CHARLES REYNOLDS: With plants, 'lady' still means beauty

The once-esteemed title ‘’lady’’ — the wife of a British lord — has been drastically devalued. For example, I’ve been told that I drive ‘’like an old lady.’’ But when it comes to plants’ common names, ‘’lady’’ still carries connotations of beauty and elegance.

Rhapis palms, from Southeast Asia, are collectively known as lady palms — a well-earned title for such lovely plants. Of the 12 species, Rhapis excelsa is the most widely cultivated here, though R. humilis is also seen. R. excelsa, simply called lady palm, is a shade-loving suckering plant that features cane-like stems and nearly circular, deeply divided fan leaves. The species typically grows 4 to 8 feet tall on well-drained sites and is remarkably cold hardy. It’s also a fine subject for interiorscaping.

‘’Lady finger’’ is a name used for varieties of Musa bananas that have short, narrow, finger-like fruit. The world’s most popular lady finger is Musa Mysore, which accounts for about 70% of India’s banana crop. Plants grow up to 16 feet tall and bear sweet, thin-skinned bananas that remain firm for a week or two after ripening. Adding color are the pink undersides of young specimens’ leaves. Provide organically enriched sites in sun.

Let’s shift to woody plants. Many gardeners are familiar with yesterday-today-tomorrow shrubs (Brunfelsia australis and grandiflora), which bear flowers that open violet, fade to blue, and then turn white over a two-day period. But a pair of other Brunfelsias — B. americana and nitida — are known as lady-of-the-night plants due to their exquisite, night-fragrant blossoms. Quite different from yesterday-today-tomorrow plants, these plants display smaller, clustered, cream-colored flowers, and one — B. americana — can grow into a 20-foot tree. Both lady-of-the-night plants demand sheltered locations in cooler areas of Central Florida.

If you found lady-of-the-night plants somewhat suggestive, brace yourself: naked ladies amaryllis is next. A South African bulb plant, it’s renowned for stunning pink, trumpet-shaped blossoms perched atop 2-foot-tall stalks in late summer. They appear after its strap-shaped leaves have withered away — hence the ‘’naked ladies’’ name. This plant’s botanical designation is Amaryllis belladonna, with belladonna meaning ‘’beautiful lady.’’ Both naked ladies amaryllis and an evergreen hybrid between it and Crinum moorei — called Amercrinum — are drought-tolerant. They grow on well-drained sites in full or part-day sun. When installing, set bulbs with their necks above ground.

Charles Reynolds, a Winter Haven resident, has an associate’s degree in horticulture and is a member of Garden Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ballroom16@ aol.com