Tiki plants

Has anyone been to Flix's funfair at california adventure, or the jungle boat cruise at DL? The ornamental "Jungle" plants at these two locations are awesome. Especially those at flixs fun fair. However,I can't find any information about what the names and types of these plants are! It should be easy, as these same plants are used anytime someone wants a "tropical" look. Can anyone point me to a web page featuring outdoor ornamental tropical garden plants? Or are there any resident experts here?

Read here for names and suggestions for tropical plants.

Has anyone been to Flix's funfair at california adventure, or the jungle boat cruise at DL? The ornamental "Jungle" plants at these two locations are awesome. Especially those at flixs fun fair. However,I can't find any information about what the names and types of these plants are! It should be easy, as these same plants are used anytime someone wants a "tropical" look. Can anyone point me to a web page featuring outdoor ornamental tropical garden plants? Or are there any resident experts here?

We need a description! I had some web pages about the tropical plants at Disneyland once, but I think I ran out of space and had to remove them. Anyway, I'm probably familiar with the ones you mean, if you'd describe them. Here are some possibilities:

Split-leaf Philodendron = Philodendron selloum
These are what you probably mean. The leaves are very large and have splits along the sides, and the roots are very snake-like. Tomorrowland used to have these underneath the Rocket Jets, the Islands Restaurant in San Diego used to have them outside, and some friends of ours used to have a tropical patio with them in a planter, so they're very common for a tropical look.
http://www.floridata.com/ref/P/phil_bip.cfm
http://www.magnoliagardensnursery.com/productdescrip/philodendron.html

Rubber Plant = Ficus elastica
These used to grow by the Swiss Family Treehouse (in fact, the Swiss Family Treehouse tree itself resembled a Ficus in leaves, size, and shape), and by the Submarine lagoon in Tomorrowland, and all along the Disneyland Hotel tram area, and this species is also a common houseplant, so this is also a standard tropical plant for use inside or outside.
http://mgonline.com/rubber.html
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/14206/

Japanese Aralia = Fatsia japonica
These have medium-sized star-like leaves and used to be underneath the Swiss Family Treehouse at the stream. Small white flowers, dense foliage, bush-like.
http://www.magnoliagardensnursery.com/productdescrip/Fatsia.html
http://www.geocities.com/oooketchup/SFT.htm

Umbrella Tree = Schefflera actinophylla
Palm-like, very tall with star-like leaves mostly at the top. Tomorrowland used to have these outside of the Adventure Thru Inner Space, and Fantasyland used to have them all around Skull Rock nearby the pirate ship. Star-shaped bracts with red flowers at the top in certain seasons. I saw a lot of these around the University of Miami.
http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/thumbnails/html/schefflera_actinophylla.htm
http://coolexotics.com/plant-431.html

White Bird of Paradise = Strelitzia nicolai
Looks almost like a banana tree, except has bird-of-paradise flowers on it, except the flowers are much larger and less colorful than the garden variety bird-of-paradise (Strelitzia reginae). These also used to be next to the entrance to Adventure Thru Inner Space, and also on the approach to Switzer Falls on the Jungle Cruise. I've seen a lot of these around California and Florida, like outside hotels and convention centers.
http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantqrs/strelitznichol.htm

Golden Pothos = Epipremnum pinnatum
Like a philodendron, often seen climbing trunks of palm trees. Light green leaves, fairly large leaves, depending how high up it grows. Also a common houseplant. I don't recall these at Disneyland, although I saw them in Tahiti.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/4681/
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=18291&forum=7&7

Ti Plant = Cordyline terminalis
Native Hawaiian plant, a gift shop in Adventureland used to sell "ti logs" in the '70s that sprout when placed in water. The expensive, decorative varieties have beautiful magenta-purple lined green leaves, the cheaper varieties have all-green leaves. Most mountainside photos in Hawaii will have these plants in the foreground. I noticed somebody here recently posted pics of outdoor tikis, and there were lots of ti plants growing around them. I saw a lot of these growing outside in Florida, but nowhere else in the country.
http://www.alohatropicals.com/CordylineTerminalisTi.html
http://mgonline.com/ti.html

Bamboo
I'm sure you know what bamboo looks like. The entrance to Adventureland at the Tiki Room has a clump of it by the stream, and there used to be a clump of it at the entrance to the Jungle Cruise, though I think that's been torn out with the modernization.
http://www.bamboogarden.com/

Coral Tree = Erythrina sp.
Bright red flowers on the tips in the right season, rather barren trunks. There used to be 2-3 of these around the Tahitian Terrace. Difficult to tell one species from another.
http://www.vassl.com/tropicalgarden/erythrina.htm

Banana tree = Musa sp.
These used to be on the river bank of the Jungle Cruise just before Switzer Falls. Has more of a Central American look.
http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/economicbotany/Musa/b1279tx.html

River cane = Arundinaria gigantea
A common bamboo-like cane that grows wild near streams and riverbeds in Southern California. There used to be some of this along the Jungle Cruise, before the hippo area.
http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/argi.htm

Papyrus = Cyperus papyrus
These used to be on the river bank of the Jungle Cruise at the hippo pool, back when they used to shoot the hippos on every trip. Each stalk is just a stem with a frizzy top on it. Used by the ancient Egyptians to make paper.
http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantcd/cyperuspap.htm
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/papyrus.htm
http://www.gazette.net/stories/121405/montcol212257_31905.shtml

Those are all the main ones that come to mind. I'll add links if I get a chance. I love all those plants, too!

Plants of Disneyland:
http://www.plantsofdisneyland.com/adventureland.cfm
http://www.plantsofdisneyland.com/shopping-area.cfm

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You can buy the Sunset Magazine "Landscaping with tropical plants" book. It has all the info you need.

Wow, awesome information! The only thing I did not really see was the super tall thin bamboos.

Anyway, I was immediately impressed with Flix's funfair and strongly advise anyone into tropical botany to check it out. As soon as you walk in, under an arch, you get the tropical plants (And recorded insect sounds coming from the bushes)All around this section are tall skinny bamboo in the back, and then the Philodendrons in front. Graduating in size are many other ornamental plants. Unfortunatly, I am no expert on botany as Mbonga is, and I am hoping someone with more experience can come out there to DL california adventure and check this out! The whole thing is very cool. Not tiki (Which is why I posted this in beyond tiki) but if I had a tiki garden in my backyard, these are basically the plants I would want!

This website my provide assistance: http://www.alohatropicals.com/contact_us.html

Don't forget the splendid Monkey Puzzle or "Faux Monkey Puzzle" (Bunya Bunya) these trees look like they came right out of a Dr Seuss book, and give any yard a "Land of the Lost" feel. They are in fact quite ancient, and were similar to the species that is Petrified" in the Arizona Desert.

The cones are quite large (up to 30 pounds in extreme cases), so save that shady seat under the tree for Door-to-door missionary types or Mimes.

You can see a few examples of these in older neighborhoods in Santa Ana, Orange, and Anahiem.

I think there is a place in OC called Silver Creek Nursery that has a f---ing incredible array of things which appear to be Tropical, but will live in your area...give them a peroozle.

Cheers!

Don't forget the splendid Monkey Puzzle or "Faux Monkey Puzzle" (Bunya Bunya) these trees look like they came right out of a Dr Seuss book, and give any yard a "Land of the Lost" feel.

I just looked those up.

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1452/index.html

One school campus I knew in Florida had those, and I happened to walk by one morning just as a cone fell to the ground. You're right: those cones are like coconuts or worse, and you wouldn't want to be near one when it falls. I don't recall seeing those trees at Disneyland, though. Since they look like pine trees, for my taste they don't have a very tropical look: I associate tropical plants with large leaves (taro, philodendrons, palms, etc.), and extreme weather plants with small leaves (pines, oaks, cactus, etc.).

P.S.--Here are 2 pics I took of a Monkey Puzzle Tree in Holiday Park, Carlsbad, California.

http://www.simnia.com/places/USA/CA/SDC/Carlsbad/HP/CA0509c_007_HP_pine.jpg
http://www.simnia.com/places/USA/CA/SDC/Carlsbad/HP/CA0509c_008_HP_%5bFALLING_CONES%5d.jpg

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I agree, they would not fit my opinion of tropical ornamental plants. I really like the plants near tomorrowland as well, Mbonga, especially underneath and near the monorail station!

I really like the plants near tomorrowland as well, Mbonga, especially underneath and near the monorail station!

If I recall correctly, those are Lady Palms (Rhapis excelsa), under both the Disneyland Hotel station and Tomorrowland station. But it has been many years since I've been by there, and I no longer take Disneyland's landscaping seriously. Vintage all the way for me, even in plants!

http://www.floridata.com/ref/R/rhap_exc.cfm