Spathodea
campanulata
Fountain Tree, African Tulip Tree, Pichkari or Nandi Flame
Origin: Plains and low terrain, INDIA
Spathodea campanulata A tall tree, reaching a height of c. 22m under favourable conditions. Planted in gardens and avenues both for shade and for gorgeous display of flowers; in the dry areas, the tree is deciduous for a few weeks, but in humid climate it remains evergreen. The Tulip tree of China and North America, Liriodendron tulipifera, is a different plant. The buds are full of water and when pressed squirt a jet of liquid. Leaves imparipinnately compound, 30-45cm long; leaflets mostly elliptic or oval; flowers bell-shaped, scarlet-red or orange, in dense pendulous, terminal racemes; capsules oblong-lanceolate, many-seeded; seeds winged.
18,000-20,000 seeds/kg
<Growing tips>
Keep the tree seeds evenly moist by misting with water daily. The seeds germinate quickly, often as early as two weeks after planting. Remove the plastic domes covering the seed trays when the seeds have germinated. Remove the weakest seedlings to provide room for the strongest plants to develop.