaceae From Mexico, Forsythia sage is an uncommon salvia with yellow flowers.  It can grow to 10 feet and spread 4.5 feet so it needs lots of room. It prefers partial sun to shade and attracts bees and butterflies. Internet reference

tolerant. The nut hangs on a fleshy peduncle called the cashew apple or pseudofruit.  Nuts and and the edible pseudofruit are harvested when they fall to the ground.  Cashew nuts must be roasted before shelling to remove a caustic oil.  Cashew is now the #1 tree nut crop in the world.  Internet reference

HOME

Common name:    Botanical name:    Euphorbia geroldii Family name:         Euphorbiaceae From Madagascar, this Euporbia has flowers like Crown of Thorns but there are no thorns.  It needs some shade and to be kept moist and will grow up to 12 feet tall. Internet reference

Common name: Botanical name:     Pitcairnia smithiorum Family name:          Bromeliaceae Pitcairnia smithiorum is a bright green plant with grassy type leaves.  The flower spike is a long orange round cluster before the very striking bright yellow flowers appear and then turn black with age. They are held in a long cylindrical flower head of brilliant clusters of red primary bracts, which last for months. Internet reference

ground on lava rocks and the resulting pulp in placed in the fishing waters. The bioactive material is leached out of the pulp into the water, and the poisoned fish float up to the surface and are harvested. Human consumption of fish poisoned by B. asiatica has no reported negative effects. Internet reference

Common name:     Indian Jujube Botanical name:     Ziziphus mauritiana Family name:          Rhamnaceae Originally from Southeast Asia, Indian Jujube is now grown commercially in India where it dates back to 1000 BC. Its main quality is its ability to grow in arid conditions with a rapidly developing taproot.  The fruit is very nutritious, high in Vitamin C.  The leaves serve as fodder

Common name:    Malay Apple Botanical name:    Syzgium malaccense Family name:          Myrtaceae Native to Malaysia, in Florida S. malaccense grows to heights of over forty feet with a strict pyramid shape and large leathery leaves six to ten inches long and two to four inches wide. The beautiful bright red or purple flowers are produced directly on the trunk and branches, last only

Common name:    Dwarf Coral Tree Botanical name:    Erythrina humeana Family name:         Fabaceae  From Africa, the dwarf coral tree produces a number of stems from the ground up.Then they branch and produce a mass of scarlet red clusters of flowers on long black stalks making them ideal for the vase. The flowers are rich in nectar and attract birds.  This shrub is deciduous but winter annuals can be planted in its place. Internet reference

Common name:     Sweet Almond Verbena Botanical name:     Aloysia virgata Family name:          Verbenaceae Long white spires of this intensely fragrant everbloomer will delight your senses. One of the sweetest flowers you’ll come across, this member of the Verbenaceae family is also known as the Incense Bush. Give full sun and this fast growing Argentine native will flower year-round. Aloysia virgata is an upright shrubby plant that takes well to a hard pruning, grows fast and has reported winter hardiness to Zone 8. When grown outside in a container for the summer garden, bees and butterflies will reward you with their presence. Internet reference

for animals and the timber is used for making house frames and is good firewood.  Leaves are host to lac insects Kerria lacta that produce a resin.  The resin is purified to make a high quality shellac used in fine lacquer work.  Internet reference

Common name:     African Mahogany Botanical name:     Khaya anthotheca (syn. K. nyasica) Family name:          Meliaceae This tree grows in Africa to a height of 80 feet with a head of glossy foliage. It  is the source of the preferred African Mahogany timber used for many purposes especially for making furniture and cabinets. Internet reference

Common name: Botanical name:     Aechmea woronowii Family name:          Bromeliaceae Watch this Bromeliad from Ecuador grow. The small white flowers peek out from striking pink bracts.  It likes full sun. Internet reference

Common name:     Lemongrass Botanical name:     Cymbopogon citratus Family name:          Poaceae From tropical Asia, this evergreen fragrant grass has bluish-green leaves that are the source of lemongrass oil used for citrus flavoring of teas and soups.  Beware: the leaves have sharp edges. Internet reference

Common name:       Eldorado Caricature Plant Botanical name:     Graptophyllum pictum `Eldorado' Family name:           Acanthaceae G. pictum `Elsorado' has dark green leaves with a large irregular, yellow margin that is bright golden yellow in high light or yellow green in low light. The flowers are tubular and reddish-purple.This evergreen tropical shrub may grow to six feet. Internet reference

Common name:      Croton Botanical name:     Cordiaeum variegatum `Franklin Roosevelt' Family name:          Euphorbiaceae Crotons have been popular in Florida for over 100 years.  This older variety has striking red, pink and green colors.  An article about crotons in Florida may be found in the following internet reference. Internet reference

Common name:     Cuipo, Quipo Botanical name:     Cavanillesia platanifolia Family name:          Malvaceae Cuipo is a giant tree in the drier areas of Panama.  It is deciduous, dropping all its leaves from November until the spring when the rains begin.  Larger specimens are noted for rings on the trunk and a large crown. Flowers and fruits appear when leafless. Internet reference

Common name:     Princess Earrings Botanical name:     Dichrostachys cinerea Family name:          Mimosaceae From Africa, this shrub grows to 9 feet. It has Interesting pendulant powderpuff-like flowers, pink at the top, yellow below. The flowers hang from the tree like precious earrings. Thorns have leaves at their bases. It is a good bonsai subject. Internet reference

Common  name:    Croton `Gloriosa' Botanical name:     Codiaeum variegatum `Gloriosa' Family name:          Euphorbiaceae From tropical regions, this croton has striking burgundy leaves.

Common name:     Sapodilla Botanical name:     Manilkara zapota Family name:          Sapotaceae Sapodilla is the common name for the fruit of this tree from the Yucatan and Central America. This tree is also rich in a gummy latex (chicle) formerly used to make chewing gum. Cultivars have been developed in  Florida with high quality fruit. Internet reference

Common name:     Apostle Plant Botanical nme:       Neomarica caerulea Family name:          Iridaceae From Brazil, the plants have sword-like leaves and develop large clumps.   The best specimens seem to be in moist, well drained soil in locations with morning sun and some shade in the afternoon.  The strikingly beautiful 3-4 inch wide blue flowers

Common name:     Botanical name:    Dendrocalamus sp. variegata `Malay Dwarf' Family name:         Gramineae This is probably Bambusa Glaucophylla `Malay Dwarf Variegated Bamboo'.  It is a bushy non-invasive bamboo with variegated leaves that does not grow over 15 feet. It can be trimmed to a striking hedge. Internet reference

Across the path toward the lake are the following specimens.

Common name:     Purple Flower Jacaranda Common name:     Jacaranda jasminoides Family name:          Bignoniaceae This shrub from Brazil may grow to 24 feet with fine-textured, fern-like pinnate leaves. Its vivid lilac-blue clusters of trumpet shaped blossoms appear in the summer, later falling to the earth carpeting the ground with a mass of color. Internet reference:

Common name: Botanical name:    Codiaeum variegatum `Mothers and Daughters' Family name:          Euphorbiaceae

Common name:     Cuban Petticoat Palm Botanical name:     Copernicia macroglossa Family name:          Arecaceae Native to Cuba, this small specimen should develop a single trunk growing to 40 feet.  The leaves are fan-shaped and grow right out of the trunk with almost no leaf stem. This gives the tree a "dressed" appearance, with the persistent older

Common name:    Fish Poison Tree Botanical name:   Barringtonia racemosa or asiatica Family name:         Lecythidaceae Reports describing the utilization of plants as piscicides (fish poisons) by Polynesian cultures have appeared as early as 1862.    The seeds of the fruit of B. asiatica, (commonly known in Samoa as “futu” or “vutu”) are still used by native Polynesian people for  fishing purposes. The futu seeds are

Common name:     Botanical name:    Alcantarea odorata Family name:         Bromeliaceae From Brazil comes this showy landscape feature that grows about 4 feet wide. The leaves are slender and when young they are a pale green with silver banding. As they mature the leaves become covered with a silvery white powder that makes it come alive compared to the rest of the landscaping. Internet reference

Common name:     Popcorn Cassia, Peanut Butter Senna Botanical name:     Senna disymobotrya Family name:          Caesalpiniaceae This shrub from East Africa produces yellow flowers that have the scent of peanut butter.  Run your fingers through the feathery leaves and smell buttered popcorn.  Internet reference

Common name:     Botanical name:     Mussaenda `Marmalade' Family name:          Rubiaceae `Marmalade' is a new cultivar reportedly produced in India.  It has yellow flowers with a yellow-orange eye which ages from orange to brown.  It can tolerate brief periods of freezing temperatures. Internet reference Internet reference

Common name:    Ceylon Fagraea Botanical name:    Fagraea ceilanica Family name:          Loganiaceae A very rare shrub from India with fragrant creamy-white flowers that only last one day. A delicate sweet scent surrounds the plant. The leaves are leathery and glossy. Internet reference

Common name:   Fringed Hibiscus Botanical name:    Hibiscus schizopetalus Family name:         Malvaceae Very ornate fringed double flowers streaked with pink and red hang from arching branches like little chandeliers. Blooms best with heat and humidity. This is a most unusual hibiscus from tropical east Africa. Internet reference

Common name:    Blue Sage Botanical name:   Eranthemum pulchellum Family name:        Acanthaceae Blue Sage blooms heavily in wintertime with bright blue flowers making a stunning display. It likes the part shade and protection from the cold when grown under a canopy of trees.   A native of India, this tender shrub may grow to five feet.  Cutting the plant back in the spring and early fall keeps it compact with many flowering shoots. Internet reference

Russ and B.J. Curtis donated this orchid species, Sobralia bradeorum. it is a terrestial orchid from Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The petals and sepals are a pale orchid-purple with a slightly darker lip.  Sobralia flowers last only a day. Internet reference