You don't have to live in the tropics to grow tropical plants. Some incredible tropical container plants can be seen at Epcot Center's Mexico exhibit, including an unusual sapodilla, otherwise known as the chewing-gum tree because of the sticky sap that comes from this tree's bark. Although many brands of chewing gum today are made from synthetics, large plantations still provide sap from the sapodilla for modern-day chewing-gum production.
Also on display at the Epcot exhibit are cinnamon trees and coffee trees (figure A). Epcot Center horticulturist Rob Williams explains that these plants can be propagated from seed to produce fragrant flowering houseplants.
Florida gardeners are able to grow a variety of tropical plants outside, but indoor environments can be equally conducive to tropical growth. Obviously, the house-bound foliage will be on a smaller scale than that of plants growing outdoors in a tropical or subtropical climate.
Several other tropicals growing at Epcot are suitable for indoor container planting, including climbing orchids such as epidendrum (figure B), vanilla plants, coconut trees, aloe vera, agave and yucca.
Some vanilla orchids (figure C) are native to the Everglades. For some people the sap from this plant causes a reaction similar to that brought on by poison oak or poison ivy.
Growing a Pineapple at Home
It's easy to grow your own pineapple at home. Purchase a ripe pineapple from the grocery, and cut off the top. Allow the top to dry for a day or two, then treat the fleshy part with fungicide to prevent it from rotting. Place the dry top into well-watered sandy soil. Don't water too much until the plant starts to form roots.
Once established, pineapples require full sun and ample water. They need a fast-draining, organic soil. Water only when the soil is dry. Feed every three to four weeks with a liquid fertilizer. It takes two years for a pineapple plant to produce fruit.
| 
)
)
)
)
