Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens

Click on the small photos to see larger versions in a new window. The plant photographs on this page were taken by Erin Friedberg, former Curator of Education and Special Events for OMAM (2002-2003), using digital photography.  Copyright OMAM  © 2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.

Many of the plants and trees were damaged by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne, all of which ravaged  Ormond Beach and much of Central Florida during a six-week period in August and September, 2004.  To view some of the plants in a "before" and "after" state, please visit the Hurricane Restoration Fund page on this website.

Bromeliads receive their water and nutrients from the "cup" that is formed by a rosette of leaves. These brilliantly colored foliage plants border the Peacock Fountain near the Museum's south entrance.

"Fosperior Perfection", the variety of Neoregelia fosteriana grown at the Museum, is a variety that Foster, a well-known hybridizer of Neoregelias, produced.

Valued for their brightly colored leaves (which, in reduced light, are tri-colored,) Neoregelia flowers are small and are contained within the "cups", so they are rarely noticed.

Other Bromeliads such as Aechmeas, Billbergias and Vrieseas may not have the bright leaf colors of the Neoregelias but do have spectacular spikes that develop bright, showy bracts beneath the true flowers that appear once a year.  Another Bromeliad genus, Tillandsia, can be found growing on many of the trees in the Gardens and throughout the local area.

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Not a true palm, the sago palm comes from the ancient family of plants called cycads. This is a slow growing plant because it only sprouts new leaves once a year.

C. revoluta was the second species of Cycas to be recognized, described in 1782 by Swedish botanist and physician Carl Peter Thunberg.

Readily distinguished by the keeled, stiff leaves with crowded, stiff, narrow leaflets with strongly recurved or revolute margins and the tomentose (fuzzy) ovules.

C. revoluta was widely distributed through the Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan. Reports of natural occurrences in coastal Fukien Province of China have not been substantiated, although circumstantial support for these claims is strong. A number of natural stands are in protected areas, and this species is in cultivation worldwide in vast numbers, from artificially propagated sources. No immediate threat of extinction of the native species is evident, and this species is not considered to be at risk for extinction.

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This is the cold-sensitive relative of the "King" sago. Its fronds are longer, feathery and graceful, as one might expect from the lady of the family.  If not nipped by the cold, the "Queen" sago can grow to 20 feet in height.

The species name, circinalis, is derived from the Latin circinus, meaning a spiral, in reference to the inrolled leaflets in developing leaves.

Surrounded by confusion since its inception, this species was described as the single constituent species when the great Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus established the genus Cycas in 1753. He had, however, based his description on a number of earlier works that in fact covered at least three distinct species as we now know them. The subsequent history of this name has been one of total confusion. C. circinalis has subsequently appeared in the literature more frequently than any other Cycas combination, arguably without a single author wholly correctly applying the name.

Of the eight references cited by Linnaeus, only two refer to C. circinalis as now typified. This reflects an increasing understanding of the systematics of the group since the time of Linnaeus' work. The other species covered by Linnaeus' description are now known as C. revoluta, separated by Thunberg in 1784, and C. rumphii, separated by Miquel in 1839. The latter is part of a widespread species complex, all of which have been treated as part of C. circinalis at some time or other.

Although well known in Indian culture for many centuries, the first reference to this species in Western writings was in Rheede's Hortus Malabaricus, published in Amsterdam in 1682. Although this publication has generally been accepted as the basis for this species, it was not formally designated the type until 1993.

C. circinalis is locally abundant in several native areas, although the habitat has been severely reduced and degraded. Good populations still exist in a number of forests reserves. The Queen sago in the Gardens is most likely from a cultivated source and therefore does not pose a threat to native areas.

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The Slash Pine can be found throughout the state of Florida. Because of its abundant seed production and rapid growth, it has replaced the Longleaf Pine in large areas.

A wide variety of wildlife benefit from the Slash Pine. Eagles nest in its crown, and the Red Cockaded Woodpecker excavates nests in older trees afflicted with red heart fungus.

This tree can grow to 100-feet tall and two to three feet in diameter. Its trunk is straight with scaly, rough twigs. The crown is composed of short, thick branches that end in rusty-silver buds.

The Slash Pine prefers moist, well-drained soils but it can tolerate a variety of soil types. The tree grows best in clusters and has a high drought and salt-spray tolerance. They have a long tap root which makes them sturdy in wind.

The seeds may be eaten raw or roasted and the inner bark can be dried and ground into flour.

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Both the solid green and variegated varieties grow in the Gardens.  The variegated variety has yellow stems and green stripes, and is most likely known as Bambusa multiplex 'Alphonse Karr'.

A native of Australia, the stems are central, green, strongly branching out, and in the upper range of its natural habitat can be over-hanging. It can reach a height of 35 feet in its native habitat, but may only attain half that height outside its natural area. If growing in the ground it will look best in sun with some shade. B. multiplex is a clumping bamboo: the rhizomes will not run sideways. Minimum soil depth required for a healthy plant is 18". Unrestrained rhizome depth in moist soil is also 18".

B. multiplex makes an excellent hedge, whether pruned or left natural. The green culms become yellow as they mature, especially if grown in full sun. Hedge bamboo is a very vigorous and fast-growing plant which has extremely strong fibrous roots which are used to hold back Chinese and Japanese rivers.

Paul But in "Hong Kong Bamboos" says in China the culms are used to make umbrellas, mats and handicrafts. In Malaysia tea made from a handful of multiplex shoots pounded with 100 white peppercorns and drank on 3 successive mornings causes a very upset stomach at least or miscarriage at worst, so ingestion in any form is highly discouraged.

Specimens were said to survive the severe winter of 1984-85 in Europe with no damage (7°F) A plant in Decatur, Georgia died back to the ground at 6°F in 1989 and recovered.  Winter hardiness for B. multiplex is defined as cold-hardy to 12°F.  It will survive in sun or shade, but the variegated variety will show its color better in a sunny location.  

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This variety is called "Lady Fingers" because the fruit is small.  The purple cone that hangs below the fruit clusters is a protective bract for the banana flowers.

Banana is a tropical tree-like herb, with large leaves of which the overlapping bases form the so-called false trunk. Fully grown, the stem reaches a height of 10 to 30 feet. From the center of the crown spring the flowers. Only female flowers develop into a banana fruit that vary in length from about 4 to 12 inches. The average weight of a bunch is about 25 lbs.

Each banana plant bears fruit only once after attaining maturity at two (2) years of age. Propagation is through shoots from the rhizomes, since the seeds of most  species are sterile.

The unripe fruit of banana, rich in starch, is cooked as food or dried and ground into flour. The fruit of the plantain (cooking banana) is larger, coarser and less sweet than the kinds that are eaten raw.

On ripening of the fruit, the starch turns into sugar. Although the banana family is of more interest for its nutritional than its medicinal properties, it has some value in traditional medicine. In Suriname's traditional medicine, the red protecting leaves of the bud are used against menorrhagia. Other reported applications are against diarrhea, dysentery, migraine, hypertension, asthma and jaundice.

Bananas do well in USDA zones 8B through 11, which includes Volusia County. They like full sun to light shade and should be planted in moist soil which contains rich compost. Banana plants should also be planted in frost free locations or protected from frost as much as possible. Protect the roots from frost by a heavy layer of mulch, and the plants will re-grow even if the stems and leaves are frozen or damaged.  If frost damage does occur, wait until all danger of future frosts or freezes have passed, then cut back the damaged stems and leaves to just above ground level and remove the mulch.  New growth will spring from the root system!

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This is a very tropical-looking plant native to Taiwan and south China. It is the only species in its genus, which means it is monotypic. It is in the Araliaceae family, as is ginseng.

It has huge, felt-like leaves. The plant flowers in November or December here in Florida. The flowers are held in clusters that resemble little white balls on reindeer antlers. 

The pith of the Tetrapanax stem was used to make 'paper' and is the inspiration for the background used on these web pages.

Tetrapanax 'paper' was cut by turning the pith against a blade; the way veneer is cut from a log. The thin sheet of pith was pressed and dried for use by painters and calligraphers.

Paintings from the Orient were first introduced to Europe and North America in the 1800s. True paper, made from a slurry of plant fibers and waste silk, was invented in China around 100 BCE. This artists' pith paper so resembled true paper that it was misnamed 'rice paper'.

The method of using Tetrapanax to produce rice paper stopped in the early 1900s. Modern rice paper is made from the paper mulberry, Broussonetia papyrifera and other plant fibers.

Tetrapanax is very dramatic in the landscape; the leaves can grow to a meter (3 feet) across. But the plant will take over the garden if the underground runners are not contained. Tetrapanax papyriferus is called kung-shu in China and kami yatsude in Japan.

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American Elm (Ulmus americana)

Although decimated by Dutch Elm Disease in northern states, elms in Central Florida have not been disturbed by the disease.

The American Elm can grow to a height of 50 to 60 feet. It is a deciduous tree with an open crown. While it prefers moist conditions, it will grow under drier conditions as well. The elm has high drought tolerance and moderate salt-spray tolerance. American Elms possess hard, tough wood that is used to make crates and other wood products.

The holes in the bark of this particular tree in the Gardens are made by a woodpecker species known as the sap-sucker.

The Gardens are also home to the smaller Florida Elm (Ulmus floridana.)

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The staghorn ferns hanging on the elm tree in this photograph belong to a class of plants called epiphytes. Epiphytes only use the tree for support, as they get their nutrients from the air and rain.

Staghorn ferns originate from Eastern Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, and the Sunda Islands. Staghorn ferns grow without having their roots in soil and produce 2 types of fronds. One type is the branched frond that gives the plant its name. The other round, flat frond forms a collar around the branched fronds. The round frond may be 3 to 4 inches across on young plants but 3 to 4 feet across on older plants. The plant is mounted on a slab of redwood, pine, or cork when grown indoors, or may be found clinging to trees when grown outdoors in tropical to sub-tropical climates.

The flat round frond is the basal frond and is wired onto the slab. A mixture of peat moss, oak leaves and chopped sphagnum moss is put between the basal frond and the wood slab. The plant should be kept moderately moist. Liquid fertilizer should be applied once a month during warm weather and once a year fresh potting mixture should be placed between the slab and the basal frond.

Ideal temperatures for growing staghorn ferns are between 60°F and 80°F. Staghorn ferns prefer reduced light and will not withstand direct Florida sun.

Propagation is by plantlets produced at the base of the plant. Sori, or spores, are found in large brown patches on the underside of the fronds, usually near the tips of the fronds, however the spores seldom sprout.

The fronds are erect to horizontal, rounded to heart or kidney shaped sterile fronds green turning brown; gray-green fertile fronds to 3 feet, often spreading and usually pendant, forked 2 or 3 times in strap-like fuzzy hairy segments, which gives the plant its name.

Scale insects are often common pests.

The name platycerium came from Greek platys meaning broad and keras meaning horn, referring to the frond shape.

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This vase-shaped plant gets its common name from the fragrant flowers that resemble spiders. The flowers appear in warm months in clusters on the end of heavy stems and tower over the thick, green leaves.

The spider lily is a large perennial herb with tunicate bulbs, often with long necks. The leaves are erect to spreading and are strap-like, five-feet long, light green in color, thick and fleshy. Spider lily flowers arise from the bulb on a long flower stalk that is separate from the leaves. The flowers have six petals and are white or white and pink.

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A native of eastern Asia, this plant spreads by off-shoots from its roots.  Ginger lilies require a lot of water. The summer-flowering white flowers look like orchids or butterflies and smell like gardenias.

The Butterfly or Ginger Lily, Hedychium coronarium, is a striking tropical perennial which grows to a height of 2 to 4 feet tall. The fragrant white flowers which appear atop tall (5 to 8 feet) green stalks in the summer and fall resemble butterflies.

The beautiful dark green foliage makes a great background plant in the landscape. It is a great addition to a butterfly garden.

The Hedychium is only hardy in USDA zones 9-11, so unfortunately it is only suited for growing in warmer climates like those found in central to southern Florida (including Volusia County), California, and other tropical-like areas. A light frost or freeze will cause the plant to die back to the ground, but it will quickly recover as the temperatures rise in the Spring. It also is semi-dormant during the colder months.

Butterfly Lilies prefer light to partial shade, and should be grown in a rich moist soil. The plant may be grown from seed, or is easy to propagate by division or root cuttings (simply dig up and cut the thick roots into 8" pieces and replant.)

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This unusual tree from Australia is also known as the cajeput or weeping tea tree.  It bears creamy white flowers on the stem tips, which hang in bottle-brush-like clusters.

The tree has high ornamental value for warm temperate regions. It is often grown as specimen and lawn plants; the larger species are also used for street trees in California and Florida.

M. leucadendra is a large tree with thick spongy bark. This tree withstands salt water, wind, drought and slight frosts. The tree was once recommended for fixing muddy shores and for planting in alkaline soils.  It is related to the tea tree that has invaded the Everglades.  

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In spring the new shoots of this plant open to a cream color with a green stripe.  The leaves then turn solid green when the shoot reaches its full height.  The plant is graced with a feather plume in the fall.

The genus Arundo of the family Gramineae, includes about six species of which A. donax L. is the most widely distributed and the best known. Because of its widespread distribution and extensive utilization by man, Arundo donax has assumed many common names. In the southwestern United States, the plant is sometimes called by the Mexican name carrizo. In English-speaking countries in general, it is called bamboo reed, Danubian reed, donax cane, giant reed, Italian reed, Spanish reed, or Provence cane, as well as by such general appellations as cane, reed, or bamboo.

 Arundo donax is a tall erect, perennial, cane-like or reed-line grass, 2 to 8 meters high. It is one of the largest of the herbaceous grasses. The fleshy, almost bulbous, creeping rootstocks form compact masses from which arise tough fibrous roots that penetrate deeply into the soil. The culms reach a diameter of 1 to 4 cm and commonly branch during the second year of growth. They are hollow, with walls 2 to 7 mm thick, and divided by partitions at the nodes. The nodes vary in length from approximately 12 to 30 cm. The outer tissue of the stem is of a siliceous nature, very hard and brittle with a smooth glossy surface that turns pale golden yellow when the culm is fully mature. The leaves are conspicuously two-ranked, 5 to 6 cm broad at the base, tapering to a fine point. The leaf sheaths are tightly wrapped around the stem and often persist long after the blades have fallen. The flowers are borne in large, terminal, plume-like panicles 30 to 60 cm long.

Morphologically, Arundo donax is comparatively uniform. A variegated variety of the species, known only in cultivation, was described in Miller's Gardeners Dictionary in 1768. This form is now known as A. donax var. versicolor (Mill.) Kunth, and in most respects is a diminutive of typical A. donax. In its most familiar form, this variety has culms up to 1.5 cm in diameter that reach a maximum height of 4 to 5 m but are frequently but .6 to 1 m high. This plant produces a more dense growth than does typical A. donax due to a greater production of culms as well as to a greater production of leaves and is less hardy than the latter. By selection of off-shoots other variegated forms have been propagated that do not differ significantly from typical A. donax except for their variegated leaves.

Cane grows very rapidly. Growth at a rate of .3 to .7 m. per week over a period of several months is not unusual when conditions are favorable. Young culms develop at approximately the full diameter of mature cane, but their walls increase in thickness after the initial growing season. The new growth is soft and very high in moisture and has little wind resistance.

Arundo donax is native to the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. From this area, it has become widely dispersed, mostly through intentional introduction by man, into all of the subtropical and warm-temperate areas of the world. In many areas it has become well established. The plant is abundant in India, ascending to elevations of 8,000 feet in the Himalayas, and has been dispersed eastward to Burma and China. The species appears to be absent from central Africa but has been successfully introduced into the southern part of that continent. It has been introduced into Australia and many islands of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Donax cane has also been widely dispersed in the New World, from the southern United States southward through Central and South America. It occurs in most of the islands of the West Indies, as well as in Bermuda and the Bahamas. In the United States, the plant has been cultivated successfully as far north as Washington, DC, and escapes from cultivation as far north as Virginia and Missouri. It has been widely planted, often as an ornamental, throughout the warmer states, especially in the southwestern part of the country where it is used along ditches for the prevention of erosion. There are abundant wild growths along the Rio Grande River.

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Vulgaris in Latin means widely distributed and well known. This plant is the most widely grown tropical bamboo in the world. The plant has been so widely distributed for so long that its native habitat is unknown. Scholars believe it came originally from either China or Madagascar.

The culms are rather straight and strong although they may curve strongly at the base to get themselves into an upright position.  The culms can reach heights up to 50 feet and grow in clumps rather than putting out runners. B. vulgaris does best in full sun and likes the heat of tropical to sub-tropical climates. It will tolerate temperatures to 27°F, although there are documented exceptions such as a plant set in the ground in Gainesville, Florida in the early 1900's. It was frozen to the ground when exposed to an all-time low of 9°F in 1985. Today the plant is healthy, 4 to 5 feet in diameter and 45 feet tall!

In the fall the large canes emerge, full-sized, growing to their full height, then the side shoots and leaves develop.

Bamboo is highly valued in Asia for construction an as a source of paper pulp plus the leaves, sap and interior powder are all used in various medicines. In the Philippines the pulp is used for making paper and boxes. B. vulgaris is used for water piping in poor rural areas of Tanzania. It is not used for edible shoots because of its bitter taste.

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Technical sources of information include the following websites.

Volusia County Extension Agency:

http://www.volusia.org/extension_service/guide.htm

Volusia County ECHO:

http://echotourism.com/arboretum/

U. S. Department of Agriculture PLANTS Database:

http://plants.usda.gov/

Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies:

http://fcbs.org
http://fcbs.org/articles/Catalogue_Bromeliaceae_Genera.htm
http://fcbs.org/butcher/Neo_Purple_Haze.htm

Dave's Garden:

http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1701/

University of Florida Extension _edis (Electronic Data Information Source):

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG012

e-flora Florida: Field Guide to Florida Plants:

http://www.floridaplants.com/Eflora/cover.htm

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This web page was updated on 11-Sep-2005 08:07 PM -0500