Rare plants from all over the World

Araza is a shrub or small tree growing to 7-15 ft with drooping branches and fine foliage. It is very rare in cultivation and definitely a collectable plant. Fruit are soft, fragile and don't ship well, so the only way to enjoy them is to grow your own plant. It blooms in Summer with showy white flowers, followed by large (2-5 inches wide) bright yellow fragrant fruit having an excellent sour-acid flavor. Fruit are very juicy, with a strong fruity aroma, usually ripening by Fall. Sometimes eaten fresh, out of hand, although the fruits are quite acidic, it is more commonly used to flavor ice creams, sweets, and beverages. It is very high in vitamin C, double the amount of the average orange.

Black Surinam Cherry var Black Star, or Lolita. Black fruited Surinam Cherry starts as red and turns black as it ripens.
It has exceptional flavor. The plant is vigorous and ready to fruit the same year. The fruit is very sweet, without aftertaste, large 1-1.2 inch, very juicy. Reliable producer. Hard-to-find. The tree is upright, freely branching.
These cherries are cold hardy and can take short periods of frost. Once established, the plant can withstand upper 20's without damage. The seedlings come true to seed.
See video about this plant.

This is a rare cultivar from a private collection of Mark Hooten, hardly known in cultivation.
Euphorbia decaryi is a small, perennial, leafy succulent with a shrub-like development and beautiful wavy, zig-zag edged leaves. It is a mat-forming species and spreads almost horizontally on the ground by means of rhizomes. The Euphorbia decaryi growth form illustrates the typical horizontal habit of most Madagascan euphorbias.
Evergreen or semi-deciduous, leaves tufted in rosettes at the stems tips, deep-red and green colored, narrow, very succulent, highly undulate, folded and crisp with raised veins and very attractive. Leaves in summer and under stress assume a nice coppery-bronze coloring. Flowers are very curious, hanging like small bells.

Full scientific name: Ficus natalensis subspecies leprieuri, also known as Ficus triangularis variegata.
One of the coolest plants on the market! The Ficus Triangularis Variegata plant is one of the harder plants to find, even its non-variegated version is not common. This easy-care beauty shows off quantities of green and cream, triangle-heart-shape leaves that are held aloft on stiff compact stems. It's a super tough plant that can take a bit more abuse than other members of the ficus family. It is a slow grower eventually reaching 4 feet in height. The brighter the light, the better the variegation will be on new foliage.
This spectacular ficus can make an excellent houseplant. Decorate a table top with a single specimen or flank a doorway or entry with a pair of these easy-care ficus. They would also look terrific in a bright bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen.
This plant NEEDS light, if you do not give it enough light it may drop leaves or stop producing variegation. If grown indoors, use additional grow light for 10 hours a day. Water your plant whenever the soil feels dry to the touch. This handsome plant does not like wet feet so use your finger to make sure the soil is completely dry before offering moisture. Water thoroughly and then let the plant dry out again before it gets another drink.

Achacha, Achachairu. Small, prolifically-fruiting tree related to the Mangosteen. The taste is described as both bitter and sweet and is somewhat reminiscent of lemonade. The rather tough, bitter rind can be split open with a knife or with the teeth, and the edible part of the fruit sucked off the seed. The Achacha is in season from December to mid-March.
The small tree with a pyramidal canopy is prolifically-fruiting. It grows in the southern part of the Amazon basin in the central area of Bolivia. Achachas are tangy and refreshing with a delicate subtle sweetness, a fine balance between sweetness and acidity, producing an unusual taste sensation. Fruit should be picked mature as it does not ripen further on storage. In addition to having a great flavor, Achacha fruit has more flesh relative to its weight, when compared to the renowned purple mangosteen. Its rind is also palatable and easily utilized for beverages. The Bolivian name of the fruit is Achachairu and translated means honey kiss in Guarani language. Nutritionally, Achachas are valuable source of vitamin C and folate, as well as potassium, riboflaving and antioxidants.
Easy to grow in south Florida and must have for every tropical fruit lover. Grows well in a container.

This unique hybrid is very rare and hard to find. The plant has huge double flowers up to 5-6

Golden Gardenia Kula - very rare tropical gardenia. Medium size slow growing shrub with leathery leaves and fragrant flowers that change color from ivory through yellow to orange.
It is a rare, collectible item!

Thai White Guava. It is a large, crunchy guava containing few seeds. Guava is a good tropical fruit tree not fussy on the soil quality, and produces fruit year after year. It is relatively cold hardy. Requires regular watering. Great container plant, will fruit in a pot in small size.

Holmskioldia citrina - Rare variety - bright yellow flowers. Sometimes this species is called Holmskioldia sanguinea Mandarin. Unique flowers are the main interest of this scrambling shrub: each is a narrow, tube backed by a broad, circular calyx.
See picture of actual plants for sale - in full bloom! (Dec 2012)

The Inga spectabilis is very rare in cultivation. It is also called the Machete Ice Cream Bean because of its shape. Like the more common Inga edulis, this Ice Cream Bean has seeds that are surrounded by delicious white and soft flesh. Because the seed pot has a thicker shell, it is more resistant to external influences. In tropical conditions a seedling can give fruit after 3 years. The tree is very vigorous and fast growing, in favorable conditions it can reach a height of more than 30 ft. The Machete Ice Cream Bean is also can be used as an ornamental shade tree.

Crimson Star Ixora, very rare, from Thailand. Triple bright red flowers. The plant is very slow growing. Perfect container plant.

Jasminum sambac Arabian Knights (Arabian Nights). Rare variety of Jasmine Sambac with small double flowers and vining habit. Slow, compact grower.
See Jasminum Sambac Page.
See size of plants for sale.

Beauverd's Widow's Thrill, False Hoya. This is a very unusual kalanchoe that is sure to attract attention. It's one of the few climbing species along with Kalanchoe schizophylla. This succulent climber has gray wiry stems and green narrow leaves turning purple-black in high light with adventitious plantlets often forming on the leaf tips. Its hanging flowers are bell-shaped and rather large compared to the slender stems. Blooming in clusters, they are an unusual grayish green color with fine purple speckles. Flowering is in the winter and spring months. The wiry stems and hooked leaves help it vigorously scramble and twine upwards. It can swallow surrounding plants if not pruned to keep it under control. So it is best to grow it on a trellis to 8 feet or in a hanging basket where it can be allowed to cascade. Grow in full sun or bright shade and allow it to get dry between waterings. It generally likes warmth with dry cool frost-free winters. It's native to south and southwestern Madagascar.

Schizophylla = "crazy leaves". This is a very curious kalanchoe, as it is one of the few climbing species along with Kalanchoe beauverdii. Its smooth leaves are deeply cut with a fern-like appearance turning orangish in bright light. It climbs by means of its hook-like finely divided mature leaves. The stems are thin curling up to 12 feet or more in length! The seldom seen inflorescence consists of pendulous, bell-shaped lavender-grey flowers in spring to summer. It seems to be given to vegetative growth so that flowering is rare, especially if frequent pruning has been necessary. The variable leaves are very decorative and the plants are easy to grow. In its native Madagascar it is a hemiepiphyte (seedlings growing in the canopy as an epiphyte, later with roots growing down into the ground). It is found in rocky and shady brush in central Madagascar from 3 to 5 thousand feet in elevation. Grow it as an epiphyte, in a hanging basket, or as an interesting climber on a trellis.

Sausage tree - curious specimen tree with large 1-2 ft long fruit hanging on long ropes, and red tulip-like flowers opening at night. Fast grower, hard-to-kill plant!

Kwai Muk Jesses Creme De La Creme - very rare tropical fruit. This variety is sweet and creamy, the taste is heavenly! The round fruits have a velvety, brownish, thin, tender skin. They say it is the ugliest fruit but the best flavor!
See Article about this plant.

Synonym: Lonchocarpus capassa. Apple Leaf, Rain Tree, Mupandapanda. Medium-sized rare exotic tree from Tanzania and Namibia. Purple to mauve flowers in pendulous sprays are sweetly scented. Lush foliage looks very tropical. Relatively hardy tree, tolerates poor soils, grows well in sandy soils.

Champaka, or Joy Perfume Tree, with orange / yellow flowers, is regarded as one of the most sacred trees of India and tropical Asia. Its flowers exude a divine fragrance that is exceedingly pleasing to the Gods... and women!
The flowers from this tree are used to make the world's most expensive perfume 'Joy' and smell like fruity bubble gum, you can't stop sticking your nose in this flower! In the ground, it grows to 15-20' in height, but it can be easily kept in a pot. It is a tropical tree, however established plants can tolerate light freeze. Yellow Champaca is much more cold tolerant than var. Alba.
This is hands down the best perfume tree for a Southern landscape.
See Article about this tree.

This shrub is an uncommon cousin of Malvaviscus drummondii, its red flowers are pendant. It is a perfect everblooming shrub to add color to your yard. It grows quickly and so is good for adding bulk to new gardens. It is drought resistant, mostly pest-free, and requires little maintenance.

Variegated Swiss cheese plant. Very rare cultivar, collectible item.

Monstera adansonii (friedrichsthalii) hybrid, possibly with M. obliqua. Window Leaf. An unusual form of Monstera with smaller leaves that have many holes. Makes an interesting indoor specimen. This is a hybrid variety. There are many hybrids in cultivation between Monstera adansonii, Monstera obliqua, Monstera friedrichsthalii.
The plants we have for sale are propagated from the exact plant you see on this picture. We do not have a named hybrid for it if the type of hybrid matters to you.
See Article about Philodendrons.

Napoleons Hat, Napoleona, Napoleana. Esteemed for the exquisite, vividly colored, saucer shaped flowers that grow from leaf axils, or directly from trunk and stem. They are mostly grown as greenhouse specimens by collectors, but can be used as landscaping ornamentals where conditions are suited. The reniform, reddish seeds of this species constitute a false kola, which has a taste closely resembling that of true kola. The flowers are fragrant and smell like Butterscotch!
See article about Napoleana

Neea, Saltwood, Pigeon Plum, Hoja de Salat. Rare in cultivation, this small tree or bush should get more attention from tropical plant collectors.The plant is very nice, easy growing and make those "jelly beans" like berries at least twice/year. The flowers are almost unnoticeable. The berries are very showy and come right after. It fruits for several months non stop. Mature fruit is edible. In its native countries, this plant is widely used medicinally. From book "Messages from the Gods. A Guide to the useful plants of Belize": "To treat babies who can not sleep, often accompanied with crying, especially when they have been frightened by chickens..." Very useful plant especially for those who are afraid of chickens!

Snuff-box tree, Fried egg tree. A spiny shrub or small tree. The fruits have a sour, edible pulp. Beautiful white and yellow camellia-like flowers look like 'fried eggs' when they drop off and fall on the ground with their yellow stamens facing upwards. Flowers are honey-sweet fragrant and attract butterflies and bees.