BIGNONIA FAMILY (BIGNONIACEAE) 



234. Tulipan africano, African tuliptree 



This handsome, ornamental tree is planted for 

 its masses of larjie brilliant orange-red to scarlet 

 flowers. It is easily recofrnized by: (1) the tulip- 

 like tubular flame-colored tlowers i inches long and 

 3 inches across, in erect clusters mostly at the top 

 of the crown; (2) the large erect green to dark 

 brown pods 5-10 inches long, IV2 inches wide, 

 and Ys i'lch thick, which point upward at the ends 

 of the branches; and (3) the opposite large pin- 

 nate leaves 1-2 feet long with usually 11-17 (some- 

 times 5-19) opposite elliptic leaflets. 



A large exotic tree becoming 50-80 feet high 

 and 1-1 1^ feet in trunk diameter, with a dense 

 irregular ci'own of large spreading branches, ever- 

 green or nearly deciduous. Big trunks develop 

 tall narrow buttresses at base and are slightly 

 broadened and grooved. The bark is very light 

 brown, smoothish but becoming slightly fissured. 

 Inner bark is about 14 i'^^l^ thick, whitish, and 

 bitter. The stout grayish-brown twigs are smooth 

 except for corky warts (lenticels). 



The large leaves are opposite or sometimes in 

 3's, and the leaflets also opposite except for the end 

 one. These leaflets are .3-6 inches long and IV2- 

 3 inches broad, on short stalks i/g "''♦^li long? 

 abruptly short-pointed, rounded and slightly 

 oblique at base, a little thickened with edges a little 

 turned under, almost hairless, the upper surface 

 green to dark green with sunken veins and slightly 

 shiny, the lower surface paler. 



The terminal flower clusters (racemes) are 

 about 4 inches high and 8 inches across. There are 

 numerous crowded horn-shaped flower buds 1-2 

 inches long on stout greenish stalks of the same 

 length, orange brown, curving inward to the cen- 

 ter. Those around the outside open a few at a 

 time and drop oif about 2 days later. The flowers 

 have a most unusual flattened shape, with light 

 brown calyx 2-2i/^ inches long, curved and pointed 

 like a horn, splitting open on the outer side, mi- 

 nutely hairy and with longitudinal ridges. The 

 tubular orange-red to scarlet corolla about 4 inches 

 long and 2 bv 3 inches broad has an enlarged ir- 

 regular bell-shaped tube 2 inches across and curved 

 downward and 5 broad unequal lobes with crisp 

 wavy edges narrowly bordered with gold. There 

 are 4 pale yellow stamens 2-21,4 inches long, with 

 dark brown anthers, inserted in corolla tube in 2 



Spathodea campanulata Beauv.* 



pairs and projecting barely beyond. The pistil on 

 a disk consists of an oblong 2-celled ovary 1/4 inch 

 long, a long, slender, curved, pale yellow style 

 about 3 inches long, and a 2-lobed red stigma. 



There are 1 to several large lance-shaped or 

 boat-shaped, slightly flattened pods (capsules) on 

 stout stalks, long-pointed, splitting open on 1 side. 

 The numerous very thin papery seeds, about 57,000 

 to a pound, have a light brown center bordered by 

 a transparent wing i/o-l inch across. Flowering 

 and fruiting throughout the year but particularly 

 from late winter to early summer. 



The soft wood with whitish sapwood is not uti- 

 lized in Puerto Rico. 



This ornamental and shade tree is propagated 

 by seeds, cuttings, and root cuttings. It grows 

 very rapidly but requires nearly full light. Meas- 

 ured trees in Puerto Rico increased in trunk diam- 

 eter as much as 2 inches a year. As trees are 

 broken by high winds and frequently become hol- 

 low and hazardous in age, planting near buildings 

 or along roads is not advised. Also, the superficial 

 root system makes this species undesirable for 

 planting near houses and sidewalks. The trees 

 produce sprouts from the roots, sometimes becom- 

 ing like weeds. This species has been tried for cof- 

 fee shade but is not recommended for that purpose. 



Unopened flower buds contain water, ill smell- 

 ing and tasting, which squirts out when the buds 

 are squeezed, pinched, or pricked with a pin. 

 Children play with these buds like water pistols. 

 Old dry empty pods when widely open make very 

 realistic toy boats, which, however, close up in 

 water. 



Cultivated for ornament and shade in Puerto 

 Rico, growing in the coastal, limestone, and lower 

 mountain regions. Also planted in St. Croix, St. 

 Thomas, ancl Tortola. 



Range.— Native of tropical West Africa. 

 Widely planted in tropical regions around the 

 world. Southern Florida, West Indies, Central 

 America, and South America. 



Other common names. — mampolo, amapola 

 (Dominican Republic) ; espatodea (Cuba) ; tuli- 

 pan africano (Colombia, Venezuela) ; African 

 tuliptree (United States) ; African tuliptree, 

 fountain-tree (English) ; immortel etranger 

 (Haiti) ; tulpenboom (Dutch West Indies). 



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