REED

Beautiful lavender flowers with white and golden lip.
Epidendrum is a diverse neotropical genus that has flowers characterized by a frilly or fringed lip. This feature is occasionally diagnostic to distinguish between species. These orchids are widely cultivated and may be hybridized with Sophronitis, another South American genus. The flowers are usually small and delicately colored, and borne on a dense inflorescence. Many species have a fragrance.
See video about Ground Orchids.

The Reed avocado was named after James S. Reed in California. It has been around since the late 1940's. The fruit is large, weighing over a pound and round in shape. It has a large seed, but plenty of edible flesh. The skin remains green even when ripe. It is described by some as the best tasting avocado, buttery, bold, rich and nutty with an oil content of about 20%. It is a type A avocado, but fruits consistently year after year without other avocado trees around. It has an upright growth habit and can be kept to around 15 feet with pruning. The branches do tend to droop horizontally. It is not considered a cold hardy variety and will suffer leaf damage below freezing with some damage to small branch tips at 26 degrees F. The tree flowers in May/June and the fruit is best left on the tree for over a year until the following summer all the way into October.
See avocado varieties chart.