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Glossary

Floss-Silk Tree, Chorisia speciosa

Go to - Landscape Trees
Landscape Shrubs

Family - Bombacaceae

A native of South America, this deciduous tree is not very "huggable" as the trunk and branches are covered with many sharp, stout thorns.

It is definitely an attention getter in the landscape however, with clusters of showy pink & white flowers produced in fall and winter after the tree has dropped its leaves.

The Floss-silk tree is very fast growing when young, under ideal conditions it can add up to 5 feet of growth during a single growing season! As the tree ages its growth slows and trunks often become bulbous near the base.

Leaves are alternate, palmately compound & the leaflets have serrate margins. Bark is thin, green or sometimes grey. The fruit is a large roundish pod, up to 12 inches long.

Floss-silk grows in USDA zones 9b-11, can reach a height of 50 feet with an equal spread, is tolerant of a wide range of soil pH and compositions as long as it's well drained, and has very good drought tolerance.

Not salt tolerant, should be kept back 15-20 feet from sidewalks and other structures so surface roots don't cause a problem.

Young trees should be pruned to develop a single leader.

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