Plants that shared the prehistoric landscape with dinosaurs like herbivorous sauropods and meat-eating allosaurs can be found today in South Florida -- in a little-known Coral Gables research garden celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Botanists in other continents are far more likely to know about the Montgomery Botanical Center than local residents. ``We're hoping that will change,'' said M. Patrick Griffith, who joined the staff as executive director in May 2005.

More than 1,000 plant species -- including more than 620 species of cycads and palms, the center's two specialties -- thrive on Montgomery's 120 acres at 11901 Old Cutler Rd. The American Public Gardens Association has accredited the center's holdings as Collections of National Significance.

Conserving rare and endangered plants and sharing information with scientists and plant enthusiasts around the world is the mission of the garden's employees and volunteers.

Shortly before Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the garden began launching expeditions in search of replacements for plants lost to storms and new rare specimens.

Few get more rare than Hemithrinax ekmaniana, commonly known as the Lollipop Palm, which grows only on a set of three limestone hills, or mogotes, in northern Cuba. Then there's the Wollemi Pine. It's what's known as a Lazarus species, only seen as a fossil until 1994, when scientists found living specimens in a ravine outside Sydney, Australia.

``People thought it was extinct, and now it's a whole new genus,'' noted flowering tree and conifer biologist Chad Husby.

ENDANGERED

Montgomery center scientists also look for endangered plants to conserve.

``This is a species from Guam and Rota and Palau in Micronesia,'' said lead cycad biologist Michael Calonje, pointing at a Cycas micronesica.

Reaching 36 feet high, it's threatened in its natural habitat by a plague of tiny sap-sucking bugs. ``They haven't gotten to Yap or Palau yet but they've absolutely decimated the native population of cycads in Micronesia,'' Calonje said.

Attalea crassispatha, a small oil palm native to Haiti's southwestern region, also could use help.

``There's fewer than 30 of those palms left in the wild,'' said Montgomery's lead palm biologist, Larry Noblick, adding that Haiti's extreme deforestation is the main reason.

The history of the Montgomery center goes back to 1934, when Col. Robert Montgomery, an accountant, lawyer and botany buff, bought 65 acres in Coral Gables.

Montgomery, who already had amassed a vast lot of conifers in Connecticut, cleared the wild hammock and began establishing the palm collection he would dub the Coconut Grove Palmetum. Cutting through the garden is the original Old Cutler Road, a rocky path flanked by tangles of vine and scrub.

``Col. Montgomery had Old Cutler rerouted to go around his property back in the '30s,'' said Husby as he steered a golf cart along the path. ``This was originally pine rockland.''

Humans aren't the garden's only visitors. A resident crocodile patrols the pools while a few peacocks and even the occasional fox roam the grounds.

DONATED LAND

The Montgomerys donated the land to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, which opened in 1938. Six years after the colonel's death in 1953, his widow, Nell, established the Montgomery Foundation, which was given its current name in 1998.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@