This tree is the "poor man's orchid" tree (I forget the real name - starts with a B...
Bouhinia or something). It is a very nice looking tree with neat looking leaves that fold up at night and look like butterflies. The flowers are pink with a splash of red in the center. I have moved many seedlings to other spots in the yard. The doves like this tree. I really recommend it as a nice tree to sit under and have as a shade area in the yard. It isn't very messy - just the pods once a year. They do make popping sounds as they spray seeds around but this is 15 feet or so from the house and we love it.
This is the large Maria Tree in the front yard. It is a really large tree probably 30 plus feet across and taller than the house. If you have room for one plant it! It is a great shade tree (needs a hammock under it though) and has survived hurricane Georges and who knows which other ones so it must be strong. It is in front of our house. The cats climb it, I've got philodendron climbing it and orchids hanging on it.
You can see the nice open structure. It doesn't obstruct light but filters it nicely. It does drop little balls (seeds) that I occasionally rake up but it is these balls that the bats are after. The bats LOVE this tree. We sit in front and watch them swoop from the huge mango to the Maria Tree and back. When Jeff and I went caving there were Maria Tree seeds deep in the cave where there wasn't light. Just little albino shoots! A great tree. I've chucked some balls into the ground where I'd like to have more.
This is a Guava (Guayaba). This tree has a really pretty bark that peels a little and reminds me of Eucalyptus or rubber trees. It has kind of a sensual trunk design I like. The leaves don't matter much. I love the bark and shape of this tree but don't put it too close to your house. It produces loads of fruit (one of two fruits I don't like) that drop and then you have that rotting fruit smell. It is 12 or so feet outside our bedroom window and I hear the fruit drop in the middle of the night. I try to collect it all before it stinks. Get this tree but put it where the fruit drop doesn't require constant pick up.
