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The article discusses the exploration of new areas in botanical research with an applied component, focusing on the extensive living collections of tropical plants at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in South Florida. It says that some of the studies focus on natural plant products and their potential use in medicine, agriculture and taxonomy. It says that Florida International University cellular biologists and botanist developed three projects to research natural plant products.

The article discusses Fairchild's Cockpit Country project for the last remaining large forested tracts in the Caribbean known as the Cockpit Country. Collaborative work between Fairchild and the Institute of Jamaica have provided the foundation for the project to explore, study and analyze the flora of the Cockpit Country to support an integrated plant conservation strategy for the region and build research and management. It cites ongoing research on patterns of genetic variation in Jamaican plants especially those used for medicinal purposes.