Enterolobium Species, Caro Caro, Devil's Ear, Earpod Tree, Elephant-Ear Tree, Guanacaste

I was warned about this tree being aggressive but this is rediculace. I kept it in a nursery pot as a pre bonsai. The roots went into the...Read More ground and are too massive to dig up. Too close to the house I'm gonna need round up to kill the roots.

It is a beautiful tree, just a little on the messy side once a year. It does appear to hold up pretty well in our winds. It is growing ...Read Morenear Dade City, FL in Pasco County. Out in the open and is not winter-killed in the 25+ years I have seen it growing. I am experimenting with the foliage as a natural plant dye. It appears to make a good green dye, but takes a lot of foliage to make. I have not tested for color and lightfastness yet.

This tree is all that everyone says: Large and sprawling. Information that this tree is living in Pasco County, city of New Port Richey.

We have always had these trees at the town house and out here on the farm for as long as I can remember and they are great trees if you h...Read Moreave the land to let them reach their full potential . They do grow very fast and very big ( both the tree and the root system . The green wood is pretty flexable and that might lead people to belive they are wind resistant but thats not entirely true because it is a fairly brittle wood . You also want to keep it pruned really well , during fall and winter it will die back and the dead wood will dry out and become very weak ( Think Balsa wood weak ) They do bloom with really cool powder puff looking flowers and the bees love them . The main reason that some cities concider them invasive is due to owners not properly maintaining their trees or yards but it is not on Floridas Invasive plant list , it's just a local restriction because they might be growing close to roads Sidewalks and other infrastructure concerns . Just plant them away from such concerns and rake up the ears when they drop and you will have a beautyful tree in less than 5 years . I will add , don't hang a swing from them or build a tree house in one because they do get weak and dry during the fall wnd winter . Also keep them pruned every year ( During the winter or just before spring ) One of the nice things about this type of tree is , if you see any damage or rot that is causing the tree to die off from the trunk up , you can just cut it off below the problem area and it will bounce back fast to an even bushier trees . Another thing to think about is it is part of the Legume familly and is a Nitrogen fixer for soil and every area in Florida needs Nitrogen in the soil . The leaf litter is excellent for keeping the natural microbes going but as with any tree or plant if the litter gets too thick under it it will choke out grass or other plants you are growing under it . It all boils down to location and proper maintance . If you don't want it to get so big you have to pay someone to prune it for you , just don't let it get that big , keep it cut down to a size you can deal with yourself and don't worry about trimming it back too far , you can't kill this tree unless you cut it down to the ground , drill holes into the heart of the stump and then put Pure ( Nondiluted )Commercial Grade Glysophate in the holes . Thats about the only thing I have found that will kill an established tree .