Deerfield Beach officials are set to open the only rain forest in Broward County.
Located at the Constitution Park Arboretum, the new feature is a $140,000 monument to biodiversity. When city officials and the arboretum’s fundraising arm, Friends of the Arboretum, gather at the park for the grand opening on Aug. 6, for example, it could be in the shadow of a one-of-a-kind tree: a Lipstick Palm hybrid.
The tree melds tropical colors with the endurance of heartier northern trees. It is a cold-tolerant palm with a striking red trunk.
Jerry Behan, the Friends of the Arboretum group president, said these types of palms likely will not be seen again.
“The thing now is that those trees are not pollinating each other any more. One is taller and one stayed the same size and there are only a few of them,” he said.
Constructions of the rain forest was helped in part thanks to a grant from Broward County. The rain forest so far encompasses approximately three-fourths of an acre in the north east section of the arboretum.
A canopy of various tree varieties shades other palms from wet environments, with botanical marvels around every turn on a path that winds by design.
“In a rain forest, you can’t see around you,” Behan said. “But [here], every place you go you have a unique view of the waterfall.”
The waterfall has been running full-time since the groundworks were completed in May and eventually a pump system will release fog throughout the walkways to help sustain other foliage.
And this is just a start, Behan said.
“When we get some more money, we are going to do Phase II [of the project], and make the waterway longer and put a deck in next to it,” he said.
The city’s Parks and Recreation Department is hosting a grand opening for the new rain forest at 9 a.m. Aug. 6 at the Constitution Park Arboretum, 2841 Hillsboro Blvd. in Deerfield Beach.
For information about the Constitution Park Arboretum, call 954-480-4494.
