Swietenia mahagoni (Linnaeus, 1759) - West Indian mahogany tree (Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation's Native Plant Nursery, Sanibel Island, Florida, USA)
Plants are multicellular, photosynthesizing eucaryotes. Most species occupy terrestrial environments, but they also occur in freshwater and saltwater aquatic environments. The oldest known land plants in the fossil record are Ordovician to Silurian. Land plant body fossils are known in Silurian sedimentary rocks - they are small and simple plants (e.g., Cooksonia). Fossil root traces in paleosol horizons are known in the Ordovician. During the Devonian, the first trees and forests appeared. Earth's initial forestation event occurred during the Middle to Late Paleozoic. Earth's continents have been partly to mostly covered with forests ever since the Late Devonian. Occasional mass extinction events temporarily removed much of Earth's plant ecosystems - this occurred at the Permian-Triassic boundary (251 million years ago) and the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary (65 million years ago).
The most conspicuous group of living plants is the angiosperms, the flowering plants. They first unambiguously appeared in the fossil record during the Cretaceous. They quickly dominated Earth's terrestrial ecosystems, and have dominated ever since. This domination was due to the evolutionary success of flowers, which are structures that greatly aid angiosperm reproduction.
The mahagony tree, Swietenia mahagoni, is native to Caribbean islands and southern Florida.
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From nursery signage:
Semi-deciduous, large shade tree of south Florida and the Caribbean. Large pear-shaped fruits release many long-winged seeds. The hard, strong, reddish-brown wood is prized by cabinetmakers.
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Classification: Plantae, Angiospermophyta, Sapindales, Meliaceae
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See info. at:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swietenia_mahagoni
Tags: Swietenia mahagoni West Indian mahogany tree trees angiosperm angiosperms bark
Acrostichum danaeifolium Langsdorff & Fischer, 1810 - giant leather fern in Florida, USA. (December 2013)
Plants are multicellular, photosynthesizing eucaryotes. Most species occupy terrestrial environments, but they also occur in freshwater and saltwater aquatic environments. The oldest known land plants in the fossil record are Ordovician to Silurian. Land plant body fossils are known in Silurian sedimentary rocks - they are small and simple plants (e.g., Cooksonia). Fossil root traces in paleosol horizons are known in the Ordovician. During the Devonian, the first trees and forests appeared. Earth's initial forestation event occurred during the Middle to Late Paleozoic. Earth's continents have been partly to mostly covered with forests ever since the Late Devonian. Occasional mass extinction events temporarily removed much of Earth's plant ecosystems - this occurred at the Permian-Triassic boundary (251 million years ago) and the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary (65 million years ago).
The most conspicuous group of living plants is the angiosperms, the flowering plants. They first unambiguously appeared in the fossil record during the Cretaceous. They quickly dominated Earth's terrestrial ecosystems, and have dominated ever since. This domination was due to the evolutionary success of flowers, which are structures that greatly aid angiosperm reproduction.
The ferns are not angiosperms. They are a large group of plants with about 12,000 fossil and modern species. They first appear in the Devonian fossil record. Ferns have true leaves, stems, and roots. The leaf is called a megaphyll. The giant leather fern is native to Florida - it is not an angiosperm. It tends to grow in proximity to wetlands. This species is large for a fern and has relatively tough foliage.
Classification: Plantae, Pteridophyta, Pteridopsida, Polypodiales, Pteridaceae
Locality: grounds of the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation's Native Plant Nursery, Sanibel Island, Florida, USA
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More info. at:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrostichum
Tags: Acrostichum danaeifolium giant leather fern ferns plant plants Sanibel Island Florida
Ficus aurea Nuttall, 1846 - Florida strangler fig (Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation's Native Plant Nursery, Sanibel Island, Florida, USA)
Plants are multicellular, photosynthesizing eucaryotes. Most species occupy terrestrial environments, but they also occur in freshwater and saltwater aquatic environments. The oldest known land plants in the fossil record are Ordovician to Silurian. Land plant body fossils are known in Silurian sedimentary rocks - they are small and simple plants (e.g., Cooksonia). Fossil root traces in paleosol horizons are known in the Ordovician. During the Devonian, the first trees and forests appeared. Earth's initial forestation event occurred during the Middle to Late Paleozoic. Earth's continents have been partly to mostly covered with forests ever since the Late Devonian. Occasional mass extinction events temporarily removed much of Earth's plant ecosystems - this occurred at the Permian-Triassic boundary (251 million years ago) and the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary (65 million years ago).
The most conspicuous group of living plants is the angiosperms, the flowering plants. They first unambiguously appeared in the fossil record during the Cretaceous. They quickly dominated Earth's terrestrial ecosystems, and have dominated ever since. This domination was due to the evolutionary success of flowers, which are structures that greatly aid angiosperm reproduction.
Strangler figs are some of the most bizarre plants on Earth. They are pollinated by fig wasps (gall wasps) and seeds from ripe figs are transported in the guts of frugivores/fruit-eaters (often birds). Seeds in bird droppings that are left in other trees, usually Sabal palmetto - cabbage palm trees - germinate under proper conditions and become epiphytes. Long, slender branches extend downward from strangler fig epiphytes and eventually reach the ground. Strangler figs use nutrients from the soil to grow further and wrap themselves around the host tree, eventually shading it out and killing it. Ficus aurea is native to Florida.
Classification: Plantae, Angiospermophyta, Rosales, Moraceae
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More info. at:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_aurea
Tags: Ficus aurea Florida strangler fig figs tree trees angiosperm angiosperms leaf leaves
Tournefortia hirsutissima Linnaeus, 1753 - chiggery grape (Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation's Native Plant Nursery, Sanibel Island, Florida, USA)
Classification: Plantae, Angiospermophyta, Boraginales, Boraginaceae
Tags: Tournefortia hirsutissima chiggery grape Boraginales Boraginaceae flowering plant plants
Serenoa repens (Bartram, 1791) - saw palmetto in Florida, USA. (Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation's Native Plant Nursery, Sanibel Island, Florida, USA)
The saw palmetto is native to Florida and parts of adjacent states.
Classification: Plantae, Angiospermophyta, Arecales, Arecaceae
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Info. at:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenoa
Tags: Serenoa repens saw palmetto palmettos Florida