Awhile back, i posted a thread regarding some rarer tropical-esque trees id been researching. In that thread, i highlighted observations made specifically on Eucalyptus paupana, Acacia willaridana, Guaiacum coulteri, and Geofforea decorticans.

Returned to the same Demo garden today to check up on those species, other stuff in the collection, and the palms there. Exploring the entire property, i came across some other species i thought id share. Due to space limitation, i may or may not have to break this thread into a couple parts. Anyway, while some of the plants exhibit a good amount of cold hardiness, all exhibit a tropical look.
Mulga Acacia:

Bauhinia lunaroides

White Orchid Tree Bauhinia variegata candida
Leucanea retusa


Arizona Rosewood
Sumac Species i believe,..Can't remember which one.

..and one FAT Bottle.. tree. 

Last but not least, the "smell" of the Desert in March. Acacia farnesiana. Enjoy

 

3 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Awhile back, i posted a thread regarding some rarer tropical-esque trees id been researching. In that thread, i highlighted observations made specifically on Eucalyptus paupana, Acacia willaridana, Guaiacum coulteri, and Geofforea decorticans.

Returned to the same Demo garden today to check up on those species, other stuff in the collection, and the palms there. Exploring the entire property, i came across some other species i thought id share. Due to space limitation, i may or may not have to break this thread into a couple parts. Anyway, while some of the plants exhibit a good amount of cold hardiness, all exhibit a tropical look.
Mulga Acacia:

Bauhinia lunaroides

White Orchid Tree Bauhinia variegata candida
Leucanea retusa


Arizona Rosewood
Sumac Species i believe,..Can't remember which one.

..and one FAT Bottle.. tree. 

Last but not least, the "smell" of the Desert in March. Acacia farnesiana. Enjoy

 

that acacia farnesiana is out standing!!!

thanks for sharing your pictures  

Very cool plants, thanks for posting.  I am just getting into some of these companion trees so it is great to see some of them mature.

Great post.   Helped me ID one of my plants.

Josh,
Acacia farnesiana should be a breeze for you. Great small tree for dappled light for smaller cact/bromeliads,etc that want some afternoon shade. Very fast from seed. Trees can be quite thorny and should be trained to reduce suckers. Fragrance is fantastic..enough so that a Purfume called "Cassie" is produced from the flowers. Many streets around town are lined with them.

Ben, which one are you trialing? All of these should do fine up your way.

Keith, glad i could help..

My Guaiacum coulteri are doing very well so far. I am still looking for Guaiacum angustifolium. All the pictures I see of coulteri seem to show one of the most attractive looking flowering trees, I have ever seen. Our two native species never hold so many blooms at once--wonder if it is the species or the environment...

Hope you are enjoying your new location, Silas.

10 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Josh,
Acacia farnesiana should be a breeze for you. Great small tree for dappled light for smaller cact/bromeliads,etc that want some afternoon shade. Very fast from seed. Trees can be quite thorny and should be trained to reduce suckers. Fragrance is fantastic..enough so that a Purfume called "Cassie" is produced from the flowers. Many streets around town are lined with them.

Ben, which one are you trialing? All of these should do fine up your way.

Keith, glad i could help..

Well, I have a couple Acacia baileyana purpurea in the ground just recently, and have just germinated A. dealbata seedlings.  I also have seeds of A. auriculiformis, mangium on the way - and lots of little Acacia seedlings of different types, e.g. maidenii, stenophylla, podalyriifolia, pendula, etc.  Also have some small Eucalyptus on the way (seeds) - E. torquata and ficifolia.  Will be experimenting with most of these in pots for a little while, but a few going in ground when they get to reasonable size as well.

9 hours ago, Mandrew968 said:

My Guaiacum coulteri are doing very well so far. I am still looking for Guaiacum angustifolium. All the pictures I see of coulteri seem to show one of the most attractive looking flowering trees, I have ever seen. Our two native species never hold so many blooms at once--wonder if it is the species or the environment...

Hope you are enjoying your new location, Silas.

Andrew,
Good so far, just waiting to finalize a couple things atm.

Glad to hear you were able to acquire G. coulteri.. Id crossed paths with Carver up in St. Pete just before we hit the road and he'd told me you were able to locate this species. Still have my eye out for G angustifolium. Agree that coulteri seems to hold alot more flowers than either sanctum, at least from what i have read and observed. Never got a chance to make observations on officinale and my specimen is still too young..  When i first researched coulteri, it was pictures taken by a research team at ASDM ( AZ-Sonora Desert Museum) on trips through Alamos Mexico  that really sold this Lignum Vitae.

When we moved to Bradenton, i wasn't sure how it would hold up under Florida conditions but was more than pleased that both my larger specimen, and some seedlings i intentionally left fully exposed did quite well.. so, i doubt you should have any issues.

Having been able to acquire both a larger G sanctum specimen..plus some seedlings, and G officinale while in Florida, it will be interesting to see how both these species perform here.. Id read something online awhile back suggesting that there was a G. sanctum specimen growing somewhere in the area (one of the local College campuses, i think). Haven't been able to re-hash that article though.Regardless, we'll see what happens.. Really hoping to make crosses.

Nathan

On 3/14/2016 at 4:39 PM, Ben in Norcal said:

Well, I have a couple Acacia baileyana purpurea in the ground just recently, and have just germinated A. dealbata seedlings.  I also have seeds of A. auriculiformis, mangium on the way - and lots of little Acacia seedlings of different types, e.g. maidenii, stenophylla, podalyriifolia, pendula, etc.  Also have some small Eucalyptus on the way (seeds) - E. torquata and ficifolia.  Will be experimenting with most of these in pots for a little while, but a few going in ground when they get to reasonable size as well.

Just looking for info on acacia baileyana purpurea and this is the only post ever! May I ask what your experience with this tree has been so far @Ben in Norcal ?

On 7/29/2025 at 7:57 PM, Than said:

Just looking for info on acacia baileyana purpurea and this is the only post ever! May I ask what your experience with this tree has been so far @Ben in Norcal ?

Hey Than, these are super common in southern Australia, and are a weed here in Tasmania! Very easy to grow and super fast and hardy, they self seed prolifically. Unfortunately not very long lived, they can start to look very untidy after about 10 years. They're pretty things but I think there are much nicer Acacias for long term garden specimens.

My favourite is  Blackwood, A melanoxylon, beautiful, fast, hardy, long lived and and a very good canopy tree. I have one with Howea, Lepidorrachis, Hedyscepe and Rhopies growing very happily under it. Happy to send you some seeds if you'd like some.

10 hours ago, Jonathan said:

Hey Than, these are super common in southern Australia, and are a weed here in Tasmania! Very easy to grow and super fast and hardy, they self seed prolifically. Unfortunately not very long lived, they can start to look very untidy after about 10 years. They're pretty things but I think there are much nicer Acacias for long term garden specimens.

My favourite is  Blackwood, A melanoxylon, beautiful, fast, hardy, long lived and and a very good canopy tree. I have one with Howea, Lepidorrachis, Hedyscepe and Rhopies growing very happily under it. Happy to send you some seeds if you'd like some.

Thank you so much Jonathan. I love the colour of baileyana and I am wondering if by regular pruning I can keep it looking nice. I was thinking of a flat canopy shape. Something that will look like Acacia tortillis, the African savannah acacia.

I am looking for a tree that will provide canopy to my shade loving palms, like Archontophoenix and Howea. It must grow up fast, take light frosts and be evergreen. Also must be tall, to make sure it covers those palms for several years. Which ones would do you reckon?

13 hours ago, Jonathan said:

Happy to send you some seeds if you'd like some

Thank you so much, very kind of you! 

Btw I read on agriculture.vic.gov.au that A. melanoxylon grows slowly.

I was also considering Gleditsia triacanthos..

1 hour ago, Than said:

Thank you so much, very kind of you! 

Btw I read on agriculture.vic.gov.au that A. melanoxylon grows slowly.

I was also considering Gleditsia triacanthos..

No, its not slow, maybe not as fast as some wattles but still pretty fast compared to most trees. I'll try to remember to take some pics of mine to give you an idea of growth rates.

Other Acacia species to consider would be elata, maidenii, implexa. Baileyana wouldn’t get big enough to provide canopy for large palms like Archontophoenix. 

Gleditsia are nice trees but wouldn't give you any winter canopy...

4 hours ago, Than said:

I was also considering Gleditsia triacanthos

This is NOT a tree for ornamental planting, these are vicious trees.  The house I grew up in was on an old apple orchard so the farmer planted Honey locust to keep kids and animals out.  They were never removed and allowed to grow up fully.  The thorns/spikes are enormous 8"+ and they do fall off the trees.  They will puncture tires and just about anything including body parts.  I had to go to the hospital to have one of the thorns removed as a kid.  Very dangerous trees to have around humans and pets.

.

1 hour ago, Chester B said:

This is NOT a tree for ornamental planting, these are vicious trees.  The house I grew up in was on an old apple orchard so the farmer planted Honey locust to keep kids and animals out.  They were never removed and allowed to grow up fully.  The thorns/spikes are enormous 8"+ and they do fall off the trees.  They will puncture tires and just about anything including body parts.  I had to go to the hospital to have one of the thorns removed as a kid.  Very dangerous trees to have around humans and pets.

.

Wow, this looks like a tree straight out of a horror movie! I already ordered some Acacia elata and Acacia baileyana purpurea seeds btw. Apparently they grow super fast from seeds, so why not! Thanks for the recommendations guys

1 hour ago, Chester B said:

This is NOT a tree for ornamental planting, these are vicious trees.  The house I grew up in was on an old apple orchard so the farmer planted Honey locust to keep kids and animals out.  They were never removed and allowed to grow up fully.  The thorns/spikes are enormous 8"+ and they do fall off the trees.  They will puncture tires and just about anything including body parts.  I had to go to the hospital to have one of the thorns removed as a kid.  Very dangerous trees to have around humans and pets.

.

Agree that while the " standard form can be quite intimidating,  but,  ...You do realize there are thorn-less varieties based off the inermis form of the species,  right?   

Uncommon, and for good reason ( HATE / look awful in our heat ) but there are a few planted locally.  

Nice write up of a popular thornless var from Morten: https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/thornless-honey-locust/



As far as finding that form for sale outside the U.S.?. Wouldn't trust any source claiming to offer " thornless " seed. Much like Honey Mesquite and Cascalote ( Tara cacalaco ) seed grown plants started off thornless specimens often reverts to it's thorn -full parentage.  Is often -at minimum-  a 50 / 50 gamble.  Because of that, those thorn- free varieties are often reprodued from cuttings.


@than,   keep in mind:  Honey Locust drops all of it's foliage in winter ....Even here in the desert where it doesn't get " cold ". 


As far as Acacia baileyana  ..Well known aggressive spreader in CA and some other Med. -type areas.. Purple- leaved var. is slightly tamer than the standard sp.  ..but it too can still spread. far from where it is desired.  Overall, not as fast of an invader and either of the " Green Wattles " ( Acacia dealbata  and A. decurrens ) that used to be sold in nurseries in CA. 

Even worse? Acacia melanoxylon.. Easily spreads by seed/  and aggressive root suckering.  **** that damned tree..  

1 hour ago, Silas_Sancona said:

As far as Acacia baileyana  ..Well known aggressive spreader in CA and some other Med. -type areas.. Purple- leaved var. is slightly tamer than the standard sp.  ..but it too can still spread. far from where it is desired.  Overall, not as fast of an invader and either of the " Green Wattles " ( Acacia dealbata  and A. decurrens ) that used to be sold in nurseries in CA. 

Even worse? Acacia melanoxylon.. Easily spreads by seed/  and aggressive root suckering.  **** that damned tree..  

Dang... do they spread only by suckers or also seeds? Any info on A. elata? I guess I'll have to be v careful then. Even though where I live there are whole forests with only Australian trees, eucalyptus and acacias... 

26 minutes ago, Than said:

Even worse? Acacia melanoxylon.. Easily spreads by seed/  and aggressive root suckering.  **** that damned tree..  

^ A. melanoxylon   ...Some Aus. Acacia sps. that were planted regularly here not too long ago also reproduce by seed n suckers as well. 

baileyana?   typically just seeds. Alot...  Seed remains viable for years too. 

No clue about elata..

Lots of escaped Eucs and Aus. Acacia stands in CA.  No reason to add more fuel to that dumpster fire. 


 

Oh dear. It's so difficult to find an evergreen tree that ticks all the boxes for a good canopy... 😑

I decided to not plant the acacia elata seeds. Apparently they are very invasive. I will try baileyana as it is smaller, seeds less and removing the pods might not be difficult. 

@Silas_Sancona what about Ficus rubiginosa? Do you think it can provide canopy for archontophoenix and Howea underneath? I read it grows fast and it isn't so rare here. It can take light frost apparently 

8 hours ago, Than said:

¡Ay, Dios! Es tan difícil encontrar un árbol perenne que cumpla con todos los requisitos para una buena copa...  😑

En rps hay semillas de castanospermum australe 👍🏼

59 minutes ago, Than said:

I decided to not plant the acacia elata seeds. Apparently they are very invasive. I will try baileyana as it is smaller, seeds less and removing the pods might not be difficult. 

@Silas_Sancona what about Ficus rubiginosa? Do you think it can provide canopy for archontophoenix and Howea underneath? I read it grows fast and it isn't so rare here. It can take light frost apparently 

F. rubiginosa will work fine as a canopy tree, but, it can get HUGE..   ....And, like most Ficus,  it will dump fruit -by the bucket full- once big enough to do so. Foliage is nice though, ...on rusty leaved specimens at least. 

Would take a look at this old thread.. 

Some other discussions about this species here thru the years too..  Like this:
 

...And this:  Note it's mature height and canopy width ( ...among other important considerations )  https://www.selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/614

@Silas_Sancona Thank you! I'll read the threads carefully.

The massive size doesn't scare me as I am 45 already and I don't care what will happen when I'm 6 feet under. Also my soil is poor so it may not grow that fast.

Btw perhaps life has already given me the answer. This little Vachellia farnesiana sprouted in my garden (they are everywhere in my town and some have become big trees).

 

2 hours ago, Navarro said:

En rps hay semillas de castanospermum australe 👍🏼

No les gusta el frío. Tenía uno pero ya se fué encontrar a su Creador.

I decided to let the V. farnesiana grow and also buy a carob tree. I can get 2m tall ones for 50 euro, which is cheap. It grows slowly but I believe that in 2 years the canopy will be wide enough to protect my archontophoenices. It is a native and hardy tree too. 

Arbutus xalapensis var. texensis “Texas Madrone”

Leucaena retusa

On 7/31/2025 at 9:47 AM, Chester B said:

This is NOT a tree for ornamental planting, these are vicious trees.  The house I grew up in was on an old apple orchard so the farmer planted Honey locust to keep kids and animals out.  They were never removed and allowed to grow up fully.  The thorns/spikes are enormous 8"+ and they do fall off the trees.  They will puncture tires and just about anything including body parts.  I had to go to the hospital to have one of the thorns removed as a kid.  Very dangerous trees to have around humans and pets.

.

You can shave the spines off of the trunk and they don’t regrow. I have a number of spiny trees, some of which I’ve made that modification on lower areas.

15 hours ago, Than said:

@Silas_Sancona Thank you! I'll read the threads carefully.

The massive size doesn't scare me as I am 45 already and I don't care what will happen when I'm 6 feet under. Also my soil is poor so it may not grow that fast.

Btw perhaps life has already given me the answer. This little Vachellia farnesiana sprouted in my garden (they are everywhere in my town and some have become big trees).

 

Maann 45 years old?  ..that is ancient,  You might only have days left to live at that age..  Oyy vey..

5 hours ago, Meangreen94z said:

You can shave the spines off of the trunk and they don’t regrow.

Or ..instead of all that un-necessary, extra  work,  ... plant a thorn-less one..  Much easier. 

On 8/1/2025 at 4:58 AM, Silas_Sancona said:

^ A. melanoxylon   ...Some Aus. Acacia sps. that were planted regularly here not too long ago also reproduce by seed n suckers as well. 

baileyana?   typically just seeds. Alot...  Seed remains viable for years too. 

No clue about elata..

Lots of escaped Eucs and Aus. Acacia stands in CA.  No reason to add more fuel to that dumpster fire. 


 

This isn't necessarily true Nathan.

There are so many morphologically different forms of melanoxylon that it's not difficult to find non suckering types. At my place in South Arm on dry sand the local native backwoods grow like a scrubby, suckering 6m thicket. However the wet forest form that I planted in the garden for canopy grows straight and single trunked. In the swamp forests of NW Tas they grow into dead straight 40m, single trunked timber trees. Provenance is everything.

The same applies to dealbata...we have a single suckering clone that covers about 2ha of our land, but again the wet forest forms are tall, straight and single.

 

19 hours ago, Than said:

I decided to not plant the acacia elata seeds. Apparently they are very invasive. I will try baileyana as it is smaller, seeds less and removing the pods might not be difficult. 

@Silas_Sancona what about Ficus rubiginosa? Do you think it can provide canopy for archontophoenix and Howea underneath? I read it grows fast and it isn't so rare here. It can take light frost apparently 

I'd do the absolute reverse!

As I mentioned earlier, baileyana will be useless for canopy and will drop dead in ten years, leaving you with a massive mess to remove. Also, keep in mind that being a dryland acacia it will use water very efficiently, at the expense of your palms.

Elata comes from wet forests and grows happily with other trees, and its fast and long lived! It's unlikely to be invasive in an arid climate.  They're really nice looking trees as well, with beautiful, huge, tropical looking pinnate leaves. I'd strongly recommend revising your choice! 

Rubiginosa can take plenty of frost.

1 hour ago, Jonathan said:

I'd do the absolute reverse!

As I mentioned earlier, baileyana will be useless for canopy and will drop dead in ten years, leaving you with a massive mess to remove. Also, keep in mind that being a dryland acacia it will use water very efficiently, at the expense of your palms.

Elata comes from wet forests and grows happily with other trees, and its fast and long lived! It's unlikely to be invasive in an arid climate.  They're really nice looking trees as well, with beautiful, huge, tropical looking pinnate leaves. I'd strongly recommend revising your choice! 

Rubiginosa can take plenty of frost.

 Listed an invasive in South Africa..  https://invasives.org.za/fact-sheet/peppertree-wattle/   

 https://kogelberg-botsoc.co.za/Blog/index.php/2015/10/06/the-scourge-of-acacia-elata-in-bettys-bay/

= Quite likely it would spread easily in CA  ..and/or  other Med. type climate areas.. 



 

@Than FYI, a couple of pics of my Howeas, Lepidorrachis, Rhopalostylis and Hedyscepe growing happily under a wet forest form blackwood, Acacia melanoxylon.

1 minute ago, Silas_Sancona said:

 Listed an invasive in South Africa..  https://invasives.org.za/fact-sheet/peppertree-wattle/   

 https://kogelberg-botsoc.co.za/Blog/index.php/2015/10/06/the-scourge-of-acacia-elata-in-bettys-bay/

= Quite likely it would spread easily in CA  ..and/or  other Med. type climate areas.. 



 

Maybe, or maybe not. But compared to baileyana? From personal experience, that thing is a monster!

12 hours ago, Meangreen94z said:

Leucaena retusa

Oh wow I could write a poem about this tree. This is exactly what I need. Ramified, umbrella shaped, airy, light shade, tropical vibes and evergreen! Apparently not invasive. However impossible to find outside the US. Even on Ebay and etsy I only found one seller of seeds.. 

5 hours ago, Jonathan said:

I'd do the absolute reverse!

As I mentioned earlier, baileyana will be useless for canopy and will drop dead in ten years, leaving you with a massive mess to remove. Also, keep in mind that being a dryland acacia it will use water very efficiently, at the expense of your palms.

Elata comes from wet forests and grows happily with other trees, and its fast and long lived! It's unlikely to be invasive in an arid climate.  They're really nice looking trees as well, with beautiful, huge, tropical looking pinnate leaves. I'd strongly recommend revising your choice! 

Rubiginosa can take plenty of frost.

I was thinking of planting baileyana purpurea at the edge of the garden, just for its looks. Not to provide shade.

I did a bit of research on elata and apparently it is extremely invasive, dispersing thousands of seeds and those seeds remain vital for years. Such a shame because it is indeed exactly what I want from a tree.. 

4 hours ago, Than said:

I was thinking of planting baileyana purpurea at the edge of the garden, just for its looks. Not to provide shade.

I did a bit of research on elata and apparently it is extremely invasive, dispersing thousands of seeds and those seeds remain vital for years. Such a shame because it is indeed exactly what I want from a tree.. 

Fair enough, but I don’t understand the logic....at least elata is a useful weed!

3 hours ago, Jonathan said:

Fair enough, but I don’t understand the logic....at least elata is a useful weed!

Hmmmm... my idea was that baileyana purpurea can be kept at a small size by pruning; at about 2m tall, and then collecting the seed pods before ripening would not be that hard maybe? While elata would become a tall, big tree and doing that would be impossible. But perhaps it is too much effort for both species and I should just find a way to destroy the seeds I have already purchased 😐

I went to a nursery today and discussed evegreen tree options. The owner recommended either ficus nitida or schinus terebinthifolius. He said the latter can def take light frosts, while the former may burn a bit on the edges but won't die. The carob tree is very slow he said... 

Any ideas on either anyone? 🥸

15 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Maann 45 years old?  ..that is ancient,  You might only have days left to live at that age..  Oyy vey..

Haha, perhaps you are right, I am young enough to see a ficus ruining my retention wall.. Btw for some reason I always thought of you as a very young person, like 29 or so. Despite having collected so much knowledge, your writing style is full of youthful energy.. plus I remember seeing your finger in a photo you posted and it looked like a young finger!

@Meangreen94z Arbutus is indeed stunning and arbutus andrachne and unedo are native to my area. When you take the old road to Sparta you go through forested mountains and the arbutus stick out with their ramified, orange trunks, giving very very tropical vibes. However, it is a relatively slow and short species for what I want. The xalapensis species is faster and bigger I am reading, but again impossible to purchase outside the US 😒.

I am considering Arbutus andrachne which is stunning (v similar to xalapensis) and native; however online sources say it is very slow, will grow like 10 inches per year...