Pteris cretica, almost pantropical in distribution, is so common in cultivation and escapes so easily in warmer regions that its true native home remains uncertain, although it is thought to have originated on the island of Crete.  

On December 16, 2016, while exploring one of the last unexplored areas of Jungle Gardens with Dylan Derouen, where predominately cultivated Camellias and Azaleas abound, we discovered yet another unknown tree.

On December 17, 2017, I walked along the edge of a forest in Jungle Gardens.  It was a path I had walked many times earlier that year, only this time a single fallen leaf caught my attention. 

On Oct. 17, 2016, I first saw this peculiar small shrub at the edge of a forested area on Avery Island.  From a short distance I thought it was Privet, Ligustrum sinense, which is widely naturalized throughout all of Louisiana but not common in Jungle Gardens.