By Tommy Clarkson from the December 2017 Edition Variegated Dwarf Umbrella Tree, Schefflera arboricola ‘Variegata’ Family: Araliaceae Also known as: Dwarf Schefflera, Hawaiian Schefflera, Umbrella Plant, Queensland Umbrella Tree, Octopus Tree or Arboricola I acquired our initial Variegated Dwarf Umbrella Tree specimen several years ago, intending to research and write about it “right away”. That […]
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By Tommy Clarkson from the December 2017 Edition Toddy Palm Caryota urens Family: Arecaceae Also known as: Solitary Fishtail Palm, Wine Palm or Jaggery Palm “OK Tommy, ‘I’ll admit to having had a toddy or two in my life, so what’s up with this palm’s name?” Appropriately enough, beyond its sap being boiled down to […]
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By Tommy Clarkson from the November 2017 Edition Red Ginger, Alpinia purpirata Family: Zingiberaceae Also known as: Ostrich Plume, Jungle King, Fire Ginger, Red Cone Ginger or Tahitian Ginger Nellie Neal, who waxes almost poetically about our common botanical interests, writes in her book, a Gardener’s Guide to Tropical Plants, “Red Ginger is a romantic […]
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By Tommy Clarkson from the November 2017 Edition Amaryllis Amaryllis belladonna Family: Amaryllidaceae Also known as: Belladonna Lily, Jersey Lily, Naked Lady, Amarillo or March The Amaryllis has only one species in its genus. All those we see around the holidays called ‘Amaryllis’ are actually Hippeastrum. There has long been confusion in the botanical community regarding […]
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By Tommy Clarkson from the October 2017 Edition The orchid genus is the second largest family of all the world’s flowering plants. It has between 22,000 and 27,000 currently accepted species, in 880 genera – not counting more than 50,000 registered hybrids! The Dendrobium varieties, alone, have somewhere around 1,500 species in their genus. To be […]
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By Tommy Clarkson from the October 2017 Edition Anahaw Palm Livistona rotundifolia var. ‘luzonensis’ Family: Arecaceae Also known as: Round-Leaf Fountain Palm or Footstool Palm Until recently, I thought ours was simply a Livistona rotundifo-lia. But my pal, Anders Lindstrom, of Nong Nooch Gardens near Pattaya in Thailand, patiently explained it to me thusly: “At […]
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By Tommy Clarkson from the September 2017 Edition Xanadu Xanadu philodendron Family: Araceae Also known as: Philodendron Xanadu, Philodendron ‘Winterbourn’, Philodendron ‘Aussie’ or Philodendron Xanadue But for our immediate, horticultural purposes, Xanadu is a dramatically attractive, evergreen, low shrub that can spread to ten feet by ten feet (3.05 meters) and grow to around two feet, […]
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By Tommy Clarkson from the September 2017 Edition Dwarf Papyrus Cyperus isocladus Family: Cyperaceae Also known as: Miniature Flatsedge, Dwarf Egyptian Papyrus, Cyperus papyrus Nanus, Cyperus haspan, Cyperus aequalis or Cyperus papyroides (Like so many things in life today, every day, change seems the absolute constant. Hence, names of plants – be they common or Latin […]
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By Tommy Clarkson from the August 2017 Edition Window Leaf Monstera deliciosa Family: Araceae Also known as: Swiss Cheese Plant, Split Leaf Philodendron, Mexican Bread Fruit, Hurricane Plant or Five Holes Plant So dissimilar in appearance from many other plants, visitors of-ten inquire as to the function of their leaf holes. I’ve read, but cannot absolutely […]
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By Tommy Clarkson from the August 2017 Edition Umbrella Palm Cyperus involucratus Family: Cyperaceae Also known as: Umbrella Plant, Umbrella Sedge, Umbrella Papyrus, African Sedge, Dwarf Papyrus Grass, False Papyrus, Flat Sedge, Umbrella Flatsedge, Windmill Sedge or Galingale Of the some 600 herbaceous, sedge species that comprise the Cyperus family, two are rather commonly known. The […]
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