Adansonia/Baobab

[Scott Cohen]

Hey All!

Im looking for Adansonia species other than digitata, everything from seedling to 20ft for my collection (obviously dont have to be in pots, i can dig and move anything to about 20ft). If anyone knows where i could find some that would be great.

And while were on the subject, if you guys have any cool pictures lets see them! ill get some of mine up tomorrow.

Cheers!

[Jeff Searle]

Hey Scott,

Yea......I can't wait to see some pics. of your trees. This is one of my favorite groups of trees. I never did get to see any in Madagascar while I made my trips there. I was in the central and north part of the country and their found more in the south.

Jeff

[Eric in Orlando]

Check with Aridlands.com or Shoal Creek Succulents. I just ordered Adansonia perrieri and A. madagascariensis from there. We have small A. fony, za, grandidieri, gregorii, and rubrostipa in our Arid Garden and a couple A. digitata elsewhere

Here is one of our A. digitata; at Leu Gardens

A. madagascariensis at Selby Gardens in Sarasota'

A. za at the U of AZ campus in Tucson

[Eric in Orlando]

Here is a couple impressive specimens of A. digitata in Hollywood, FL, there are like 5 or 6 big ones in this park;

one of the big ones at Fairchild;

[Eric in Orlando]

A. digitata at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

and last, some specimens at Disney's Animal Kingdom

the last photo are 2 fake trees, there are several of these on the savannah, they hide animal feeders

[Kris]

Gentlemen

More visuals please..!

Thanks & Love,

Kris

[Eric in Orlando]

Scott, Are you growing Moringa drouhardii? It gets a swollen, baobab-like trunk. Also, Delonix floribunda (syn. D. adansonioides) and D. pumila are also pachycaul trees. All 3 are Madagascar natives.

Our Moringa is developing nicely. The photo was taken in May and it has got more swollen since then. It is very visible now as it is bare of foliage. I just planted the 2 Delonix.

Moringa drouhardii

[palmmermaid]

Eric,

I love your responses! I always leanr something new. Your last response included the word "pachycaul". A new word for me and now I know what it means - a thick-stemmed or - trunked tree or shrub with few or no branches. There are even books written on these. Thanks for keeping us informed (or at least me).

BTW, I just read your article about groundcovers. You didn't mention any for full sun. Any suggestions for that?

[Eric in Orlando]

Kitty, PM me your email, I will send a couple articles I wrote in the past.

[Scott Cohen]

Hey Eric, great pics!

I have one Moringa drouhardii and 2 Delonix floribunda. The moringa is still in the pot but the Delonix has been planted for several years now. its at least 12ft tall but has yet to get the swollen trunk, any ideas when this might happen? ill get some pictures up later today.

[Eric in Orlando]

We got a group of grafted floss silk trees donated a couple years ago from the Tropical Flowering Tree Society ('Willis Red', 'Willis Jr.', 'TEM', etc.). One was named 'Scott Cohen'. Is this you?

[Peter]

I think those floribundas are going to take years to start swelling; Moringa's seem to be much faster to get fat. Having said that, someone living in Madagascar posted a thread a while back with a photo of a floribunda that was really fat, perhaps it was Bruno?

[Austinpalm]

Any ideas on which Adansonia is the most cold hardy and how hardy that would be?

Are there any of these in California, or Texas?

Edited February 20, 2009 by Austinpalm

[Eric in Orlando]

My guess is that A. digitata is probably the hardiest. I don't know if enough people in marginal climates have tried the Madagascar species since they are fairly rare. A digitata can tolerate upper 20s and probably to 25F, don't know how much further.

There is a A. za at the U of AZ campus in Tucson. It is in zone 9b, gets into the 20sF every year but it is in a nice protected corner of a multistory brick building.

[ariscott]

I only got A. digitata and A. gregorii. Maybe I should get some different ones... They are surely magnificent. If they grow in Madagascar, they should grow here quite well...

Regards, Ari

[rozpalm]

I have a digitata about 10'. I was told that to get it fat its best not to water it a lot. The theory is that it will force it to start storing water and swelling. Maybe that will work with the other ones as well.

[Morabeza]

It is great to see photos of A. digitata in Tuscon, AZ!

Many people who have visited Waikīkī may have seen the dozens of A. digitata growing throughout the Ala Moana Beach Park.

Koko Crater BG has some old examples of this species, and much younger ones of other members of the genus. There is also a pretty huge A. digitata on the UH Mānoa Campus between Miller Hall and the Art Building. (http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/Faculty/Carr/images/ada_dig.jpg)

Here is a seed pod detail:

[Scott Cohen]

We got a group of grafted floss silk trees donated a couple years ago from the Tropical Flowering Tree Society ('Willis Red', 'Willis Jr.', 'TEM', etc.). One was named 'Scott Cohen'. Is this you?

Yes Eric, It is I the amazing Scott Cohen ! Yah im sure those are the plants crafton and i grafted years ago, Cindy periodically gets a collection from us. The mother tree is out in the front yard, next to the 40ft Alloxalon W. It has a vary colorful flower similar to Tem, and is definately in my top 10. Its not supposed to be called Scott Cohen, We have it as S.C. Hybrid, but no worries. How are they doing for you?

[Scott Cohen]

I have a digitata about 10'. I was told that to get it fat its best not to water it a lot. The theory is that it will force it to start storing water and swelling. Maybe that will work with the other ones as well.

Ill give that a shot!

[Carlo Morici]

I like these fascinating trees. In the Palmetum in Santa Cruz there are some A.madagascariensis and A.digitata, about 15 per species. They are doing fine. Some have been in the ground for 9 years, while many of them are younger and they are growing on a 45º slope. I wonder how do they develop on a slope... does anybody know?

We can't plant more of them because they are all deciduous, while we need some evergreen shade trees in the Malgasy area, for permanent canopy.

Carlo

[ThunderSRQ]

Check with Aridlands.com or Shoal Creek Succulents. I just ordered Adansonia perrieri and A. madagascariensis from there. We have small A. fony, za, grandidieri, gregorii, and rubrostipa in our Arid Garden and a couple A. digitata elsewhere

Eric,

I'll be planting A. digitata this Spring here in Sarasota and also have a one gallon A. grandidieri and a three gallon A. rubrostipa -- what cold temps have yours seen there at Leu? (I'm debating on whether or not to plant out these other two types now or just keep them in pots -- ?).

Also, of the types you listed, is there any information re: which one(s) get fat trunks quickest?

Thanks...

Tim

[Eric in Orlando]

We got a group of grafted floss silk trees donated a couple years ago from the Tropical Flowering Tree Society ('Willis Red', 'Willis Jr.', 'TEM', etc.). One was named 'Scott Cohen'. Is this you?

Yes Eric, It is I the amazing Scott Cohen ! Yah im sure those are the plants crafton and i grafted years ago, Cindy periodically gets a collection from us. The mother tree is out in the front yard, next to the 40ft Alloxalon W. It has a vary colorful flower similar to Tem, and is definately in my top 10. Its not supposed to be called Scott Cohen, We have it as S.C. Hybrid, but no worries. How are they doing for you?

They are growing well. They have been in the ground about a year and a half so no flowering yet. This is what we got. They are planted together in a group, it will make a nice floss silk forest in the coming years but there is also some related trees nearby; Pachira aquatica, Ceiba pentandra, Pseudobomabax ellipticum, a spineless, smooth trunked Ceiba speciosa, Adansonia digitata, Bombax ceiba, Ceiba insignis, and Canvanillesia platanifolia. I also have seedlings of Ceiba aesculifolia ssp. aesculifolia (C. acuminata) and Ceiba aesculifolia ssp. parvifolia to plant there.

here are the ones that were donated;

'Willis Red'

'Willis Jr.'

'Tem'

'Kampong'

'McDonald'

'Scott Cohen'

'Sunset' (C. chodatii)

'Sugarloaf' (C. crispifolia)

[Eric in Orlando]

Check with Aridlands.com or Shoal Creek Succulents. I just ordered Adansonia perrieri and A. madagascariensis from there. We have small A. fony, za, grandidieri, gregorii, and rubrostipa in our Arid Garden and a couple A. digitata elsewhere

Eric,

I'll be planting A. digitata this Spring here in Sarasota and also have a one gallon A. grandidieri and a three gallon A. rubrostipa -- what cold temps have yours seen there at Leu? (I'm debating on whether or not to plant out these other two types now or just keep them in pots -- ?).

Also, of the types you listed, is there any information re: which one(s) get fat trunks quickest?

Thanks...

Tim

So far A. digitata has been the fastest grower. It took 27F in 2003 with no damage. The coldest the others have seen is 30F a few weeks ago and they seem to be fine. They are about 3ft tall.

[Eric in Orlando]

Here is the Moringa drouhardii with the foliage shed for the winter and a slightly more swollen trunk than in the previous photo;

[Scott Cohen]

I like it!

[ariscott]

Here is the Moringa drouhardii with the foliage shed for the winter and a slightly more swollen trunk than in the previous photo;

Nice... moringa. I have a chance to get one a few months ago, not sure of the species... and I passed on it. Now, I don't know whether I can get them . Silly me!!

Regards, Ari

[Carlo Morici]

Hello all,

What is this?

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Is it a Pachira insignis?

As far as fattening them up quickly, I had an A. digitata at a previous house that I watered constantly. It grew so fast that the trunk split leaving an ugly scar that lasted years.

[Carlo Morici]

Pachira insignis? I don't know. I will check.

Carlo

[Fabrizio]

Hi, Have anyone tryed to graft a Baobab to a rootstock most cold resistant? I tried with Pachira aquatica but no compatibility found. I live near Genoa, Italy,

Minimum temp. 30, 28F two- four day max for year. Fabrizio P. Cogoleto, Colombo birthplace.