PORTIA TREE 
PORTIA TREE (Thespesia populnea). 
Bushy, evergreen seaside small tree with 
heart-shaped dark green leaves. The lovely 
yellow mallow flowers fade purple-red. 
This is much planted as a street tree in 
south Florida and like others of the “tree 
Hibiscus” group, it thrives near the water 
and is undamaged by salt spray. 
* BRITTON’S HIBISCUS (H. grande). 
This tropical American tree is much like 
the foregoing Hawaiian tree, except for a 
maroon eye in the flower. It is more open 
in growth, and thrives near the sea. 
* WHITE HIBISCUS TREE (H. Wai- 
meae). Although usually cultivated as a 
shrub, Rock says this is a “rather distinct 
plant” that make “a handsome tree with 
large white showy flowers.” 
"WERCKLEA (W. insignis). This 
beautiful ornamental tree to 30 feet has 
very large, light-green dinnerplate leaves 
and bears beautiful bluish-rose hibiscus- 
like flowers. “One of the most interesting 
and showy trees of Costa Rica,” Standley 
wrote, 
“KYDIA (K. calycina). This shrub or 
small tree to 25 feet is pictured in Blatter 
& Millard’s “Some Beautiful Indian Trees” 
because of its lovely branching massed 
clusters of small white or pinkish flowers 
above the foliage. It is a conspicuous 
sight in November and again in the spring. 
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The big velvety light green leaves make 
this a fine ornamental. The gray bark 
peels off like a sycamore. Although Kydia 
belongs to the mallows or hibiscus family, 
only a botanist would know it. 
HIBISCUS 
* HIBISCUS. Florida gardens are not 
complete without plenty of these ever- 
green shrubs. I offer only a few of the 
best varieties. 
WHITE WINGS. Pure white with red 
center. 
AGNES GAULT. Best free-flowering 
satiny pink. 
MRS. MARY JOHNSON. Very large 
creamy pink. 
CALIFORNIA GOLD. Light yellow, 
pink eye. 
EUTERPE. Buff with reddish eye. 
*LILAC BARKLYA (Barklya_ syringi- 
folia). Known in its native land as the 
Queensland Gold-Blossom Tree, this is an 
outstanding ornamental, sometimes to a 
height of 40-60 feet. The specific name 
means that it has leaves like the lilac. 
Audas: “Native Trees of Australia” says 
of it: “Barklya is very beautiful, with its 
large, dense trusses of small bright-orange 
flowers. It is confined to the coasal dis- 
tricts of Queensland. It requires shelter 
and grows only in rich moist brushes. As 
an ornamental tree, well worth cultivat- 
ing.” 
MORETON BAY CHESTNUT (Casta- 
nospermum australe). Half-hardy is this 
tall evergreen Australian tree which at 
flowering time gets covered with yellow- 
turning-red_pea-like flowers, quite at- 
tractive. 
