Montgomery Botanical Center

Hello everyone and welcome back to Plant of the Week! This week we will be taking a look at Ceratozamia decumbens, a cycad species endemic to Veracruz, Mexico. Ceratozamia decumbens has a trunk that is mostly subterranean and branched, though older specimens have been seen to have some of its longer exposed stem laying on the ground, giving it the species name for decumbent (lying on a surface). Its new leaf growth emerges a rust-red/brown color with a slight tomentose layer, while their mature state is glabrous and dark green. Each crown will consist of 2 to 6 of these leaves, with the newest ones’ remaining upright before descending with time. The leave’s petioles are also slightly armed with small and spaced out prickles that along with the leaf bases will persist on the exposed section of the stem.
The pollen cones are long and thin, averaging 15.5cm by 2.7cm in diameter and emerges a green color before slowly turning tan when mature. Their seed bearing counterparts have a more barrel shape, being closer to 11cm long by 8cm wide, and remain a somewhat olive green color throughout their process. Once pollinated the seeds produced will be ovate in shape, measuring just under 2cm in diameter, and be covered in a white fleshy coating that turns brown when more mature. Ceratozamia decumbens’ natural habitat consists of partial to full shade on top of rocky soil, so the limestone here in Montgomery Botanical Center has been an easy transition for the specimens shown.
The Montgomery Botanical Center Plant of the Week is made possible with the support of the City of Coral Gables.

Did you know Montgomery arranges group tours? Montgomery hosts groups for tours and meetings. Palm Beach Palm & Cycad Society with local Tropical Flowering Tree Society (11/11/23), Society of Women Geographers (11/15/23, 3/3/24), Coral Gables Cultural Development Board (12/19/23), Morton Arboretum (3/9/24), Members Day (3/16/24), and The Villagers (3/21/24) have all visited the garden for tours made possible with the support of the City of Coral Gables.

Hello everyone and welcome back to Plant of the Week! This week we will be taking a look at Phoenix iberica, an unusual palm species that is usually considered synonymous with Phoenix dactylifera. Phoenix iberica was first described in 1997 as being endemic to parts of Spain. Although P. dactylifera, more commonly known as the Date Palm, is a widely distributed species for its commercial and agricultural uses, there are enough physical differences between the two to be able to identify P. iberica. Like its more recognized counterpart, Phoenix iberica is usually a solitary palm, though there are instances where individuals have been seen clumping. It can reach heights of up to 12 meters’ tall and has a canopy that is made up of several, upright, blue-green, pinnate leaves that average 2.5 meters long. These leaves have sharp, thick spines on the petioles and the leaf bases will persist on the stem for some time, eventually giving way to pronounced leaf scars. Phoenix iberica is a dioecious species with the inflorescence bracts being a tan brown color and having a light tomentosum. The inflorescences themselves are a bright yellow color and once pollinated will give way to orange-red fruit when mature. This species grows in full sun with well-draining soil, but populates riverbeds in the wild so moderate watering will be necessary in a collection scenario.
The Montgomery Botanical Center Plant of the Week is made possible with the support of the City of Coral Gables.

Montgomery leads guided tours by appointment! Small and large groups alike can schedule a visit.

https://www.montgomerybotanical.org/visit/

Gulliver Academy students help Montgomery plant trees! A group of students from Gulliver Academy led by student Martin Tessy planted palms at MBC as a joint collaboration with the Martin-Rami Fund (1/27/24). Gulliver’s Junior Kindergarten class also came to plant trees (3/20/24). Montgomery is happy to collaborate with local groups and educators to teach students about the value of tree planting. The student plantings and tours are made possible with the support of the City of Coral Gables and the Martin-Rami Fund.

Did you know Montgomery Botanical Center regularly collaborates with the University of Miami? Flip through the carousel to see Dr. Eberli’s UM Geology graduate students (11/17/23), Dr. Feeley, Director of the UM Gifford Arboretum, with graduate students studying the MBC plant collection (12/13/23), Dr. Purkis’s UM Geology undergraduate students (2/15/24), & Dr. Eberli’s UM Geology undergraduate students (3/21/24). These collaborative tours are made possible with the support of the City of Coral Gables.

Hello everyone and welcome back to Plant of the Week! This week we’ll be taking a look at Encephalartos natalensis, a large cycad species endemic to South Africa, specifically parts of Natal and Zululand. Encephalartos natalensis is an arborescent species with stems that can reach up to 6 meters tall, with some older specimens becoming serpentine and crawling along the floor. This species can be either solitary or clumping with some individuals never creating an additional trunk, while others can have upwards of 10 suckers at its base. The leaves average 3 meters’ long and begin as a light shade of green with a white tomentose covering before they mature into their final glabrous adult stage. The yellow pollen cones average between 40-50 cm long by 10-12 cm wide while their seed producing counterparts are slightly longer, reaching lengths up to 60 cm long but nearly twice as wide and are also a yellow color when mature. Wild populations of E. natalensis can be found growing in open areas along cliffs where the soil is particularly rocky and in weather that is similar to that of South Florida with the exception of experiencing frost more regularly during the winter months.
The Montgomery Botanical Center Plant of the Week is made possible with the support of the City of Coral Gables.

Hello everyone and welcome back to Plant of the Week! This week we will be taking a look at Cycas chamberlainii, an arborescent cycad species endemic to the Philippines. Cycas chamberlainii has a trunk that can reach up to 8 meters tall with a diameter averaging 20cm wide in older specimens. Its crown is made up of leaves nearly 1.6 meters long that emerge with a light, dark brown tomentose, but eventually turn glabrous when mature with two rows of spines running down the length of the petioles. The pollen cones are ovoid in shape, average about 13cm long and 8cm wide while the seed cones are “closed” and consist of several sporophylls, with each being able to produce 4 to 6 seeds when pollinated. These sporophylls are covered in a brown tomentose and the seeds produced are ovoid in shape, measuring around 40mm long by 25mm wide, and turn a bright orange color when mature.
The Cycas chamberlainii present here were all wild collected from Mount Arayat and a unique trait that can help distinguish them from another native species to the Philippines (Cycas riuminiana) is that the seeds do not possess a pad that aid in floating like their more coastal counterparts.
The Montgomery Botanical Center Plant of the Week is made possible with the support of the City of Coral Gables.