Orange geiger tree (Cordia sebestena)

[aztropic]

I occasionally grow a few of these,just for fun. Very consistent grower,that ALWAYS flowers after 3 years of growth from seed in Arizona. Frost tender tropical,that surprisingly will take full desert sun and still look great. Grows like a weed,even in our 110F summer temperatures. Not recommended for landscape planting in AZ as exposure to our occasional light freezes will take them out,but it's a very easy plant for pot culture. Might be a possibility for a frost free San Diego garden...

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona

[bubba]

This is a great shrub/tree virtually ubiquitous in south Florida. Blooms all year With your touch, they will become profuse in S.Arizona:

[Silas_Sancona]

  On 5/20/2022 at 9:02 PM, bubba said:

This is a great shrub/tree virtually ubiquitous in south Florida. Blooms all year With your touch, they will become profuse in S.Arizona:

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That is Jatropha integerrima, Spicy Jatropha.

 

[aztropic]

Jatropha is good too! I have red,pink,and orange flowered varieties,all grown from seeds I collected in the Bahamas. They are very easy to grow from seed. My red has already flowered for the season,but pink and orange are still going...

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[aztropic]

Another closeup of the intense orange flowers on the Geiger tree.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[aztropic]

A successful pollination,and 7 seeds are on the way to start a few more...

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona

[aztropic]

7 seeds,still growing!

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Native to Florida, these things are constantly attacked by Geiger beetles and what I believe are whitefly.  You have to keep them under constant systemic insecticide for them to look good.  When (if) they get big, insects are not the problem that they are on small ones with a couple inch trunk.

[aztropic]

Never realized they were such a bug magnet down there. Fortunately,nothing seems to bother them in Arizona - (other than our occasional freezes)

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona

[Silas_Sancona]

  On 6/5/2022 at 11:02 AM, Jerry@TreeZoo said:

Native to Florida, these things are constantly attacked by Geiger beetles and what I believe are whitefly.  You have to keep them under constant systemic insecticide for them to look good.  When (if) they get big, insects are not the problem that they are on small ones with a couple inch trunk.

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  On 6/6/2022 at 3:41 AM, aztropic said:

Never realized they were such a bug magnet down there. Fortunately,nothing seems to bother them in Arizona - (other than our occasional freezes)

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona

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Remember reading about the beetles but don't recall ever seeing any munching on specimens around Sarasota, or up in St. Pete and Clearwater..  Interesting..

 

[bubba]

These are ubiquitous around here but I found one planted by by my grandchildren’s school at a local park:

[bubba]

This specimen is not as bushy as the one’s I see on the range. A little closer:

[aztropic]

And here are the 7 ripe seeds,just picked today. Very strong banana scent to the fresh fruit. Looks like it's time to start the next generation!

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona 

[mnorell]

  On 6/5/2022 at 11:02 AM, Jerry@TreeZoo said:

Native to Florida, these things are constantly attacked by Geiger beetles and what I believe are whitefly.  You have to keep them under constant systemic insecticide for them to look good.  When (if) they get big, insects are not the problem that they are on small ones with a couple inch trunk.

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In the Keys, the Geiger (which is native to the Keys and I believe also southern Miami-Dade) only seems to suffer the "leaf munching" (at least noticeably) in a narrow window during the year. I never, ever, have used insecticide in my landscape (I am very opposed to its usage except in extreme circumstances) and my trees look beautiful for the vast majority of the year. So perhaps the beetle larvae are predated closer to its actual native range; and so this is an issue that occurs mostly further up in Florida? But not in the Keys that I have noticed. There are beautiful specimens all up and down the island chain. it is one of the strongest, most resilient trees that can be planted in landscapes. When I returned to our place three weeks after Irma, I saw many Geiger trees in full bloom after all that wind, after being dunked in the ocean, etc. Absolutely amazing and I plant as many as I can now on our property there. I also have a small one I raised from seed in Rancho Mirage which is now thriving in the heat. I think these might be a fail in coastal SoCal due to lack of heat, but in the low desert/Coachella Valley, mine at least seems very happy indeed.

I'm surprised to hear they are killed outright by a light freeze in Arizona. In the low desert the freezes are so dry, so brief, I would think the plant would easily recover, at least from the roots. Perhaps under a south-facing eave there? We have very few frosts/freezes in the Palm Springs-to-La Quinta area, and my seedling saw a rather brief 32F with no damage, but perhaps Arizona's cold is a little more intense--and thus dangerous to these tropical trees.  But at least the beautiful White Geiger, Cordia boisseri, is a stout-and-hardy winner, and often grown and planted in the desert areas. I have also seen that one thriving in Balboa Park in San Diego. I would think some of the other species would be naturals to trial as well.

[aztropic]

White Geiger,which is almost identical to orange in looks other than flower color,is for whatever reason,far more hardy to our desert conditions. They are sold locally,and are a sturdy addition to any desert landscape.

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona