Late summer and early autumn blooming trees help us bear the heat as we eagerly await the cooler weather and fall foliage. Three stunning species that you can find in Coronado are the African tulip tree, silk floss tree, and the goldenrain tree.
African tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata)
The African tulip tree boasts the impressive reddish-orange tulip shaped flowers, and generally ranges from 23 up to 82 feet tall. Originally from the tropical dry forests of Africa (western Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia), these beauties are especially susceptible to frost and cold weather. In Southern California, you typically only find them near the coast. Hummingbirds love the bright blooms.
The African tulip tree was introduced to California in 1908, by Dr. Francesco Franceschi, pioneering Italian horticulturalist who was based in Santa Barbara. One of the oldest specimens in California can be found in Bear Canyon of the San Diego Zoo.
Silk floss tree (Ceiba speciosa) formerly (Chorisia speciosa)
Several silk floss trees can be spotted near the Coronado Library. The tree has beautiful pink flowers that resemble hibiscus. Its trunk has large sharp prickles, which defend it from climbing animals in the wild. When young, the trunk will be green and then change to gray as the plant matures. The flowers become capsules filled with black seeds and white fluff, which gives it the silk floss name. The trees can grow to be 40 to 60 feet, both tall and wide.
The silk floss tree is a native of tropical and subtropical forests of South America (northeast Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil). One of its Spanish nicknames is palo borracho, or “drunken stick.” Its fluff has been used to stuff pillows in South America.
Dr. Fancesco Franceschi also introduced this tree to California. He brought it to Santa Barbara in 1900. The oldest and largest silk floss tree in the U.S. is planted on the grounds of the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles. It was planted in the early 1900s and is now over 90 feet tall. It has been called the most spectacular flowering tree in the nation.
Goldenrain tree (Koelreuteria paniculata)
The goldenrain tree puts on a yellow flower show in the summer. The flowers then become green lantern-like pods that ripen to pink and orange in the autumn. The tree is a native of China and Korea, and can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty (1046 B.C. – 256 B.C.). It was an official memorial tree planted next to the tombs of scholars.
A popular landscaping tree in temperate climates throughout the world, the goldenrain tree was introduced to Europe in 1747 and North America in 1763. The California Big Tree Registry has a nominated specimen in Santa Ana, California that is 44 feet tall.
Look up! You’re bound to spot many examples of these colorful trees that delight us with their October beauty.
