Scientific Name
Barringtonia racemosa (L.) Spreng.
Common Name(s)
Powderpuff Mangrove, Powder Puff Tree, Fish-killer Tree, Fish-poison Tree, Fish-poison Wood, Sea Poison Tree, Freshwater Mangrove, Small-leaved Barringtonia, China Pine, Putat Kampung
Synonym(s)
Barringtonia apiculata, Barringtonia caffra, Barringtonia celebesensis, Barringtonia ceramensis, Barringtonia ceylanica, Barringtonia elongata, Barringtonia excelsa, Barringtonia inclyta, Barringtonia lageniformis, Barringtonia longiracemosa, Barringtonia obtusangula, Barringtonia pallida, Barringtonia rosaria, Barringtonia rosata, Barringtonia rumphiana, Barringtonia salomonensis, Barringtonia stravadium, Barringtonia terrestris, Barringtonia timorensis, Butonica alba, Butonica apiculata, Butonica caffra, Butonica ceylanica, Butonica inclyta, Butonica racemosa, Butonica rosata, Butonica rumphiana, Butonica terrestris, Caryophyllus racemosus, Eugenia racemosa, Huttum racemosum, Megadendron ambiguum, Megadendron pallidum, Menichea rosata, Michelia apiculata, Michelia ceylanica, Michelia racemosa, Michelia rosata, Michelia timorensis, Stravadium album, Stravadium obtusangulum, Stravadium racemosum
Scientific Classification
Family: Lecythidaceae
Genus: Barringtonia
Origin
This species is found in coastal swamp forests and on the edges of estuaries in the Indian Ocean, starting at the east coast of Mozambique and KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) to Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, southern China, northern Australia, coastal Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands, and many Polynesian islands.
Flower
Color: White and pink
Bloom Time: Flowering occurs year-round
Description
Barringtonia racemosa is a flowering plant with a straight unbranched stem that leads to a rounded crown and is usually up to 26 feet (8 m) tall but occasionally reaches 50 feet (15 m). The bark is greyish brown to pink with white blotches and raised dots and lines. The branches are marked with leaf scars. Leaves are alternate and carried in clusters at the ends of branches. They are up to 12.6 inches (32 cm) long, up to 6 inches (15 cm) wide, and have up to 0.5 inches (1.2 cm) long petioles. The midribs are prominent on the lower side of the leaf, and the branching veins are visible on both sides.
The flowers are produced on hanging, up to 3.3 feet (1 m) long racemes. The buds are pinkish-red and split open to bring forth masses of delicate stamens in white sprays, up to 1.4 inches (3.5 cm) wide, which are often tinged with pink.
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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