Orange Geiger - Cordia sebestena

[aztropic]

Flowering season just starting for my orange geiger tree growing in the Arizona desert. Wondering if anybody else grows these outside of Florida or Hawaii? Intense orange bloomer!

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona 

[flplantguy]

A favorite of mine but i think i may be too far north. I want to try anyway though.  And white geiger is a smal dunk here pretty much.  South Texas i bet could grow some beauties, maybe even San Diego in a hot spot?

[bubba]

Scrawny one:

[Silas_Sancona]

Looks great Scott! ..Was awaiting word on how it did through this past winter. Need to get a hold of some fresh seeds again. Wasn't our " cold " that killed mine.



Agree w you @flplantguy .. While  more of a challenge in this part of the U.S., ( Probably benefit from being grown to 10-15gal size before being planted out ) i firmly believe these could succeed in the right spot in favored areas of S. Cal. / San Diego Co. esp.. 

Mine, a unexpected survivor that popped up in a pot after moving here, ( Another i'd bought while still in FL pooped out that first winter for whatever reason ) did well until i didn't water it enough during one of our infamous, pre -monsoon heatwaves.

Yea, i kept it up on the patio / under the canopy of a large Mesquite ( ..because of our heat / sun intensity / size ) and it would look rough after a cooler winter / would suffer some tip die back, That said, it would snap out of it and continue to add size /wood at a steady pace once things warmed up again in Feb / March..

Are grown in both Baja and Hermosillo ( ..and likely other areas of Sonora, / N. Sinaloa,  Mexico ) and survive the heat / sun in both areas. While cooler in winter than both areas just referenced, were hotter, drier and generally get less rain than further south  ..Maybe as much  ..or slightly more... than Baja Sur ( Cabo, Loreto, Todo Santos, La Paz / Cabo Pulmo ) so they obviously can handle " dry " heat..

There's another red-flowered Cordia that is almost as common -maybe more so- from the same areas of mainland W. Mexico i want to try here as well.  Might be just as touchy ..but grow-able, or perhaps is just a touch hardier..

 C. lutea ( the yellow flowered sp. ) have been grown in near coastal S. Cal w/ out issues  -that i'm aware of.

Edited June 9, 2023 by Silas_Sancona

[bubba]

Picture is worth...

[hbernstein]

15 hours ago, bubba said:

Scrawny one:

That isn't an Orange Geiger, Cordia sebestena. It's a Peregrina, Jatropha integerrima. Different family.

[aztropic]

2 hours ago, hbernstein said:

That isn't an Orange Geiger, Cordia sebestena. It's a Peregrina, Jatropha integerrima. Different family.

It's all good.😄 Jatropha also grow well here in the Arizona desert.

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona 

[aztropic]

Here's a red flowered Jatropha I passed in a garden center just now.  

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona 

[aztropic]

Nice seed set on the orange geiger! Will start a few new ones for the fun of it! 😄 

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona 

[aztropic]

First batch of seeds are now ripe,with a second flowering on the way.  

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona 

[aztropic]

Fruits AND flowers!

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona 

[Barry]

I planted some seeds recently doing good. I haven’t grown these for awhile. But like the constant blooming.

[aztropic]

Round 3!  

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona 

[aztropic]

Looks like another successful pollination. Humming birds are attracted to this extremely electric orange color when in flower. Thanks Hummers!

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona 

[aztropic]

Blooming a little earlier this year. Tons of buds to come. It spent the entire winter outside with no protection,so looks a little ratty at the moment. Also started a few seedlings from the seeds it produced last year. I believe it is also the only flowering specimen in the entire state of Arizona. People just don't grow,what they don't know...🤷‍♂️ 

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

[Meangreen94z]

Beautiful.

One of my Cordia boissieri is in flower.

[aztropic]

Another year growing completely outside in Arizona without any protection. This year,it did completely defoliate due to a couple light freezes,but is just starting to grow again now. Orange geiger is definitely hardier than people give it credit for...

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona