Ceiba pentandra seeds/ bombax ceiba seeds

[Plantking165]

Love these 2 trees and would like seeds for them if anyone has any I'd buy some. Also share pics and experiences growing these trees too.

[kinzyjr]

44 minutes ago, Plantking165 said:

Love these 2 trees and would like seeds for them if anyone has any I'd buy some. Also share pics and experiences growing these trees too.

In regard to Bombax ceiba, the two at Lake Wire that toppled over in the storm a few years ago are growing back from stumps and set fruit last summer.

[Silas_Sancona]

If you're ever over in the St. Pete or Sarasota area, some big C. bombax specimens scattered around both areas. A park located not too far south of Kopsick, / downtown St. Pete has ..hopefully they're still there... several that seeded every year.

Selby has one (  Hopefully still there too ) and would see others in bloom whenever i was on the way to walk Siesta Key / Point of Rocks.

Were a couple BIG ..boys near downtown Bradenton, but, they were removed when the old herald location was torn down / redeveloped.  Are still some other specimens nearby near a doctor's office north of there ..unless yanked too.



Very easy from seed.. Fast too.  Might have to shelter them their first winter as young saplings, but should be tougher to any -typical- cold beyond that 1st or 2nd year.  Keep dry in winter when dormant, otherwise they'll rot ...in pots at least.

Know there are some C. pentandra specimens in both areas too, but cant remember exactly where. If you can't find any, more locally, plenty down south.

Seed on both is usually ripe in the August - October time frame ( ...when i'd collect seed off the Bradenton Herald specimens when i lived there )

Need to get some seed myself since the last specimen from the bradenton herald seed batch bit the dust.. Stuff happens.

See listings of seed for both on the usual online places too, though i'm skeptical of how legit-ly  ID'ed / how old the seed offered may be.

[Plantking165]

9 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

If you're ever over in the St. Pete or Sarasota area, some big C. bombax specimens scattered around both areas. A park located not too far south of Kopsick, / downtown St. Pete has ..hopefully they're still there... several that seeded every year.

Selby has one (  Hopefully still there too ) and would see others in bloom whenever i was on the way to walk Siesta Key / Point of Rocks.

Were a couple BIG ..boys near downtown Bradenton, but, they were removed when the old herald location was torn down / redeveloped.  Are still some other specimens nearby near a doctor's office north of there ..unless yanked too.



Very easy from seed.. Fast too.  Might have to shelter them their first winter as young saplings, but should be tougher to any -typical- cold beyond that 1st or 2nd year.  Keep dry in winter when dormant, otherwise they'll rot ...in pots at least.

Know there are some C. pentandra specimens in both areas too, but cant remember exactly where. If you can't find any, more locally, plenty down south.

Seed on both is usually ripe in the August - October time frame ( ...when i'd collect seed off the Bradenton Herald specimens when i lived there )

Need to get some seed myself since the last specimen from the bradenton herald seed batch bit the dust.. Stuff happens.

See listings of seed for both on the usual online places too, though i'm skeptical of how legit-ly  ID'ed / how old the seed offered may be.

That's exactly why I'm here for legit seed and not super old seed either, plus I'm usually not near any specimens so searching here for people that may have seed or can easily get ahold of some

[Silas_Sancona]

Just now, Plantking165 said:

That's exactly why I'm here for legit seed and not super old seed either, plus I'm usually not near any specimens so searching here for people that may have seed or can easily get ahold of some

  I hear ya.  Many online sellers not listing how old seed might be is one of my biggest pet peeve about rolling the dice when purchasing from them, besides many obvious, really bad IDs, lol ... 



Just in case you can't find seed now / ever get down there later,   did a street view check in, and the  B. ceiba specimens located just north of the old Bradenton Herald location on the 41 ( 102 Manatee is where the Herald was at )  are still there, all of them. Gained some size since i moved too. 

100% sure on the ID. One of my mom's doctors was in this complex and i'd collected flowers off the bigger trees a couple times while waiting to drive us back home. Were some Royal Poinciana nearby too but looks like they were ripped when the herald  was torn down / redeveloped.

Street view shots, as of last May ( First picture ) and 11 / '22 ( Second shot )

[bubba]

Picture of the Florida Champion, located just south of Whitehall, Henry Flagler’s house on South Lake Trail. I turned it into the Florida Champion project. Some other Florida Champions are pictured (Baobab). The coconut palms below the Ceiba pentandra are over 30 feet tall for context.

[bubba]

https://www.thefloridagardeningproject.com/protecting-our-giants

[Than]

Bombax ceiba is one of my fav trees and I am gutted it won't grow on European soil.. 

[Silas_Sancona]

17 minutes ago, Than said:

Bombax ceiba is one of my fav trees and I am gutted it won't grow on European soil.. 

Being pretty versatile, i wouldn't assume that they wouldn't grow in your soil..

Seen them growing in variations of an overall sandy theme ...not far from salt water, and chalky limestone in FL, and in more clay-ey / rocky soils / alluvial deposits in CA.

Far tougher tree than some might assume.

 

[Than]

21 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Being pretty versatile, i wouldn't assume that they wouldn't grow in your soil..

Seen them growing in variations of an overall sandy theme ...not far from salt water, and chalky limestone in FL, and in more clay-ey / rocky soils / alluvial deposits in CA.

Far tougher tree than some might assume.

 

Hmmmmm perhaps we should initiate a "let's add our plants on inaturalist" week cos when I searched this species I didn't find any specimens in Ca or Europe, so I assumed...

I tried seeds once but none germinated

[Silas_Sancona]

22 minutes ago, Than said:

Hmmmmm perhaps we should initiate a "let's add our plants on inaturalist" week cos when I searched this species I didn't find any specimens in Ca or Europe, so I assumed...

I tried seeds once but none germinated

iNat. is a great resource, but, like everything else ..imperfect.  Some stuff gets miss - ID' ed, Sometimes, other things slip under the radar ..until they don't, lol.

Bombax ceiba,  Los Angeles Arboretum ..One of 2 specimens there.. Pictures taken on 05 / 05 / 2012.. Have heard they've both grown a bit since i saw them.  Don't doubt there may be a few other specimens flying under the radar around S. Cal now..

Biggest yet-to-be-confirmed question is if the L.A. Arb. specimens are setting seed now.  All other, mature enough Ceiba sps specimens planted around S. Cal / other areas seed.. I suspect these should as well ...Just need to get out there at the right time to confirm it. 











Knew someone in a colder part of Sarasota growing some of their specimens as large Bonsai - esque subjects they'd bring in / out of a hoop house. Started as cuttings off a more mature specimen, they grew theirs in large 25-30gal pots and each one flowered every year. 

Seed can be tricky ..Temps. have to be hot when starting them. If the soil stays to wet, they can rot.  Fresh seed is obviously best, but, have started seed that was a couple years old.

Working with seed of some other sps that is a bit older than that to test what the viability limit is  ..If the seed is stored in an ideal manner.

[Than]

9 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

iNat. is a great resource, but, like everything else ..imperfect.  Some stuff gets miss - ID' ed, Sometimes, other things slip under the radar ..until they don't, lol.

Bombax ceiba,  Los Angeles Arboretum ..One of 2 specimens there.. Pictures taken on 05 / 05 / 2012.. Have heard they've both grown a bit since i saw them.  Don't doubt there may be a few other specimens flying under the radar around S. Cal now..

Biggest yet-to-be-confirmed question is if the L.A. Arb. specimens are setting seed now.  All other, mature enough Ceiba sps specimens planted around S. Cal / other areas seed.. I suspect these should as well ...Just need to get out there at the right time to confirm it. 











Knew someone in a colder part of Sarasota growing some of their specimens as large Bonsai - esque subjects they'd bring in / out of a hoop house. Started as cuttings off a more mature specimen, they grew theirs in large 25-30gal pots and each one flowered every year. 

Seed can be tricky ..Temps. have to be hot when starting them. If the soil stays to wet, they can rot.  Fresh seed is obviously best, but, have started seed that was a couple years old.

Working with seed of some other sps that is a bit older than that to test what the viability limit is  ..If the seed is stored in an ideal manner.

Sarasota is in Florida, on the coast.. I bet the weather is humid and warm most days.. not sure it means anything for us, xerophytic people

[Silas_Sancona]

8 minutes ago, Than said:

Sarasota is in Florida, on the coast.. I bet the weather is humid and warm most days.. not sure it means anything for us, xerophytic people

Close to the coast, yes... 10+ miles inland?  can experience frosts every so often, more often than right along the coast.   Pretty dramatic how quickly you stop seeing " tropical " stuff as you work your way east from downtown Sarasota, to the far less populated areas near the  Myakka River / Myakka River State Park area. 

2 of my favorite Sarasota area nurseries, and a PT forum member who occasionally posts live out there. One of the nurseries is the one which had the B. ceiba " bonsai " specimens, and at least one out in one of the display gardens on the property ..unless a hurricane took it out.   ..and a whole bunch of other " tropical " stuff fully exposed to what they endure each winter most folks out there would be too afraid to try.

 

[Than]

1 hour ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Close to the coast, yes... 10+ miles inland?  can experience frosts every so often, more often than right along the coast.   Pretty dramatic how quickly you stop seeing " tropical " stuff as you work your way east from downtown Sarasota, to the far less populated areas near the  Myakka River / Myakka River State Park area. 

2 of my favorite Sarasota area nurseries, and a PT forum member who occasionally posts live out there. One of the nurseries is the one which had the B. ceiba " bonsai " specimens, and at least one out in one of the display gardens on the property ..unless a hurricane took it out.   ..and a whole bunch of other " tropical " stuff fully exposed to what they endure each winter most folks out there would be too afraid to try.

 

Still Sarasota airport has a mean daily maximum of 75F in January.  Only 58F where I live and 67F in Phoenix.

[Silas_Sancona]

12 minutes ago, Than said:

Still Sarasota airport has a mean daily maximum of 75F in January.  Only 58F where I live and 67F in Phoenix.

Since i don't live next to one, nor live on a tarmac of one, I don't use temp records from airports to gauge what i can grow. " Official " reading used for Phoenix is approx 12 miles away and their weather is a bit different than mine. Can be 35F there on a morning when i'm scraping 29F for 45mins to an hour at Dawn.

If you like it, try it.

 

[Than]

18 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Since i don't live next to one, nor live on a tarmac of one, I don't use temp records from airports to gauge what i can grow. " Official " reading used for Phoenix is approx 12 miles away and their weather is a bit different than mine. Can be 35F there on a morning when i'm scraping 29F for 45mins to an hour at Dawn.

If you like it, try it.

 

You're right, I'll go for it!