Tree #001: Bay Rum Tree

Scientific Name: Pimenta racemosa

Nativity: Native to the Mediterranean Region

Height: Usually 20 feet upon maturity but can reach up to 60 feet

Trunk/Bark: This tree is frequently planted exclusively for its exfoliating bark, which coils and peels on its trunk.

Light Requirements: Can grow in full sun or light shade 

Leaves:  

• Bay Leaf/Laurel Leaf 

• Thick leathery leaves 

• Oval shape 

• Glossy Dark Green Color 

Flowers: 

• Small white blooms in the Bay Rum inflorescence resemble miniature bouquets of sparkling cotton candy.

Fruit:

• Small Black Ovoid Fruit 

• The fruit is not edible 

• Are used for cooking and oil 

 Extra Information: Bay leaves are a common spice that are sweetly aromatic but have a bitter flavor. They are used in pickling and marinating as well as to flavor stews, stuffings, and seafood. They have an essential oil content of 2%, with cineole as its main constituent.

Tree #002: Yellow Flame Tree

Scientific Name: Peltophorum pterocarpum

Nativity: Native to Sri Lanka, Malay Archipelago, Indonesia, and Northern Australia

Height: 40 to 50 feet

Spread: 30 to 50 feet 

Width: 15m wide

Trunk/Bark: 

• Susceptible to breakage

• Current year twig color: brown. 

• Current year twig thickness: medium, thick

Light Requirements: 

• Large drought resistance

• Can grow in very acid, very alkaline and saline soils. 

• Full sun

Leaves: Dark green on top, paler green underneath

Flowers: 

• Yellow colored flowers

• They are Very showy

• Fragrant

•  Are primary to spring/fall. 

Fruit: 

• flat winged pod

•  2 to 4 inches

•  turns from coppery red to black with maturity

• does not attract wildlife

• showy

• fruit/leaves a litter problem

Extra Information: The yellow flame tree has no edible parts that can be found in the tree; however, part of this tree can be utilized in traditional medicine. For example, the bark can be used as treatments for sprains, swelling, eye problems, bruising, sore body, and intestinal disorders. Specifically, the medicinal component of this plant can be found in the leaflets and buds as they have antifungal properties, in the flowers because of their anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Lastly, the tree’s wood is used as fuel and as a material for construction  and, interestingly enough,the Yellow Flame Tree bark is utilized in the textile industry because it produces a “yellowish brown dye” that is used for dyeing batik products and fishing nets

Tree #003: Rubber Plant

Scientific Name: Ficus elastica

Nativity: Native to India, Nepal Burma, China, Malaysia, Indonesia.

Height: Average- 30 to 45 feet , but can grow from 50-100 feet

Spread: 25 to 30 feet

Water Needs: 

• Soil tolerances: clay; loam; sand; acidic; occasionally wet

• alkaline; well-drained 

• Drought tolerance: high

Light Requirements: 

•  Grows in part shade/part sun

•  Grows in full sun

Leaves: 

• Dark green on top, paler green underneath

•  Broadleaf 

• 8-12 inches 

Flowers: 

• Flower Color: Creamy white 

• Flower Size: They tend to be small and inconspicuous

Fruit:

• Fruit shape: Round 

• Fruit color: Green but upon maturity turn red

• Fruit Characteristics: Contains two fruits; Syconium and Achene

Extra Information: An good indoor plant is the evergreen tropical tree species Ficus Elastica. It can withstand indoor lighting conditions, and NASA has even endorsed its ability to filter the air. Additionally, the plant has a unique past. Its latex sap, together with that of Hevea brasiliensis, has been utilized to create rubber. 

Tree #004: Chinese Banyan

Scientific Name: Ficus microcarpa

Nativity: Ficus Microcarpa is native to tropical Asia, southern China, Taiwan, islands of the Western Pacific and Australia. (Additionally, it can be found in any tropical and subtropical areas because the tree requires a warm climate and a humid atmosphere)

Height: Grow up to 60 ft. high with a dense canopy.

Spread: 35-40 feet

Width: 6o cm of diameter with grayish bark;

Trunk/Bark: 

• Light Gray and Smooth

• Some plants have spots of white or gray on the bark. 

Leaves: 

• The leaves are alternate (elliptic)

• 4-10 cm long and 3-5 cm broad

• Dark green and Glossy

Flowers: Has no flowers 

Fruit: 

• Figs are about 1/3 to 1/2 inch in diameter

•  Are green, but upon maturity turn into a  red or even black color

Extra Information: Banyan trees were first encountered by Europeans when Alexander the Great and his army arrived in India in 326 BCE. Theophrastus, the father of modern botany, was informed by the notes they brought back to Greece, which ultimately inspired John Milton, an English poet, to claim in Paradise Lost that Adam and Eve created the first clothing from banyan leaves.

Tree #005: Yellow Flame Tree

Scientific Name: Peltophorum pterocarpum

Nativity: Native to Sri Lanka, Malay Archipelago, Indonesia, and Northern Australia

Height: 40 to 50 feet

Spread: 30 to 50 feet 

Width: 15m wide

Trunk/Bark: 

• Susceptible to breakage

• Current year twig color: brown. 

• Current year twig thickness: medium, thick

Light Requirements: 

• Large drought resistance

• Can grow in very acid, very alkaline and saline soils. 

• Full sun

Leaves: Dark green on top, paler green underneath

Flowers: 

• Yellow colored flowers

• They are Very showy

• Fragrant

•  Are primary to spring/fall. 

Fruit: 

• flat winged pod

•  2 to 4 inches

•  turns from coppery red to black with maturity

• does not attract wildlife

• showy

• fruit/leaves a litter problem

Extra Information: The yellow flame tree has no edible parts that can be found in the tree; however, part of this tree can be utilized in traditional medicine. For example, the bark can be used as treatments for sprains, swelling, eye problems, bruising, sore body, and intestinal disorders. Specifically, the medicinal component of this plant can be found in the leaflets and buds as they have antifungal properties, in the flowers because of their anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Lastly, the tree’s wood is used as fuel and as a material for construction  and, interestingly enough,the Yellow Flame Tree bark is utilized in the textile industry because it produces a “yellowish brown dye” that is used for dyeing batik products and fishing nets

Tree #006: West Indian Mahogany

Scientific Name: Swietenia mahagoni

Nativity: Native to South Florida, Bahamas, and the western Caribbean

Height: (AVG: 40 to 60 feet) 

• can reach 75 feet in height

Spread:  50-foot-spread (Can vary from 40 feet to 60 feet)

Trunk/Bark:

Trunk/branches: Branches droop, and resistant to breakage 

Bark: Gray and Smooth

Becomes dark gray with time

Is rough, scaly, and flakes off to reveal red patches with maturity

Leaves: 

Leaf Shape: Ovate

Leaf color: Green

Flowers: 

Flower color: White or yellow

Flower characteristics: Fragrant and emerges in clusters 

Flowering: In Spring

Fruit:

Fruit shape: Oval

Fruit Size: 2 to 5 inches

Fruit color: Brown

Fruiting: Summer to winter

 Extra Information: Due to the color, straight grain, and durability of the wood, this and several other species of mahogany are utilized in the lumber industry for high-end cabinets and furniture.