Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Silk Floss Trees of Cupertino
 |  |
City landscaping can be boring. It's usually based on the idea of minimal maintenance, minimal plant cost, and marginally acceptable aesthetics.
But occasionally, it surprises even me.
The silk floss tree ( Chorisia speciosa ) looks very tropical, with strange spines on the trunk and brilliant pink flowers appearing in the fall. In fact, it's a native of Brazil and Argentina. But it turns out that it can survive temperatures down to 20F on an occasional basis, which means it survives in select locations in the San Francisco Bay Area. The two major places to see it that I know of are a large planting in the parking lot of the Cupertino Target ( pictured here), and a couple places at Stanford University.
It seems as though the thorniness of the trunk varies greatly, from the extreme pictured here to some trees having very few thorns - in this case just on the other side of the parking lot.
Comments:
<< Home
Now that's what I call a vandal proof tree.
That's not a tree you want to have nearby to climb if you spot a bear! I don't know which would be worse, mauled by a bear or mauled by the tree. Beautiful flowers though.
I saw something similar once in a tropical botanical garden but the thorns were much, much fewer though about the same size. Must have been a different species of the same tree.
That's not a tree you want to have nearby to climb if you spot a bear! I don't know which would be worse, mauled by a bear or mauled by the tree. Beautiful flowers though.
I saw something similar once in a tropical botanical garden but the thorns were much, much fewer though about the same size. Must have been a different species of the same tree.
Ki,
It turns out that the same species has a wide variation in thorn count. There are trees on the other side of the parking lot with a much smaller number of thorns.
--Albert
It turns out that the same species has a wide variation in thorn count. There are trees on the other side of the parking lot with a much smaller number of thorns.
--Albert
what a beautiful tree, I live in Canada so they are out of the question here, but it is nice to dream!
Ena
Ena
We also have two silk floss trees here in San Jose on White Road at Story Road behind the Baskin Robins ice cream store. Bloom in the fall with those bright pink flowers. Very exotic!
--Bracey
--Bracey
# posted by 
: 1/22/2008 10:17 AM
: 1/22/2008 10:17 AM
There is a big one on the campus of German International School of Silicon Valley in Mountain View.
It blooms from mid-late October til January.
Post a Comment
It blooms from mid-late October til January.
<< Home
