#unusual plants
Root beer plant (Piper auritum)
This big floppy plant is said to resemble the taste of root beer - or others say a more anise/clover concoction. Nonetheless, it is a very useful plant in the tropics.
The leaves are used as wrappings for meats and tamales, and an essential ingredient in making mole verde (a Mexican dish).
Its leaves can get as big as 1 foot in diameter, and the flowers can be seen in the pictures above - a single white spadix.
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Cannon ball tree (Couroupita guianensis)
Through all my travels, and people’s private plant collections, this tree was a delightful discovery today.
The soft colorful flowers hang on vine-like pendulums - hundreds per tree. The fruit, by which it gets its common name, are the size but only a fraction of the weight of a real cannon ball. Despite the lack of weight, a dropped fruit from the height of the tree would still pack a punch.
Fruits are edible, but due to its putrid smell, highly unlikely that anyone would dare try it. They are however eaten by javelina.
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Water lilies on a cloudy day
Today what stood out wasn’t the beauty of the water lily, but the contrast of its leaf patterns on the water, and reflections from the sky above.
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Jamaican Croton (Graptophyllum pictum)
After having this bush planted by the front entry for several years - only now have I realized how well it compliments the colors of the house and front door.
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