Montgomery Botanical Center

Montgomery Botanical Center Advancing Research, Education and Conservation through Scientific Plant Collections Montgomery, and his love of palms and cycads.

A nonprofit botanic garden established in 1959, Montgomery Botanical Center keeps living specimens from wild plant populations worldwide. Emphasizing palms and cycads, the population-based, documented, scientific collections are available for study in Montgomery's 120-acre botanical garden of exemplary design. Montgomery Botanical Center (originally The Montgomery Foundation) was established by Ne

ll Montgomery Jennings in memory of her husband, Colonel Robert H. Today, Montgomery Botanical Center advances botanical research, conserves rare species, and educates the community through workshops, lectures, publications, and tours of its scientific plant collections.

NEW PARK FOR A RARE PALM SPECIES!Montgomery's Patrick Griffith was invited to help dedicate the new BONAIRE SABAL PALM P...
05/28/2026

NEW PARK FOR A RARE PALM SPECIES!

Montgomery's Patrick Griffith was invited to help dedicate the new BONAIRE SABAL PALM PARK last week.

Seven years ago, Montgomery scientists described the rare species growing there -- Sabal lougheediana -- which was limited to around two dozen mature palms.

Related studies showing how threatened this palm was prompted a broad community effort to protect its habitat -- resulting in a new protected park designed to help it grow and thrive.

We thank Quirijn Coolen and BonBèrdè for the vision and hard work to get this accomplished, as well as Openbaar Licham Bonaire, Cargill, Nos Ta Biba Di Naturalesa, and Seacology for support and encouragement.

Sabal lougheediana now has its own safe, wild place to grow and thrive!

Hello everyone and welcome back to Plant of the Week! This week we will be taking a look back at Cycas micronesica, a cy...
05/23/2026

Hello everyone and welcome back to Plant of the Week! This week we will be taking a look back at Cycas micronesica, a cycad species native to parts of Guam, Palau, Rota and Yap. Cycas micronesica is quite a large cycad with some specimens reaching heights between 8 and 12 meters tall, though the trunks are relatively thin by comparison, averaging around 20cm in diameter. The crown consists of several leaves with spined petioles that can reach nearly 2 meters long and emerge a lime green color with slight tomentose covering before maturing into the glabrous dark green shown here.
The pollen cones are erect and can be a vibrant orange/brown color which makes them stand out against the vegetation. These cones are solitary with each crown only having one at a time and are an ovoid shape that can average 40cm long by 9cm wide. The seed bearing cones are what is considered an open type (megasporophyll) with the sporophylls exposed and each measuring roughly 30cm long, covered in a light grey to orange tomentose, and being able to hold 2 to 6 ovules. Once pollinated the seeds will have a thick covering that will mature into a bright orange color when ripe (the blue tape is used to indicate that the plant was hand pollinated).
The populations here at Montgomery Botanical Center were collected nearly 20 years ago and are part of an ongoing restoration project. This species unfortunately became an endangered species years ago due to an invasive insect but fortunately for us our subtropical climate here in South Florida has made it an ideal second home for Cycas micronesica.
The Montgomery Botanical Center Plant of the Week is made possible with the support of the City of Coral Gables Cultural Arts Division.

The Villagers Support the Rehabilitation of the Al Jennings Studio at Montgomery.Montgomery Botanical Center would like ...
05/20/2026

The Villagers Support the Rehabilitation of the Al Jennings Studio at Montgomery.

Montgomery Botanical Center would like to thank the Villagers for their generous support to Rehabilitate the Al Jennings Studio. The 91 year old building is now fully climate controlled and a better working space for scientists thanks to their support.

The Villagers are dedicated to the restoration and preservation of historic sites. They have supported numerous projects here at Montgomery Botanical Center and around the county. This year, the Villagers are celebrating their 60th Anniversary supporting restoration.

Montgomery Botanical Center is thankful to the Villagers for their continued support.

Hello everyone and welcome back to Plant of the Week! This week we will be revisiting a species that is not threatened o...
05/16/2026

Hello everyone and welcome back to Plant of the Week! This week we will be revisiting a species that is not threatened or endangered, but one that is quite common in the plant trade and that is Dypsis decaryi, or more commonly known as the Triangle Palm. This solitary species grows at a moderate pace and can average heights between 3 and 4 meters tall in most subtropical landscapes. The trunk is a somewhat pale color, though being heavily ringed with leaf scars can make it look much darker.
Its most distinguishing feature is its crown which is made up of pale green to almost silver pinnate leaves that can reach lengths of 4 meters long. The newer leaves have a base covered in a deep red tomentose while the older ones trade it for a white waxy covering. These leaves are also arranged in such a specific way that it forms a triangular base at the crown, giving it its common name, Triangle palm.
Under ideal conditions Dypsis decaryi can flower nearly year round, producing inflorescences of small lime green to yellow flowers that when pollinated will give way to green, grape sized fruit that eventually turn black when ripe.
Dypsis decaryi can be found growing naturally in Southern Madagascar among rocky soil but is now commonly used in South Florida as a specimen plant thanks to its unique appearance and ability to grow in full sun. The population pictured here has been growing at Montgomery Botanical Center for roughly 30 years now.
The Montgomery Botanical Center Plant of the Week is made possible with the support of the City of Coral Gables Cultural Arts Division.
palms Dypsis Trianglepalm

Hello everyone and welcome back to Plant of the Week! This week we will be taking a look back at Cycas diannanesis, a cy...
05/08/2026

Hello everyone and welcome back to Plant of the Week! This week we will be taking a look back at Cycas diannanesis, a cycad species native to parts of China, specifically the Yunnan province. Cycas diannanensis has an arborescent stem that can be erect or decumbent, due to size or injury, with some specimens reaching 3 meters in length and up to 40cm in diameter. Its crown consists of mostly erect and long leaves, averaging about 3 meters in length, that will eventually begin to arch when a new set of leaves or cones are formed. These leaves can hold an upward of 280 rich green, lanceolate leaflets that end in a spined petiole.

The pollen cones are primarily solitary and are a bright yellow/orange to brown color. These cones are cylindrical in shape and can reach nearly a meter in length. The seed cones are what is considered a closed type, consisting of tightly packed sporophylls that can measure up to 30cm long and hold between 2 and 7 ovules. Once pollinated, the seeds produced will mature to a size about 36mm long by 30mm in diameter and be covered in a bright red fleshy material.

This species is normally found in habitats consisting of shaded forests lying on limestone soil, making it an easy species to grow here at Montgomery Botanical Center among our various native trees.

The Montgomery Botanical Center Plant of the Week is made possible with the support of the City of Coral Gables Cultural Arts Division.

Today, May 8, 2026, Montgomery Botanical Center will be offering free Guided Tours of its Plant Collections at 10:00 AM ...
05/08/2026

Today, May 8, 2026, Montgomery Botanical Center will be offering free Guided Tours of its Plant Collections at 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM. We hope you will join us this year to celebrate GO Public Gardens Day! The GO Public Gardens Day tours are made possible with the support of the City of Coral Gables Cultural Arts Division.

On Friday, May 8, 2026, Montgomery Botanical Center will be offering free Guided Tours of its Plant Collections at 10:00...
04/30/2026

On Friday, May 8, 2026, Montgomery Botanical Center will be offering free Guided Tours of its Plant Collections at 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM. We hope you will join us this year to celebrate GO Public Gardens Day! The GO Public Gardens Day tours are made possible with the support of the City of Coral Gables Cultural Arts Division.

City of Coral Gables - Government American Public Gardens Association

The Villagers Support Motor Restoration in the 1932 Greenhouse!Montgomery Botanical Center would like to thank the Villa...
04/28/2026

The Villagers Support Motor Restoration in the 1932 Greenhouse!

Montgomery Botanical Center would like to thank the Villagers for their generous support to Restore the motorized Roof and Wall Venting in the 1932 Greenhouse. The Greenhouse will be 94 this year and the electrical upgrades were desperately needed.

The Villagers are dedicated to the restoration and preservation of historic sites. They have supported numerous projects here at Montgomery Botanical Center and around the county. This year, the Villagers are celebrating their 60th Anniversary supporting restoration.

Montgomery Botanical Center is ever thankful to the Villagers for their continued support and generosity.

Miami Villagers

This issue’s cover story on the Palms of Antioquia highlights the work of María José Sanín, MBC Palm Biologist (pages 4-...
04/28/2026

This issue’s cover story on the Palms of Antioquia highlights the work of María José Sanín, MBC Palm Biologist (pages 4-6). Ben Deloso, our McBryde-Montgomery Fellow supported by NTBG, MBC and FIU wrote on his work on Fandang cycads (page 3). We would also like to thank all of you who supported conservation, research, and education at Montgomery Botanical Center (pages 10-11).

Montgomery Botanical Center publishes two newsletters a year to keep our supporters and collaborators up to date and informed. If you would like to support Montgomery online please visit our Support Us page. To read more about how Montgomery Botanical Center meets our mission of “Advancing Research, Conservation, and Education through Scientific Plant Collections” please see our newsletters online.

https://www.montgomerybotanical.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Spring2026web.pdf

Montgomery Botanical Center also arranges tours for individuals and small and large groups. Montgomery Botanical Center...
04/01/2026

Montgomery Botanical Center also arranges tours for individuals and small and large groups. Montgomery Botanical Center tours are made possible with the support of the City of Coral Gables Cultural Arts Division. https://www.montgomerybotanical.org/visit/ City of Coral Gables - Government South Florida Palm Society SFPS Miami

Address

11901 Old Cutler Road
Coral Gables, FL
33156

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 3:30pm
Tuesday 7am - 3:30pm
Wednesday 7am - 3:30pm
Thursday 7am - 3:30pm
Friday 7am - 3:30pm

Telephone

+13056673800

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