Only two? That's impossible. I'll give you five.

These are not necessarily the most interesting, and there are plenty of things with more beautiful or unusual flowers, foliage or form, but I chose them because they all have multiple things going for them: attractive habit and clean appearance, showy flowers/fruit, versatility/adaptability, easy to grow (where I am), a couple are excellent cut flowers, etc.

Aechmea zebrina
Delonix regia
Heliconia caribaea v. purpurea
Costus barbatus
Veitchia merrillii

Not only does this give a balanced representation of the types of plants I like, but they'd all look nice grown together!

Sure would like to add a plumeria in there though, and a ti, monstera, some kind of fruit tree..... ;-)

4-5' standard tree Azalia and 6' Ponderosa tree lemon. Toni

The rarest variegated vanilla orchid...the albomarginata.

A double-flower anthurium andreanum. I know there is one, I have seen a photo. I can't recall the cultivar name though.

Mango and passion flower.( All right that's a cheat as there are about 50 different species of each !)

The only thing on my "can't find a source wish list" is Hibiscus insularis.

If I could have "only two" I would have to pick Persian Lime and Red Sugar Apple. The Limes are nearly year-round producers of juicy, delicious, mostly seedless fruit that have hundreds of uses. We have three trees and never tire of them!

Sugar Apple is such a sweet, tender, delicate treat that it became a favorite after two bites. Mamey Sapote is a close runner up-since it is so yummy and can be preserved, unlike the SA.

But, I have over a hundred varieties of fruiting trees/shrubs/vines now, so I have most of what I want. (G) I like them all.

Collecting fruit trees is truly an addiction! But a harmless one:).

I'd like another Persimmon, and that incredible white-fruiting Mulberry from Excalibur, a Sanbokan Lemon, and now since I have the room, a Gumbo Limbo tree. We lost so many big trees in the hurricanes that our acreage is very bare. I had purchased dwarf fruit trees the past few years, since I had such limited room due to all the adult landscape trees here. Now all the big trees are gone... My little fruit trees look so alone..

Lisa

Hi Leona,
Heliconias and bananas!

And king palms (but that would be three!)

WRF

My two would consist of one flowering tree:

Amherstia nobilis

And one fruit tree:

Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana)

So Leona,
what are you 2?

Oh, did you mean what's on my wish list that I don't have? I thought you meant what basics would I use if I had to limit myself.

Currently at the top of the (very long) wish list:
Heliconia rostrata cv. Pink Peru
Curcuma aff. aurantiaca (Lyon Arboretum's accession #2003.0155)

But it changes from day to day. ;-)

http://www.heliconiasocietypr.org/heliconia_rostrata_pink_peru_bruce_dunstan_small.jpg
http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/herbarium/digitallib/collections/hlaplants/pdf/Zin_Curcuma_aurantiaca_w.pdf

Lisa,

That Curcuma aurantiaca is unbelieveable! Have you seen one blooming in person? Are there any rhizomes for sale anywhere? This tiny photo from the website doesn't do it justice.

The Pink Rostrata is a beauty, too!
{{gwi:1320534}}

What beautiful choices!! Love the pics. Okay, here are my two:

Michelia champaca
Myrciaria cauliflora (tree not seedling)I just don't have the patience to wait for the fruit.

I, too, could name many more than two. My wish is that each of you get at least one of your choices. Merry Christmas everyone!! :)

Leona

Mini, try these two places.. www.plumeriapeople.com and www.kartuz.com

Leona,

Pine Island Nursery has both of your "wish list" plants. I have a Jabo from them that I bought to see if all Jabos were as hard to grow as the one I bought at a Rare Fruit tree show. The Jaboticaba from Pine Island has outgrown my first one in less than a year. It is a gorgeous potted plant that has been beautiful from the time I opened the shipping box. I dug up my old one and tossed it. PI has quality plants that make growing them easy! My Condo Mangos from them are incredibly lush and healthy.

If I want any more great fruiting/flowering plants, well-grown, with fruiting/flowering within a year, I will always go to Pine Island Nursery. I pay the shipping, since it is worth it not to drive to Miami.

I'm saving up for a Cashew Nut tree and another Coffee.

Honestly, Leona, you will get great plants there- the shipping is worth it!

I have NO affiliation with the nursery, have never been there. Am just a very pleased customer, for years.

Merry Christmas and Happy new Year!

Lisa

I, too, can't say enough good things about Pine Island Nursery.

Miracle Fruit trees (actually they grow more like bushes outside of west Africa) have got to be the slowest growing fruiting plants on the planet, but they sent me two huge, bushy plants well over 2 feet tall.

Hi Lisa & Cagary,
Where exactly is Pine Island Nursery in Miami? I've heard mention of them before but I thought it must be the west coat of FLA (there's an exit on I-75 going north from Alligator Alley that says Pine Island). I knew it couldn't be a nursery on Pine Island in Broward (that would be toooo easy).

Gary- regarding the curcuma, no, I haven't actually seen it, I just came across that picture the other day and my jaw dropped! It jumped right up to the top of my list! I very much doubt that anyone is offering it for sale, although C. aurantiaca is a very variable species and there are other forms of it in the trade, some very nice. I'm not sure this one's a true aurantiaca though. If you look at Lyon's PDF files, they also list that same accession separately, just as C. sp. Fortunately, I do just happen to have some connections there and at the other place that apparently has specimens, so I am hopeful that I may be able to score one at some point. ;-)

The 'Pink Peru' is available, but it aint cheap!

Number three on the list is Mantisia saltatoria, but new things keep getting added on daily!

Couldn't stick to the limit of 2, but...
My 2 favorite tropical trees with knock your socks off delicious tasting fruit: white pirie mango and lychee.
My favorites for fragrance that I am growing: White ginger, pikake (jasmine), and Michelia alba.
A native Hawaiian plant with absolutely intoxicating fragrance that I would love to grow, but cannot find is maile (Alyxia oliviformis).
I would love to grow it, but have never found any source on Oahu, despite extensive searching/inquiring with our local coop extension, University of Hawaii, botanical gardens, local nurseries, and whoever else I could find.
I am really sad to hear that maile, once native to many of our islands, has been over-harvested in our forests for lei-making to the point of depletion, totally disappearing from some of our islands, and now must be shipped in from outside Hawaii to keep up with its high demand in the fragrant Hawaiian lei business.

Here is a link that might be useful: maile

wanna,

Here's a link to Pine Island.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pine Island

Honu- Where are they growing the maile that the lei trade uses? I know on O'ahu it has to be shipped in, but I thought maybe there was still some being grown on the Big Island or somewhere. Guess not.

Yeah, it's another sad story, like sandalwood. Somebody should put it into tissue culture and get it going here again. There's certainly a demand for it, but maybe the economics make it cheaper and easier to import it. I was going to suggest you contact Dennis Kim, or some other native plant growers, but it sounds like you've already been there, done that.

My impression has always been that it is slow-growing and needs a specific microclimate, so I was surprised to read on your link that it is adaptable to many environments.

I guess in the meantime you'll just have to be satisfied with smelling lau'ae. ;-)

hello
have any of you tried the search service at World plants?? he found several plants for me . One of the most notable was Amherstia nobilis..Didn't buy though a bit steep for me.lol
just got a message today in my search for Trevesia burckii or palmata..Gave me some places to look but didn't actually find a source. I've tried the seed with no luck at all. Can't understand why this is so rare.Would seem an ideal large houseplant.
gary

Gary,

That's a great service that they offer. Where did they tell you to buy the amherstia nobilis at? Frankies Nursery on Oahu often has them for sale.

Here's the link to the plant search website.

Here is a link that might be useful: Plant Searcher

Ok two are
AEAE
a double pink brugmansia
and...more tropical trees,plumeria,gingers,and heliconia(o.k I cheated-just couldn't help it ;P)
~SJN

Lisa,
The staff at Hoomaluhia Gardens told me maile is shipped in from Cook Islands or other places out of state. I don't know about the other islands, but I'm guessing they must be getting close to depleting their forests too if Oahu has to go to Cooke rather than a neighbor island for maile.

(Somebody should put it into tissue culture and get it going here again.)
I totally agree, and try to suggest maile cultivation to folks in the plant business. Heidi Bornhorst wrote about cultivating maile in her book, "Growing Native Hawaiian Plants", but I have had no luck contacting her.

I am assuming in addition to what already have lol..... Yellow Phattany and Yellow Cotton.

Ankrara's Hobby Corner

Tetrapanax papyrifera and musa ingens. That's what I am seeking of late.

I'm fortunate to have what I want already. They only just need to fruit already, now that is what I want! haha
Well maybe for this year I would like to get a rambutan and some more variegated bananas.

mangosteen
cacao (cocoa)

I live in an area of australia similar to zone 11, but these are supposed to be imposible to grow and fruit

Anthuriums and Brugmansias.

Minibim - I checked out Hibiscus insularis and it's on my list now! If I have any luck finding it, I'll let you know.
That and Hibiscus arnottianus are at the top of my growing list... ;)
Barb