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Big Balsa Leaves

Loxahatchee Adam
Loxahatchee Adam
in TROPICAL LOOKING PLANTS - Other Than Palms

Featured Replies

You don't see Balsa trees planted around for a variety of reasons.  The only one I know of is at the Gifford Arboretum on the University of Miami campus.  That was the source of seed for this tree.  It is approx 1.5 years old.  I'm 6'1" (185 cm) tall for comparison.  

(The white hair is super sunblock)

image.thumb.jpeg.e5cfdf5d2a6d77c1b54af55

image.thumb.jpeg.cab8167d189e4882e39fb2b

    • Upvote 3

    I really love these trees, I just planted one last fall.

     

    20160806_101620.jpg

    Lived in Cape Coral, Miami, Orlando and St. Petersburg Florida.

    • Upvote 1
    4 hours ago, Loxahatchee Adam said:

    You don't see Balsa trees planted around for a variety of reasons.  The only one I know of is at the Gifford Arboretum on the University of Miami campus.  That was the source of seed for this tree.  It is approx 1.5 years old.  I'm 6'1" (185 cm) tall for comparison.  

    (The white hair is super sunblock)

    image.thumb.jpeg.e5cfdf5d2a6d77c1b54af55

    image.thumb.jpeg.cab8167d189e4882e39fb2b

    what are some of the reasons you don't see these around in gardens?

    I really dig those HUGE broad leaves.

    \

    can they handle a light frost event?

    Carlsbad, California Zone 10 B on the hill (402 ft. elevation)

    Sunset zone 24

    I would like a few in the garden here...

    • Author

     They generally get too large too fast for most places.  The fast growing and light would also makes them very susceptible to breakage in storms and hurricanes.    This one is planted far from any structures.  The trees themselves are also not very long lived. I believe 30 years or so usually.  

     Frosts usually are not much of a concern with Bombacaceae, as most species are leafless in the winter.   If we had an actual freeze, I think it would have significant die back.  

     They are just too cool to not have one though.   They have humongous white flowers. 

    • Like 1

    Friends of mine have been growing balsa for ages in Whyanbeel Valley .

    This is an old pic of seed pods ready to pick.

    I never noticed the flowers balsa.jpg.7929b19e6534dedbe88e92ddfcf776

    Michael in palm paradise,

    Tully, wet tropics in Australia, over 4 meters of rain every year.

    Home of the Golden Gumboot, its over 8m high , our record annual rainfall.

    •
    • Like 1
    • 6 years later...
    On 8/25/2016 at 7:32 PM, Loxahatchee Adam said:

    You don't see Balsa trees planted around for a variety of reasons.  The only one I know of is at the Gifford Arboretum on the University of Miami campus.  That was the source of seed for this tree.  It is approx 1.5 years old.  I'm 6'1" (185 cm) tall for comparison.  

    (The white hair is super sunblock)

    image.thumb.jpeg.e5cfdf5d2a6d77c1b54af55

    image.thumb.jpeg.cab8167d189e4882e39fb2b

    Can anyone go back and see the progress of this tree?

    Is it easy to obtain the seeds?

    It's extremely easy to grow Balsa from seed. They will grow in the Miami area, but are destroyed by tropical storms and hurricanes. They were slightly more common locally in the several decades of relative quiet storm activity in the last century. I think that Hurricane Andrew pretty much took them all out.

    • Upvote 1

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