These trees, tropical --and sub-tropical are the Cirque de Soleil of the
summer solstice.
This tree is mysteriously absent from our Central Coast. This is peculiar
as Poinciana tolerates temperatures to 20° and could, in theory be grown in
suitable micro climates along the coast from San Diego to Point Conception.
Update August 27, 2012- Poinciana seeds from Rare seeds arrived within a few days and were subjected to the very hot water treatment, soaked in 1/4 of an inch of water until they spouted on 8/26/12/. Basically it took 2 months. Suspect it could be done in less time if the process were begun in August, as tropicals tend to sprout most quickly in late summer/early fall, getting ready for the rainy season.
Golden Trumpet Tree
The Brazilian Golden Trumpet tree grows without problems along our coast as
far north as Santa Barbara. It’s doesn’t develop into a luxurious golden canopy
for a number of years unless it is planted in a sheltered hot spot , but even as
a smaller tree it is worth growing.
All these trees are related, all members of the Bignonia family
which was established early ( 17th
c.) in the history of western botany to honor a great patron of botanists- Jean-Paul Bignon
Bignon, through his influence with the king (Louis XIV) was
able to get the necessary royal financing--- without which nothing got done in
the France of Louis le Grande
.As plants,
.As plants,
Unkind people might find the Bignonias a touch
gaudy as his enemies found Jean-Paul. But for us, Bignon gets added to the list of
splendid patrons who had the foresight to support plant explorations. Even if these
patrons,(like present day ethno-biologists combing the Amazon forests) were after commercial results---hoping for
something spectacular*
Bignon’s protégé, De Tournefort was a serious scientist (you can see by looking at him) who first sorted out the concept of genus. A physician as well as a botanist, De Tournefort . was nearly forced into the priesthood. Freed from this
fate by his father’s death, De Tournefort to was able to pursue his true passion--- botany. (My perceptive readers have already figured out , that botany was the glamour
science of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.)
De Tournefort’s efforts were rewarded with a professorship at the Jardin
des Plantes. A plant explorer himself he encouraged others also and wrote
Elements de botanique (1694).
Eventually, even got a
street in Paris named for him.
Rue Tourneforte
Bignonias are a guy’s best friend….they won’t
lose their shape..
The red canopied Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia)
is equally thrifty where it’s warm
enough for it. (Zones 9-10).
Mystified by the
absence of Poincianas along the Central Coast, decided to grow my own. Perhaps
the mystery is solved. When seeds arrived
the package announced “ seeds may take several
months to sprout at 75°-85°.(!)
In the tropics those temperatures occur
naturally; Poinciana grows like a weed. The Poinciana tree has nitrogen-fixating and soil-improving properties Surprisingly, it is a legume. Native to Madagascar, an entrepôt for the
slave trade; Poinciana travelled the
Middle Passage to the West Indies .
In So
Cal, the seeds need help to propagate quickly. See http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Fabaceae/Delonix_regia.html for good directions Basically, you soak seeds in very hot water 48
hours before planting. Hopefully, shouldn't take months to sprout them—stay
tuned….Update August 27, 2012- Poinciana seeds from Rare seeds arrived within a few days and were subjected to the very hot water treatment, soaked in 1/4 of an inch of water until they spouted on 8/26/12/. Basically it took 2 months. Suspect it could be done in less time if the process were begun in August, as tropicals tend to sprout most quickly in late summer/early fall, getting ready for the rainy season.
photo from Trade Winds Fruit
Grows to 25 feet. Flowers appear
as do the jacaranda flowers while trees
are leafless.. Tolerates temperatures into mid 20's F and looks best with
occasional to regular watering in warm months plants flower best when not overwatered. [i]
Three colorful canopies of flowers with romantic pasts……… and water
savers every one.
Notes:
*All hoped to find another golden egg such as the Spanish found in the cochineal trade based
on 1,000 years of Aztec cactus farming .See A
Perfect Red by Amy Butler Greenfield
For those who like their details up to date—Jacaranda is now a genus of
its own. A lot of fine tuning goes on in the world of botany. Bignonia is now a “family”. Golden trumpet has also been assigned into 2
catergories.