I was joking about the pie and then it occurred to me that there probably is such a thing as palm fruit pie. It would involve dates and I have mixed feelings about dates – although, apple and date pie sounds promising.
Further explanation seems necessary. The red fruit in this vase is from the Adonidia Palm. The foliage is from a Pie Crust Croton. While these palm fruits are edible, to the best of my knowledge, the only creature that would enjoy a pie from this fruit is below:
Meet the Iguana, an invasive reptile that lurks in gardens throughout South Florida. Some think they are cute, I am not so sure. I am sure that they eat palm fruit, I have seen them enjoying it while basking in the palm tree. This is not the one that appears in my garden, he or she is chartreuse green with purple markings.
Back to the vase contents:
The yellow flowers are Esperanza, Yellow Elder or Yellow Bells, botanically Tecoma stans. These are subject to a native plant dilemma. They were once considered native to Florida and now are not as it seems a sea captain brought them to Key West a few hundred years ago from the Caribbean. These are amazingly hardy in my garden and reportedly invasive, although I see no evidence of that.
The rest of the plant palette: red fruit, Adonidia Palm (Veitchia merrillii); tubular red flowers, Firecracker Plant (Russelia equisetifolium); varigated foliage, Piecrust Croton (Codiaeum variegatum); a few sprigs of native Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) grace the back. The vase is an old florist container.
That’s all from my garden this Monday. Thanks to Cathy at http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com for hosting. Follow the link to see more vases. I’ll be thinking about pie!
The Shrub Queen 
You’ve got me thinking about pie now too! đŸ˜œ Your vase looks quite delicious, although I don’t suppose it would really taste nice… have you ever eaten that palm fruit? At least they are pretty – they look like red acorns! The yellow bells are such a lovely splash of colour too. đŸŒ¼
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Cathy. They are edible, but I haven’t tried one. It seems they are overrripe and mushy, not sure when it is ripe?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Another stunning vase….so tropical. No iguanas please. Sad they are invasive which doesn’t bode well for your ecosystem and plants and animals that are native to S FL. As always such a clever title.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. I am with you on the iguanas. yes, exotic everything is taking over south Florida. Plants and animals.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, that is lovely–every element of it. Such interesting info about the palms, too. Great vase and post!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Beth.
LikeLike
A great vase for the holidays, I love those red fruits. They do look like acorns!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Eliza, they are mushy, though. Like overripe plums.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would like to find an iguana in my backyard.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am not sure you would. They are known for eating flowers. They ate half palm fronds on the Adonidia then wadded the stems into a ball and stuck it in the top of the palm. Strange. People compare them to rats. They are worse further south.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, then maybe not.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah they also tend to lurk
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a clever combination in terms of both the title and the mix of plants, Amelia. Crotons think it’s too dry here and drop their leaves in protest, which is a pity as I really like the plants. I can’t say that I think the iguana is cute but his pose suggests he thinks he’s handsome and I’ll accept that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Kris. Iguanas creep me out, not sure why.
LikeLike
That’s a great title and, as Kris suggests, the contents seem to lend themselves to the pie concept. It’s interesting learning what is native and what isn’t – and that iguanas hang around your garden…!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Cathy. I am told garlic keeps iguanas away!
LikeLike
Hmm, do the iguanas know that… ? đŸ˜‰
LikeLiked by 1 person
I suspect they would eat it.
LikeLike
đŸ¤£
LikeLike
This is lovely! Interesting red fruits. The yellow flowers are a good example of the challenges of trying to select natives. Most of the plants I really love the most are not native although I grew up with them in the south.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Susie. I agree with you about non native love! It may be like wanting curly hair when yours is straight?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I didn’t know that palm fruit could be such a vibrant colour! Great vase and post, Amelia
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. Those palms are also called Christmas Palms for the fruit. Palm fruit is usually brown.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Actually, a neighbor made a pie as well as jelly from fruit of the jelly palm, which I know as the pindo palm, Butia capitata. It is the only specimen that I know of in this region.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Right, those are fairly uncommon here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pindo or jelly palm likely prefers more arid climates. I never see it on the coast here. I have seen only a few in the Santa Clara Valley. Most that I have encountered are in the Los Angeles region, but not on the coast there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t think so. They are relatively common in coastal Georgia and NE Florida. I thought of you..bought an Apricot Queen Angel Trumpet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You BOUGHT it?!, as in you actually PAID for it?! Oh my, you should just ‘borrow’ a bit from one that you find in your neighborhood.
Anyway, that is interesting about the pindo palms. I do not think of them as enjoying humidity. The best that I know of are in warm and arid climates.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have never seen an Angel Trumpet here! I may find out why after I plant it. I think the Pindos are from South America.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Would you like me to send rooted cuttings of single and double white angel’s trumpet? They are defoliated and not as interesting as ‘Apricot Queen’ but they are pretty for those of us who like white.
I believe that pindo palms are from Uruguay and adjacent regions, with other species of the genus occupying larger ranges.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No thanks, given I have never seen one here until I got this one, I think I will just give one a try and see if it will grow here. I am wondering if the soil is just too sandy to sustain Angel Trumpets.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is a possibility, since they are rather greedy. My primary double white specimen does not perform as well as it did before relocation because it must compete with redwoods.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am going to try planting it in compost and coco coir fiber. Hope it works.
LikeLiked by 1 person