AMERICAN GARDENER

History The navel orange gets its name from the belly-button-like formation opposite its stem, which is actually a rudimentary second fruit or “twin” that never fully develops. The first navel orange tree was discovered in 1820 in a monastery garden in Bahia, Brazil. However, it wasn’t until the mid-19th century that the navel orange as … Read more

In North America, trees called sycamore belong to the genus Platanus, and are also called plane trees. There are about eight species of sycamore, six of them native to North America. Most are large, majestic trees with spreading canopies, large lobed deciduous leaves, and white bark peeling to reveal darker patches.  The native range of … Read more

The Arizona Sycamore ( Platanus wrightii) is a large deciduous tree native to canyons, streams and rivers in south and central Arizona, extending to adjacent western New Mexico and northern Mexico. It is commonly used as a landscaping tree for USDA hardiness zones 7 through 11. Arizona Sycamores can grow up to 80 to 100 feet … Read more

The Mexican Sycamore (Platanus mexicana) is an extremely fast-growing, upright shade tree native to northeastern and central Mexico and Guatemala. It is also known as the Mexican plane tree. It has been introduced to other parts of the world, including the United States. In the US, it is found in Texas and Florida, where it grows well as … Read more

The California Sycamore (Platanus racemosa) is a majestic tree native to California and Baja California. It is found in riparian areas, canyons, floodplains, and along streams and rivers, preferring dry to medium, well-drained soils. Its range extends from the southern part of California, including the San Francisco Bay area, through the Central Valley, and down … Read more

The tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) is a large deciduous tree native to eastern North America, belonging to the magnolia family. It is also known as the tulip poplar, American tulip tree, tulipwood, tuliptree, tulip poplar, whitewood, fiddletree, and yellow-poplar. This tree is the North American representative of the two-species genus Liriodendron, and it is the … Read more

The Kentucky coffee tree, also known as American coffee berry, Kentucky mahogany, nicker tree, and stump tree, is a tree in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the legume family Fabaceae, native to the Midwest, Upper South, Appalachia, and small pockets of New York in the United States and Ontario in Canada. The Kentucky coffeetree is a moderately fast-growing … Read more

In North America, trees called sycamore belong to the genus Platanus, and are also called plane trees. There are about eight species of sycamore, six of them native to North America. Most are large, majestic trees with spreading canopies, large lobed deciduous leaves, and white bark peeling to reveal darker patches. Depending on the species, … Read more

Iris is a flowering plant genus of 310 accepted species with showy flowers. As well as being the scientific name, iris is also widely used as a common name for all Iris species, as well as some belonging to other closely related genera. A common name for some species is flags, while the plants of the subgenus Scorpiris are widely known as junos, particularly in horticulture. It is a … Read more