Whats the most tropical evergreen tree you can grow in zone 9b-10a

[Josh-O]

So, I was wondering whats the most tropical evergreen tree you can grow in zone 9b-10a?

I'm thinking of planting a few cool rare tropical trees in the garden for canopy.

[rprimbs]

I don't know if jackfruit qualifies as one of the "most tropical" evergreen trees you can grow in 9b-10a, but it is kinda cool with the enormous fruit that sorta taste like Bazooka bubble gum.

[Ben in Norcal]

Right up my alley given what I have been up to this weekend!

I got a couple of Acacia baileyana in the ground today - one regular form, one purpurea.  Last weekend I planted a couple of Michaelia (Magnolia) champaca + a small alba.

Just ordered a couple of things for fun - Bauhinia blakeana (Hong Kong Orchid) and Spathodea campanulata (African Tulip Tree).  I need to plant my Rainbow gum as well - didn't get around to that today, Josh.  It's awfully small right now!

[Monòver]

Schefflera actinophylla,It is not the most tropical and cool rare, but i love its tropical look.

[Silas_Sancona]

18 hours ago, Ben in Norcal said:

Right up my alley given what I have been up to this weekend!

I got a couple of Acacia baileyana in the ground today - one regular form, one purpurea.  Last weekend I planted a couple of Michaelia (Magnolia) champaca + a small alba.

Just ordered a couple of things for fun - Bauhinia blakeana (Hong Kong Orchid) and Spathodea campanulata (African Tulip Tree).  I need to plant my Rainbow gum as well - didn't get around to that today, Josh.  It's awfully small right now!

 Ben,
Hong Kong should be easy.. surprised there aren't more planted around your side of the Bay, let alone in San Jose. Watch the Spathodea.. had one fry on me out there even though it was well protected. If you can find one, look up Bolusanthus speciosus.. African Wisteria Tree.. SLOW but a really cool flowering tree.. Supposed to handle temps into the mid 20s. One id also recommend for you Josh. Also, look into Erythrina caffra and/or X Syksii. Both should be fairly easy to find out there.

[Ben in Norcal]

9 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

 Ben,
Hong Kong should be easy.. surprised there aren't more planted around your side of the Bay, let alone in San Jose. Watch the Spathodea.. had one fry on me out there even though it was well protected. If you can find one, look up Bolusanthus speciosus.. African Wisteria Tree.. SLOW but a really cool flowering tree.. Supposed to handle temps into the mid 20s. One id also recommend for you Josh. Also, look into Erythrina caffra and/or X Syksii. Both should be fairly easy to find out there.

Cool!  Thanks for the recos.  I'll look into those.

[Josh76]

Ficus macrophyllya columnaris!!

 

 

[The Silent Seed]

Nice idea on the Schleffera. My friend gave me a S. emarginella and it became one of my instant favorite pet plants. So funky! 

[Kim]

You don't see many of them, but Delonix regia would be quite a statement, especially when they mature with that huge horizontal crown.

[Xenon]

How many of these trees are actually evergreen? Is Hong Kong orchid tree evergreen?

[Bazza]

The Queensland Umbrella Tree was my first thought but since it's already been mentioned another possibility would be a Screw Pine.

 

[Bazza]

1 hour ago, Xenon said:

How many of these trees are actually evergreen? Is Hong Kong orchid tree evergreen?

 

No it's deciduous and is quite messy as a matter of fact. Ask me how i know.....

 

 

[Bazza]

How about a Ficus lyrata aka Fiddleleaf Fig?

They can get pretty big and are very cool....

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On ‎1‎/‎26‎/‎2016‎ ‎3‎:‎37‎:‎33‎, Xenon said:

How many of these trees are actually evergreen? Is Hong Kong orchid tree evergreen?

Yes, it is with a crown of big double lobed light green leaves.  Even though here on the coast, they sometimes have a fairly sparse crown that isn't very dense, it is the BIG GORGEOUS LAVENDER FLOWERS all winter long from November till April that really makes them worth it.  Here is mine.

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On ‎1‎/‎26‎/‎2016‎ ‎3‎:‎37‎:‎33‎, Xenon said:

How many of these trees are actually evergreen? Is Hong Kong orchid tree evergreen?

By the way, Jonathon, they can be grown just south of where you live.  I think they can make it through the winter in Galveston County, and there are probably some nice specimens on Galveston Island.

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On ‎1‎/‎26‎/‎2016‎ ‎5‎:‎19‎:‎06‎, Bazza said:

 

No it's deciduous and is quite messy as a matter of fact. Ask me how i know.....

 

 

Interesting, mine is evergreen, and the ones growing in the Rio Grande Valley all seem to be evergreen.

[Sandy Loam]

Evergreen, tropical-looking, zone 9b-10a, and will grow big enough to form a canopy over time? I see so many that would qualify every time I am down in Miami, eg: Banyan tree, sausage tree, seagrape tree, royal ponciana, clusia guttifera, ficus elastica, I could go on.... However, none of these will grow to canopy size overnight.

[Tracy]

Enterolobium cyclocarpum or guanacoste tree.  My cousin has a very mature one in her yard in Vista, so they definitely survive here.  I have no idea how old hers is, or how long they take to form canopy in our climate though.  Regarding the Hong Kong orchid, while the blooms are very attractive, and they bloom through our winter, they are messy.  I made the mistake of planting one adjacent to a patio, which meant continually sweeping up the dead blooms so the dog didn't smash them into the concrete and stain it.

[Tracy]

Went back to pull up a photo of the guanacoste with one of the epiphytes attached and the Monstera deliciosa climbing up it.

[Ben in Norcal]

On 1/27/2016, 5:09:29, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

Interesting, mine is evergreen, and the ones growing in the Rio Grande Valley all seem to be evergreen.

They are listed as semi-evergreen from what I have seen - suspect it is somewhat temperature dependent.

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On ‎1‎/‎28‎/‎2016‎ ‎8‎:‎01‎:‎07‎, Sandy Loam said:

Evergreen, tropical-looking, zone 9b-10a, and will grow big enough to form a canopy over time? I see so many that would qualify every time I am down in Miami, eg: Banyan tree, sausage tree, seagrape tree, royal ponciana, clusia guttifera, ficus elastica, I could go on.... However, none of these will grow to canopy size overnight.

Have you seen evergreen Royal Poincianas?  Mine was only semi evergreen in this very mild winter we are having, but usually by early Dec. has lost all its leaves.

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

2 hours ago, Tracy said:

Went back to pull up a photo of the guanacoste with one of the epiphytes attached and the Monstera deliciosa climbing up it.

Beautiful!  What Climate Zone is it in?

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

1 hour ago, Ben in Norcal said:

They are listed as semi-evergreen from what I have seen - suspect it is somewhat temperature dependent.

Since I live in a cool 10A Climate, you would think then that mine would lose its leaves, but it doesn't nor do the others around here.  They just periodically drop some of their leaves from time to time, which is why I guess some people call them "messy", but given the gorgeous large blooms almost 6 months out of the year, and during the dreary gloomy winter months at that, I will certainly take it!  Mine is full of gorgeous blooms right now that can be easily seen from the kitchen and bedroom.

[Sandy Loam]

3 hours ago, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

Have you seen evergreen Royal Poincianas?  Mine was only semi evergreen in this very mild winter we are having, but usually by early Dec. has lost all its leaves. 

________________

All I know is that the dozens of Royal Poncianas are all evergreen year-round in Broward County, Dade County and Palm Beach County in Florida.

 

 

 

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

24 minutes ago, Sandy Loam said:

 

I honestly don't remember what they looked like in the winter time when I lived in Coral Springs.  Maybe they are affected by temperature, where winters are warmer, they retain most of their leaves and where winters are cooler, like here, they usually lose al their leaves.  In their native habitat in Madagascar though, I think they lose their leaves due to the dry season as many tropical non rainforest trees do.

[Sandy Loam]

I suppose that is quite possible, but others would know better than me.  I just saw several of them a week or two ago in Miami (mid-January) and they looked the same as they do in summer.

[Silas_Sancona]

Regarding trees like Bombax/Cebia/Pseudobombax, Bauhinia blakeana, Royal Poinciana, Peltophorium, Enterolobium, and even the non-evergreen species of Tabebuia/Handroanthus.. the degree of deciduous-ness, (not a word, i know..) here at least, depends on locality, even down to what neighborhood they are in; Let alone how warm/cool the winter has been. I can drive from the house here in Bradenton to work in Sarasota and see all of these trees with varying degrees of canopy on them this time of year. 

As for Enterolobium, while some people despise it, i find it to be one of the better trees for creating a quick, large canopy. Gotta have room however since the roots can spread a bit.  When thinking about such sized trees id consider to create canopy, id choose this tree 10X over Scheffleria; AKA the Messy Umbrella Tree any day.

This species of Ear pod tree is also hardy enough that the U of A Campus Arboretum in Tucson has 3 in their collection according to their website. Also want to try Albezia sinaloensis, and Conzattia multiflora, which, by all description, resembles Schizolobium. 

[Sandy Loam]

Silas, does the Earpod tree stay evergreen all winter for you there in Bradenton?

[Silas_Sancona]

38 minutes ago, Sandy Loam said:

Silas, does the Earpod tree stay evergreen all winter for you there in Bradenton?

Almost.. Some trees i see every day dropped half their leaves in December while others held on longer. It seems most will shed all or whatever amount of leaves are left right before re-leafing in the spring.. which seems to occur once we have had a couple weeks of sustained warm temps. As for the specimens id referred to in Tucson, will be documenting them to see how they behave out there.

Really admired these trees when i lived in Largo a couple years ago. There are several huge, older specimens planted on a property in Clearwater id pass on a regular basis and it was neat observing the changes to them through the year. Look a lot like the huge Gumbo Limbo at the Ft. Desoto Memoral, especially since both years i lived up there, these trees dropped all their foliage through the winter.

[caixeta]

Lecythis pisonis. One of the most beatiful brazilian trees.

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, caixeta said:

Lecythis pisonis. One of the most beatiful brazilian trees.

Great call Caixeta.. Any idea on cold tolerance? Would assume it to be tropical/ ultra-tropical??

[caixeta]

The  Sapucaia goes well in the southeastern region of Brazil. In southern Minas Gerais it tolerates small frosts.