Jamaican Trees

For many who have had been fortunate to either live in Jamaica or visit, one thing that stands out is its plush landscape. Jamaica is famous for its vegetation. One thing I love is the variety of trees that Jamaica has.


Chocolate Tree

The Chocolate Tree was named Theobroma cacao and that Latin means 'food of the gods.' If the gods eat chocolate and cacao, so does everybody else.




Royal Poinciana

Consistently voted among the top 5 most beautiful flowering trees in the world, the Royal Poinciana deserves its support. It may be the most colorful flowering tree as well.

Related to the Tamarind and mimosa tree, this native of Madagascar is a tropical legume with many attributes.

Royal Poinciana is deciduous in winter allowing sun to penetrate in months South Florida wants full sun exposure. In early summer, the voluminous red blooms appear and will hold for 4-8 weeks.

Plumeria or Frangipani

Plumeria is the classic Hawaiian leis tree. Its flowers are the ones used to form the colorful, tropical flower necklaces (lei) every tourist to our 50th state wears during at least one beach party.

Native to Tropical America, from southern Mexico, northern South America and the West Indies, Plumeria is rated a small tree, to about 15-18 feet and is seen in a variety of solid colors. We have seen some grow much larger. This tree can be see in the countryside of Jamaica.

Bananas are terrific tropicals and major cool indoor plants almost anywhere.

The banana family is Musaceae, and is related to the heliconias and travelers palm. Banana is really not a "tree" but a herbaceous perennial. Most are full sun plants for best fruit production, but some shade is fine, especially for ornamental varieties (no fruit, but flowers), indoors

There are many varieties from dwarf types to some over 30 feet in height

Plantains look and grow just like bananas. There are types that are a cross between banana and plantain. Some you cook, some you don't. There are also ornamental bananas. Some have colorful leaves as this one below

Mango

Mango is one of the most significant trees on the planet. Mango fruit is important in its native lands and now also eaten worldwide. Mango is also one of the oldest cultivated trees proven by writings from India over 4,000 years old. Fairchild Tropical Gardens in Miami boasts the world's largest collection, over 180 mango cultivars.










Ackee Tree




Ackee when it open






JAMAICAN TOPLESS TREES






Jamaica Caper Tree






Blue Mountain Cofee





Rubber Tree

Ficus elastica is the classic Rubber Tree, Rubber Plant or India Rubber Plant. Native to India and Malaysia, elastica is among the oldest plants used as houseplants worldwide.

Elastica leaves and stems and even wood 'bleed' white sticky sap when broken or damaged from which rubber can be made. Some people are allergic to this sap when applied to the skin.

Like most ficus, Ficus elastica is a large tree, growing to 40-50 feet tall and even wider on its spreading branches held up by aerial roots which become multiple trunks. Many authors refer to growth habit as "widely sprawling."

Palm Tree










Tamarind Tree




True Bay Leaf Tree







Guava tree




Lignum Vitae Tree, nationa
Tree of Jamaica.




Lignum Vitae Flowers









Blue Mahoe...Jamaica's National Tree




Tom Cringle Cotton Tree

Tom Cringle's Log, the popular 1830s seafaring adventure tale for which Scott was to be remembered and from which the tree was named, was replete with melodramatic stories of piracy, smuggling, slavery and war. First published as a serial in Britain's Blackwoods magazine from 1829 to 1833, it appeared as a novel in 1834. In Tom Cringle's Log, Scott revealed the impact the tree's size made on his senses, noting the tree's shadow as being at least 100 ft in diameter and its trunk to be 20 ft. through, of solid timber.


One of Jamaica's largest trees, this
c COTTTOt cottontree marks Haile High's location near the Airport Round-about. This old tree is the centerpoint of The Cottontree Plaza which is owned by the Hew Family of Ironshore.





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http://mgonline.com/trees.html