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tropical_lady

Divi divi trees

tropical_lady
14 years ago

I have a small divi divi tree that I have been growing for the past year as a bonsai. I would like to plant it in my landscape. Does anyone have any knowledge of how this tree will do in the ground in tropical South Florida? How slow growing is it? Similar to anything? Does it prefer a specific site location? Is it salt tolerant? I live in the coastal area about 2 miles from the beach.

Thanks for your help.

Comments (9)

  • garyfla_gw
    14 years ago

    Hi
    Have the latin name??
    gary

  • User
    14 years ago

    The divi divi tree is Caesalpinia coriaria. Anyone who has ever walked by a travel agency office will immediately recognize it as that gnarled-looking tree growing on windswept shores of Aruba and other areas of the southern Caribbean. (They are bent over due to the constant direction of the trade winds.) The leaves look like those of a mimosa tree or poinciana. I have not grown this tree but have read that they are slow to "trunk up". They are very tropical and will start dropping leaves in the 40's (but will regrow). Being that they are usually pictured immediately adjacent to the ocean, I would assume that they are salt tolerant. Am also assuming that they like excellent drainage (add sand I guess). Well, at least you have a Latin name now for you to do some research. Though I would imagine you could grow it in zone 10 Florida.

  • Tiffany Gritzalis
    8 years ago

    Hi Tropical Lady!

    I was wondering if you could help me... I'm looking for the exact tree you're describing above, a small divi divi tree. Is there a place where I can buy that?

    And how small is small? Can you keep it indoors?

    I really hope you can help me, I can't find anything about it elsewhere!

    Thanks in advance!


  • garyfla_gw
    8 years ago

    Hi

    Caesalpinia Is a large family all native to the neo tropics many better choices from the family for pot culture imo I would highly recommend C pulcherima Will flower from seed in under a year comes in red, yellow ,pink and my favorite yellow and red. Can be pruned to almost any size and shape you want.. Will flower almost continuously if temps above 40 It also produces obnoxious seed pods like the rest of the family but indoors would probably be much less??. Not sure where to locate them but easily started from seed gary

  • wisconsitom
    8 years ago

    Hoo boy Gary, sure hope you're right about the easy floriferousness of Pride of Barbados. Plus of course, I wanted to use that 10$ word in the sentence!

    Greenhouse that is starting all of our summer annuals, etc. procured seeds of Caesalpinia p. So we shall see if it is A) Possible for a Wisconsin greenhouse to furnish plants right around the end of May that are of substantial size for outplanting.....and B) Whether same plants will get blooming sufficiently rapidly to "pay their way" so to speak. Backup plan consists of extra popcorn cassias. We know they're good to go around here in the summer.

  • tropicbreezent
    8 years ago

    "Caesalpinia Is a large family all native to the neo tropics...."

    Caesalpinia aren't confined to the neotropics, in fact they're pantropical, ie right throughout the tropics of the world. We have 10 native species here out of the 100 or so species in the genus. A lot of them grow as vines.


  • garyfla_gw
    8 years ago

    Wisconsitom

    Not sure about that but i have grown them from seed in pots and they flowered within a year. I like the family because they can be pruned so easily and not effect the flowering They will tolerate into frost and I suspect they would regrow after a hard freeze as long as the roots did not freeze.??

    They mature around 20 feet here but mine is kept under 6 for well over 15 years . They branch easily so produce even more flowers and if above 40 will flower continuously. Tiny leaves and semi deciduous if temps stay up so not messy. They do seem to require full sun though they certainly tolerate shade but flower less.. For the bad habits they have thorns and many seed pods

    For me most of the glory of Delonix but without the problems lol

    tropic That family is a nightmare in naming lol "glory of the tropics" dwarf poincianna, leopard tree pride of Barbados , and most misleading "bird of paradise " Every island, and every nursery comes up with their own names

    I'll let the botanists fight that out lol

  • HU-140730312
    3 years ago

    Where can you buy a Divi Divi Tree?

  • hc mcdole
    3 years ago

    You can get seeds on Etsy.

    https://www.etsy.com/listing/527876210/15-seeds-caesalpinia-coriaria-divi-divi

    What is the appeal of the Divi Divi tree? When I saw them in Aruba, they had some interest but not that much. Most of them were leafless when we visited.