Site and species selection
This study used plants in the living collections of the Fairchild
Tropical Botanic Garden (FTBG) in Coral Gables, FL USA. FTBG is located
at 25.68N / 80.28W, has a mean annual temperature of 24.1˚C, and an
average total annual precipitation of 130 cm. We took advantage of the
FTBG’s diverse collection by selecting study plants that were mature
individuals, had canopies that received direct sunlight for most of the
day, were accessible from the ground, and represented different
families. We ultimately selected 21 species from 20 different families
that exhibited a variety of growth habits (Table S1). We used only one
individual per species to measure the parameters describing the
relationship between temperature and carbon assimilation, and the three
different metrics of heat tolerance.