Woody > Roseodendron > Roseodendron donell-smitii > Roseodendron donell-smitii
Roseodendron donell-smitii
Origin: Some countries in Northern south America (Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia) Some countries in Central America (El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala) and Mexico in North America, but was introduced to Hawaiian region, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica as a timber tree.
Mike's
Opinion
"
Primavera, Gold Tree is an incredible nice rounded spreading crown deciduous tree, with a large bright-grey trunk. The flowers bloom when leafless with a completely yellow spread of flowers in the first months of the year announcing the beginning of the spring (Primavera is spring in Spanish). Travelling around areas where this tree is native will remind you of the beginning of spring.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
"
| Family |
| Bignoniaceae |
| Genus |
| Roseodendron |
| Species |
| donell-smitii |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Tree (deciduous) |
| Synonyms |
| Tabebuia donnell-amitii, Cybistax donell-smitii. |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 13 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| Grow under glass |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H1a - H1b |
| Temperature (°C) |
| 18 |
| Temperature (°F) |
| 65 |
| Height |
| 18 - 35 m |
| Spread |
| 8 - 15 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| The Primavera Gold Tree is a medium to tall deciduous tree (18-35 m height) with a dominant cylindrical straight bark white or bright grey that usually don’t spread branches before 7-13 m, and a nice rounded spreading crown, easily to find during spring for the completely yellow crown. |
| Landscape |
| Mostly used as an ornamental plant because of the beautiful gold yellow colour, urban planting for shade, is also used for stabilize soils because of his large lateral roots, in Hawaii and Guatemala is used as a reforesting plant. It is also a timber tree, used for veneer, furniture, flooring and for cabinet-work, also used as an specimen tree. |
| Cultivation |
| It requires altitudes between 200 to 1000 masl (metres above sea level) to fully develop, with soils with textures from sandy loam to sandy clay loam an pH between 5.5 to 7.5 and good drainage, does not tolerate alkaline soils, also requires ideal temperatures between +18 °C to +30 °C and needs an annual precipitation between 1000 to 3000 mm. This tree present lack of physiological develop in different conditions. Gold Tree is mostly considered a tropical and subtropical tree. |
| Shape |
| Round shape, tall trunks with canopy between 8-15 m. |
| Growth |
| Medium |
| ID Characteristic |
| Large and light to whitish grey cylindrical trunk, usually branches free in the first 7 to 13 m height, rounded elongated crow and a beautiful yellow (gold) blooming at the beginning of the spring. |
| Pests |
| Because of the humid habitat where this plants grow, the fungi problems are around the corner, it presents problems with Fusarium and Alternaria, normally plants don’t die but they suffer stress indeed it affects the growing develop, it usually happens in forestall plantations when plants don’t have enough room within or the weed around are to invasive. Foliar eaters caterpillars, are rarely found in this plants but when the appear really damage. |
| Habitat |
| Is native from the humid tropics from Northern South America to Mexico, but was introduced to Puerto Rico and Hawaii, it perfectly develops at altitudes between 200 to 1000 masl, it requires well drained soils, and pH between 5.5-7.5 does not tolerate Alkaline soils, it is very tolerant to drought, but develop perfectly 1000 to 3000 mm annual precipitation. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| Straight trunk, light or whitish grey colour, when mature the colour changes to a darker grey or stays light grey, can reach between 0.5 to 1.0 m DBH, cylindrical to slightly ribbed main trunk; branches appear usually after the 7-13 m height, most of the time creating a co-dominant or multi co-dominant branches that can reach diameters from 20 to 50 cm. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| Flower buds are round-shaped and enlarged at the end 1 cm long and grow in panicle arrangements, the flower buds grow at the tip of the branches and blooms before the leaves, Leaf buds are round-shaped 0.5 cm long and grow as a palmately compound leaf. |
| Leaf Description |
| Palmate compound leaf, long peduncles 10-25 cm, ovate blade with crenate margins, light green before maturity, and light dull green colour when mature, lighter color underside,12-20 cm long, 5-9 cm wide. |
| Flower Description |
| Grow in very close groups on the tip of the branches, start to bloom when the tree almost finished shedding their leaves, 35 cm long panicle flower arrangement, calyx with two hairy sepals 1.5 cm long, bell-shaped or commonly known as trumpets, Five bright hairy yellow petals 4 cm long, Perfect flower, two stamens, conical hairy form ovary with one pistil. |
| Fruit Description |
| Elongated pods 15-18 cm long (Fabaceae Family pod form) are identified by their colour change, changing from yellowish green to brown or dark brown when mature. Its texture must be rough, and its flexibility prevents the sheath from bending (it breaks when folded). Inside there are small flat seeds 7-8 mm long and 1.5 cm wide including the flat transparent membrane. |
| Notable Specimens |
| University of Hawaii at M?noa Campus, Honolulu, Hawaii. |
| Propagation |
| Tree propagation sexual and asexual. Sexual involves cleaning fruits and exposing them outdoors, under shade, scattered inside boxes, for 3 to 5 days. The seed is extracted manually by breaking the pods, they are exposed to the sun during periods of 2 hours, stirring until dry, then exposed outdoors under shade for 1 or 2 days to complete the drying process evenly. germination is improved by immersion in fresh water for 12 hours. Sow seed in nursery bags or pots (1 seed per bag or pot) Seeds germinate after 12 to 18 days. Plants are ready to be transplanted to soil after 4 months and with 50 to 80 centimetres tall. Plants require full sun conditions and well drained soils. Asexual per cuttings, take cuttings when the plant is active just after flowering making sure to remove any forming fruit. The use of a rooting hormone is required and a liquid powdered type formulation at concentration 1:5 (concentrate: water) Then place the cuttings in the mix that could be perlite or sand and make sure to keep the mix moist. Roots will appear in the next 12 weeks and will reach 10 cm, after that they will be ready to transplant to bigger pots about 1 gallon big, and stay there until the plant roots totally fill the pot, and then they are ready to go to field and planted in the ground in full sun spots free of invasive weed. |
| Ethnobotanical Uses (Disclaimer) |
| Agroforestry Uses, it is used in some reforesting areas due to the fact that is a fast growing plant, also this tree develops large secondary roots that are good to stabilize soils. Medicinal Uses, traditionally in some in some countries like Guatemala and Mexico, the bark is considered to be effective in treating rheumatism, arthritis, cancer, infections, inflammations and ulcers, is also a good bactericide and fungicide. Formerly used to build cotton looms |
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