Large flowering eucalyptus for the South

[talford]

No, we in the South cannot grow Corymbia ficifolia (at least I couldn't get my plants to make it) like they do out in southern California:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/48965/

But, I have discovered Corymbia ptychocarpa, common name swamp bloodwood(http://www.cpbr.gov.au/cpbr/cd-keys/euclid3/euclidsample/html/Corymbia_ptychocarpa ) growing here in Houston. There are a dozen or so 4 year old (in the ground) saplings about 12 to 20 feet high on a 3 acre property surrounding a lake. They are in bloom now and the pictures ,if you google 'google immages' are accurate - the flowers are about 1 1/2 inches across and brilliant pink/red. These trees are growing from lignotubers at the base, and appear to have frozen back in the first year , but look freeze hardy thereafter . Hot/humid semitropical Houston is zone 9, and these trees are well within Houston's 'heat island'.

No, sorry, I do not own a digital camera, so I can not throw a bunch of pics up here.

I'm not sure C. ptychocarpa will ever compare with the huge floral display (entire 30' tree covered in red) of C. ficifolia. I'm thinking C. ptychocarpa tends to be a much smaller (possibly scraggly by comparison). The trees I have observed have their blooms only high in the top, and not all over, as C. ficifolia - but I caution, I'm only going on very limited data.

If any of you people in Florida , Texas, or any where in Southern Gulf states have experience with ornamental eucs, please comment, as I would like to know what Ornamental eucs/corymbias are possible in the South.

On this acerage, there are about a dozen euc species, and even with the help of the owner, I was only able to ID only 3 or 4 species.  There is a good stand of swamp mahogany (eucalyptus  robusta) ,about 4 years old and 24 feet high. These robusta have a pretty good size bloom, but have not opened yet, so I can't say how showy they may be. They look very happy indeed in the swampy conditions they are growing in - really loaded down with big flower buds.

I have seen references in Australia that Eucalyptus phoenicea, or scarlet gum (    http://anbg.gov.au/cpbr/cd-keys/euclid3/euclidsample/html/Eucalyptus_phoenicea.htm    )does well in Brisbane , Australia  , just like C. ptychocarpa does.  Does anyone have any information of Eucalyptus phoenicea being grown on the Gulf Coast?  Is this a likely candidate for ornamental euc in Zone 9 and up South?

At the risk of NO ONE responding, does anyone have any first hand knowledge of C. gummifera (red bloodwood), or C. intermedia (pink bloodwood) having been trialed on the Gulf Coast states?

I may be way off, but after seeing these large flowering C. ptychocarpa growing in Houston (and being very surpprised), I'm wondering if other  large flowering eucs/corymbias fron Australias 'Top End' (Kimberly region of Northern Australia) may be candidates for Gulf Coastal U.S.

[metalfan]

I don't know the first thing about eucalyptus trees and all the different species, but there are several very old beautiful specimens planted in yards here in Gainesville. They have the beautiful silver leaves and the lovely iridescent peely trunks. SOme of them are very large.

[Eric in Orlando]

How much cold have they taken in Houston?

We have a couple young specimens growing but are still young. A flowering tree grower on the east coast of FL  has had these flower the last few years. They look like spectacular bloomers.

[talford]

(Eric in Orlando @ Oct. 18 2007,17:54)

QUOTE

How much cold have they taken in Houston?

Eric, I'm gonna guess 26 F in '05, of several hours duration, but cannot verify that .

[fastfeat]

I have a friend in Davie, FL who has some young Euc. ptychocarpa seedlings at his nursery. So far, so good; it'll be a few years before blooms though.

I posted on another site regarding suitable Eucs and Corymbias suitable for SoFla. I agree that C. ficifolia (and most other spp. common in CA) are not well-suited to the heat and humidity of the Southeast. Additionally, the high alkalinity and poor moisture retention of our sandy soils seem not to the liking of most species. But given the size (and, I assume, variability) of the Australian continent, there are probably suitable species we could grow.

Here in SoFla, the most common species are C. torelliana and Euc. deglupta, both of which seem to thrive on alkalinity and humidity. I've seen both in SoCal as well; they should take the upper 20s w/o damage.

Other species occasionally seen in FL, more so a little farther north on probably more acid soil, include: Euc. robusta, E. grandis, and C. citriodora. None of these have showy flowers though; they are mainly grown for form and foliage.

I'm currently growing Lophostemon (Tristania) confertus (Brisbane Box), closely related to Eucalyptus. It has showy bark and form; flowers are interesting up-close, but not showy. So far, it has excelled in the heat and humidity; it might do well in Houston if soil has good drainage.

Hopefully some Australian people have some more suggestions.

[Eric in Orlando]

(fastfeat @ Oct. 19 2007,09:32)

QUOTE

I have a friend in Davie, FL who has some young Euc. ptychocarpa seedlings at his nursery. So far, so good; it'll be a few years before blooms though.

I posted on another site regarding suitable Eucs and Corymbias suitable for SoFla. I agree that C. ficifolia (and most other spp. common in CA) are not well-suited to the heat and humidity of the Southeast. Additionally, the high alkalinity and poor moisture retention of our sandy soils seem not to the liking of most species. But given the size (and, I assume, variability) of the Australian continent, there are probably suitable species we could grow.

Here in SoFla, the most common species are C. torelliana and Euc. deglupta, both of which seem to thrive on alkalinity and humidity. I've seen both in SoCal as well; they should take the upper 20s w/o damage.

Other species occasionally seen in FL, more so a little farther north on probably more acid soil, include: Euc. robusta, E. grandis, and C. citriodora. None of these have showy flowers though; they are mainly grown for form and foliage.

I'm currently growing Lophostemon (Tristania) confertus (Brisbane Box), closely related to Eucalyptus. It has showy bark and form; flowers are interesting up-close, but not showy. So far, it has excelled in the heat and humidity; it might do well in Houston if soil has good drainage.

Hopefully some Australian people have some more suggestions.

Ken, we have a Lophostemon about 20ft tall. Grows well but no flowers yet.

Is there a source for Euc. torelliana? It is such a pretty tree. I see a few around here. Seems like their peak in popularity was late 70's/early 80's. Disney has used a lot in Animal Kingdom, must have dug up big specimens in SoFL.

[fastfeat]

Eric--

I haven't seen any in local nurseries here either. I agree that most seem to have been planted at the same time, with little follow-up growing. There's a shopping center a couple of miles from my house with a bunch of 30-45 footers, maybe 12-15" DBH. Very vigorous, with little storm damage evident. They're just starting to bloom; I'll check for capsules.

Good to hear about your Lophostemon. I know Californians are blase about it because it's so common, but I'd like to see it here, at least occasionally. I'd suspect it won't like limestone soils, but it seems to do well in the heat and humidity.

[talford]

Fastfeat, yours is one of the replys I was hoping for, but I want to add that I appreciate ALL the replys. Very glad to hear someone else is hip to C. ptychocarpa - especially a nursery that may start distributing it at some point. I was just bowled over when I saw these eucs with the big , waxy, almost Magnolia gradiflora leaves, and  flowers that rival that 'holy grail' out in Cal.

Had never heard so much as a hint that this Euc. (ptycho) was possible down here in this heat/humidity, in fact , I was led to think it was impossible to grow a euc with the big flowers down here. What I cannot understand is why more people aren't growing this plant Z9 South, maybe I'm not seeing something.

The reason I mentioned E. phoenicia, is that it is mentioned in at least one  Aus reference  in the same breath as C. ptycho, both as good for ornamental eucs in Brisbane (relatively hot/humid) residential yards.

You know, I wouldn't exactly call E. robusta flowers showy (they're plane jane cream), but they are about 1 inch or a little more across and bloom mostly on the entire tree. I know this because I just stopped by there again  this morning.

You may have heard of  the 'Summer beauty, Summer red' series  ( http://asgap.org.au/APOL2007/jun07-s2.html)  . This is a  C. ficifolia X C. ptychocarpa cross ,grafted onto different rootstocks (C. gummifera,C. intermedia ) to meet varying conditions of Sydney,Melbourne,Brisbane, etc.. The fact that ptycho is apparently making  here, opens up other possibilities - since I'm so green to this, I'm asking why couldn't the cross be grafted onto C. ptycho rootstock and grown in the South - I'll admit though, - it's far fetched.

Yeah, I'm naively enthusiastic about big flowering eucs in the South, but realistically, this one plant may be the only one that works out. Gus ( very knowledgeable forester on the hardy Euc board) showed me  a link to a large, old Brazilian commercial grower called  Dierberger's Fazenda Citra . Here's an outfit thats had a hundred years to fiddle with flowering eucs in a hot/humid climate , and they are only offering C. ficifolia and C. ptychocarpa to their venders - as near as I can make out fron their site.

Am glad to hear of your success with Lophostemon (Tristania) confertus . I'm interested in these highly nectarferous plants from Aus. also because they attract birds - for nectar (hummers and orioles) and insects for insectivors. On the hardy euc board , I was told about the Melaleucas (again wildlife attractive), and I know Floridians would use a little caution there.

You know, I just wish I had known about some of these Deep South possibles from Aus. earlier . I would loved to have trialed some of this stuff.

Thanks.

[fastfeat]

Talford--

The nursery I was referring to is Jesse Durko's in Davie. He doesn't do mail-order, to the best of my knowledge. He does have one approx. 25' Euc/Corymbia planted in the ground at his place that supposedly has large, pink flowers (I haven't seen in bloom personally) that may be a C. ptychocarpa. Jesse couldn't remember its name and I didn't recognize it from CA. The C. ptychocarpas he had in containers were from seed he bought or collected elsewhere, I believe.

I'm sure there are vendors out there who could supply seed to you. These are very easy from seed, once they get a little size. The seed is very small, and small ones are prone to damping off, but grow quickly after they get a few pairs of leaves.

Grafting sounds like an interesting proposition, though it sounds like work. I don't know anything about compatibility issues here. Sure would be worth a try if C. torelliana makes a suitable understock. I don't know how lignotuber development impacts grafting.

I'm not familiar with E. phoenicia here or CA either.

Personally, I like E. robusta; it's furrowed bark reminds me of Coast redwood. I'm surprised by its wide climate adaptability; it grows well in cool NorCal coastal areas as well. Good to hear it grows in Houston area as well. You may have success with more species in your area than SoFla, if you can assure drainage. You do have acid, clay soils there, correct?

Some Melaleucas may be worth a try there, esp. M. styphelioides and M. decora (genistifolia). I currently grow the latter here (from CA-collected seed). It has done very well so far. I've heard that these aren't invasive, but I'd still be cautious. M. styphelioides should easily take temps to the mid 20s or lower. Growing from seed is the same as for Eucalyptus, Corymbia.

Best of luck--

Ken.

[talford]

Very helpful Ken, Thankyou.

I hope Jesse succeeds, and I hope more people try it.

Been trying to grow ptycho from seed colected at the site for a month now . I was just very inexperienced and also just had some bad luck. Should have just ordered seed from Windmill Outback. I called and he had no ptycho seedlings.

I'm not the right guy to put a perspective on Eucalyptus in Texas/Houston. I know that there are some large (40-55 feet)E. camaldulenses all around the area (residence and freeway interchanges)I know of several that made it through the '89 freeze (officially 8 F. in Houston). These robusta are over 20 feet and growing like weeds, But I am just ignorant of their cold hardiness. I also know that Yucca-Do nursery (60 miles north of Houston has a large old E. manifera .  This site I'm mentioning has several other species of eucs that are just going to town, but the owner (planter) could not ID them for me.

And I should at least try to mention to you that the planter had input from a fellow that has grown eucs in the area since 1960. This guy has an E. sideroxylon 'Rosea' in his front yard that is 15 yrs in the ground and about 25-30 feet, but has never flowered.

Houston soils range from sandy loams to 'gumbo' (almost clay like). the only ph I have seen here is about nuetral (7), but I think there are large areas (piney woods areas) that have lighter and  a bit more acid (some can grow camelias and tea olive) soils.

I'm keeping those Melaleucas in mind. Thanks.

Ummm....., maybe I should mention that there is a 8/6/07post on Hardy euc board by Richard 'Re:Just saw this post', that mentions University of Florida trialing clones of E. amplifolia.At a risk you're interested, here's a link:

http://members3.boardhost.com/eucalyptus/msg/1186471864.html

If I get in trouble on the link, can probably google that board.

I'll wish us both good luck on our plants,

and, Eric and Metalfan, thank y'all for responding, and also good luck on your plants.

[fastfeat]

Talford--

Good to hear about other Eucs growing in your area as well. I have to admit I'm not familiar with Houston area, unless driving through on my way to FL from CA, or sitting in the airport, counts...Sounds like your soils at least may well be good for many species.

Don't be too discouraged on starting seed. A lot is trial and error. In general, I use a mix of peat and perlite in a shallow tray, sprinkle seeds on top (don't cover the seed), press them in, and water from the bottom until the soil surface is moist. Let it drain, put the tray in a ziploc bag, and put in a bright window (no direct sun). If all goes well, tiny seedlings should sprout within 1-2 weeks.

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out.

Ken.

[richtrav]

Talford

Have you tried E. woodwardii?

All the camaldulensis in the Houston area would have frozen to the ground in the '80s, you have to get to the Laredo area in TX before you see any large old cams that have survived over the long term with their main trunks intact

[talford]

Uh - Oh.

Hey Richard, thanks for bailing me out on this.

These E. camaldulenses that I'm seeing around Houston  , although large, did NOT  survive those record breaking freezes of the 80's , when temps across Texas plunged to record lows including a few of record duration.

And thanks for the suggestion of E. woowardii, because it's just tough to run across people here that know much about eucalyptus.

When the true arctic express rolls again, the barbed-wire fence in Montana won't stop it.

I do plan to view any C. ptchocarpa that I grow as expendable, or at best frozen back to the lignotuber. The compensation being that this plant appears to bloom 3-4 years from seed and/or recover from lignotuber in light freezes.

[bahia]

Eucalyptus woodwardii used to be offered here for sale in California by San Marcos Growers in Santa Barbara, but they dropped it after just a few years of growing it. I would assume this was because it presented some difficulties in cultivation, or perhaps it just didn't click with the public.  In any case, I haven't seen any planted out here in northern California, but the showy large yellow flowers and coarse textured foliage looked interesting when I saw the plants at the nursery.  I never bothered to look up where in Australia this species was native, or whether it was from a more humid, summer rainfall area or the mediterranean parts of Australia.

Not many showy blooming Eucalyptus besides C. ficifolia are ever seen here locally in the San Francisco Bay Area, but then C. ficifolia does so well here along the coast, and there are so many to be seen in the area.  Eucalyptus sideroxylon var rosea can also be quite showy in bloom.  E. deglupta may be a little tender for our conditions, one seldom sees it planted out north of Santa Barbara.  The Arboretum at UC Santa Cruz has an exceptional collection of Eucalyptus species for those who might be interested in seeing mature specimens.  The soil conditions at the Arboretum are mostly decomposed sandstone with excellent drainage, the location did get down to low 20's for 10 days in a row back in the December 1990 freeze, which would give a good idea of hardiness under California conditions.

[talford]

Bahia, thank you, as always , very informative post.

I would never have known San marcos Growers carried E. woodwardii for that amount of time. As always with these ornamental eucs, a mystery - more questions than answers.

After Richard's suggestion (post above), I have been googling E. woowardii and it's hybrid E. woodwardii X E. torquata to see if there's any chance they'll grow in semi-tropic setting. In the end, woodwardii will just have to be planted and tried out.

E. woodwardii native provenance is ,as often typical with these flowering eucs, small,isolated pockets in Western Aus, http://florabase.calm.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/5799    In this case , east of Kalgoorlie. Kalgoorlie is hot,arid, med-climate, regularly gets over 100 F ,very few frosts per winter in the high 20’s, about 10 inches of rain a year - so, east of there - more mystery.

I'm glad you mentioned the U.C. Santa Cruz Arboretum to the people that read this board. I looked over the wikipedia page :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki....boretum

Sounds like one of the 'count 'em on one hand' arboretums in this country.

[richtrav]

Talford

Here are some pics of E. woodwardii from Arizona. Notice how it makes a small informal tree. The silver foliage and stems contrasting with the yellow flowers is nice

[talford]

Thanks Richard. Beuatiful pictures.

Seeing is believing. Now, I should find out how it trials here in the semi-tropics. Can't help but think it would be a giant leap for woodwardii-kind if it actually is able to take this humidity.

Those are  probably the best shots of woodwardii on the web. Heavily floriferous, pretty tree, and on a scale to be used as an ornamental.

Googling around I ran across Australian Outback Nursery (Paul Chambers,owner) in Tonopah, Az. :

http://www.downunderontop.com/plantliste_x.htm

This is the plant list, 2/3 down is E. woowardii, mentions that "Desert Botanical Garden has been developing this hardy specimen tree since early 1980's."

And I don't know any facts about that operation (downunderontop), but I've always thought that at least this guy is out there pushing the boundaries.

Another Az  reference,Landscape Mart, Thunderbird RTd., Peoria, Az., with woodwardii planted in ground:  

   http://www.landscapemart.com/lvl.php?pd1=shpid&pd1pid=eucwoo&pd2=shlist&pd2ord=e&pd2type=bn&pd2ord=e

Also, These University of Hawaii (certianly a humid place) 'Risk assesment result' sheet:

http://www.hear.org/pier/wra/pacific/eucal...ata_htmlwra.htm

Also have no idea how accurate or useful this data is. Although this reference is for E. torquata, the apendix key on the left #2.03 , and 'supporting data' below, gives short description of Kalgoorlie climate. Also maybe a name I want to remember -

Chippendale, George McCartney (1973) Eucalypts of the Western Australian goldfields : (and the adjacent wheatbelt) Australian Government Publishing Service for the Minister for Primary Industry, Canberra 1973. 218 pp

Although, I would readily agree, this book is not going to give any data for these species' adaptability to U.S. Gulf Coast conditions.  Oh, I see the www desert tropicals.com reference right beside this one.

[richtrav]

Talford

Downunderontop is the website for the Australian Outback Nursery, who is one of the biggest sellers of Australian plants in the country, certainly in Arizona. He sells stuff to landscapemart, Baker's, and a number of other nurseries around the state, mostly in Phoenix. He also has a walk-in retail outlet out in the boonies about 50 miles west of Phoenix where he sells his plants pretty cheap. I think he's trying to get a nursery in Texas to carry his stuff last time I talked to him.

Here are a few more pics I found, another woodwardii shot and an Acacia stenophylla, both from Outback and both planted at Landscapemart in Phoenix:

His acacia stenophyllas are definitely nicer than the run-of-the-mill stenophylla you see planted out in Arizona (or the one I have in Brownsville, which was provenance collected from Qld).

By the way, speaking of climate and adaptability, years ago I wrote an article for the PSST bulletin about Australian plants and what all I knew about them in South Texas, I may see if I can drum up a copy of it somewhere if you send me a private message. Back in the '90s I had the CSIRO run a climate match for Brownsville and it sent me back this map, the darker the shading the better the match:

[fastfeat]

Richard--

Interesting post. Who/what is the CSIRO, and is this type of service (mapping) available to the general public? I'm curious about something similar for South Florida, though I suppose the map shown would be a good one to start with.

Do you know of any similar maps available comparing soils that you might know of? For SoFla, our alkalinity and sandy soils seem to be as much limiting factors as humidity and heat.

[talford]

Richard,

We better like swimming in the deep end , because your starting to suggest ways of getting there.

Again,thank you so much for these additions.

Yes, I would consider myself fortunate to get a copy of your article (especially from that far back)about Australian plants in Texas, even though I've never been a member of Palm Society of South Texas , and will be sending that message shortly.

The CSIRO  (http://www.csiro.au/ ) map is something I would never have thought of, and points the way , as Ken (Fastfeat) suggests, to lots of possibilities IF it can be used by the public.

When I do searches on the home computer I'm always getting blocked from access to academic journals that require academic/institutional access.If I go to the university library,a little better, but still can be limitations.

On the map, the dark areas in the Kimberly region look encouraging. And the dark areas out in WA and The south west corner look very encouraging (and surprising to me), especialy since this is the bonanza zone for so many large flowering Euc/corymbias.

On the map, the dark area from Brisbane to Cairns sure looks interesting.Brisbane and Cairns heat and humidity are likely to be moderated by Ocean influence, so what about back inland 40-60 miles, maybe I would find Houston's brand of Stifeling,shirt soaking,face dripping, heat/humidity.

Here is a chart on Cairns (Brisbane would be a little less so) :

http://www.cairns-australia.com/101933.php

I know you know this stuff, but I just want to make a point ( I think ). In the chart, daily avg max temp (30 C = 86F ), Very little variation,because they don't have seasons, what they have is 'the wet and dry' If look at 'avg monthly rainfall' line (300mm = 1 foot ).

So, in search of the real 'Houston' humidity in Aus, I go to the Top End,  - Darwin: charts mid page.

http://www.wildplaces.net.au/topend.htm

I see (what looks to me ) the same temp and rainfall paterns ( as Cairns), except magnified, and finally find what just may be some 'real' humidity, very brief periods in the 'build up / build down' (the paragraph refers to).

I haven't checked, but these monsoon totals look to be 2 or 3 times the annual rain on Tex Gulf Coast. I do remember your advce about looking for regions 'with summer rainfall', and both these areas qualify.

And, of course, it goes without saying that Aus never has to deal with the  once in every 10 or 20 year arctic expresses that just wipes us out here on the Gulf Coast.

I'm a beginner, and the first time I ever noticed the term 'harsh climate', was reading something written by Carl Shoenfeld (Yucca-Do),to the effect that ancient tribes in zones with dramatic weather swings probably had hand-me-down plants that were tubers,bulbs,lignotubers,rhizomes, and packed them up and took with them as they wandered about.

But again, all things considered, If I can get some of these flowering eucs to grow, they are so pretty ( and fast to bloom from seed ), I will consider the plant expendable when I plant it.

            ......................................................

Glad to hear about the prominence of Downunderontop, There are just so few people in that business willing to push boundries, after all, it's a tough business to start with.

The more pics I see of E. woodwardii, the more I'm convinced that it would be a fine ornamental , IF it can adapt to this terrible humididty.

I had never heard of Acacia stenophyllas. Looks really dramatic - same eye appeal as Mex. weeping bamboo, but with the yellow pom-poms.

And thanks for the tip about the superior plant at  Landscapemart. Some point in the future I want to find a tree that casts a very light shade shadow, and underplant with aloes,dykias,cacti, or some such, or maybe take something like coral honeysuckle (L. sempervirens) with it's near continious bloom period, and train it up into  a very light transparant admitting tree. Coral honeysuckle just about dies here in the peak heat/humidity, and this might be a good match. I have thought Eysenhardtia texana might be a candidate, Jerusalem thorn and  Acacia farnesiana seem a little too dense.

Thanks Richard.

[Eric in Orlando]

Acacia stenophylla is a great tree. In AZ I see it used a lot at lower elevations; Tucson, Phoenix. I saw it in Las Vegas and it is now being used  in Sierra Vista, AZ where my sister lives but I think they are borderline there.

I broght back seeds and they seem to grow well here as long as they get full sun, well drained soil and good air circulation. Here is one 2 years old that is about 6ft. tall and flowering. They have also used them at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Here is the one at Leu Gardens;

Here is a big one at the Tucson Botanic Garden

here is A. willardiana in Tucson, another fine foliage tree with papery bark, it is called Palo Blanco. I have a couple to try here

and another interesting Acacia, A. pendula. I want to try this one here;

[talford]

Great pictures, and lots of interesting stuff,Eric.

If A. stenophylla will take the humidity in Orlando, then it's good to go in Houston.

Beautiful shot of the mature tree, very light shade shadow, very interesting foliage, looks like a heavy bloomer, sounds like may bloom in spring and possibly again in fall.Here in Z9a, I like that it's hardy to 20 F.

Never been to Tuscon Botanical Garden, but I'll bet I would stand up staring at the plants untill I was so tired , I had to sit down and come back the next day.

A. willardiana might be some of the lightest, airiest  foliage I've seen on a tree. I just think underplanting a row or long arc of such dainty-folliaged trees with something colorful has many possibilities. Mid 20's hardiness makes it pretty iffy here unless in a heat island.

That A. pendula  almost has a euc. look .

[richtrav]

Acacia pendula is very attractive but has a reputation in Arizona of just dying, usually from cotton root rot. There are a pair at the Big Red Sun Nursery in Austin (along with a large stenophylla) and they look great but I kind of doubt they will hold up well in a humid climate over the long term. Stenophylla comes from more humid areas, along with A. salicina. A. aneura would be a good one to try, especially in Central and South Texas where the rainfall isn't as high. There are many forms of it, including some weeping forms and a cool looking form called I think var. conifera (it looks like a Christmas tree). Indications are that it is one of the hardiest Australian acacias to cold.

The desert legume program at the U of A (DELEP) has done extensive testing of many of the Australian acacias, you can find a summary of much of their work at

http://cals.arizona.edu/desertlegumeprogram/

Click on the link that says Survivability and Performance of Cultivated Legumes, it'll give you a large pdf file. Their most recent publication in Aridus gives a good rundown on how things took the cold last winter, you can also get that from their website

[richtrav]

And oh yeah, I have an Acacia willardiana growing in my aloe bed in Brownsville, it's really a cool tree when grown well, my 2nd favorite Sonoran tree behind the gorgeous Guaiacum coulteri

[Eric in Orlando]

Speaking of Sonoran trees, have you ever seen Coccoloba goldmanii for slae? I saw this at the Desert Museum garden in Tucson (Tucson has 2 great gardens).

The Tucson bot. Gd. is about 5 acres I think but it is packed full. When I first went I thought i would be out in a couple hours. I was there almost all day. It is a real great place. They have a couple dozen different Eucs in the parking lot area.

[talford]

Thanks Richard for the link to U of A Desert Legume Program. Lots of species trialed.

Man oh man,

I had no idea Guaiacum coulteri was Lignum -Vitae - worlds heaviest and hardest wood, specific gravity 1.37 -  that is, in equal volumes, it is 1.37 times the weight of water (it sinks) Now I may be wrong about which wood is heaviest/hardest  - I'm no authority. Beautiful flowers

I see a few (superficial) resemblances (similar leaf shape) with Olneya tesota, desert ironwood, specific gravity 1.20

[eastern.nurseries]

Hi, If you are interested in Australian plants I can recommend Austrahort as an excellent seed merchant and ASGAP the Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plants as a great knowledge base. The fence posts on our farm are Lignum Vitae and have proved to be very durable. Even tungsten chainsaw chain wears quickly.

[Daryl]

These days, they graft a lot of the 'humidity/moisture sensitive' W.A. species of eucalypts. These grafted plants do really well in our humid climate and you can see a lot of flowering gums growing really well in our area now.

Corymbia torreleana (Cadagi) has become a real pest here. It volunteers everywhere. It is also a bad source of sooty mould..anything near one gets covered in black mould...a real pain in the @rse!

Lophostemon confertus is a great tree. Has been a popular street tree in Oz for over 100 years. Grown for it's durability, shade, shape and bark, not for it's flowers though.

There are thousands of beautiful Oz trees that are so suitable for many climates.

Daryl

[talford]

[DoomsDave]

Here's a picture of a cultivar called "Summer Red"

[DoomsDave]

Talford:

Sorry I can't offer more help, but I'd shoot these blokes an e-mail, and peruse their lists.

CLICK HERE FOR LINK

Bet they can help you a lot.

And, tell us what you do.

AnD, get yourself a digicam and treat us to pictures!

dave

[talford]

Thanks Dave.

Yes Mike Gillespie (Windmill Outback) is a real nice guy, He also asked me if I had some pictures of these C. ptychocarpas in bloom down here in Houston. They look almost the same as your pics of 'Summer Red' actually -  brilliant pink/red, some branch tips having more than 20 blossoms.

[Fouquieria]

Since everyone is posting about Eucs, here is one of mine.  It is a weeping form of Eucalyptus polyanthemos.  When it blooms (which it is presently getting ready to do) they are small cream-colored blossoms.  I found another one in a nursery recently and planted that one out too.  It doesn't look quite like this one yet.  This one is about 20-25 years old.

-Ron-

[fastfeat]

Ron--

Interesting polyanthemos. I wonder if it comes true from seed?

[talford]

Thanks Ron.

I know your E. polyanthemos is unusual, because when I google it , I see pages of hits showing it as a 30' tree with adult foliage.Looks like it may also be happy planted in elevated planters and on top of shear/retaining walls.

[fastfeat]

OK, just when I was about to give Corymbia torelliana a clean bill of health for not volunteering locally, I realized I was looking in the wrong place...

So far, no sign of colonizing elsewhere, but it clearly seems to sprout best in wet areas.

[talford]

Ken,

Yes, never hurts to keep a cautious eye out, but I hope the 'no sign of colonizing elsewhere' is the wider experience.

Hybrids of C. torelliana may also be important for S. Florida and elsewhere , as it crosses with Lemon scented Gum (C. citriodora var. citriodora) and Spotted Gum (C citriodora sbsp. variegata)

Lemon Scented  Gum:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/64201/

Spotted  Gum:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/64381/

Cold hardiness of  C. torelliana is 18 F ? Maybe the C. citriodora var. citriodora cross would be hardier than C. citriodora var. ciriodora itself.

Much studied in Queensland from forestery standpoint:

www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/extra/pdf/forestry/corymbiaresearchmeet0605.pdf -

I suppose most of this deals with the cross with C citriodora var. variegata (spotted gum), but crosses with lemon scented gum are also done for timber.

I'm not sure how timber research works, I think they plant 10,000 F1 crosses, 10 yrs later pick the most prommising and start tissue culturing it because it's sterile?  

Anyway, when I google 'corymbia torelliana hybrids' I don't see other crosses referenced, like maybe ornamental species. When I think there are 113 corymbia species, and very few growing over here, and the difficulty of doing hybrids over here, I think gleaning any info possible from Australia is the way to go.

Actually when I google 'Corymbia hybrids ' or 'corymbia hybrids list' I don't get that much, but  I keep reading that there are many crosses of corymbias, and certian classes of them interbreed easily.

[philinsydney]

These are a couple of pictues I tok of Corymbia maculata (spotted gum) down the coast near Batemans Bay.

[fastfeat]

Talford--

Thanks for the interesting info on the torelliana hybrids. It'll give me something to read tonight...Would be nice to get a lemon-scented, graceful tree that will grow on swampy limestone!!

BTW, what do you know about Angophora costata (A. lanceolata now?) Brought/sprouted some seed from CA, where they're rare but successful. Grew pretty well for first year here in FL, but have started declining. Are they a WA species?

Philip--

Beautiful pics!! Well-adapted C. maculatas are gorgeous trees. Wouldn't have thought they'd do well so close to the shore.

[philinsydney]

fastfeat,

You're in luck; I just happen to have some A. costata photos. This is native to the Sydney area.