Scientific Name
Barringtonia calyptrata (Miers) R.Br. ex Benth.
Common Name(s)
Mango Pine, Cassowary Pine, Blue-fruited Barringtonia, Corned-beef Wood, Cornbeef Wood, China Pine
Synonym(s)
Barringtonia flava, Butonica calyptrata, Huttum calyptratum, Michelia calyptrata
Scientific Classification
Family: Lecythidaceae
Genus: Barringtonia
Origin
Barringtonia calyptrata is native to New Guinea and northern Queensland.
Flower
Color: White
Bloom Time: Flowering occurs in the late dry season
Description
Barringtonia calyptrata is a deciduous or semi-deciduous tree with large glossy leaves and stunning pendulous flowers. It grows up to 100 feet (30 m) tall. Leaves tend to be whorled at the ends of the branches.
The fragrant, white flowers are in long pendulous spikes and appear just before the new growth flush. They have only four small white petals but numerous long white stamens and are full of nectar.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zone 10b to 11b: from 35 °F (+1.7 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
How to Grow and Care
This plant grows naturally in wet tropical, moist tropical and wet subtropical climatic zones, generally in areas with annual low temperatures between 68 to 77 °F (20 to 25 °C), annual high temperatures between 81 to 93 °F (27 to 34 °C), annual rainfall between 40 to 160 inches (1000 to 4000 mm) and a dry season of 6 months or less.
It prefers a position in full sun or light shade and grows best in fertile, humid, well-drained soil but tolerates shallow, saline, and infertile soils. An established plant is a pretty drought tolerant and tolerant of saline conditions and salt-laden winds. It thrives in the wild, where its roots dabble in the brackish waters of lagoons, inlets, estuaries, and seasonally flooded coastal regions.
It is usually propagated by seeds.
Links
- Back to genus Barringtonia
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin
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