Macadamia
Nut Tree Macadamia ternifolia F. Muell. or Intergrifolia
or M. integrifolia
This tree takes a long time to become productive, up to four or five
years, but a couple of years later a single tree can bear many pounds
of its delicious and valuable nuts. Macadamias are said to be well-suited
to the climate in Montserrat. Its leaves are holly-like in appearance.
This tree is one of those that are as wide as they are tall. We’re
trying to find one growing on the island where we might find viable
seeds or seedlings.
From: It originated in a sub-tropical climate in
Australia.
Text
Copyrighted © KO 2008 |
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| **Macho
Fern See the
"F" Page FERNS -- Sword Fern |
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MAHOGANY
TREES
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West Indian Mahogany Tree Swietenia
mahogani (L.)
Native to the West Indies, the mahogany is now said to be protected
in Montserrat, though we are unsure what that means as we see so
many cut down. Among several young trees, we have one very tall
old tree on our property which truly is the garden's centerpiece
as well as being a stunning survivor of the 1989 devastation wrought
by Hurricane Hugo. It is a West Indian mahogany which is said to
have a better wood grain than the other mahogany on the island which
is called Honduran mahogany, but it seems to be much slower growing
than its Honduran cousin. West Indian mahogany trees lose their
leaves in the spring dry season in April and May, though the old
leaves are almost immediately replaced by new growth. The mahogany
can be most readily identified by the rounded oval pods at the top
of the tree which come from nondescript flowers born in late spring
to early summer.
From: The Caribbean and South Florida
Text & Photograph Copyrighted
© KO 2008
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**Honduran
Mahogany Tree Swietenia macrophylla
In our first few years here in Montserrat, we worked hard
clearing our land. We got to a final corner two years ago and
discovered a lovely, straight as an arrow, mahogany growing in
the center of a large nondescript tropical forest area. We cleared
all of the less appealing trees and brush and were left with
a mahogany about six inches in diameter. That small tree has
grown at an enormous rate and is now well over a foot in diameter.
In its native environment this tree will grow to be one hundred
and fifty feet tall. It is the tree now used for mahogany wood
the world over.
Text & Photograph Copyrighted © KO 2007
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 Mamey
Sapote Tree, Mamey, Mamey Apple, Manseport (In Montserrat) Mammea
americana or Pouteria sapota
The fruit of this large tree are baseball sized with a light brown
rough skin. The interior is yellow/orange in color and very sweet.
For those of us who have developed an allergy to mangos, this might
be a close alternative fruit.
Benefits: Aside from the lovely fruit it bears,
many parts of this tree can be used for their natural insecticidal
properties. For
more information take a look at this website:
click here!
From:
The Caribbean, Central America and the northern countries of South
America
Planting and Care: Growing up to seventy five
feet tall, the mammey is a truly tropical tree, hardy in almost
all conditions
in the tropics, but not at all resistant to COLD. It will do
its finest in full sun with routine rainfall or watering.
Text and Photographs Copyrighted ©Krika.com
2008
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|  **Mango
Tree Mangifera indica L.
Here in our garden our mangos bloom most heavily in January with
the harvest beginning in May and continuing through August. The
trees bloom again in September, but lightly, just enough to give
us some fruit in time for Christmas. Mango trees can become huge,
up to about ninety feet, but ours are not yet so big.
Benefits: Its
leaves make a great yellow dye and are sometimes used for cattle
fodder. If you ever wanted to cut one down, you could use the bark
for its tannin and the wood for ship building. It should not be
used in making charcoal.
According
to author David Eric Brussel who wrote Potions, Poisons, and
Panaceas: An Ethnobotanical Study of Montserrat, a tea made
from the leaves is used “. . . to treat colds, sinus congestion,
asthma, coughs, and arthritis. The leaves are chewed to expel intestinal
worms. . . . The resin from this tree is said to have anti syphilitic
properties. A decoction of the bark or the dried pulverized seed
is taken internally for chronic diarrhea.” (p 18)
CAUTION:
The
mango tree is in the poison ivy family so
if you are allergic to one, you may be allergic to the other
and this is something to be careful about. After living
for years in Mexico mangos became a staple in our diet. BUT, having
bought a property in Montserrat with two mango trees I developed
an allergy when I harvested the fruit over the several weeks of
ripening and peeled and chopped it for the freezer almost every
day so we would have mangos all year. At first I became red as if
I had a sunburn, then blisters grew on my swelling hands and face.
I resisted as long as I could, but after a week or so I finally
succumbed to a doctor's prescription for Prednisone
as the burning and itching became insupportable. This
is a serious allergic reaction and sadly I will probably never be
able to eat or touch a mango again.
Diseases and Insects: The most common
disease anthracnose is indicated by black spots on the leaves and
can be treated with a fungicide. As for insects mangos are not bothered
too much except for nematodes. Plant marigolds under the tree to
repel this nasty critter.
From:
Although they are now common in many
parts of the world, mango trees are originally from India.
Fruit: Mangos should be picked when ripe as green

fruits do not ripen well. Unfortunately, ripe mangos are very appealing
to our garden thrushes.
Varieties:
It is said by some that the best variety to grow if you are starting
fresh is “Bombay” because it is less stringy than other
mangos. In Mexico we were enamored of the petecón
mango. Here in Montserrat our Julie mangos are already mature so
we’ll stick with them, but a tree bearing petecóns
would have been a real treat.
Text
& Photographs Copyrighted © Krika.com 2008 and 2009
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Our
Julie Mango in Full Bloom

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**Manseport
See Mammey above
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**Marigold
(annual flower) Tagetes
Marigolds are great flowers in almost any setting; their colors are in the red
to yellow range, the height of these feathery leaved aromatic plants varies from
six inches to three feet and the flowers from about four inches across to only
about one inch.
Benefits: Marigolds should be planted in almost
any garden anywhere to naturally prevent insect damage. They really
do work as protectors of vulnerable plants such as tomatoes, even
here in the Caribbean where they are a natural inhibitor of nematodes,
which are a serious problem.
Spiritual Uses: Marigolds are a staple part of
Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) celebrations all over
Mexico. Do take a look at our story about this very special day
in Mexico to learn more about the tradition and about how the marigold
is used at that time of the year.
Link: http://www.krika.com/wsdayofthedead.html
Warning: Do not plant marigolds near green beans;
they are not friends.
Text
and Photograph Copyrighted © Krika.com 2008 |
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Marjoram Origanum
majorana
Majoram has a milder flavor than orgegano, but used fresh it
is an excellent substitute.
Planting and Care: This most essential herb is
easy to grow once it is started. That is the only tricky part.
If you are lucky enough to be near plant supply sources, buy one.
If not, you are in the same boat as we and I wish you well with
starting seeds. I have no advice as I believe only being lucky
has resulted in our having a plant. Once your plant is started
and on its way it will grow well in full sun or semi shade. If
grown as a potted plant I believe it prefers a clay pot. If grown
in the garden it will spread, putting down roots from its delicate
stems. It likes a sweet soil (alkaline) and regular rain or watering.
Text
Copyrighted © KO 2008 |
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| **Match-Me-If-You-Can Please
See the "J" Page - Joseph's Coat (1) and (3) |
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Mexican
Purslane
This is a delightful tough ground hugging flowering ground
cover. It can handle full sun.
Photographed: On
the shore of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala
Text and Photograph Copyrighted © KO
2010
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Mexican
Sage Salvia leucantha
This is an attractive long blooming plant that works very well in a border planting.
From: Mexico
Photographed: On the shore of
Lake Atitlan in Guatemala
Planting and Care: Happily Mexican sage grows
well in full sun and with stands drought well after it is settled
in.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted © KO
2010
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| **Mexican
Thistle See
The "P" Page -- POPPIES - Mexican Poppy |
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**Mile
a Minute, Cardinal Climber, Cupid’s Flower, Cypress Vine,
Star of Bethlehem Ipomea
quamoclit
This
is a lacy delicate trailing vine with small red flowers. It is
an annual, but I suspect it will self seed without having to be
replanted.
Benefits: This sweet vine is a hummingbird attractant.
Planting and Growth: I was given seeds and planted
them along with some others in a large seed bed. The other plants
were up and transplanted to the garden before the mile a minute
ever showed up. When it did, I no longer remembered what I had planted,
but waited to see what the little plants would turn into. My patience
was rewarded as a couple of weeks later they had developed enough
so I realized what they were. They will grow best in full sun or
semi shade with a medium amount of routine rainfall or watering
and will bloom in the tropical summer months of June, July, August
and September. You can expect the vines to reach up to fifteen feet
in no time at all as the name implies.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©
Krika.com 2009
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Mint Herb Menta or Monarda
punctata or for spearmint Mentha spicata
Mint is one of our favorite plants; it likes sun and lots of water. Just yesterday
we visited the Agricultural Department here in Montserrat and seeing potted mint
plants we thought we would buy a few and put them in our garden. As it turned
out, the mint plants that we saw were all privately owned by Agricultural Department
staff. None were for sale to the public like us, small backyard gardeners nor
to any of the professional farmers working within their recently granted hundreds
of square feet of greenhouse capacity.
Benefits: Mint tea made from a cup of boiled
water poured over 5 or 6 freshly picked mint leaves I can testify
is a life saver to those with almost any kind of digestive distress.
Have a cup after meals. Mint also has antioxidant properties and
may be a useful over all toxin cleanser.
Photographed: As a potted plant on our terrace
in Taxco, Mexico.
Planting and Growth: In Mexico, snips of thriving mint plants would
be given by anyone who had one to whomever asked. Here in Montserrat even at
the Agricultural Department no snips and no plants were available yesterday (6/27/08)
from lovely large mint plants. If you live with more generous people than we
do, surely one of your neighbors will give you a few snips of a plant. If not,
try starting them from seeds. Once established mint grows almost too well so
it is best planted in an area naturally or intentionally restricted. It likes
sun or semi shade and reasonable rainfall or watering.
Text
and Photograph Copyrighted © Krika.com 2008 |
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| Mission
Cactus See
The "N" Page NOPAL |
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| Monkey
Pod See The "R" Page
RAIN TREE |
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 Morning
Glory Vine Ipomoea
This is one of those great garden standbys. They twine themselves around everything
and bloom continually with flowers opening every morning.
Photographed: On the bay in Warren, Rhode
Island, in the United States on the left. On the right at
the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Planting and Care: Pick a sunny spot to plant
the seeds and provide routine watering or rainfall to keep
them happy. They are fast growing and come with purple, blue
(my favorite), pink, red or white flowers.
Text
and Photographs Copyrighted ©KO 200/2010
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**Morning
Glory Bush
Flowering Bush Ipomoea carnea or Ipomoea fistulosa
This soft looking flowering bush growing over 10 feet tall
thrives in rough conditions here in Montserrat. It is more beautiful
if
cared
for,
but it seems
to
be one of those
plants that has a will of its own to survive and to be stylish
while doing so. We had one by the wall just inside our driveway
entrance and its
three
inch
lavender
flowers were a continual delight. We liked it enough to use it
as a hedge. It is fast growing and continually covered with flowers.
From: This glorious flowering bush originated in the tropical
areas of the Americas.
Landscaping ideas: As you can see in the photograph
to the right, this flowering bush will make a beautiful informal
and carefree hedge. Ours in the photograph replaced a very tall
and very old red hibiscus hedge which died while we were away in
Greece.
Surprisingly on a small island with folks who resist giving compliments,
our new hedge has drawn quite a bit of attention.
Text & Photographs Copyrighted ©Krika.com 2008/2010
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| Moses-In-The-Boat See
The "B" Page BOATLILY |
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| Mother
in law plant See
The "S" Page SNAKE PLANT |
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 Mountain
Mahoe Tree, Tree
Hibiscus Hibiscus elatus
Lost to the volcanic eruption of July 7, 2003, this was the large-leaved
tree with deep red orange flowers that grew beside our pool. Its leaves
and especially its flowers made for a bit of a mess in the pool which
took a lot of extra cleaning, but enjoying the tree’s beauty
while lazing in the pool was well worth the effort of a little more
clean up. Swimming under the tree was lovely and we miss it every
day.
From: Hawaii.
Text
& Photographs Copyrighted © KO 2008 |
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| Mung
Beans See The "B" Page
BEANS |
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MUSHROOMS
Edible
Mushrooms Agaricus
Planting and Care: Mushrooms like a warm,
moist and dark environment and monitoring the pH of the growing
medium is also important. Given a place to grow with these qualities,
mushrooms will be a self sustaining crop.
Text
Copyrighted © KO 2008 |
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Stinkhorn
mushroom (1) "Stinky fingers" Mutinus
elegans
When we first saw this one growing in our shady terrace
garden we had a good laugh about the shape and coloring, naming
it "stinky fingers" before running quickly away from
the truly awful smell. We took a photograph the next morning of
the new ones that had appeared overnight and then with our noses
in an uproar, we dug them out, finding them connected to firm roundish
white balls just under the soil surface. We became very religious
about the removal every morning, because the smell was so bad and
so strong we couldn't spend any time in the terrace unless they
were removed. A good friend who recently left Montserrat for a
home in Oregon told us what they were and we now have an answer
to our long standing question about another stinkhorn mushroom.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted © Krika.com
2008 |
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Stinkhorn
mushroom (2) "Lattice stinkhorn" Clathrus
ruber
This apparition appeared in the area of our upper vegetable
garden about two years ago. About six inches high and brightly
colored, they smelled enough to attract flies, but not enough to
drive us from the garden as did the Stinky Fingers described above.
They seemed pretty creepy and none of the local farmers we talked
to had any idea what they were, nor did we until a very short while
ago thanks to our friend Inge in Oregon. For more information on
stinkhorns, here is a good web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/phallaceae.html
Text and Photograph Copyrighted © KO 2007 |
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Pseudomussaenda flava, Mussaenda lutea,
Mussaenda luteola, Mussaenda glabra, Mussaenda incana
Family: Rubiaceae
Dwarf Yellow Mussaenda
Origin: Tropical Africa, Asia, and Malaysia
large shrub 5-10 ftsmall shrub 2-5 ftfull sunsemi-shademoderate wateryellow/orange
flowersattracts butterflies, hummingbirdsincuded in CD catalog
Golden star shaped blooms are surrounded by creamy yellow bracts.
Large sepals in palest yellow-white and small yellow corollas.
This frost-tender tropical shrublet likes partial to full sun and
moist, freely draining soil. It can be propagated by cuttings.
An ever-blooming, small, evergreen shrub excellent in containers.
It blooms especially well during the warm months. Grow it in light
shade to full sun, and you will be delighted by its bright splash
of color for many months each year. |
MUSSAENDA
FAMILY
Mussaenda
Frondosa
This bush struck my eye from all the way across a terrace
filled with beautiful plants. It was so striking because of the
bright white leaves you can see in detail in the photograph on
the right. Surrounding the small flowers and lying against the
deep green of the other leaves these white leaves made something
almost magical.
Photographed: In
the garden of the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted © KO
2010
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Tropical
Dogwood, Red Flag Bush, Ashanti Blood, Flame of the Forest Mussaenda
Evangelina or Mussaenda erythrophylla
At its happiest the tropical dogwood will grow to
be 10 feet tall or more and all along the way will be attracting
butterflies.
From: The tropical regions of West Africa
Photographed: In the garden of the Hotel San Buenaventura on
Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Planting and Care: Like others in this
family, this plant likes full sun and routine rainfall
or watering to be at its best, though it is fairly tolerant
of soil types and qualities. It is relatively immune to
serious insect damage and diseases. Prune it with abandon
to keep the shape you want and it will delight you by producing
more flowers.
Text
and Photograph Copyrighted © KO 2010 |
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