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Products > Plants - Browse By Plant Category > Tree > Colvillea racemosa
 
Colvillea racemosa - Colville's Glory

Note: This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use.  

 
Habit and Cultural Information
Category: Tree
Family: Fabaceae = Pea Family
Origin: Madagascar
Flower Color: Orange
Bloomtime: Summer/Fall
Height: 20-30 feet
Width: 15-20 feet
Exposure: Full Sun
Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs
Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F
Colvillea racemosa (Colville's Glory) - A fast growing tropical briefly deciduous tree that can reach 30 to 50 feet tall. It is related to and resembles in foliage the Royal Poinciana ( Delonix regia) with twice pinnate leaves holding many small mid-green colored leaflets while the Royal Poinciana has foliage that is more of a bright green color. The form of this plant is also more upright than the wild spreading Royal Poinciana and the flowers are very different with this species having foot long clusters of rounded bright reddish orange red flower buds that open to show the long yellow/orange stamens.

Grows in full sun with regular summer water. Likely hardy to temperatures down into the high 20s (27F reported from Florida). Noted as extremely showy in bloom, usually in late summer to fall in locations that have enough heat to bloom this plant, but we have NEVER seen or heard of it blooming in California. The limiting factor that may be preventing this plant from blooming in California could be the lack of sustained warm temperatures.

The tree is native to the western coast of Madagascar where it is listed as "near threatened" on the IUCN red list. It was first collected by the Czech/Austrian botanist Wenceslas Bojer in 1824 who returned and raised plants from seed at Mauritius before sending them on to Europe. He named the genus to honor Sir Charles Colville, a Scottish officer who served under Wellington in the Napoleonic Wars and he later became Governor of Mauritius and it was he who with Bojer was on the trip of discovery (his second) to Madagascar. The species was officially described in 1834 in the Botanical Magazine with William Hooker explicitly stating that Bojer be the author of the description, though in later references the author is sometimes listed as Bojer ex Hook. 

The information about Colvillea racemosa displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.

 
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