Rare tropical plants are how a garden stops looking like everyone else’s. These are the collector’s picks. Unusual forms, hard-to-find species, and varieties you won’t see at a hardware chain.
Some are rare because they propagate slowly. Others because almost nobody grows them in Australia. A few have simply fallen out of fashion, despite being magnificent.
We grow rare tropical plants in small numbers here in the Wet Tropics. Availability comes and goes. If something catches your eye, it’s worth taking while it’s listed.
Most reward patience rather than real skill. You don’t need to be an expert collector. You just need to prefer one plant nobody recognises to five that everybody does.
Flowering Trees, Shrubs and Vines
Strictly Tropical collector's tree, there is truly nothing like it!
Gingers
Must have for ginger collectors! Etlingera corneri is native to Malaysia and thrives in a tropical subtropical climate in part shade with bright light. It can be picky in it's requirements, so please be aware! It can also be grown as a pot plant.
Cordylines
This seedling select from Robyn Ganley has a similar group habit to New Guinea Fan but darker leaves and more purple petioles. It is rarely seen for sale and a must have for collectors.
Bulk Buy Tropical Plants
Rare Jackfruit Relative suitable for the tropics this is a bulk buy of ten potted plants!
Flowering Trees, Shrubs and Vines
Showy displays of deep red sepals and tiny yellow flowers make this lovely shrub from Trinidad a standout. This is a highly sought after strictly tropical shrub, we are only able to propagate limited numbers. Strictly tropical!
Gingers
Darwin Chocolate Beehive Ginger was bred over 20 years ago by the Darwin DPI for the NT cut flower industry. It starts out with a lovely bright yellow top and ages to a deep chocolate brown. Great cut flower and a talking point for your garden.
Gingers
Tahitian Ginger has long been a sought after feature plant for tropical gardeners. As the clump matures, the masses of red bracts get larger and eventually form a massive ball that lasts for months on the plant (this takes places over a few years). Eventually little plantlets grow from the bracts that can be re planted. Truly stunning and like no other alpinia, Tahitian Ginger prefers a tropical climate and high humidity to perform to it's best.
Edible Tropical Plants
Related to Breadfruit and hailing from New Guinea, the Maluku Islands and the Philippines. Large growing tree that produces a prolific amount of nuts that can be roasted similiar to chestnuts. Nutritious and worth having in a lowland tropical food garden, permaculture or agroforestry plot. It's an absolutely beautiful large growing tree with distinct leaves.
Edible Tropical Plants
The tree is really tropical in its growing requirements and will not grow in temps under about 7-8 degrees..The fruit looks like a cross between a jackfruit and a breadfruit .It is round to oblong, 15–20 cm long and The ripe fruit is opened by cutting the rind around, twisting and gently pulling. If overripe they are simply pulled apart. The interior of the fruit is somewhat similar to the jackfruit's, but the color is white and the flesh is usually softer.the flesh is made up of many white grape like segments..the has a strong perfumed scent, and is considered superior in flavour to both jackfruit and cempedak.i..its really absolutely delicious and we have a few planted around the property as well as some on a trellis..
Heliconias For Sale
The chunky upright mustard colored stems combined with the ultra waxy white undersides of the leaves make Longa a real stunner. The deep red pendulous flowers are over a meter long on a mature clump.
Flowering Trees, Shrubs and Vines
Medinilla magnifica is a tropical evergreen shrub from the Philippines, flourishing in humid rainforests where it often grows epiphytically on trees, which is just perfect for Wet Tropical gardening.
Edible Tropical Plants
Miracle Fruit is native to tropical West Africa. This shrub grows up to six-meters tall, and has brown flowers with small red fruit or berries. They are the miracle fruit or miracle berry. The locals have long used it to add sweetness to palm wine or beer that's gone sour, or to make stale acidified maize bread more palatable. The effect lasts for a few hours.Warm humid areas - can grow in most parts of the tropics and subtropics.