Cascabela Species, Giant Thevetia, Yellow Oleander

Here in San Diego, CA USDA zone 10B bordering 10A/ Sunset zone 24 bordering 23 I have had this tree growing in nasty caliche soil for 10+...Read More years. (An Australian Tea Tree about 15 feet away did quite poorly for a few years before it finally bit the dust after reaching near maturity!)

My "Giant Thevetia" was slow to take hold possibly because of poor soil but once it did it has flourished many years with occasional deep soaking during the summer months. With additional irrigation it remains in bloom most of the year... some displays more dramatic than others. Lack of summer irrigation will cause the tree to shed most of its leaves and may experience die-back of the twiggier portions.

Will set fruit at times. To obtain seed let the fruit fall from the tree. You will find one large oddly "horned" seed per plum sized fruit. I suggest that the seed be planted promptly. I am not sure if scarification would help. The seed is VERY hard. I have had one volunteer from a fruit that fell into a pot below the tree that was kept watered and germinated producing an additional tree.

I have seen excellent specimens of this tree east of Riverside, CA (Sunset zone 19) as well as in Mission Hills here in San Diego zone 24 overlooking the Pacific coast. I believe that it thrives with the extra heat at my location and the same in the desert-like conditions of Zone 19.

I would be hard pressed to come up with another tree producing such spectacular displays of rich yellow flowers framed geometrically by dark green almost willow-like leaves flaying outward at the tips of the branches. The texture is far different than that of the many showy Cassia and Senna trees. Also the growth is much more open so that there is ample light beneath the tree for other sun-loving plants to thrive.

Excellent tree for a small sunny garden! It is well worth the wait until maturing for spectacular floral display. Addressing this creature as "Yellow Oleander" (mistakenly) is more of an insult than a description! It has been called "Giant Thevetia" not because of its size at maturity but the size of the large yellow flowers. Another available species has smaller apricot flowers on a tree (or large shrub) maturing at about twice the size of the "Giant Thevetia". This species Thevetia neriifolia (Cascabela thevetia) is given the common name "Yellow Oleander".

I suppose that my tree is also called a "Be-Still" tree because it is rather stiff in its branching and leafing out when exposed to gusts of wind. In this manner is very NOT willow-like!

One final note is that the “Be-Still” Tree is remarkably pest free! In this regard adds to what should be its “tough-as-nails” reputation!

I sincerely hope that some of you out there will fall in love with this tree as I have come to through the years!!! Other-wise throw something at me that would make me as jealous as I may have made you!

I have not tried to grow this tree, but saw one at a local arboretum recently, and even nicer than the more common Peruvian Thevetia... t...Read Morehis species is from Mexico. Has larger, more spectacular flowers, and darker, longer but still narrow green curved leaves.