My most favourite plant in our garden - Corymbia ficifolia x ptychocarpa. Each of these pink beauties is about 6-7 cm diameter and I love their fluffy pink goodness....just like a party girl's dress.
Corymbias used to be part of the Eucalyptus (gum tree) genus, but were separated off over 10 years ago. The "corymb" refers to the way the flowers are arranged.
Oh that is just beautiful! Your garden is full of such amazing colour and shape that is completely new to me. It's a breath of fresh air in this dull grey winter of ours too....! Lovely shot :)
I'm a big fan of Corymbias but reckon' they should still be in the Eucalyptus camp. I saw no real reason for change but then again, I don't deal with nomenclature like the 'perts do.
@filsie65 thank you @peterdegraaff The one next door sheered off at the graft many years ago ... and I have trouble convincing them that their giant tree is not what they originally planted . @bobfoto taxonomists eh? They only do it to publish more field guides. @swilde thanks ... a genus name is like a surname appearing before a first name.
@definitelydeb - Hi Deb B, I took a bit of a look and while Corymbia ficifolia does not appear on the list of more common Eucalyptus Trees of California, it would grow there providing you are not up too high or in one of the inland valleys that get a frost. The best specimens of C. ficifolia that I have seen in Australia have been in coastal areas with hot dry summers and mild frost free winters.
This particular version is a hybrid, and hopefully Amanda can say whether this hybridisation was for frost tolerance or just colour. I'm guessing colour because of the pinkyness in this flower. Although C. ficifolia does vary in colour, most are redder then this one.
@maggierda someone else made a similar comment when I posted a shot of this flower last summer :) @chiichan@moirab@rhubarbwhine thank you ladies. @definitelydeb thank you. @bobfoto has covered most of what I would say. The hybridisation was for both form (size and shape) and colour (it also comes in orange, baby pink and magenta. This one is actually "Summer Red" variety, but some flowers are redder than others. They are also grafted so they will grow well in our wet soils and high humidity.... unfortunately they are grafted on to another Corymbia that is a forest species (grows anywhere form 20-60 m tall!), so if they shoot from the base, you could end up with a monster. The other reason is that plants grown from seed aren't guaranteed to grow into similar plants as the parents due to the hybridisation. More about the varieties here: http://www.tarrawood.com.au/floweringgums/gums.html
Beautiful, and great colors!
I like how I am learning stuff about these exotic (for me, at least;-)) plants through your pics and comments. Thanks for sharing!
@murnane I have a PhD in botany and tend to go on a bit ... but Australian plants are my favourites and I love them. I have some of those orange ones shown in your pic today.
@peterdegraaff The one next door sheered off at the graft many years ago ... and I have trouble convincing them that their giant tree is not what they originally planted .
@bobfoto taxonomists eh? They only do it to publish more field guides.
@swilde thanks ... a genus name is like a surname appearing before a first name.
This particular version is a hybrid, and hopefully Amanda can say whether this hybridisation was for frost tolerance or just colour. I'm guessing colour because of the pinkyness in this flower. Although C. ficifolia does vary in colour, most are redder then this one.
@chiichan @moirab @rhubarbwhine thank you ladies.
@definitelydeb thank you. @bobfoto has covered most of what I would say. The hybridisation was for both form (size and shape) and colour (it also comes in orange, baby pink and magenta. This one is actually "Summer Red" variety, but some flowers are redder than others. They are also grafted so they will grow well in our wet soils and high humidity.... unfortunately they are grafted on to another Corymbia that is a forest species (grows anywhere form 20-60 m tall!), so if they shoot from the base, you could end up with a monster. The other reason is that plants grown from seed aren't guaranteed to grow into similar plants as the parents due to the hybridisation. More about the varieties here: http://www.tarrawood.com.au/floweringgums/gums.html
I like how I am learning stuff about these exotic (for me, at least;-)) plants through your pics and comments. Thanks for sharing!