is it? do you think it would live in zone 8a near dallas?
anacahuite...texas olive tree...who grows it and how hardy
The Anacahuita or Texas Wild Olive (Cordia boissieri) grows wild out at our ranch. So much that we have a local nursery owner who brings his tractor and digs some out every couple of weeks.
Am in zone 9b where our temperatures get over 100 during the summer and don't really freeze. It may get below freezing for maybe one or two nights out of the year. The leaves may get windburned and fall off but they come back quick enough. We are always under drought conditions and these trees continue to thrive.
They seem to grow easily from seed as I have one in my yard in the city and every now and then I find a seedling that has sprouted in my thick St Augustine grass. Since the tree is at the edge of my property by the street - most of the fruit falls onto the highway - which can look messy :o)
The trees are spectacular when in full bloom - they also form a nice dense amount of foliage. A lot of the local businesses and our state highway department uses them in landscaping. Hummingbirds and butterflies nectar from the blooms. It also serves as a nice bird nesting tree.
~ Cat
thanks cat. i looked but can't find any hardiness information. i know it's going to lose it's leaves during a freeze but would the freeze kill a young tree? what about a big tree? i saw a picture of this tree and just went gaga. does it smell good?
Don't know if it smells good - I never sniffed the blooms - can't smell it from my front door either - so am not thinking it's very fragrant. A freeze might kill a young tree but you really can't kill a big one. I tell you they grow out here like weeds but have very, very, did I mention very - long tap roots. They must to be able to get to the water as well as work their root system around the caliche rock bed. The birds, butterflies, bees and hummies all enjoy them. It really is hardy out here and pretty when it's full of foliage and blooms - but the fallen fruit/seeds can get messy if they end up on your driveway...but they won't stain like mulberries and other fruit.
~ Cat
Mamajack,
According to what I have read, they are hardy as far north as San Antonio. There is one growing in front of the Alamo. It's root hardy but has been frozen down to the ground several times. UFl.edu lists its plant hardiness from zone 9 to 11.
I think this next link is being too optimistic about its frost tolerance.
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Boraginaceae/Cordia_boissieri.html
This is probably more accurate:
http://uvalde.tamu.edu/herbarium/cobo.htm
I think zone 8a would be too cold to grow it in the ground. The good news is that it grows well in a pot at least for a number of years.
Cat, I would be happy to pay for postage and gas for some seed. I had one when I was living in San Jose, CA. They are gorgeous. Am having problems finding trees here. Top Tropicals sells them, but postage is higher than the cost of the plant.
i figured it wasn't going to be hardy here. too bad. thanks for the information. well it's back to the anacua and maybe i can find another native tree for my yard.
Mamajack,'
have you thought about Anacacho Orchid Tree? Bauhinia lunarioides. It's native and found in Texas only on the Anacacho Mountain near Uvalde. It's rated hardy to zone 8A. It is also found in Mexico. The common form has white flowers. There is a wild pink form that is harder to find. The white form is available from many nurseries. I have one of the pink ones, but with the drought it hasn't bloomed this year and therefore no seed. It makes a small tree about the size of a crape myrtle. They sprout from the base and the ones I've seen are all multi-trunked.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/55962/
never heard of it but htop's picture of it is really nice. i wonder how twisted/tortured the trunk is? or is it? i like it. agaveguy there is a pink in the plant files but is listed not as hardy as the white. seems like the native would be more adaptable. it always makes me grit my teeth when i find something i like and then discover it is too cold here. but i would like to try the white one. when does it bloom?
and do any of yall know where i could get a good sized texas buckeye? how much would it be?
Mamajack,
Anacacho orchid tree blooms mostly in the spring, but spits and sputters through the summer. Texas buckeye puts down a tap root to China before it produces much top growth. Therefore large ones are usually not sold.
i didn't know that. oh my i put one under a tree just to plant it and keep it alive and i planned on moving it. would i kill it if i mess with the tap root? it's been in the ground for 3 yrs. still is a little bitty plant up top. at what point does the top catch up with the root?
and what's the biggest buckeye you've ever seen potted? or have you seen any at all?
I have dug up 3-4 foot high, bushy specimens, cut a lot of their roots off when digging and had them survive. They will regrow the tap roots. Of course this is best done in late fall or winter when they are completely dormant and the weather is better for transplanting. I rarely see them for sale. Most people don't understand a plant that looses its leaves in summer. If I do find them for sale in local nurseries it's usually one gallon pots with plants about 8 or 10 inches high. I think I have seen 5 gallon pots on occasion with 2-3 footers. I have also ordered them mail order from including Woodlanders and Forest Farm. These are usually about 8-10 inches of top growth. These plants usually put most of their energy into the root system for the first two or so years, then get a bit more top growth. They put on all their growth for the entire year when they first bud out and that's it. To encourage growth feed and water them well just before and during the initial spring growth spurt. They are usually found in shady places in woodlands, but I have seen them in full, baking sun and they bloom much better with more sun.
they have a very large one at the antique rose emporium and if you ever saw one of them in full bloom you would just die. it is the prettiest thing i ever saw plus it's got high drama with red clusters all over. a tree to die for as far as i am concerned. and in the summer it would look cool without leaves. the birds would love it. and it was in a sunny spot.
well exactly how fast do they grow? is it going to be a lifetime?
Most of mine are about 10 years planted from small purchased plants and they are mostly about 6 or seven feet tall. I have three six year olds that I grew from seed and they are about 5 feet tall.
well it could be my lifetime then. lol oh well i'll give it my best shot.