ID for these two clusia?

[Sandy Loam]

Hello.

I just bought the two clusia trees in the attached photos. Can anyone identify these two trees?

The first photo shows a much bigger clusia on the left in a 7-gallon size pot. It is the type that one sees everywhere in southern Florida, and it may be the Florida-native variety.

In the same photo, the clusia on the right has much larger leaves and yet it is a less mature tree. It is in a 3 gallon pot.

The second photo shows a close-up image of the same 3-gallon tree once again. As you can see, it has almost wavy or pleated leaves, whereas the bigger tree has totally flat succulent leaves.

I don't know what trees I have purchased because they were unmarked at the nursery. However, according to another source, this nursery has only five kinds of clusia in stock. The two I bought must therefore must be one of the following five which the nursery allegedly sells:

clusia rosea

clusia rosea 'nana'

clusia lanceolata

clusia guttifera

clusia guttifera variegated

I can obviously eliminate the 'variegated' option outright. Can I also eliminate 'nana'? I could be mistaken, but I thought the 'nana' variety was the type with extremely tiny leaves. Perhaps I am thinking of guttifera instead. (Note: Home Depot commonly sells as "clusia guttifera" the type seen in my 7-gallon pot, which is also the variety often seen throughout southern Florida. However, Home Depot is not always correct on its plant labels, as I have been advised.)

After this elimination, the three remaining options are "clusia rosea", "clusia guttifera" and "clusia lanceolata", but it can't be lanceolata because my googled photos of lanceolata looked entirely different. Can I safely assume that the 3-gallon potted tree with larger leaves is "clusia rosea," whereas the 7-gallon potted tree with smaller leaves is "rosea guttifera"?

Your expertise is much appreciated. Many thanks.

[Geoff]

First one looks like typical Clusia rosea… never seen one with wavy leaves like those, though… might be one of the other species.

[fastfeat]

Pretty sure that the 3g is Clusia rosea and the 7g is what is sold as C. "guttifera" (a name of apparently no standing, per The Plant List).

FWIW, C. "guttifera" is no dwarf; use it with caution as a hedging species:

http://www.plantcreations.com/images/The%20Clusia%20Mistake%2009.JPG

http://www.plantcreations.com/The%20Clusia%20Mistake.html

[Sandy Loam]

Wow. Thanks Geoff and FastFeet.

Apparently the small leaf variety is Clusia Guttifera and the large leaf kind is Clusia Rosea. My guess, therefore, is that the type with very tiny leaves (not in my photos) must be Clusia Rosea "Nana". If anyone can correct me, please do so.

There was a thread about Clusia Rosea/Clusia Guttifera started a couple of years ago by Walt (of Palmtalk fame). He was finding that the larger leaf variety suffered damage when he experienced a freeze (or almost freezing), whereas the smaller leaf variety suffered no damage at all. Way up north here in Gainesville, Florida, my prediction is that the large leaf variety will die and the small leaf variety will experience damage, but will keep on trucking overall.

FastFeet, I doubt that my smaller leaf Clusia will become a giant like the one in your photo because my overnight winter temperatures are so much lower than Homestead, FL, where the photo you posted was taken. I am not supposed to be growing it in zone 9A at all. It's just experiment. Homestead is probably zone 11B, almost as warm as the Florida Keys, so I am not surprised that the Clusia grew so huge there.

Thanks for the feedback. If anyone else has comments, I do welcome them.

[Sandy Loam]

Update: Now that winter has come through here, I have discovered that one clusia is much more cold-hardy than the other. The one that we determined to be "clusia guttifera" has had no cold damage at all. By contrast, the smaller plant in the photo above (with the larger, more rippled leaves) has not been cold-hardy at all. I believe it is "clusia rosea" (not to be confused with "clusea rosa nana" which has very tiny leaves). After our cold night where my thermometer reached 28.8 degrees Fahrenheit, it defoliated completely. I don't know if it will come back in the March/spring. The bigger tree in the photo above (presumably "clusia guttifera") is going strong. 28.8 degrees F does not affect it at all. It should definitely be planted more often in zone 9a, which is odd because this tree is never seen in the north of Florida, but it is quite common in the south of Florida, zones 10a to 11b.

That is my cold-hardiness report for any clusia fans interested in giving it a try. I am only assuming that cold is the reason why the clusia rosea defoliated. It may have been because of too much shade, but I doubt it because the other clusia is also planted in full shade.

[fastfeat]

"FastFeet, I doubt that my smaller leaf Clusia will become a giant like the one in your photo because my overnight winter temperatures are so much lower than Homestead, FL, where the photo you posted was taken. I am not supposed to be growing it in zone 9A at all. It's just experiment. Homestead is probably zone 11B, almost as warm as the Florida Keys, so I am not surprised that the Clusia grew so huge there."

Sandy-- LOL! Homestead ain't no 11b, tho I'm sure many growers there wish it were! 10b, but certainly colder than Miami (due to its inland location). Didn't notice your Gainesville location initially. If your C. rosea makes it through the winter, I'd dig it up and keep it containerized. Your location is waaay too cold for it to survive long-term. Best of luck!

[Sandy Loam]

Oh, I agree. The clusia rosea (largest leaf tree of the 3 clusias) defoliated after our first cold dip. I don't know whether to throw it out or wait and see if it will survive. If it survives, it will become a donation to friends much farther south in Florida.

However, the medium-sized leaf clusea guttifera has been amazing all winter. Our winter has just ended and it has continued to grow during our 3 colder months of the year. It has no damage at all from this winter in Gainesville, but we did not get anything below 29 Fahrenheit this year and that was only for a quick hour before temperatures warmed up again into the 60s and 70s. I think that it could be a long term tree here (TBD) even though it is a Florida native from much further south. I suppose it could also work in the chillier parts of California, although it may require more moisture than most California soils offer.

As for the tiny leaf variety which is also common in southern Florida (clusia rosea nana), it was not part of my experiment.