(Copperplant, Louisiana Red Copperplant, Wilkes' Acalypha)

Louisiana Red copperplant is an evergreen shrub native to the tropical Pacific islands of Melanesia and has large, mottled bronze and red oval leaves and long, copper-green flowers. In cold climates it is often grown as an annual.

Plants prefer moist, humid conditions in full sun to partial shade. In cooler climates it is often grown as an annual, container plant or houseplant but in frost-free locations it can be used in a mixed hedge, shrub border or as a large specimen plant.

(Copperleaf, Tahitian Gold Acalypha, Wilkes' Acalypha)

An evergreen shrub native to the Pacific islands, copperleaf bears brightly colored foliage in shades or red, purple, bronze and green. It is a popular landscape plant in subtropical and tropical zones and planted as a houseplant or annual in cooler zones. The name, Acalypha wilkesiana, honors Rear Admiral Charles Wilkes, an American Naval Officer who explored the South Pacific during the mid-1800s.

Beautiful, mottled leaves are the reason copperleaf is so popular in the garden. They...

(Everglades Palm, Paurotis Palm)

The paurotis palm is a terrific multi-trunked, clump-forming palm crowned with large, fan-like fronds. It is native to the western Caribbean Basin, from the Bahamas westward to the Yucatan of Mexico and Costa Rica. Native populations also exist in the southernmost tip of Florida, hence its other common name, Everglades palm. This sun-loving palm can withstand moist soils, some drought and moderate salt spray, so it is also quite resilient.

Each rich green frond is like a wide fan comprising...

(Baobab, Dead Rat Tree)

With a flared, muscular trunk and architectural, stubby branches, the baobab is a tree to admire in spacious landscapes. A slow-growing, deciduous tropical tree native to southern Sub-Saharan Africa, this succulent tree is characterized by a swollen trunk that often becomes hollow in order to store rainfall for sustenance. Interestingly, the wood of baobab is relatively soft and spongy and does not produce age rings, even though considered one of the longest-lived tree species on earth.

The medium...

(Candycorn Flower)

The leaves occur in pairs along the often red-tan branches. Colored medium to dark green above, and with a lighter gray-green underside, each leaf is an elongated oval with a tapering tip. At the base of the leaves small rounded clusters of white flowers appear. The tiny fruits turn a bright reddish purple at first, eventually becoming black with ripe and dry. Both wind and birds will spread the seeds.

(Desert Rose)

Desert rose is a heat-loving beauty with swollen “feet” or trunk flare. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa and Arabia and is a large perennial shrub to small tree with a wide swollen base which is sometimes buried underground. The ovate leaves are clustered on the ends of many twisted branches, most with no petiole. It is usually leafless during the cooler winter dry season. Grown for spectacular bell-shaped flowers with colors ranging from deep rose/red to pale pink which appear in summer in mass...

(Black Ruby Desert Rose, Desert Rose)

Desert rose is a hothouse baby with swollen “feet.” It is native to sub-Saharan Africa and Arabia and is a large perennial shrub to small tree with a much swollen base which is sometime buried underground. Grown for spectacular bell-shaped flowers, ‘Black Ruby' blossoms have white centers, red petals with a very dark red or 'black' edge which appear in summer in mass and few scattered throughout the year. The ovate leaves are clustered on the ends of many twisted branches, most with no petiole. It...

(Adonidia Palm, Christmas Palm)

Christmas palm is a tall, graceful, evergreen with an arching, feathery crown of fronds. Strap-like leaflets of this native of the Philippines are green to dark green above and light green and scaly below. Flowers generally occur in summer and are yellow to yellow-green and held in pendent, brached clusters at the base of the crownshaft. The fruits become bright red or orange-red by late autumn, lingering into the winter. This coincided with Christmas in its native land.

Christmas palm prefers...

(Aechmea, Big Harv Aechmea, Big Harv Bromeliad)

A large bromeliad for the tropical landscape, 'Big Harv' has light green and coppery foliage and produces a tall, branched, yellow and red flower spike in summertime. It is an evergreen, frost-tender perennial bromeliad that forms an upright rosette of leaves with a bold, coarse visual texture. It is usually grown in the soil but can be wedged among rocks. This hybrid was developed by Bullis Bromeliads of Princeton, Florida.

The long, rigid strappy leaves are a light green with coppery bronze...

(Aechmea , Del Mar Aechmea, Del Mar Bromeliad)

Bromeliad ‘Del Mar’ is a tender tropical perennial grown primarily for its spectacular long-lasting blooms and compact habit. Resulting from a cross between Aechmea fendleri and A. dichlamydea var. trinitensis, it has a rosette of leathery, broadly lance-shaped, medium green leaves with small sharp spines on their edges. The arching leaves form a 30-cm (12-inch) tall, 60-cm (2-foot) wide clump, with a central tube-shaped "cup." A spike of showy flowers with purple...