Tropical Lowlands: Hawaii and South Florida

Lowland Hawaii and south Florida are proper tropical climates, completely free of frost all year. This region corresponds with USDA Zones 10–12 and Sunset Zone 25.

Note: There are many more fine perennial vegetables for the tropical lowlands, which unfortunately were excluded from this book due to its North American focus. See the Recommended Reading and Organizations section for ideas.

Perennial in all of the Tropical Lowlands:

Abelmoschus manihot edible hibiscus

Allium cepa aggregatum shallot

Allium tuberosum garlic chives

Alternanthera sissoo sissoo spinach

Artocarpus altilis breadfruit

Bambusa spp. clumping bamboos

Basella alba Malabar spinach

Brassica oleracea acephala tropical tree kale

Brassica oleracea alboglabra gai lon

Canna edulis achira

Capsicum annum ‘Perennial Capsicum’ sweet pepper

Carica papaya papaya

Cedrella sinensis fragrant spring tree

Cnidoscolus chayamansa ‘Stingless’ chaya

Cnidoscolus palmeri & bull nettles

Coccinia grandis ‘Sterile’ perennial cucumber

Colocasia esculenta ‘Celery Stem’ taro

Colocasia esculenta taro, cocoyam, eddo, dasheen

Cyperus esculentus sativa chufa

Dendrocalamus spp. clumping bamboos

Dioscorea alata white yam

Dioscorea bulbifera air potato

Dioscorea esculenta asiatic lesser yam

Dioscorea trifida cush cush yam

Dolichos lablab hyacinth bean

Eleocharis dulcis water chestnut

Gigantochloa spp. clumping bamboos

Gynura crepioides Okinawa spinach

Hibiscus acetosella cranberry hibiscus

Ipomoea aquatica water spinach

Ipomoea batatas sweet potato

Lycopersicon spp/ tomato

Manihot esculenta cassava

Momordica charantia bitter gourd

Moringa oleifera moringa

Moringa stenopetala moringa

Musa x paradisica ‘Rajapuri’ banana

Musa x paradisica plantain, banana

Nasturtium officinale watercress

Nastus elatus clumping bamboo

Nelumbo nucifera water lotus

Opuntia spp. spineless nopale cactus

Phaseolus coccineus runner bean

Phaseolus lunatus Lima bean

Phaseolus polysantus cache bean

Phyllostachys spp. running bamboos

Phytolacca americana pokeweed

Psophocarpus ‘Day Length Neutral’ winged bean

Psophocarpus tetragonobolus winged bean

Saccharum edule pitpit

Sagittaria sinensis Chinese arrowhead

Sauropus androgynous katuk

Sechium edule chayote

Smallianthus sonchifolia yacon

Solanum melongena & spp. eggplant

Trichostigma octandrum basket vine

Xanthosoma brasiliense belembe

Xanthosoma saggitifolium tannier, yautia, malanga

Xanthosoma violaceum violet-stem taro

Perennial in cooler parts of the Tropical Lowlands:

Asparagus officinalis asparagus

Oenanthe javanica water celery

Tetragonia tetragonioides New Zealand spinach

Can be grown as cool season annuals in the Tropical Lowlands:

Allium fistulosum Welsh onion

Helianthus tuberosa sunchoke

Oenanthe javanica water celery

Rheum rubarbarum rhubarb