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.