41 replies to this topic

[Peter]

The pink Tabs are early this year in Southern California. No sign of the yellows yet. Here is my favorite Tab. impetiginosa in the Ralph's supermarket parking lot:


One more from the neighborhood:

[Peter]

And here are a few more from the Huntington and LA Arboretum:




Here is an 'apricot', which is a cross between impetiginosa and chrysotricha:

[Peter]

Sorry, don't know why a few of those were flipped. I've got a few photos of some unidentified white flowered Tabebuias in Columbia, which I will publish if I get permission from the photographer. In the meantime, here's a small photo of a white in the garden of a friend in Australia:



And a couple of Tab. chrysotrichas:

[Funkthulhu]

WOW!!!

[Peter]

Closeup of 'apricot', flower:

[bahia]

Thanks for the beautiful photos of one of my favorite blooming trees. I wish they did as well here in Berkeley, California. I've planted a T. Impetiginosa in my neighbor's front yard five years ago now, and it has barely grown any larger and no indication of wanting to flower. I suspect it is similar to Jacaranda mimosifolia locally, needs a warmer spot with less wind off the bay to really do well here. T. chrysotricha on the other hand, does bloom locally, but also benefits from wind shelter and warmth of an enclosed courtyard.

[fastfeat]

Peter--

Is that apricot one at LASCA? Is it tagged as H. impetiginosus x H. chrysotrichus? Form looks like it could be H. impetiginosus x H. umbellatus. Both crosses work.

[Peter]

Ken, the apricots are at the LA Arboretum. I'm pretty sure(but not positive) the large one says impetiginosa x chrysotricha, but not as sure about the second one(flower closeups).

[PalmatierMeg]

Beautiful. Can't wait for the purple Tabebuia we planted to bloom

[Stevetoad]

Amazing, thanks for the pics!

[Eric in Orlando]

Very nice ! These are great trees !!!

H. chrysotrichus and H. impetiginosus have started flowering the past month around here. It has been such a warm winter that they haven't been putting on a great show as they had the past 2 springs after cold/cool winters. H. umbellatus will be starting in the next few weeks.

I have seen a few hybrids popping up in landscapes. Most look to be H. umbellatus/impetiginosus hybrids. They have that pastel yellow/pink blush. There is a nursery east of Orlando near Cocoa (Rockledge Gardens) that have been creating and selling them. They are mixes of H. impetiginosus/umbellatus/chrysotrichus. Many have a wide variety of colors. We have a H. imetiginosus x chrysotrichus. It has a growth habit more like H. impetiginosus but slightly more narrow like H. chrysotrichus. The leaves look like those of H. impetiginosus but are coarse and hairy like H. chrysotrichus. Flowers are a pastel yellow when they open, develop a pink blush then fade to a very pale creamy yellow before they fall. Very distinct. We have planted 8 F2 hybrids between H. impetiginosus/umbellatus/chrysotrichus. The colors vary from white to bright pink, bright yellow, purple, maroon pale yellow/pink and white. The growth habits and leaves are also different on each tree. They aren't flowering yet but I will post photos when they do.

[Eric in Orlando]

Here is our first hybrid we planted, H. impetiginosus x chrysotrichus. On the left is H. umbellatus and on the right is H. chrysotrichus

[Eric in Orlando]

That white one is nice. We were growing 3 T. roseoalba from Brazil, supposed to have pure white flowers. I grew them from seed and they got to 6-7ft but were not cold hardy and were killed after the 2009-2010 winter.

There are also some white forms of H. impetiginosus. We have 2, 'Alba' and 'Naples White' but neither have flowered yet.

[Peter]

Nice looking hybrid Eric! Here is the white growing in Columbia, photo ©Emilio Constantino:




I'm trying to get seeds. And I've also got T. impetiginosa 'alba'; it's just over my head now so hopefully it will bloom soon. Gary has a 10' T. roseo-alba growing great; everyone else seems to be having a little difficulty with it(including me). Seems to be a little bitchy; wants more water than your regular Tab, and seems to be more cold sensitive.

[Eric in Orlando]

Very nice !!!

I noticed today our 'Naples White' has some buds, first time for it. 'Alba' has none so far. It has gone totally bear but no signs of growth/flowers yet. Hopefully it will flower. Both are 7-8ft tall.

The T. roseoalba we grew were slower and finickier than other Tabs/Habs and I did notice they did like more water too. I would try them again.

[Peter]

Good news Eric-please take photos of your Naples white, and especially your alba if it develops some flowers this year. Both might be a more viable option than roseo-alba, especially if the flowers last as long as a typical pink impetiginosa. I've heard that roseo-alba is spectacular, but that the flowers don't last that long.

[fastfeat]

Here is our first hybrid we planted, H. impetiginosus x chrysotrichus. On the left is H. umbellatus and on the right is H. chrysotrichus

Hey Eric--

Keep an eye out for H. umbellatus seed this year if you can. The tree isn't in the trade here in SoCal at all, and I really think that its slightly larger size would make a more suitable street tree than H. chrysotrichus. So many of the latter are used as street trees but fail to establish (I think in large part to their small caliper and root systems being encumbered by poor staking. Small 1/2" caliper trees are often seen strapped to 1.5" square stakes, then tied between two 2.5" peeler poles in 3X3 wells with six lanes of arterial traffic swaying the whole set-up. And the cities wonder why they don't grow...) I think H. umbellatus, being a somewhat larger and faster grower, would stand a better chance at establishment.

[ariscott]

Love them all Peter.... I can't wait till all of my white ones flower. I have 2 different types of white with larger and smaller leaves. The larger one has flowered and I have sent the pics to you, I think. Hopefully that one will be more impressive this year . Oh, and I have purple one yet that hasn't flowered. This one is slower than the rest though

I really like Emilio's one... SO WHITE!!!!

Regards, Ari

Edited by ariscott, 21 February 2012 - 12:35 PM.

[BigFrond]

I checked mine yesterday and they are budding now.

[Palms1984]

The pink Tabs are early this year in Southern California. No sign of the yellows yet. Here is my favorite Tab. impetiginosa in the Ralph's supermarket parking lot:


One more from the neighborhood:

Those are beautiful trees! They're blooming here in San Diego, also. I've seen these trees bloom as early as the beginning of January here in San Diego.

[Trópico]

I did better this year. Just three flowers on my yellow Tabebuia! Last two years the flower buds were damaged by the freezing temps. I have the yellow, the pink and a yellow variety that I collected in Bogota, Colombia that flowers in small "bunches". Not sure of the name.

[Palms1984]

Some very beautiful photos posted here.

Here's a few of mine from the last week or so.

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[Palms1984]

A closer view of the flowers.

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[Palms1984]

A closer view of the flowers.

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[JasonD]

We need more choices like this in our fogbound climate. Wonder what lies in wait on some foggy mountaintop for future introduction.

[fastfeat]

A nice 30'/10m Handroanthus impetiginosus in Cerritos, CA.

[ariscott]

Oh.... I don't know they get that big....... how old would that be, Ken?

[fastfeat]

Oh.... I don't know they get that big....... how old would that be, Ken?

Ari-- I'm guessing this one is 20-25 years old. They can get twice this height where native, especially if they're crowded (as in a forested situation). Biggest ones I've seen in SoCal are/were at LA Arboretum, probably around 40'/13m, prior to the big recent windstorm.

[Peter]

Ari, here's one in my neighborhood at the late Bill Baker's house. I seem to remember him saying he planted this one in the 70's. It's got to be 30' tall:

Edited by Peter, 29 March 2012 - 04:48 PM.

[JEFF from Trabuco Canyon CA]

Nice!

[JasonD]

A nice 30'/10m Handroanthus impetiginosus in Cerritos, CA.

Meanwhile those bronze loquats are in full, fragrant bloom. What a combo!

[amazondk]

Great pictures of tabebuias. They are one of my favorite local trees. And, from them also comes one of the best wood for decks and other uses, ipe wood. My favorite local tree is the tabebuia serratifolia, or known locally as ipe amarelo. You will probably never see specimens like the ones found in the forest here. I have seen trees up to 150 feet tall with trunks of maybe 10 feet in diameter. Here is one of my favorites I took a few years ago in the forest of eastern Amazonas state. As to the tabs planted around town in Manaus they only flower well during dry years. But, the yellow ipe found in the forest dots the green landscape with patches of color when in flower. When the trees grow in the forest they go straight up a long way before branching out. This is totally different than when grown out of the forest.

[amazondk]

I was out on the Negro River today and noticed that the local tabebuia which grows along the banks of the Negro River in the flooded forest areas,(Igapo) is in bloom. This is high water time and the tree blooms when the area is flooded. It is a pretty pinkish purple color. And, although it is not as striking as some the species used in landscaping it is a nice tree and adds a nice accent to the river banks. I believe the correct name for this species is Tabebuia barbata. It grows in flooded forest areas throughout the region. A tributary of the Negro river the Tarumá river is named after this tree. This is probably because it is so abundant in the area.

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[fastfeat]

Great pics Don!

Thanks much.

[LJG]

Don, they grow so different in cultivation. I have never seen one with that telephone pole look then canopy so high. All the ones here spread out and are hard to shape.

[amazondk]

Len,

They grow the same way here when cultivated. They spread out just like in California. There are a lot of them planted as street trees in the southeast of Brazil. When they grow in a natural forest ecosystem they go straight up as a slender stem until they get enough light to spread out as they emerge from the canopy. That is the forest tababuias. There are many species some from savanna ecosystems, river banks, etc. Here is a picture of a large yellow ipe, tabebuia serratifolia that the guys I was with had cut down and were in going to saw it up into pieces with their chain saw. Once a tree like this is felled it opens up a fairly large clearing and it little ipe trees pop up everywhere. One of them may eventually fill the gap if another specie does not beat it to it. The guy by the tree is the was the owner of the land. The lumber from these trees is about as dense as any wood can get, about 1,300 kilos per m3 of wood. And, it is virtually indestructable. It does not even burn easily.

[fastfeat]

Don, they grow so different in cultivation. I have never seen one with that telephone pole look then canopy so high. All the ones here spread out and are hard to shape.

Len--

Not sure what you mean by hard to shape-- hard to confine into a small canopy? Because most, despite initial gawkiness, actually are rather adept at making strong scaffolds with little training. If you are trying to control spread laterally to squeeze between other trees, I can see where you might have issues.

[ariscott]

I love it because of its canopy.... so round and spread out.... great to plant things under.... it will drop most of its leaves in the dry season, but the sun is not as harsh then so works well anyway. Love my tabs... hopefully I get more flowers later during the year.

Regards, Ari

[LJG]

Len,

They grow the same way here when cultivated. They spread out just like in California. There are a lot of them planted as street trees in the southeast of Brazil. When they grow in a natural forest ecosystem they go straight up as a slender stem until they get enough light to spread out as they emerge from the canopy. That is the forest tababuias. There are many species some from savanna ecosystems, river banks, etc. Here is a picture of a large yellow ipe, tabebuia serratifolia that the guys I was with had cut down and were in going to saw it up into pieces with their chain saw. Once a tree like this is felled it opens up a fairly large clearing and it little ipe trees pop up everywhere. One of them may eventually fill the gap if another specie does not beat it to it. The guy by the tree is the was the owner of the land. The lumber from these trees is about as dense as any wood can get, about 1,300 kilos per m3 of wood. And, it is virtually indestructable. It does not even burn easily.

Wow. Impressive photo.

[LJG]

Don, they grow so different in cultivation. I have never seen one with that telephone pole look then canopy so high. All the ones here spread out and are hard to shape.

Len--

Not sure what you mean by hard to shape-- hard to confine into a small canopy? Because most, despite initial gawkiness, actually are rather adept at making strong scaffolds with little training. If you are trying to control spread laterally to squeeze between other trees, I can see where you might have issues.

Ken, they do not grow with a single leader. For a lollipop street tree, sure they are easy to form. But as a tree to push up 20 - 30 feet then canopy, they are very tough to do. It can be done as I am trying on a "True Ipe" from Jesse Durko. Another issue is that they are pretty slow to get up that high.