Tropicals, Woody > Mesua > Mesua ferrea > Mesua ferrea
Mesua ferrea
Sri Lankan Ironwood, Indian Rose Chestnut, Cobra's Saffron
Origin: Eastern and Southern Asia.
| Family |
| Calophyllaceae |
| Genus |
| Mesua |
| Species |
| ferrea |
| Category |
| Tropicals, Woody |
| Type |
| Tree (evergreen) |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 11 - 13 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| Requires cold seasons protection under glass. |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H1a - H1c |
| Temperature (°C) |
| 4 - 45 |
| Temperature (°F) |
| 39.2 - 113 |
| Height |
| Over 30 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| Landscape |
| Best suited for ornamental use due to the graceful shape and attractive foliage and flowers. |
| Cultivation |
| Best grown in full sun to partial shade with well-drained soil. |
| Growth |
| Slow |
| Habitat |
| Wet tropical areas. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| Bark brown with irregularly large flaky peelings. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| The flowers are 4 – 7.5 cm diameter, with four white petals and a centre of numerous yellow stamens. |
| Leaf Description |
| Simple, narrow, oblong, oblong to lanceolate. Leaves are 7 – 15 cm long. |
| Flower Description |
| Large and fragrant. |
| Fruit Description |
| Wrinkled when ripe. Resembles a chestnut. Berry, ovoid to globose, apiculate, striate, 1-4 seeded. |
| Colour Description |
| Bark is ashy grey. Foliage is blue-grey to dark green. Flowers are white. |
| Notable Specimens |
| Sakunothayan Botanic Garden, Wang Tong, Phitsanulok, Thailand |
| Ethnobotanical Uses (Disclaimer) |
| National tree of Sri Lanka and state flower of Tripura and Mizoram. |
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