The highlight of the facility is Tropicana. A brilliant pink bougainvillea stretches across the ceiling shading the hibiscus, bamboo, cycad, swamp lily (Crinum americanum), ferns, and bromeliads. A tiny, white orchid dangles from the Fiddle-Leaf Fig (Ficus lyrata) that is host to staghorn ferns, Platycerium bifurcatum. A small pond lies at the foot of the Fiddle-Leaf Fig, a pond that was once home to Mr. Nasty, a Caiman lizard, but now provides a habitat to water plants, fish, and a couple of frogs.

Two century plants, Agave americana , dominate the sandy northwest corner of Tropicana. The century plant flowers when 10 or more years old, although some don't even flower for 60 years. Once they flower, they die. Their roots, however, live on and produce another plant. The last time the Biology greenhouse had a flowering century plant was in 1992 when a large asparagus-like stalk grew from the center of the plant bearing large, 3-4 inch yellow-green flowers and shot through the roof of the greenhouse. Our greenhouse couldn't contain the century plant; we could only replace the broken glass panels.

[ Photo Gallery Tropicana ]