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HOME | CHAMPION TREES TOUR
| TAMARIND TRAIL TOUR | DESBIENS POND TOUR | NEWS
Desbiens Pond, named for Betty Desbiens, first President of the Key West Botanical Garden Society, is a natural freshwater pond. For many years the perimeter of this pond was crawling with an invasive species of a sprawling non-native tree: Brazilian Pepper, Schinus terebinthifolius. In 1995, with a matching grant from Urban Community and Forestry, all of those trees were removed and replaced with native species.
The tour leads you around the pond in a clockwise direction. Choose the orange card and follow the red arrows.
1. Canary Island Date Palm
Phoenix Canariensis. Introduced. The feathery leaves, small orange
fruit, and imperial size make this a truly impressive tree. The fruits are said
to be edible but not palatable. Most date trees in Florida do not produce edible
dates because of the abundance of moisture. Especially attractive is the diamond-patterned
trunk which is produced by leaf scars. Both the common and botanical names of
this tree tell us it comes from the Canary Islands.
2. Senegal Date Palm
Phoenix reclinata. Introduced.
The graceful leaning curve of this palm's trunk reflects its Latin name, reclinata.
The green stiffly-curving leaves radiate in all directions. The cream-colored
flowers produce rusty-orange fruit. Cluster date is another name for this palm,
as the usual growth habit of this species is to form clusters. Senegal Date
Palm is a native of Africa.
3. Florida Thatch Palm
Thrinax radiata. Native.
Although listed as ENDANGERED, this native palm grows readily in this garden.
It is slow growing and will reach a height of about 20 feet. The palmate leaves
are divided about half of their length into segments with split tips and are
green with yellow ribs above and yellow-green below. Both flowers and fruits
are white. The leaves of this palm are used for making roofs on shelters by
native Americans--thus the common name, Thatch Palm. They are found in pinelands
and Keys woodlands.
4. Ficus
Ficus citrifolia. Native.
Ficus is the ancient Latin name for fig. Worldwide there are more than 700 species
of Ficus. A distinctive characteristic is that they all have milky latex. Due
to their habit of producing aerial roots from branches which then form secondary
trunks when they reach the ground, ficus trees may attain a great size. They
may grow to 100 feet in height and occupy a wide area. Walk around this specimen
and count the number of trunks.
5. Marlberry
Ardisia escallonioides. Native.
A common hammock tree of the Keys and South Florida, the Marlberry is usually
found as a tall shrub. The evergreen, lance-shaped, glossy leaves occur in a
spiral arrangement near the ends of branches. The white and purple flowers are
found in terminal clusters, usually in late fall. The fruits ripen throughout
the year; they are red when young and dark purple when ripe.
6. Silver Palm
Cocthrinax argentata. Native.
A native to South Florida, the West Indies, and the Florida Keys, this slow-growing
palm is designated ENDANGERED. It has a smooth slender trunk and palmate leaves
with drooping leaf tips. The leaves are deeply divided into thin segments, glossy-green
above and silver gray on the underside. The tiny flowers are ivory-white; the
round half-inch fruit is red, turning purple or black when ripe.
7. Red Stopper
Eugenia rhombea. Native.
Another ENDANGERED species, this attractive small tree or shrub is found in
the Florida Keys, the West Indies, and Central America. The bark is gray and
smooth. The ovate leaves taper to a narrow tip and are dark green above and
paler green below. The thin young leaves are red when they emerge. There are
small white flowers and round fruits which may be orange, red, or black depending
upon the degree of ripeness.
8. Key Thatch Palm
Thrinax morrisii. Native.
A close relative to the Florida Thatch Palm, which is resembles, this palm is
also listed as ENDANGERED. The two can be distinguished by leaf color, which
in this species is paler green above and silvery below. The fruit on both are
white but it is thin-fleshed and stemless on Thrinax morrisii. Another name
for this tree is Brittle Thatch Palm. Both species are native to the West Indies,
Bahamas, Central America, and the Florida Keys where they are found in pinelands
and hammocks.
9. Jamaica Dogwood
Piscidia piscipula. Native.
An abundant tree of the Florida Keys, the Jamaica Dogwood has also been known
as the Fish Fuddle Tree because its leaves, bark, twigs, and roots were used
to stupefy fish, making them easier to catch. That practice is now illegal in
Florida. A deciduous hardwood, this tree grows to 50 feet in height and the
heavy durable wood is used in boat building and wood carving. The fragrant flowers
are pea-like and grow in clusters of white and lavender petals. The papery winged
fruits are three to four inches long and contain red-brown seeds.
10. Wild Tamarind.
Lysiloma bahamensis. Native.
The umbrella-like profile of this large tree is produced by horizontal branching
which makes it an excellent shade tree. The leaves are feathery and flat and
consist of many light green leaflets. The fruits are flat, think, black-and-tan
papery pods which contain eight to ten seeds. The pods are frequently found
hanging on the tree long after they mature. Although a native species, they
are scarce in the lower Keys and are most likely to be found in hammocks.
11. Bay Cedar
Suriana maritima. Native
Often seen as a shrub, Bay Cedar also appears as a small tree, attaining a height
of 10 to 16 feet. An ENDANGERED SPECIES, it is found throughtout the Keys, usually
on sand beaches and coastal scrub areas. The yellow-green or gray-green leaves
contrast nicely with nearby vegetation. Leaves are short, narrow, fleshy, and
somewhat hairy, and cluster near the ends of twigs. The half-inch yellow flowers
bloom independently, thus extending the blooming season and allowing the older
flowers to have set seed while the younger ones are still in bud. The fruits
are hairy and nut-like.
12. Wild Coffee or Coffee Colubrina
Colubrina arborescens. Native.
Commonly a diffuse shrub, this species sometimes grows as a small tree. It is
native to south Florida, the Bahamas, Central America, the West Indies, and
the Florida Keys. The upper sides of the leaves are dark green and shiny and
the undersides are covered with rusty down. The younger parts of the tree have
numerous conspicuous rusty-read hairs. The star-shaped flowers are yellow and
the ripe fruits are purple to black. They sometimes open explosively and scatter
three black seeds.
13. Cinnecord
Acacia choriophylla. Native.
Formerly thought to be a native only of the Bahamas and Cuba, in 1968, Dr. Taylor
R. Alexander found this tree growing on North Key Largo. It is therefore considered
to be native to the Florida Keys as well, although it is very rare and classified
as ENDANGERED. The dark green, leathery, bipinnate leaves are paler on the underside
and may be rounded or notched at ths tips. The small spherical flowers are bright
yellow. There are pea-shaped fruit pods which may have two to nine seeds. 
14. Pond Apple
Annona glabra. Native.
This is a widely distributed species. It is found in West Africa, the West Indies,
and from Ecuador to South Florida, with Florida being the northern limit of
its range. It occurs near streams and lakes, sloughs and even in sinkholes.
Some distinguishing characteristics of the Pond Apple are the rough-barked trunk,
up-curving branches, bright green oblong leaves with yellow veins, and the heart-shaped,
three to five inch, brown-blotched, yellow fruits.
15. Limber Caper
Capparis flexuosa. Native.
Sometimes resembling a vine more then a tree, this shrub or small tree frequently
grows in a reclining position with gracefully curving branches. The white or
pale pink flowers are in clusters. They have a very fragrant odor, which can
be overpowering in the early evening. The fruit is a long greenish-yellow pod
which appears to swell where the seeds develop. When ripe, the fruit splits
open revealing a red interior with white seeds. The limber caper is native to
Florida, the Caribbean, and South America.
16. Satin Leaf
Chrysophyllum oliviforme. Native.
Satin Leaf is classified as ENDANGERED. The spectacular very dark green, shiny
and stiff leaves of this slender tree make it distinctive. A strong breeze reveals
the russet satiny fuzz on the underside. There are tiny, pale green, clustered
flowers. The green fruit, an oval berry, resembles a small olive, as indicated
by the botanical name. The resemblance persists when the fruit ripens to purple-black.
17. Paradise Tree
Simarouba glauca. Native.
A stately tree with a tall straight trunk, the Paradise Tree has been cultivated
commercially in Central America and the West Indies for timber, for the oil
content of its seeds, and for pharmacological compounds made from its roots.
The pinnately compound leaves of dark glossy green have 10 to 14 alternate leathery
leaflets, which make an attractive pattern. New growth is bright red. The small
flowers are yellow or cream colored; the fruits are yellow, then red, and finally
purple-black. The fruits are a good food source for birds.
18. Coral Bean
Erythrina herbacea. Native.
Another tree with a distinctive leaf, this shrubby plant sometimes reaches a
height of 15 feet. The Coral Bean is found from Texas to North Carolina into
southern Florida. It prefers sunny locations and is seen in hammocks, pineland,
and disturbed places. The green leaf consists of three arrowhead-shaped leaflets.
The flowers and seeds are red; the seed pods are green. The slender tubular
flowers occur on pyramid-shaped terminal stalks and often are produced when
the tree is bare of leaves.
19. Sabal Palm
Sabal palmetto. Native.
The Sabal Palm, the state tree of both Florida and South Carolina, is also called
the cabbage palm or swamp cabbage, and it is one of the most common native palms
in the United States. A stately tree, it may reach a height of 60 feet. It has
gray smooth bark and a small dense crown. The six foot wide leaf strongly twists
downward at the middle and is divided into many segments, some drooping and
some stiff. The flowers are white, the half-inch long fruits are black. It was
a common source of food for the native Americans and early settlers. It is now
the source of a delicious honey which is dark amber in color, with a strong
pleasant taste. 
20. Buccaneer Palm
Pseudophoenix sargentii. Native.
Another native tree on the ENDANGERED list, this slow-growing palm is pest free
and highly salt and drought tolerant. A distinctive characteristic of this species
is that the trunk of older trees is swollen at the base; no two trees look alike
because of this variable bulging. This palm has a stiff, twisted, blue-green
leaf about nine feet long. It has a yellow, three-foot long flower cluster and
red fruit.
21. Wild Lime
Zanthoxylum fagura. Native.
The winged petiole of the leaf of this Keys and South Florida native distinguishes
it from other branches are prickly with sharp recurved spines. A long period
of unopened buds is followed by greenish-yellow flowers in spring. Ripe brown
fruits, which can usually be found throughout the summer, generally come in
pairs and open to reveal small, shiny, single black seeds. This is a species
much loved by mature and juvenile butterflies of the Keys.
22. Joewood
Jacquinia keyenis. Native.
The most common habitat of this short, sturdy, many-branched tree is in the
Florida Keys where it is found in coastal scrub. It is listed as THREATENED.
The leaf is quite distinctive: it is one to three inches long, yellow-green,
stiff, and it curls inward toward the underside. It has a very short stem and
a rounded notched apex. The flowers are pale yellow or ivory and very fragrant.
The round leathery-coated fruits are orange and contain several light brown
seeds.
23. Lancewood
Nectandra coriacea. Native.
The lanceolate leaves of this species give it a common name and aid in its recognition.
When rubbed these leaves give it off a definite odor of bay. This tree is found
in hammocks of the Keys and north to central Florida, where it is sometimes
the most numerous species in the hammock. The flowers are white panicles on
long stalks. The fruits are blue-black and set in red cups.
24. Green Buttonwood
Conocarpus erectus. Native.
Because it has a high degree of salt tolerance, Buttonwood occurs in coastal
Florida just landward of the mangroves. It is found as far north as Central
Florida but never in areas which experience high tides or dense shade. In the
Everglades, it grows with the sawgrass. The dark gray bark is rough and vertically
fissured, providing a suitable habitat for orchids or bromeliads. The leaves
are thick and fleshy with a small pair of glands on the stem. The fruits are
small button-like cones. Buttonwood was once an important source of charcoal
and is now a favorite for smoking fish and meats.
25. Washington Palm
Washingtonia robusta. Introduced from Mexico.
This tree, also known as the Mexican Fan Palm, is one of the hardier palms.
It may reach 100 feet in height but becomes vulnerable to lightning strikes
when it begins to outgrow neighboring vegetation. The green leaves may be four
to six feet wide with very sharp spines on the petiole. The leaves are divided
into droopy segments, often with dry threads hanging from them. The pale gray
trunk is frequently covered with a skirt of dead leaves.
26. Varnish Leaf.
Dodonaea viscosa. Native.
Identification of this tree is made easier by the narrow elliptical or spatulate
shape of the leaves. They have a scaly texture and appear to be varnished. The
apex is blunt or rounded and slightly notched. Their shiny appearance is attributed
to a resin coating which protects the plant during drought. Varnish Leaf grows
as a shrub or small tree, having small greenish-yellow flowers with no petals.
The fruit is a papery three-winged capsule which is brown when dry. It can be
found with other fire-resistant pineland flora.
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