Tropical looking tree for 8b

[RedRabbit]

I’m a big fan of ficus, Royal poinciana, and other fast growing trees that do well in 9b+. However, it can get down to 15f, freeze for >24hrs, and also hit >105f in the summer so these aren’t going to work. I was considering Enterolobium cyclocarpum, Tipuana tipu, or Ceiba speciosa, but I’m guessing it’s too cold for those too.

What some alternatives I should consider for this climate?

[Chester B]

Albizia julibrissin - go for one of the chocolate varieties

Flamethrower Redbud

Any of the large leaf Magnolias - tripetala, macrophylla, ashei

 

 

[ahosey01]

Maybe try Goeffroea decorticans?  Super hardy, likes water.  Doesn't care a lot about soil. 

Also Aralia spinosa gives tropical vibes but is native to your area.

I second @Chester B on Magnolia macrophylla.  You can also buy some weird colored Vitex in Florida like pink and blue etc....

Also it's not strictly tropical but one of my very most favorite trees that does really well everywhere is Gymnocladus dioicus which has massive bipinnate leaves.

[Silas_Sancona]

Not 100% certain how well they'd tolerate the soil in that part of the state but should handle the winters, most at least...

Leucaena retusa - Golden Leadball Tree.  Gregg's Leadball ( L. greggii ) Tree is a look- alike sister sp. that might do ok, if you can find it..

Myrospermum sousana - Arroyo Sweetwood

Anacua, Ehretia anacua

Aesculus pavona - Red Buckeye ..Aesculus X carnea  produces more and larger flowers than the standard form as well.. Ohio Buckeye is another option worth research..

Catalpa Beautiful option for spring flowers but they can be messy.

X Chitalpa might be worth trialing, though, again, not sure how they'll handle the soil there.. A bit skeptical myself, but is supposedly hardy to -at least- zone 7 < various sources >

Standard Desert Willow ( Chilopsis linearis ) iNat observations of specimens in / near Houston = " trial- worthy " option.

Vachellia rigidula,  spiny, and a slow poke,  but tough and the flower display in the spring is nice.. Fragrant too.. No issues w/ cold or heat..

Texas Ebony ..Beautiful, though there is conflicting info. regarding " absolute " hardiness.. Some sources list it as being hardy to 8B,  while other sources suggest it can be killed outright by long exposure to temps below 20F.. 


Erythrina herbacea  is the hardiest of the Coral Trees, but acts more like a large bush rather than a tree.. Erythrina X bidwillii, and E. crista- galli  would be hardiest of the tree sized sps.  Thought both were tough enough to handle the weirder winters there.  Trial- worthy at the very least.

** Of note: All Erythrina sps are vulnerable to being attacked by stem  / twig borers **


 

[Chester B]

6 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Erythrina X bidwillii,

Mine was killed to the ground this winter, but is coming back from the roots.

 

7 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

X Chitalpa

I've grown these, so probably worth a try

7 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Standard Desert Willow ( Chilopsis linearis )

I see these for sale at most nurseries around here.  Generally its the "bubba" variety.

10 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Myrospermum sousana - Arroyo Sweetwood

I have one of these so they do grow here.

One other tree I thought of, but I'm not sure if its Tropical looking enough - Cordia boissieri (Mexican Olive)

[Silas_Sancona]

1 minute ago, Chester B said:

One other tree I thought of, but I'm not sure if its Tropical looking enough - Cordia boissieri  (Mexican Olive)

Pretty tropical looking, esp. in areas where the leaves get big  < Compared to the avrg. leaf size on many specimens here > .. ( Handful of specimens i'd observe regularly in a park in FL. )  Fruit can be quite messy though, but is manageable ... Just don't plant near a house / paved surface ( Can stain )..

Considering they're used as " Highway Trees " in some areas on this side of the valley / probably other areas around town too,  these are about as tough as trees can get.

[ahosey01]

What about some of the hardier Tabebuia??

[Than]

My Erythrina was almost killed to the ground and it is in a sheltered balcony in zone 10a/10b. I would not recommend it for zone 8. 

Another beautiful tree, evergreen and with very tropical look, is Eriobotrya deflexa. It can take very low temperatures as far as I know. Mine grows slowly but it is in a pot; hopefully it will become faster once in the ground.

[5am]

1 hour ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Texas Ebony ..Beautiful, though there is conflicting info. regarding " absolute " hardiness.. Some sources list it as being hardy to 8B,  while other sources suggest it can be killed outright by long exposure to temps below 20F.. 

Texas Ebony is an exceedingly beautiful tree with that standout shade of green and interesting trunk, but I think the other options here are probably better for 8b. The new growth on my 3 year old potted sapling was killed by a windy night that barely reached 32 after a warm spell.  Somewhere along the line I've heard of them growing as far north as Corpus Christi. I have my doubts, but if true, that's where I would try to source one.

[Fusca]

@5am Here's Texas Ebony in 8b Chappell Hill, TX prior to 2021:

[Xenon]

I always liked this huge Peltophorum dubium near town. Probably would've come back from 2021 but the whole place whas reno'ed a few years ago. Jacaranda can be done with dieback in cold years. Ceiba speciosa 100% can be grown here, several huge flowering examples before 2021. Plenty of big Ebenopsis ebano too. 

Cordia boissieri grows exceptionally well here. The City even installed some on Nasa Rd 1. Erythrina crista-galli is fine too 

Lots of options open up if you look at what has been grown before in the past few decades vs hyperfocusing on the last 5 years 

[Silas_Sancona]

31 minutes ago, 5am said:

Texas Ebony is an exceedingly beautiful tree with that standout shade of green and interesting trunk, but I think the other options here are probably better for 8b. The new growth on my 3 year old potted sapling was killed by a windy night that barely reached 32 after a warm spell.  Somewhere along the line I've heard of them growing as far north as Corpus Christi. I have my doubts, but if true, that's where I would try to source one.

Keep in mind, a sapling sized tree -esp. anything that could be lumped under the " subtropical " umbrella- can be much more vulnerable to cold  ( and /or heat ) damage compared to the same tree w/ older aged wood on it..

Have had really small 1-3yr old specimens that would look a bit unhappy after a a few back to back sub 35F mornings mid Jan. here but they bounce back afterwards..

Planted extensively around Tucson, inc. within some of the colder pockets on the east and far south side of town where it can dip below 22F on occasion.. Tops get a bit toasted but also bounce back once it warms up..

Visiting a nursery down there just after this year's regional cold spell, none their short ( under 5ft in height ), 5gal specimens were damaged.. Kept out under open sky in the nursery.  Report from someone i know there confirmed the back to back mornings that bottomed out between 31 and 26F i'd noticed on the nearest neighborhood Wx station at that time ..


 

[ahosey01]

Caesalpinia paraguarensis maybe?

I could do this all day....