African Tulip Tree

African tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata). Photographs by Don Walker

Extravagant in every way, the African tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata) is known throughout the world as one of the most beautiful of all flowering trees. Widely grown in tropical climates but sensitive to cold, it was once quite rare in cultivation in California. In the past twenty years, however, this “king of flowering trees” has become a popular landscape tree in frost-free areas of Southern California, with a number of fine, mature specimens now thriving in San Diego County.

Native to tropical Africa, the African tulip tree is a member of the bignonia or trumpet vine plant family (Bignoniaceae). It is both horticulturally and botanically distinct, being the only species in its genus. In its native habitat (centering around Lake Victoria) and as a cultivated ornamental in tropical climates, it is a large evergreen tree to fifty feet tall, or more, with flowers throughout the year. When grown in cooler climates such as Southern California, however, it is usually smaller (to around twenty-five to thirty-five feet tall and fifteen to ...