Plants, Horticulture, and Bush Medicine in the Bahamas

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Plants - Horticulture - Bush Medicine
Long Island, Bahamas

The following plants can be found around our villa.
	Love Vine: You will see an orange vine string like plant that wraps it's way around other trees on our property. This orange vine that grows relentlessly all over trees and plants, chokes them until they die. So feel free to pull it off and toss it into the bush as it kills many an innocent plant. The Bahamians make tea out of the vine by boiling it. The proverb for this vine is to grab a handful of the vine in one hand, name the boyfriend or girlfriend that you would like for the rest of your life then throw it at a tree, it if catches or sticks to the tree, you will have that love for life. Find these trying to choke are plants all over our property. Feel free to take some home with you as we would love to get rid of it!
Century Bamboo received it's name because a stalk arises from the middle fo the plant only once in a century (we have 3 in the front yard). It grows until the stalk with it's babies comes out of the top. Once the babies are spread with the wind, the plant dies. These plants get huge, they can reach over 8 feet wide. Find these on the way to our beach in our front yard..
	Green Buttonwood: The wood of the buttonwood is very hard and burns slowly. It has traditionally been used as cooking fuel. Its mature height is 40 feet with a 30 foot spread. They can be trimmed into an attractive landscape speciman. Find these to the right of our property by the beach if you are facing the beach. As a bush medicine it is used for skin diseases and diabetes.
Silver Buttonwood: Tea from the bark is used to externally treat prickly heat and inflamed eyes. It is also used internally for syphilis and diabetes. Sometimes known as button mangrove. This and the normal green form are a popular wood for smoking fish and meat. See a silver Buttonwood directly opposit the green buttonwood on the other side of our property (to the left if you are facing the beach).
	Silver Palm Tree: The Silver Palm tree is what the locals take to weave their baskets, placemats, hats, fans, artwork, portfolios, handbags, and other straw work designs. The weavers cut the middle stalk that looks like a new leaf sprouting and strip it into strips and begin the weave adding new strips when one runs low. Their tolerance for salt is high as you will find them by all the beaches on Long Island. It can grow up to 20-30 feet, but usually is seen around 4-8 feet.There are about 12 to 16 leaves on it's trunk. Small bisexual flowers come from below the leaves. They are creamy-white and fragrant. In the late summer fhe Silver palm bears small, pearl-sized, round black fruits. Find these by our beach.
Seven-year Apple tree: These trees bear oval shaped fruit. The locals pick them when they turn black and eat them like an apple. Find these by our beach. Beverly from M&K Landscaping out of Mortimers in the south of the island is shown in this photo.
	Rams Horn: In the fall and spring the Ram's Horn produces pink bushy flowers which grow into a long seedpod by the end of the summer and into the winter months. Once the seed pods dry, they twist, harden and split, reveling shiny black beads in a bright red flesh. The beads have been used to make necklaces. The surrounding pod looks like the horn of a ram, hence the name Ram's Horn. Find these by our beach.
Sea Grapes: In the spring the grapes on this tree ripen and the locals make jam from the grapes. Find these by our beach.
	Wild Dilly also know as the Gum Tree - When the round fruit gets soft the Bahamians can eat them as gum. This tree is found in our backyard at the corner of the end of our driveway to the left if facing the beach.
Yucca and Spider lilie. Be careful around the pickery Yucca plants (they are located around our home). These plants have been known to take our eyes and send puncture wounds into the locals. The Spider Lilies get white flowers and grow from bulbs. They tend to reproduce fairly fast.
	In front of our shed in the backyard is another Sea grape tree with Ram's horn mixed with it.
Madera (check spelling)- small leafs. Grows balls on top of the sprouts which are not eatable.
	Brickler Top (check spelling). This palm is used on roofs of houses. Note the poisonwood peeking through the brickler top branches.
Pigeon Berry (aka Pigeon Plum)- Grows red berries that the birds and Pigeon's like to eat them, hence the name.
	Joe Bush (also called Dogwood Fishpoison tree) - This plant is toxic to fish. Fisherman wave the extract from the bark by the fish to sedate them. The fish then get swim in circles so you can catch them easily. Used as bush medicine to relieve headaches, toothaches and treat insomnia and anxiety. Locate this one after our gate on the right hand side of the driveway.
Rock Bush - you chew on the leaves of this plant and a bitter taste helps your throat. Dolly Plum is to the left of the The Rock bush - black plums. To the right of the Rock bush is a Pond bush. Boil for a pain in the back then drink Locate this one after our gate on the left hand side of the driveway.
	Ginny Bush is 3 or 4 feet to the right of the Pond bush (furry). This flowers a pink flower. When you burn it, smoke bothers the sand flies. Locate this one after our gate on the left hand side of the driveway.
Wild Orchid's tend to in a dead trees. Locate this one after our gate on the left had side of the driveway.
	Cinnia Pod (check spelling) - Just past the orchid is a Cinnia Pod, the sheep and goats eat this.
Moses-in-a-boat is purple plant. The buds shaped like boats hold seeds hence the name Moses-in-a-boat.
	Hibiscus: We have 2 fuchsia and 4 red hibiscus planted by the back door of our home.
Palm Trees in our front yard: Jamacian Palm: The two palms in the front of the yard closes to the beach before going through the sea grapes on the beach are Jamacian Palms. The Palms are the sides alternate between Green Coconut Trees and Golden Coconut Trees. The Green Coconut Trees are closest to the water as they have an easier time with the salt water. The tallest palm in the circle is a Native Palm Tree.

Other plants in Long Island, Bahamas
Uni Tree = smells very bad however they eat the fruit if you can get past the smell. White fruit turns yellow (I believe) when ripe.
	Ponciani: flowers and grows very large. Had large seeds on them about 1 ft long (make noise when you rattle them). One in photo is 5 years old only.
Mulberry Tree = They eat the mulberries from this tree.
	Gumelemi Tree - The fruit on this tree is the antidote to Poison Wood. Mash then apply.
Morianga (horse radish Tree) Also called the Miracle Tree. Eatable. White flower. You can eat every part of this tree from the bark to it's leaves. This tree is often donated to poor countries
	Sleeping Hybiscus =opens at night only so you never see it blossom. birds like to eat it. Also called Turks Cap.
sunflower tree with yellow sunflowers when in bloom
	Bridal Bouquet with white flowers
Croton
	Bonganvilla
*Golden Cup Golden Challis
	Desert Rose
Bromilliade (orange color) flowers shoot up in spring
	Mini Ponciana
Bear with in 5 years coconut tree - special from government
	Thatch Palm. They use this to make baskets
Purple Papaya = Yellow when ripe
	Bahamian Cherry Tree
Quava - guava
	Star of Bethelem
Scipadilly Fruit are like kiwi but bigger meat inside. Is light brown and sweet.
	Shooting Star
Yellow Alder
	Oleander (yellow flower)
Gamelone
	Texas Sage (purple flower I think I have this)
Luilla (purple flower)
	Sunflower Brazillion - cut back a lot
Crown of Florence Cacti
	Giant Milkwood
Firecracker