Technical Abstract: In May, 2005, an ornamental plant exploration trip was conducted in remnant forests of Puerto Rico. The main focus of this collection trip was Tabebuia haemantha, a rare Puerto Rican endemic that has many features of interest to horticulture. It is a small-statured tree, evergreen, red-flowered and is largely unknown in cultivation. We were also interested in looking for improved forms of Tabebuia heterophylla, the common pink tabebuia. This species, widely produced and planted in south Florida, has suffered from a great deal of inbreeding, as local seed sources are continuously used for the production. The species is also currently negatively impacted by a new thrips. We hoped that new germplasm from offshore populations of this species might show variable resistance to this pest. We also collected seeds and cuttings of other genera (Coccoloba, Poitea, Simarouba, Hillia, Turnera, Polygala cowellii ) for evaluation as tropical and subtropical ornamentals. A number of these endemic Puerto Rican plants are threatened or endangered in their natural habitat. Key words: Tabebuia, Sabinea, evaluation, Coccoloba, Turnera