Bolivia) where it can grow up to 35 m (38 yd.) tall. Its botanical denomination refers to the Valle Tipuana, a Bolivian valley in which the Tipu Tree develops larger populations. It belongs to the family of Fabaceae; thus it is not related to Jacaranda (Bignonia family, cf. p. 22). Anyway it is also called Yellow Jacaranda because of its pinnate leaves and blossom pan-icles. Pride of Bolivia is a fast growing, unde-manding and flexible tree, characteristics that make it popular as a street tree. Today it is even cultivated in mild regions of the Mediterranean.
23
In the Gardens
Flame Tree
Brachychiton acerifolius
Bloom time
From April to September.
Characteristics
The Flame Tree grows up to 10 m (11 yd.) tall. The leaves consist of three to five lobes and are shed off in winter. In spring the plant develops the main blossoms before new leaves sprout. The scarlet blossoms are little and bell-shaped; they grow in long, hanging racemes.
Site:
At Madeira’s southern coast you will often find the Flame tree being cultivated as an ornamen-tal plant up to an altitude of 200 m (220 yd.). You may frequently see the plant in Funchal where it is both lining roads and growing in gardens and parks. An eye-catching specimen shades the inner courtyard of Funchal’s market hall.
Interesting to know:
The tree is native to Australia where it grows in the rainforest at the eastern coast. In South Africa you might see it frequently as a park tree. Its frost tolerance allows cultivating it even in the Mediterranean regions. The wood is extremely light and soft; thus you could hammer against the trunks of older speci-mens and will notice that they sound empty. The wood is sometimes employed to produce life belts; moreover it can serve as a substi-tute for balsa wood in model construction.
24
In the Gardens
Tropical Hydrangea Tree,
Pink Ball Dombeya
Dombeya wallichii
Bloom time
From November to February.
Characteristics
The tree grows spherical-ly and reaches up to 8 m (9 yd.) tall. It has dense foliage. The heart-shaped leaves are tapered, have a point-ed extreme and are tender-ly hairy on the underside. The hemispherical, hanging flowers remind of Hydran-geas. The single blossoms are pink with yellow stamens.
Site:
You will find the Hydrangea Tree in parks in the south, mainly in the region of Funchal and up to an altitude of 300 m (330 yd.). Specimen trees are growing in the Botani-cal Garden (190), in the Quinta das Cruzes (199) and in the Quinta Palmeira (195).
Interesting to know:
The tree is native to Madagascar. Today it is cul-tivated as an ornamental plant in all tropical countries. Despite of its name and the blossoms it is not related to Hydrangeas but belongs to the Mallow family (Malvaceae). The genus Dombeya got its name from J. Dombey (1742-1795), popu-lar as a traveller for America, and contains about 300 species that are exclusively native to Africa, mainly to Madagascar. Their blossoms are not too attractive yet. Anyway some Dombeya spe-cies from South Africa are cultivated in the Med-iterranean region because they tolerate light frosts (in contrast to the Tropical Hydrangea Tree).
25
In the Gardens
Batwing Coral Tree
Erythrina speciosa
Bloom time
From January to April.
Characteristics
The tree grows up to 5 m (5,5 yd.) tall. The heart-shaped leaves are shed off in win-ter. Blossoms sprout of the bare tree. The conical inflo-rescences are placed at the shoot tips; mostly in little groups on short sprigs. The intense red single blooms have crescent-like ends that rigidly stick out sideways.
Site:
On Madeira you will find the Batwing Coral Tree as an ornamental plant in parks and gardens. It prefers sites in the sunny south-ern part of the island up to an altitude of 300 m (330 yd.). For example there are sev-eral specimens situated in the Parque Santa Catarina (198), Funchal. You can also find the tree growing in Machico and in Ribeira Brava.
Interesting to know:
The Batwing Coral Tree is native to South Brazil. The Abyssinian Coral Tree/Red-Hot Poker Tree (Erythrina abyssinica) is a related species in-digenous to Central and East Africa with brush-shaped flowers. The lobes of the single blossom are narrower and thread-shaped. This species can also be found on Madeira. The seeds of most Coral Tree species are toxic. The seeds of Abyssinian Coral Tree contain a narcotic agent that has a similar effect to curare. It could cause paralysis or even death for human beings.
26
In the Gardens
Cock’s Comb Coral Tree
Erythrina crista-galli
Bloom Time
From March to September.
Characteristics
It can grow up to 5 m (6,5 yd.) tall but often stays shrub-shaped. The leathery leaves are roughly pinnate and partly thorny. You can easily distinguish between the Cock’s Comb Coral Tree and other Coral Tree spe-cies represented on Madeira by its blossoms that resem-ble the comb of a rooster.
Site:
In the south of the island you will find spec-imen trees in parks and gardens up to an altitude of 300 m (330 yd.). A remarkably giant specimen grows in front of the church on the main square of Caniço. Occasionally you may also encounter this attractive plant in Funchal.
Interesting to know:
The tree originates from tropical regions in South America (South Brazil, Paraguay, Uru-guay, North Argentina) where it is pollinated by hummingbirds that