Berry Good: Part 3

Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora) is an evergreen tree that is an alternative larval host for the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly. Camphor was widely used an an ornamental in Florida landscaping, the tree quickly proved to be incredibly invasive spreading both from the roots and also from the seeds within the berries. Camphor is named a Category I invasive exotic species by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council, which means that it is known to be “invading and disrupting native plant communities in Florida." The berries of camphor ripen to blue-black and are attractive to native birds.

Lavender Golden Dewdrop (Duranta erecta) syn (Duranta repens) is an upright growing evergreen shrub that blooms purple, white, or white edged purple flowers in long, drooping fine steps. Native to Mexico, Central America and the Bahamas, Dewdrops are also found naturalized in Southern Florida. Dewdrops prefer full sun open location where they don’t have to compete with taller foliage. Tolerant of rocky and sandy soils, Durantas are drought tolerant and nearly constant bloomers. Blooms give way to long drooping stems laden with orange-yellow fruits by which the plant is especially noteworthy in the Fall. Dewdrop flowers are wonderfully attractive to butterflies and this plant just goes to show that so many excellent butterfly plants give way to being excellent bird plants in the next season.

Indian Hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis indica) is a low-growing evergreen hedge that blooms yearly in a profusion of pinkish-white flowers. A small hedge of this hawthorn is used as a low divider in the garden behind the BioWorks structure to ring three thorny plants (Hercules Club, Wild Lime, and a Lemon tree) and keep guests at a distance. Indian Hawthorn is native to Asia especially India and Southern China. The fruits are edible to fruit eating birds making this hedge not just a lovely show of Spring flowers but another wonderful addition to an Autumn garden gone to the birds.

Flameflower or Jewels of Opar (Talinum paniculatum) has a common name taken from the title of a novel by American author Edgar Rice Burroughs entitled Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar. This plant reseeds readily within a garden bed and develops a long tuber that makes it hardy and difficult to remove. The tiny flowers and jewel-like fruits of Talinum bloom in a pinkish mist above the foliage and are wonderfully eye-catching. I have used this little gem with a mix of other hardy plants in a bed where no plants have done well in the past. We’ll see if this plant really proves to be as invasive as I am counting on since the garden bed along the circle drive of the museum has been a real challenge in previous years and with this planting I purposely chose plants that are crazy-tolerant of terrible conditions or are listed as being aggressively invasive.

Red Bay (Persea borbonia) Red bay is a gorgeous small evergreen tree of the Southeast United States. These fruits (drupe) ripen from green to a lovely shiny blue color. This tree has deliciously aromatic leaves that can be substituted for the leaves of bay laurel (Laurus nobilis). Although I featured this plant in Berry Good Part 1, I wanted to highlight it again now that it has some ripe berries. This is one of the trees that I push along with Simpson Stopper and Yaupon Holly as excellent choices for Florida landscapes that can use awesome native plants rather than non-native choices.