Ceiba 'Scott Cohen'- giant flowers on Floss Silk Tree

[Eric in Orlando]

A couple years ago the Tropical Flowering Tree Society donated 8 grafted and named Ceiba speciosa/hybrids (Chorisia) to try here. They have grown well and one flowered for the first time this year, 'Scott Cohen'. The flowers are huge.

In the photo the 'Scott Cohen' flower is on the left. The 2 middle pink ones are "typical" seedling C. speciosa. The white flower is off of C. 'Angel' (probably a C. speciosa x insignis).

[Frank in Vero]

Wow, those are big. Any pictures of the whole tree?

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Cool! Our Scott is FAMOUS!

Does the tree hold as many flowers as the other varieties or does it have fewer but bigger flowers?

[Eric in Orlando]

Its still a young tree, only about 6ft tall. This year was the first for flowering, maybe about a dozen flowers. Its funny as all 8 of these TFTS donated trees are planted together in a small "forest". The 'Scott Cohen' is the smallest of the 8, the others have grown 7-8ft tall but no others flowered. Can't wait to see 'Willis Red' bloom.

[BeerPlant]

What an impressive bloom! Thanks for showing!

I'm curious to know typically how long a normal C.speciosa takes to bloom. I have had one in the ground for 3 years

now and it is really taking off however no blooms so I was just curious. It did receive some freeze damage last year and it is near a water source. Right now it is over 20 ft and possibly closer to 25.

Thanks,

Bill

[MattyB]

Eric, are these still on Floss Silk roots, or on another trees root stock? We saw some intersting Floss Silk at Jeff Searle's place that were grafted onto another tree's stallk in order to tolerate wet conditions. Very intersting as these trees need no water once established here in CA.

[Eric in Orlando]

yes, these are grafted onto seedling C. speciosa. Seed grown from a desirable tree doesn't always come true to the parent.

I saw those trees at Jeff's and if I remember right, they grafted onto Pachira aquatica, a related tree that can grow in wet locations. Its good that the grafts are compatible.

[Eric in Orlando]

What an impressive bloom! Thanks for showing!

I'm curious to know typically how long a normal C.speciosa takes to bloom. I have had one in the ground for 3 years

now and it is really taking off however no blooms so I was just curious. It did receive some freeze damage last year and it is near a water source. Right now it is over 20 ft and possibly closer to 25.

Thanks,

Bill

It varies but once they get 15-20 ft they definitely are at the size to start. So maybe next year. We have several that are 20ft plus and were planted 7-9 years ago and just started flowering last year or this year so don't give up.

[Palmarum]

Here are two photos of the 'Scott Cohen' when not in bloom...

Ryan

[Eric in Orlando]

Here's one more that was open today

[ariscott]

Nice... it is hard enough to find Ceiba speciosa here... I had 2, but the termites got them. They seem to like it..

Time to get some more seeds, I think

Regards, Ari

[ThunderSRQ]

Here are two photos of the 'Scott Cohen' when not in bloom...

Ryan

Ryan,

I don't think anyone "got it" (except me, of course! )

And don't you have to be an "old-timer" to get a tree named after you?

Tim

[Palmarum]

ThunderSRQ Posted Today, 05:09 PM

...I don't think anyone "got it" (except me, of course!...And don't you have to be an "old-timer" to get a tree named after you?...

Usually, but not when you're good and long-time friends with Crafton Clift who creates Ceiba cultivars. I figured people might know the name and face, but didn't know they went together.

Ryan

[BeerPlant]

It varies but once they get 15-20 ft they definitely are at the size to start. So maybe next year. We have several that are 20ft plus and were planted 7-9 years ago and just started flowering last year or this year so don't give up.

[Palmə häl′ik]

You need to put some palms under it Bill!

[Eric in Orlando]

Good to see the man who it was named after ! I've never met him or Crafton yet.

[Jeff Searle]

I've known Scott since he was 15 years old. And the way I met him was, he came to one of my sales looking for the rarest of the rarest of palms. At such an early age, I thought to myself, "who in the hell is this kid"? At the age of 25 now, Scott has become a very good grower/collector of palms, but more so his expertise is in flowering trees. Scott is becoming one of our great, young plantsman of our time here in south Florida.

But Scott is off to college now, so his growing will have to wait until school is over.

Jeff

[Scott Cohen]

Aww, thanks Jeff! Ryan, nice pics! Bill it could take a while for your seedling to flower. The reason we usuially graft is that they generally do not look exactly like the parent trees, and they flower much faster. Yours could flower next year or 10 years from now, who knows. Jerry, The tree holds plenty of flowers, way more than TEM (one of the parents) But it is planted in a dence area so we may not know its full potential just yet.

~Scott