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Plant Talk 13: Neotropical Plant Overview: Places to see, Resources for further study, Major families missing from Elpel

11/27/2011

November 27, 2011

Plant Talk 13:

Neo-Tropical Plant Overview: Places to see, Resources for further study, Major families missing from Elpel

Hello plant enthusiasts!

My current travels have led me out to Coastal California. i travelled all along the 20 across the great orchards of Walnuts and other fruits…into the foothill vineyards and out to the home of the abalone shell…What took me a few hours to drive took Turtle over two weeks hiking fast this spring. What does timing mean?

From out here comes much of the seaweed for the country. i hope to participate in a harvest someday. How many types of seaweed can you name? Some favorites are Nori, Dulse, Hijiki, Arame. i guarantee that there are many more you are not aware of. Silky Sea Palm is my favorite so far. A definitive guide book can be helpful as always (E. Lewallen & Lewallen, 1996).

Fall just started here with the introduced Dogwoods and Sweetgums catching my eye especially. The Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) Rosaceae fills in the red berried “holly” role. Daniel Madrone says that the “Hollywood” was even named after it. Not to many actual Hollies (Ilex spp.) Aquifoliaceae out here. But i did recently try Guayusa (Ilex guayusa) tea from Ecuador! It is kind of like Yerba Mate but apparently higher in caffeine!

i am not a fan of experiencing too much winter these days. As the year goes on i am led to think of warmer climes. Having only a storage unit to maintain has its advantages. Looks like Florida is the goal for this year. Thus the timing of this class is good preparation for me and hopefully other snowbirds in our community.

Tropical Sub-Tropical Botany

Below is a treatment of tropical and sub-tropical botany and resources for the study therein. The focus is largely contained to the neotropical Americas including Hawaii as these are the places i have personally travelled. However, i have also visited many conservatories with tropical collections from around the world. These experiences inform the discussion at the family level as well. First, follows a discussion of gardens that are available to visit for further exploration in the Americas. The next section contains small monographic treatments of mostly tropical and sub-tropical families that are not treated in Elpel (2004). Any feedback or contributions would be greatly appreciated.

Florida

My History and Resources

An album corresponding to this class can be seen at the link below

www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.269473196433078&type=1  

Ironic that i spent 17 years growing up in the very special botanical zone of Florida but only really got into plants in the last couple years before departure. Nonetheless, my youth in South Florida from 7 – 18 was immersed in plants of the region by default and i even had several profound plant experiences very early in my life there. Since becoming a focused botanist around 2001/2002 i have made numerous trips to Florida to visit friends and family. Most of Florida lies in a sub-tropical zone where it can still frost on occasion. People are able to grow tropical crops in the extreme south though.

In recent years i have had the good fortune to co-teach with Mycol Stevens who lives in Brooker, FL. Mycol works for the state of Florida doing botanical surveys and ecological restoration work. He has greatly enhanced my awareness of sub-tropical botany more than anyone other than Frank Cook. Mycol hosts (Willing Workers On Oraganic Farms, (WWOOFers) at his finca. Contact him if you are interested in visiting. He also hosts an Earthskills gathering near the end of January every year. www.growfood.org/es/farm/997 , http://floridaearthskills.blogspot.com/

i tend to depend on just a few books for plant identification in Florida (Nelson, 1998; Taylor, 1992; Wunderlin & Hansen, 2011). i am currently only aware of a few resources so far in regards to Florida Ethnobotany in general or certain Native American tribes on the peninsula in particular (D. F. Austin, 2004; Macmahon & Marquardt, 2004; Marquardt & Payne, 1992; Snow & Stans, 2001).

Some of the choice gardens of Florida are treated below. i am excited to be reunited with a few of them soon!

Florida Gardens

Fairchild Botanical Gardens www.fairchildgarden.org

One of the best tropical botanical gardens in the world especially in regards to palms and cycads! Interesting collection of tropical fruits.

Kampong National Tropical Botanical Gardens www.ntbg.org/gardens/kampong.php

One of these gardens occurs in Florida and others on the islands of Kauai and Maui in Hawai’i. These are the top tropical gardens on my list to visit still.

Kanapaha Botanical Gardens www.kanapaha.org

Kanapaha is such a treat! This is one of the first botanical gardens i ever visited regularly starting back in 1997/98. They have an extensive collection of fruits that will grow in the Gainesville, FL area. Many gorgeous aesthetic elements are featured as well. Ethnobotanical information is included on the signs around the medicinal herb garden.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens www.selby.org

This garden right on the Gulf in Sarasota, FL, is exceptional especially for its collection of Orchids and Banyan trees. They also have an interesting collection of plants from the Acanthaceae and Bignoniaceae as well as some Mangroves.

University of South Florida Botanical Gardens www.cas.usf.edu/garden

i have been a member of this garden for years due to their very affordable rates and excellent collection. This membership gives me free entry and other benefits to most of the major botanical gardens of the country. The Citrus and Orchid collections are particularly engaging.

Ford Edison Estate www.edisonfordwinterestates.org

This legendary estate played host to the families of both Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. Numerous old trees provide inspiration including the biggest Bayan (Ficus benghalensis) in the continental United States. It was planted in 1925 from a 4ft tree. Tours of the Edison lab and a corresponding museum heighten the interest.

Naples Botanical Gardens www.naplesgarden.org

This compact garden is action packed and perfect for a crash course tutorial in the most important tropical plants of the world!

Edible Fruit and Spice Park www.fruitandspicepark.org

This incredible resource is a must see stop for lovers of tropical fruit. Today the park contains 35 acres. It is surrounded by thousands of acres of commercial tropical agriculture! Over 27,000 visitors a year come to view the gardens and participate in various festivals. The park features more than 500 varieties of exotic fruits, herbs, spices, and nuts from around the world. 80 varieties of bananas, 40 varieties of grapes, 80+ varieties of mangoes, over 30 varieties of avocadoes and 15 varieties of jackfruit are present. Visitors can sample fallen fruit but cannot pick from the trees.  Arrangements can be made to collect seeds and cuttings. Classes, workshops, and tours are conducted year round by park staff. A number of festivals occur annually at the park. These include one that celebrates the areas agricultural heritage, an Asian culture festival, and an orchid festival (Rollins, 2006).

McKee Botanical Gardens www.mckeegarden.org

i was pleased to visit the McKee Botanical Gardens during a glass exhibit. This is more a pretty place garden than one for hard core botanizing. However, many iconic plants are featured. Its beauty is very engaging, relaxing and inspiring for sure.

Morikami Japanese Garden www.morikami.org

A peaceful respite in the urban intensity of SE Florida….

Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization (ECHO) www.echonet.org

ECHO happens to be just a few minutes north of where my father has lived for years. It is one of my favorite gardens ever. They have great signage. Edible plants from all over the world are grown and propagated. They collect seeds and ship them to aid workers in numerous countries. They train people to do mission work and maintain a program in Haiti specifically. The folks of ECHO are also very focused on Alternative Technology as well as crop cultivation. Walking tours and onsite nursery/produce stand/gift shop offer a multitude of opportunities to support and bring some of the goodness home too.

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Gardens Hawaii

i am very appreciative for the opportunity last year to visit Hawai’i as my 49th state. My travels centered on both sides of the Big Island. The guide book Hawaii’s Botanical Gardens by  Kevin Whitton (2009) was very helpful for its compact information and insights to gardens i might not have found otherwise. A number of other useful books i found along my travels are cited here in the text. Hawaii is blessed with a rich catalogue of affordable high quality plant guides (Hall, 2008; Juvik, Delay, Merlin, & Castillo, 2008; Kepler, 2004; Pratt, 1998; Wood, 2010a, 2010b).

A photo album to plants of Hawaii can be seen by following the link below.

www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150120509836584.326833.533146583&type=1

Painted Church near Captain Cook, HI

Often when i travel alone i tend to botanize, look at art and pray…Noticing that many types of life might be considered art by the right lens. Here at my first official prayer stop i also took note of some common Hawaiian landscape plants. It was nice to meet and know the name of the prevalent Snow Bush (Breynia disticha) var roseo- picta Euphorbiaceae. i also saw what was probably the prolific Bay Biscayne Creeping Oxeye (Sphagneticola trilobata  syn Wedelia trilobata) Asteraceae.

Sadie Seymour Botanical Gardens  www.kealakowaa.org  

This small garden is effectively a nice series of “rooms” containing plants from throughout the tropical world. As part of a community center it provides a welcome respite from the bustling traffic nearby.

The palm collection in particular is rather nice. Ultimately the garden features a sampling of global tropical plants laid out in a very tasteful and aesthetically pleasing manner. Notable other plants included:

Australian Grass Tree (Xanthorrhoea arborea) Xanthorrhoeaceae

Pua Keni Keni (Fragraea berteroana) Loganiaceae

Pony Tail Palm (Nolina recurvata) Agavaceae

i definitely had to look out for bugs like spiders and a multitude of flyers as well.

Amy B. H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden

www.bishopmuseum.org/exhibits/greenwell/greenwell.html

This is one of the best gardens for ethnobotanical signage that i have ever been to! A kid’s education program consisting of planting natives, weeding invasives and making tropical fruit smoothies was happening concurrent with my visit. They have a great recently published book covering plants of the garden and the legacy of a most extraordinary woman (Greenwell, Lincoln, & Van Dyke, 2009). The garden had a particularly nice selection of Hala (Pandanus tectorius) Pandanaceae The wood of the plant can be used to make textile items while part of the fruits are edible and they can also be used as paintbrushes (Wood, 2010a).

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden www.htbg.com

This garden has a special location right by the sea. They have many stunning exotic trees including the Rose of Venezuela (Brownea coccinea) Fabaceae. The garden also contains huge ferns like the Mule’s Foot (Angiopteris evecta) and ornamental shrubs like the Yellow Shrimp Plant (Pachystachys lutea) Acanthaceae. This is a good place to tease apart plants in the Ginger order (Zingiberales). The sweet locale also has a nice waterfall and book describing the gardens and their development (Anderson, 1994).

Kalani www.kalani.com

i feel very fortunate to have visited Kalani which is the workplace of  a dear friend from my time at the Omega Institute in 1998/99 www.eomega.org . While at Kalani i went on an awesome plant walk with the head gardener Barcus and also got to practice some Dutch with an older couple from the Netherlands. Barcus demonstrated how one can write on the leaves of the Autograph Plant (Clusia rosea) Clusiaceae. He also regaled us with traditional folklore and details from the nice aquaponics set up established to grow fish and plants in a continuous system.  Kalani has a published map containing plant locations and descriptions. It is an incredible place for many reasons. It was established over 35 years ago. They host numerous types of workshops, while serving as a model of living in community amongst a multitude of amenities. i probably took note of at least 30 cool plants at this location alone.

Nani Mau Gardens www.nanimaugardens.com

Nani Mau is more of a pretty place garden with lots of orchids and tourists riding trams. It also has a really interesting fruit selection and minimal signage. If you walk rather than ride you may have the place mostly to yourself. The head gardener Paul was very friendly and informative. An Acupuncture school was set to move there shortly which would certainly up the appeal even further.

Liliuokalani Gardens

Liliuokalani is a nice Japanese style garden dedicated to the sugarcane workers who came over from Japan to work the fields. It is more a place to hang out, relax or stroll through. Not too much diversity of planting but i did take notice of the stunning Mickey Mouse Plant (Ochna thomasiana   syn Ochna kirkii) Ochnaceae. The Ochanaceae is a fascinating pan tropical family that i will endeavor to serve further in the coming year.

Lava Tree State Park

            www.hawaiiweb.com/hawaii/html/.../lawa_tree_state_park.html

Here i took note and pictures of a plant that looks like the Bamboo Orchid (Arundina graminifolia). Huge Mimosa trees ( ) and a particular fern probably The Pacific False Staghorn (Dicranopteris sp.) all caught my eye. The fern is not native to Hawaii and quickly invades disturbed areas (Pratt, 1998).

One evening i went to a Kava Bar in Hilo and saw the incredible band Medicine for the People www.medicine4thepeople.org. Kava (Piper methysticum) Piperaceae has a long history of use in traditional Polynesian beverages.

Central America

i was privileged to take a 7 week trip through Central America at the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007. The first couple of weeks i was an assistant to Frank Cook and Tenasi Rama for their annual Gardens of Eden Retreat in Costa Rica. The subsequent time i spent on various forms of public transportation travelling to botanical gardens, farms, churches and museums…

Costa Rica

 

Diamante Verde

Diamante Verde is a true jewel to behold. Many of the programs formerly held there are no longer occurring. However, it does seem open to visit. Tenasi Rama, Frank Cook and i helped develop a 300 plus species plant list there complete with some ethnobotanical uses! www.artofunion.com Tenasi also wrote a corresponding book about the plants there as well.

Seeyle Land lasvueltaslodge@gmail.com http://facebook.com/lasvueltaslodge

This amazing family land sits around 7,000 ft elevation in neat forest type called the Paramo. Though you are in Costa Rica they have Oaks, Magnolias, Dogwood, Blueberries and other plants more typical of Temperate climes. An Ancient Podocarpus standlyi is a very special highlight as well! We stayed here for a couple days during the Guardians of Eden Retreat. We generated a list of over 130 species in all.

 

Wilson Botanical Gardens, San Vito

           These fabulous gardens are run by the Organization for Tropical studies.

 i spent two fabulous days there touring around first with a Tica environmental education graduate and then by myself. The gardens are notable for several big collections of tropical plant groups including Heliconias, Bromeliads, Marantas (you all have seen them in the house or the mall) and especially Palms. They have the second biggest palm collection in the world after the Fairchild Tropical Gardens in Miami! Something like 700 palm species alone and close to 7000 plant species in total. One of the neatest plant libraries i had ever been privileged to spend time in was a pleasant surprise. Most of you know how i adore books, and i spent copious amounts of time referencing from their collection and noting which titles i might like to add to mine or share with Frank.

 

Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion y Ensenanza or The Center for Tropical Investigation and Learning.  CATIE

Their property covers 2,655 acres and houses over 400 species of plants from around the world. Their main focus seems to be maintaining the
genetic diversity of plants crucial to Central American Agriculture with 2,500 varieties of coffee and 700 varieties of Chocolate alone!!! They also
have a very neat garden of useful plants from around the world with placards explaining their beneficial qualities. In addition to the gardens CATIE runs
a full scale University with Graduate programs for people from many different places and faculty representing 13 different countries. They have a
400,000 volume library and many publications! i could see possibly spending some time there and/or the Organization for Tropical Studies somewhere in
the future Si Dios Quiere (God willing)

  Lankester Gardens in Paraiso 

The desk attendant spoke excellent English as well as German and we had a rather nice dialogue in a mixture of languages. This garden also had 
the best gift shop i had seen and i ended up getting quite a few knickknacks and a couple of the choicest books i had found in the country. 
One book was for the most common weeds and their uses (Laurito, Sanchez-Vindas, & Manfredi Abarca, 2005). Another was the most 
succinct book for understanding the 120 tree families of Costa Rica. We used both of these books extensively during our two week plant study. 
The misty rain that had persisted throughout the morning let up just as i was done checking out the gift shop and ready to explore. 
The 27 acres of the Lankester garden are home to around 3000 species of plants! The overwhelming majority consists of an amazing orchid 
collection containing about 1000 different species and more than 7,000 individuals. This was the place that i finally found inspiration to go deeper
into orchid study. It was very nice to have everything meticulously labeled. i left there with an appreciation of several Orchid groups that call to me 
in particular. Besides orchids the garden focuses on few other plant families including Palms, Bamboos, Bromeliads, Heliconias, Cycads, Cacti, and Ferns.
 i am not particularly knowledgeable of any of these families but still found their collections rather impressive and a challenge for further study. 
The garden at that point could have worked quite a bit on their signage however to facilitate such a task. www.bgci.org/garden.php?id=957 

 
Ark Herb Farm
 
After Lankester i travelled to Heredia near San Jose to stay with my new friend Tin. He was one of the main teachers at the symposium and he 
ran the Ark Farm in those days. i had carried his plant press everywhere until this point from the cave at Diamante Verde to Heredia. He has 
since moved to the Seeyle land mentioned above. i explored the repository of hundreds of plants at Ark with Tin and worked to compile 
the additions we made to the Diamante Verde plant list including 50 plus new species. My time at the Ark herb farm seems like a bit of a 
warp zone. i had decided to skip Arenal and Tabacon Hot Springs mostly due to my book purchases at Lankester. This was a classic choice 
for me. i took  the longer lasting joy of books over the short term joy of super shi shi hot springs and the chance to see an active volcano 
glowing orange with lava. i partially rationalized that a volcano viewing is never guaranteed and the books are rather fabulous resources in 
many ways. After just a little time at Ark it became apparent that beyond money i would also rather spend the time alloted to 
Tabacon/Arenal deepening my connection with this rather special family at a particularly special time of all our lives.

 
This is the place where i wrote my rather extended reflection of the Diamante symposium. i also reviewed Tin´s large collection of the vast
book resources available about Costa Rican Flora. Costa Rica is sooooo lucky to have several non-profits and the government itself, publish copious 
amounts of up to date literary resources on most of the various special plant groups represented there. Many of these resources are both in Spanish 
and English which is yet another boon. Ark is also home to over 300 species of Medicinal and Culinary plants from around the world. These are 
represented in large beds for commercial cultivation as well as within a nicely labeled and designed ethnobotanical garden. The view of the 
central valley below is also rather stunning, especially from the tree house that was recently built in 2007. www.arkherbfarm.com 
 
 Monteverde, Orchid Gardens
 The next day i went to the Orchid Botanical garden of Monteverde which was a truly pleasant surprise. The attendant/guide was a gal named 
Karmen from Eugene, Oregon. She had spent quite a bit of time in C.R. and also had a great bit of knowledge about plants. Karmen was studying 
with Willow Zuchowski author of the amazing tome Tropical Plants of Costa Rica (2007). She very adeptly helped me hone my budding (J) interest
 in orchids to a much finer point. i spent the balance of the day in further discussion and exploration of the orchid books that they had available. 
In a relatively small space they had over 450 species of orchids almost all native to Costa Rica. That is about 1/3 of the total native Orchid species
 to the country! To top it off over 100 of these species were blooming. However, many you really need a magnifying glass to appreciate!
 
Nicaragua
 
 Isla de Ometepe on the huge Lago (Lake) de Nicaragua 
 
 Finca Magdelena   
                               
i had already decided that i was being called to hike the "smaller" of the two volcanoes that inhabit the island. Maderas is around 4000 
ft tall. Conception the larger of the two is an additional 600 ft taller and still active. i quickly determined that i would need to reach 
Finca (Farm) Magdalena at the foot of Maderas that day if i were to be able to climb the following morning. After a rather extensive bus 
trip and a great ride/conversation with a local Nica (Nicaraguan) family i reached the trail to Magdalena. Another twenty 
minutes of hiking and i reached this amazing oasis. Finca Magdelena is a cooperative farm that owns hundreds of acres on this island. They produce 
fair trade organic shade grown coffee, chocolate, bananas, etc. They also run a rather popular hostel frequented by people from all over the world. 
The rooms ranged from $2.50 shared to $6 private per night! A whole plate of yummy typical food went for $1.25 and liters of beer are $1.50! The Finca 
also has a rather extensive collection of the petroglyphs that are another hallmark of the Ometepe experience. My trip up the volcano and back with 
my tour guide Freddie talking exclusively in Spanish about the sights, sounds, plants around is one of the best experiences of my life to date… 
www.fincamagdalena.com
Many other amazing communities abound on this special little island too.
 
Honduras
 
Lancetilla Botanical Gardens, Tela
Lancetilla was started in 1926 by the United Fruit Company owners of the Chiquita Banana brand. The garden in total comprises 
1680 hectares (6000 plus acres?). 78 hectares are dedicated to an arboretum and 321 hectares to experimental plants and endangered species. 
The rest is a biological reserve. The garden features fruit trees from every continent. This was the place that almost every type of tropical fruit
 you can imagine was trialed to see its appropriateness for cultivation in Central America. It was inspiring to see an arboretum of such 
mature specimens. Eighty years in the tropicas is probably similar to twice or three times that much in the north. The garden was also
 rather vacant and very peaceful. The signage was for the most part superb though i realized i have a lot more studying to do to even 
begin to appreciate the diversity represented. Trees can be a lot harder to get a handle on than smaller plants especially with so many
 diverse places from all over the world represented. www.bgci.org/garden.php?id=847

Guatemala

Guatemala City Botanical Gardens

i really wanted to visit their Botanical Gardens. Luckily the gardens are located in a rather chill part of town. i was very glad for my decision. Initially i had decided to limit my time to two hours. However, i was able to secure a great plant list and the signage was also good. Unfortunately funds are low for this project so the plant list though good was 20 years old and instead of removing broken trees they just had whole sections roped off citing danger. Nonetheless, the established plantings were a very interesting mix of Northern temperate and Subtropical. Just as i was about to leave to catch a taxi to the bus stop the most challenging part of that trip began. My bowels broke loose!

 

Major Plants of the Tropics of Hawaii and other Locales

Below is a list of some of the major plants that are everywhere and hard to miss in Hawaii and other tropical locales.

A link to a photo album is below

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Bauhinia (Bauhinia) Fabaceae

African Tulip Tree (Spathodea campanulata) Bignoniaceae

Plumeria (Plumeria spp.) Apocynaceae

Plumbago (Plumbago)  Plumbaginaceae

Kukui/Candelnut (Aleurites moluccana) Sapindaceae

Firecracker plant (Russelia equisetiformis) Plantaginaceae

Bouganvilla (Bougainvillea) Nycaginaceae

Reina de La Noche (Brugmansia) Solanaceae

Octopus Tree (Schefflera actinophylla) Araliaceae

A couple plants were prevalent in the markets for cut flowers including Anthurium (Anthurium) Araceae, Proteas (Protea) Proteaceae. Numerous members of the Zingiberales order also make good cut flowers.

Ti Plant (Cordyline fruticosa) is a major plant of Polynesia brought to Hawaii with the Tahitian or Marquesan colonizers. Most guide books put it in the Agavaceae. However, Laxmanniaceae is another family sometimes used and certain placement is still in question.

Tropical Sub-Tropical Fruits

i got to sample a surprising array of fruits while visiting Hawaii considering it was the middle of December.

Abiu (Pouteria caimito) Sapotaceae

Longan (Dimocarpus longan) Sapindaceae

Atemoya, Annonaceae

Noni (Morinda citrifolia) Rubiaceae

Avocados (Persea spp.) Lauraceae

Papaya (Carica papaya) Caricaceae

Breadfruit/Ulu (Artocarpus altilis) Moraceae

Passionfruit/Liliko’i (Passiflora spp.) Passifloraceae

Cacao (Theobroma cacao) Malvaceae

Persimmon (Diospyros) Ebenaceae

Citrus (Citrus spp.) Rutaceae

Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) Sapindaceae

Coconut (Cocos nucifera) Areceae

Soursop (Annona muricata) Annonaceae

Mac Nuts (Macadamia integrifolia) Proteaceae

Surinam Cherries (Eugenia uniflora) Myrtaceae

 

Other Interesting Plants of Hawaii

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i ran into a number of other interesting plants worth mentioning during my Hawaiian travels.

Koa (Acacia koa) Fabaceae is a special endemic tree of Hawaii. In the photo album on Facebook you can see a number of pictures of the plant as well as signs with ethnobotanical uses. The Crown Flower (Calotropis gigantea) Asclepidaceae is a beach plant with rather pretty flowers.

While visiting a charter school holiday fair i noticed and neat wreath made out of Christmas Berry (Schinus  sp.) Anacardiaceae and what i think what was probably Pukiawe (Styphelia tameiameiae) formerly Empacridaceae but now Ericaceae. The first plant is a terrible and to some a toxic exotic invasive and the other a rather rare indigenous plant of Polynesia.

Golden Dew Drop (Duranta erecta syn Duranta repens) Verbenaceae is a conspicuous plant i noticed throughout my travels on the Big Island. The pretty purple flowers and distinctive orange fruit make identification easy. For the second time in my life i got to see the Jade Vine (Strongylodon sp.) Fabaceae. The first time was in a greenhouse in a cold Dutch spring. It was nice to see it outside growing naturally in a tree.

i feel especially privileged to have met the Silversword/’Ahinahina (Argyroxiphium sandwicense) Asteraceae. This is an endemic genus with several species in Hawaii all of them rare. The Silversword was almost extinguished by feral animals but is now protected and making a comeback (Wood, 2010b). This plant group represents an excellent example of island speciation.

i also noticed what looked like quite a bit of Dodder  (Cuscuta) taking over parts of Kona area but it may also have been the similar (Cassytha filiformis) Lauraceae as i only got a look from afar. Kauna’oa (Cuscuta sandwichiana) is used as the typical lei for Lanai (Hall, 2008). ‘Ohi’a lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) Fabaceae is a special plant endemic to Hawai’i.

Tropical Families not Covered by Elpel

i have taken to including the current orders that families are ascribed to as defined by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group II (APG II) in the 2003 issue of Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 141(4), 399-436 and presented in three sources (Heywood, Brummitt, Culham, & Seberg, 2007; Judd, Campbell, Kellog, Stevens, & Donahue, 2008; Spears, 2006).  These are the fundamental sources for the stated taxonomy below!

The Zingiberales is a very important order for food and ornament in the tropics. It can be hard to determine members even to family at times. Some of the major members are teased apart below.

Cannanaceae / Canna Lily Family / Zingiberales

The Canna Lily (Canna indica syn Canna edulis) is one of the classic tropical looking plants that grows well in cool climates (Roth & Schrader, 2000). A starch similar to Arrowroot can be obtained from the rootstock (Couplan, 1998). Beyond that i am not too familiar with other uses of this family.

Heliconiaceae / Heliconia Family / Zingiberales

These plants look a lot like bananas vegetatively. However, many Heliconias have very distinctive an alluring inflorescences. Traveler’s Palm (Ravenala madagascariensis) is a stunning landscape ornamental grown in Hawaii and elsewhere in tropical locales. Its leaves are apparently edible with proper preparation (Martin, Ruberte, & Meitzner, 1998).

Marantaceae / Arrowroot Family / Zingiberales

Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea) is probably the most famous plant in this family. It has an unpalatable outer skin that must be removed and the raw root is acrid as well (Couplan, 1998). The leaves of a number of species are used for food including Calathea macrosepala in Central America, Phrynium confertum in tropical Africa and Sarcophrynium arnoldianum in the Congo (Martin et al., 1998).

Plants from the Marantaceae are sometimes used ornamentally indoors. The leaves tend to have distinctive striping patterns with a characteristic purple underside to the leaf. They are sometimes called prayer plants.

Muscaceae / Banana Family / Zingiberales

This family is responsible for one of the most popular fruits on the planet Musa ×paradisiaca. The modern cultivated banana does not even produce viable seeds and it must be reproduced vegetatively! Luckily this propagation is very easy to do. In the tropics you will notice that many different types of bananas exist and that bananas ripe off the plant are far superior to anything from the grocery store where they have been shipped after being picked green. Bananas are also often coated in toxic pesticides which have deleterious effects on harvesters (Ransom, 2001). Fairtrade organic Bananas are a good way to vote with your money and your mouth for a more sustainable global agricultural system (Ericson, 2006). Abaca (Musa textilis) is a textile plant from the genus. Ensete ventricosum has edible leaves from the Ethiopian Highlands (Martin et al., 1998).

Strelitziaceae / Bird of Paradise Family / Zingiberales

Birds of Paradise (Strelitzia spp.) always remind me to be thankful when i see them during travel. True to their name, i am usually in Paradise every time i witness these growing. In the last few years i have had the good fortune to catch the white version a couple times Strelitzia alba.

Zingiberaceae / Ginger Family / Zingberales

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is probably one of the most important food as medicine plants in the world! Bring this into your life if you have not already. It is an overall health supportive while improving digestion specifically. It has great flavor and is featured prominently in a multitude of iconic foods. Tumeric (Curcuma longa) is well known for its anti-imflammatory effects and also imparting the color yellows to curries and mustard. A type of Arrowroot is made from (C. angustifolia) and perfume extracted from Zedoary (C. zedoaria) (Heywood et al., 2007).

 i think of Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) mostly as something to add to curry and chai, however, it is medicinal as well. Several other species from the genera Amomum, Curcuma and Kaempferia are used for food in various parts of Asia (Martin et al., 1998). Galangal (Alpinia galanga syn Alpinia officinarum) is another lesser known member of the family that is used medicinally in Asia (Van Wyk & Wink, 2004).

The Ginger family hosts a number of ornamentals including Red Ginger (A. purpurata), Shell Ginger (A. zerumbet), Ginger Lily (Hedychium coronarium) and Roscoea (Heywood et al., 2007).

Other Monocot Families Missing from Elpel 5th ed.

Acoraceae / Calamus Family / Acorales

Calamus (Acorus calamus) is a famous medicinal. However, Calamus is also listed as a possible insecticide (Jacobson, 1958). Calamus root  is a native or naturalized plant that is used to fix scent similar to the exotic Orris root (Iris germanica) (Fettner, 1977).

Asian tetraploids and hexaploid strains of Acorus calamus have been shown to be toxic due to the carcinogen beta-asarone, while European strains have an acceptable amount and American strain are asarone free (Heywood et al., 2007).

Arecaceae / Palm Family / Arecales

The male and female flowers occur on the same plant (monoecious). The apical meristem at the top is the only growing point. If it is cut or broken off the whole plant will die (Capon, 2010).

The Palms have a whole order to themselves. This is one of the most important plant families in the world!  Dates (Phoenix dactylifera), Coconuts (Cocos nucifera), Oil (Elaeis oleifera) and Sugar (Arenga pinnata) amongst many other products come from these plants. Salak (Salacca zalacca) is a palm fruit consumed in Malaysia (Van Wyk, 2005). The fruit of Palma dulce (Brahea dulcis) and Hesper Palm ( ) are consumed in Mexico and another species of Brahea yield an oil similar to coconut (Couplan, 1998).

The Betel Palm (Areca catechu) is chewed in parts of Asia sometimes in combination with the Betel Plant (Piper betle) Piperaceae and lime to form a mild narcotic (Llamas, 2003).

South Carolina has the Cabbage Palm (Sabal palmetto) on their flag. The fruits, terminal bud, and sap of Palmetto Palms (Sabal  spp.) are edible (Couplan, 1998).

Palms are stunning in the landscape and i remember even as a boy in Florida my amazement at the diversity. Actually, i am still humbled by how many palms there are whenever i go to the tropics. Fairchild Botanical Garden www.fairchildgarden.org in Miami has a particularly nice collection. i also remember going on an adventure with Mycol Stevens one winter to go see a Needle Palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix) down in central Florida. It apparently has sweet edible fruit (Couplan, 1998).

Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) is one of the most famous medicinals and is used for Prostate issues (Van Wyk & Wink, 2004). Its terminal bud is edible and the fruits though strong tasting have been commercialized as a beverage in Florida (Couplan, 1998). Coconut (Cocos nucifera) is employed for a number of medicinal uses in Costa Rica (Navas, 2006). In the Amazon a brew of the leaves or roots of the Stilt palm (Socratea exorrhiza) are used for treatment of Hepatitis and the wood for construction (Castner et al., 1998).

Palmetto fruits (Sabal spp.) are consumed by a variety of birds, mammals and the Monk butterfly (J. H. Miller & Miller, 2005). According to the same source Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) fruits inconsistently, but when available, is popular with Black Bear, White Tailed Deer and feral Hogs. Bees make a popular honey from the nectar.

The Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is considered invasive in CA and NV while the Senegal Date (Phoenix reclinata) is invasive in FL (Burrell, 2006).

Bromeliaceae / Bromeliad Family / Poales

Pineapple (Ananas comosus) is probably the most famous member from this family. Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) is not really a moss but a Bromeliad. i remember being humbled by the diversity of Bromeliads in Costa Rica. Lankester Botanical Gardens outside Cartago is a great place to view Bromeliad diversity amongst a multitude of Orchids and other tropical plants as well.

Hydrocharitaceae / Frog Bit Family / Alismatales

Canada Waterweed (Elodea canadensis) is considered a problem plant in the Northeast USA because of its tendency to block waterways (Royer & Dickinson, 1999). Water Nymphs (Najas spp.) are now also sometimes included in this family (Judd et al., 2008).  The Brazilian Giant Waterweed (Egeria densa) is an invasive plant of fresh water throughout the USA (S. R. Kaufman & Kaufman, 2007). Indian Star Vine (Hydrilla verticillata) is probably originally from India but has now spread to be a problem water plant all over the world (S. R. Kaufman & Kaufman, 2007).

Tropical Dicot Families Missing from Elpel 5th ed.

Annonaceae / Sweet Sop Family / Magnoliales

The family Annonaceae is thought to fall in the Magnoliales order (Judd et al., 2008). It is not included in Botany in a Day. Many food plants occur in the family included in the chart below

Paw Paw (Asimina triloba) 

Poshte (Annona scleroderma)

Custard Apple (Annona reticulata)

Pond Apple (Annona glabra)

Cherimoya (Annona cherimola)

Soursop (Annona muricata)

Sweet Sop (Annona squamosa)

Mountain Soursop (Annona montana)

Soncoya (Annona purpurea)

Africa Amamense (Annona senegalensis)

Anon morado (Annona cinerea)

West and Tropical African Junglesop (Anonidium mannii)

Llama (Annona diversifolia) 

Cleistopholis patens

 

Enneastemon foliosus

Sources: (Facciola, 1998; Martin et al., 1998; Van Wyk, 2005).

Several genera in this family come from Asia including Ylang ylang (Canaga odorata), Kai kung shue (Uvaria microcarpa) and Keppel Apple (Stelechocarpus burakol) (Facciola, 1998).

Paw paw (Asimina triloba) is the only temperate member of this mostly tropical New World family. It is quite a treat to have a native plant that taste like a cross between Mango (Mangifera indica) Anacardiaceae, Banana (Musa acuminata) Musaceae, and Pineapple (Ananas comosus) Bromeliaceae. It is amazing that they grow as far north as Michigan. Other species grow further south in Georgia and Florida including Wooly Pawpaw (Asimina incana) and Four Petal Pawpaw (Asimina tetramera) (Couplan, 1998). Small flower Pawpaw (Asimina parviflora) and Florida Pawpaw (Asimina obovata) grow farther south as well (Facciola, 1998). Other species include slimleaf Pawpaw (Asimina angustifolia) and Dwarf Pawpaw (Asimina pygmea). Another genus in the family that occurs in Florida is called the False Pawpaw (Deeringothamnus spp.).

The Pawpaw also has nice physical aesthetics. However, the leaves, bark, root, and unripe fruit and seeds have toxic compounds and therefore are not considered edible for people. This compound is concentrated in the smaller stems which are being investigated for natural pesticide potential (Reich, 2008). The compounds including asiminine, analobine and annonaceous acetogenins and are being investigated for use in anti-tumor drugs as well (Lyle, 2006).  The ripe Pawpaw is considered delicious by most but some people may have allergic reactions (Lyle, 2006).

Despite some toxicity in some parts the Paw paw it is also host to the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly (Eurytides marcellus) and Pawpaw Sphinx moth (Dolba hyloeus) (Tallamy, 2009).

The Pawpaw has a rich recorded history going back to early colonial exploration including De Soto in the 1500s and Lewis and Clark in the 1800s (Staub, 2008). The Pawpaw was used extensively by Native American tribes (Moerman, 1998). Pawpaws may be used to make a strong fiber (Lyle, 2006). They may be used as dye plants as well (Fern, 2008).

Pawpaws can be hard to cultivate. They have a deep tap roots and don’t take well to transplanting. Seeds are also hard to germinate. They are beetle and fly pollinated as is consistent with many fetid smelling purple flowers (Lyle, 2006). However, pollination is often not very successful. Flowers are strongly protogynous meaning the females are ready long before the males of the same plant which discourages self-pollination. Pollination is increased by having several varieties and manually applying pollen to stigmas.  Wild Pawpaws vary greatly in quality. Improved varieties are recommended. They can be easily propagated by whip and tongue grafting (Lyle, 2006). Wild seeds can be started in sizable pots and grown on for a couple few years in shade and then put in the ground in sun whereupon an improved variety may be applied to the top. Clones may be separated from a grove if split off one year and dug out the next (Reich, 2008).

Bignoniaceae / Cross Vine Family / Lamiales

Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans) and Cross Vine (Bignonia capreolata) are two attractive vines from this family that grow in the southern U.S.  The Southern Catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides) is a wonderful Eastern American tree that hints at the marvelous aesthetic potential of this family. Many plants from this family really light up the forest with amazing displays in the tropics. Jacaranda (Jacaranda), Trumpet Tree (Tabeuia spp.), Orange Bells (Tecoma spp.) and Sausage tree (Kigelia africana) are all tremendous ornamentals in this family.

Francois Couplan (1998) wrote of an unverified report that the roots from the Trumpet Bush (Tecoma stans) were used for a fermented beverage. According to the research of Stephen Facciola (1998)  a number of plants from the Bignoniaceae have been used for food included in the table below.

Common Name

Scientific Name

Use

Location

Azusa

Catalpa ovata  

Flowers and young Pods *SEE  BELOW

China

Morrito

Crescentia alata 

Ripe seeds added to Horchata

Tropical America

Morro

Crescentia cujete 

Young fruits pickled and seeds used to make syrup called Carabobo in Curacao as well as a coffee substitute. Leaves cooked in Africa

Tropical America

Sausage Tree

Kigelia africana 

Fruits used to ferment beverages including Muratina, Uki and Kathroko

Tropical Africa

Indian Trumpet Flower

Oroxylum indicum

Young leaves and flowers are eaten uncooked. Fruits and seeds are eaten cooked. Mature seeds used in the Chinese drink Chub Liang and the Ayurveda tonic Chyavanprash

Southeast Asia

Gauchilote

Parmentiera aculeata

Fruits raw, cooked, roasted, pickled

Central America

Candle Tree

Parmentiera cereifera

Edible fruits

Mexico

African Tulip Tree

Spathodea campanulata

Flower bud liquid considered tonic winged seeds said to be edible

Tropical Africa/ Cultivated

Pau d Arco

Tabeuia impetiginosa

Inner bark brewed into a famous tea

South America

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Facciola, S. (1998). Cornucopia II: A Source Book of Edible Plants.

*Though mentioned as a food above (Catalpa ovata) fruits have catalpin, a mutagenic iridoid (Frohne & Pfander, 2005). A number of leaves from other species are apparently eaten in other parts of the tropics as well including Adenocalymna alliaceum, Antidesma bunius, Dolichandrone stipulata, Oroxylum indicum, Radermachera fimbriata (Martin et al., 1998).

Pau d’ Arco is brewed as a tonic tea in South America (Facciola, 1998). Roble De Sabana (Tabebuia rosea) is used in Costa Rica as a potent antimicrobial and anti-parasitic (Navas, 2006). Paki (Crescentia cujete) is used medicinally in Costa Rica and in Jamaica (S. Austin & Thomas, 2009; Navas, 2006). (Tecoma stans) is used in Costa Rica for a number of applications as well (Navas, 2006).

Southern Catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides) is considered invasive in California while Chinese Catlapa (Catalpa ovata) and Northern Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa) are considered invasive in parts of the eastern U.S. (Burrell, 2006).

Arabidea bilabiata and Pseudocalymna are known to cause livestock poisoning in Brazil (Frohne & Pfander, 2005). According to the same source the timber from Tabebuia and Paratecoma peroba contains naphthoquinones and can cause skin irritation, though the Pau d Arco (Tabebuia impetiginosa) is free of these compounds. The foliage and flowers of Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans) can cause skin irritation and blisters (Westbrooks & Preacher, 1986).

Cross vine (Bignonia capreolata) is a good early food source for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and is a preferred food of the Swamp Rabbit and moderate preference forage of the White-tailed Deer in the eastern U.S.  (J. H. Miller & Miller, 2005). Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans) is an important Ruby-throated Hummingbird plant and is readily used by White-tailed Deer (J. H. Miller & Miller, 2005). A large array of butterflies including Swallowtails are attracted to the Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) (Lewis, 1995). Flowers vary in the Cross Vine family and are pollinated by bees, wasps, butterflies, hawk moths, birds and bats (Judd et al., 2008).

Acanthaceae / Bear’s Breeches Family / Lamiales

In Appalachia we have mainly one member of this family known as Water Willow (Justicia americana). However, i was blown away by the diversity of this family down in Costa Rica.

The flowers of Chuparosa (Justicia californica syn Beloperone californica) are good to eat raw and have been used by the Papago Native Americans as well as Hummingbirds (Couplan, 1998). The nutritious leaves and stems of Moku (Rungia klossii) are eaten raw and cooked in Papau New Guinea while Purple Rice Plant (Peristrophe speciosa) is used as a food coloring in SE Asia (Facciola, 1998). Many other genera from this family have been used for food in the tropics including Afromendoncie gilgiana, Asystasia spp., Barleria spp., Brillantaisia alata, Climacanthus nutans, Dicliptera chinensis, D. spp., Dipteracanthus longifolia, Ereomastax polysperma, Hygrophila spp., Justicia spp. (Martin et al., 1998).

Azul de Mata (Justicia tinctoria) is a dye plant who’s efficacy as a traditional medicine use in C.R. is in question (Navas, 2006). Sornia (Dicliptera unguiculata) is used in traditional Costa Rican medicine against dysentery (Laurito et al., 2005). A number of members from this family are used medicinally in Jamaica including Rice Bitters (Andrographis paniculata) Freshcut (Justicia pectoralis) and Duppy Gun (Ruellia tuberosa) (S. Austin & Thomas, 2009).

The black mangrove (Avicennia spp.) has been moved from the Verbenaceae to the Acanthaceae by some (Judd et al., 2008; Spears, 2006). However, others support the placement of Black Mangrove in its own family the Avicenniaceae (Heywood et al., 2007).

Some members have made their way to Florida as ornamentals including the Shrimp Plant (Justicia brandegeeana). Bears Breeches (Acanthus mollis) is one iconic plant from Europe already popular in Roman times. i remember first noticing this plant at the Botanical Gardens in Cordoba Spain which has a fabulous collection of plants if you are ever in the area. Black Eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia spp.) is sometimes planted in as an ornamental in temperate gardens. Polka Dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya) is a popular ornamental from this family and used in traditional Costa Rican medicine (Laurito et al., 2005). Britton’s Wild Petunia (Ruellia caerulea) is considered invasive in Florida (Burrell, 2006).

For the next class we will have a year end round up review. It will be posted around 15th of December.

Below are items to think about/comment on. Please write me directly at marc@botanyeveryday.com or leave information in the commentary under this class. Save your comment before submitting if possible as sometimes our spam filter seems to reject them. The problem seems to be connected to how much time you take to submit. I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY!!!

-          Plan to go to a conservatory at a place near you and meet some tropical plants.

-          Discover what area of the world your house plants come from.

-          Write a list of tropical plants that you consumed for food and where they originated and are currently produced.

-          Post any clear photos of question plants to Facebook or send in an email.

Praises to all that have donated to the cause. i encourage everyone reading this to donate as they are able financially, commentarialy, or energetically... Your contributions greatly help me continue this crucial work of ethnobotanical research and education. Please let me know your thoughts in general and any way i can help this class serve you best.

Thanks, marc

 

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