Bombax ceiba

[fastfeat]

Saw these yesterday. I'm guessing the dry weather has helped bring on heavy bloom.

Small tree, at Fairchild employee parking area:

Larger tree at end of I-95, across from Vizcaya Museum:

[Jeff in St Pete]

Awesome flowers. One of the most beautiful flowering trees around.

[daxin]

This is what the city of Panzhihua in Sichuan, China (as in Cycas panzhihuaensis) is named after. Panzhihua literally means "Clinging to Branch Flower". Since this tree is quite tropical, I was very surprised that Cycas panzhihuaensis is one of the cold hardiest cycads. I guess the native habitat for this cycad is at much higher elevation on the surrounding mountains. Bombax ceiba is also commonly used as a street tree in the Pearl River delta area near Hong Kong. Its common name there is "Wood Cotton", referring to the fibers in its fruits, which were traditionally used to stuff pillows and mattresses.

[Salvades]

That is an awsome tree! I've never seen it before.

[siafu]

Any idea how long it takes to bloom from seed?

[Peter]

Great shots Ken. There is flowering tree at the LA Arboretum, but I think it might be grafted-is that right Ken?

[Morabeza]

Gorgeous specimen and photos!

In Honolulu we have a lovely mature red one near Waikīkī in the Queen Kapi'olani Garden adjacent to Lē'ahi Ave. and another younger red one on the UH Mānoa campus on East-West Road.

Also on O'ahu near Hawai'i Kai, the Koko Crater BG has two gorgeous orange-flowered forms of this species. Here are some pictures:

[Morabeza]

Showing the two trees:

[fastfeat]

Siafu-- I'd guess probably 5-6 years or so from seed. Seem to be slower to come into bloom than Ceiba/Chorisia speciosa.

Peter-- Yep, grafted onto (pretty sure) Ceiba/Chorisia speciosa or C. insignis. Maybe the easiest way to go, since Bombax doesn't seem to set seed here in FL either.

Morabeza79-- Nice lighter orange color. They go all the way to light yellow, much like Delonix regia. Nice pics.

[Carlo Morici]

Nice pictures! Two years ago we planted 2 Bombax ceiba in the Palmetum in Tenerife. They grew very little (possibly as they were 6 years old, underpotted plants), but one of them has a fruit, while it is less than 2 m tall. I hope they "wake up" at some time and become real trees.

Carlo

[fastfeat]

Nice pictures! Two years ago we planted 2 Bombax ceiba in the Palmetum in Tenerife. They grew very little (possibly as they were 6 years old, underpotted plants), but one of them has a fruit, while it is less than 2 m tall. I hope they "wake up" at some time and become real trees.

Carlo

Carlo--

I wonder what the pollinator was?

I have yet to see any fruit here in FL (where they're not really rare, sort of occasional). I figured the pollinator (maybe a bird or moth species) just didn't make the trip over from the Old World.

Anyone else seen fruit on these?

[Eric in Orlando]

I'm hoping our 2 15ft specimens will flower this year but it doesn't appear that they will. They have grown fast in just 4 years from seedlings.

There was a huge specimen at Bok Towr but it was toppled by Hurricane Charley.

There is an interesting shaped specimen at the Ringling Estate in Sarasota;

[TikiRick]

Perhaps one of the most magnificent flowering trees....I believe I read someplace that the bat is the pollenator.

[Morabeza]

[Eric in Orlando]

There is a good sized Bombax ceiba at Disney's Animal Kingdom. I took this photo in March 2007. There were a bunch of little birds feeding on the nectar, if you look close you can see a few. I don't know if the tree got pollinated and set pods.

[Peter]

I just found this photo from a couple of years ago of the LA Arboretum tree:

[koolthing78]

There is a huge one at Selby Garden in Sarasota. Here's a picture from their website (not great quality, but use your imagination):

http://vtgcrec.ifas.ufl.edu/pages/Selby%20...by-03-tree1.JPG

If I remember right, there was a fountain or bird bath underneath it, and as the flowers fell from the tree they landed face up in the water, making a very elegant and showy "arrangement"

[Eric in Orlando]

That is a big one at Selby. I found my photo of it but without flowers;

[Carlo Morici]

I don't know how it got pollinated. I did not pay much attention, as I have seen many species of Bombacaceae setting fruit freely here on the islands.

Carlo

[Alberto]

I planted one of this at my fathers farm in Tibagi some 12 years ago. It grew up to a tree with a very fat trunk like brazilian a Chorisia speciosa. It survived few frosts with little damage. It flowers well each year .

Yesterday I planted a Chambeyronia and 10 Euterpes edulis´´Reserva´´in the shade of this big tree.

[buzzmonkey]

I love this tree. There is an amazing example at the museum of art in downtown St. Petersburg.