Had several of these large trees go down in hurricane Irma in Miami. These trees do not root deeply, the roots are at or above the surfac...Read Moree from these trees. These roots create issues for maintenance anywhere under the canopy and beyond. Of the nine trees total, five of them went down with catastrophic results to other plants, trees in the areas where they were. There is now also a pest here, a type of miner that riddles the stems and branches causing die back of both twigs and large branches. It has been controlled with systematic pesticides in the past, but I prefer not to use these as they persist in the environment. If you consider growing one of these it requires a large area, and consider the branch drop from pests and the surface roots.
I have a seed thematic just sprouted, and I live in Southern California and I was wondering if SoCal weather is compatible with this tree...Read More. And if not what can I do to ensure healthy growth.
This tree is easy to germinate from seed if scarified. Simply make a small and shallow cut with a sharp knife along the side of the hard ...Read Moreseed shell (only deep enough to see the slightest white from the endosperm inside). Place the seed in a zip lock bag filled up 1/3 of the way with potting soil (preferably a seed germinating mix; I have also found that the Palm/Cactus/Citrus blends work well). Dampen the soil and place the zip lock bag on a seed germination heat mat. Should germinate in 2-5 days.
I have grown this tree from seed indoors in the UK for a bonsai tree . They germinated in august last year and have been growing over win...Read Moreter on a bright window upstairs . One of the seedlings leaves keeps turning pure white some of the leaves fall off but other leaves manage to turn green again . I regulary fertalise them and ive treated them with insectacide and even repoted it into a more sandy soil mix but a few weeks later some of the leave tips are still pure white . Can anyone give me some advise on this could this be fertiliser burn or the soil mix , or some sort of insect pest ? many thanks
Here in Mysore, these trees are very popular avenue trees providing plenty of shade. Some are having huge girth and the canopy is a sigh...Read Moret to behold, having a lovely spread all round. The fruits when they fall, have a sweet smell and gets sticky. The cows that decorate our roads (!!) love those fruits. When vehicles pass over the fruits, they just get pressed and stick there. As kids we used to collect these fruits, crush and then make a hard hand made ball to play, usually with plenty of cycle-tubing rubber bands all over it to add some softness. A huge 150 year old tree which I had seen all my life fell in a storm 4-5 years back and the void it created near that park was incredible. It had such a huge canopy sheltering so many fruit and flower vendors under it.
I joined a Bonsai Club and saw one at the display at the county fair. It was at least 35 years old and the grandest looking tree there. ...Read MoreThey called it a Brazillian Raintree. I was warned when planting to keep it away from buildings and sidewalks because the roots will do damage.
Konallie is correct in saying this is a very large tree; in the sub-tropics it grows very fast . If you like trees, this one is (in my v...Read Moreiew) one of the most beautiful due its massive architecture of trunk and branches (don't plant this tree for its flowers, which are insignificant). A mature specimen can be 70-90 feet tall and 60-70 feet across the crown, each topmost branch reaching a magical level that leaves a smooth umbrella-shaped profile to the whole tree. S. saman is eratically deciduous.
Another story regarding the common name of "raintree" for S. saman, different from that given above by Desertboot, is that, as the bipinnate leaves close at dusk, condensed water-vapor drips off the leaf tips.
A hugely (pun intended) popular 'avenue tree' in South India. Originally introduced, from Brazil, sometime in the late-19th century, and ...Read Moreeven today planted along highways and city-streets for their sprawling shade. Some of the oldest still stand in and around the S. Indian cities of Bangalore, Mysore and Madras. Trunks are of immense girth, with characteristic bottle-green canopies often 30-40 meters / 90- 120 feet across, criss-crossed (as seen from below) by heavy branches. Interestingly, the epithet 'rain tree' comes from the excretory secretion squired by cicadas that colonise the canopy during specific times of the year (I've never experienced this rather horrid-sounding phenomenon, so apologies to anyone who's wondering when, or for that matter, why!). Another peculiarity: the bi-pinnate leaves fold shut at night and on overcast days.
The flowers: delicate, feathry powder puffs in soft-pink and pale yellow.
The fruit: narrow, straight, flattened, deep-burgundy coloured and slightly fleshy pods; sticky when crushed - usually, under the wheels of automobiles.
The seeds: a single row of dark brown / black seeds with a yellow eye, about 5mm in length, and anything between 24-36 in each pod. These are embedded in a not-unpleasant smelling and resinous pulp, which needs to be cleaned off in water before the seeds are sun-dried for a bit and only then stored / sown.
Propagation: by seed seems to be the only way; quick to germinate; rapid growers and thrive in humid conditions.
For obvious reasons, mustn't be planted too close to buildings and require ample spacing between themselves. Ferns are among the only plants that flourish in the shade of long-established specimens.
The monkey pod, or rain tree, can grow very huge, up to 100 feet across. So, your description of it's size is inaccurrate. They are com...Read Moremon in Hawaii, and grow very rapidly. (we currently have one trying to take over the entire back yard!) They are very interesting to see. I have some recent photographs.
This is a short tree, or large shrub from Tropical America. At first sight, it looks pretty much like other Powder Puff plants, like Call...Read Moreiandra brevipes, though this one belongs to a different genus.
This tree rarely grows much, staying between 3-6 meters tall. The leaves are small and bipinnate. The flowers have long, pink to white stamens, and these flowers are grouped in dense heads, forming the "powder puffs". However, there are always 2 or 3 flowers per head with stamens that are fused together in a long, white tube. These specialized flowers contain nectar, and feed the butterflies, while these insects get pollen from the other flowers.
This plant likes full sun, but goes well under some shade. It needs regular watering, high temperatures, and a fertile soil.
Had several of these large trees go down in hurricane Irma in Miami. These trees do not root deeply, the roots are at or above the surfac...Read More
I have a seed thematic just sprouted, and I live in Southern California and I was wondering if SoCal weather is compatible with this tree...Read More
This tree is easy to germinate from seed if scarified. Simply make a small and shallow cut with a sharp knife along the side of the hard ...Read More
I have grown this tree from seed indoors in the UK for a bonsai tree . They germinated in august last year and have been growing over win...Read More
I think Monocromatico is talking about another type of tree.
Here in Mysore, these trees are very popular avenue trees providing plenty of shade. Some are having huge girth and the canopy is a sigh...Read More
Great so far... I loved this tree when I was in Hawaii and have a baby growing under the lights here in south Texas now...
I joined a Bonsai Club and saw one at the display at the county fair. It was at least 35 years old and the grandest looking tree there. ...Read More
Konallie is correct in saying this is a very large tree; in the sub-tropics it grows very fast . If you like trees, this one is (in my v...Read More
A hugely (pun intended) popular 'avenue tree' in South India. Originally introduced, from Brazil, sometime in the late-19th century, and ...Read More
The monkey pod, or rain tree, can grow very huge, up to 100 feet across. So, your description of it's size is inaccurrate. They are com...Read More
This is a short tree, or large shrub from Tropical America. At first sight, it looks pretty much like other Powder Puff plants, like Call...Read More