Street Trees for Central Florida Magnolia grandiflora, Southern bloomer. ‘Majestic Magnolia, is a widely planted flowering Beauty’ has very large tree in our area. It is a Florida native and leaves and flowers that well adapted to our climate. Southern can be up to 12" across. Magnolia bears large, extremely fragrant ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’ white flowers in late spring and summer. has a very dense and Southern Magnolias are large trees and compact growth habit can grow 30-60 feet tall. Seed grown with leaves that have a trees are variable in their growth habit, rusty brown underside. flower period and size, and leaf size and Southern Magnolias are color. There are also many cultivars of drought tolerant once this tree available with different growth they are well established and flowering habits. ‘D.D. Blanchard’ but need to be watered has become one of the most popular well when they are first varieties. It has dark green leaves with planted. orangish-brown undersides. It is also a Nageia nagi, the Nagi faster growing variety. ‘Little Gem’ is the or Broadleaf Podocarpus smallest cultivar. It only grows 10-20 Tree, is an evergreen feet tall and the flowers and leaves are conifer that can reach 50 half the size of a normal Southern to 70 feet. It is a Magnolia. It also has a longer flowering moderate grower with a period and can flower sporadically from dense and upright growth summer until Christmas. ‘Alta’ is a habit. The leaves are dark newer selection with a strong upright green, leathery, and shiny. form and narrower leaves. ‘Greenback’ Female trees bear seeds has narrower leaves that are cupped and with a bluish-black green on both sides. It also has a very covering. Nagi is fairly dense growth habit. ‘Coco’ has a drought tolerant and can pyramidal shape and is a very heavy grow in full sun or deep shade. Nagi is also very wind neighborhoods around the Orlando resistant. Of all the trees area. It bears brilliant yellow flowers here at Leu Gardens, Nagi during summer and is a beautiful tree was the best performer when in full bloom. It is often confused after the three hurricanes with the Golden Rain Tree, Koelreuteria of 2004. There are about a elegans ssp. formosana, which flowers dozen mature specimens later in the year in fall and is not at different locations in recommended for planting, as it is very the Gardens. Nagi is invasive. Yellow Poinciana is a fast native to southern Japan, growing tree, reaching 30-50 feet tall. It southern China, and is also very drought tolerant, but can be Taiwan. It was also difficult to locate in local nurseries. A formerly known as related species, Peltophorum ptreocarpum, Podocarpus nagi. Copperpod, looks similar and is more Peltophorum dubium, or commonly available. It is not generally Yellow Poinciana, is a recommended, as it is tender to cold and Tabebuia impetiginosa common sight in the older suitable only for the warmest sections of Magnolia grandiflora ‘D. D. Blanchard’ Second of a two-part series Central Florida. once it is established. It is native to the tree has corky wings along the stems Yellow Poinciana eastern United States down into the and twigs and is deciduous. Winged is native from northern sections of central Florida. Elm is very drought tolerant and is fast southern Brazil Tabebuia impetiginosa is known as growing. It has a very dense growth to Uruguay. the Pink or Purple Trumpet Tree, native habit and needs little care once it is Pistacia from northern Mexico down to Argentina. established. chinensis, It bears large clusters of trumpet shaped Ulmus parvifolia ‘Allee’ is a distinct Chinese Pistache, flowers in late winter or early spring. cultivar of the Chinese Elm. This tree is a drought These flowers range in color from light can grow 50 to 70 feet tall. It has an tolerant tree pink to purple though most of the trees upright spreading growth habit. It is that can grow found in central Florida are the pink very drought tolerant and deciduous 30-40 feet tall. form. This is a fairly fast growing tree with the tree shedding the leaves in The tree has a that reaches 20 to 30 feet tall. It is very early winter. ‘Allee’ is a much better broad, round drought tolerant and is usually deciduous selection as a street tree than the growth habit. It during winter. commonly grown ‘Drake’, which is is deciduous Taxodium distichum, the Bald Cypress, known as the Chinese Weeping Elm. and the leaves is a Florida native that has proven to be ‘Drake’ is a poor choice as a street tree turn a brilliant an excellent street tree. This deciduous as it tends to have a low branching orange-red in conifer is a moderate to fast grower and canopy and needs frequent pruning to late fall or early usually reaches 70 to 100 feet tall when keep it above traffic. It is also a weak winter. This is mature. The feathery, pinnate one of the best foliage helps give it a soft trees for central appearance. The foliage often Florida whose turns a nice shade of orange leaves develop before dropping in winter. good autumn Though this tree is native to color. Chinese swamps and wetlands, it is Pistache is native drought tolerant once it is to central China, established. It also does not Taiwan, and the usually produce the “knees” Philippines. outside of a swampy location. Quercus Bald Cypress has proven to be myrtifolia, Myrtle an excellent urban tree and can Oak, is a little be used in a wide range of used Florida native. It somewhat resembles situations, from lakefronts to the very common but over planted street trees. Pond Cypress, T. Southern Live Oak, Q. virginiana. ascendens, is a similar native tree, Myrtle Oak is an evergreen tree that but it has a more narrow growth grows 20 to 30 feet tall. The leaves are habit and the foliage is scalier. oval shaped, about an inch long, and Tipuana tipu, Tipu Tree, is a dark green and leathery. Myrtle Oak is tree that deserves greater use in very drought tolerant and also tolerant central Florida. It is native from Ulmus alata of very poor, sandy soils. Another southern Brazil to Bolivia and is a fast tree and blows over easily in storms. ornamental but little used oak is Quercus growing tree that reaches 30-50 feet tall. ‘Allee’ is a strong grower and has good michauxi, the Swamp Chestnut Oak. It It bears bright yellow flowers in late wind resistance. Ulmus parvifolia is is a deciduous tree growing 50 to 100 spring and summer. Once established, it originally native from Korea to China feet tall. The leaves are dark green and is fairly tolerant of drought and needs and Japan and Taiwan. can be up to a foot in length. They are little care. The tree has an airy look and – Eric Schmidt toothed along the edges but not lobed. produces a nice, filtered shade. Swamp Chestnut Oak can tolerate wet Ulmus alata, Winged Elm, is a Florida soils but is moderately drought tolerant native that grows 30 to 40 feet tall. This.